Andretti Autosport

Marco Andretti Leads the Way with Sixth
Spot in the 

LAS VEGAS (Oct. 14, 2011) - Marco Andretti and his No. 26 Team Dr Pepper TEN machine led the strong qualifying performance for Andretti Autosport Friday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in preparation for Sunday’s IZOD INDYCAR World Championships, the final round of the 17-race 2011 season. All four Andretti Autosport drivers qualified in the top-ten Friday.

Andretti, the Iowa winner, will make his 100th career IndyCar start Sunday when the green flag falls at 12:45 p.m. PDT.

Marco will start sixth in the 34-driver field by piloting his pretty burgundy and gray Dr Pepper TEN entry to a two-lap average of 221.129 mph at the 1.5-mile high-banked oval north of the Las Vegas Strip.

Andretti is followed in the Andretti Autosport contingent by Ryan Hunter-Reay seventh, Danica Patrick ninth and Mike Conway tenth.

Hunter-Reay, the winner at the New Hampshire oval, posted a speed of 221.040 mph as the Florida driver seeks to improve his current seventh place ranking in the season point standings in the No. 28 Team DHL/Circle K/Sun Drop Citrus Soda car. He is just 20 points out of fifth place.

Patrick, the fastest driver in Thursday practice, drove her No. 7 Team GoDaddy.com machine to ninth Friday with 220.925 mph speed, while Conway, the Long Beach champion, took the No. 27 Grime Boss car to a 220.922 mph to round out the top-ten in time trials.

In a unique situation, the IZOD IndyCar Series stars are away from the track Saturday with autograph sessions and sponsor events.

Thursday night proved to be an exciting display at the Las Vegas Strip when all 34 drivers took their IndyCars from one end to the other with tens of thousands of spectators watching the first-time event for race cars on the Strip.

MARCO ANDRETTI, #26 TEAM DR PEPPER TEN CAR

Will start Sunday’s race in sixth position
“Overall the Dr Pepper TEN car is strong and I think we’ll be a contender on Sunday. We’ll be good in traffic, but everyone is going to be good in traffic – that’s why it’s going to be a great race for the fans.”

MIKE CONWAY, #27 TEAM GRIME BOSS CAR

Starts the season finale in P10
“The track temperature was pretty much the same as in practice. Not a bad run. It is not as quick as practice but that was with a tow [draft]. I didn’t get as much as I wanted on the first lap, but my second lap seemed to be pretty good in the Grime Boss car. I was able to work with my tools better on the second one. It will be a crazy race on Sunday.”

RYAN HUNTER-REAY, #28 TEAM DHL /CIRCLE K/SUN DROP CITRUS SODA CAR

Will start the race from P7
“We got a little bit of a bad draw going early, so we didn’t know what to expect in qualifying. It [the speed] is a little slower than we thought. We thought maybe a mid-221 at least. I know that our guys have built a great race car and will be ready for the battle on Sunday. This race will be a strong showing for Andretti Autosport. I am anxious for the race. It should be a good run for the Team DHL/Circle K/Sun Drop car. This is going to be less of a handling track as Texas. Thus, that means the cars with not the best balance will be able to hang in the pack. That will mean some very intense racing. It should a wild one.”

DANICA PATRICK, #7 TEAM GoDaddy.com CAR

Starts the race in ninth position
“Overall, I think our GoDaddy.com team is pretty good. I was surprised by the speed in qualifying. I thought we would be a little faster. I wasn’t able to get up to speed as fast as I would have liked. I did what I wanted to do with my bars and weight jacker as in practice. I went a little quicker in second lap and that is good. This will be a pack race on Sunday. So while it is nice to qualify towards the front of the field, I’m not sure that will be a big factor for the race. If you have a fast car in the race, I think you will move to the front pretty quickly.”

- Andretti Autosport, Press Release

IndyCar Driver Danica Patrick - Photo Credit: Catchfence Open Wheel Editor: Paul Powell

All Four Andretti Autosport Cars

LAS VEGAS (Oct. 13, 2011) - Danica Patrick served notice Thursday that she is ready to battle for the win in Sunday’s IZOD INDYCAR World Championships at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The driver of the No. 7 Team GoDaddy.com machine posted the fastest speed of the day with a sensational 224.719 mph lap on the 1.5-mile, high-banked oval north of the Las Vegas Strip.

Patrick, in her final IZOD IndyCar Series race, led the Andretti Autosport contingent that included Ryan Hunter-Reay in third, Mike Conway in fifth and Marco Andretti, who was seventh in his 100th IndyCar start.

At one point during the one-hour practice, the Andretti Autosport team sat in positions one through four on the speed charts. The four drivers worked well in traffic and showed impressive performance in hot conditions.

Hunter-Reay, the New Hampshire winner, drove his No. 28 Team DHL/Circle K/Sun Drop Citrus Soda machine to a clocking of 223.888 mph as he looks to improve on his fifth place finish from Kentucky two weeks ago. Conway, the Long Beach champion, piloted the No. 27 Grime Boss entry to a lap of 223.558 mph, while Andretti, in the all-new Dr Pepper TEN livery, recorded a best of 223.509 mph. Andretti raced Dario Franchitti for the lead at Kentucky before a pit incident knocked him off of the race.

Hunter-Reay and Andretti are currently seventh and eighth, respectively, in the seasonal standings and are attempting to reach the top-five with a strong showing in Sunday’s 12:45 p.m. PDT feature.

Qualifying is set for Friday at 3 p.m. PDT. Sunday’s World Championships will be televised live on ABC-TV.

MARCO ANDRETTI, #26 TEAM DR PEPPER TEN CAR

Ended the practice session in P7
“The Dr Pepper TEN car had a strong practice today – this is the car to win the race. Now we just need to capitalize on what we have. It’d be great to win in my 100th career start.”

MIKE CONWAY, #27 TEAM GRIME BOSS CAR

Finished the session in P5
“We were okay today. It is going to be a crazy race on Sunday. This place is fast. I wasn’t too fast by myself, but we were better in the draft. We’ll see how things go for the Grime Boss car in Friday’s practice and qualifying.”

RYAN HUNTER-REAY, #28 TEAM DHL/CIRCLE K/SUN DROP CITRUS SODA CAR

Ended practice in P3
“It was a pretty good first outing in the DHL/Circle K/Sun Drop car. We ran pretty well as a team. I think we have great race cars. We were good at Kentucky in the race too. We were able to run in similar conditions as Sunday’s race. It’s going to be hot and it’s going to be intense for 200 laps.”

DANICA PATRICK, #7 TEAM GoDaddy.com CAR

Finished practice at the top of the speed chart
“It’s fast here. Almost a 225 mph lap is like Indy speeds. There is a lot of grip here and therefore the setup of the car will be a little bit easier. The track is nice and smooth and we’ll be three-wide out there, which will be exciting. The race is going to be crazy and the crashes will be spectacular. Nothing would let me turn the page better than winning here in the GoDaddy.com car.”

- Andretti Autosport, Press Release

Andretti Autosport

Marco Andretti Celebrates 100th IZOD IndyCar Series Start

LAS VEGAS (Oct. 12, 2011) - The Andretti Autosport drivers come to Las Vegas this weekend with only a victory celebration on their minds.

Winning the 200-lap IZOD IndyCar Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is the primary goal for Marco Andretti, Mike Conway, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Danica Patrick when the green flag drops at 12:45 p.m. PDT this Sunday, Oct. 16.

Three of the Andretti Autosport drivers have already visited victory lane in 2011 and Andretti, Conway and Hunter-Reay would love to make a repeat appearance in the final round of the 17-race campaign. Patrick, in her final IZOD IndyCar Series race, seeks her second IndyCar victory of her career.

Hunter-Reay, driver of the No. 28 Team DHL/Circle K/Sun Drop Citrus Soda machine, has been one of the hottest racers in the second half of the season. The New Hampshire winner was 21st in the season points after the first eight races, and now ranks seventh after the 16 events. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., driver is only 19 points out of the top-five entering Sunday’s finale. Hunter-Reay finished fifth last week at Kentucky and has two previous starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Andretti, at the controls of the new No. 26 Team Dr Pepper TEN car, makes his 100th career IndyCar Series start Sunday and the Iowa Speedway champion is set for another strong showing. Marco was battling Dario Franchitti for the lead last week at Kentucky before being knocked out of contention in a pit incident. Andretti seeks to move up in the seasonal point standings at Las Vegas as he holds down the eighth position currently.

Conway, the Long Beach winner, comes to Las Vegas with the new No. 27 Team Grime Boss entry for Andretti Autosport. Conway, the former Formula One test driver, has made a remarkable comeback in 2011 after a vicious crash at Indianapolis last year. The England native has been competitive in his Andretti Autosport mount throughout the 2011 season and is looking for a solid finish at Las Vegas.

Patrick, driver of the No. 7 Team GoDaddy.com car, makes her second appearance at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this year after a fourth place finish in March in the NASCAR Nationwide race. Danica finished tenth last week at Kentucky and moved back into the top-ten in the current points. The 29-year-old veteran from Roscoe, Ill., has finished a record 50 races in a row entering the Las Vegas race.

Practice begins this Thursday on the 1.5-mile oval north of the Las Vegas strip with qualifying set for 3 p.m. PDT Friday. The IZOD IndyCar World Championships will be televised live on ABC-TV beginning at 3 p.m. EDT.

MARCO ANDRETTI, #26 TEAM DR PEPPER TEN CAR

“I’m hoping that Kentucky was a good representation as far as speed goes for the Dr Pepper TEN car. From there we just need to capitalize on what we have come away with a win. I’m racing Vegas for a win. Period.”

MIKE CONWAY, #27 TEAM GRIME BOSS CAR

“I’m looking forward to racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this coming weekend for the finale of the IZOD IndyCar Series season. The team seems to have found some speed on the ovals recently so we’re looking forward to a strong weekend in the Grime Boss car. I’m sad that the season is coming to an end so I’m looking to finish off strong.”

RYAN HUNTER-REAY, #28 TEAM DHL/CIRCLE K/SUN DROP CITRUS SODA CAR

“This weekend’s season finale event in Las Vegas is going to be huge. We’re all really looking forward to it. After finishing a strong top-five at Kentucky, we’re looking to keep that momentum rolling and finish the season on a high note headed to 2012. The last time I raced on the Vegas oval was 2005, but that was a completely different race track. Now with the higher banks we’re expecting pack racing like Chicago; the race will be extremely intense from green to checkered. There’s a lot going on this weekend on and off the track which should be fun, but most importantly we’re looking for that second win of the season in the DHL/Circle K/Sun Drop car.”

DANICA PATRICK, #7 TEAM GoDaddy.com CAR

“I’m looking forward to the Vegas race this weekend with the GoDaddy.com car. It’s going to be a lot closer racing than most mile-and-a-half tracks we’ve been to. It’s the last race of the year and it’s always exciting. After the Kentucky race, the championship just got a little more interesting so it should be a good race.”

- Andretti Autosport, Press Release

SPEED.com open wheel reporter Robin Miller - Photo Credit: Catchfence Open Wheel Editor: Paul Powell

“Miller: “In the long list of things Barnhart has done that have been inconsistent and lacked common sense, I think he topped himself on this one.”

While rain forced the postponement of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race today at Watkins Glen International, rain eventually forced an early end to the IndyCar Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway … but not before all hell broke loose.

After a yellow-flag period due to rain, IndyCar Series officials waved the green flag with nine laps remaining. However, wet conditions triggered a large accident, as well as a flurry of emotions and criticism of Brian Barnhart, IndyCar Series president of competition and racing operations.

Robin Miller, longtime SPEED open wheel reporter/analyst, has never been one to shy away from offering his opinion. Below is a Q&A with Miller regarding his reaction to the events that unfolded in New Hampshire:

On the decision to restart the IndyCar Series race with 10 laps remaining:

Miller:“We’d been running under the yellow because it obviously was raining pretty hard, and when they announced they were going back to green, my producers and I started laughing and said, ‘Really? Let’s go watch the big screen for this crash because it’s going to be a big one.’ You’ve got slick tires and it was raining harder when they restarted the race than when they’d thrown the caution a few laps earlier.

I haven’t heard what Brian Barnhart (IndyCar Series president of competition and racing operations) said yet, although I’ve heard he originally said he had no communication with the drivers. But the drivers were going crazy, telling everybody – the spotters and team managers – that it was raining too hard. But Barnhart hears everything – he’s always monitoring everyone. In the long list of things Barnhart has done that have been inconsistent and lacked common sense, I think he topped himself on this one.”

On Will Power’s display of an obscene gesture toward officials after wrecking on the restart:

Miller: “He snapped. He totally lost it. That should be the indicator about how incensed and crazy he was that they restarted that race in the rain. In an emotional sport, you’re out there risking your life and you’re on slick tires in the rain and they tell you you’re going to restart the race. I think Power was entitled to everything he did. I imagine Randy Bernhard (CEO of IndyCar Series) will pay his fine because I imagine Randy is happy because Power flipping them off will be on every sports highlight across the country.

It’s the best PR you can get. It’s auto racing. It’s a highly volatile and sadistic sport, and when you’re out there hanging your ass out, and some guy who has never driven a race car in his life decides to go green, you can’t believe it. It’s too bad Power couldn’t get to Barnhart because he probably would have choked him and given us even better video.”

On Barnhart’s questionable decisions throughout the years:

Miller:“When the race restarted at the cone, Ryan Hunter-Reay spun his tires and Oriol Servia and Scott Dixon both passed him. So, when it went yellow, Ryan actually was third in line and they reverted to the last lap and declared him the winner after they red-flagged the race. Scott Dixon so eloquently said this isn’t go-kart racing or USAC on dirt. We don’t revert to the last lap. We’ve never reverted. He said (Oriol) Servia should have won the race, I (Dixon) should have been second and Ryan (Hunter-Reay) should have been third if you go by what the rules usually are. But he (Dixon) said Ryan (Hunter-Reay) deserved to win the race because he had the best car.

Dixon wanted to know what the hell was going on. How can the rules change like this? People like me have been calling for Barnhart’s head for years because I don’t think he knows anything about racing and plays favorites. He’s never driven a race car and I don’t think he makes good decisions about racing. On top of this, look back at the 2002 Indy 500 finish. This clearly illustrates why there has been such an outcry to get rid of him this year from the owners and drivers. The drivers don’t respect him and the owners don’t trust him and I think Randy Bernhard has to make a pretty tough decision but it’s not a tough decision from most people’s standpoint – just get a new chief steward.”

On his overall thoughts on the race:

Miller:“NASCAR doesn’t race in the rain because they don’t have rain tires on a road course, yet Indy cars race on slicks on an oval in the rain. I don’t think there’s a question of who wins the battle of the balls this weekend – it’s IndyCar. And if people didn’t enjoy that race, I give up. It had everything. It had guys upside down, guys crashing the points leader on the restart, guys giving the double bird to the chief steward. It had everything everyone wants.”

- SPEED Press Release

Andretti Autosport

MARCO ANDRETTI, #26 TEAM VENOM ENERGY DRINK CAR

“Milwaukee this weekend should be good for the Venom team. I love racing somewhere where you really have to get up in the seat and drive; and The Mile has so much history with the all Andretti podium and my first pole win so I’m looking forward to going back.”

MIKE CONWAY, #27 TEAM DHL/ SUN DROP CITRUS SODA CAR

“We had a good test at Milwaukee a couple weeks back, so I’m looking forward to getting back out on track there with the DHL/Sun Drop car. We need a strong result and some good points if we want to get back into the top 10 in the championship. Hopefully, the whole Andretti team will have a good showing this weekend.”

RYAN HUNTER-REAY, #28 TEAM GoDaddy.com CAR

“The Milwaukee Mile is like no other racetrack in the world. It’s an oval that drives more like a road course and every lap around there has 110 percent of your attention. The legends of our sport rate this place as one of best and most difficult places to win at. It’s a fan favorite, as well, and I’m sure we’ll put on a great show on Sunday.

“I had a record-breaking win there in 2004, so I’ll be drawing on that experience to make the most of the race on Sunday. It’s my first opportunity to represent GoDaddy on the racetrack and the goal for us is simple: to bring them a win.”

DANICA PATRICK, #7 TEAM GoDaddy.com CAR

“The Milwaukee Mile is a great track — one of my favorites — so I’m glad to see it back on our schedule. We had a solid test there a couple weeks ago, which will be helpful headed into the weekend. We have a good amount of track time on Friday, so that will be beneficial as well. I think the GoDaddy car will be competitive this weekend, for sure.”

- Andretti Autosport, Press Release

Andretti Autosport

ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT IZOD INDYCAR SERIES NOTES AND QUOTES, POST-QUALIFYING FIRESTONE TWIN 275s

MARCO ANDRETTI, #26 TEAM VENOM ENERGY DRINK CAR

Will start the first race in P23 “Obviously not the qualifying result we wanted today for the Venom car, but we’ve always run well in the race here and that’s what we’re planning to do tomorrow night.”

MIKE CONWAY, #27 TEAM HIRE HEROES USA/ 7-ELEVEN/DR PEPPER CAR

Starts the race in P22 “We could have had a little bit more speed for qualifying. But as long as we get a good car for this afternoon’s practice, hopefully that will give us a good car for the races tomorrow. I think we’ll be in a good position to move up to the top-ten in the first race. It should be an exciting first race for the Hire Heroes car, and it will be interesting to see where we end up on the drawing for the second.”

RYAN HUNTER-REAY, #28 TEAM DHL/SUN DROP CITRUS SODA CAR

Starts the first race in Texas in P16 “Of course qualifying is important, but if you have a good race car compared to a car not qualified near the front, you can outdo it within 20 laps here. The trick is getting the race car properly balanced. We’ll be working on that tonight. We’re trying some pretty radical stuff after Indy, so we’ll see how it goes for the DHL/Sun Drop car.”

DANICA PATRICK, #7 TEAM GoDaddy.com CAR

Will start the race in P10 “I think the GoDaddy.com car had a solid qualifying run. It was faster in qualifying than it did in practice which is great. We went into qualifying hoping for a top-10 start which we accomplished. We did the best we could and the car was comfortable, and I think that is really important at this track since there is so much banking. I think we are in a good position headed into tomorrow’s first race.”

- Andretti Autosport, Press Release

Andretti Autosport

ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT
IZOD INDYCAR SERIES
NOTES AND QUOTES, PRE-RACE
FIRESTONE TWIN 275s

MARCO ANDRETTI, #26 TEAM VENOM ENERGY DRINK CAR

“I’m looking forward to TMS this weekend. I’m ready for the pack-racing and we usually run well there. Last year we finished third and we’re looking to do better Saturday. I think the new two-race format is going to be different, but it will make things fun and great for the fans. Hopefully, the Venom boys will come away with two wins.”

MIKE CONWAY, #27 TEAM HIRE HEROES USA/7-ELEVEN/DR PEPPER CAR

“It has been two years since I last raced at Texas, so I can’t wait to get back out on track Friday. I’m looking forward to working with my new engineer, Allen McDonald, this weekend and working towards the rest of the season.”

RYAN HUNTER-REAY, #28 TEAM DHL/ SUN DROP CITRUS SODA CAR

“I am really looking forward to Texas and the double-race format. It should be exciting for the fans and a new challenge for the teams. I’m excited to represent DPSG (Dr Pepper Snapple Group) and Sun Drop on their home turf. The DHL/Sun Drop team has been working hard preparing for Texas. We’re very motivated to have a great showing this weekend.”

DANICA PATRICK, #7 TEAM GoDaddy.com CAR

“I had a really strong race at Texas last year in the GoDaddy car and I am hoping for more of the same this year. Texas Motor Speedway always does a great job putting on a show for the fans. And with two races on Saturday night, I don’t think this year will be any different.”

- Andretti Autosport, Press Release

Andretti Autosport

ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT
IZOD INDYCAR SERIES
NOTES AND QUOTES, POST-RACE
INDIANAPOLIS 500

JOHN ANDRETTI, #43 TEAM WINDOW WORLD CAR

Finished the race in 22nd place
“It wasn’t what we expected. At the start, I felt really good about the Window World car. We were moving up; the car felt great. Then all of a sudden in one lap, I just lost everything. I don’t know if we had a damper go bad or if something else happened. The rest of the day I just fought it. It’s really disappointing. I feel like we had something to do good for the day, but it was just merely hanging on the rest of the day.”

MARCO ANDRETTI, #26 TEAM VENOM ENERGY DRINK CAR

Ended the Indy 500 in 9th place
“Not the turnout we were hoping to have for the Venom car today, but a top-ten finish is still not too bad considering we started where we did. We were sitting pretty with good track position but made a call to come in and then lost position. We trimmed the car but then we were in the back – so we gave (the track position) away. Just didn’t work out for us today. But congrats to Dan (Wheldon) – he’s one of the best guys (at getting) around this place.”

RYAN HUNTER-REAY, #41 ABC SUPPLY/DHL/SUN DROP CITRUS SODA CAR

Finished the race in 23rd place
“We dealt with a lot of issues today, but everybody dealt with tricky conditions today, which made for a loose race car. But, we really struggled more than others.

“It was a monumental task to prepare a car in 30 laps of warm-up for the longest race of the year and most important race of the year. The ABC Supply and DHL/Sun Drop guys did a great job preparing the car; we just missed the balance. For me, all day, it was an exercise of just keeping the car out of the wall. I almost lost it at least 12 times.”

DANICA PATRICK, #7 TEAM GoDaddy.com CAR

Finished the Indy 500 in 10th place
“It’s the Indy 500; you have to take a chance to win. I would much rather leave here finishing a little bit further down by taking a chance and having the option to win than coming away with a lower position and not having that chance. Overall it was a great day for the whole GoDaddy.com team. We have kept our heads up all month and came out ahead at the end. We will use this as positive momentum going into Texas.”

- Andretti Autosport, Press Release

Ryan Hunter-Reay - Photo Credit: Catchfence Open Wheel Editor: Paul Powell

Ryan Hunter-Reay, Driver:

(ON RUNNING IN THE INDY 500) “Am I happy to have the chance to run in the Indy 500? Sure, but this isn’t at all how I wanted it to happen. I have the utmost respect for the Indianapolis 500, but this is not the way I wanted things to pan out. I’m in the race, but I’m not going to celebrate. This race has a legacy and tradition that is undeniable. The reality is our car didn’t qualify and now I’m racing in the #41.

“I’m still very disappointed in the way our weekend turned out, but Andretti Autosport and A.J. Foyt Racing need me on Sunday, and I’m going to be ready to go.”

(ON BRUNO JUNQUEIRA) “I feel awful for Bruno. He did a great job getting the 41 car into the field and I know how disappointed he must be to not be driving it on Sunday. I have a lot of respect for Bruno as a driver and as a person.”

(HOW DID THIS DEAL BETWEEN ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT AND A.J. FOYT RACING DEVELOP?) “I guess our team approached A.J. after we got bumped from the field at the end of the day on Sunday. I didn’t talk to anybody about it until my team came to me after their initial meeting with A.J. That was the first I knew of it.”

(HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO FANS THAT ARE UPSET BY THIS MOVE?) “I understand their passion for the Indy 500 and I hope they understand that I am just the driver. And, my job is to drive when and where I’m told to drive. I don’t determine things like this. The team needs me in the car this Sunday and I’m going to give it everything I’ve got.

“Again, I feel terrible for Bruno. But, really, this is not about me and Bruno. This is about our teams and those who support our teams all season long.”

Michael Andretti, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer:

(ON THE DECISION TO APPROACH A.J. FOYT RACING ABOUT THE #41 ENTRY) “When Sunday was over, we needed to find a way to take care of our sponsors – the same sponsors that get us to the racetrack every race, all season long, and keep the lights on at our shop. Without them, we don’t exist. So, it wasn’t a tough decision from that perspective. We had to figure out a Plan B. Not getting them into the Indy 500 was not an option.

“Ryan is a huge part of each of those sponsor programs, and from the sponsors’ perspective, it was important that he still be representing them in the Indy 500.

“A.J. also knows Ryan can get the job done on Sunday and that was a big part of this. They’ve worked together before and A.J. knows what Ryan is capable of. That made it an easier option for both of us.”

(ON THE PERCEPTION FROM SOME FANS THAT THIS IS THE WRONG THING TO DO) “The fastest 33 cars are what qualify for the Indy 500 and that’s always been the case. We’re not doing anything that changes that. This has happened before. One of the greatest finishes in Indy 500 history, in 1992, involved a car that had a driver change before the race. Scott Goodyear replaced Mike Groff and Scott nearly won the race. It’s not a new thing.

“I disagree with the idea that we are doing something to hurt the integrity of the Indy 500. We would never do that – ever. The rule is the fastest 33 cars make the race – not the 33 fastest drivers. And, that is what will be on track Sunday.”

- Andretti Autosport, Press Release

Andretti Autosport

ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT

MARCO ANDRETTI, #26 TEAM VENOM ENERGY DRINK CAR

Qualified in 28th position for the Indy 500

“What a day – obviously heartbroken for my teammates Ryan (Hunter-Reay) and Mike (Conway). They are two of the best drivers in this series and I hate not seeing them in this race. But at the same time I had to do everything I could to get the No. 26 car in the show and that’s just what we did. I said before that we can do it from 33rd – so we can do it from 28th. It looked for a while like everything was going to be up to mother nature and we needed to get bumped to justifying going out again – you just don’t pull a qualified car. All we wanted was a chance for the Venom machine. Circumstance almost caught us out but my (crew) guys stepped up, I kept it flat and the car hung in there. As it ended up we were plenty good. It was a bummer to be put in this position, but I’m grateful to be a part of the 100th Anniversary of a race that means so much to my family. I have all the faith in the world in my crew guys and the Venom car is coming to the front next Sunday.”

MIKE CONWAY, #27 TEAM HIRE HEROES USA/ 7-ELEVEN/DR PEPPER CAR

Did not qualify for the Indianapolis 500; was bumped from the field by Paul Tracy at 3:08 p.m.

“It’s a tough break – both me and Ryan, not in the show. I’m pretty gutted. Danica spent some time with me, putting me back together, after I got back to the garage. I’m obviously happy for Danica, Marco and John to be in, but gutted for me and Ryan.

“I never wanted to experience this feeling. You see it happen every year and you hope it’s not you. It’s not nice.”

RYAN HUNTER-REAY, #28 TEAM DHL/SUN DROP CITRUS SODA CAR

Did not qualify; was bumped from the field by Marco Andretti at 5:59 p.m.

Entered the field initially on his first qualifying attempt of the day and was positioned to make his second attempt immediately after Andretti when time expired on the session.

“It’s so unfortunate — I can’t even describe how disappointed I am. If we had gotten this car in the race, we were going to be a contender.

“This week, this month has been a struggle for Andretti Autosport. We have great race cars; we just wanted to get through this day to fight it out. DHL and Sun Drop have been giving us great support. We’ve been so fast this year; we’ve qualified in the front row in half the races. This one, we just needed to get in the race.

“It hasn’t even sunk in yet.”

DANICA PATRICK, #7 TEAM GoDaddy.com CAR

Qualified in 26th position for the Indy 500

“I’m just so happy that the GoDaddy.com car is going to be running in the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500.

“One problem with not qualifying until the very end is you’re not working on your race car, so it kind of keeps coming at you again.

“This team traditionally races better than we qualify, so we will have to use our experience from the past few years and make the most of it for next Sunday.”

- Andretti Autosport, Press Release

Andretti Autosport

ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT
IZOD INDYCAR SERIES
NOTES AND QUOTES, POST-QUALIFYING
POLE DAY
INDIANAPOLIS 500

MICHAEL ANDRETTI, CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

“We’re all surprised by our speed. We were expecting better, for sure. But, John (Andretti) did something different in his last qualifying run and he really picked up a lot, so we’re hoping that is going to work on all the other cars tomorrow. That’s our hope.”

JOHN ANDRETTI, #43 TEAM WINDOW WORLD CAR

Qualified for 17th starting position with a speed of 224.981 mph

“There’s so much excitement when you’re in the front, but there’s even more pressure when you’re not. You’ve only got to go through it once to know you never want to go through it again. After our first couple of attempts, we made a few changes and the car just came to life. The weather helped us; the wind seemed to have died down a bit. The Window World car was quick-the guys on the team did a great job. I’ve been through this before, so I wasn’t panicking but I was ready to be done. This race means a lot to me and my family. For me to be in this race on the 100th anniversary is special; it’s nice to be able to do it one more time.”

MARCO ANDRETTI, #26 TEAM VENOM ENERGY DRINK CAR

Failed to qualify in the top 24; will attempt to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 tomorrow

“It’s been a frustrating day for me and the team. We were slow all day – we’ve been slow since we rolled off and haven’t really gained or made any improvements. To not make it into the field today just makes it all feel even worse. But my teammate and cousin John (Andretti) made it in and we’re all happy for him. They obviously found some speed with his car and we’re hoping that what they’ve learned can help us with the Venom car tomorrow.”

MIKE CONWAY, #27 TEAM HIRE HEROES USA/7-ELEVEN/DR PEPPER CAR

Failed to qualify in the top 24; will attempt to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 tomorrow

“We’re just not quick enough right now, but I’m not the only one; we’re all kind of in the same group. We just need to learn from our teammates and see what we can come up with. It’s disappointing, really. We’ve obviously still got some work to do.”

RYAN HUNTER-REAY, #28 TEAM DHL/SUN DROP CITRUS SODA CAR

Failed to qualify in the top 24; will attempt to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 tomorrow

“It’s pretty tough for us right now. Most of the team is struggling with speed. But, we’ll keep chipping away at it. That’s all we can do. We need to get some speed out of it, but I’m not sure where it’s going to come from. We need to put our capes and our top-hats on, and make some magic happen. If we get this DHL/Sun Drop car in the race, it will be a contender. It’s just a matter of getting there.”

DANICA PATRICK, #7 TEAM GoDaddy.com CAR

Failed to qualify in the top 24; will attempt to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 tomorrow

“I felt that we had a fast car not only today, but all month and thought we would hit a 226 during today’s qualifying run. The GoDaddy car was really fast to start the month off. I was happy. It was the best I’ve felt here in a long time. I felt really comfortable with car and it felt effortlessly fast and it wasn’t really slow until this morning.

“All I can think of is something we missed or something happened with the track maybe and everyone is putting a new set of rubber on and it changed. We just have to buckle down at this point. I guess we are going to have to risk it a little more come tomorrow.”

- Andretti Autosport, Press Release

INDYCAR LOGO

INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, May 19, 2011) -

With 12 minutes left in the six-hour session, Verizon Team Penske’s Power unseated Alex Tagliani atop the speed chart with a lap of 227.778 mph (fastest of the month) to earn the $5,000 Grady Brothers Construction Fastest Lap of the Day award. All 40 entrants took on the track, recording a total of 2,394 laps, and the top 38 cars were separated by one second.

Tagliani, driving the No. 77 Bower & Wilkins car for Sam Schmidt Motorsports, had a quick lap of 227.652. Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe (227.217) and three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves (226.927) followed, and Townsend Bell in the No. 99 Herbalife Schmidt Pelfrey Racing car was fifth (226.741).

The yellow flag flew early in the session when Simona de Silvestro’s No. 78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy car made heavy contact with the outside retaining wall in the North Short Chute and became airborne before catching fire. She was transported to Methodist Hospital to be treated for burns to her hands and released. Her driving status will be determined on Friday.

DAY 6 NOTEBOOK:

Three Indianapolis 500 teams earned the final three spots in the IZOD Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge during time trials this morning. Teams changed four tires and performed a simulated fueling hookup. The three qualifiers:

#28 Ryan Hunter-Reay was fourth, 9.134.

Twelve teams will compete in the IZOD Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge on Miller Lite Carb Day, Friday, May 27. These nine teams previously qualified based on pit performance between the 2010 Indianapolis 500 and the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestle earlier this month:

KV Racing Technology-Lotus (#5 Sato), Team Penske (#6 Briscoe), Target Chip Ganassi Racing (#9 Dixon), Target Chip Ganassi Racing (#10 Franchitti), Team Penske (#12 Power), Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (#22 Wilson), Andretti Autosport (#26 M. Andretti), Newman/Haas Racing (#06 Hinchcliffe), Dale Coyne Racing (TBD).

***

INDIANAPOLIS 500 PRACTICE:

At noon, the ambient temperature was 66 degrees with a relative humidity of 68 percent and winds from the west at 10 mph. Skies were cloudy. The track temperature was 92 degrees, according to Firestone engineers.

Noon – GREEN. #27 Conway first on track.

12:10 p.m. — #67 Carpenter fastest at 224.134.

12:25 p.m. – YELLOW. Sparks shower from bottom of #78 De Silvestro’s car entering Turn 3. Car hits outside retaining wall between Turns 3 and 4. Car jumps, spins and rides wall backward, making secondary contact with catch fence in entrance of Turn 4. Car stops upside down on fire in apron in Turn 4. Fire extinguished, De Silvestro climbs from car with assistance from Holmatro Safety Team.

***

Senators Dick Lugar and Dan Coats are proud to announce the passage of a U.S. Senate Resolution recognizing the 100^th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500. The resolution passed the Senate through unanimous consent May 18.

The full text of the resolution is available at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CREC-2011-05-18/pdf/CREC-2011-05-18-pt1-PgS3113-5.pdf#page=1.

DICK LUGAR (U.S. Senator, R-Ind.): “The Indy 500 is a proud Hoosier tradition. Each May, the Indy 500 brings hundreds of thousands of spectators to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and we are pleased to showcase Indiana to so many wonderful visitors. The Indy 500 serves as a demonstration of Indiana’s proud automotive heritage. I am pleased to join with Senator Coats and the rest of the United States Senate in recognizing the 100^th anniversary of the race and look forward to many more years of this Hoosier institution.”

DAN COATS (U.S. Senator, R-Ind.): “The Indianapolis 500 is the world’s most famous and prestigious automobile race. The 500 holds a special place in the history of the automobile and Indiana. This May, Hoosiers celebrate the 100th anniversary of this great tradition and look forward to another exciting race and century of Indianapolis motorsports.”

***

Amos Brown, Indianapolis AM 1310 The Light radio talk show host, was the honorary starter today. Brown also rode in the Indy Racing Experience two-seater car this morning.

AMOS BROWN: (About his ride in the two-seater Indycar): “It was a great experience. First of all, having the honor to be driven around by Johnny Rutherford was a great experience. And it’s something that I will remember when my granddaughter is trying to drive. I won’t be as nervous with her as I was when I was in the car with JR. I didn’t realize all of the g-forces that the drivers deal with. I felt like I was getting pressed down. It gave me a better understanding of what these men and women go through to do their jobs.” (On waving the green flag to start practice for the Indianapolis 500): “That was fun. I think once I got used to the cars going by, it felt no different than if I was on the other side of the catch fence. It was a thrill to be that close to the action. That’s when I realized that: ‘Oh, OK. This is pretty fun.’ I also realized that these guys have a job to do, and there are lot of them that are trying to make the race. I never want to be in the way of people doing their job. I’m just in awe of what they are doing. I’m glad that I brought, hopefully, good weather and full day of practice so they can get ready for Saturday.”

***

Medical update from Dr. Michael Olinger, INDYCAR medical director: Simona de Silvestro is awake and alert and being transported via ground to Methodist Hospital for further evaluation of second-degree burns to her right hand and superficial burns to her left hand.

***

Today is the 38^th birthday of two-time and defending Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti.

***

ESPN Classic will present a week-long tribute in honor of the 100^th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500. The 2011 edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” airs Sunday, May 29 on ABC, with pre-race at 11 a.m. (ET).

All week long beginning Monday, May 23, ESPN Classic will air classic Indy 500 races and “SportsCentury” programming. On the actual 100^th anniversary, May 30, ESPN Classic will present a 27-hour marathon anchored by a re-air of the 2011 race.

***

Jenna Wolfe, the Sunday co-anchor of “Weekend TODAY” and a correspondent for “TODAY” on NBC, visited the track today to film an upcoming segment on the 100^th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 for “Weekend Today.”

Wolfe rode in the Indy Racing Experience two-seat car with Mario Andretti driving and interviewed 2010 Indianapolis 500 Chase Rookie of the Year Simona De Silvestro, IMS Historian Donald Davidson and IMS Director of Photography Ron McQueeney.

***

The Indiana Section of SAE International will announce the winner of the 45^th annual Louis Schwitzer Award sponsored by BorgWarner at 11 a.m. Friday, May 20 in the Economaki Press Conference Room.

The Louis Schwitzer Award, presented by engineers to engineers, recognizes individuals with the courage and conviction to explore and develop new concepts in motorsports technology for use in the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. The award has been presented annually since 1967 by the Indiana Section of SAE International in honor of early racing pioneer and past Indiana Section Chairman Louis Schwitzer.

Award sponsor BorgWarner provides a $10,000 cash prize to the winner. SAE International also provides a $1,000 scholarship to the engineering school of the winner’s choice and doubles the scholarship amount if the winner was a past Formula SAE participant. In addition, the winner’s name is added to the permanent trophy on display in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.

***

Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Bruce P. Crandall has been named honorary starter for the 100^th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on Sunday, May 29, waving the green flag to begin racing for the field of 33 drivers at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Retired Col. Crandall, who flew more than 900 missions as a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War, received the Congressional Medal of Honor – the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government – in 2007.

Crandall was honored for his leadership, heroism and courage during the Battle of Ia Drang on Nov. 14, 1965. He led the first major division operation of airmobile troops into Landing Zone X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley and is credited with evacuating some 70 wounded comrades with his wing man and fellow Medal of Honor recipient Major Ed Freeman. The two also flew in the ammunition needed for the 1/7th Cavalry to survive. The craft Crandall was flying was unarmed.

During his military career, Crandall also received a Bronze Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, a Presidential Unit Citation and a Purple Heart among numerous other citations.

The 2002 movie “We Were Soldiers” was based on the operation for which Crandall was awarded the Medal of Honor, with 1997 Academy Award nominee Greg Kinnear appearing as Crandall.

BRUCE P. CRANDALL: “I’m thrilled and honored to be selected as the honorary starter for the Indianapolis 500 in its 100^th anniversary year,” Crandall said. “The race is an American tradition, and I’m very grateful for the continued tributes to the U.S. Armed Forces during the pre-race ceremonies every year. I can’t wait to get into the starter’s stand.”

JEFF BELSKUS (President and CEO, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation): “It’s a great honor to welcome Bruce Crandall to serve as the honorary starter of the 100^th Anniversary Indianapolis 500. The Indianapolis 500 has paid tribute to the service and sacrifice of our Armed Forces since its inception on Memorial Day weekend in 1911, and it’s a privilege for a true American hero to send the field of 33 on its way toward Victory Lane at such a historic race.”

***

A comparison of the specifications of the No. 32 Marmon “Wasp” that Ray Harroun drove to victory in the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911 and the cars that will compete in the 100^th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 29.

***

U.S. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe will dedicate and issue for the first time the 100^th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 United States Postal Service commemorative stamp at a ceremony Friday, May 20 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The event will take place at 10 a.m. at the IMS Pagoda Plaza on the Coca-Cola Stage.

The 100^th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 stamp, which features the Marmon “Wasp” driven by inaugural Indianapolis 500 winner Ray Harroun, is one of 25 subjects highlighted in the USPS 2011 Commemorative Stamp Program. The stamp will be a “Forever Stamp,” always equal in value to the current First Class Mail 1-ounce letter regardless of price changes in the future.

Also participating in the ceremony will be Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation President and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Belskus, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard and 1985 Indianapolis 500 pole winner Pancho Carter.

***

Medical update from Dr. Michael Olinger, INDYCAR medical director: Simona de Silvestro has been released from Methodist Hospital. She will meet with INDYCAR medical officials Friday to evaluate her driving status.

De Silvestro suffered second-degree burns to her right hand and superficial burns to her left hand in a crash earlier today.

She will be available for interviews at 11:15 a.m. Friday on the fourth floor of the Media Center.

***

BMW Team Rahal Letterman Lanigan American Le Mans Series driver Joey Hand visited the track today.

JOEY HAND (About coming to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway): “I’ve never gotten out here and watched Indy cars go around. I thought it would be a good time to come around and see some people. My Rahal guys are all here. I’ve got a bit of a break from the American Le Mans Series, so I came out here to support them. I once said I wasn’t going to come out here unless I was racing, so some people had to talk me into coming here and meeting people.” (On his interest in Indy cars): “To come here and finally see an Indy car go by is really cool. I get to see what Indy is all about. I watched it all the time as a kid. I watched Indy. In fact, I watched my boss, Bobby Rahal, race here when I was growing up. To be honest, I’ve definitely got some interest in the Las Vegas race at the end of the year. I just wanted to get my face out here. A long time ago, Kim Green told me that I’m not going to get a job sitting on my couch. So I wanted to make sure I got out here and met people. I met Randy Bernard, and he’s really nice. I’m obviously going to stay in sports cars, but this Las Vegas deal for 5 million bucks is something that’s really intriguing. The Rahal guys are interested in it and, who knows, maybe we’ll get to Indy next year.”

***

HVM Racing owner Keith Wiggins reported this afternoon that the No. 78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy HVM Racing entry driven by Simona De Silvestro was damaged beyond repair in a crash this afternoon.

De Silvestro drove the team’s backup car on Indianapolis Star Opening Day practice Saturday, reaching a top speed of 219.522 mph in 13 total laps. The backup car was the team’s primary car in the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season, Wiggins said.

KEITH WIGGINS (Owner, HVM Racing): (How confident are you that you can get back in pretty good shape?): “Yes, we can build a good car, but it probably won’t be as good as the original car because that was built specifically for here. There are a lot of specialities about building a car for here, and we only had one of those built because that is all our resources will allow. So the question is will this car be as quick as the other one? That’s the challenge.”

***

Officials from the International Motorsports Industry Show (IMIS) and C&R Racing Inc., announced today that the “Rally In The Alley,” a reception exclusively for all INDYCAR team members participating in the Indianapolis 500, will take place Sunday in Gasoline Alley at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway immediately following the conclusion of on-track Bump Day activities.

During the reception, the C&R Racing / IMIS “True Grit” Award will be bestowed upon a member of the INDYCAR community. The $5,000 award is given to a veteran INDYCAR team member who has achieved success, overcome adversity, excelled in preparation and has exemplified dedication to the highly skilled trade of building and maintaining IZOD IndyCar Series cars.

Paulsen and C&R established the “True Grit” Award in 1998 for crew members in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400.

The third annual IMIS event is scheduled for Dec. 8-10 at the Indiana Convention Center.

CHRIS PAULSEN (Owner, C&R Racing; co-founder, IMIS): “Many years ago, Joe Ball and all the guys at DieHard Batteries used to conduct a big party in Gasoline Alley when the track closed on Bump Day. It was something all the mechanics and crews looked forward to after a long month of working toward the Indianapolis 500. It gave them a chance to relax a little bit after qualifying and before the race preparation began. Unfortunately, we haven’t had an event like that at the Speedway in a few years, so we wanted to do something to give back to the crews who work so hard during the month. The Hulman-George family and Randy Bernard really liked the idea of bringing an event like this back, and we really appreciate their support and involvement.”

***

FASTEST TIMES/SPEEDS OF PRACTICE:

Fastest rookie: #4 JR Hildebrand, sixth, 226.527

INDIANAPOLIS 500 PRACTICE QUOTES:

BERTRAND BAGUETTE (No. 30 The RACB/Aspria RLL Special): “Finally we got to do some laps, and again I think we had a good day. We had a full day of running, and that allowed us to try a number of different things. Most of them were good, but there were some that didn’t work. It’s all part of the process that you have to go through here, and I have been really impressed with the way this team goes through their processes. If we keep working like this, we’re going to have some good speed at qualifying.”

JAY HOWARD (No. 88 Service Central Schmidt-RLL Racing): “What we were able to do in our last outing (this afternoon) shows just how hard this team works and how good their development process is. The Service Central crew has worked very hard to find some more speed in the car, and the engineers keep coming up with more options for us. So we just take the car out with those changes they suggest and keep going faster. I am very encouraged by what we did today.”

ALEX TAGLIANI (No. 77 Bowers &Wilkins/Sam Schmidt Motorsports): “We did well today. We learned a lot. We had good track position, and we weren’t in a lot of traffic. That lap (227.652 mph), I was behind Dario Franchitti, so I had a bit of a tow. But it shows that the car is quick and capable of doing it. I think we still have more to come. We just need to make sure that when it comes time to do it, we have the right balance.” (Do you have a chance for the pole?): “The way the car is running right now, for sure it is. I think we would be foolish to think that we couldn’t do it. But the truth is that Penske and Ganassi have really good cars, and they know their way around this place. They have 10 times more experience than us. I’m sure by qualifying they’re going to do something amazing to their cars, and all of a sudden they’re going to be up to the top and we’re going to end up fighting with them. But if that happens, that’s OK. We should be proud that guys like Roger and Chip are looking at us, going, ‘Why are those guys so quick?’ That’s kind of our mindset right now.”

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing): “It was a good, long day. Running lots of laps and in race setup was what is was all about. It was nice to have the sun out after we lost a few days. So far so good, and tomorrow it will be about speed.”

DARIO FRANCHITTI (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing): “We focused on race setup because we weren’t sure how much more time we’d get doing that. We’re just working through the program right now, but we’ve got more work to do. I’m OK with where we’re at right now. The last run there we found something. Looking forward to tomorrow.”

VITOR MEIRA (No. 14 ABC Supply Co A.J. Foyt Racing): “Today confirmed what we were cautious about. We didn’t know how fast the car is, and I think today confirmed that the car is very fast. There isn’t anybody really playing around today. Everybody at one point or another did a qualifying run, maybe not as aggressive as they are going to go in qualifying, but they did a qualifying run. And I think we stuck up pretty good on that. I feel very confident, very good about the car. Once we qualify on the first day, hopefully we can focus on the race setup on Sunday. Right now it’s very doable, so I’m happy about that.”

GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 38 Service Central): “Overall, it was a really good day for Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing. The No. 38 Service Central Honda is good with both high- and low-downforce setups. I’m excited to go out and qualify this weekend.”

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA (No. 41 A.J. Foyt Racing): “It’s very good to be back in the car. And straight out of the box, we made a good improvement on the last two days that we didn’t run. The guys were able to fit the engine cover properly. We were able to run 224, which at the time we were P4 on a tow, but then we worked on the car and at the end we could run decent laps by ourselves. I think we’re getting better every time, and we’re learning about the car. Still have a little bit to improve but getting better, so I’m happy.”

DAN WHELDON (No. 98 William Rast-Curb/Big Machine): “We had a good day. It was obviously nice to be on track. I think one thing the fans don’t see is how hard the guys work on the Bryan Herta Autosport team. They did a phenomenal job in the days off track. They weren’t sitting in the garage waiting for it to stop raining. They worked incredibly hard. The car today was good. It seemed certainly reasonable in qualifying trim. We were able to work on the race car, which is obviously important to me. There are still some improvements to be made but, for as limited running as we have had, I am pretty encouraged.”

SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA (No. 34 Conquest Racing): “It was a tough day for the No. 34 Conquest Racing car. We were very confident in what we had. We felt very good about where we ended up the last time we went out, but today was just one of those days when we couldn’t find anything. We struggled with the rear, and we were not able to settle down. We will just keep working on it and be positive for tomorrow.”

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 06 Sprott Newman/Haas Racing): “We got a lot of work done today. We had made a change to the Sprott car back on Monday night that we have been waiting three days to try. It was good that we did it, but unfortunately it wasn’t a step forward, and it took quite a lot of downtime to go back on it and we missed a big chunk of the afternoon. But we still got a good number of laps in and really started to trim the car a bit more. We were focusing on running by ourselves and not really trying to compete in the ‘tow Olympics’ out there, so I don’t think 30^th on the time charts is very representative of where we are speed-wise, but there is always time in it, and always more speed to find. We’re going to keep chipping away at it. Tomorrow we will focus on qualifying runs, and we will see where we are at the end of the day.”

ORIOL SERVIA (No. 2 Telemundo Newman/Haas Racing): “I ran a lot of laps in the Telemundo car today; I think I only got out of the car once today. It was fun to be able to go through many of the test items that we planned, and the car feels good; it keeps feeling better. Of all the things we tried, there was only one that didn’t really improve the car, so we gained a lot of valuable information today. Tomorrow is going to get fun out there when everyone is super-trimmed. I have to say that some cars are impressively fast. I’m not sure where we stand, but Friday we will have a better idea and Saturday we will have the real one. I am very happy with how the whole team has been sticking to our plan. It’s easy to get caught up out there when everybody starts to go fast. We had a good lap with a little bit of a tow, but everybody kind of got tows. I feel good about where we stand right now.”

SCOTT SPEED (No. 20 Dragon Racing Fuzzy’s Vodka): “It was an eventful day, to say the least. We had a lot of trouble with the car earlier in the day, luckily without doing any damage. However, on our last time out today, we were able to get the car where we wanted it to be. Tomorrow we are going to continue to make changes and continue to make progress.”

CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 83 Levemir and NovoLog FlexPen): “It was a really good day for Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing. We were able to run a lot of miles in the No. 83 Levemir and NovoLog FlexPen Honda. We made a lot of progress today, and the Novo Nordisk crew did a great job. We just have to focus on getting me, as the rookie, the experience and the miles needed to be ready for qualifications this weekend.”

PIPPA MANN (No. 36 Conquest Racing): “On Monday when we were first running, we were struggling a bit with the back of the car. Today we finally got on top of that, and picked up quite a bit of pushing off the corners, so the oversteer and changed to a bit of understeer. We’ve been battling that for most of the day, and this afternoon, right at the very end, we finally made a little bit of progress toward understanding what that is and why it might be happening. We feel we have a definite direction to go in tomorrow to see if we can fix the handling issues. However, overall, with a one-lap job, we’ve got to be fairly pleased with my first lap at over 225 mph. Tomorrow will be similar to how it was at the end of today’s session, with a lot of cars out on track. We’ve just got to keep on working away, and fingers crossed we’ll get to the root of these problems by the weekend. I never thought I’d be so happy to be 21^st in a practice session, but in this instance, I genuinely am.”

ED CARPENTER (No. 67 Dollar General/Sarah Fisher Racing): “Overall, it was a very productive day for the Dollar General team. We were able to get in a lot of laps, and we ran with some traffic and stuck to our game plan. We worked on a variety of things: some for the race, some for quals. We really learned a lot that’s going to help us not only for this weekend, but for the following weekend, as well. The speed charts weren’t our focus today, but we ended up P9. It was good to be up there in the mix.”

HO-PIN TUNG (No. 8 Schmidt Dragon Racing): “It was very nice to get back into the car again after so many days off the track due to rain. During those days, we discussed how we wanted the program we had set to progress, and today we were able to hit all of those points. I am very happy overall and look forward to continuing to progress tomorrow before we qualify this weekend.”

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Shell V-Power/Pennzoil Ultra Team Penske): “It was certainly a good and full day for the No. 3 Shell V-Power Pennzoil Ultra team. We ran a lot of laps and all of them were really about race setup. My teammates, Will and Ryan, did some qualifying runs so we know what we need to do there, but we really just focused on getting our car right for the race. Tomorrow will be all about speed for us. It’s going to be fun!

MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 26 Team Venom): “The Venom car is comfortable, so it’s good in that aspect, but maybe a bit too comfortable because we just don’t have the speed. We’ll keep working at it and hopefully make some big gains tomorrow.”

RYAN BRISCOE (No. 6 IZOD Team Penske): “It was a very good day, overall. We worked on the race setup on the No. 6 IZOD Team Penske car, and I worked a lot with my teammates on track. We made a ton of changes throughout the day, and we were very productive. We trimmed out the car at the end of the session and focused a bit more on speed. All in all, it was a very productive day.”

JOHN ANDRETTI (No. 43 Team Window World): “At least it didn’t rain today, so everybody got a lot of track time. Some people seemed to be doing race runs, and at the end there were people getting a lot of tows. Therefore it’s hard to get a good read on just how fast everyone really is. We’ll gauge it and find more speed, but we feel pretty good about the Window World car. It is what it is when you get to Indianapolis. It’s always a fight to find that last little bit of speed.”

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 28 Team DHL/Sun Drop Citrus Soda): “Our progress today was pretty good. The DHL/Sun Drop car right now is very, very well balanced, probably the best car I’ve ever had at Indy. But we need to find some more speed, and tomorrow is the next opportunity to do that. The car is great; the guys have done an amazing job with it. This is the stressful time of the week for the drivers. We’re doing a lot of low-downforce runs right now, and we’re only going to be doing more of that as we head toward Pole Day.”

MIKE CONWAY (No. 27 Hire Heroes USA/7-Eleven/Dr Pepper): “I think we found a direction for tomorrow. The Hire Heroes/7-Eleven/Dr Pepper car felt pretty comfortable at the end there, so it’s just a case of finding what speed we have tomorrow. I just feel more comfortable now with the whole package that we have, so that’s good. Just more track time, really, is what I needed. I feel good from that standpoint; I just need to see what we have now.”

DANICA PATRICK (No. 7 Team GoDaddy): “I thought it was a productive day. We made slow but steady changes in the GoDaddy car. We are still pleased with the speed at our downforce level, but there’s still work to do.”

JR HILDEBRAND (No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing): “Starting with rookie orientation, it is going quite smoothly for us. Panther Racing and the strength of the team has been a huge part of it. Buddy Rice and I are learning from each other and getting to know one another as we work as a team on a different discipline here with the oval. For me, in particular, we are just trying to chip away at it, and that has been working well for us so far. We have had really positive results with small changes, and this is what we hope to continue to do going forward. I am happy with the car in traffic and pleased with the speed we have on our own now. It is going to come down to a pretty serious shootout for the top 15 spots with all of the competitive cars here this year. It is going to be tough to put in the big numbers, but we are confident with where we are at right now.”

WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske): “I don’t think the speeds are very representative of where anyone is at. You go out and happen to get a really good tow, and you get a big number. That’s what happened at the end. Verizon Team Penske worked on race setup most of the day. I was very comfortable following cars. We haven’t changed much from last year. We had good cars last year and need to rub on them a little bit, and that will do the trick.” (On dealing with the rain-shortened practice time before Pole Day): “I think tomorrow, early on, we’ll be working on race stuff, and then we’ll start trimming out for qualifying. We’ll be working on the car. I think it’s pretty important to focus on the race. You could spend a lot of time screwing around with qualifying things, and then it’ll be different conditions the next day. We have to have a good car in the race. That’s what we’ll be focusing on.”

TOWNSEND BELL (No. 99 Herbalife Schmidt Pelfrey Racing): “We did a good amount of running. It was good to get out with the Herbalife car after the rain the last two days. We learned a lot and tried several things that were on our list. We’ve very comfortable.” (Is the pole the goal?): “I hope so. Tagliani’s car is a rocket ship. Every time I walk past it in the garage, I sort of rub by it with my arm hoping some of that speed dust sort of rubs off on me. I think we’re going to be OK.” (About work on pit stops): “It’s probably the most important thing we did today, quite frankly. We’ve got a quick car it seems, but you’ve got to get in and out of the pits. My guys need practice doing ‘hot’ stops, and I probably need the most practice. These cars aren’t that easy to get in and out of the pit box. It felt pretty good. We’ve got some tweaking to do, but it was great to get practice doing that.” (About returning to Indy): “Every year it gets a little bit easier, not much, but just a little bit. It has been 11 months since I was here last, and it is good to be back with good equipment and great people in Sam Schmidt Motorsports. I also have a good sponsor in Herbalife, and consistency is nice. Even though we aren’t going out for every race, it sure feels nice to be back in Indy. Alex Tagliani’s car is very fast, and we seem to be doing well working together and learning from each other. We have a sister program with Dan Wheldon this year, so it has been neat to work with him, as well. We are just inching our way toward it and trying to keep our minds on what is important with finding a good balance and sticking to our plan.” (About the car’s balance): “I think we’re still pretty much in the balance window. I would say we’re toward the aggressive end of our downforce window. Tomorrow we’ll be thinking a lot about trimming out and going faster and getting ready for Saturday. I’m excited for the fans. I’m excited to participate. I’m just excited to watch. I think it’s going to be a great qualifying weekend. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun to duke it out just like Indy should be.”

***

A total of 58 cars are currently at the Speedway, and 53 have passed technical inspection.

Forty drivers were on track today, turning 2,394 laps. Forty drivers have been on track this month, turning 4,873 total laps.

There were three cautions for 54 minutes today.

***

FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE (all times local):

***

The 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues with the 100^th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 on May 29 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at Noon (ET) by ABC. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM channel 94 and www.indycar.com. The 2011 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the Firestone Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 27. The race will be televised live by VERSUS.

- INDYCAR, Press Release

Andretti Autosport

ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT

JOHN ANDRETTI, #43 TEAM WINDOW WORLD CAR

Ended the practice session with a best lap speed of 224.7 mph
“At least it didn’t rain today, so everybody got a lot of track time. Some people seemed to be doing race runs, and at the end there were people getting a lot of tows. Therefore it’s hard to get a good read on just how fast everyone really is. We’ll gauge it and find more speed but we feel pretty good about the Window World car. It is what it is when you get to Indianapolis. It’s always a fight to find that last little bit of speed.”

MARCO ANDRETTI, #26 TEAM VENOM ENERGY DRINK CAR

Finished the session with a fastest lap speed of 225.0 mph
“The Venom car is comfortable so it’s good in that aspect – but maybe a bit too comfortable because we just don’t have the speed. We’ll keep working at it and hopefully make some big gains tomorrow.”

Mike Conway in car - Photo Credit: Catchfence Open Wheel Editor: Paul Powell

Recorded a best lap speed of 222.4 mph
“I think we found a direction for tomorrow. The Hire Heroes/7-Eleven/Dr Pepper car felt pretty comfortable at the end there, so it’s just a case of finding what speed we have tomorrow. I just feel more comfortable now with the whole package that we have, so that’s good. Just more track time, really, is what I needed. I feel good from that standpoint; I just need to see what we have now.”

RYAN HUNTER-REAY, #28 TEAM DHL/SUN DROP CITRUS SODA CAR

Ended the practice day with a best lap speed of 224.9 mph
“Our progress today was pretty good. The DHL/Sun Drop car right now is very, very well balanced – probably the best car I’ve ever had at Indy. But, we need to find some more speed and tomorrow is the next opportunity to do that. The car is great; the guys have done an amazing job with it.

“This is the stressful time of the week for the drivers. We’re doing a lot of low-downforce runs right now and we’re only going to be doing more of that as we head toward pole day.”

DANICA PATRICK, #7 TEAM GoDaddy.com CAR

Finished the practice session with a best lap speed f 226.3 mph
“I thought it was a productive day. We made slow, but steady changes in the GoDaddy.com car. We are still pleased with the speed at our downforce level, but there’s still work to do.”

- Andretti Autosport, Press Release

Andretti Autosport

ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT
IZOD INDYCAR SERIES
NOTES AND QUOTES, POST-PRACTICE
INDIANAPOLIS 500

JOHN ANDRETTI, #43 TEAM WINDOW WORLD CAR

Did not turn any laps today due to weather

MARCO ANDRETTI, #26 TEAM VENOM ENERGY DRINK CAR

Ran five laps

“I took (Mike) Conway’s car out for a few laps, just to get the feel of a different set up but the weather just wasn’t on our side today. There really wasn’t much to be learned as far as the cars go. We’ll hope for better weather tomorrow so we can get some much needed track time for the Venom car.”

MIKE CONWAY, #27 TEAM HIRE HEROES USA/ 7-ELEVEN/DR PEPPER CAR

Ran eight laps

“We made quite a few changes to the Hire Heroes car overnight, and we just wanted to feel some of those things and see what we had. These were certainly not ideal weather conditions and aren’t representative of what we’re going to see in a few days, so it didn’t make too much sense to log a lot of laps. We’ll just keep chipping away as the week goes on and learn as we go.”

RYAN HUNTER-REAY, #28 TEAM DHL/SUN DROP CITRUS SODA CAR

Did not run due to weather

DANICA PATRICK, #7 TEAM GoDaddy.com CAR

No track time due to weather

- Andretti Autosport, Press Release

INDYCAR LOGO

INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, May 16, 2011) –

“He’s amped up,” team owner Sam Schmidt laughed following the daily engineering meeting.

Stretching out the No. 77 Bowers & Wilkins car on the 2.5-mile oval for the first time was the best remedy for two weeks of on-track inactivity since the IZOD IndyCar Series race in Brazil for the Quebec native, and he enjoyed the ride. Tagliani topped the speed chart with a best lap (of his 17) of 225.878 mph — the best of the nine-plus total hours of track time.

Seven different teams were represented in the top 10 as 39 drivers recorded 1,379 laps in a stiff, cool breeze without incident. Rookie Jay Howard was the lone entrant not to make an appearance — by design based on tire management. The field was separated by a scant 1.2 seconds.

Scott Dixon (225.124) of Target Chip Ganassi Racing, Graham Rahal (225.071) of Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing, Ryan Briscoe (225.016) of IZOD Team Penske and Oriol Servia (224.903) of Telemundo Newman/Haas Racing filled out the top five.

A year ago, preparations for the Indianapolis 500 didn’t kick off as Tagliani would have planned.

As the one-day snapshot of track activity revealed, there will be a number of strong teams rising for Pole Day/Tom Carnegie Day (May 21) and the 100th anniversary race May 29. Dixon, Rahal, Briscoe, Dario Franchitti — the reigning Indy 500 champion of Target Chip Ganassi Racing — Marco Andretti of Andretti Autosport, Vitor Meira of A.J. Foyt Racing, and Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves have been in the top 10 both days of practice as teams progress through their test programs.

DAY 3 NOTEBOOK:

Owners of more than 250 vintage Indianapolis 500 Pace Cars will have the opportunity to take a ceremonial lap around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at the end of Pole Day/Tom Carnegie Day on Saturday, May 21.

Held in conjunction with the 100^th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 and a month-long celebration of great race and passenger cars at IMS, more than 250 Indianapolis 500 Pace Cars will appear May 21-22 at the Racing Capital of the World. This special two-day event, which will be highlighted by the ceremonial pace lap just after 6 p.m. Pole Day, will showcase the largest collection of vintage Indianapolis 500 Pace Cars ever assembled.

Headlining this amazing array of automobiles will be a Stoddard-Dayton, the same type that paced the inaugural Indianapolis 500 won in 1911 by Ray Harroun, who drove the legendary Marmon-Wasp to victory. The 1911 Indianapolis 500 was the first major auto race to use a Pace Car, which is now a tradition at races around the world. At the wheel of the Stoddard-Dayton at the 1911 “500″ was Carl G. Fisher, one of the founders of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Another featured car at the Indianapolis 500 Pace Car Reunion will be the Chevrolet Camaro from the 1969 “500″ won by Mario Andretti. The 100^th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 Chevrolet Camaro Pace Car is painted to look exactly like its 1969 predecessor.

From 8 a.m.-6 p.m. on Pole Day, the Pace Cars will be staged for a “Fans Choice” vote. The cars also will be on display in the infield from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. on Bump Day/IMS Armed Forces Day on Sunday, May 22. As an added attraction, car clubs featuring muscle cars, exotics and more will provide fans plenty of eye candy.

***

Team Penske teammates Will Power and Ryan Briscoe talked about the significance of racing in the 100^th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 and their prospects to win the PEAK Performance Pole Award this Saturday.

WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske): “Every year it’s a special feeling. But somehow I think this year with more cars, more good drivers – and I think there will be a bigger crowd – I think this will be something else.” (On what it would mean to win the pole at Indy after capturing pole for the first four races of the season): “Yeah, for me, it would be a really big deal. It’s something that I’d love to do. I sort of had a chance last year, a close chance. After the experience of last year, I know what I need to do. Obviously, the conditions are changing every year, but the car’s exactly the same. I’m definitely keen to giving it everything I can to get the pole, no question.”

RYAN BRISCOE (No. 6 IZOD Team Penske): “Obviously, I’m grateful to be here and be able to do it with Team Penske. It’s an amazing team, and Roger (Penske) is just so passionate about this race. It gives me, as a driver, a whole lot of confidence going into it with the goal of winning. That’s the one and only goal coming here, to win the race. The 100th anniversary is very special.” (On the importance of going for the pole as a driver at Team Penske): “It certainly felt like in the last three years I’ve been in a great position to fight for the pole. Sometimes it just comes down to timing or whatever. But Helio, our teammate, he’s really good at getting on the pole here. But I feel we have exactly the same equipment. We’ve just got to make sure we put ourselves in the right position to be able to go for it on Saturday.”

***

Maintenance personnel for the Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, visited the Speedway on Sunday. They met with Indianapolis 500 drivers and team officials, including Ed Carpenter and Sarah Fisher Racing owner Sarah Fisher.

The Blue Angels participated in the Indianapolis Air Show on May 14-15.

AVCM(AW) VIRGIL CRAVEN (Maintenance master chief, U.S. Navy Blue Angels): (About the maintenance personnel who visited the track): “You can break it down just like the crew that maintains those race cars. You have engine guys, tire guys, suspension guys, etc. Crew chiefs are responsible for launching and recovering the aircraft and performing visual inspections after each flight. Logistics order and receive all parts required to maintain our aircraft. Avionics maintains all power distribution systems, radar, navigation, communication and instrumentation systems. Airframes maintains all hydraulically powered systems and flight control surfaces. Power plants maintains the engines and fuel systems. All shops were in attendance, and we really appreciated the opportunity. Being invited and getting treated so well by the track staff and all the teams we visited was exceptional. The team really enjoyed talking with Sarah Fisher and Ed Carpenter. The whole trip was outstanding. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I will never forget.”

***

Purdue University and HVM Racing announced a strategic partnership Saturday at IMS.

The HVM-Purdue relationship brings to the HVM team advanced engineering technologies in aerodynamics, manufacturing and advanced materials, providing opportunities for Purdue students and faculty to participate in motorsports with HVM.

The Purdue name will be displayed on the No. 78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy HVM Racing car driven this month by 2010 Chase Rookie of the Year Simona de Silvestro. Purdue engineering students also will work as interns on the team, and HVM will collaborate with Purdue students and faculty to optimize the aerodynamic package for the new 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series cars under development by Dallara.

Another key component of the partnership is to develop educational programs for children, young adults and the public that uses the excitement of IZOD IndyCar Series racing as the starting point for the introduction of engineering and science. Of particular interest is to use electric motorsports as a venue to engage students and adults in a discussion on the technologies needed for economic, green and sustainable electric energy in the 21st century.

Electric motorsports are a key component of the HVM-Purdue partnership. Purdue conducted the Collegiate evGrandPrix on Saturday, May 7 during the Emerging Tech Day at IMS. College teams from across the nation and Europe designed, built and raced electric go-karts in the 100-lap event.

JAMES CARUTHERS (Reilly professor of chemical engineering, Purdue): “Our objectives are, first, use the ‘cool’ of IndyCar racing to attract students’ attention, and then introduce the students to the incredible engineering required in these race cars. Finally, we want to encourage interested students to consider a career in engineering or technology. If these students choose a career in motorsports, great! If they choose a technology career in some other industry, great! And even if the students choose a non-technical career but have a greater appreciation of technology, that is also great!”

KEITH WIGGINS (President, HVM Racing): “This relationship with Purdue enables HVM to work with one of the premier engineering schools in the U.S. to exploit the latest technological innovations in aerodynamics, advance materials and manufacturing, as well as being able to interact with bright, fresh-thinking Purdue students in a variety of ways for the future.”

***

Ryan Hunter-Reay hopes to race in his fourth Indianapolis 500 later this month, but he took advantage of the complete rainout of practice Sunday, May 15 to visit the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum for the first time.

“I can’t believe I hadn’t been there,” said Hunter-Reay, the 2008 Indianapolis 500 Chase Rookie of the Year. “It was amazing. “The place is what Indy car racing is all about, and that’s what makes Indy car racing special. To go there as a current Indy car driver made it even more special. To see the cars that were driven by owners of teams I’ve driven for and the ones driven by my heroes and know they all went to Victory Lane here at Indy made for a very special day.”

The one car that that the Andretti Autosport driver wanted to see was Rick Mears’ 1984-winning Pennzoil Z-7 Special. Hunter-Reay’s first go-kart was modeled after Mears’ race car, and seeing the real car for the first time brought back childhood memories for the IZOD IndyCar Series standout.

“The No. 6 Pennzoil car, in smaller form, was my first ride,” he said. “That’s what I got into a lot of trouble in. It was my neighborhood wheels, and I did my first right front wing damage in that car when I hit a stop sign.

“It was really cool to see the actual car. I’ve never seen it before, but to see the evolution of the Indy car was really neat to see. To see where the sport actually started and how the cars have developed over the years, and see what made these cars go faster and faster. Indianapolis has always been a proving ground as much as it is a huge race.”

Hunter-Reay was far from the only driver in the Museum during his visit. 1963 Indianapolis 500 winner Parnelli Jones and Dreyer & Reinbold’s Justin Wilson were visitors to the exhibit of 67 Indianapolis 500-winning cars.

And while Hunter-Reay told all the well-wishers in the Museum his plan was to have his Team DHL/Sun Drop Citrus Soda car join the winning cars in the Museum next year, he hopes to get another visit to see the cars on display again.

“I’m going to go back again before I leave this month,” Hunter-Reay said.

***

Spectators holding an admission ticket to Pole Day/Tom Carnegie Day on Saturday, May 21 or Bump Day/IMS Armed Forces Day on Sunday, May 22 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway can redeem them for a free general admission ticket to the IZOD INDYCAR World Championships on Oct. 16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Visit the IZOD INDYCAR World Championships display in Pagoda Plaza from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. both days. Ticket redemption will continue – for those with Pole Day, Bump Day and Race Day tickets – Wednesday, May 25 through Sunday, May 29 at the INDYCAR Fan Village in the IMS Hall of Fame Museum lot.

***

Major Gen. R. Martin Umbarger, the adjutant general of the Indiana National Guard, placed an Indiana unit patch decal this afternoon on the No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing entry driven by rookie JR Hildebrand.

MAJOR GEN. R. MARTIN UMBARGER: (About the National Guard and the Indianapolis 500): “I’m a born and bred Hoosier. The Indianapolis 500 is just part of our DNA here in Indiana. The National Guard has been a sponsor on the No. 4 Panther Racing car for the past four years. I think everyone knows that we’ve come in second place the last two years in this great race. We’re hoping to improve one rank this year. That’s all we’re asking for.” (On the connection between the military and the Indianapolis 500): “Memorial Day weekend is the weekend when we honor all of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for this company. It’s special that this race is broadcast all over the world, particularly on the Armed Forces Network. I know Hoosier Guardsmen that are over there will be watching this race regardless of the hour, and they will be very proud to see that we’re sponsoring a car in this race. What I think of most is what Memorial Day means to all of us, and we should never forget. This facility is steeped in tradition, and the military is also one that is steeped in tradition. To have this race on Memorial Day, it becomes even more special for any soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine, no matter what decade you served.”

JR HILDEBRAND: (About being an American and driving the National Guard car): “It’s an honor as an American to be representing the National Guard, but, more than that, it’s a really humbling experience. It’s not like these types of things where you’re representing ‘Joe’s Bakery’ and you have to talk to people about how awesome their muffins are or something. With the National Guard, it’s something really meaningful for us. We have a lot of different programs that we get involved with, like the youth challenge and things like that. It’s a good deal to get involved on a much deeper level.” (On carrying the Indiana unit patch on the car): “I consider myself a resident of Indiana. I from California originally, but I’ve been living here for the past four years now. And as a team based here in Indianapolis, we’re really excited to represent them and everything they do.”

***

FASTEST TIMES/SPEEDS OF PRACTICE:

Fastest rookie: #4 JR Hildebrand, 20^th, 223.201

***

INDIANAPOLIS 500 PRACTICE QUOTES:

BERTRAND BAGUETTE (No. 30 The RACB/Aspria RLL Special): “We could have weather like this in qualifying or on Race Day, so you have to be able to run in it. The car was moving around out there with the wind, but it wasn’t that tough. I like what we are doing with the car and with our plan, and I think we are getting there. I think it was another good day for us. We keep improving the car with every change, so we are headed the right way.”

RYAN BRISCOE (No. 6 IZOD Team Penske): “It felt great to be back on track today. We took out our primary No. 6 IZOD Team Penske car for practice, and it felt very comfortable out there. It’s nice to be in the 225 bracket. We’ll keep chipping away at it for the rest of the week and get ready for qualifying on Saturday.”

WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske): “We did limited running again today in the Verizon Team Penske car. We’re just trying to use our miles wisely. We worked on some race setup today, and the car feels good. We still have plenty of time on track this week before we qualify on Saturday, and we plan to make the most of it.”

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Shell V-Power/Pennzoil Ultra Team Penske): “It was a good day today in the Shell V-Power Pennzoil Ultra car. We got a chance to run side-by-side with Will (Power), and we were pretty happy with the car. We stuck with our plan to run the primary car. Hopefully tomorrow the weather cooperates, and we’ll continue to work hard and get ready for qualifying.”

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 06 Sprott Newman/Haas Racing): “Today the focus was on trying to run more laps in traffic and the Sprott team managed to accomplish that. It was sort of tough to find guys out there so we had to do a little collaboration and planning with a few different guys and did find some guys out there. I definitely got some good running in with Oriol. We staged some laps in front of each other, and behind each other and it was good; that’s a big thing for me to learn. You only have to do four laps to qualify but you have to do 200 in the race with a lot of other cars around you. I think we got a lot accomplished and certainly, from just my perspective, I learned a lot and gained some valuable experience. I think we will carry on with this for the next couple of days and then closer to qualifying, look more into the qualifying setup. The car felt great in traffic. It was a lot more fun running out there with other guys than just pounding around by yourself. Again, it’s sort of similar to the Lights car. I think the experience in the Lights car was certainly very valuable but there is no doubt that the racing is a lot different once you’re going 35 mph faster. It will be an interesting race, there’s no doubt. I just look forward to getting more laps under my belt and over the week and running in more packs, and bigger packs.”

ORIOL SERVIA (No. 2 Telemundo Newman/Haas Racing): “The day went well for the Telemundo team. It was very cold, colder than we think it will be for Race Day. We had a good run. We went through our test plan, and we ran well. I got my fast lap with a tow, so the time isn’t very representative. But I have to say, tow or no tow, downforce or no downforce, it’s the first time I am in the top five at the end of the day in Indy, so it feels good. I’m happy with the Telemundo car so far. We’re still not where we want to be, but it is really the first test day we have had to try new things. We are happy with where we are, progress-wise.”

TOMAS SCHECKTER (No. 07 Team REDLINE Xtreme – Circle K): “Yesterday’s session was canceled because of rain, so it felt good to be back in the 07 Team REDLINE Xtreme car working through our program. However, we had a small mechanical issue, which is fixable, but that ended my day very early. I am looking forward to getting back on track tomorrow.”

VITOR MEIRA (No. 14 ABC Supply Co A.J. Foyt Racing): “It was good. I think we evolved a little bit from where we were on Saturday when we last ran. I think the ABC Supply car is competitive, but it’s hard to tell exactly how competitive we are at this point. The car is good, but we’ll be able to tell how good later in the week when we really start dropping the hammer, as will everyone else. In preparation for that, today was a good day.”

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA (No. 41 A.J. Foyt Racing): “It was an exciting day. The second lap, the engine cover fell off, but my team did a good job to replace it and get me out for some laps at the end of the day. It felt OK. I think the balance is good. We need to work a little more to get more straight-line speed.”

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 28 Team DHL/Sun Drop Citrus Soda): “We just didn’t get a lot of track time today. We were trying some big stuff with the DHL/Sun Drop car, so we’ll see. We’ll get our heads together on it – the whole team – and we’ll figure it out from there. Today is just the tip of the iceberg; there is a lot of week left.”

ALEX TAGLIANI (No. 77 Bowers &Wilkins/Sam Schmidt Motorsports): “It was the not the best conditions that we have seen in Indy, but it was OK. We didn’t run on the first day and Sunday was raining, so today was the first opportunity for us to run. Thanks to the boys; they did a fantastic job preparing an amazing car. It is early in the week, but it is quite nice to show that the Bowers & Wilkins car is strong for an Indy run. When we came here last year, we didn’t know what to expect. We came in apprehensive because it’s a very tough place to get it right and very difficult to win. Obviously, we had some speed, and it worked out quite well last year. We build from it. We had a chance in 2010 to develop a good base and in the winter, the guys worked really hard on the car and cleaned it up a bit and always paid attention to details. That’s what this place wants, and it’s nice to start the week with a car that’s quite strong. Hopefully we can build on it. You can never take anything for granted at this place. We have to stay on our toes all week and roll the car out for qualifying and hope for the best.”

MIKE CONWAY (No. 27 Hire Heroes USA/7-Eleven/Dr Pepper): “We were just trying to get the Hire Heroes car more comfortable through Turn 1. We tried a few things but didn’t really sort it out. We just need to look at all the data tonight and figure out how we can move forward. I think our teammates tried a few different things, so hopefully we can figure out some good things for tomorrow.”

MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 26 Team Venom): “We spent a lot of time today with the Venom car working on the race car, and we’re getting to where it feels pretty good. But right now I’m a little worried about our speed. I think that if we had qualified today, we might have ended up on the bubble. So we’ll put our heads together tonight, have a think on it and then hit it hard again tomorrow.”

SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA (No. 34 Conquest Racing): “It was a very productive day. We did an amazing amount of changes on the development side of the car. We found exactly what we were looking for. We focused mainly on finding the right balance of the car first. Once we got there, we started taking a lot of downforce off, and that really paid off. I’m really happy how it turned out. It’s still very early in the week, so we are still very conservative. As the week progresses, we’ll start to push it a little bit harder. But today was exactly how we wanted the week of Indianapolis 500 practice to start.”

TONY KANAAN (No. 82 GEICO – KV Racing Technology – Lotus): “Today was a normal Monday at the Speedway. We tried different things and worked on the setup to get comfortable with the car. We’re making what I like to call the ‘cookbook’ so by the end of the week, we’ll look which dish we want to cook, and hopefully it will be a good one.”

TAKUMA SATO (No. 5 KV Racing Technology – Lotus): “It was a windy day, but the weather was clear and consistent, so it didn’t have an effect on our program. We made steady progress throughout the day, and I am getting more comfortable each time I go out on track. It was a very productive day.”

E.J. VISO (No. 59 PDVSA – KV Racing Technology – Lotus): “Today was our second day on track, and we accomplished everything we had planned for the day. We did a lot of research into the dampers and we found some valuable data. Basically, with what I did and what the other drivers on the team are doing, we are going to come up with a good package. That is the good thing about having a four-car team and the right way of working. It is always difficult to make comparisons at a place like Indianapolis because teams are working on different things and some drivers are getting tows, but I ran today without a tow so the data we collected is realistic.”

JOHN ANDRETTI (No. 43 Team Window World): “Windy – that’s one thing you can say about today. I think Team Window World stayed on plan and were cautious about how many sets of tires we’re using. Maybe we didn’t run as much as we wanted, but we learned a lot and made a lot of gains today. It seems like the things we’re trying are working really well. Usually 99 out of the 100 things you try don’t work, but it’s working in our favor right now. I’m looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow.”

PIPPA MANN (No. 36 Conquest Racing): “Today was just a pretty tough day at the office. I’ve heard from all the veterans that this place can do that to you sometimes, and we definitely just have one of those days. We seemed to spend it chasing our tail a little bit – both literally and figuratively. We’ve still got a minor handling issue but we’re chasing after it, and until we sort that out we just can’t risk going after speed. We also didn’t run with any tows today when we were running fast, so I actually don’t think the lap time is that bad for the amount of aero we had on and the fact that we weren’t in the tow when we did our best lap. We still have the handling niggle, which we do need to fix, but we’re going to make some fairly big changes overnight, and hopefully we can come out stronger in the morning.”

DANICA PATRICK (No. 7 Team GoDaddy): “I thought we were good on our own today and made a little bit of progress. We just need to stay consistent and find speed. It was a steady day.”

BUDDY RICE (No. 44 Panther Racing): (On being back at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and his win in 2004): “It’s good. I see the Indiana weather hasn’t changed much. I think on that day (in 2004) with or without the weather, I thought the weather just made it more exciting. It made it a more exciting race. The 2004 race was an exciting day, for sure.” (About last start at Indianapolis, in 2008): “We were in contention for a top five. Obviously, it got a little hairy there on the final restart. We dropped back a ways, and I was able to work my way back up to seventh or eighth. Our car was in contention. It wasn’t too bad. We put ourselves into a hole on the very first pit stop and had to really dig ourselves out of that hole all day. It took all day to get back up there but, yeah, my last run here was good.” (On his day of practice for the 2011 Indianapolis 500 and Panther Racing): “For us at Panther, everything is going good. With myself and JR in the National Guard car, I think we’re progressing. We’re moving along like we should, and I just need to familiarize myself with the team, the car and get rolling. They have solid cars. I mean, their performance the last few years, I think speaks for itself. We know they have a strong, solid oval program, especially here at the Speedway. That’s what made my decision really easy when John (Barnes) called right around Long Beach and started putting everything into motion. So I’m excited to be here. I’m happy to be here. It’s good to be here and gives me an opportunity for a second win. Also, it’s the Centennial. This only comes around once. There are five of us that are previous winners that are running here, and it’s an exciting time to be here right now.” (On his approach to securing an entry in the Indianapolis 500): “I think everybody has their own way of going about it. I wasn’t going to stand around and also, the way the times were and the way things were going, some things had changed. I get paid to drive race cars. That’s my job. That’s what I do. So for me, it took a little bit. I wanted to make sure I came here and had an opportunity to have a good run. When I showed up, I didn’t just want to show up and run. There’s a lot of different things that I wanted to make sure were in place before I just jumped back in.”

DARIO FRANCHITTI (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing): “It was a good day for the Target team.. We shook down the primary car, which seemed pretty fast. We should run more tomorrow, weather permitting.”

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing): “We had a pretty decent day for the Target team. We switched to the primary car today, and it ran smooth. Hope to run a little more tomorrow.”

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A total of 58 cars are currently at the Speedway, and 34 have passed technical inspection.Thirty-nine drivers were on track today, turning 1,379 laps. Pippa Mann turned 70 laps today, most of any driver. Forty drivers have been on track this month, turning 2,466 total laps. There were five cautions for a total of 39 minutes today.

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TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE (all times local):

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The 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues with the 100^th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 on May 29 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at Noon (ET) by ABC. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM channel 94 and www.indycar.com. The 2011 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the Firestone Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 27. The race will be televised live by VERSUS.

- INDYCAR, Press Release