By Paul Kelly
indy500.com
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Penske Racing and A.J. Foyt Enterprises, which have combined to win five of the last eight Indianapolis 500's, each filed three entries April 4 for the 91st running of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."
Sam Schmidt Motorsports also filed an entry.
The 91st Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 27 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Entries must have been postmarked by midnight Wednesday, April 4, but more entries are expected to arrive via mail at Indy Racing League headquarters in the next week.
Penske named reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Sam Hornish Jr. and two-time "500" winner Helio Castroneves as its drivers, while Foyt named Darren Manning as the driver of one of its entries. No driver was assigned to the Schmidt entry.
Hornish, from Defiance, Ohio, will drive the No. 6 Team Penske Dallara/Honda/Firestone, with a backup entered. Matt Jonsson is the chief mechanic.
Three-time IndyCar Series champion Hornish will attempt to make his eighth Indianapolis 500 start. He earned his first Indianapolis 500 victory from the pole in thrilling fashion last year, edging Marco Andretti by .0635 of a second with a pass on the final straightaway of the last lap.
Castroneves, a native of Brazil, will drive the No. 3 Team Penske Dallara/Honda/Firestone, with a backup entered. Rick Rinaman is the chief mechanic.
Castroneves will attempt to make his seventh Indianapolis 500 start. He became the first driver to win his first two Indianapolis 500 starts, in 2001 and 2002. He also won the pole in 2003. Castroneves can become only the ninth driver with at least three Indianapolis 500 victories.
No driver or number was assigned to the third Penske entry, a Dallara/Honda/Firestone with a backup entered.
Tim Cindric is the president of Penske Racing, which has earned a record 14 Indianapolis 500 victories. Tom Wurtz is the team manager. Penske won in 2001 and 2002 at Indy with Castroneves, in 2003 with Gil de Ferran and last year with Hornish.
IndyCar Series regular Manning, a native of England, will drive the No. 14 ABC Supply Co./A.J. Foyt Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone fielded by the team owned by four-time Indy 500 winner Foyt. A backup is entered. Pat Jordan is the chief mechanic.
Manning will attempt to make his third Indy 500 start. His best start and finish of 15th and 25th, respectively, came as a rookie in 2004.
Foyt also filed entries for the No. 41 A.J. Foyt Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone, with a Panoz/Honda/Firestone as a backup, and the No. 50 A.J. Foyt Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone, with a Dallara backup. No driver was named to either entry. Craig Baranouski is the chief mechanic for both entries.
Baranouski also is the team manager for A.J. Foyt Enterprises, which last won the Indianapolis 500 in 1999 with driver Kenny Brack.
Indy Pro Series standout team Sam Schmidt Motorsports filed an entry for the No. 99 primary and backup cars. No driver or chassis was listed. John Roof Jr. is the chief mechanic, while Chris Griffis is the team manager.
***
2007 Indianapolis 500 tickets: Tickets are on sale for the 91st Indianapolis 500, scheduled for Sunday, May 27.
Tickets can be purchased at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's Web site, www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com, by phone or at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Ticket Office. The IMS Ticket Office can be contacted at (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area or (317) 492-6700 locally. Ticket Office hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Parking and camping permits for "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" also can be purchased online, by phone or at the Ticket Office.
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