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[dave carr]

Target Team Ganassi 1-2 in Pole Day Qualifying for the Indy 500

“If at first you don’t succeed, withdraw the qualifying attempt and try, try again.”

Is the way several of the top Indy Car teams would re-write the old saw since a qualifying procedure change has made it possible to withdraw and re-qualify a car up to three times each qualifying day. Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon swept the top two qualifying spots for Target Team Ganassi on do-overs and were joined on the front row by Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe who also used a second attempt to post his quick time.

The tactic wasn’t a sure thing as Andretti Green’s Marco Andretti showed only a small gain after withdrawing his initial time and Tomas Scheckter actually went slower on his second attempt in the Symantec Luczo Dragon Racing entry leaving him still on the bubble and with a more vulnerable slower speed. Only the first eleven positions are available to qualifiers on Pole Day since new qualifying procedures were introduced for the Indy 500 in 2005.

Typically there is a rush as the qualifying line opens and another as “Happy Hour” comes around at the end of the day. The conditions did not improve as expected late in the day and the speeds actually dropped off. “…the problem was the wind,” explains bubble survivor Tomas Scheckter, “…the wind starts throwing the car around and the times just drop off and drop off.”

Helio Castroneves and his Team Penske brain trust decided not to qualify early in the day when conditions were not ideal, Castroneves was practicing at pole winning speeds early in the afternoon but their 3:00pm attempt was only good for fourth on the final grid.

“We don’t know why we slowed down. I don’t know,” lamented Castroneves.

Danica Patrick held the pole in early qualifying and practiced in the low 226’s in the afternoon, but the team did not withdraw their attempt and will start in the middle of the second row alongside Andretti Green teammate Tony Kanaan.

In the end the old IRL powerhouse teams Ganassi, Penske and Andretti Green ruled the day securing the first seven places and eight of eleven while the former Champ Car teams were completely shut out of the eleven spots available in pole day qualifying. The best performance by a Champ Car driver was Graham Rahal who was bumped in the final hour by Andretti Green’s Hideki Mutoh and was unable to bump his way back in.

Ryan Hunter Reay crashed his Ethanol sponsored Rahal Letterman entry heavily in turn three with about forty minutes left in the final hour punching a hole in the turn three SAFER barrier. Hunter Reay was uninjured and the safety crew quickly repaired the hole leaving about twenty minutes left in the day for qualification attempts. Ironically Hunter Reay is not sponsored by Hole in the Wall Gang Camps.

There were 32 qualification attempts among 22 drivers. Qualifications resume at 12 noon tomorrow (weather permitting, forecast isn’t promising) with positions 12-22 available.