2013 IZOD IndyCar Series. The fastest drivers in the world.

VNAF Ace · 4:05 AM

KAMKA-Z · Apr 30 2007, 10:16 PM #202

Not to take away from the talent and hard work involved....
I thought the race was pathetic. Only 21 cars started, maybe five had a chance of winning. Open-Wheel racing in the US is absolutely lame. Thanks, Tony George. Can open wheel racing ever be as good in the US as Pre-IRL CART was. There isn't room for two series in the US. Get over it Tony, and Forsythe. Let's put it back together the way it belongs. (ovals, road courses, and a few street races and more than one engine)

VNAF Ace · 6:35 PM

2007 Indianapolis 500 Starting Lineup
1 | 3 | Helio Castroneves (BRA) | Team Penske | 2:39.4214 | 225.817 MPH
2 | 11 | Tony Kanaan (BRA) | Andretti Green Racing | 2:39.4634 | 225.757 MPH
3 | 27 | Dario Franchitti (GBR) | Andretti Green Racing | 2:39.8642 | 225.191 MPH
4 | 9 | Scott Dixon (NZL) | Target Chip Ganassi Racing | 2:39.9136 | 225.122 MPH
5 | 6 | Sam Hornish Jr. (USA) | Team Penske | 2:39.9227 | 225.109 MPH
6 | 10 | Dan Wheldon (GBR) | Target Chip Ganassi Racing | 2:40.2557 | 224.641 MPH
7 | 12 | Ryan Briscoe (AUS) | Luczo Dragon Racing | 2:40.4208 | 224.410 MPH
8 | 7 | Danica Patrick (USA) | Andretti Green Racing | 2:40.6596 | 224.076 MPH
9 | 26 | Marco Andretti (USA) | Andretti Green Racing | 2:41.2186 | 223.299 MPH
10 | 2 | Tomas Scheckter (RSA) | Vision Racing | 2:41.5238 | 222.877 MPH
11 | 39 | Michael Andretti (USA) | Andretti Green Racing | 2:41.5880 | 222.789 MPH
12 | 8 | Scott Sharp (USA) | Rahal Letterman Racing | 2:40.8041 | 223.875 MPH
13 | 17 | Jeff Simmons (USA) | Rahal Letterman Racing | 2:40.9352 | 223.693 MPH
14 | 20 | Ed Carpenter (USA) | Vision Racing | 2:41.0777 | 223.495 MPH
15 | 14 | Darren Manning (GBR) | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | 2:41.0950 | 223.471 MPH
16 | 15 | Buddy Rice (USA) | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | 2:41.5612 | 222.826 MPH
17 | 55 | Kosuke Matsuura (JPN) | Super Aguri Panther Racing | 2:41.7290 | 222.595 MPH
18 | 22 | A.J. Foyt IV (USA) | Vision Racing | 2:41.8607 | 222.413 MPH
19 | 4 | Vitor Meira (BRA) | Panther Racing | 2:41.9196 | 222.333 MPH
20 | 02 | Davey Hamilton (USA) | Vision Racing | 2:41.9238 | 222.327 MPH
21 | 5 | Sarah Fisher (USA) | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | 2:42.1914 | 221.960 MPH
22 | 99 | Buddy Lazier (USA) | Sam Schmidt Motorsports | 2:42.6165 | 221.380 MPH
23 | 24 | Roger Yasukawa (USA) | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | 2:41.6855 | 222.654
24 | 33 | John Andretti (USA) | Panther Racing | 2:42.3403 | 221.756 MPH
25 | 50 | Al Unser Jr. (USA) | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | 2:42.9871 | 220.876 MPH
26 | 98 | Alex Barron (USA) | Curb/Agajanian/Beck Motorsports | 2:43.2871 | 220.471 MPH
27 | 19 | Jon Herb (USA) | Racing Professionals | 2:43.5516 | 220.108 MPH
28 | 21 | Jaques Lazier (USA) | Playa Del Racing | 2:44.0774 | 219.409 MPH
29 | 23 | Milka Duno (VEN) | SAMAX Motorsport | 2:44.2129 | 219.228 MPH
30 | 25 | Marty Roth (CAN) | Roth Racing | 2:44.4421 | 218.922 MPH
31 | 77 | Roberto Moreno (BRA) | Chastain Motorsports | 2:43.4139 | 220.299 MPH
32 | 91 | Richie Hearn (USA) | Hemelgarn/Racing Professionals | 2:43.7408 | 219.860 MPH
33 | 31 | Phil Giebler (USA) | Playa Del Racing | 2:43.9071 | 219.637 MPH

The 2007 Indianapolis 500 airs on Sunday, May 27, 2007, 12:00 PM EDT on ABC!

KAMKA-Z · May 26 2007, 11:41 AM #204

Random thoughts:
Should be a good race, There's finally some talent in the IRL trickling in from other series or coming out of retirement.
Three Andrettis in the field.
Three women in the field; good to see Sarah Fisher back.
The field was just barely filled out. only one car/driver was bumped from the field.
Looks like a dallara chassis is the one to have.
Only one engine choice. Boring. Let's bring back Stock Block Buick V6s.
Only one tire choice. Good for safety.
I really wish Tony George and the guys with Champ Car would find some common ground and merge their series. That should put open wheel racing back on track in North America. It could get as good or better than it was before the split.
More racing fans polled would rather see the 600 at Charlote than the Indy 500. That's just plain sad.

JohnBM01 · May 27 2007, 12:50 AM #205

I wanted to make an Indy 500 thread long ago. Unfortunately, I decided to back off. It's a great week to be a racing fan if you're in America. Indy is going to be a very interesting race. I don't have any true favorite. Do you all remember last year's race? Marco Andretti had his heart broken on the last lap by Sam Hornish Jr. I felt for the guy when he was stunned by Hornish Jr. There's also the story of the three ladies. I sure love to see Danica Patrick win. I think Sarah Fisher can be quite consistent. I wouldn't be surprised if she creeps up on the leading drivers and makes some noise late. I think Milka Duno is a talented racing veteran, but my chances of the hermosa (beautiful) 35-year old winning are VERY low. Speed Channel's Robin Miller completely downplayed her in calling her nothing more but a photo-op. There may be the chance that Milka makes some mad noise and show her strength with millions (maybe billions) of people tuning into this event.

I go on record saying that this is my favorite oval race. I think of the Indy event as a road course with four turns. You go very fast and have to race bravely to make something happen. I say that this is one of the most extreme tests of continuous high-speed racing. Let me add to the discussion by offering my own "FACT OR FICTION" statements. I'll make a comment regarding a certain event regarding the Indy 500. Your goal is to tell me whether you think the statement is very likely to happen (Fact) or very un-likely to happen (Fiction). You ready? Let's do this!

The 91st Indy 500 - FACT OR FICTION?

1.) Milka Duno will finish.

2.) Danica Patrick will not finish any higher than 5th.

3.) The defending champion (Sam Hornish Jr.) will be the highest-placed finisher from America.

4.) At least two Brazilians will not finish.

5.) There will be no more than 5 cautions.

6.) Sarah Fisher will be the lowest-placed female racer.

7.) At least one Vision Racing driver will not finish.

8.) The Top 5 finisters will consist of at least one car from Team Penske and Andretti Green Racing.

9.) Davey Hamilton will finish in the Top 10.

10.) All three Andrettis (as in the Andretti family) will finish.

11.) All A.J. Foyt Enterprises entries will finish.

12.) Jaques Lazier will miss out on a Top 10 finish (meaning 11th or worse).

13.) Phil Giebler will finish. And if he does, he will finish among the lead lap cars.

14.) Kosuke Matsurra will not finish.

15.) Ryan Briscoe will finish in the Top 15.

That's 15 for you. What do you think?

KAMKA-Z · May 27 2007, 2:17 PM #206

JohnBM01

Let me add to the discussion by offering my own "FACT OR FICTION" statements. I'll make a comment regarding a certain event regarding the Indy 500. Your goal is to tell me whether you think the statement is very likely to happen (Fact) or very un-likely to happen (Fiction). You ready? Let's do this!

The 91st Indy 500 - FACT OR FICTION?

1.) Milka Duno will finish.

2.) Danica Patrick will not finish any higher than 5th.

3.) The defending champion (Sam Hornish Jr.) will be the highest-placed finisher from America.

4.) At least two Brazilians will not finish.

5.) There will be no more than 5 cautions.

6.) Sarah Fisher will be the lowest-placed female racer.

7.) At least one Vision Racing driver will not finish.

8.) The Top 5 finisters will consist of at least one car from Team Penske and Andretti Green Racing.

9.) Davey Hamilton will finish in the Top 10.

10.) All three Andrettis (as in the Andretti family) will finish.

11.) All A.J. Foyt Enterprises entries will finish.

12.) Jaques Lazier will miss out on a Top 10 finish (meaning 11th or worse).

13.) Phil Giebler will finish. And if he does, he will finish among the lead lap cars.

14.) Kosuke Matsurra will not finish.

15.) Ryan Briscoe will finish in the Top 15.

That's 15 for you. What do you think?

As of lap 214 when it was red flagged for rain: 1,2,3,4,5,6,8,11,13 are false. Maybe more but I'm not looking at official standings. That old brickyard always makes predictions difficult.

red7 · May 27 2007, 2:28 PM #207

You know, even if the race isn't restarted and kanaan wins , marco will be saved the fate of knowing "yes I won the Indy 282.5"

VNAF Ace · May 27 2007, 4:26 PM #208

The race will restart at 5:45 PM EDT! C'mon Michael and Marco!

CardcaptorYoshi · May 27 2007, 6:37 PM #209

Well, it's over, Thoughts:

(spoilers ahead, highlight as necessary)

*Props to Franchitti for winning a shortened, but still pretty decent length Indy 400andsomething. It turns out that rain gamble paid off pretty well after all, as it did for many other drivers.
*Speaking of, the gamble paid off for Briscoe (5th) and Hamilton (9th) - two good drivers who have come back from horrible injuries for great top 10 finishes. Also for Sharp as well; he finishes 6th despite having pretty much no TV time at all today.
*It's too bad things didn't go well for Marco, I was rooting for him personally and for the Andrettis as well. They had a pretty miserable day, with Marco taking himself out in a foolish move, Michael finishing midfield, and John headed home early. Scary crash for Marco though, I was worried for a moment.
*But his accident really summed up the nature of this race; pretty much from the start these guys (and ladies) meant business; whether it was about to rain or if it just did, the weather was always a threat and made for some fast-paced racing and interesting strategy choices.
*Not much of a finish for the women in this race though: Duno ended up wrecking (like many others, by getting up high and not coming back down), Fisher was MIA the whole race, and Danica barely cracking the top 10 in 8th. She was definitely up there during the second stage of the rain (post-rain delay), but I think she was hurt by all the cautions and rain at the end.
*As for the rain delay itself, that was definitely a very sweaty moment for a lot of fans like me out there. It's so tempting, with Marco 2nd and Danica 3rd; so close to a win, but not quite (Marco gave up the lead just before the delay)... it was a lot of nailbiting to see whether it would stay official or not. I'm sure they all would argue a win is a win.
*Finally, despite finishing only 13th after all that pace during the race, a good driver award to Kanaan for saving his car at least once; he was spun under caution (a major WTF moment) and he may have gotten involved in the race-ending Marco incident. It was hard to tell, there wasn't a lot of good camera footage, as they were in midfield.

Altogether, a very interesting and exciting race, with a very long rain break in between. Still, if you were like me and had stuff to do in the middle, it was a very good race and worth the wait, although the finish didn't quite come up to last year's stunner (although the gap was still close

)

KAMKA-Z · May 27 2007, 9:08 PM #210

Wow. Everything Changed. I missed the second rain shortened stint.

JohnBM01

The 91st Indy 500 - FACT OR FICTION?

1.) Milka Duno will finish.
FICTION (She did look to be doing well ahead of Al Unser Jr. while it lasted)

2.) Danica Patrick will not finish any higher than 5th.
FACT (not in the same pit sequence as Dario, otherwise...)

3.) The defending champion (Sam Hornish Jr.) will be the highest-placed finisher from America.
FICTION (Ryan Briscoe was)

4.) At least two Brazilians will not finish.
FICTION (Two South Americans didn't finish though)

5.) There will be no more than 5 cautions.
FICTION (This is the IRL after all, Not CART.)

6.) Sarah Fisher will be the lowest-placed female racer.
FICTION (lowest finishing woman though)

7.) At least one Vision Racing driver will not finish.

8.) The Top 5 finisters will consist of at least one car from Team Penske and Andretti Green Racing.
FACT (Ryan Briscoe was a third partial Penske entry)

9.) Davey Hamilton will finish in the Top 10.
FACT (Bravo)

10.) All three Andrettis (as in the Andretti family) will finish.
FICTION (only Michael)

11.) All A.J. Foyt Enterprises entries will finish.
FICTION (John Andretti crashed out)

12.) Jaques Lazier will miss out on a Top 10 finish (meaning 11th or worse).
FACT

13.) Phil Giebler will finish. And if he does, he will finish among the lead lap cars.
FICTION (the Wall got him)

14.) Kosuke Matsurra will not finish.
FICTION (might as well have parked it)

15.) Ryan Briscoe will finish in the Top 15.
FACT

That's 15 for you. What do you think?

JohnBM01 · May 28 2007, 1:11 AM #211

Thanks for reviewing my FACT OR FICTION statements, KAMKA-Z. I picked Dan Wheldon as a last minute pick. My storyline for Indy 2007 was on the ladies. So let me key in.

--- How the Fairer Sex Fared ---
* Again, I love watching Danica Patrick race. She's done very well throughout the race. The pit strategy her and some others took in the later stages didn't work out. But as it's said, "that's racin'." It's still a great honor for Danica. So while most other people are sick of Mrs. D. Patrick, you can't discredit that she's due for a win with Andretti-Green Racing. On a great note, she's finishing in the Top 10 at Indy in her three starts there.

* Sarah Fisher remained strong despite struggling. She finished worse than 20th, but gave it a great effort.

* Houston has a very large Latin American contigent. So I'm sure a number of Latin racing fans here in Houston were mindful of how Milka Duno would do. Unfortunately, I saw the beautiful Venezuelan put her Citgo machine into the wall. It was a tough break for her as she spun out in Turn 1 and into the wall.

-end

Hats off to Davey Hamilton. Coming back from all those surgeries and getting a Top 10 is a great finishing story. I think it was the best story of the race. Now that Indy's over, everyone is allowed to return to normal, right? No! The IndyCar Series returns to work at Milwaukee next week. No rest for the weary. My congratulations to Dario Franchitti as Ashley Judd (recently got her degree in French the University of Kentucky. Sure my buddy FoolKiller is proud) was tense at how the race would end.

Pretty good race. Wished the rains would subside and wished I could have seen more of the race, but good race nonetheless.

m.piedgros · May 28 2007, 9:01 AM #212

One comment on Mrs. Franchitti (Ashley Judd, not his mom... haha)...

Robin Miller can call Dario a gentleman, Robin Miller can compare him to Jim Clark... the wife of the bleedin' race car driver CANNOT do that. That is essentially the same as Dario getting out of the car and saying "Well, I was down in 18th(?) place and was able to work my way up to the lead passing each driver in a very gentlemanly fashion. I'd also like to point out that I'm the first Scot to win since Jim Clark."

It just rubbed me wrong, maybe I'm going overboard once again but I was immensely proud of Dario (as I used his #9 car exclusively in CART Precision Racing if you care to take a trip in the way back machine with me) but both my Dad and I thought Ms. (or Mrs.?) Judd's comments were just out of place and for us they almost tainted the win.

If I had won the rain-shortened 500 last evening, and you came and asked me if I had rather won it over the full 500 miles I think I'd sock you in the face and tell you I won the dang race fair and square. That being said, like Buddy Rice in '04, in '07 we have our winner decided short of the 500 miles, does that make the win "less legit?"

Go for two in a row at Milwaukee Dario!

m.piedgros

KAMKA-Z · May 28 2007, 10:36 AM #213

I didn't catch Ms Judd's comments. I'm not ready to compare Dario to Jim Clark yet, though I'm glad to see him win.

I did catch Mike Andretti whining about being stuck behind slower traffic, especially his old rival Al Unser Jr. I really think Michael has lost his drive to win.

PS What do you have when you have 3 Andrettis in your basement?
Answer: A Whine Cellar.

VNAF Ace · May 30 2007, 5:43 AM #214

TheCracker · May 30 2007, 6:16 AM #215

I've just had a lazy (extended) weekend, giving me ample opportunity to camp out infront of the TV watching motorsport. I watched the Monaco GP, qualifying and race, Moto GP from Le Mans, some World Superbikes from Silverstone, some footage of ALMS from Utah, some of the CORR truck series and even some British Rallycross. I come back to work yesterday, log on to GTP and find out that another Brits won the Indy 500 - i didn't even know it was on this past weekend!!! - nothing on TV, including the news, nothing in the papers. We get to see every Champcar race but the whole IRL passes us by completely. It would seem that IRL offers little or no interest outside the US. I think it's about time Champcar and the IRL are reunited if races with the clout of the Indy 500 are to have the worldwide coverage that they deserve.

Solid Lifters · May 30 2007, 2:36 PM #216

TheCracker

I've just had a lazy (extended) weekend, giving me ample opportunity to camp out infront of the TV watching motorsport. I watched the Monaco GP, qualifying and race, Moto GP from Le Mans, some World Superbikes from Silverstone, some footage of ALMS from Utah, some of the CORR truck series and even some British Rallycross. I come back to work yesterday, log on to GTP and find out that another Brits won the Indy 500 - i didn't even know it was on this past weekend!!! - nothing on TV, including the news, nothing in the papers. We get to see every Champcar race but the whole IRL passes us by completely. It would seem that IRL offers little or no interest outside the US. I think it's about time Champcar and the IRL are reunited if races with the clout of the Indy 500 are to have the worldwide coverage that they deserve.

I completely forgot about the Indy 500. I've watched this race for years, and years. It shows how much IRL racing has been a losing interest to so many people including myself.

I too, haven't heard a word about this race on the news, in the papers, TV ads, etc. Wow.

I think since last years race was so terrible, and the fact I don't follow the IRL anymore pretty much has completely put this event and sport out of my mind.

R.I.P. Indy 500.

JohnBM01 · May 30 2007, 3:48 PM #217

The win at Indy for Dario Franchitti is certainly amazing. I'm impressed also about Danica Patrick's great performance despite not finishing higher than 4th. My little editorials are what I refer to as "Sound Off!" sessions. So I'm going to sound off about Danica Patrick now.

Sound Off! - Danica Patrick... Is Her Day Coming?

I've never hated Danica Patrick since she came into racing. I didn't start getting into her until the buildup for the 2005 Indy 500. She's been featured in a number of sports shows, radio interviews, late night shows, and stuff like that. The criticism over Danica is that as much as she's featured in American media, she has yet to win a race. Fans have shyed away from Danica as she hasn't won a race or made too much hype in the media. I've even seen Dale Jr. fans (generalization) knock on Danica on "WindTunnel with Dave Despain" for any sort of reason. Things ranging from her blocking a driver to that popular romp after she failed to finish. I'd still love to see her win a race. She is a talented race car driver racing for one of the best teams in the business- Andretti-Green Racing. Besides winning, one other think Danica hasn't yet done was score the highest finish for a lady. Sarah Fisher holds that record by finishing 2nd in 2003(?). Is Danica's day in the sun coming? When will it come?

I think Danica Patrick admits that being pressured a lot drives her to be better. She seems to have this "I'm going to have to prove you wrong" attitude. I think her time is coming. She may win this year, may even win next weekend at Milwaukee. I'm still a fan of Danica Patrick. It would be great for the 25-year old to win in the state she was born in. She's come of age since Indy 2005 but really shone at Indy this year before the rains and the failed pit sequence she took. When Danica finally wins a race, I'll be more than happy to congratulate her on a job well done. I'm still proud to see her finish. I am proud of her wherever she finishes. I just want to see that lovely black and sky blue #7 finish and finish well. I'm not overrating her. I'm not saying something like "she could overtake Michael Schumacher in her prime" or anything outlandishly mad. Just because I'm not writing off Danica as a fad doesn't mean I'm a blooming idiot for not sticking with other racing fans. I think Danica's day will come. She may even become a true inspiration for other ladies to go racing and compete in the IndyCar Series. For one thing, Danica's racing in the toughest all-or-mostly-oval racing series in America (and perhaps the world). You're racing these very light Indy cars that can do about 220 or even 230. It can be very easy to make a mistake and throw away a perfectly good race. You don't have the luxury of fenders like in stock car racing. She's competiting in a tough racing series against a world of talent. One day, she will truly triumph and may finally silence her many critics. When will that day come? We may never know. But I'd like to think that her time to shine as a race winner will come before she's eventually done with the IndyCar Series. Sure love to see a beautiful brunette born out of the small town of Beloit, Wisconsin to win in the IndyCar Series. I want to see on TV Danica win in the IndyCar Series or in any other form of competition. I'm waiting for announcers to say, "...and Danica Patrick will win the (enter ICS race here)!" I still believe in Danica. I still respect her. I think she will shine as a race winner. I just hope I'm next to a television or radio or web stream to experience a big win from her.

-end

In addition, I would also like to make a debate question regarding the Indy 500. A number of drivers are incredibly amazing and may even be Hall of Fame racers. But to the topic of my debate question, I'd like to ask you all the following:

John's Debate!
The Indy 500 is one of the biggest races you must win if you're racing in America and want to establish yourself in America as one of the best racers in the world. But to be regarded as one of the best racers of all time in America, do you NEED to win the Indy 500? Or can you still be a world-class driver without having won the Indianapolis 500 (requirement: at least one start at Indy)?

What do you think about either my Sound Off and/or my debate question?

FoolKiller · May 31 2007, 11:28 AM #218

,.piedgros

One comment on Mrs. Franchitti (Ashley Judd, not his mom... haha)...

Mrs. Franchitti? I thought it was Mr, Judd. Apparently a valet called him that once and he was none too happy, so I always call him that now.

Robin Miller can call Dario a gentleman, Robin Miller can compare him to Jim Clark... the wife of the bleedin' race car driver CANNOT do that. That is essentially the same as Dario getting out of the car and saying "Well, I was down in 18th(?) place and was able to work my way up to the lead passing each driver in a very gentlemanly fashion. I'd also like to point out that I'm the first Scot to win since Jim Clark."

It just rubbed me wrong, maybe I'm going overboard once again but I was immensely proud of Dario (as I used his #9 car exclusively in CART Precision Racing if you care to take a trip in the way back machine with me) but both my Dad and I thought Ms. (or Mrs.?) Judd's comments were just out of place and for us they almost tainted the win.

I agree with this. She came off very bad during that little speech. "Like a gentleman!" If the camera had been zoomed out I bet her finger was in the reporter's face. She does a lot for charity and Kentucky basketball, but I swear she has no problems acting better than others and talking down to people. I've seen her locally being interviewed about a movie, her husband, Kentucky basketball, or her charities and she suddenly swung into politics and took on that same tone and went on a rant. It was very Tom Cruise w/ Matt Lauer like.

VNAF Ace

<snip>

I love the, "Oh God it's models" look on her face.

Solid Lifters

I completely forgot about the Indy 500. I've watched this race for years, and years. It shows how much IRL racing has been a losing interest to so many people including myself.

I too, haven't heard a word about this race on the news, in the papers, TV ads, etc. Wow.

I think since last years race was so terrible, and the fact I don't follow the IRL anymore pretty much has completely put this event and sport out of my mind.

R.I.P. Indy 500.

While I fear it is getting left behind more and more by the general public I don't think it is R.I.P. time yet. I have a theory about what happened. Days of Thunder, the movie, came out. When I was a kid I had barely heard of NASCAR and stockcar racing was what happened at the local 1/2 mile oval or dirt track with junker cars that usually wound up in the destruction derby held every other month. Then after that movie suddenly I began hearing more about NASCAR and stockcar racing. That's my theory anyway. I am sure there is some other stuff that went into it.

Whatever it is there is definitely a marketing issue. People still know what you are talking about when you mention Indy racing, but they couldn't tell you who any of the drivers are. But it is still better known than most other forms of open wheel (except Formula 1, of course) and sports car racing.

I think it was this month's Road&Track that had an editorial piece talking about how many drivers from other places showed up at the 24 hours of Daytona that were not actually a part of the Rolex series. He suggested making those points count in other racing series. He then went on to suggest having points cross over a lot of series, especially since in sports car and open wheel racing you get a lot of cross-series drivers anyway. His theory was that you would see some smaller series get more well-known drivers, even if just for big races, like the Indy 500, and it would thus draw crowds.

I like his theory. Imagine if a NASCAR driver realizes he is in trouble getting himself into the chase and hopped into a Champ Car or an Indy Car, maybe even a GT1 Le Mans car to make up some points. You don't need to become a regular, but just hit some of the bigger races. Suddenly by being a more versatile driver you get a leg up on your main competition.

The only fear I would have doing this is that ALMS, Champ Car, and Indy would become klind of like the Busch Series, where it is all the same big name NASCAR drivers because the sponsors don't want to give money to a guy trying to work his weigh up.

JohnBM01

John's Debate!
The Indy 500 is one of the biggest races you must win if you're racing in America and want to establish yourself in America as one of the best racers in the world. But to be regarded as one of the best racers of all time in America, do you NEED to win the Indy 500? Or can you still be a world-class driver without having won the Indianapolis 500 (requirement: at least one start at Indy)?

What do you think about either my Sound Off and/or my debate question?

First, Danica: I like her as well. I keep pulling for her. I've actually been pulling for all of Andretti-Green lately since they joined ALMS. But I wanted to see Danica win from the beginning because racing is a sport where the physiological differences between men and women are not enough to make a difference (yes, I know physical strength is required in racing in order to handle the car under G-forces). I'm actually cheering for any major new thing that upsets the norm. I want to see a woman win in Indy and I want Toyota to mop up in NASCAR. It helps that Danica seems to be very personable. Although, I do have to say that when she gets angry on the radio she needs to calm down. It occured to me that when it is a burly southern NASCAR driver or foreign man with an accent angry comes off as angry. When a woman does it and her voice goes up in pitch she sounds whiney or like you expect her to cry. The radio could be a part of it, but it just makes her sound bad.

I don't think you need to win the Indy 500 to be considered one of the best anywhere. It definitely adds to the prestige, but how many greats in any sport don't win the ultimate victory? If a guy, over his career, won each race at least once, except the Indy 500, would he not be one of the best? I think sports puts too much weight on certain individual events because they either have a special trophy or a historic significance. I think it is especially bad in team sports because one man doesn't run the whole team. Individual sports have a better argument for blaming the man. Now, racing is often confused as an individual sport, but it is a team sport. Sometimes a race can be lost by a bad pit stop, which is due to the pit crew, not the driver.

Basically, the best drivers in America do not need to win the Indy 500 to be recognized as such.

VNAF Ace · 2:29 PM

FoolKiller

Basically, the best drivers in America do not need to win the Indy 500 to be recognized as such.

I think most race fans know that. For example, Michael Andretti is recognized as one of America's best open wheel drivers even though he's never won the Indy 500. However, he obviously still wants to win it and break the Andretti Curse.

VNAF Ace · 5:26 PM

2007 Milwaukee 225 Starting Lineup
1 | 3 | Helio Castroneves (BRA) | Team Penske | 0:21.3596 | 171.071 MPH
2 | 9 | Scott Dixon (NZL) | Target Chip Ganassi Racing | 0:21.5873 | 169.266 MPH
3 | 11 | Tony Kanaan (BRA) | Andretti Green Racing | 0:21.6011 | 169.158 MPH
4 | 10 | Dan Wheldon (GBR) | Target Chip Ganassi Racing | 0:21.6089 | 169.097 MPH
5 | 6 | Sam Hornish Jr. (USA) | Team Penske | 0:21.7166 | 168.258 MPH
6 | 55 | Kosuke Matsuura (JPN) | Super Aguri Panther Racing | 0:21.8199 | 167.462 MPH
7 | 15 | Buddy Rice (USA) | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | 0:21.8207 | 167.456 MPH
8 | 20 | Ed Carpenter (USA) | Vision Racing | 0:21.8716 | 167.066 MPH
9 | 4 | Vitor Meira (BRA) | Panther Racing | 0:21.8827 | 166.981 MPH
10 | 27 | Dario Franchitti (GBR) | Andretti Green Racing | 0:21.8947 | 166.890 MPH
11 | 8 | Scott Sharp (USA) | Rahal Letterman Racing | 0:21.9150 | 166.735 MPH
12 | 22 | A.J. Foyt IV (USA) | Vision Racing | 0:21.9691 | 166.325 MPH
13 | 2 | Tomas Scheckter (RSA) | Vision Racing | 0:21.9739 | 166.288 MPH
14 | 26 | Marco Andretti (USA) | Andretti Green Racing | 0:22.0108 | 166.009 MPH
15 | 14 | Darren Manning (GBR) | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | 0:22.1758 | 164.774
16 | 5 | Sarah Fisher (USA) | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | 0:22.2890 | 163.937 MPH
17 | 7 | Danica Patrick (USA) | Andretti Green Racing | 0:22.3396 | 163.566
18 | 17 | Jeff Simmons (USA) | Rahal Letterman Racing | No Time | No Speed

The 2007 Milwaukee 225 airs on Sunday, May 27, 2007, 4:00 PM EDT on ABC!

New Jersey, US 475	May 27 2007, 2:28 PM #207 red7 GTP Addict You know, even if the race isn't restarted and kanaan wins , marco will be saved the fate of knowing "yes I won the Indy 282.5"

USA 558	May 27 2007, 4:26 PM #208 VNAF Ace GTP Fanatic The race will restart at 5:45 PM EDT! C'mon Michael and Marco!