U.S. 500 - Friday
Details, Notes & Quotes
GREEN FLAG for morning IndyCar practice at 9:18 a.m. Backup cars on course during the session include #99X MOORE, #20X PRUETT, #3X TRACY, #12X VASSER, #6X ANDRETTI, #11X C. FITTIPALDI, #5X GORDON, #4X ZANARDI and #25X KROSNOFF.
YELLOW FLAG at 9:21 a.m. after #36 FANGIO's car catches fire briefly at the rear.
GREEN FLAG at 9:33 a.m. after a delay of 12 minutes, 34 seconds, with yellow flag time to be added to the end of the session.
YELLOW FLAG at 9:41 a.m. for debris on course.
GREEN FLAG at 9:48 a.m. after a delay of 6 minutes, 44 seconds, with yellow flag time to be added to the end of the session.
At 9:57 a.m., #99X MOORE becomes the first driver of the weekend to top the 230 mile-per-hour barrier with a lap of 230.247 mph (31.271 sec).
YELLOW FLAG at 9:59 a.m. for debris on course.
GREEN FLAG at 10:01 a.m. after a delay of 1 minute, 56 seconds, with yellow flag time to be added to the end of the session.
At 10:06 a.m., #31 RIBEIRO takes over the top spot in the session, with a fast lap of 231.000 mph (31.169 sec). #49 JOHNSTONE subsequently passes him for the top spot, at 231.108 mph (31.154 sec).
In the interest of maintaining the schedule, this morning's practice session will fall under the two-thirds rule, with the checkered flag scheduled to fall after two-thirds, or 40 minutes, of the scheduled time have been completed.
YELLOW FLAG at 10:14 a.m. for debris on course.
GREEN FLAG at 10:21 a.m., after a delay of 8 minutes, 43 seconds, with five minutes remaining in the session.
At 10:27 a.m., with one minute remaining in the session, the top spot has been taken over by #31 RIBEIRO, at 231.797 mph (31.062 sec), who is then passed by his teammate #32 FERNANDEZ, who records a lap of 232.524 mph (30.965 sec).
CHECKERED FLAG at 10:28 a.m., with top three drivers, in order: #32 FERNANDEZ (232.524 mph, 30.965 sec), #31 RIBEIRO (231.797 mph, 31.062 sec) and #49 JOHNSTONE (231.108 mph, 31.154 sec).
Today's second IndyCar practice session and third day qualifying will begin at 11:40 a.m.
JUAN MANUEL FANGIO II and his wife, Viviana, are the proud parents of a new baby girl – Renatta Fangio, born at approximately 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 22 in Miami, Fla. Renatta, who weighed in at seven pounds, two ounces, is the couple's third child and first girl, following older brothers Juan (born May 25, 1991) and Lucas (born Sept. 16, 1994) "It was great to be at home when it happened, because the racing schedule is quite busy,'' Fangio said. "Everything went well and Viviana feels great. I'm very pleased it was a baby girl."
GREEN FLAG for second IndyCar practice session at 11:40 a.m.
Cars are quickly up to speed, as #49 JOHNSTONE (231.558 mph, 31.094 sec) and #20X PRUETT (230.704 mph, 31.204 sec) over the 230 mile-per-hour mark before eight minutes have passed.
YELLOW FLAG at 11:49 a.m. for debris on course.
GREEN FLAG at 11:51 a.m., after a delay of 2 minutes, 10 seconds, with yellow flag time to be added to the end of the session.
At 12:06 p.m., #12X VASSER moves into the top spot in the session, with a fast lap of 232.433 mph (30.975 sec). Three minutes later, his teammate, #4X ZANARDI, takes over the top spot at 232.859 mph (30.920 sec), the fastest speed of the day.
YELLOW FLAG at 12:12 p.m. for debris on course.
GREEN FLAG at 12:16 p.m.
YELLOW FLAG at 12:21 p.m. for suspected spray from #10 LAWSON's car.
GREEN FLAG at 12:24 p.m.
YELLOW FLAG at 12:30 p.m. for spray from #36 FANGIO's car.
GREEN FLAG at 12:34 p.m., with #26 BETTENHAUSEN being presented for a qualifying attempt.
#26 BETTENHAUSEN's top speed: 208.607 mph (34.515 sec). He elected to pull in after one qualifying lap.
CHECKERED FLAG at 12:40 p.m., with top three drivers in order: #4X ZANARDI (232.859 mph, 30.920 sec), 12X VASSER (232.443 mph, 30.920 sec) and #32 FERNANDEZ (231.777 mph, 31.064 sec).
#31 ANDRE RIBEIRO, LCI International Lola Honda: " Like everyone else, we were working on preparing the car for the race, running all possible situations and conditions, and exploring the various racing lines. I think we have a very good car, but I was amazed to see how close everyone is right now. "It's a very similar track to (qualifying weekend). It's good for the team to have both cars competitive, and we definitely help each other."
#32 ADRIAN FERNANDEZ, Tecate Beer Lola Honda: "The car is very good in traffic. We tried a few different adjustments this session, and everybody's happy. We're very pleased with the car."
#1 RAUL BOESEL, Brahma Sports Reynard Ford: "We ran well today, we scrubbed tires, ran mostly full tanks and prepared for the race. We have a whole range of tires and staggers we can choose from. We need to make a few adjustments on the car, so it's more comfortable for me. In terms of the race, we just need to concentrate on ourselves, not worry about what the others are doing, and look to the finish."
GREEN FLAG for afternoon IndyCar practice at 3:15 p.m.
YELLOW FLAG at 3:25 p.m. after #3X TRACY and #19 MATSUSHITA made contact on the back straightaway. Tracy spun across the track and "T-boned" Matsushita in the right rear. Both drivers are out of their cars and Tracy is undergoing a routine evaluation at the IndyCar Mobile Medical Facility.
GREEN FLAG at 3:37 p.m. after a delay of 12 minutes, 12 seconds, with yellow flag time to be added to the end of the session.
#3 TRACY has been released from the Mobile Medical Facility without being treated and has returned to the track in his primary car. The earlier incident occurred in his "X" car
YELLOW FLAG at 3:53 p.m. for moisture in Turn 4.
GREEN FLAG at 4:39 p.m., with 13 minutes, 37 seconds remaining before the session fulfills its two-thirds (of scheduled time) requirement.
With five minutes remaining before the end of the session, #20 PRUETT owns the top speed, at 232.314 mph (30.992 sec).
With just over a minute remaining in the session, #4X ZANARDI posts the fastest lap of the day, a speed of 232.961 mph (30.906 sec).
CHECKERED FLAG at 4:53 p.m., with the top three drivers, in order: #4X ZANARDI (232.961 mph, 30.906 sec), #20 PRUETT (232.314 mph, 30.992 sec) and #49 JOHNSTONE (232.215 mph, 31.006 sec). #4X ZANARDI posts the top two speeds of the day, leading the late morning-early afternoon session at 232.859 mph (30.920 sec), and the afternoon session at 232.961 mph (30.906 sec).
#3 PAUL TRACY, Marlboro Penske Mercedes: "We were running in our backup car because we were saving the primary car for race day. We were setting up to pass the #2 car (teammate Al Unser, Jr.) on the outside, and we just got too tight for two cars; so I had to get out of it and the rear end came around. Unfortunately, the front end took a heavy shot and the left front corner is damaged, so the chassis needs to go back to Penske Cars for repair."
#19 HIRO MATSUSHITA, Panasonic/DUSKIN Lola Ford: "I was just exiting the pits, warming up down low when Al Jr. came by in Turn 2. Then I saw a flash in the right hand side mirror and "Pow!," Tracy smacked my right rear. All I could do was keep it off the wall. This doesn't help our cause at all, as we really needed this session to prepare for the race."
#2 AL UNSER JR., Marlboro Penske Mercedes: "In this morning's session, we had a little bit of an understeer from the middle on out. My car was really loose, especially when I was in traffic. We made some changes in this afternoon's session which definitely went in the right direction. Overall, I'm happy with the way my Marlboro car is handling. We'll fine tune it tomorrow so we're ready for race day."
#4X ALEX ZANARDI, Target/Chip Ganassi Reynard Honda: "Two weeks ago, I was going fast, and it was not incredibly difficult to adapt to a new circuit. But in those two weeks, I've had time to think about it. When I went out this morning, I was much more comfortable and had much better sensitivity. I have the best combination with the Honda engine, Firestone engine and Reynard chassis."
#32 ADRIAN FERNANDEZ, Tecate Beer/Quaker State Lola Honda: "We were consistent all practice and I think we were the most consistent in all the practice sessions. We've been either second or first. The car has been good. We are just massaging the settings to make it work a little better."
#18 BOBBY RAHAL, Miller Racing Reynard Mercedes: "It looks like the weather will be similar to today (Friday), and that's good. Cool temperatures should make for an excellent race. It also means that we'll be flat out all day on Sunday. Last year, I tried to pace it a little and I got behind. To stay up front, you have to race at a tremendous pace. That means 228, 229, 230 (mph) per lap, especially with the draft."
#28 BRYAN HERTA, Shell Oil Reynard Mercedes: "We're very pleased with the car. Both Bobby and I were able to scrub all of our tires for the race and we feel confident and we're ready. You won't be able to cruise on Sunday. It will be an all-out fight, especially with the Hondas. They still have plenty of power. Bur our Mercedes should be right in there."
#17 MAURICIO GUGELMIN, Hollywood PacWest Reynard Ford: "We made a lot of changes on the springs this last session, going from stiffer to softer, but none of the changes made the car much better. We also tried three different pop-off valves to try and get some boost. Basically, the car was better this morning than it was in the last session."
#21 MARK BLUNDELL, VISA PacWest Reynard Ford: " I'm reasonably happy with our progress today. We ran a high fuel load in each session and the car was generally comfortable and useable in traffic. We're slightly down on speed, but that's stabilized and now we just need to make the car as user-friendly as possible by Sunday."
#25 JEFF KROSNOFF, Arciero-Wells Reynard Honda: "We were able to see higher speeds today with the updated engine than we have all month, and we've improved the chassis today as well. It's nice to believe that you can race with guys now. That extra edge, the extra bit of performance that they found is going to make a huge difference in our race strategy. We are going to actually be able to challenge people rather than waiting for people to come back to us."
#99 GREG MOORE, Player's Reynard Mercedes: "We had a very good day. The car we'll use for the race is ready, and we are now working on the backup (car) to improve the setups. Both cars are set up identically. During today's three sessions, I started rather slowly. I dislike going fast at the beginning of a session. It's important to be comfortable with the car before reaching speeds in excess of 230 miles per hour. Tomorrow, we will work on better balancing the car, even though our Players' Team has already delivered a very good and dependable car. I think our chances for Sunday are excellent. Winning here at such a major event is great and the first prize of $1 million really adds to the package."