Lets Start... INDY 500 thread

[Chris]

Well Indy Bump Day is under way... weather is clear, but extreemly windy which makes for tough conditions

AT 1:00 pm when the track opened. AJ Foyt VI jumped in his car and bumped out Marty Roth as expected.
Foyt's speed was 219.184

Track opened for practcie for about 30 minutes, and Roth went thre tech and bunped his way right back into the race.
Roth bumped out past winner Buddy Lazier.  Lazier had a speed of 217.9 that Roth had to beat and Roths top speed of the day had been 218.7.  Roth put together 4 smooth laps.  Two laps of 219.2, and a four lap average of 218.965

Next up in the bump order is Roger Yasukawa with a average speed of 218.1 and then back to Marty Roth at 218.9
Teams are still working on Max Papis' car to get him in the race, and Buddy Lazier will be back on the track practicing to improve his speed trying to bump his way back into the field
Of course as the day nears a close,.. and the track cools, and the wind lays... conditions could improve, and speeds increase.
Updates as things change
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Update #1
ABout 2:45 AJ Foyt VI was practicing and the fuel cap of his car blew off as he was going out on the pit lanes between turns one and two (no really noticed it)
Next time around fuel spilled out on the rear tires, caught on fire and he had a heavy impart with the outside wall.
No way they'll get this car repaired today and get it back on the track... 
He is 3rd to be bumped right now... if he DOES get bumped,.. he'll have to borrow a car from someone to try and get back into the field.  Friday is "Carb Day" and that is just to test to see all hoses are tight and cars are all set to go for the big race.  Foyt won't be able to run any laps to get the car set up for race day...
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Update #2
Mario Domingez went out to qualify about 4:25.  He ran 4 laps in the high 217, just under R Yasukawa's speed.  A couple minor adjustments and he could surpass it and bump his way in.  They are talking about refueling the car, making a couple wing adjustments, and sending him back out for his second attempt of the day.
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Update #3
We are down to it... The final 30 minute of Happy hour....
Nothing going on but practice for most of the afternoon,... now all of a sudden,.. cars that are OUT of the race all jumps into line to qualify,.. also jumping into line are thats that MIGHT get bumped out,.. it's all about to happen and it's gonna get VERY nteresting.
Buddy Lazier is the first one out.
Lazier runs in the low 217's and IRL director Brian Barnhardt has the car owner waive him off after 3 laps.  Wind is still playing with the cars.
Next out is Mario Dominguez it is his 2nd attempt.

While this is going on Team owner for Yasukawa has submitted the form to withdraw his car from the race... so right now there is officially only 32 cars in the 500.
Dominguez is looking good and is fast... average is 218.620... that makes him the NEXT car to be bumped.

Yasukawa is next on the track trying to bump himself right back into the race.
Yasukawa run 4 laps... missed the field by 4/100 of a second over 10 miles.. thats insanely close.
Yasukawa has two more attempts if there is time.

Next out is Max Papis.
Papis clutch seems to have problems, and he has to get out of line,... looking like he won't get to make an attempt

Buddy Lazier will be next out... about 13 minutes to go
This is Laziers 2nd attempt.  Remember he qualified in yesterday at almost 218...
First lap 219.2
four lap average is 219.017 he is in the field for this years race... He knocks out Mario Dominguez

Roger Yasukawa is on the track trying for the second time to bump his way into the field.. He has to bump out Marty Roth and his speed of 218.965.  After two laps he is just a little slow.

Dominguez is rolling into the tech line with 3 minutes 45 seconds to go before the gun goes off.
He will get to go out IF they get him threw tech in time.... and next in line is Marty Roth (who is on the bubble)
It looks like time is so short that Roth will NOT get to make an attempt even if he gets bumped out.
There is only about 1 minute left before the end of the day, and Mario is just now taking the green flag.  It takes 2 minutes 40 seconds to make an entire run... so all Roth can do is wait and watch
Dominguez turned a 219.7 the first lap... easily fast enough to make the field... then overstepped the line, and crashed in turn #1.
Looks like he is uninjured,.. but Roth wil remain in the race.
SO thats it.. the field is set.
All this action and excitement today... swapped the back row numerious times...
But the back row ends up being Foyt,Lazier, and Roth

[Chris]

Well...
I don't care if you are a NASCAR fan.. or also an Indy fan.  The Indy 500 was a great race.
Lots of action,.. a few accidents, tho nothing serious.
Scott Dixon showed it was HIS playground this month.  He looked strong all month, and was too much for anyone else on Sunday.
The three gals all had various outcomes.... well pretty much same outcome, but varous runs leading up to it.
Poor Sarah Fisher.. spun out under yellow trying to clean off her tires.... good thought, just not in the corner.  By the time she got going again she was two laps down.  She did get one lap back,.. but was then taken out in a crash when Leader Tony Kanaan was being passed, and he smacked the wall... Fisher ended up 30th completing 103 laps
Milka Duno was running well,.. staying on the lead lap,.. and literally got cut off by another car and shoved down into the grass in turn #3.  She spun to avoid contact, but lost a few laps getting towed to the pits so they could restart her car.  She ended up 19th (running)
Finally Danica Patrick was having her typical strong run in the Indy 500,.. and on the races last pit stop (under yellow) she was exiting the pits in 7th place,.. was all the way to the outside wall,.. but got hit by Team Penske driver Ryan Briscoe.  AT first it appeared like it just caused Patrick to spin,.. but closer review showed when she was hit it broke the rear suspension on her race car.
Patrick was fit to be tied.  (You NASCAR fans would of loved the emotion she showed).  Her pits was probably 50 feet behind that of Briscoe.  She got out of her car and had a very determined (read pissed off) walk up pit road to the Penske pit.  She got rounded up and hustled behind the pit wall just a few steps before she got to Briscoe and gave him a good "what for".
MAN I was looking forward to seeing her get to him....
In any event she ended up 22nd.  Probably wouldn't have won.. Dixon was too strong,.. but she had a great shot at a top 5.

Other notible drivers:
JohnAndretti ran a clean, smooth race and ended up finishing 16th.. first car one lap down.
Marco Andretti had another strong run.. and finished 3rd.  In the last three years he has had a 2nd and a 3rd.  Perhaps he can break that Andretti curse next year.
AJ Foyt VI again had fueling / fire problems.  (Remember he had a fuel bick come off last weekend while practiceing, and fuel spilled on his rear wheels causing him to crash.).. In the race,..during a pit stop the car caught fire.  They spent several laps makeing repairs and he came out and finished the race.