Ed Carpenter Gets The Job Done

So…what do Ed Carpenter and Pat O’Connor have in common? They are the last two native Hoosiers to win the Pole Position for the Indianapolis 500. Ed Carpenter did it today. Pat O’Connor did it in 1957. Until today, it had been fifty-six years since the last son of Indiana won the pole. Contrarians will point out that Hoosier Tony Stewart was on the pole for 1996. That’s true, but he didn’t win it. He started from the pole after pole-winner Scott Brayton was fatally injured in a Week Two practice crash.

Qualifying Continues At IMS

Well the sun has come out and it is a very nice day at the track – albeit a little bit sticky. It’s a far cry from last Saturday when we froze here. All cars have been through the line at least once. Conor Daly had his engine let go on his attempt, and he was the only driver not to complete his run.

Rain At IMS – It’s May!

If you follow this sport for very long, you learn to understand that rain is as much a part of the Month of May as The Gordon Pipers and a breaded tenderloin sandwich. Not long after my last post, I went wandering the garage area when the scattered sprinkles turned to a shower. I ducked into one of the hallways for the restrooms in one of the garage buildings. Unfortunately, so did everyone else. It was steamy and crowded. Worst of all, there was no phone service. The rain lasted longer than I expected – of course, I didn’t think it would rain at all.

Good Morning From Pole Day At IMS

It’s a very foggy, cloudy and extremely muggy morning here at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It’s currently sixty-four degrees and one would think that speeds would be down this morning, given those conditions. Well, that’s not the case. The two split sessions were just completed and AJ Allmendinger has already crossed through 229 mph. He currently sits at the top of the scoring pylon with a 229.086. Nashville native Josef Newgarden is not too far behind in the second spot with a 228.609. Graham Rahal is third quick with a 228.318. That’s especially good news for the Rahal Letterman Lanigan team that has struggled all month. Graham said that they found something yesterday. You hear that a lot and tend to take it with a grain of salt. Apparently, this time it was true.

A Very Special Day

Today is Pole Day for the Indianapolis 500. It’s a special day, not only for fans of the Indianapolis 500 – but for me, personally. You see, it was a year ago today that Susan and I were married at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We were married in one of the suites over the Formula One garages after the track had closed for Fast Friday on May 18, 2012.

The Afternoon Sun Shines On IMS

As the six o’clock hour approaches, the sun has come out and the track is drying. The crowds are gone and the Speedway is relatively empty. Of course, track officials made the right call to announce that track activity was done for the day. The rain persisted and there was no way to dry the track for additional practice, so we’ll have to wonder if anyone would have broken through 230 mph.

Raining Buckets At IMS

What was shaping up as a very fast Fast Friday, is now threatened by weather. As I type, thunder is rumbling through Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Just as I typed that, the monsoon hit. Fortunately, there was plenty of warning it was coming and everyone had time to run for cover, including the teams. Most, if not all of the cars were towed to the garage area before the rains came.