THE GREATEST SPECTACLE IN RACING IS READY FOR ITS CLOSE-UP.

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. This Sunday will mark the 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It's easy to be jaded about the sport at this juncture in its history, because it's driven by money and riven with political gamesmanship and rampant stupidity at times, but fortunately and against all odds, the magic and allure of the Indy 500 remains largely intact. It's still the biggest motor race at the greatest motorsports facility in the world, and it's still the one race drivers the world over fantasize about winning.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is America's Cathedral of Speed, and it harbors so much living and breathing history - from heroic triumphs to gut-wrenching tragedies - that it is hard to take it all in or appreciate it in just one visit. The historic aura of The Speedway hangs in the air, permeating everything to such a degree that it is unforgettable. A visit to The Speedway becomes etched in your memory, from the emotional Memorial Day tributes on race day right up to the start of the "500" itself, which remains the most electrifying moment in all of sport. 

The table is set for this year's race to be one of the greatest in history. A star-studded field of tremendously talented drivers will go at it for 500 miles, and like the great races of the past, it will be decided in the last ten laps, or less. Ed Carpenter, a true local Indianapolis hero, is on the pole in his No. 20 ECR Fuzzy's Vodka Chevrolet Turbo V6 with an impressive four-lap, 10-mile run at 229.618 mph. His initial lap of 230.088 mph on the qualifying run was the first logged by anyone at that speed this year on the 2.5-mile oval without the assistance of an aerodynamic tow. Carpenter's teammates, Spencer Pigot (No. 21 ECR Preferred Freezer Service Chevrolet Turbo V6) at 228.107 mph and Danica Patrick (No. 13 ECR GoDaddy Chevrolet Turbo V6) at 228.090 mph qualified sixth and seventh, respectively, which is a tremendous showing for one of the smaller teams in the sport. "I'm super proud of the team," Carpenter said. "It's one thing to build a fast car here. It's a whole 'nother to build three fast cars, especially one of them not being a full-time crew." 

And of course there's Team Penske, always a force to be reckoned with on race day, which occupies positions 2-3-4-8 with Simon Pagenaud (No. 22 Team Penske Menards Chevrolet Turbo V6) qualified in the middle of the front row with a speed of 228.761 mph, Will Power (No. 12 Team Penske Verizon Chevrolet Turbo V6) qualified third at 228.607 mph and Josef Newgarden (No. 1 Team Penske Verizon Chevrolet Turbo V6) is inside of the second row at 228.405 mph. The fourth Team Penske driver, three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves (No. 3 Team Penske Pennzoil Chevrolet Turbo V6), had a disappointing qualifying run of 227.859 mph, which placed him eighth on the starting grid.

There will be other contenders, too, almost too many to mention, in fact. Sebastien Bourdais (No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan Team SealMaster Honda Turbo V6) qualified fifth at 228.142 mph. And Scott Dixon (No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing PNC Bank Honda Turbo V6); Tony Kanaan (No. 14 A.J. Foyt Racing ABC Supply Chevrolet Turbo V6); Marco Andretti (No. 98 Andretti Autosport U.S. Concrete/Curb Hond Turbo V6); Alexander Rossi (No. 27 Andretti Autosport Honda Turbo V6); Graham Rahal (No. 15 Rahal-Letterman-Lanigan Racing United Rentals Honda Turbo V6); Sage Karam (Dreyer Reinbold Racing WIX Filters Chevrolet Turbo V6); Ryan Hunter-Reay (No. 28 Andretti Autosport DHL Honda Turbo V6); Takuma Sato (No. 30 Mi-Jack/Panasonic Honda Turbo V6); JR Hildebrand (No. 66 Dreyer Reinbold Racing Salesforce Chevrolet Turbo V6); and notable rookies Robert Wickens (No. 6 SPM Lucas Oil Honda Turbo V6) and Matheus Leist (No. 4 A.J. Foyt Racing ABC Supply Chevrolet Turbo V6). 

As I do every year, I offer no predictions. The Indianapolis 500 is too unpredictable. I am just hoping for a safe, fast and entertaining race. The 37-year-old Carpenter will lead the field of 33 cars to the green flag when "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" rolls off Sunday, May 27 (11 a.m. ET, ABC and Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network).

And that's the High-Octane Truth for this week.


INDIANAPOLIS - Results of qualifying Sunday for the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. A Verizon IndyCar Series event on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with rank, car number in parentheses, driver, engine, time and speed in parentheses:

1. (20) Ed Carpenter, Chevrolet, 2:36.7818 (229.618 mph)                                
2. (22) Simon Pagenaud, Chevrolet, 2:37.3696 (228.761)                                
3. (12) Will Power, Chevrolet, 2:37.4757 (228.607)                                 
4. (1) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 2:37.6151 (228.405)                                
5. (18) Sebastien Bourdais, Honda, 2:37.7965 (228.142)                                
6. (21) Spencer Pigot, Chevrolet, 2:37.8208 (228.107)                                 
7. (13) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 2:37.8326 (228.090)                                
8. (3) Helio Castroneves, Chevrolet, 2:37.9924 (227.859)                                
9. (9) Scott Dixon, Honda, 2:38.4076 (227.262)                                 
10. (14) Tony Kanaan, Chevrolet, 2:38.1278 (227.664)                                
11. (4) Matheus Leist, Chevrolet, 2:38.1922 (227.571)                                
12. (98) Marco Andretti, Honda, 2:38.3894 (227.288)                                 
13. (19) Zachary Claman De Melo, Honda, 2:38.5908 (226.999)                                
14. (28) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Honda, 2:38.7389 (226.788)                                
15. (23) Charlie Kimball, Chevrolet, 2:38.8304 (226.657)                                 
16. (30) Takuma Sato, Honda, 2:38.9003 (226.557)                                
17. (32) Kyle Kaiser, Chevrolet, 2:39.0119 (226.398)                                
18. (6) Robert Wickens, Honda, 2:39.0835 (226.296)                                 
19. (33) James Davison, Chevrolet, 2:39.1128 (226.255)                                
20. (59) Max Chilton, Chevrolet, 2:39.1430 (226.212)                                
21. (29) Carlos Munoz, Honda, 2:39.2585 (226.048)                                 
22. (88) Gabby Chaves, Chevrolet, 2:39.2874 (226.007)                                
23. (25) Stefan Wilson, Honda, 2:39.3889 (225.863)                                
24. (24) Sage Karam, Chevrolet, 2:39.4171 (225.823)                                 
25. (26) Zach Veach, Honda, 2:39.4696 (225.748)                                
26. (64) Oriol Servia, Honda, 2:39.5044 (225.699)                                
27. (66) JR Hildebrand, Chevrolet, 2:39.7032 (225.418)                                 
28. (7) Jay Howard, Honda, 2:39.7245 (225.388)                                
29. (10) Ed Jones, Honda, 2:39.7433 (225.362)                                
30. (15) Graham Rahal, Honda, 2:39.7679 (225.327)                                 
31. (60) Jack Harvey, Honda, 2:39.8193 (225.254)                                
32. (27) Alexander Rossi, Honda, 2:40.0462 (224.935)                                
33. (17) Conor Daly, Honda, 2:40.4073 (224.429)          

(Photo by Chris Owens/INDYCAR)   
Ed Carpenter, a true local Indianapolis hero, is on the pole in his No. 20 ECR Fuzzy's Vodka Chevrolet Turbo V6 with an impressive four-lap, 10-mile run at 229.618 mph. His initial lap of 230.088 mph on the qualifying run was the first logged by anyone at that speed this year on the 2.5-mile oval without the assistance of an aerodynamic tow.   

(Indianapolis Motor Speedway)
Roger Penske, Rick Mears and A.J. Foyt at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1988.