Catchfence

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Final practice before “Pole Day” qualifying, aptly called “Fast Friday,” was not quite as fast as Vision Racing drivers Ed Carpenter and Ryan Hunter-Reay would have liked it to have been. Despite a little rain halting track activity periodically during the afternoon, progress and positive gains were made by the team throughout the day and especially during the last hour of practice, however the team remained lower on the speed chart than ultimately desired.

Carpenter again led the charge for Vision Racing while driving the No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone machine. He was 21st fastest at 222.021 mph and completed 68 laps on the 2.5-mile oval.

Carpenter is looking to qualify for his sixth Indianapolis 500-mile race and fifth with Vision Racing this weekend. Not to mention, Carpenter is also coming off his best ever month of May just last season when he started a career-best 10th at Indy, drove his first career IndyCar Series leader laps (3) and finished in a team and career-best fifth at the Brickyard.

Teammate Hunter-Reay and driver of the team’s No. 21 Honda powered Dallara turned 58 laps with a top speed of 220.616 mph which was 28th fastest among 33 total cars the took to the track.

Hunter-Reay is aiming for his second attempt at Indianapolis this year and is looking to follow up the performance that earned him Rookie of the Year honors last year. In the 2008 race, driving for Rahal-Letterman Racing, Hunter-Reay started 20th and drove all the way up to finish just behind his now teammate Carpenter, in the sixth spot.

Top speeds and times listed in Thursday’s post-practice release were inadvertently misreported by the team. In correction, Carpenter’s top speed on Thursday was 222.572 mph and Hunter-Reay’s best lap was 218.329 mph.

IndyCar Series action resumes tomorrow for Pole Day qualifying activities with the first 11 spots on the grid for the Indianapolis 500 up for grabs. Practice begins at 9 a.m. with opening ceremonies commencing at 11:15 a.m. Television coverage begins at 9 a.m. ET on VERSUS.

The Indianapolis 500 will air live on Sunday, May 24 at noon ET on ABC, as well as IMS Radio Network, XM IndyCar Series Racing Channel 145, XM Sports Nation Channel 144 and on the web at www.IndyCar.com.

Practice Results and Quotes: (May 8, 2009)

Top Speed in Practice Today: 222.021 mph

Top Time in Practice Today: 40.5367

Number of Laps in Practice Today: 68

Overall Rank in Practice Today: 21st

Top Speed for Month: 222.572 mph (May 7)

Top Time for Month: 40.4364 (May 7)

Number of Laps in Practice for Month: 190

On practice:

“It was a good productive day for us. I didn’t think we were going to be able to run all day so it was nice to get a full day of running in after we got a full day of sitting around yesterday. We ran a lot of laps today, got a lot of work done and tested a lot of things. You never really know where you stand speed-wise at this point in the month but all you want to do is go faster. That’s what we’ll work on tomorrow.”

Ryan Hunter-Reay – No. 21 Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone

Top Speed in Practice Today: 220.616 mph

Top Time in Practice Today: 40.7949

Number of Laps in Practice Today: 58

Overall Rank in Practice Today: 28th

Top Speed for Month: 220.616 mph

Top Time for Month: 40.7949

Number of Laps in Practice for Month: 99

On practice:

“Contact with the wall was set back in respect to we didn’t get a lot of track time as a result. We (20 & 21 Vision cars) started out going two different ways at the beginning of the day and now we’re going to come back towards a mutual set-up that I think with suit both of us. The contact with the wall was light, by Indianapolis standards anyways, and didn’t do as much damage as you might expect here. Looking back on the day, it’s not the way you want it to end, especially the first day at Indy. We’re working on it and tomorrow will be a completely different day.”

About the Indianapolis 500:

The 200 lap/500 mile Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will air live on Sunday, May 24 at noon ET on ABC, as well as IMS Radio Network, XM IndyCar Series Racing Channel 145, XM Sports Nation Channel 144 and on the web at www.IndyCar.com.

About Vision Racing:

Vision Racing is owned and operated by Tony and Laura George as well as actor Patrick Dempsey of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and is based in Indianapolis, Indiana in a 32,000 square foot facility. The team competes full-time in the IndyCar Series and is entering its fifth season of IndyCar Series competition. The team features returning IndyCar Series driver Ed Carpenter and welcomed veteran Ryan Hunter-Reay for 2009. In the past calendar year, the team has scored nine top-ten finishes and five additional top-five finishes including a fifth place finish in the Indianapolis 500 by Ed Carpenter and a second place run by Ryan Hunter-Reay on the streets of St. Petersburg in the 2009 season opener. Also new for 2009 is a return to the Firestone Indy Lights Series with driver James Davison, as well as a technical partnership with new FIL team Bryan Herta Autosport and driver Daniel Herrington. Vision Racing continues to proudly perpetuate the legacy of the Hulman-George family through motorsports excellence, by demonstrating the traditions and heritage of the Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Racing.

- Vision Racing Press Release