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IndyCar
INDY 500: Field Of 33 Set In Thrilling Finish To Qualifying
Cars bumped their way in early and late with John Andretti and Ryan Hunter-Reay making it into the show with minutes to go.
Marshall Pruett  |  Posted May 18, 2009   Indianapolis, IN
John Andretti made it back into the field with a decisive run to the cheers of the fans at the Speedway. It took a long time to get there, but Bump Day provided high drama in the final hour. (LAT)
The field off 33 cars for this year's Indy 500 was set today as Tomas Scheckter posted the fastest average speed of Bump Day at 221.496.

Sunday was marked by numerous drivers withdrawing their existing qualifying speed in an effort to safeguard their place in the field. Nelson Philippe, Milka Duno, Mike Conway, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Tomas Scheckter all made the bold move to risk a possible crash to improve their speeds, but they all made improvements.

Cool temperatures, low humidity and a moderate breeze made the pursuit of speed less challenging than it had been on previous days. Conditions were nearly perfect at times, affording the smaller teams to post times that flattered their speeds set earlier in the month.

After a combined total of 23 hours and 30 minutes of available qualifying, high drama was reserved for the last half hour as John Andretti and Ryan Hunter-Reay finally separated themselves from the monkeys they've had on their backs.

The crowd favorite in the Richard Petty-co-owner #43 entry was met with raucous cheers after finding the speed to make the field after a fruitless day of trying. On his third and final run, the 9-time Indy 500 starter used the lessons from his too-slow 2nd qualifying attempt to ask for precise setup changes to make his last attempt.

His leap from Saturday’s 219.442 to 221.316 was good enough for the 3rd fastest speed of the day. Last weekend’s crash and this week’s search for speed finally paid off. Andretti wasn't at a loss for words when he emerged from the car.

"I'm exhausted. I don't want to do this anymore, to be honest. Just coming down pit road, you would have thought that I won the race. I couldn't hear the crowd, but I could see them standing and waving. The fans have always been behind me at Indianapolis. The team did such a great job. We tried something different in practice today. We got advice, and it was one of those things that we couldn't get to work. We went back (garage) and took (teammate) Mike Conway's shocks and springs and put them on my car. It made the car really nice to drive. It was a nice run. I give all the credit to my teammates. As a group we were doing a good job, but we were struggling. Now we've gotten better as a team. We were fighting hard, each one of us. I'm the old man, and I had to fight the hardest, and it's not supposed to be that way. I've always looked at these guys on the bubble on Bump Day and absolutely felt for them. I was with Marty Roth last year and the jubilation was unbelievable. I can't imagine how embarrassed I would have been to call Richard Petty and have him ask, 'Where do you start?' And I don't (start).

"It's been a very, very tough day. I'm going to say that one is for my dad (Aldo Andretti). My dad is such a strong supporter - I know this was a challenge that he would appreciate. I told Larry Curry in his next life he's going to be a psychiatrist. He got me thinking the right way. He coaches really well. You would think after 30-plus years of racing, I wouldn't need a coach. But Indianapolis can break down the best of drivers. It didn't break me down. Window World, those people were great. They called me up and said that I wanted to be in the race worse than they did. And that cheered me up. When I took the white flag and I made it through Turn 1 flat, I thought I wouldn't get through it. Turn 1 had been killing me all day. It was the wind and I had been struggling with it all day. I'm glad the race isn't tomorrow. I am physically, mentally, just totally exhausted."

Ryan Hunter-Reay’s Month of May has been hellish, and until the last few feet of his last moment qualifying run, it seemed like the 2008 Indy 500 rookie of the year would find himself on the outside looking in.

After sitting on the bubble and then easily dispatched by Andretti with three minutes to go, RHR made it out just before the gun fired to end the day on the final qualifying attempt of the event. Ryan’s well-publicized frustrations and lack of pace have been chronicled by Hunter-Reay in his SPEEDtv.com column, but his re-qualifying efforts at 3:27pm ET, an improvement from 219.502 to 220.413, was good enough for 30th place at the time, and looked safe with 2 hours and 30 minutes to go.

But RHR’s Vision Racing team found themselves in a bit of a panic, making changes quickly to get the IZOD/WilliamRast car in line for tech and out to break back into the field.

With Alex Tagliani’s 220.553 the new speed to beat, RHR needed to average 4-laps that were faster than his earlier 220.413. RHR’s first lap of 220.949 was plenty to beats Tagliani’s speed. RHR’s second lap of 220.828 was also fast enough, but his third lap of 220.323 brought his average down just below the speed needed to beats Tags.

All but a few feet of Ryan’s final lap were too slow to unseat Tagliani, but a strong run in turns 3 and 4 – his weak spot on the first three laps – gave him the shot necessary to make his way into the field in only the last few feet before he crossed the start/finish line. Hunter-Reay was happy to be in the field, but their continued lack of pace is proving worrisome.

"I was ready to go the whole time. That was a timing issue because I think (Alex) Tagliani was pretty quick there. It was lucky we went out last. We're running downforce as low as you wouldn't believe. It was so trimmed out. These guys worked really hard. I'm really happy for them. Now, hopefully we can go make up all those spots in the race. I mean, it was just all day long it was like this. Since we woke up, it was: 'What are we going to do? What are we going to do? Let's pull the car out. Let's put it in.' The whole day it was qualifying simulations. That was the hairiest day I've ever had, I think. I've never been so happy to be last place."

Understeer is something that's still plaguing the #21 Vision car, says Hunter-Reay. "We've had an inherent problem with this thing since we got here. There was just too much push. The exit of Turn 1, as the tires wore off; new tires will mask that push. But then once you get to the third and fourth lap, it was like a controlled slide at the front of the car up to the wall to see if I could keep it off the wall. If you watched with a somewhat educated eye on the run, you could tell that we were definitely light, and we were really, really struggling with the front of the car. We're really lucky right now."

Tomas Scheckter’s fast laps put him slightly ahead of rookie Mike Conway’s impressive 221.417 average, and both HVM entries for E.J Viso and Nelson Philippe held on to make the show.

“I've been at this track the last seven years. I haven't eaten anything today," said Scheckter. "You know, we did a race run, I just came mentally prepared today, but we thought we'd be safe and how things change. Next thing you know you have to get the qualifying setup back on. The guys are running back to the garage. You know, I try to just be in my motorhome, lights off, and just focus. They gave me a good car, and we were able to do it safely, so I'm just happy for everybody. We had a great race run, which I am so happy about, too, which is the most important thing, but, to go in there and go really quick, I'm happy. The car felt all right. The last lap wasn't perfect. Just a big thank you to everybody at Mona Vie, Dale Coyne Racing, Bill Pappas' crew. We're in the middle here doing a race run when we had to get the car back at 4:30, and just take all the downforce out of it and bring it back. We did two runs and then stuck it in line, and we went a mile and a half quicker than we qualified before, so we got to be happy with that."

Conway was just happy to see qualifying come to an end. "Yesterday I didn't know what time I had to do; today I was sure of what time I had to do. We knew we would be quicker because it was cooler. I just had to get in the right frame of mind. You still have to go out there and do it each time. I really pushed it on that first lap. We put up a good number, and then I was just trying to keep it consistent. I am getting more comfortable with the car every run. The car feels good underneath me."

Nelson Philippe's youth was easy to see when commenting about his somewhat harrowing ordeal of making his first Indy 500. "I bumped myself. Has that ever been done before? Probably, yeah; a 100-year history, right? Come celebrate the Centennial Era at the Indianapolis 500. Yeah, it feels good to be in. We had a great run. The conditions are definitely better. I felt better. The car felt better. It's just a combination of many things. But overall, I'm just really excited that we managed to gain 2.7 miles per hour. It's a big gain. This morning I went 220 for the first time all month. That was nice to break that barrier. We were still pretty conservative for this run. I felt really comfortable with the car. We could have easily gone with a bit less downforce."

Teammate E.J. Viso was more relaxed in his approach to making his second Indy 500 race. "It was a strong run, and I'm proud of the improvements the team has made this week. We didn't intend to leave things until the last minute, but it's all right. It's such a long race that qualifying isn't that important. I'm just happy to be in the show. To tell the truth, I never expected to be qualifying on the last day, but that's what happened, and here I am. I was here last year, and now I know a little better what to expect. Last year when I came here, I knew nothing. I had never watched an oval race ever in my life. My first oval race was at Homestead, and I didn't like it. I had a very steep learning curve last year. This year I'm a more complete driver. I know how to approach the ovals, and my feedback to the engineers is a lot better, more precise. Last year they were a little vague."

Like Saturday, the day belonged to Dreyer & Reinbold Racing whose three cars found more speed when it was necessary. The plight of John Andretti and Mike Conway aside, Milka Duno did more than enough to lock herself into the field with a run of 221.106. "We corrected a few things. We corrected a few things on the line with Davey Hamilton, my teammate, outside this morning. But also, they made the car better. Consistently, not to be fast and consistent. You can make a fast lap, but if you are not consistent, if the car doesn't help you to make the same speed all the time, you do nothing in qualifying. You have to keep a fast time for four laps together. I think, especially, they made a good job with the car. It was so great. The car was so good in practice, and you see we were faster in the practice this morning. But I think it was also the car. A little bit here, a little bit in the other place, correct a little bit of the line."

If the sad end to Alex Tagliani’s hopes of making his first Indy 500 were met with tears and frustrations, his new teammate Bruno Junqueira, possibly softened the blow for the stunned Conquest Racing team. Junqueira, the 2002 Indy 500 pole sitter, posted laps over 220mph on his second flying lap of the day in morning practice. His early run, just an hour into qualifying, stood as the fast speed of the day for more than two hours.

“The car is very good. I did like four laps up to speed in the first session, and the car was good. So I said, ‘Let’s take a little downforce out.’ The car was better, and I thought, ‘I think we can qualify.’ I have to thank the ALL SPORT Conquest Racing team. They prepared me a good car, and I know my way around this place and know how to go fast. I think that’s a good combination. The deal with the ALL SPORT sponsorship just happened Friday night. They had to hire people and put the car together, so I have to thank the work of the mechanics. They did a very good job. They gave me a fast car. I’m very excited. It’s one of the most exciting moments of my life and my career. I think I broke a record of less laps in practice to put a car in the field. I didn’t know how the car was going to be. I knew I was capable of going really fast here. I just have to thank God, my team, and the people who helped me get a ride. I’m very, very thrilled.”

Conquest and partners Rubicon have done an amazing job securing sponsors throughout the month, and most are now expected to transfer to Bruno’s #36 All Sport entry.

(NOTE: Junqueira was moved from his entry in favor of Tagliani Sunday night as reported by Robin Miller.)

Time and technology have passed Hemelgarn Racing behind as the 1996 Indy 500 winning team faced a daunting uphill climb to match even the slowest speeds posted by the full-time Series entrants. With the current Dallara chassis more than a half-decade old, the R&D and setup expertise the regular runners have gained makes it all but impossible for a small, Indy-only team like Hemelgarn’s to make the show. Driver Buddy Lazier managed a lap of 218 before ending his run.

"I'm just very disappointed, of course. We just didn't maximize the opportunity. We just didn't have it here today. We had it earlier, but we had a little miscommunication. I feel so bad for my guys because they worked so hard. I'll be back, we'll be back, but it just wasn't there today."

Stanton Barrett’s Team 3G program experienced much of the same problem, and despite the valiant efforts of team principal/engineer Greg Beck, the combination of rookie Barrett and a minuscule budget left Stanton outside the top-33. Like Lazier, Barrett’s lap of 218 was all the team could manage before ending their attempted run to make the race.

"I don't know. We just gave it our all. Team 3G worked really hard, and all these guys just put a huge effort forth. It's just a real bummer it didn't work out. I don't know. They called it off because we didn't have the speed the first lap, and I just think taking time to learn without a teammate and taking time to learn what a difference this year and last year. We definitely made a change with the car speed-wise, aero-wise. I think it's right in there. Too much scrub in the corners really killed our lap times, and unfortunately tough to go back and study what I can do better and what we can do as a team better. It's a real disappointment. We need to make this race for sponsors that we had in line. It's just one of those things. A lot of other guys didn't make it to. There were three others. It's not an easy deal."

The final practice for the 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500 takes place on Friday, May 22nd, from 11am-12pm ET.

Final starting grid for the 2009 Indy 500.

Pos Driver Average Speed Comment
1 Helio Castroneves 224.864 Pole Day
2 Ryan Briscoe 224.083 Pole Day
3 Dario Franchitti 224.01 Pole Day
4 Graham Rahal 223.954 Pole Day
5 Scott Dixon 223.867 Pole Day
6 Tony Kanaan 223.612 Pole Day
7 Mario Moraes 223.331 Pole Day
8 Marco Andretti 223.114 Pole Day
9 Will Power 223.028 Pole Day
10 Danica Patrick 222.882 Pole Day
11 Alex Lloyd 222.622 Pole Day
12 Raphael Matos 223.429 2nd Day
13 Paul Tracy 223.111 2nd Day
14 Vitor Meira 223.054 2nd Day
15 Justin Wilson 222.903 2nd Day
16 Hideki Mutoh 222.805 2nd Day
17 Ed Carpenter 222.78 2nd Day
18 Dan Wheldon 222.777 2nd Day
19 AJ Foyt IV 222.586 2nd Day
20 Scott Sharp 222.162 2nd Day
21 Sarah Fisher 222.082 2nd Day
22 Davey Hamilton 221.956 2nd Day
23 Robert Doornbos 221.692 3rd Day
24 Townsend Bell 221.195 3rd Day
25 Oriol Servia 220.984 3rd Day
26 Tomas Scheckter 221.496 Bump Day
27 Mike Conway 221.417 Bump Day
28 John Andretti 221.316 Bump Day
29 EJ Viso 221.164 Bump Day
30 *Bruno Junqueira 221.115 Bump Day
31 Milka Duno 221.106 Bump Day
32 Nelson Philippe 220.754 Bump Day
33 Ryan Hunter-Reay 220.597 Bump Day

*Alex Tagliani will start in Junqueira's place.

Sunday Bump Day Blog:

6:00pm ET: Amazing run for Ryan Hunter-Reay, whose speed on the first two laps -- good enough to make the field -- fell off on the last two laps. His average speed to make the field only came good in the last few feet of the run, bumping a tearful Alex Tagliani from the field. 22.597 average for RHR to 220.553 for Tags. The personable ChampCar veteran and his Conquest Racing team didn't expect this to happen.

5:57pm ET: John Andretti makes a wild run into the field at 221.316, second fastest of the day. RHR out but now rolling to try and get back in the field. Big drama -- this should be the last run of the day now.

5:48pm ET: Buddy Lazier waves off after a lap of 218. Stanton Barrett now trying to bump RHR. Andretti is also looking to get in another run. Barely 10 minutes left to go before the field is set.

5:44pm ET: First two laps were enough to bump RHR, but laps 3 and 4, not so much. 220.282 average. Not fast enough to make the field. Buddy Lazier about to try and make the show.

5:40pm ET: Bam! 221.496 average for Scheckter. Fastest of the day. As he withdrew his own speed, no one was bumped. The Dale Coyne Racing team have to be happy. John Andretti about to roll. Trying to bump RHR.

5:32pm ET: Looks like Scheckter wants to rest easy in the final 28 minutes of Bump Day. About to re-qualify and try to get off the bubble.

5:26pm ET: A quiet Happy Hour so far, but now yellow for a track inspection. Still a few drivers needing to get in with 30min left to go, but whether Buddy Lazier and Stanton Barrett have what it takes to beat Tomas Scheckter's 220.212 remains to be seen.

5:00pm ET: Happy Hour.

4:34pm ET: 221.164 for Viso, second fastest average so far today and far better than the 219.971 he set yesterday. DCR's Tomas Scheckter goes on the bubble and John Andretti finds himself outside the show yet again.

Pos Driver Average Speed Comment
1 Helio Castroneves 224.864 Pole Day
2 Ryan Briscoe 224.083 Pole Day
3 Dario Franchitti 224.01 Pole Day
4 Graham Rahal 223.954 Pole Day
5 Scott Dixon 223.867 Pole Day
6 Tony Kanaan 223.612 Pole Day
7 Mario Moraes 223.331 Pole Day
8 Marco Andretti 223.114 Pole Day
9 Will Power 223.028 Pole Day
10 Danica Patrick 222.882 Pole Day
11 Alex Lloyd 222.622 Pole Day
12 Raphael Matos 223.429 2nd Day
13 Paul Tracy 223.111 2nd Day
14 Vitor Meira 223.054 2nd Day
15 Justin Wilson 222.903 2nd Day
16 Hideki Mutoh 222.805 2nd Day
17 Ed Carpenter 222.78 2nd Day
18 Dan Wheldon 222.777 2nd Day
19 AJ Foyt IV 222.586 2nd Day
20 Scott Sharp 222.162 2nd Day
21 Sarah Fisher 222.082 2nd Day
22 Davey Hamilton 221.956 2nd Day
23 Robert Doornbos 221.692 3rd Day
24 Townsend Bell 221.195 3rd Day
25 Oriol Servia 220.984 3rd Day
26 Alex Tagliani 220.553 3rd Day
27 Tomas Scheckter 220.212 3rd Day
28 Mike Conway 221.417 Bump Day
29 EJ Viso 221.164 Bump Day
30 Bruno Junqueira 221.115 Bump Day
31 Milka Duno 221.106 Bump Day
32 Nelson Philippe 220.754 Bump Day
33 Ryan Hunter-Reay 220.413 Bump Day


4:26pm ET: Track is ready for E.J. Viso to improve his qualifying speed.

3:56pm ET: Big speed for John Andretti into turn 1 on his first lap, followed by a big push, big lift and an eventual wave-off. Back to the drawing board.

3:47pm ET: Having cleared tech, John Andretti will attempt to move E.J. Viso out of the field of 33 and secure a safe starting spot.

3:37pm ET: 221.417 average for Conway. Fastest of the day. The D&R team is coming on strong for the final day of qualifying -- if they can get Andretti back in, all four cars will be safe. E.J. Viso readying to re-qualify and improve his speed after setting some practice laps.

Pos Driver Average Speed Comment
1 Helio Castroneves 224.864 Pole Day
2 Ryan Briscoe 224.083 Pole Day
3 Dario Franchitti 224.01 Pole Day
4 Graham Rahal 223.954 Pole Day
5 Scott Dixon 223.867 Pole Day
6 Tony Kanaan 223.612 Pole Day
7 Mario Moraes 223.331 Pole Day
8 Marco Andretti 223.114 Pole Day
9 Will Power 223.028 Pole Day
10 Danica Patrick 222.882 Pole Day
11 Alex Lloyd 222.622 Pole Day
12 Raphael Matos 223.429 2nd Day
13 Paul Tracy 223.111 2nd Day
14 Vitor Meira 223.054 2nd Day
15 Justin Wilson 222.903 2nd Day
16 Hideki Mutoh 222.805 2nd Day
17 Ed Carpenter 222.78 2nd Day
18 Dan Wheldon 222.777 2nd Day
19 AJ Foyt IV 222.586 2nd Day
20 Scott Sharp 222.162 2nd Day
21 Sarah Fisher 222.082 2nd Day
22 Davey Hamilton 221.956 2nd Day
23 Robert Doornbos 221.692 3rd Day
24 Townsend Bell 221.195 3rd Day
25 Oriol Servia 220.984 3rd Day
26 Alex Tagliani 220.553 3rd Day
27 Tomas Scheckter 220.212 3rd Day
28 EJ Viso 219.971 3rd Day
29 Mike Conway 221.417 Bump Day
30 Bruno Junqueira 221.115 Bump Day
31 Milka Duno 221.106 Bump Day
32 Nelson Philippe 220.754 Bump Day
33 Ryan Hunter-Reay 220.413 Bump Day


3:27pm ET: Solid performance by RHR, should be safe in the field. Still 33rd in the field with an average speed of 220.413. 30th fastest speed in the field, but with the unique bumping procedure, he falls in line behind that top qualifying average of the day, leaving him in 33rd, albeit faster than his previous speed of 219.502.

Mike Conway readying to improve his speed by withdrawing and re-qualifying.

Pos Driver Average Speed Comment
1 Helio Castroneves 224.864 Pole Day
2 Ryan Briscoe 224.083 Pole Day
3 Dario Franchitti 224.01 Pole Day
4 Graham Rahal 223.954 Pole Day
5 Scott Dixon 223.867 Pole Day
6 Tony Kanaan 223.612 Pole Day
7 Mario Moraes 223.331 Pole Day
8 Marco Andretti 223.114 Pole Day
9 Will Power 223.028 Pole Day
10 Danica Patrick 222.882 Pole Day
11 Alex Lloyd 222.622 Pole Day
12 Raphael Matos 223.429 2nd Day
13 Paul Tracy 223.111 2nd Day
14 Vitor Meira 223.054 2nd Day
15 Justin Wilson 222.903 2nd Day
16 Hideki Mutoh 222.805 2nd Day
17 Ed Carpenter 222.78 2nd Day
18 Dan Wheldon 222.777 2nd Day
19 AJ Foyt IV 222.586 2nd Day
20 Scott Sharp 222.162 2nd Day
21 Sarah Fisher 222.082 2nd Day
22 Davey Hamilton 221.956 2nd Day
23 Robert Doornbos 221.692 3rd Day
24 Townsend Bell 221.195 3rd Day
25 Oriol Servia 220.984 3rd Day
26 Alex Tagliani 220.553 3rd Day
27 Tomas Scheckter 220.212 3rd Day
28 Mike Conway 220.124 3rd Day
29 EJ Viso 219.971 3rd Day
30 Bruno Junqueira 221.115 Bump Day
31 Milka Duno 221.106 Bump Day
32 Nelson Philippe 220.754 Bump Day
33 Ryan Hunter-Reay 220.413 Bump Day


3:19pm ET: Yellow flag for a (re)qualifying attempt by Ryan Hunter-Reay. 2 hours and 12 minutes of practice finally comes to an end.

2:32pm ET: Green flag.

2:24pm ET: Track is yellow for an inspection. Plenty of race day running, but a bust for Bump Day qualifying runs. Ryan Hunter-Reay, already worn out from a tough month, now gets to sit on the bubble -- a pressure that borders on cruel for the 2008 Indy 500 rookie of the year.

1:08pm ET: No cars in line. Practice on the way.

1:07pm ET: Junqueira sets an average of 221.115, putting Ryan Hunter-Reay on the bubble. John Andretti out of the field at the moment.

Pos Driver Average Speed Comment
1 Helio Castroneves 224.864 Pole Day
2 Ryan Briscoe 224.083 Pole Day
3 Dario Franchitti 224.01 Pole Day
4 Graham Rahal 223.954 Pole Day
5 Scott Dixon 223.867 Pole Day
6 Tony Kanaan 223.612 Pole Day
7 Mario Moraes 223.331 Pole Day
8 Marco Andretti 223.114 Pole Day
9 Will Power 223.028 Pole Day
10 Danica Patrick 222.882 Pole Day
11 Alex Lloyd 222.622 Pole Day
12 Raphael Matos 223.429 2nd Day
13 Paul Tracy 223.111 2nd Day
14 Vitor Meira 223.054 2nd Day
15 Justin Wilson 222.903 2nd Day
16 Hideki Mutoh 222.805 2nd Day
17 Ed Carpenter 222.78 2nd Day
18 Dan Wheldon 222.777 2nd Day
19 AJ Foyt IV 222.586 2nd Day
20 Scott Sharp 222.162 2nd Day
21 Sarah Fisher 222.082 2nd Day
22 Davey Hamilton 221.956 2nd Day
23 Robert Doornbos 221.692 3rd Day
24 Townsend Bell 221.195 3rd Day
25 Oriol Servia 220.984 3rd Day
26 Alex Tagliani 220.553 3rd Day
27 Tomas Scheckter 220.212 3rd Day
28 Mike Conway 220.124 3rd Day
29 EJ Viso 219.971 3rd Day
30 Ryan Hunter-Reay 219.502 3rd Day
31 Bruno Junqueira 221.115 Bump Day
32 Milka Duno 221.106 Bump Day
33 Nelson Philippe 220.754 Bump Day


1:05pm ET: Plenty of speed for 'Junqy.'

12:57pm ET: Track is yellow for a qualifying attempt by Conquest Racing's Bruno Junqueira.

12:51pm ET: Briscoe and Castroneves go to the top of practice speeds with the Aussie at 223.338 while drafting.

12:48pm ET: Lots of drafting going on. Briscoe, Dixon and Helio post the three fastest laps of the day.

12:42pm ET: 221.714 for Junqueira on his own.

12:29pm ET: No cars in line to qualify so the track will go green for practice.

(Car on the bubble in bold.)

Pos Driver Average Speed Comment
1 Helio Castroneves 224.864 Pole Day
2 Ryan Briscoe 224.083 Pole Day
3 Dario Franchitti 224.01 Pole Day
4 Graham Rahal 223.954 Pole Day
5 Scott Dixon 223.867 Pole Day
6 Tony Kanaan 223.612 Pole Day
7 Mario Moraes 223.331 Pole Day
8 Marco Andretti 223.114 Pole Day
9 Will Power 223.028 Pole Day
10 Danica Patrick 222.882 Pole Day
11 Alex Lloyd 222.622 Pole Day
12 Raphael Matos 223.429 2nd Day
13 Paul Tracy 223.111 2nd Day
14 Vitor Meira 223.054 2nd Day
15 Justin Wilson 222.903 2nd Day
16 Hideki Mutoh 222.805 2nd Day
17 Ed Carpenter 222.78 2nd Day
18 Dan Wheldon 222.777 2nd Day
19 AJ Foyt IV 222.586 2nd Day
20 Scott Sharp 222.162 2nd Day
21 Sarah Fisher 222.082 2nd Day
22 Davey Hamilton 221.956 2nd Day
23 Robert Doornbos 221.692 3rd Day
24 Townsend Bell 221.195 3rd Day
25 Oriol Servia 220.984 3rd Day
26 Alex Tagliani 220.553 3rd Day
27 Tomas Scheckter 220.212 3rd Day
28 Mike Conway 220.124 3rd Day
29 EJ Viso 219.971 3rd Day
30 Ryan Hunter-Reay 219.502 3rd Day
31 John Andretti 219.442 3rd Day
32 Milka Duno 221.106 4th Day
33 Nelson Philippe 220.754 4th Day

12:26pm ET: 221.106 average for Duno. No one expected the conditions to be this good today. A lot more bumping could go on today. Of the 33 cars in the field, her speed ranks 25th fastest, just behind Townsend Bell. John Andretti now on the bubble.

12:23pm ET: Milka 221.281 on her first lap. Impressive.

12:20pm ET: Dreyer & Reibold's Milka Duno getting ready to follow Phillipe's path and withdraw/improve her speed.

12:05pm ET: 220.754 average for Phillipe, a jump up from 218.032 on Saturday.

12:00pm ET: HVM's Nelson Phillipe first out to withdraw his speed from the field and move himself up the charts. A bit of a headwind down the back straight and low temps and low humidity today. Thin air and cools temps will help the cars cut through the air easily and keep tires under control for the 4-lap runs.
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