Indy Bump Day Report

For most of yesterday, Tony Kanaan had to be wondering if he would even make the show. It had been a long couple of days for the popular Brazilian, who is regarded as the 'leader' of the Andretti Autosport drivers. A crash during his Pole Day qualy attempt wrecked one car: Then a second car was totaled in the Sunday morning practice session.

Crew memebers from ALL of the Andretti squads pitched in to get another car up and running. Then Tony had to try and 'dial it in' to his liking in just a few hours, and during the heat of the day, when the track was at it's slickest & slowest.

Finally, at 2:30pm, Tony was ready to take his shot. The TV cameras leaned in over his cockpit as IRL president of competition Brain Barnhardt, who gives every driver about to make an Indy qualy attempt last-minute 'instructions', told him; "You know what champions do, so rise up and do it." Four laps at just barely over 224 mph later, Kanaan - who in eight previous Indy starts had never qualified worse than 6th - was hanging on to a slot in the last row, but he was in.

Also making the grid on Sunday was Bruno Junqueria, who posted a four lap average at an impressive 225.6 mph despite having only run a few laps in the car earlier in the morning: Sponsorship issues had kept him out of FAZZT Racing's second car up until that point.

It had been a week of struggles for Milka Duno and Sarah Fisher, neither of whom could find the speed range (about 223.7+ mph) that seemed to be the minimum needed to have a shot to make the grid. Duno would miss the cut, but Sarah would finally find enough speed to make it, giving the 2010 Indy 500 a record four women competitors.

As the clock wound down towards the 6pm cut-off, the gambling began. Conquest Racing would withdraw Mario Romancini's prior qualy run, which was then slowest on the grid, and send him out to try and better it. He did so superbly, becomming the third fastest driver of the day. Then KVRT's 'one-off' driver Paul Tracy and Sarah Fisher Racing's second driver Jay Howard began a back-and-forth fight over the last spot, which Howard occupied at that point.

In the end the squabble took both of them out. When a driver withdraws his prior attempt speed to make another run, whoever had the next slowest speed has theirs re-instated, if only for the four laps that it takes the driver who is currently on course to again post a faster one. This played into the hands of 'one-off' squad Byran Herta Autosport's teenaged driver Sebastian Saavedra, who was the fastest of those who had been 'bumped'. As neither Tracy or Howard managed to beat Sebastian's time, he was back in the show!

Here is the complete grid for the 94th Indianapolis 500:

http://www.indycar.com/news/show/55-izod-indycar-series/37553-indy-500-starting-lineup/

The race will begin at 1pm ET on Sunday, 5/30.

MY SCHEDULE:

I will be at Indy of Friday for 'Carb Day' (the final practice session) & the Firestone Indy Lights Freedoom 100 support Race. On Saturday I will be attending a driver autograph session, as well as a 'public' - there are a limited number of seats, but I managed to get an RSVP! -  meeting about the impending 2012 spec chassis change. And, of course, on Sunday I'll be at the race.

I will get plenty of pictures and video for everyone.