Sunday, May 18, 2003
TODAY AT THE TRACK:
| 8 a.m. | Public gates open; Hall of Fame Museum, IMS gift shops open |
| 9:30 p.m. | Armed Force Day Ceremony |
| 10:15 p.m. | Restart of Freedom 100 |
| 11:15 p.m. | IndyCar Series™ practice (non-qualified cars only) |
| 12:30-6 p.m. | Bump Day qualifying |
| 6 p.m. | End of the day press conference |
***
Bump Day this year marks the 33rd time since 1952 that the field has not been filled entering the final qualifying day.
***
Before the restart of the Freedom 100, Infiniti Pro Series officials will present awards from John Bearce, a short-track developer from Illinois, who offered the following awards for Freedom 100 qualifying:
·John Bearce Motorsports Pole Award: Ed Carpenter and A.J. Foyt Racing ($10,000).
·John Bearce Motorsports Front Row Award: Mark Taylor and Panther Racing ($5,000).
***
The Freedom 100 will restart at 10:15 a.m., and teams were allowed to work on their cars overnight. Billy Roe and Arie Luyendyk Jr. had gearbox and electrical problems, respectively, that sidelined them Saturday. Each driver will restart the race after their crews completed overnight work to repair the problems. The race will start under caution, and the first time the cars go past the flag stand, the 13th lap will be completed. The following are the standings for the Freedom 100 after 12 completed laps:
| No. | Driver | Laps/Reason Out | |
| 1. | 14 | Ed Carpenter | 12 |
| 2 | 4 | Mark Taylor | 12 |
| 3 | 20 | Jeff Simmons | 12 |
| 4 | 91 | Aaron Fike | 12 |
| 5 | 92 | Cory Witherill | 12 |
| 6 | 24 | Paul Dana | 12 |
| 7 | 33 | Jonathan Urlin | 12 |
| 8 | 11 | Rolando Quintanilla | 12 |
| 9 | 25 | Scott Harrington | 12 |
| 10 | 8 | Ronnie Johncox | 12 |
| 11 | 99 | Brandon Erwin | 12 |
| 12 | 9 | Tom Wood | 12 |
| 13 | 6 | Marco Cioci | 12 |
| 14 | 27 | Gary Peterson | 12 |
| 15 | 33 | Craig Dollansky | 10, Accident |
| 16 | 37 | Billy Roe | 5, Gearbox |
| 17 | 5 | Arie Luyendyk Jr. | 3, Electrical |
| 18 | 12 | Matt Beardsley | 0, Accident |
| 19 | 36 | Thiago Medeiros | 0, Accident |
***
Brian's Wish/Track Forum "Night at the Races" will take place at 7 p.m. May 23 at the Indianapolis Speedrome, 802 South Kitley Ave., Indianapolis. Featured races will include Supermodifieds and Figure 8's.
The Brian's Wish Fund was created in memory of Brian Hall, an avid race fan and courageous ALS patient. Hall was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - ALS, also commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease - in 1997 and passed away on Indianapolis 500 Carburetion Day, May 23, 2002.
The Miller/Hall family is generously sponsoring up to four tickets per ALS patient family for this event. Additional tickets can be purchased for $5 (gate admission is regularly $10). All ALS supporters may also take advantage of the pre-sale discounted ticket price of $5. For pre-sale tickets, contact Jim Hall at (317) 859-7327. A portion of pre-sale ticket proceeds will benefit "Brian's Wish."
***
Infiniti Pro Series driver Brandon Erwin's luck may be turning for the better. Erwin was supposed to drive a car in the 2001 Indianapolis 500, but withdrew from the event and put his racing career on hold following the death his mother, Patsy, during that month of May. Saturday's rain delay of the Freedom 100 may be a sign that Erwin's luck is changing, he said.
BRANDON ERWIN: "With my lack of laps around here in practice, it makes me feel pretty good. We had nothing but frustration and setbacks the whole time we've been here. We're moving ahead and have something to look forward to. I think the Sam Schmidt Motorsports/Natural Golf 99 is going to the front. We have a car to contend with. If I keep myself out of trouble and be patient, we should be fine."
***
Medical update from Dr. Henry Bock, medical services director for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy Racing League: Craig Dollansky remains at Methodist Hospital in good condition. He will undergo surgery today for repair of his low back fracture.
***
FREEDOM 100 PRE-RESTART:
At 10 a.m., the ambient temperature was 65 degrees with a relative humidity of 90 percent and east winds at 12 mph. Skies were overcast. The track temperature was 74 degrees, according to Firestone engineers.
10:11 a.m. - Engines on all 16 cars restarting the race refired.
***
FREEDOM 100 RACE RUNNING (Day 2):
Lap 13: The cars pulled out of the pits to restart the race under YELLOW. As the cars exited Turn 2, #92 Witherill spun onto the extension of the warm-up lane at the exit of Turn 2. Witherill straightened the car and resumed. There was no wall contact.
Lap 15: GREEN.
Lap 16: #14 Carpenter leads into Turn 1. YELLOW. #27 Peterson made contact with the SAFER Barrier on the outside retaining wall in the middle of Turn 4 with the right side of the car. Peterson's car then slid across the track and made sight contact with the inside retaining wall near the entrance of pit lane. Peterson climbed from the car with assistance from the IMS and IRL safety teams.
Lap 17: #9 Wood to pits. Crew reports problem with gearbox.
Lap 18: #9 Wood returns to track. Top-five: #14 Carpenter, #4 Taylor, #20 Simmons, #92 Witherill, #91 Fike.
Lap 20: GREEN.
Lap 21: #4 Taylor passes #14 Carpenter for lead in Turn 1. Taylor made pass on the inside. Carpenter passes Taylor on inside in Turn 3 to regain lead. Carpenter leads at line by .5745 of a second.
Lap 22: #20 Simmons and #92 Witherill side by side through Turns 1 and 2 for third. #14 Carpenter leads by 1.0853 seconds over #4 Taylor.
Lap 24: #92 Witherill passes #20 Simmons on inside in Turn 1 for third. #92 Witherill then passes #4 Taylor on inside in Turn 3 to take second. #14 Carpenter leads by 2.7371 seconds over #92 Witherill.
Lap 25: #4 Taylor passes #92 Witherill on the outside in Turn 1 for second place. #20 Simmons passes #92 Witherill on outside in Turn 3 for third.
Lap 27: #20 Simmons passes #4 Taylor on outside in Turn 1 for second.
Lap 28: #92 Witherill, #4 Taylor, #20 Simmons went three-wide into Turn 1. Witherill took second, Simmons third and Taylor fourth.
Lap 28: #14 Carpenter leads #92 Witherill 6.2 seconds.
Lap 29: #92 Witherill and #4 Taylor nearly touch in Turn 3 in fight for second.
Lap 30: #14 Carpenter leads by 7.7 seconds over #92 Witherill. Positions 3-5 are #4 Taylor, #20 Simmons, #3 Urlin.
Lap 32: #14 Carpenter leads by 8.9 seconds over #92 Witherill.
***
Medical update from Dr. Henry Bock, medical services director for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy Racing League: Gary Peterson has been checked and released from the Clarian Emergency Medical Center in the infield of IMS. He is cleared to drive.
***
Lap 35: #14 Carpenter leads by 10.6580 seconds over #92 Witherill.
Lap 36: #14 Carpenter leads by 11.4121 seconds over #92 Witherill.
Lap 37: #14 Carpenter leads by 12.0809 seconds over #92 Witherill.
Lap 38: #4 Taylor and #92 Witherill side by side through Turns 3 and 4 in battle for second. #14 Carpenter leads by 12.7512 seconds over #92 Witherill.
Lap 39: WHITE FLAG: #14 Carpenter leads by 13.4353 seconds over #92 Witherill.
Lap 40: CHECKERED FLAG: #14 Ed Carpenter, driver of the No. 14 Futaba/Delphi/A.J. Foyt Racing Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone wins the inaugural Freedom 100 by 13.9522 seconds. #92 Witherill finishes second and #4 Taylor finishes third, separated by .1247 of a second at the finish.
***
FREEDOM 100 POST-RACE NOTES:
·This is Ed Carpenter's first career Infiniti Pro Series victory. He previous best finish was second in August 2002 at Kentucky.
·A.J. Foyt Racing has recorded a record five victories in the Infiniti Pro Series. A.J. Foyt IV won four races in 2002 for the team.
·Ed Carpenter led 39 of the 40 laps today. The only other time he had led laps in an Infiniti Pro Series race was in August 2002 at Kentucky.
·Ed Carpenter joins Ray Harroun (Indianapolis 500, 1911), Jeff Gordon (Brickyard 400, 1994), Mark Martin (IROC at Indy, 1998) and Michael Schumacher (United States Grand Prix, 2000) as winners of inaugural featured races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
***
FREEDOM 100 QUICK QUOTES:
ED CARPENTER (No. 14 Futaba/Delphi/A.J. Foyt Racing Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): "We made a change last night after the rain delay, and A.J. (Foyt) hit it right on the head. I have to credit that for the win today. A.J. knows this place. It's unreal. The car was perfect. It was fun to drive."
MARK TAYLOR (No. 4 Fulmar Panther Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): "It was a very tough race. I just wasn't able to tow past and stay in front of people. It is just one of those things. It is something I knew I had to learn when I came into the series. It feels strange to be third, but it is a good result. It would have been nice to win another race, but you can't win them all. I try my best. The car finished the race, and third was the best we could do today."
CORY WITHERILL (No. 92 WSA Healthcare Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone): "It was awesome. There were a whole bunch of us out there. The Hemelgarn Johnson WSA team did a great job. Once we got the green, it was just a matter of getting up front as fast as we can. Obviously, everyone wants to win this first race. Carpenter was just gone, but it was a good race for second on back. Mark (Taylor) is a great driver, as is Jeff Simmons." (About advantage of previously competing in Indy 500:) "It helped a lot with the mental preparation. With having a race at the Speedway, there's a lot of drama and traditions, which can be a distraction. I knew what to expect."
A.J. FOYT (Owner, A.J. Foyt Racing):"He did a great job. He kept his head clear all day. The car performed perfectly."
***
UNOFFICIAL TOP 10 IN IRL INFINITI PRO SERIES POINT STANDINGS:
| 1. | Mark Taylor | 139 |
| 2. | Thiago Medeiros | 91 |
| 3. | Brandon Erwin | 86 |
| Jonathan Urlin | 86 | |
| 5. | Ed Carpenter | 84 |
***
The next Infiniti Pro Series event is the Pikes Peak 100 on June 14 at Pikes Peak International Raceway.
***
INDIANAPOLIS 500 PRACTICE REPORT:
At 11:15 a.m., the ambient temperature was 65 degrees with east winds at 10 mph and a relative humidity of 88 percent. Skies were overcast.
Only non-qualified cars were allowed to participate in this morning's practice session.
11:15 a.m. - GREEN. #99 Hearn on track for first time this month.
11:21 a.m. - YELLOW. Debris.
11:25 a.m. - GREEN. #44 McGehee on track for first time this month.
11:32 a.m. - Nine cars have been on track thus far.
11:55 a.m. - The ambient temperature was 68 degrees with east winds at 14 mph and a relative humidity of 84 percent. Skies were partly cloudy. The track temperature was 90 degrees, according to Firestone engineers.
11:56 a.m. - YELLOW, THEN CHECKERED. Debris.
***
Top Nine Drivers of Non-Qualified Drivers Practice Session
| No. | Driver | Car | Speed | |
| 1 | 19 | Jimmy Vasser | Argent Rahal/Letterman Racing D/H/F | 227.501 mph |
| 2 | 2T | Vitor Meira | Menards/Johns Manville D/C/F | 225.984 |
| 3 | 20 | Alex Barron | Meijer Mo Nunn Racing G/T/F | 225.573 |
| 4 | 99 | Richie Hearn | Contour Hardening Special G/T/F | 225.557 |
| 5 | 5T | Airton Dare | EPSON/A.J. Foyt Racing G/T/F | 225.290 |
| 6 | 5 | Shigeaki Hattori | EPSON/A.J. Foyt Racing D/T/F | 224.513 |
| 7 | 18 | Jimmy Kite | PDM Racing D/C/F | 224.464 |
| 8 | 98 | Billy Boat | Pedigo Chevrolet Panther Racing D/C/F | 224.397 |
| 9 | 44 | Robby McGehee | Pedigo Chevrolet Panther Racing D/C/F | 215.449 |
***
Entry update:
·Airton Dare is now listed as the driver of the No. 5T EPSON/A.J. Foyt Racing Dallara/Toyota/Firestone.
***
INDIANAPOLIS 500 QUALIFYING CHRONOLOGY:
At 12:20, the ambient temperature was 68 degrees with east winds at 13 mph and a relative humidity of 83 percent. Skies were cloudy.
| 12:33 p.m. | #18 | JIMMY KITE/Stockbridge, Ga. | ||
| TBA - D/C/F | ||||
| QA-29 | 1 - 39.9909 - 225.051 | UA - 1 | ||
| 2 - 39.9818 - 225.102 | ||||
| 3 - Pulled into pits. Crew suspected electrical problem. | ||||
| 12:40 p.m. | #5 | SHIGEAKI HATTORI/Okayama, Japan | ||
| EPSON/A.J. Foyt Racing - D/T/F | ||||
| QA-30 | 1 - 40.0198 - 224.889 | Q - 25 | ||
| 2 - 40.0779 - 224.563 | ||||
| 3 - 40.0789 - 224.557 | ||||
| 4 - 40.1164 - 224.347 | ||||
| T 2:40.2930 - 224.589 | ||||
| 12:46 p.m. | #98 | BILLY BOAT/Phoenix | ||
| Pedigo Chevrolet Panther Racing - D/C/F | ||||
| QA-31 | 1 - 39.8870 - 225.637 | Q - 26 | ||
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