THE LINE #444

May 7, 2008 

Marco Andretti, Andretti Green Racing. Marco Andretti was the fastest of 31 drivers yesterday on opening day of practice for the 92nd Indianapolis 500 in his No. 26 AGR Team Indiana Jones presented by Blockbuster Dallara/Honda/Firestone entry. Andretti, who finished second in the race as a rookie in 2006, turned a quick lap on the historic 2.5-mile oval in 39.7177 seconds for a speed of 226.599 mph. Marco's teammate, Tony Kanaan (No. 11 AGR Team 7-Eleven) was second fastest with a lap of 225.269 mph. Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Scott Dixon (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing D/H/F) and 2005 winner Dan Wheldon (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing D/H/F)) were third (225.011 mph) and fifth (224.727 mph), respectively, while Ryan Briscoe (No. 6 Team Penske D/H/F) and two-time Indy winner Helio Castroneves (No. 3 Team Penske D/H/F) were fourth (224.804 mph) and sixth (224.576), respectively. Twenty veterans and 11 rookies combined for the most drivers to practice on the first day since 1999, when 33 drivers completed laps. There are three more days of practice before PEAK Motor Oil Pole Qualifying on Saturday.

(Jim Haines/IRL)
Marco Andretti's car sports a wild "Indiana Jones" paint job for the month of May at Indy. Click here for a gallery from the opening day of Indy practice. (Gallery photos by Jim Haines, Chris Jones, Shawn Payne and Steve Snoddy, and courtesy of the Indy Racing League.)

Firestone. Each IndyCar Series team receives 35 sets of Firestone Firehawk tires for the month of May to use as they determine for practice, qualifying and the race. Firestone makes two tire staggers of approximately 0.35 and 0.44 of an inch available for Indy.

Team Penske. Excellence is expected for the winningest racing team in Indianapolis 500 history. The team has won 14 times, dating back to Mark Donohue’s victory in 1972. The entrant with the next most victories is Lou Moore, who won five times between 1938-49. Team Penske has also won 14 pole positions at Indianapolis, 10 more than any other entrant. Overall, the team has made 76 starts in the ‘500’ with 19 drivers. Those drivers have led 1,835 laps.

(GM Racing)
An all-new Midget racing engine was unveiled May 7 by GM Racing, Chevrolet and United States Auto Club (USAC) team owner Tony Stewart at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Designed by GM Racing specifically for the USAC National Midget Car Series, the new purpose-built, four-cylinder Chevrolet racing engine will initially power Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) drivers Tracy Hines and Levi Jones in upcoming events. The new Chevy Midget engine will be available to all USAC competitors through independent engine builders. The new methanol-burning 166ci (2.7-liter) Chevy Midget racing engine produces more than 350 horsepower. The lightweight, in-line four-cylinder engine employs an aluminum block and cylinder head with two valves per cylinder. Per USAC rules, the Chevy Midget engine is equipped with mechanical fuel injection and utilizes an electronic ignition system. The new Chevy powerplant stands out from its competition with an innovative architecture that improves its combustion efficiency, enhances airflow and lowers the center of gravity. Advanced technical resources such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and solid 3-D modeling used to design GM production engines were also used to develop the Chevrolet Midget racing engine. The major components that define the Chevrolet Midget engine package – the cylinder block, cylinder head and certain ancillaries – will be available to all USAC competitors. Independent engine builders can then assemble Chevy Midget engines using internal components from their preferred suppliers. Kistler Racing Engines of Fremont, Ohio, supplies the Chevy engines that power the two TSR entries.