After waking up to sunny skies and arriving at the Speedway around 8:30, I made my way through Gasoline Alley as I normally do. I was then made aware that Buddy Lazier was going to go through a refresher course at 9 AM. I followed the team down to their pit box at the end of pit road to see what kind of numbers he could put up.

Buddy took to the track right at 9:00 and immediately found his pace. He was actually going too fast for the refresher course, and he was told to back it down. After completing the first phase, he came back to pit lane where his team made some adjustments. He only had until 9:30, and was only able to do a few laps of “free practice” at whatever speed he wanted. His last two laps were unofficially 218 and 219 mph, without any boost.

The intensity was picking up in the garage area, as teams know rain would probably find its way to the track at some point today. Everyone was eager to make adjustments on their qualifying setups, and to see what kind of speeds they could reach with the extra boost that they were provided with. As practice got underway, the speeds began to climb.

Within the first hour, we saw speeds at 225, 226, 227, and 228 mph. Just after 1 PM, EJ Viso turned a lap at 229.537 mph, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Those were tow laps, but nobody seemed to mind. We knew then that the 230 mph lap was coming soon, and that it would likely be an Andretti Autosport car pulling it off. They have clearly been the fastest team all month long, and had the top three spots of the day, and all five cars in the top ten.

It was a late night for the crew over at AJ Foyt Racing. Kevin Lee reported that the team stayed until midnight last night fixing his primary car, then began working on it again around 6:00 this morning. They had planned on getting the car out around 3:00 or so, but never made it because of the rain that slammed the Speedway.

After lightning and numerous storm warning announcements, the final yellow flag came out at 3:10 for rain. The storm hit hard, blowing sideways rain for quite some time. Viso’s lap of 229.537 mph was the fastest of the day, with only two Honda-powered cars (Dario Franchitti & Takuma Sato) in the top 14. Three drivers were in the 228 mph range, while six cars surpassed 227 mph on the day. It was announced at 3:45 that all on-track activity was finished for the day. The Pole Day Qualifications Draw was being moved up to 5 PM.

Despite Fast Friday ending early, tomorrow’s forecast for Pole Day looks much brighter. There is a small chance of rain later in the day, with a high of 80 degrees predicted. Bump Day looks even better. The forecast for Sunday should be 82 degrees and sunny.

There will be three practice sessions tomorrow morning before qualifying begins. One group will practice from 8 to 8:30, then the other group from 8:30 to 9. From 9 to 10 there will be a full hour of practice for all cars. Qualifying for the 97th running of the Indianapolis 500 begins at 11 AM and runs until 4:30. That is when the Firestone Fast Nine will take the top nine fastest cars and let them battle it out for the Verizon P1 Pole Award.

There are only two practice days left before Pole Day, and there will be a mad scramble to prepare these cars for qualifying. Any time lost due to rain would presumably be very costly, especially for the smaller funded teams. On top of that, it’s difficult to work on qualification setups with so many cars on track at the same time. Fortunately for everyone, we didn’t experience any periods of rain at the track.

When practice began today, the conditions couldn’t have been much better. The ambient temperature was 77 degrees and the track temperature was at 100. There were plenty of drivers heading out to begin their work for the day. The first couple of hours went by with a lot of small packs of cars mixing it up.

Then, just before 2:30, it happened.

Conor Daly was exiting turn 1 when the back end stepped out just a little. He then overcorrected the car and slammed into the outside SAFER barrier wall. With the right side of his car crushed, it spun clockwise with his front end parallel with the wall. He continued skidding down the short chute and nearly got airborne. He was perfectly perpendicular to the ground, on his right side. He slid to a stop in turn 2, but was able to get out of the car unharmed.

Daly was checked and released in the infield care center and was cleared to drive. He told Dave Furst that he thought the wind somehow shifted the car and knocked it out of balance. It was a scary looking crash, the first one of the month.

And it immediately got me thinking: how many DW12 crashes have we seen here at the Speedway where the car didn’t get off the ground at some point?

It was announced later in the day that the AJ Foyt Racing crew plans to repair the damaged car rather than roll out the backup.

Practice continued, and things picked up in a hurry. There was a group of nine cars that began mixing it up, swapping positions like it was the last 10 laps of the race. Most of them came from the Andretti Autosport camp. It was interesting to hear that James Hinchcliffe received a black flag for repeated pit road speed violations.

The last 20 minutes of practice provided plenty of excitement. Things were especially good for the Andretti team, who had four cars in the top five. Just before practice ended, rookie Carlos Muñoz posted the fastest lap of the month at 225.163 mph. The Chevrolet machines were once again at the top.

Despite the weather forecasters calling for a 60% chance of rain, we didn’t have any here at the track. The looming threat of rain didn’t scare off any of the fans from attending today’s practice, either. The crowd was about the same as it was yesterday, which was very impressive. There seemed to be a lot more corporate people in attendance today, but it was easy to tell they were having a blast given their facial reactions to what they were seeing.

Tomorrow is Fast Friday at the track, where teams will receive an extra boost in horsepower. The forecast as of now says a few showers are possible in the morning with scattered thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. The public gates open at 10 AM with practice beginning at noon and scheduled to run until 6 PM. At 6:15, the Pole Day Qualifications Draw will take place at the Pagoda Plaza.

I’ll be covering events at the Speedway for More Front Wing all month long. Follow me on Twitter at @IndyCarChad, and check for daily updates here at MoreFrontWing.com.

It all began when I arrived at the Speedway at around 8:30 this morning. It was already 71 degrees, and you could tell it was going to be a hot one — likely the warmest temperatures we’ll see before race day. Long sleeves and pants would not have been necessary.

When I first arrive in the morning, the first place I normally head to is Gasoline Alley. Today was different, though, as I got a tip from my friends at Panther DRR that this morning was qualifications for the Carb Day Pit Stop Competition. The boys at Panther DRR finished with the quickest time of the cars that participated.

These crews will participate on May 24: Servia (Panther DRR), Kimball (NovoNordisk Chip Ganassi Racing), Hinchcliffe (Andretti Autosport), Briscoe (Chip Ganassi Racing),  Andretti (Andretti Autosport), Hunter-Reay (Andretti Autosport), Castroneves (Team Penske), Dixon (Target Chip Ganassi Racing), #Franchitti (Target Chip Ganassi Racing), Kanaan (KV Racing Technology), Power (Team Penske) and Sato (A.J. Foyt Racing). You can view many of the qualifying pit stops on my Twitter page, @IndyCarChad.

Between the pit stop qualifications and the start of practice, we learned from a report by Robin Miller that Buddy Rice has declined to drive the number 99 car, which was entered by Sam Schmidt. The leading candidates for that car now include Katherine Legge and Jay Howard. Bryan Clauson may still have a shot at it, but he is considered a long shot.

While hearing of that news, I saw a big crowd over near Ed Carpenter’s garage. It was Butler University men’s head basketball coach Brad Stevens and the Butler Bulldogs come to visit the Speedway. They weren’t the only special guests of the day though, as a few Indianapolis Colts players, including quarterback Andrew Luck, stopped by to take it all in. Shortly after that, Bob Jenkins reminded us that it was 20 years ago today that the legendary AJ Foyt announced his retirement here at the Speedway.

When practice began, temperatures were in the mid 80s with a fairly strong breeze blowing around. The temperatures kept rising throughout the day, reaching the 90 degree mark late in the day. Today was by far the biggest day this month as far as fan attendance goes. I noticed there were some long lines for food, and the yellow shirts had their hands full. People were coming in by the masses as they knew it would be a picture perfect day at the track.

About an hour into the practice, an interesting moment occurred with one of the Dragon Racing machines. Sebastian Saavedra’s car was coming down the front stretch when it suddenly sent debris everywhere. The slow-motion footage provided us with an awesome look at what had happened. The wrap on the car near the rear actually began peeling off as bits and pieces of it went flying into the air. It looked like confetti made out of small pieces of mirror glass. The clean up took about 15 minutes.

Many people expected speeds to be up a little, but many of the teams I spoke with told me they were working on race setups. With the threat of rain over the next four days, nobody knows how much more practice time will be available. Most everyone was working with their primary cars, trying to find the balance that their driver liked.

Happy Hour was once again filled with excitement and nervousness. There were 13 cars running nose to tail that featured a lot of passing and tense moments. The Hondas finally began to show up on the top of the speed charts in the final 30 minutes of practice. The wind once again limited the speeds somewhat, in addition to the teams using race setups instead of qualifying trim. We’ve had five days of practice and still haven’t had any accidents.

There were a total of 2,165 laps turned today around IMS, and Dario Franchitti had the fastest one at 224.236 mph. Tomorrow we see the first real threat of rain at the Speedway. The forecast is calling for a high of 78 degrees with a 40% chance of rain. The chances for precipitation increase throughout the day, so it may come later in the afternoon. Practice on Thursday is scheduled from noon to 6 PM with the public gates opening at 10 AM.

I’ll be covering events at the Speedway for More Front Wing all month long. Follow me on Twitter at @IndyCarChad, and check for daily updates here at MoreFrontWing.com.

• the wild finish at Brazil and Beaux Barfield’s decision not to penalize Takuma Sato;
• the news from Indianapolis thus far during this Month of May, including who we’ve seen on track and who has or hasn’t been performing to expectations;
• the rumors surrounding aero kits and the plan to run them at Triple Crown races in 2014;
• the hiring of Derrick Walker as President of Operations and Competition;
• the rumor that Zak Brown has removed himself from consideration for President of the commercial side of the business;
• whether Kurt Busch might do the double next year and what it would mean for IndyCar;
• and much more.

To listen, use the player below or search for More Front Wing on iTunes.

After putting up with chilling temperatures during the first three days, we felt a little bit of May heat today. There was still plenty of wind, which was gusting at nearly 25 mph throughout parts of the Speedway. Still, as strange as it sounds, it was better to be sweating during practice instead of having teeth chattering from the cold.

The attendance seemed to be up a bit from yesterday, especially in the afternoon. There were a lot of people who snuck out early from work. On top of that, there were a bunch of children from nearby schools packing different parts of the grandstands. There is nothing better than seeing the looks on the faces of these kids when the cars get going. I think it’s because that same emotion and awe they display is in all of us.

As one would expect, the high temperatures meant a lot of track activity, and it was fast and furious from the start. Within the first 30 minutes of practice time we had already seen 22 cars take to the track. Things never seemed to quiet down, which is always a good thing at the Greatest Race Course in the World.

During an interview with radio station Q95 FM here in Indianapolis, I noticed that all of the focus in the Target Chip Ganassi garages was on the primary cars. One crew member told me that they hadn’t even touched the backup cars. It was clear that their main focus was on getting these primary cars dialed in.

There were a number of teams out turning laps just trying to get to a particular engine mileage. Teams would like to have fresh engines to work with toward the end of this week. James Jakes, as first reported by Kevin Lee, reached that limit just after 2 PM today and will start tomorrow with a new one. His teammate, Graham Rahal, also hit that mark at around 3:30 and will also get a new Honda.

There were a few things worth noting in today’s practice session. Marco Andretti and James Hinchcliffe swapped cars throughout the day, trying to get a feel for the different set ups. Each was faster in the other’s car. I also saw Buddy Lazier in Gasoline Alley today, and he said he will get out for practice tomorrow or Thursday. The car was still in the Jean Alesi livery that was used in last year’s race.

There was also an incident on pit lane involving Graham Rahal’s team. He had just come in to practice a pit stop. The left rear tire changer stumbled over the air hose and fell into the concrete wall. He was holding his leg in pain and couldn’t walk very well, but the team told me he was going to be okay.

To no one’s surprise, Josef Newgarden was in a playful mood, even on pit lane. He joked about stealing our expensive cameras and said we could have spent the same money and bought a small car. He also made some “interesting” poses for the cameras, which I’m sure you’ll see floating around the internet sometime this week.

There were a total of 2,226 laps turned on this busy Tuesday at the Speedway. The fastest driver of the day was James Hinchcliffe, who posted a lap at 224.210 mph in Marco’s car. We were accident free on the track for the fourth straight day.

As hot as today seemed to be, the weather forecast shows it will be even warmer tomorrow. Practice runs from noon to 6 PM, and public gates will open at 10 AM.

I’ll be covering events at the Speedway for More Front Wing all month long. Follow me on Twitter at @IndyCarChad, and check for daily updates here at MoreFrontWing.com.

I arrived at the Speedway at around 8:30 this morning and could hear the familiar sound of Honda engines in the two-seaters that were taking people around the track. That ended at around 9:30, and then the real fun began.

Conor Daly was here for his first day of practice for the Indy 500. He was in the car getting fitted at around 9:45 and was on pit lane by 10:00. Things didn’t go so smoothly on his trip back to Indy, though. His luggage was lost at the airport last night, and he didn’t make it home until around midnight. He actually had to borrow a HANS device from Marco Andretti.

Conor was ready to begin phase 1 of his ROP just after 10, and his supporters were on hand to watch: his father Derek, driving ace Arie Luyendyk, team owner AJ Foyt, and teammate Takuma Sato. Conor wrapped things up before the official practice session began at noon. Pippa Mann also ran some laps early in the day as part of a refresher course.

Aside from all of the action in the Foyt garages in Gasoline Alley, there were a couple of other things that caught my eye. Townsend Bell was here, and his Sunoco/Turbo DW12 was being put together. The car passed through inspection just after 2 PM. The other car news was the peek at Tristan Vautier’s Lucas Oil livery. His car is almost entirely white with red lettering.

The other bit of news that became official today was the hiring of Derrick Walker as the new President of INDYCAR Operations and Competition. He will begin his job on May 27th.

The weather today was slightly better than the first two days. The sun was out all day, but there was still a strong wind blowing with the high temperature reaching 64 degrees. The track temperature was high enough that many teams went out as soon as practice began.

There were quite a few drivers reaching the 221 mph barrier without any significant tow assistance. Tony Kanaan eventually broke the 222 mph barrier, but he said that was a tow lap. The teams were mostly practicing at the same time, but they were keeping the cars spaced out so there wasn’t any drafting.

You might think that a chilly Monday at the track wouldn’t draw in many fans. I didn’t notice a significant decline in the amount of people here, though. There were people in the grandstands, down near pit lane, and a nice crowd over by Gasoline Alley.

There was a lot of track activity today, which included pit lane. The two Target Chip Ganassi cars were practicing pit stops in the afternoon. They would do one lap on the track, then pit. While not many other teams were doing this, it’s nothing new for these guys. They typically shake down their T (backup) cars during the first two days, then get down to business.

Things got interesting in the last 75 minutes of practice. Just before Happy Hour, about 14 cars took to the track, creating some mini packs on the course. Marco Andretti got a huge tow and recorded a lap at 225.100 mph, the quickest of the month by far. A few laps later Helio Castroneves nearly matched him with a 225.075 mph lap.

Happy Hour was very typical with a lot of cars swapping positions left and right. Drivers were mixing it up, making many of their owners, engineers, and crew members into nervous wrecks. Despite all of the activity, there were no incidents for the third day in a row.

Yesterday I was ready to declare Sebastien Bourdais’s livery the best at Indy for the second year in a row. Today, I’m actually leaning towards giving it to his teammate, Sebastian Saavedra. Both Dragon cars look very good, but the team is still searching for speed on both cars.

There were a total of 1,732 laps turned today by 32 different cars. The fastest lap of the day went to Marco Andretti, who turned a speed of 225.100 mph. Tomorrow’s practice session runs from noon to 6 PM once again. The temperatures should be much higher, though, as the forecast for the next two days calls for 80 degree temperatures with no major threat of rain.

I’ll be covering events at the Speedway for More Front Wing all month long. Follow me on Twitter at @IndyCarChad, and check for daily updates here at MoreFrontWing.com.

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INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, May 13, 2013) – Respected longtime motorsports executive Derrick Walker will become President, Operations & Competition of INDYCAR, effective May 27, Hulman & Company chief executive officer Mark Miles announced today.

Walker will be responsible for all technical and competition aspects of the racing operations at the open-wheel sanctioning body.

“We’re pleased to welcome Derrick Walker to this vital role,” said Mark Miles, chief executive officer, Hulman & Company, the parent company of INDYCAR. “We spoke with many of our constituents about an ideal person for this job, and Derrick’s name emerged early and often.

“After speaking with many talented candidates, Derrick stood out because his decades of experience in North American open-wheel racing blend ownership and management for his own race teams and other teams. He understands how to balance the technical and financial operations of our sport, and his confident leadership will provide a firm, clear direction for long-term INDYCAR operations and competition.”

Walker’s senior-level leadership experience will help him to foster improved communication with INDYCAR team owners and suppliers in these crucial areas:

• Cost management

•  Enhancing innovation within the current technical platform and race formats

•  Continuing to emphasize and develop safety initiatives

•  Sustaining programs and avenues to develop drivers and suppliers for the IZOD IndyCar Series

•  Developing plans for future technical platforms

“I have had the opportunity to participate in the business of professional racing my entire life, and I have gained valuable experience from many different angles,” Walker said. “Leading the operations and competition aspects of INDYCAR is a perfect place to leverage my experiences and relationships to help ensure that INDYCAR racing is exciting and engaging for our fans, that our drivers and owners are able to showcase their talents through our events, and that our technical partners are able to use our racing platform for innovation and development.”

Reporting directly to Walker will be Brian Barnhart, who will serve as senior vice president of operations; race director Beaux Barfield; vice president of technology Will Phillips; vice president of technology, timing and scoring Jon Koskey; director of grassroots initiatives Jason Penix; and Firestone Indy Lights director Anton “Tony” George Jr.

Walker, 68, comes to INDYCAR after serving as general manager for Ed Carpenter Racing in the IZOD IndyCar Series, leading the team to a victory last September at Auto Club Speedway in the team’s first season.

A native of Scotland, Walker brings more than 40 years of experience in many forms of racing to INDYCAR, beginning as a mechanic and culminating in the creation and ownership of a successful racing team, Walker Motorsports, Ltd., since 1990. Over his career, Walker has worked with teams like Ferrari in sports car racing, Brabham and Penske Racing in Formula One, and Porsche and Penske Racing in Indy car. Walker spent 13 years with legendary Indianapolis 500 team owner Roger Penske as part of Penske Cars Ltd., which designed and manufactured race-winning Penske Indy cars in the United Kingdom, and also served as vice president of racing for Penske Racing.

Throughout Walker’s 19 years as a team owner, he fielded multi-car teams in 414 races in IndyCar, Firestone Indy Lights and Formula BMW, earning six victories and 16 poles with drivers such as Gil de Ferran, Scott Goodyear, Christian Fittipaldi, Sarah Fisher, Alex Tagliani, Will Power, Simon Pagenaud and Paul Tracy. The team made Indianapolis 500 history in 1991 by fielding an entry for Willy T. Ribbs, who became the first African-American to qualify for the race.

Most of the action came late in the afternoon, but there was always someone turning laps at some point throughout the day.

I arrived at the Speedway around 9 AM, and it was about 38 degrees. The wind was whipping around at 15 mph, and it only got stronger throughout the day. Instead of hiding from the sun and drinking a lot of water, most people were hiding from the wind and grabbing something hot to eat or drink. Many people were wondering how much action we would see on the track today. Most of the teams I spoke to said they were targeting the 4:00 hour as the time they would head out.

When practice began, last year’s polesitter, Ryan Briscoe, made his way onto the 2.5 mile oval. His white and blue number 8 Ganassi machine took 10 laps around the course before heading back to Gasoline Alley. Ryan’s new teammates, Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti also went out to put in some more laps.

That wasn’t the only team on the track, though. Andretti Autosport had all of their cars out early with each of them taking the track by themselves. One at a time, they went out for about six or seven laps before coming back in. One team member told me that all of the teams were “burning the midnight oil” last night. They were working just as hard on the track as well, providing some excitement in the last 90 minutes of practice.

At around 4:30, all five Andretti machines went out together in a pack that AJ Allmendinger quickly found himself a part of. There were some dicey moves, some questionable decisions, and nearly one big mistake by rookie Carlos Muñoz. He got below the white line going into turn 1, nearly taking out a few of his teammates. Luckily, a yellow came out about two minutes later for track inspection, and team owner Michael Andretti could breathe a sigh of relief.

To no one’s surprise, the five Andretti cars and Allmendinger took the top six spots on the speed chart today. It was the rookie Muñoz on top of them all, though, with a lap of 223.023 mph.

It was interesting to note how much support Takuma Sato had today. There were many Japanese fans in attendance, and they were all surrounding AJ Foyt’s garage and pit stall. I talked to a few of them who said they have always supported him but that the support has grown in Japan since his win in Long Beach earlier this year.

The RLL trio of Graham Rahal, James Jakes, and Michel Jourdain, Jr. all got some valuable track time today. I spoke to Jourdain’s spotter this morning, and he said that the team is still trying to get a feel for each other but things are coming along nicely.

Another team that didn’t run yesterday but did today was Dragon Racing. Sebastien Bourdais and Sebastian Saavedra turned quite a few heads when their cars left Gasoline Alley. Bourdais’s car is all chrome and red, while Saavedra’s is a shiny blue that reflects the sun like a mirror.

The theme today must have been liveries because another team had a good one to show for the first time. Panther Racing usually supports our heroes, the National Guard. This May, they are riding with another kind of hero: Superman. Hildebrand’s car features the superhero himself, who is displayed nicely on the sidepods of his Chevrolet-powered machine.

According to Curt Cavin, Sam Schmidt said that he had heard from Jaques Lazier, Buddy Rice, Jay Howard, and Richie Hearn about his third car. Buddy was in Gasoline Alley and said that he hoped he would be able to get into Tristan Vautier’s car sometime later this week. There is still no driver assigned to drive the number 99 car that Schmidt entered yesterday.

Conor Daly is expected to run tomorrow, where he will attempt to complete all three phases of his Rookie Orientation Program. He finished 5th in the GP3 event earlier today and is en route to Indianapolis.

There were 23 cars that turned a total of 730 laps on this chilly Sunday afternoon. Monday’s practice will run from noon to 6 PM, and the weather forecast looks a little better. It should be very similar to today but a few degrees warmer. The temperatures are supposed to climb into the 80s for the rest of the week.

I’ll be covering events at the Speedway for More Front Wing all month long. Follow me on Twitter at @IndyCarChad, and check for daily updates here at MoreFrontWing.com.

Opening Day usually provides a lot of action, and today was no different. In fact, we got a little bit of everything throughout the course of the day. There was cold, sunshine, rain, ROP, and veteran practice.

As I arrived at the Speedway this morning at around 8 AM, it was not typical May weather. It was about 44 degrees with a strong breeze. Things didn’t warm up very quickly, either. Despite the chilly conditions, fans began flocking in when the public gates opened at 10 AM. Today was the Celebration of Automobiles, an event that many people look forward to. There were classic cars on display everywhere you looked.

It was announced just as practice began that Schmidt Peterson Motorsports has officially filed a second entry for the 2013 Indy 500. They did not name a driver, but the car (which is the 35th entry) will carry the number 99. The team’s other car belongs to rookie Tristan Vautier. Schmidt Hamilton Motorsports fields Vautier’s teammate, Simon Pagenaud.

The first two hours of practice saw two drivers reach the 220 mph barrier. Josef Newgarden (220.263) and Charlie Kimball (220.183) set the pace early, with Newgarden putting in 27 laps. The Penske and Ganassi teams logged some laps as well, as did Ed Carpenter and Tony Kanaan.

The clouds parted and the sun shined down on the Speedway at around 2 PM, when the Rookie Orientation Program began. AJ Allmendinger, Tristan Vautier, and Carlos Munoz all passed without any issues. The other rookie in this year’s field, Conor Daly, will go through his ROP on Monday when he returns from his GP3 racing obligations from this weekend.

When Allmendinger came out to pit lane for the first time, he was greeted with a warm welcome from the fans. He was egging them on, asking how many drinks they’d had. He was laughing and waving his arms, trying to get them even more wound up. It was a cool moment that he shared with the fans and showed just how calm and relaxed he was — at least on the outside.

There was a light sprinkle around the south end of the Speedway shortly after 4 PM, which brought out a yellow flag. It was the first time practice has been delayed because of rain since May 17, 2011. The track went back to green at around 4:30 PM, and Newgarden set the fastest lap of the day at 220.920 mph just before Happy Hour.

One of the best moments of the day came when I ventured over to the PA booth where I found Bob Jenkins next to the Fuzzy’s Triple Crown trophy. Bob was business as usual, but there were plenty of people coming up to him and expressing their happiness to see him back at the Speedway. The trophy has the Indianapolis, Pocono, and Fontana tracks listed in the middle with the Fuzzy’s Triple Crown logo.

In all, 16 cars turned at least one lap on Opening Day. There were a total of 480 laps on the day, with Ed Carpenter having the fastest at 220.970 mph. More importantly, there were no incidents. Practice will continue tomorrow (Sunday) from noon to 6 PM. The forecast is calling for sunshine most of the day, but the temperatures will be even colder.

I’ll be back at the Speedway to cover the events tomorrow and all month long. Follow me on Twitter at @IndyCarChad, and check for daily updates here at MoreFrontWing.com.

97th Indianapolis 500
Sunday, May 26, 2013

Go to 2012 Event Summary

Important times »
Track facts »
Entrant facts »
History »
Session times »
Pre-race point standings »
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IMPORTANT TIMES

*11:00 AM CDT , 10:00 AM MDT, 9:00 AM PDT, 1:00 PM BRT, 4:00 PM GMT, 4:00 AM Mon NZST, 2:00 AM Mon AEST, 1:00 AM Mon JST

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TRACK FACTS

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ENTRANT FACTS

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HISTORY

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SESSION TIMES

Qualifying order (Pole Day): View PDF

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Practice – Friday, May 17 (Fast Friday)

Combined times to May 17: View PDF

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Practice – Thursday, May 16

Combined times to May 16: View PDF

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Practice – Wednesday, May 15

Combined times to May 15: View PDF

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Practice – Tuesday, May 14

Combined times to May 14: View PDF

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Practice – Monday, May 13

Combined times to May 13: View PDF

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Practice – Sunday, May 12

Combined times to May 12: View PDF

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Practice – Saturday, May 11 (Opening Day)

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PRE-RACE POINT STANDINGS

Driver standings:

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Manufacturer standings:

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Top-five finisher bonus winnings (unofficial tally):

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Non-Leaders Circle entry winnings (unofficial tally):

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97th INDIANAPOLIS 500 SCHEDULE
(All times local, subject to change)

Saturday, May 11: OPENING DAY/CELEBRATION OF AUTOMOBILES – $10 admission, 12 and under free
10 a.m.-6 p.m., Public Gates Open, Social Media Garage Open
10 a.m.-4 p.m., Celebration of Automobiles
11 a.m., Corvette Pin Distribution, Pagoda Plaza
Noon-6 p.m., Practice/Rookie Orientation Program
1:30 p.m., Q&A with Mario Andretti, Pagoda Plaza Stage

Sunday, May 12: PRACTICE – $10 admission, 12 and under free
10 a.m.-6 p.m., Public Gates Open
11 a.m., Firestone Pin Distribution, Pagoda Plaza
11 a.m.-5 p.m., Kids Zone Open
Noon-6 p.m., Practice/Rookie Orientation Program
4 p.m., Give Me Jesus Tour Concert, Pagoda Plaza Stage

Monday, May 13-Thursday, May 16: PRACTICE – $10 admission, 12 and under free
10 a.m.-6 p.m., Public Gates Open
Noon-6 p.m., Practice

Friday, May 17: FAST FRIDAY PRACTICE – $10 admission, 12 and under free
10 a.m.-6 p.m., Public Gates Open, Social Media Garage Open
Noon-6 p.m., Practice
6:15 p.m., Pole Day Qualifications Draw, Pagoda Plaza Stage

Saturday, May 18: POLE DAY QUALIFYING – $15 admission, 12 and under free
6:30 a.m.-6 p.m., Public Gates Open, Social Media Garage Open
8-10 a.m., Practice
10 a.m., American Dairy Association Pin Distribution, Pagoda Plaza
10 a.m.-4 p.m., Kids Zone Open
11 a.m.-4 p.m., First Qualifying Segment
4 p.m., Corey Cox Concert, Pagoda Plaza Stage
4:30-6 p.m., Fast Nine Pole Qualifying
6:15 p.m., Here Come the Mummies Concert, Pagoda Plaza Stage

Sunday, May 19: OLD NATIONAL ARMED FORCES BUMP DAY QUALIFYING — $15 admission, 12 and under free
7:30 a.m.-6 p.m., Public Gates Open, Social Media Garage Open, Hero Zone Open, CrossFit Competition
9-10 a.m., Practice
11 a.m.-5 p.m., Kids Zone Open
Noon-6 p.m., Qualifying

Monday, May 20-Tuesday, May 21: NO TRACK ACTIVITY

Wednesday, May 22: AMERICAN FAMILY INSURANCE 500 FESTIVAL COMMUNITY DAY (No Track Activity) – $8 advance admission, $10 gate admission, 6 and under free
9 a.m.-6 p.m., Public Gates Open
11 a.m., Firestone Freedom 100 Driver Autograph Session, Pagoda Plaza; 500 Festival Pin Distribution, Pagoda Plaza
12:30 p.m., Indianapolis 500 Driver Autograph Session, Pagoda Plaza (wristbands required)

Thursday, May 23: FIRESTONE FREEDOM 100 PRACTICE, QUALIFYING – Free
8 a.m.-6 p.m., Public Gates Open
9 a.m.-noon, Firestone Indy Lights Practice
11 a.m., Hall of Fame Autograph Session, Hall of Fame Museum (separate admission)
1:15-2:15 p.m., Firestone Indy Lights Qualifying
2:30-4 p.m., Vintage Car Laps

Friday, May 24: COORS LIGHT CARB DAY — $20 admission, 12 and under free
8 a.m.-6 p.m., Public Gates Open, Social Media Garage Open
8:30-9:45 a.m., Vintage Car Laps
9:30 a.m., Firestone Pin Distribution, Pagoda Plaza
10-11 a.m., Public Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Pagoda Plaza Stage
11 a.m.-noon, Indianapolis 500 Final Practice
12:30 p.m., Firestone Freedom 100 (40 laps)
2 p.m., Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge
3:30 p.m., Coors Light Carb Day Concert Featuring Poison

Saturday, May 25: LEGENDS DAY HONORING PARNELLI JONES — $10 admission, 12 and under free
8 a.m.-5 p.m., Public Gates Open, Social Media Garage Open, Vintage Car Display, Memorabilia Show
9-10 a.m., Driver Autograph Session, Pagoda Plaza
9:30-10:15 a.m., Vintage Car Laps
10:25-10:30 a.m., 33 Roadsters Laps Led by Parnelli Jones
10:30 a.m., Public Drivers Meeting, Tower Terrace
11 a.m.-4 p.m., Kids Zone Open
11:15 a.m., Q&A with Parnelli Jones, Pagoda Plaza Stage
Noon-12:45 p.m., Parnelli Jones Autograph Session, Plaza Pavilion
1-4:30 p.m., Indianapolis 500 Veteran Driver Autograph Sessions, Plaza Pavilion
4 p.m., Mattel Hot Wheels World Record Track Run

Sunday, May 26: 97th INDIANAPOLIS 500 RACE DAY – Tickets start at $30
5:30 a.m.-6 p.m., Public Gates Open
7 a.m., Snake Pit Opens, Social Media Garage Opens
8 a.m., Parade of Bands
9 a.m.-2 p.m., Kids Zone Open
9:30 a.m., Celebrity Red Carpet, Pagoda Plaza
11 a.m., Vintage Car Lap
11:33 a.m., Driver Introductions
Noon, Start of 97th Indianapolis 500 (200 laps)

***

2013 Indianapolis 500 tickets: Tickets are on sale for the 97th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on Sunday, May 26 at IMS.

Race Day ticket prices start at just $30. Fans can buy tickets online at www.ims.com/tickets, by calling the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700, or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area, or by visiting the ticket office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday-Friday.

Children 12 and under will be receive free general admission to any IMS event in 2013 when accompanied by an adult general admission ticket holder.

Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are on sale. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information.

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View a PDF of the 2013 Indianapolis 500 entry list here.

INDIANAPOLIS, Tuesday, May 7, 2013 – Three past winners and four IZOD IndyCar Series champions are among the drivers named to the 33 entries filed for the 2013 Indianapolis 500, scheduled for Sunday, May 26 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon of Target Chip Ganassi Racing and Helio Castroneves of Team Penske are the past winners assigned to cars.

Franchitti and Castroneves are three-time winners of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” with Franchitti triumphing in 2007, 2010 and 2012 and Castroneves in 2001, 2002 and 2009.

This is the first year since 1987 in which two drivers with three victories will try to join one of the most exclusive clubs in worldwide motorsports – four-time winners of the Indianapolis 500. Franchitti and Castroneves are attempting to become just the fourth four-time winner of the race, joining A.J. Foyt (1961, 1964, 1967, 1977), Al Unser (1970, 1971, 1978, 1987) and Rick Mears (1979, 1984, 1988, 1991).

IZOD IndyCar Series champions assigned to cars include reigning champion Ryan Hunter-Reay of Andretti Autosport, Franchitti (2007, 2009, 2010, 2011), Dixon (2003, 2008) and Tony Kanaan (2004) of KV Racing Technology. Four-time Champ Car champion Sebastian Bourdais also is entered in a Dragon Racing car.

Thirty-two drivers have been named to the 33 entries filed this year. Chevrolet engines will power 17 entries, Honda 16. All entries use Dallara chassis and Firestone tires.

The 97th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled to start at noon (ET) on the historic 2.5-mile oval. It will be the first oval race of the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season. ESPN on ABC, the IMS Radio Network and Sirius XM 211 will broadcast the race live starting at 11 a.m.

Opening Day is scheduled for Saturday, May 11.

There is outstanding depth and quality in this year’s field. Besides three past race winners and four IZOD IndyCar Series champions, 17 of the 32 drivers named to entries have won at least one race in either IZOD IndyCar Series or Champ Car World Series/CART competition.

Four rookies with impressive credentials are assigned to cars.

AJ Allmendinger won five Champ Car races from 2004-06 before turning to NASCAR racing. Tristan Vautier is the reigning Firestone Indy Lights champion, while Carlos Munoz has won two of the first three Firestone Indy Lights races this season and leads the championship. Conor Daly, from nearby Noblesville, Ind., won the 2010 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, won in 2011 at Long Beach in Firestone Indy Lights and won a race in 2012 in GP3, one of the ladder series for Formula One.

Plenty of talent that recently advanced through the Mazda Road to Indy ladder system also was assigned to cars, including three Firestone Indy Lights champions – JR Hildebrand (2009), Josef Newgarden (2011) and Vautier (2012). Other recent Firestone Indy Lights graduates on the entry list include Marco Andretti, Ana Beatriz, Ed Carpenter, Daly, James Hinchcliffe, Charlie Kimball, Pippa Mann, Munoz, Graham Rahal and Sebastian Saavedra.

Three women were among the drivers named to entries: 2010 Chase Rookie of the Year Simona De Silvestro, Beatriz and Mann.

Andretti Autosport is involved in five entries, more than any other team. Andretti Autosport is fielding cars for Andretti, Beatriz, Hinchcliffe and Hunter-Reay, while Team Venezuela/Andretti Autosport/HVM has entered a car for E.J. Viso.

***

DRIVERS (32)

Former race winners (3): Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002, 2009), Dario Franchitti (2007, 2010, 2012), Scott Dixon (2008).

Former pole winners (5): Helio Castroneves (2003, 2007, 2009, 2010), Ryan Briscoe (2012), Tony Kanaan (2005), Scott Dixon (2008), Alex Tagliani (2011).

Rookies (4): AJ Allmendinger, Conor Daly, Carlos Munoz, Tristan Vautier.

Youngest: Carlos Munoz, 21.

Oldest: Dario Franchitti, 39. (Franchitti turns 40 on May 19, seven days before Race Day.)

Most previous starts: Helio Castroneves, 12.

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SONAX, INDYCAR FORM PARTNERSHIP WITH ‘SONAX PERFECT FINISH AWARD’
TO PAY SPECIAL BONUS IN THREE DOUBLEHEADER RACES IN 2013

Premium Car Care Products Named Official Automobile Detail Partner of INDYCAR

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (May 7, 2013) – INDYCAR announced today that SONAX, a leading manufacturer of premium car care products worldwide, has been named its Official Automobile Detail Partner.

SONAX is expanding its motorsports involvement with its INDYCAR partnership. It currently serves as an official team supplier of Red Bull Racing, the championship Formula One organization.

Under the new partnership, SONAX will sponsor the SONAX Perfect Finish Award during the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series.  The SONAX Perfect Finish Award is a contingency prize tied to the series’ three doubleheader event weekends this year at Detroit’s Raceway at Belle Isle Park, Toronto’s Exhibition Place and Houston’s Reliant Park.  The SONAX Award will coincide with launch of SONAX’s new Perfect Finish polish.

SONAX will award $50,000 to a driver who wins both feature races during any of the doubleheader weekends. If a driver does not win both races in any weekend, the $50,000 prize will carry over to the next doubleheader weekend.   If a driver does not win both Detroit events, the award will jump to $100,000 in Toronto for a driver who wins both races. If no driver captures both features at Toronto, the SONAX Perfect Finish Award will be worth $150,000 at the Houston weekend.

“This partnership with SONAX adds another industry-leading company to INDYCAR’s portfolio of partners,” said Greg Gruning, INDYCAR’s executive vice president, corporate business development. “The fact that SONAX chose INDYCAR as the place to expand its motorsports involvement shows the international reach of the IZOD IndyCar Series brand.”

In addition to the new INDYCAR partnership, SONAX will activate special retail activities featuring show cars and driver appearances at selected Sam’s Club locations beginning at the Indianapolis 500.  Other activation plans include working with selected venues on creating car corrals during race weekends to target automotive enthusiasts and collectors.

“SONAX is very happy to partner with the IZOD IndyCar Series for 2013,” said Rob McCrary, managing director for SONAX U.S.A.  “INDYCAR’s racing presence brings another avenue to our customer base, while continuing SONAX’s corporate marketing path through motor racing.  We are also very excited to sponsor the SONX Perfect Finish award for the 2013 IndyCar season.  It is a great opportunity to not only help promote the Double Header weekend races, but also our Perfect Finish Polish, the best one-step car polish in the market today.”

The SONAX brand’s history goes back to the beginning of the last century. In Neuburg, Germany, from as early as 1905, the great grandfather of the present owner, extracted siliceous earth – an extremely fine mineral which was used in many domestic polishes. After the war, a silver polish was developed and marketed under the name “Sona.”  The idea of creating a car polish was born.

SONAX offers a highly competitive and extensive range of products for the cleaning and care of vehicles. SONAX establishes a brand as a manufacturer and supplier of environmentally pro-active and innovative products.

—

Paul’s impressions:

A three-wide race for the lead?  Unpredictability all the way to the checkered flag?  Wheel-to-wheel action from start to finish?  A Sarah Fisher owned car going for the win?  It was everything that oval fans have been crying for for years!

…Except it was on a street course.

Once again, the IZOD IndyCar Series “Most Overlooked Race of the Year” put on one of the best displays of racing that we will see all year long.  Kudos to Tony Cotman and his NZR Consulting Group for designing and refining what I think is the best street course circuit the series will race on.  In four years of visiting the streets of São Paulo, it has yet to fail in giving exciting racing.  The minute changes this year made a great track even better.

This day was about the drivers, though.  There were so many great stories throughout this race, including Takuma Sato going for his second consecutive win, watching Will Power put on a clinic after starting 22nd before an engine fire left him sidelined early in the race, Josef Newgarden’s fantastic run that nearly netted his first career podium, Marco Andretti battling until the very end to score his second street course podium of the young season, and on and on.  This was a race that was decided on the track by drivers giving it everything they had.  It wasn’t decided by fuel strategy or tires.  The winner was simply the driver who had the strongest desire to cross the line first.  That’s just how it should be!

People will be talking about the late race moves of Takuma Sato and race control’s decision to swallow the whistle when it looked like Sato blocked both Newgarden and Hinchcliffe on separate occasions.  My opinion was that Sato’s moves were not egregious enough to warrant penalty and that his line, while he certainly hugged the wall on the long back straight while apexing the kink, was likely the racing line that nearly all drivers used throughout the day.  In the end, the defensive line he took on the last lap ultimately cost him the race when he was unable to hold off Hinchcliffe, who took the more advantageous route through the final turn and snuck past on his way to the checkers.

This day, though, belonged to James Hinchcliffe and Andretti Autosport.  With seven laps remaining it looked like Hinch was going to have to battle for the final spot on the podium until he put it in gear, tracked down the leaders, and made a pair of great passes to score the win.

Anyone who claims Hinch is a star of the future, I’ve got news for you:  James Hinchcliffe is a star of now!

*

Steph’s impressions:

I was all ready to slag off on this race for having too many brain fades, too many yellows, and too much carnage. But then, the last 15 laps happened. I haven’t actually screamed at a race broadcast in a very long time. I’m still catching my breath!

It looks as though the subject of whether Takuma Sato’s defending moves were worthy of penalty will be the hot topic in the coming days. My stance is that a driver needs to be able to defend a position — particularly when that position is the lead with five laps to go, though in a perfect world it would be consistent in every instance — and that Sato’s moves did nothing more than make the drivers behind him work for it. There were rules in place for far too long that restricted the drivers’ ability to produce honest, hard racing, and we’re seeing the payoff of those changes. That’s not meant to advocate anarchy, of course — if someone does damage or is clearly being erratic and/or dangerous, that’s that the rule is for. But so long as the current application is well-communicated and consistent, then no harm, no foul.

There are plenty of other things to look at in detail over the next while — yet another DNF for Will Power, the awful luck of the Brazilians at their home track, Marco Andretti’s second street course podium of 2013, and Takuma Sato holding the points lead going into the Month of May, to name a few — and we’ll get to all of those.

But we’d better do it before Opening Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway comes along because all of these discussions are very shortly going to take a back seat to the events leading up to the Greatest Spectacle in Racing!

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John’s impressions:

What a race! That was an absolute knife fight between Sato and Hinchcliffe at the end there. (Even if Sato did get a way with a acouple of blocks) It was really hard to change the channel to the manufactured mess at Talladega after watching such a pure racing display in Brazil. Bravo to Indycar for the level of competition. Anyone that tunes into these races will come back for more! I can’t wait for the 500 given the level of unpredictability so far in 2013.

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Zack’s impressions:

It’s no hyperbole to suggest that was simply one of the greatest open-wheel street races in recent memory. On a day where teams like Ganassi and Penske ran into repeated trouble, the rest of the field showed there may no limit to IndyCar’s unpredictability this season. The racing product and talent right now is just so excellent, it’s tough to know where to begin.

IndyCar fans should go into the rest of May with a lot of positivity. IndyCar’s drivers are putting on an absolute show this year, and guys like Marco Andretti, Takuma Sato, and James Hinchcliffe are a massive part of the reason.

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Chad’s impressions:

I think everyone now knows what it feels like to have an asthma attack. Can you even come up with a street/road course finish that would rival what we all just witnessed?

Let’s first say that Hinchcliffe’s breathtaking pass on the final turn saved IndyCar from having to make a ruling on Sato’s driving. It looked like someone driving down the interstate that spilled hot coffee in his lap, or dropped his phone on the floor board. He was all over the place, chopping Newgarden and Hinchcliffe. It would have been a very messy situation for the series had he won that race. Instead, Hinch grabs another win, giving him two wins and two DNF’s this year. Talk about feast or famine.

It was another tough break for Power. He had a chance at history, to become just the sixth person in history to win four consecutive races at the same track. He would have joined the legends (AJ Foyt, Rick Mears, Al Unser Jr, Mario Andretti, and Bobby Rahal) but now has a major uphill battle in the championship, especially with the ovals coming up.

So, Sato is the points leader heading into Indy, and Marco is in second. Nobody could have predicted that heading into this season. I think because of the way it ended, everyone forgot about the first 65 laps of the race. There was a lot of yellow out there, and a lot of brakes locking up. But there was a lot of passing, too, with a bunch of different drivers mixing it up at the front of the field.

Now we only have five days to digest the awesomeness that we just saw and make room in our stomachs for what truly is the Greatest Spectacle in Racing!

*

Bash’s impressions:

Man, it’s hard to type with the adrenaline flowing like this.  Holy &#(*, that was outstanding!

Great to see Tony Kanaan lead in his home town and Simon Pagenaud contending near the end after the season he’s had. The Sato-Newgarten-Hinchcliffe battle at the end was a heart attack, and we honestly couldn’t lose no matter which way it turned out. Any one of the three was a great story, but the Mayor of Hinchtown was dead set on getting his second win of the season. Sato and the Foyt team had another strong race, and Marco Andretti continues to show the dividends from his off-season work. And Josef Newgarten was *thisclose* to his first win for Sarah Fisher!

It was thrilling today, and look at the names in the spotlight as we head into Indy: Andretti, Foyt and Fisher are long-time crowd favorites, their drivers quite capable, and you know the usual suspects will be stronger than they’ve been so far this season.  Really can’t wait to see what happens next!  For now, I need time with a defibrillator and an oxygen mask. *breathe*

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INDIANAPOLIS, Friday, May 3, 2013 – After two days of testing the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet NASCAR Sprint Cup car this week at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Kurt Busch left the track knowing he was going to get more seat time at the famed oval before the Crown Royal presents the “Your Hero’s Name Here” 400 at the Brickyard in July. But this time, the additional seat time will be behind the wheel an IZOD IndyCar Series car.

2004 Sprint Cup Series champion Busch will test a Chevrolet-powered Andretti Autosport Indy car Thursday morning, May 9, just two days before IMS officially opens for practice for the 97th running of the Indianapolis 500. Andretti Autosport team owner and IMS legend Michael Andretti will be on hand to provide driver coaching and assist in getting Busch up to speed quickly.

“I have always enjoyed racing at Indianapolis, and when IMS and Michael presented me with the opportunity to test an Indy car prior to opening day of practice of the Indianapolis 500, I jumped at it,” Busch said. “The Indianapolis 500 is an iconic event and having an opportunity to go through the testing process with Michael and Andretti Autosport, the defending series champions and two-time winners of the race, is pretty cool.”

Said Andretti: “I had the chance to get to know Kurt last year when we were working on another racing project. I respect his talent and am happy to give him the opportunity to experience the raw speed of an Indy car. It’s a unique feel and perspective – it will be totally different than what he is used to driving each week on the Cup circuit.”

Busch left open the door to compete in “The Double” – racing in the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the same day – in the future.

“I am looking forward to this test and experiencing IMS at the speeds the Indy cars run,” Busch said. “Let’s see how the test goes, and then I can look at the opportunities that could be beyond this coming Thursday. Running the Indianapolis 500 would certainly be a highlight, and doing another 600 miles in a Cup car on the same day would make for a special weekend.”

Only three drivers have attempted the Memorial Day weekend “Double” – John Andretti, Tony Stewart and Robby Gordon.