It’s Open Wheel Wednesday, and as always, I’ll preview the upcoming race this weekend. This race, however, is something special to me. It’s the Indianapolis 500.
When I wake up early Sunday morning feeling like a kid on Christmas, it will be my 23rd time to head to the Speedway for the Indianapolis 500.
I anticipate this will be the best 500 we’ve ever seen. The field is stacked so deep with very talented drivers. There are many drivers starting in the back of the field capable of top-10 finishes, and it will be very exciting to see them try and make their way to the front of the pack.
The most interesting aspect will be the drivers that they are trying to pass because each one is very good themselves. The days of Marty Roth and Milka Duno just riding around in the back of the field are gone...thank goodness!
Watching the double-file restarts play out will also be very exciting to watch. It’s going to certainly bunch up the field, but it will be very dangerous at this high-speed oval. It will be interesting to see what risky maneuvers drivers will make on the restarts.
The most exciting part of the race will be the last 40 laps (100 miles). There’s going to be a lot of strategy and jockeying for positions involved. The cars are so evenly matched this year that I feel there will be a lot of passing up front for a chance to win.
With that being said, I’m almost certain there will be some yellows mixed in at the end of the race. This is the 100th anniversary, so every driver in the field feels he/she has a chance to win, and even more importantly, the motivation to win. There will be some maneuvers late in the race that will cause some yellow flags to fly, which will bunch the field up. As a result, there will be double-file restarts at the end of the 500 and those are what will be most spectacular to watch.
As Darrell Waltrip always says, “Cautions Breed Cautions.”
For that reason, pit strategy will win this race. With the cars so evenly matched and the chance of yellows at the end, someone will make a bold call to stay out at the end of the race. With Indy Car not adopting the green-white-checkered rule like NASCAR, all it will take is a yellow within the last 10 laps to finish the race.
With all of these factors in mind, I look for a surprise winner this year. How awesome would it be if Danica Patrick can be the first female to win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, on the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 no less? It may make others mad, but at least it will bring attention to the series.
Ed Carpenter would also be an exciting victor. Imagine the storylines behind Sarah Fisher winning the 500 as a car owner, and the stepson (Ed Carpenter) of Tony George winning at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the 100th anniversary. He could be the first Hoosier since 1940 to win the 500 and it would be an added Cinderella story to Carpenter’s alma mater, the Butler Bulldogs.
As always, here are my week’s top five finishers. This is like predicting the top five for a restrictor plate race: Any position can change any lap. Everyone is a so evenly matched, and there is no clear favorite in this year’s race.
I make my picks purely based off the yellows at the end and pit strategy. I feel Dario and Dixon’s crew have already showed they don’t have the right fuel strategy, and Penske will have all three drivers on different pit strategies, so one of them is up there for a chance at the end. I’m not going to take the easy way out and pick Scott Dixon or Helio.
Top Five
1. 7 Danica Patrick
2. 67 Ed Carpenter
3. 3 Helio Castroneves
4. 98 Dan Wheldon
5. 99 Townsend Bell
Track Facts
- Indianapolis 500: 200 Laps, 500 Miles. Coverage starts at 11 am Eastern on ABC.
- The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has four turns, two straightaways and two short chutes in between the turn’s oval. It is 2.5 miles around.
- The Indy 500 is the first oval race on the 2011 Izod Indy Car Series Season.
- This is the 100th anniversary of the race, but not the 100th race. The track’s first Indy 500 was in 1911, but many years were missed during both World Wars. This will actually be the 95th Running of the Race.
- Defending champion: Dario Franchitti
- Pole sitter: Alex Tagliani, 227.472 mph
Race Day Events
- National Anthem: Seal, Kelly Clarkson and David Foster.
- Back home again in Indiana: Jim Nabors.
- Pace car: Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible driven by A.J. Foyt.
TV Coverage
- ABC will televise starting at 11am.
- Lead host: Brent Musburger.
- Lap-by-lap duties: Marty Reid.
- Color commentators: Scott Goodyear and Eddie Cheever.
- Pit reporters: Jerry Punch, Vince Welch, Jamie Little and Rick DeBruhl.
Radio Coverage
- Radio coverage will be directed as always by the IMS Radio Network.
- There will be 400 live affiliates.
- Broadcast will also be carried on XM Channel 145 and Sirius Channel 212.
- Mike King will be the host and play-by-play on the radio broadcast.
Starting Lineup
Row 1: 77 Alex Tagliani 9 Scott Dixon 2 Oriol Servia
Row 2: 99 Townsend Bell 12 Will Power 98 Dan Wheldon
Row 3: 44 Buddy Rice 67 Ed Carpenter 10 Dario Franchitti
Row 4: 5 Takuma Sato 14 Vitor Meira 4 J.R. Hildebrand ®
Row 5: 06 James Hinchcliffe ® 30 Bertrand Baguette 11 Davey Hamilton
Row 6: 3 Helio Castroneves 43 John Andretti 59 E.J. Viso
Row 7: 22 Justin Wilson 88 Jay Howard ® 07 Tomas Scheckter
Row 8: 82 Tony Kanaan 78 Simona de Silvestro 23 Paul Tracy
Row 9: 7 Danica Patrick 6 Ryan Briscoe 26 Marco Andretti
Row 10: 83 Charlie Kimball® 38 Graham Rahal 19 Alex Lloyd
Row 11: 36 Pippa Mann ® 24 Ana Beatriz 41 Ryan Hunter-Reay
Bold means former winner—four former winners.
® means race rookie—five rookies in field.
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/712932-indy-500-open-wheel-wednesday-indy-500-edition
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