FUMES

May 23, 2012

Chevy Power dominates Indy qualifying, but race day is still the Great Unknown.

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

(Posted 5/21, 10:00 a.m.) Detroit. When GM North America President Mark Reuss announced last year that the company would return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a Chevrolet-branded racing engine developed with its partners at Ilmor Engineering, I'm not sure anyone could have predicted just how dominant the new engine would be. After all, even though Honda had been the sole supplier to IndyCar for many years, concentrating on providing a durable race engine for the field, they have a deep well of knowledge that could easily be applied to the new turbocharged engine formula. But things obviously didn't work out very well for Honda this past weekend.

With the added boost allotted for qualifications (which should be allowed for the race if it were up to me), the Chevrolet engines simply dominated every aspect of qualifying. Ryan Briscoe (No. 2 Team Penske IZOD Chevrolet) delivered a four-lap time of 2 minutes, 38.9514 seconds (226.484 mph) in the final 90-minute shootout for the top nine qualifiers, narrowly edging the time of 2:38.9537 (226.481 mph) posted by James Hinchcliffe (No. 27 Andretti Autosport Team GoDaddy.com Chevrolet) to earn the pole position for the 96th Running of the 500 Mile Race. It was a record 17th pole for Roger Penske. The time differential of 0.0023 of a second is the closest 1-2 in race qualifying history (equivalent to 9.168 inches over the four laps, according to Speedway officials). The previous closest qualifying result was 0.01 of a second between pole winner Al Unser (3:31.49) and Johnny Rutherford in 1970.

Briscoe, the first Australian national driver to win the Indianapolis 500 pole, was of course ecstatic afterward: "This is unbelievable. Those four laps were so good and so consistent. It was Lap 4 that won me the pole today; that was the setup I had on it.  Everyone at Team Penske has worked so hard. Chevrolet, man, they gave us the horsepower. I'm really proud of them and IZOD. Getting a pole at Indy, this is huge. I certainly had good schooling from Rick Mears and Helio Castroneves. It feels good to get my first one here."

Briscoe and Hinchcliffe will be joined on the front row for the 200-lap race next Sunday by Ryan Hunter-Reay in the No. 28 Andretti Autosport Team DHL/Sun Drop Citrus Soda Chevrolet (226.240). Marco Andretti (No. 26 Andretti Autosport Team RC Cola Chevrolet), IZOD IndyCar Series points leader Will Power (No. 12 Team Penske Verizon Chevrolet) and Helio Castroneves (No. 3 Team Penske Shell V-Power Pennzoil Ultra Chevrolet) will be on Row 2. Impressive 21-year-old rookie Josef Newgarden (No. 67 Sarah Fisher Hartman/Dollar General Honda) - the only Honda driver in the final qualifying shootout - and KV Racing Technology teammates Tony Kanaan (No. 11 KV Racing Technology GEICO/Mouser Electronics Chevrolet) and E.J. Viso (No. 5 KV Racing Technology CITGO/PDVSA Chevrolet) fill out Row 3.

To understand just how dramatic the performance differential was between the Chevrolet and Honda entries during qualifying, Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti, who have three Indy 500 wins between them, will start 15th and 16th, respectively. As a matter of fact, they didn't even go out on the track again in an attempt at improving their positions, which was an eye-opening development, to say the least. This is the first time Chip Ganassi Racing has failed to qualify a car in the first three rows of the Indianapolis 500 since 2005.

So what does it all mean come race day? Usually I would say not much, because race day brings a kaleidoscope of variables into play such as air temperature, track conditions, pit stops, traffic, race strategy and a dose of pure luck for good measure. And when you factor all of that into the equation I'm sure several Honda-powered entries are going to be in the thick of it. But there is no doubt that the Chevrolet-powered entries will be carrying the edge they've displayed from Day One to the track on race day.

Then again that's the beauty of the Indianapolis 500. As a race team you can run all of the simulations you want to run. You can look at the qualifying times and the race-trim practice speeds. You can go over the race day weather conditions again and again and gauge the setup for a greasy track at the end of the race. You can do all of that plus account for every possible variable you can think of, and it still won't be enough to compete against the Great Unknown.

The Great Unknown is what happens at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway when you actually run the race, and it invariably trumps everything else. Which is how it should be when it comes right down to it.

Predictions? No. I just want to see a great, competitive and safe race.

But then again I guess I can predict one thing about next Sunday's race at least, and that is that history will be made.

That's the essence and the magic of the Indianapolis 500.

(Michael L. Levitt - INDYCAR/LAT Photo USA 2012)
The front row for the 2012 Indianapolis 500: Pole-sitter Ryan Briscoe (center),  2nd-place man James Hinchcliffe (left) and Ryan Hunter-Reay.

(Phillip G. Abbott - INDYCAR/LAT Photo USA 2012)
How they will line up next Sunday for the 96th running of the Indianapolis 500.

(Michael L. Levitt - INDYCAR/LAT Photo USA 2012)
Ryan Briscoe and the entire Team Penske outfit celebrate his pole position. "It is all about our people, the team, and certainly Ryan (Briscoe) needed this one," Roger Penske said. "He's done a great job for us. Today he stretched himself. The guys did a great job. It was just a pleasure to bring that Chevrolet engine down home to the front with IZOD as our sponsor. I want to thank everybody that has supported our team for so many years, especially the families. This really is one for Paul Morgan with Ilmor. He helped us build the Chevy engine and was killed in a plane crash. I want to give this pole position to Paul and his family."

(Michael L. Levitt - INDYCAR/LAT Photo USA 2012)
Ryan Briscoe and his wife, motorsports broadcaster Nicole, celebrate his big day. Briscoe has had a tough time of late, always running quick but seldom able to deliver the results. There are some who think that Briscoe has played second tier to his more visible teammates - Helio Castroneves and the meteoric Will Power - but make no mistake, Briscoe is lightning-quick, confident and he has the talent to deliver a win next Sunday.

(F. Peirce Williams - INDYCAR/LAT Photo USA 2012)
The Borg-Warner Trophy - the most coveted trophy in racing - goes to the winner of the Indianapolis 500.

The Indianapolis 500 is next Sunday, May 27, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be televised by ABC beginning at 11a.m. (ET) and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network on SiriusXM (XM 94 and Sirius 212). The Firestone Freedom 100 for Firestone Indy Lights cars will happen on Friday, May 25, at The Speedway. The race will be televised live by NBC Sports Network at Noon (ET) and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network.

Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD

(Courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives)
Indianapolis, Indiana, May 30, 1969. Mario Andretti in Victory lane after winning his first and only Indianapolis 500 on his fifth attempt. Driving the No. 2 STP Oil Treatment Hawk III/Ford, Andretti led 116 of the 200 laps, averaging 156.867 mph. His take of the purse? $206,727.00. Dan Gurney finished second in his No. 48 Olsonite-sponsored Eagle/Weslake-Ford and Bobby Unser (No. 1 Bardahl Lola-Offenhauser) came in third. Andretti had  crashed heavily in practice two weeks before the race suffering burns, and he was forced into his back-up car for the race. Watch videos of that 1969 Indy 500 here, and here.

Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD

See another live episode of "Autoline After Hours" with hosts John McElroy, from Autoline Detroit, and Peter De Lorenzo, The Autoextremist, and guests this Thursday evening, at 7:00PM EDT at www.autolinedetroit.tv.

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