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[LenAshburn]

Indy 500 @Speed Reports, Day 4 Qualifying, May 20, 2007


Well, we're a little late today, a lot late, actually. But that's the way it is with committments away from racing. You see, I sing in the choir at Second Presbyterian Church on the northside of Indy and the big "C" word means you don't miss performances willy nilly or the librarians will mess with your music folder and drive you crazy besides. Second, a good friend was leaving for a new church in Oklahoma and I wanted to attend the reception. And finally, I had to drive down to Columbus, IN for a concert gig with another choir I participate in. So, with the traffic light I blew into the IMS grounds a little after 5:30 PM to fill in the day's events and make our @Speed reports on qualifying complete.

It really was a slow day but an important one, Armed Forces Day. Staff Sergeant Patrick Shannon of the 76th Brigade of the Indiana National Guard here in Indy waved the flag for the start of practice this morning. Shannon received multiple small-arms wounds fired at him by insurgents in Iraq in 2006.

The track opened at noon and welcomed practice by qualified cars. It was spiced by Franchitti running out of gas, er -- ethanol, in turn one just into the second hour. Then half hour later Marco Andretti loosened a wheel nut which was incorrectly installed during a simulated pit stop. Better today than Sunday, Marco.

Would you believe mango salmon, beef brisket, pork loin, and sushi were on the menu at the press room deli here on floor three of the Media Center? That's some of the excellent fare Derek Black, Media Center Chief Chef, has laid out for the press who work out here, some every day for three weeks. Randy Clark who is Director of Food and Beverage for IMS said he wanted to upgrade the fare for the press and, believe me, the press appreciate it.

By 2:39 PM we had 33 qualified cars in the race when Richie Hearn of Glendale, CA put the Ron Hemelgarn financed Racing Professionals Dallara in the field with an excellent and safe run of 219.860 MPH.

At approximately 2:15 PM longtime Hemelgarn team manager Lee Kunzman had announced feciciously to all within earshot, "Tell them to send money. My wife can't go shopping and my kids have no school clothes, all my money is in racing. Actually I don't have a wife or kids, but they don't have to know that!"

An hour later Phil Geibler in the No. 31 Ethos Fuel Reformulator put Jimmy Kite on the trailer for 2007 with a speed of 219.637 MPH, the fastest Panoz in the field. Panoz is not the preferred chassis of the teams this year and they are not providing on site technical support. The teams with Panoz chassis have to rely on the experience and beneficience of other team's mechanical experience with the mark.

A little after five Chastain Motorsports and Pupo Moreno made a gutsy decision and pulled their car from the qualified field, making it eligible to present themselves for another attempt. Moreno was clearly the star of the day as he pulled four MPH out of his hat and re-qualified the car in 127 degree track temperatures at an amazing 220.299 MPH, quick time of the day.

With three minutes left Jimmy Kite was sent out by the PDM Team to give his last minute, marginal sponsor Z-Line Design a little air time on national TV. The attempt was way too slow on lap one and the team gave Kite the yellow lest he hurt himself.

Paul Diatlovich, PDM owner, knew his car technically was first alternate and, tongue in cheek, said, "I saw Pupo Moreno lying down on the start finish line bricks and tried to get a golf car to go run over him!"

In point of fact he reminded all that in this day in time the concept of alternate is a moot point. It will probably not happen.

So, qualifying at Indy for 2007 is finally over. The teams will rest a bit, rebuild their cars for the race, and come out on Carb Day next Friday to check setups, seal leaks, practice pit stops, and put on their best face for the 91st running of the greatest race in the world. Until then . . . . .
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Len in Indy