It's May & That Means: The Indianapolis 500

Originally posted on May 7, 2006 on foxsports.com

The brouhaha and anticipation for the Indianapolis 500 has started - and the race isn't for another 3 weeks.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway publicizes the race as "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."  And it very well may be.  It is one of the few races that even non-race fans know about and watch.  When I was growing up, I thought it was the only race in the world.  It never crossed my mind that the drivers and teams may race at other times of the year or on other tracks.  Who needed other races when there was the Indianapolis 500?  I now know that there are many people who still feel this way, either through ignorance or preference.  I'm not sure that they are entirely wrong.  There is something about the month of May in Indianapolis at the race track that plays on the psyche.

To the average non-gearhead, the race is the main thing.  However, the Indy 500 really runs thoughout the month of May.  The drama of bumping cars out of the race and changing cars doesn't have anything to do with race day.

Here is a brief primer on what happens at the track during the month of May, and what you should be watching for:

Opening Day:  Today (May 7th) was the first day of cars on the track.  The Rookies and those who needed to "Refresh" their racing skills were working on the four skills/speed tests.  So far, both Marco Andretti and PJ Chesson have completed their rookie tests.  The remaining rookie in this year's race is Arie Luyendyk Jr.  Marco's father, Michael is "refreshing" his skills, despite numerous starts as his last start was in 2003.  Michael Andretti has never won the 500 despite 14 attempts.  Marco's Grandfather is Mario Andretti, who won the 500 in 1969.  Luyendyk's father (Arie Luyendyk) won the 500 twice, but has been retired for a few years. 

Pole Day:  Pole Day is set for next Saturday, May 13th.  There are 38 entries with 66 cars registered for the 500.  A driver can try to time in with more than one car.  This is different than what Nascar does each week - the driver is entered and can only run 1 car.  Imagine if Jeff Gordon could qualify one car then decide he wanted to try another car to get the pole.  However, if you elect to try another car, you lose the first car's qualification run.   Pole Day is the only day the pole position is available.   Qualification is based upon the average speed/time of four laps.  Thus, a mistake on just one corner will bog down your average time.  This is what happened to Danica Patrick last year - one bauble cost her the pole position - actually cost her a start in the front row.  Even though bumping can go on for the other positions throughout the remaining days of qualifying, once on the pole at the end of Pole Day, you are set in the field and cannot be bumped.  There are only 33 positions in the 500.  If you qualify 34th, you will be going home without racing.

Second Day & Third Day:  Second Day and Third Day 1 are other days of qualifying.  It is scheduled for May 14th and May 20th.  Again, bumping the slowest car from the field can happen on these days.

Bump Day:  Bump Day is scheduled for May 21st. It is the last chance to qualify for the 500.  Once 33 cars have qualified, the 34th car to qualify is trying to "bump" the slowest car out of the field.  Obviously, that car wants to do well enough to not be the one on the hot seat for the 35th car to qualify.  In 2005, the rule was changed to allow bumping on every qualifying day.  Otherwise, bumping only occurred on Bump Day.  But Bump Day can be exciting - it isn't until the time is up at the end of Bump Day that the field is set for the race. 

Carb Day or Carburetion Day:  Carb Day is the opportunity for cars to run in their race trim instead of their qualifying trim.  A first look at who will be strong under racing conditions.

Past winners competing this year:  There are 6 prior winners competing in this year's 500.  Two of them "unretired" for this race.  Al Unser Jr. and Eddie Cheever Jr decided that the 90th running of the 500 was a race not to miss.  Other past winners in the field include Dan Wheldon (2005), Buddy Lazier (1996), Buddy Rice (2004), and Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002).

Danica Patrick:  It seems she has been on TV everywhere promoting her autobiography.  While it is nice to see a woman racing at this level, Patrick is not necessarily a trailblazer.  Given the publicity she received, one would think no woman has every qualified for the 500 before.  In fact, Janet Guthrie qualified 3 times, Lynn St. James qualified for the 500 seven times, and Sarah Fisher qualified five times.  Fisher has the fastest qualification laps for a woman, even though Patrick qualified in a better starting position.

Who's Hot:  Helio Castroneves has been scorching the competition thus far.  His teammate Sam Hornish Jr. is desperate to win the 500.  Hornish has commented that the main thing he wants to accomplish in his career is to win the 500.  The pieces should be in place as the Penske team looks to have it all together this year.  Dan Wheldon is having a great season even though he changed teams from Andretti Green to Ganassi.

Who Knows?  Anthony Foyt IV will be back in Indy cars at the 500, driving for his grandfather, four time winner AJ Foyt Jr.  Larry Foyt,  AJ's son, will also be driving in the 500.  As neither has run IRL races this year, they are wild cards.  Al Unser Jr, Eddie Cheever Jr, and Michael Andretti have also been out of the IRL driver's seat for a period of time.  Andretti is involved with his family team, and Cheever has been running various sports car races to hone his skills.   It remains to be seen if their skills have diminished with their "retirements." 

Doing the Double?  A couple years ago, Tony Stewart and Robby Gordon would try to run the double - the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600.  To accomplish this means that the driver would run 1100 miles in less than 24 hours.  Given the start times for both races, it is unlikely that anyone can complete both races.  The 500 moved its time back to 1 p.m. EST, and there is not enough time to complete the race, fly to Charlotte, and start the other race.  In some ways, this is a shame, as it is amazing that (a) anyone wants to try this (b) that anyone can do this and (c) that no one will ever win these two premier races on the same day.  If the times were changed, who knows who would try it?  Bobby and Donnie Allison drove in it, and Smokey Yunick prepared cars for it.  Could other Nascar drivers be inticed to do it? 

Behind the Scenes:  The month of May ushers in an exclusive club at IMS - those who love the 500, those who have won the 500, and those who have lost the 500 gather at the track.  Not only racing goes on - there are banquets, poker games, deal making, and networking going on the whole time.  It's no wonder that the racing world loves this race.

So when you watch the 500 on television, remember whether you spend a couple minutes or a couple hours watching the race, that there has been something going on in Indy during the month of May.