{"id":96177,"date":"2024-05-24T18:38:52","date_gmt":"2024-05-25T01:38:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/?p=96177"},"modified":"2024-05-24T18:38:52","modified_gmt":"2024-05-25T01:38:52","slug":"its-time-for-the-108th-greatest-spectacle-in-racing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/its-time-for-the-108th-greatest-spectacle-in-racing\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s Time for the 108th Greatest Spectacle in Racing"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Scott Dixon and Helio Castroneves practiced one-two on Carb Day at Indy – Penske Entertainment photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Carb Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway offers the final opportunity to make certain each of the 33 cars that will race on Sunday can work in traffic, can get into and out of the pits using the proper speed limit successfully and that each car is buttoned-up and ready for the 108th Indianapolis 500, comprised of 200 laps, 500 miles on the historic 2.5-mile oval.<\/p>\n

Two hours of practice on Friday was filled with action as every driver looked to see how they compare with others in terms of their settings. No longer trimmed out for speed\u00a0 <\/span>but, rather, looking to find their race pace and ease of overtaking is the message of this meeting. Over 2,700 were in the books for all 33 drivers once the two hours were complete.<\/p>\n

Many eyes during this two-hour practice, especially the television announcers, were on NASCAR star Kyle Larson, the fifth such driver attempting to win both the Indy 500 and the 600-mile Cup Series race on Charlotte Motor Speedway\u2019s oval. Larson already has a victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. No, not in the NASCAR Cup Series where he was the 2021 champion; Larson won the Driven2ChSaveLives BC39 race on Indy\u2019s 1\/4-mile infield dirt track in the same year he took his Cup Series title.<\/p>\n

Sure, it\u2019s not the same thing, but it\u2019s just another aspect of Larson\u2019s capabilities – the guy can adapt to any type of race car and he can win. The big question concerning Larson, of course, is weather. An early rain delay could mean he doesn\u2019t run at Indy at all, as the driver\u2019s primary job is winning a NASCAR Cup Series race and title for Hendrick Motorsports.<\/p>\n

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Kyle Larson leads Graham Rahal and Ed Carpenter in Carb Day practice – Penske Entertainment photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Larson completed 74 laps on Friday, had some pit issues in his first time working on pit in\/pit out strictures, but felt comfortable in the car, he said. \u201cI feel we\u2019ve checked a lot of boxes before the race.\u201d Larson has one \u201csecret weapon\u201d in his pit road arsenal and that\u2019s Brian Campe, who is masterminding his Indy race this weekend; Campe worked with reigning Indy 500 champ Josef Newgarden when that driver earned his two titles at Team Penske. Newgarden\u2019s 72 laps had the pole sitter in the way-back machine, practicing in 32nd spot.<\/p>\n

Helio Castroneves, making his sole appearance in the INDYCAR series this year at Indy, is attempting to be the first driver to win five 500-mile races. Because he\u2019s a \u201cone-and-done\u201d racer this year with Meyer Shank Racing\u2019s Honda program, the Brazilian practiced for 103 laps during the two-hour Carb Day on-track activities. He was one of six drivers completing more than 100 laps during this session. The veteran was pleased to be second on the speed charts, \u201cBut at the end of the day, we just got to start it and middle it and, in the ed we\u2019ve got to make sure that we read the race and go to that number five.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Helio Castroneves’ “Drive for Five” happens on Sunday – Penske Entertainment photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Castroneves, of course is starting on the seventh row, together with six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing. Giving team owner Chip Ganassi a nice birthday gift of winning Carb Day practice is nice, but Dixon is out to earn his second Indy 500 race. Dixon felt he went through his necessary sequences during the two-hour practice, turning 90 laps. \u201cThe conditions,\u201d he said, \u201cchanged a lot from start to finish,\u201d and felt his car \u201cpulls up well.\u201d Starting 21st, \u201cYou have to take the race as it is. We\u2019ve got some positions to make up. Hopefully can pass all 20 on the first lap,\u201d Dixon joked, \u201cbut that\u2019s not gonna happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

So the big question remained: do teams set up their cars for the conditions on Carb Day or do they plan for very different weather terms for Sunday\u2019s race. Getting balance correct for each driver to work in traffic and to be solo on the race track is always a difficult thing to do, and with warm track conditions on Carb Day – similar to how teams practiced on Monday when it was even warmer – when Sunday might be a lot different. At this time, Indianapolis weather is its usual and customary volatile self.<\/p>\n

As of Friday afternoon, scattered showers are predicted for Friday night and scattered thunderstorms for much of Saturday morning, which could cause issues with the public driver\u2019s meeting on pit road. Sunday\u2019s prediction includes showers before 11 and the possibility of showers or thunderstorms between 11 and 2PM, with thunderstorms forecast after 2PM and temps in the low 80s. The Monday forecast is similar with showers\/thunderstorms, albeit partly sunny in the afternoon with a high near 75, several degrees cooler than the temps for this final practice.<\/p>\n

The two-hour practice, followed by the pit stop competition won by Josef Newgarden over Pato O\u2019Ward in an all-Chevrolet contest, might not be indicative of which driver will be caressing the BorgWarner trophy once the race is complete, but it does give an idea of which cars are good in race trim.<\/p>\n

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Scott Dixon may be starting in the 7th row, but he’s confident about his chances – Penske Entertainment photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While Chevrolet ruled the roost in qualifying, Honda had seven of the top 10 cars for this practice, one of which was Meyer Shank Racing\u2019s rookie Tom Blomqvist in fifth place. The tenth-placed car in practice on Friday was 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner, Ryan Hunter-Reay, the 2012 INDYCAR champion racing a Chevrolet-powered Dallara with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing\/Cusick Motorsports.<\/p>\n

Anyone can win the Indy 500 from anywhere in this field. With seven former winners in the field, that means nearly a quarter of this grouping knows how to find Victory Lane. There are 33 hungry – and thirsty, in the case of pole man Scott McLaughlin\u2019s \u201cthirsty 3\u2019s\u201d – drivers and teams wanting to win the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.<\/p>\n

At the very last minute, INDYCAR announced procedural changes for Sunday’s race: the series intends to officiate the dotted line from the exit of turn 4 to pit entry, to ensure drivers don’t dip their left-size tires below that dotted line. Exceptions would be for actual pit entry, incident avoidance on the track or when a driver is obviously trying to avoid a closed pit lane and return to the track. Failure to stick to these strictures could mean a penalty of pit drive-through, a time penalty if the incident occurs at the close of the race or, if during a caution, the driver may be moved to the rear of the pack.<\/p>\n

Rank Car Driver Name C\/E\/T Time Speed Diff Gap Best Lap Total Laps<\/i><\/p>\n

1 9 Dixon, Scott D\/H\/F 00:39.6117 227.206 –.—- –.—- 11 90<\/i><\/p>\n

2 06 Castroneves, Helio D\/H\/F 00:39.6583 226.939 0.0466 0.0466 5 103<\/i><\/p>\n

3 5 O’Ward, Pato D\/C\/F 00:39.7060 226.666 0.0943 0.0477 10 78<\/i><\/p>\n

4 26 Herta, Colton D\/H\/F 00:39.7842 226.220 0.1725 0.0782 4 79<\/i><\/p>\n

5 66 Blomqvist, Tom (R) D\/H\/F 00:39.9201 225.450 0.3084 0.1359 11 62<\/i><\/p>\n

6 28 Ericsson, Marcus D\/H\/F 00:3. 9.9259 225.418 0.3142 0.0058 7 64<\/i><\/p>\n

7 78 Canapino, Agustin D\/C\/F 00:39.9432 225.320 0.3315 0.0173 4 105<\/i><\/p>\n

8 60 Rosenqvist, Felix D\/H\/F 00:39.9450 225.310 0.3333 0.0018 5 89<\/i><\/p>\n

9 10 Palou, Alex D\/H\/F 00:39.9463 225.302 0.3346 0.0013 86 91<\/i><\/p>\n

10 23 Hunter-Reay, Ryan D\/C\/F 00:39.9780 225.124 0.3663 0.0317 3 63<\/i><\/p>\n

11 6 Ilott, Callum D\/C\/F 00:39.9866 225.075 0.3749 0.0086 39 103<\/i><\/p>\n

12 4 Simpson, Kyffin (R) D\/H\/F 00:40.0313 224.824 0.4196 0.0447 15 104<\/i><\/p>\n

13 17 Larson, Kyle (R) D\/C\/F 00:40.0426 224.761 0.4309 0.0113 24 74<\/i><\/p>\n

14 75 Sato, Takuma D\/H\/F 00:40.0659 224.630 0.4542 0.0233 91 96<\/i><\/p>\n

15 30 Fittipaldi, Pietro D\/H\/F 00:40.0769 224.568 0.4652 0.0110 12 97<\/i><\/p>\n

16 11 Armstrong, Marcus (R) D\/H\/F 00:40.1058 224.406 0.4941 0.0289 8 100<\/i><\/p>\n

17 15 Rahal, Graham D\/H\/F 00:40.1154 224.353 0.5037 0.0096 11 106<\/i><\/p>\n

18 98 Andretti, Marco D\/H\/F 00:40.1209 224.322 0.5092 0.0055 12 72<\/i><\/p>\n

19 45 Lundgaard, Christian D\/H\/F 00:40.1272 224.287 0.5155 0.0063 37 74<\/i><\/p>\n

20 3 McLaughlin, Scott D\/C\/F 00:40.1312 224.264 0.5195 0.0040 18 93<\/i><\/p>\n

21 12 Power, Will D\/C\/F 00:40.1332 224.253 0.5215 0.0020 6 69<\/i><\/p>\n

22 24 Daly, Conor D\/C\/F 00:40.1333 224.253 0.5216 0.0001 9 74<\/i><\/p>\n

23 27 Kirkwood, Kyle D\/H\/F 00:40.1511 224.153 0.5394 0.0178 10 65<\/i><\/p>\n

24 14 Ferrucci, Santino D\/C\/F 00:40.1852 223.963 0.5735 0.0341 44 49<\/i><\/p>\n

25 77 Grosjean, Romain D\/C\/F 00:40.1878 223.949 0.5761 0.0026 4 82<\/i><\/p>\n

26 7 Rossi, Alexander D\/C\/F 00:40.2025 223.867 0.5908 0.0147 68 92<\/i><\/p>\n

27 33 Rasmussen, Christian (R) D\/C\/F 00:40.2105 223.822 0.5988 0.0080 61 88<\/i><\/p>\n

28 41 Robb, Sting Ray D\/C\/F 00:40.2614 223.539 0.6497 0.0509 78 95<\/i><\/p>\n

29 20 Carpenter, Ed D\/C\/F 00:40.2958 223.348 0.6841 0.0344 4 67<\/i><\/p>\n

30 21 VeeKay, Rinus D\/C\/F 00:40.3541 223.026 0.7424 0.0583 15 90<\/i><\/p>\n

31 51 Legge, Katherine D\/H\/F 00:40.3719 222.927 0.7602 0.0178 74 86<\/i><\/p>\n

32 2 Newgarden, Josef D\/C\/F 00:40.3864 222.847 0.7747 0.0145 12 72<\/i><\/p>\n

33 8 Lundqvist, Linus (R) D\/H\/F 00:40.3878 222.840 0.7761 0.0014 6 49<\/i><\/p>\n

(R) Rookie <\/i><\/span>Total Laps: 2721<\/i><\/p>\n

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Carb Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway offers the final opportunity to make certain each of the 33 cars that will race on Sunday can work in traffic, can get into and out of the pits using the proper speed limit successfully and that each car is buttoned-up and ready for the 108th Indianapolis 500<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":96181,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5,3470,3699,5029],"tags":[10382,2764,39,2921,8473,143,955,683,8466,9155,1872],"class_list":["post-96177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asphalt-oval-racing","category-news","category-other-racing","category-racing","tag-108th-indianapolis-500","tag-carb-day","tag-chevrolet","tag-chip-ganassi-racing","tag-driven2savelives-bc39","tag-honda","tag-indianapolis-motor-speedway","tag-kyle-larson","tag-meyer-shank-racing","tag-ntt-indycar-series","tag-scott-dixon"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Scott-Dixon-Helio-Castroneves-min-e1716601116758.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p42YSK-p1f","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96177","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96177"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96177\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96190,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96177\/revisions\/96190"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}