Indiana native McLaughlin to sing 'God Bless America'

INDIANAPOLIS, Thursday, May 23, 2013 - Legendary actor, singer and entertainer Jim Nabors will sing "(Back Home Again In) Indiana" in person during pre-race ceremonies for the 97th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 26 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Nabors was unable to attend the race last year due to illness, but a rendition of the song he performed at his home in Hawaii was played on the video screens at IMS during pre-race.

"I'm looking forward to coming home," Nabors said.

Nabors' rendition of the song has become a beloved tradition of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" since he first performed it in 1972. He has performed the popular song - with thousands of race fans singing along in the grandstands - 33 times in person at IMS since 1972.

Indiana native Jon McLaughlin will sing "God Bless America" during pre-race ceremonies. Actress and entertainer Florence Henderson is unable to attend the race this year to perform the song due to illness.

Pop-rock singer-songwriter McLaughlin, a native of Anderson, Ind., has recorded four full-length albums since his self-titled debut in 2004. His latest album is "Promising Promises," was released in 2012 by Razor & Tie/Sony Records.

McLaughlin's song "So Close" was featured in the Disney film "Enchanted" and was nominated for an Academy Award in 2007 in the Best Original Song category. McLaughlin performed the song live at the 80th Academy Awards in February 2008.

"This is such an incredible honor for me to be a part of the '500' this year," McLaughlin said. "I'm excited to carry on such a great tradition and just hope I can do the moment justice!"

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INDIANAPOLIS, Wednesday, May 21, 2013 - Jim Harbaugh, head coach of the NFL's San Francisco 49ers, will drive the all-new 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Pace Car to lead the pack of 33 racers to the start of the 97th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 26.

The 2013 Indianapolis 500 starts at noon (ET) Sunday and will be televised live on ABC.

Harbaugh, who took the 49ers to the Super Bowl in the 2012 season, is no stranger to Indianapolis. He was a quarterback for the Colts football team from 1994 through 1997. During his time with the Colts, he was named AFC Player of the Year and named to the Pro Bowl in 1995.

Harbaugh is also a racing fan and a principal at Panther Racing, which fields the two-car, Chevrolet-powered IndyCar team with drivers J.R. Hildebrand and Townsend Bell. Hildebrand will drive the No. 4 National Guard Chevrolet in Indianapolis 500, and Bell will compete in the No. 60 Sunoco "Turbo" Chevrolet.

"As a longtime racing fan and someone who has always followed the Indianapolis 500, the honor to drive the Pace Car comes as a tremendous thrill," Harbaugh said. "Doing it in the all-new 2014 Corvette Stingray makes it even better. It's an iconic car leading an iconic race."

Harbaugh's stint behind the wheel of the Laguna Blue Pace Car marks a record 12th time the Corvette has served in the role, starting in 1978. The 2014 Corvette Stingray coupe goes on sale this fall, with a convertible model coming a few months later. It is powered by an all-new 6.2L LT1 engine, which features advanced technologies including direct fuel injection, continuously variable valve timing and Active Fuel Management, also known as cylinder deactivation, to help produce 455 horsepower more efficiently.

"It's great to have a true racing fan like Jim Harbaugh drive the Corvette Pace Car," said Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. "He personifies the Indianapolis 500's spirit of competition - and he's a true athlete, just like the all-new Corvette Stingray."

The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray coupe will be available later this summer and have a suggested starting retail price of $51,995. Price includes a $995 destination fee but excludes tax, title, and license.

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world's largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4.5 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design, and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

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INDIANAPOLIS (Sunday, May 19, 2013) - In a little more than a day, Katherine Legge went from Indianapolis 500 spectator to Indianapolis 500 qualifier.

The surprising turn of events Sunday propelled Legge, who logged her first track time in the morning practice session (24 laps), into her second Indianapolis 500. Less than 48 hours earlier, her Honda-powered car was a skeleton in the Gasoline Alley garage. Her deal with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports was announced on May 18.

Nearby, Michel Jourdain Jr. buried his head in the shoulder of wife, Nora, as the realization of not even presenting for a qualifying attempt for the 97th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race sunk in.

Legge sat in the No. 81 Angie's List Schmidt Peterson Pelfrey Honda to potentially bump her way back into the 33-car field for the May 26 race. On the bubble at 223.176 mph for her four-lap average speed set five hours earlier, she breathed easier when seeing crew members offering condolences to the veteran driver from Mexico.

By Jourdain's account, and supported by teammate Graham Rahal after turning five laps on the 2.5-mile oval late in the six-hour session, the car just wasn't comfortable to drive. The chassis is the same that Takuma Sato challenged for the lead on the final lap in last year's race and last driven by Mike Conway at Long Beach in mid-April.

Josef Newgarden (225.731 mph) was the fastest second-day qualifier in the No. 21 Century 21 Honda for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing. Also qualifying were Rahal (225.007), Sebastian Saavedra (224.929), rookie Tristan Vautier (224.873), Ana Beatriz (224.184), Pippa Mann (224.005), rookie Conor Daly (223.582) and Buddy Lazier (223.442).

Lazier, 45, will make his 17th Indianapolis 500 start - the most in the field. The average speed of the field is 226.176 mph.

There are four first-year Indy 500 competitors and four females in the field.

BUMP DAY NOTEBOOK:

INDIANAPOLIS 500 PRACTICE:

At 9 a.m., the ambient temperature was 74 degrees with a relative humidity of 88 percent and calm winds. Skies were partly sunny. The track temperature was 77 degrees, according to Firestone engineers.


MORNING PRACTICE QUOTE:

KATHERINE LEGGE (No. 81 Angie's List Schmidt Peterson Pelfrey Honda): (About not getting in a car until Bump Day): "Yeah, no pressure. I'm just really fortunate I'm with such a good team. Simon (Pagenaud) and the engineers and Tristan (Vautier) have done a really good job of setting the car up so far. It's tight on time. I'm not going to lie; I was freaking out this morning. We just have to work through things in a very organized way. The team has just been incredible. So I'm relatively happy right now. I think I'll be happier at the end of the day when we've put her in the field. But it's a challenge." (What's the plan for today?): "The first chance we get before it gets too hot here we're going to try to stick her in the field. If we're safely in, then we can go practice and work on some other things, as well. We have to trim her out a bit. We changed the gear stack because we're on the (rev) limiter. But we're happy at the moment. I just have to kind of focus on what I have to do and make sure that I'm flawless. It's never easy around this place." (How long have you been working on this opportunity?): "Well, I've wanted to race for Sam (Schmidt) since 2011, so I guess it's been in the works for a long time. But no, I was wanting to do the '500,' well, ever since what happened at the beginning of the year happened. So it hasn't been long in the making, but I think I was persistent enough. I'm just massively grateful to Sam and to Ric (Peterson) for the opportunity."

***

ENTRY LIST UPDATE:

•Name of #63 Dale Coyne Racing entry driven by Pippa Mann is Cyclops Gear.com.

***

All three front-row starters for the 97th Indianapolis 500 - Ed Carpenter, Carlos Munoz and Marco Andretti - are race winners in the Firestone Indy Lights series, the final rung on the Mazda Road to Indy ladder.

***

INDIANAPOLIS 500 BUMP DAY QUALIFYING CHRONOLOGY:

At 12:15 p.m., the ambient temperature was 79 degrees with a relative humidity of 58 percent and calm winds. Skies were partly cloudy. The track temperature was 109 degrees, according to Firestone engineers.

Each qualifying attempt will start on the second time past the flag stand.

***

NBC Sports Network Formula One pit reporter Will Buxton is working at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time this weekend, reporting for the network's coverage of Pole Day and Bump Day qualifying. Buxton hails from Great Britain.

WILL BUXTON: (About visiting Sonoma, Calif., for the IZOD IndyCar Series race last year compared to his experience this weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway): "It's something else entirely. Sonoma was amazing as an introduction to INDYCAR, what a track. This is something different, though. I'm very lucky with Formula One that I get to go to some amazing race circuits that have very unique histories. But this is something very unique, the history of Indianapolis. The feeling you get when you come into the place, the only thing I could compare it to is Monza, when you enter the track at Monza and you see the banking and you drive in through the trees and you know the history of the place. It's very similar here. You get a real appreciation of how much it means to motor racing. To see all the fans here, as well; it's really an incredible place. I said yesterday when we opened the show that this place makes my soul sing. You've got to be pretty soulless if you can't come to Indianapolis and just fall in love with the place." (About what he likes the most about the IZOD IndyCar Series): "I like the openness, the accessibility. The fact that the fans here can turn up and pay 100 bucks and get paddock access every day, meet their heroes, walk around and see the cars; touch, feel, smell everything - that, for me, is unique. We don't get that in Formula One. I love that aspect of it. I love the raw speed of these cars, certainly here at Indianapolis. Seeing them so close to hitting 230 yesterday was just amazing. Watching the commitment that it takes to get these things turned in to keep it out of the wall; we've only had one crash all week. When you see the fact they're running millimeters from the wall, it's an astonishing feat to watch these guys at work. INDYCAR's a strong series. The Indy 500 stands alone as something very special, but INDYCAR itself, I think, is going through a really strong time. This is a great time for the sport, I think."

2:29 p.m. - Graham Rahal will turn laps in #17 of teammate Jourdain.

2:50 p.m. - YELLOW. Track inspection.

3:01 p.m. - GREEN.

3:07 p.m. - YELLOW. Debris.

3:10 p.m. - GREEN.

***

Indianapolis 500 veteran and ABC IZOD IndyCar Series analyst Scott Goodyear talked today about the storylines he's watching surrounding the 97th Indianapolis 500. Goodyear finished second in the "500" in 1992 and 1997.

SCOTT GOODYEAR: "The best storyline has to be the two drivers that have a shot at collecting their fourth Indy 500 win. Between Dario (Franchitti) and Helio (Castroneves) joining such an elite club - there is no doubt that is on everybody's mind. They are two drivers that know how to get it done and have won recently. That is the thing we are most looking at from our perspective. But there are such a great crop of rookies this year - fast rookies. You have to look at that with rookie Carlos Munoz on the front row. I think that is really terrific. He is driving for a great team at Andretti Autosport. But I think for a lot of fans here this year, and certainly I would like to see him win, it would be Marco Andretti. Finishing second - I have been there, done that. I know how that feels. Obviously, with Michael (Andretti), his dad, never winning here I think overall if an Andretti could be in Victory Circle, that would be terrific. I think he is the strongest out of the second-generation of drivers that has a shot of winning it this year." (Do you think teams and drivers are working harder this year with the constant change in weather conditions?) "The wind always plays a factor here, and this season seems to be a little windier than most. I don't think I can think of a day so far that we have not had at least some type of wind. That being said, it is the same for everybody. You are more thinking about what you need to do to make the car react well and still be secure. Everybody has to deal with the same thing. The engineers are working hard; the driver is working hard. You are very aware when you get on the track that you need to drive the car differently and take some precautions so the wind doesn't catch you out."

***

 The United States Auto Club Hall of Fame 2013 induction ceremonies have been rescheduled to Thursday night, May 23 during pre-race festivities for the "Hoosier Hundred" Traxxas USAC Silver Crown Series race at the Indiana State Fairgrounds and Saturday night, May 25 during pre-race ceremonies for the "Night Before the 500" National Midget race at Lucas Oil Raceway.

Drivers Jack Hewitt, Tom Bigelow and Tony Bettenhausen, race organizer Earl Baltes and USAC official and driver Henry Banks will share the spotlight in pre-race ceremonies Thursday. Inductions will take place Saturday for drivers Pancho Carter, Don White and Johnny Rutherford, car builder and crew chief A.J. Watson and team owner Bob Wilke.

Details regarding 2013 induction ceremonies involving Al and Bobby Unser are pending and will be announced when finalized.

The extension of Indianapolis 500 qualifying and logistical problems forced the cancellation of the "Hall of Fame Classic" Traxxas Silver Crown Series race Saturday night, May 18 at Lucas Oil Raceway.

***

The C&R Racing "True Grit" Award will be presented at 6:45 p.m. tonight in Gasoline Alley outside of the C&R Accessory Room. The $5,000 award is given to a veteran INDYCAR team member who has achieved success, overcome adversity, excelled in preparation and has exemplified dedication to the highly skilled trade of building and maintaining IZOD IndyCar Series cars.

***

U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly (D-Indiana), U.S. Representative Susan Brooks (R-Indiana) and Indiana Representative Randy Frye (R-Greensburg) visited the Speedway today as guests during the annual military induction ceremonies on Old National Armed Forces Bump Day.

JOE DONNELLY (U.S. Senate, Indiana): "These are the young men and women who defend our country, who have provided us with the freedom so we can be here next Sunday to watch the race. They (recruits) are worthy, worthy successors to the people who have served before. It is incredibly inspiring to know you have the next generation just as good as the ones before to keep our nation safe and, especially in this place, the most American of all places, the Indianapolis 500. This (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) is the heart and soul of our state. When you look at American values and American traditions, the Indianapolis 500 is right there at the top. They asked me here where I'm going to sit on Race Day. I said I'm usually down on the turn with a hot dog and a Coke. Seeing the Unsers, the Andrettis, A.J. Foyt, the Penske team and all the incredible races, this is as good as it gets. It's more special because my family loves it here just as much as I do."

SUSAN BROOKS (U.S. House of Representatives, Indiana): "I am a new member of Congress and being here on Armed Forces Day just reminds me how incredibly important it is for the members of Congress to make sure they have what they need to keep themselves safe. I am a bit overwhelmed by the emotion of the day when I look out at these young men and women (recruits). I am so proud of their sacrifice and their bravery to step up and serve our country." (Recollections of Indianapolis 500): "Once I moved to Indianapolis in the mid-'80s, I have been here many, many times. It started in the infield as a young person and moved to the seats and have always enjoyed Race Day. When you travel around the country and around the world, this is what Indianapolis is known for. I love the speed and love the energy." (About the importance of the Speedway): "These are important jobs in this community and in this state. The motorsports industry keeps the economy growing. Today is a wonderful way to bring together the armed forces and such an important industry in the state."

RANDY FRYE (State House of Representatives, Indiana): "This is fabulous. As chairman of Veterans Affairs and Public Safety committee in the House, it's such an honor to be here at the swearing-in ceremonies for these young people. It is fabulous to see them (recruits) and the enthusiasm they have to serve and protect our country. I have been here for many races. I love the race, and I will be here at the race next Sunday. It's very exciting for everybody in the state. The Speedway means a lot of money in jobs throughout the automotive and motorsports industry and to tourism to the state. It has a tremendous impact."

***

Dozens of unique items will be on the auction block Wednesday, May 22 at the annual Racing to Recovery Gala in downtown Indianapolis.

This year's event starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Crane Bay in Indianapolis.

The Racing to Recovery Gala raises money to benefit the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation (SSPF). Schmidt, a former IndyCar Series driver, founded the organization after sustaining a C-3/4/5 spinal cord injury during a racing accident in 2000.

Among the items to be auctioned include a Napa Valley wine tasting trip, a behind-the-scenes walrus tour at the Indianapolis Zoo, an Indiana Pacers basketball signed by ABA legends, including Mel Daniels, George McGinnis and Bobby "Slick" Leonard, a catamaran trip for two to an exotic destination, fashion items, wine tastings, a framed Sam Schmidt autographed team shirt and much more racing and sports memorabilia.

New this year is an online auction, now open, in which premium items are up for bid in advance of the Gala. Included in the online auction is a rare set of U.S. silver dollars signed and carried by 32 drivers in the 2005 Indianapolis 500. Coins signed by Danica Patrick, Helio Castroneves and Dan Wheldon are included in the set. Bids are being accepted at www.racing2recoveryauction.com.

Tickets are still available by contacting events@samschmidt.org.

 ***

3:29 p.m. - YELLOW. Debris.

3:39 p.m. - GREEN.

4:15 p.m. - YELLOW. Debris.

4:25 p.m. - GREEN.

5:27 p.m. - YELLOW. #12 Power white-walled SAFER Barrier exiting Turn 4, continued.

5:33 p.m. - GREEN. #17 Jourdain on track. Last lap was 214.421 mph before returning to pits.

5:41 p.m. - Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing crew changing springs in #17 Jourdain's car on pit lane.

5:44 p.m. - Michel Jourdain Jr. is in arms of his wife, Nora, head buried in her shoulder, as team decides not to make qualification attempt due to lack of speed.

5:49 p.m. - Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing tows #17 Office Depot Dallara/Honda/Firestone of Michel Jourdain Jr. back to pits.

6 p.m. - CHECKERED. End of practice and Bump Day qualifying. The starting field for the 97th Indianapolis 500 is set.

***

BUMP DAY QUICK QUOTES:

MICHEL JOURDAIN JR.: "It's so hard because the guys tried so hard, but we struggled a lot. And some days it was feeling a little better, but it was just never really there. You know, this morning we tried James Jakes' setup, and it was impossible to drive. And then we tried Graham's setup, but it felt exactly the same and we couldn't drive it. It felt exactly the same. We changed whatever we had time to, but it just felt the same, and we couldn't drive it."

KATHERINE LEGGE: "Relief. Obviously, it's not nice to do it in that manner; I feel bad for Michel. It's not nice for him to not have the opportunity. However, I am happy I am in the field. I'm not going to lie about that. I'm going to sleep tonight for the first time in a few days. I feel really bad for Michel. I can't even think what's going through his head. I'm gutted for him."

BUDDY LAZIER: "It's really about the team. They did a great job. Very small amount of time. A lot of hard work, a lot of heart. We were sweating today. Temperature was going up, everybody was struggling." (About driving in this generation of IZOD IndyCar Series car for first time this week): "It's a great car, but it's a huge learning cuve. I just really enjoy being here. Big learning curve, but a lot of fun, too. We never were trying to qualify on the pole, so we've been doing a lot of three-quarter tank runs. We think we have a pretty good race car."

***

Today is the 40th birthday of three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti.

***

97th INDIANAPOLIS 500 FIELD NOTES:

•There are four former Indianapolis 500 winners in the starting field: Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002, 2009), Scott Dixon (2008), Dario Franchitti (2007, 2010, 2012) and Buddy Lazier (1996). Between them they have eight victories. The record for most former winners in the field is 10, in 1992. The fewest, other than the inaugural race in 1911, is zero in 1912.

•There are four rookies in the field. This year's rookies are AJ Allmendinger, Conor Daly, Carlos Munoz and Tristan Vautier. Last year there were eight rookies.

•Buddy Lazier is the most experienced driver in the field, with 16 previous Indianapolis 500 starts. The record is 35, set in consecutive years from 1958-1992 by A.J. Foyt.

•Seventeen different drivers in this year's field have led a total of 1,412 laps in previous Indianapolis 500 Mile Races.

•Dario Franchitti has led 329 career laps in the Indianapolis 500, more than any other driver in this year's field. Other drivers in the field who have led more than 200 laps are Scott Dixon (346), Helio Castroneves (231) and Tony Kanaan (221).

•There is a combined 144 previous Indianapolis 500 starts among the 33 drivers in this year's field. The record is 260 years of experience, set in 1987 and 1992. There were 103 years of combined experience in last year's field.

•The oldest driver in the starting field is Buddy Lazier, 45. The youngest is Carlos Munoz, 21.

•There are 18 veterans of the Firestone Indy Lights series among the 33 drivers in the field. The veterans: Marco Andretti, Ana Beatriz, Townsend Bell, Ed Carpenter, Helio Castroneves, Conor Daly, Scott Dixon, JR Hildebrand, James Hinchcliffe, Tony Kanaan, Charlie Kimball, Pippa Mann, Carlos Munoz, Josef Newgarden, Graham Rahal, Sebastian Saavedra, Oriol Servia and Tristan Vautier.

•In addition to the four rookies in the race, there are two drivers - Buddy Lazier and Pippa Mann - who did not start in last year's race.

•Four women will start in the Indianapolis 500 for just the second time. This year's female starters: Ana Beatriz, Simona De Silvestro, Katherine Legge and Pippa Mann. In 2011, Beatriz, De Silvestro, Mann and Danica Patrick started the race.

•The average qualifying speed for the 33-car field is 226.176 mph. This is the fourth-fastest field in Indianapolis 500 history, exceeded only in 1995, 1996 and 2002. The 2002 field averaged 228.648 mph, the fastest in history.

***

1998 Indianapolis 500 winner Eddie Cheever talked about the storylines for the 97th Indianapolis 500 that he will follow as an analyst during the ABC broadcast of the race.

EDDIE CHEEVER: "We might be witnessing history. For only the fourth time in the history of the '500,' we might have a four-time winner, either with Helio Castroneves or Dario Franchitti. That's a big thing. We have a whole new generation of younger American drivers who are doing very, very well. One of them is on pole. It's the second year of this new equipment. Everybody is getting a better handle on it. And the field is incredibly competitive. Anybody out of that (Fast Nine) could have gotten pole yesterday. So you can just pick and choose whatever you want. It's going to be a great race. I suspect more passing than there was last year. I suspect there might be a few more accidents because the drivers are more confident than they were last year, so they're willing to risk more. It'll be full of surprises." (On rookie Carlos Munoz): "I would say the biggest surprise - and it's a pleasant surprise - is to see how well Andretti Autosport has done. And he is one of the surprises that have come out of that group. But every one of them has been quick. Every one of them has been in the top group every day. Yesterday, he did a stunning performance in qualifying. He's not afraid. That comes a lot with youth. When you have a good car, you just go out and do it. But I can tell you one thing I am positive of is that there are two types of drivers in INDYCAR: There are those who have hit the wall and those who are going to hit the wall. It's just a question of how and when. So if you get too aggressive with it and you think that you're bulletproof, the racing gods have a very quick method of showing you that everybody sooner or later spins." (About his overall thoughts about the IZOD IndyCar Series and the 2013 season): "I think everybody needs to stop making a comparison to NASCAR. Let NASCAR be what it is, and let INDYCAR be what it is. It has a lot of talent. It's got a lot of great racing. They do a lot of different tracks. This is great. I think the racing is exceptional. They have some incredibly talented race car drivers here, race car drivers from all over the world. America is very well represented in that group. And we have a great battle between Honda and Chevy."

***

There is no on-track activity Monday, May 20; Tuesday, May 21 or Wednesday, May 22. The next on-track activity is Firestone Freedom 100 practice and qualifying Thursday, May 23.

***
The 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues with the 97th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on Sunday, May 26, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be televised live at 11 a.m. (ET) by ABC and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, including on Sirius and XM Channels 211 and www.indycar.com. The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Firestone Freedom 100 on Friday, May 24, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be broadcast by the NBC Sports Network live, during the network's coverage of Carb Day.


INDIANAPOLIS - Results of qualifying Sunday for the 97th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race IZOD IndyCar Series event on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with Rank, car number in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, time and speed in parentheses:
1.  (12) Will Power, Dallara-Chevy, 02:37.3127 (228.844)
2.  (1) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Chevy, 02:37.6999 (228.282)
3.  (26) Carlos Munoz, Dallara-Chevy, 02:37.7767 (228.171)
4.  (3) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Chevy, 02:37.9118 (227.975)
5.  (20) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Chevy, 02:37.9283 (227.952)
6.  (25) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Chevy, 02:37.9689 (227.893)
7.  (2) AJ Allmendinger, Dallara-Chevy, 02:38.0603 (227.761)
8.  (5) EJ Viso, Dallara-Chevy, 02:38.1638 (227.612)
9.  (27) James Hinchcliffe, Dallara-Chevy, 02:38.2464 (227.493)
10.  (4) JR Hildebrand, Dallara-Chevy, 02:38.2830 (227.441)
11.  (98) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 02:38.3209 (227.386)
12.  (11) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Chevy, 02:38.6260 (226.949)
13.  (22) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Chevy, 02:38.7206 (226.814)
14.  (19) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.0318 (226.370)
15.  (7) Sebastien Bourdais, Dallara-Chevy, 02:39.1543 (226.196)
16.  (9) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.1808 (226.158)
17.  (10) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.2434 (226.069)
18.  (14) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.3681 (225.892)
19.  (83) Charlie Kimball, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.3768 (225.880)
20.  (16) James Jakes, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.4268 (225.809)
21.  (77) Simon Pagenaud, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.5219 (225.674)
22.  (60) Townsend Bell, Dallara-Chevy, 02:39.5438 (225.643)
23.  (8) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.8117 (225.265)
24.  (78) Simona De Silvestro, Dallara-Chevy, 02:39.8398 (225.226)
25.  (21) Josef Newgarden, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.4816 (225.731)
26.  (15) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.9948 (225.007)
27.  (6) Sebastian Saavedra, Dallara-Chevy, 02:40.0503 (224.929)
28.  (55) Tristan Vautier, Dallara-Honda, 02:40.0907 (224.873)
29.  (18) Ana Beatriz, Dallara-Honda, 02:40.5823 (224.184)
30.  (63) Pippa Mann, Dallara-Honda, 02:40.7109 (224.005)
31.  (41) Conor Daly, Dallara-Honda, 02:41.0145 (223.582)
32.  (91) Buddy Lazier, Dallara-Chevy, 02:41.1158 (223.442)
33.  (81) Katherine Legge, Dallara-Honda, 02:41.3079 (223.176)

-end-

INDIANAPOLIS - (Saturday, May 18, 2013) - After a Indianapolis 500 pole day filled with drama for teams Ed Carpenter found himself celebrating with the Verizon P1 Award

The lone team owner/driver in the IZOD IndyCar Series recorded a blistering four-lap average speed of 228.762 mph (best lap of 229.347 mph; 39.2418 seconds) in the No. 20 Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet. The one-car team bested the best of Team Penske and Andretti Autosport in the shootout to claim a $100,000 bonus and 15 precious IZOD IndyCar Series championship points.

Carpenter's previous best start at the Speedway was eighth in 2010 and '11; his best finish is fifth after starting 10th in 2008.  His pole speed was the fastest since Sam Hornish Jr. (228.985 mph) in 2006 for Team Penske. Hornish, the last American to win the Indianapolis 500 pole, went on to win the race.

Rookie Carlos Munoz earned a front-row start and $50,000 of the Verizon Front Row Awards for second (228.342) -- .2892 of a second off Carpenter's aggregate four-lap time -- and Marco Andretti was awarded a $40,000 bonus for qualifying third (228.261). It's Andretti's best start in eight attempts at the Speedway.

Munoz, 21, is seeking to match Juan Pablo Montoya as an Indianapolis 500 winner from Colombia. Montoya also started second - as a rookie -- in his 2000 victory. He was the last first-year front-row starter.

E.J. Viso (228.150), first-year Indy 500 competitor AJ Allmendinger (228.099) and Team Penske teammate Will Power (228.087) will start on Row 2 for the 200-lap race May 26. Reigning IZOD IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay (227.904) will join three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves (227.762) and James Hinchcliffe (227.070) on Row 3.

Positions 25-33 will be set through four-lap qualifications May 19 on Old National Armed Forces Bump Day.

There will be at least one bump in determining the 33-car field as Schmidt Peterson Pelfrey entered the No. 81 Angie's List Honda-powered car to be driven by Katherine Legge. She's expected to participate in the 9-10 a.m. (ET) practice session and make at least one qualifying attempt later in the day. Each entrant is allowed three qualifying attempts as time permits.

In addition to Legge, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing teammates Graham Rahal and Michel Jourdain Jr., rookies Tristan Vautier and Conor Daly, Ana Beatriz, Buddy Lazier, Pippa Mann, Josef Newgarden and Sebastian Saavedra will attempt to qualify.

POLE DAY NOTEBOOK:

Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano is scheduled to wave the green flag as the honorary starter today.

***

The boost level will be increased from 130 kPa to 140 kPa for Pole Day qualifications today and Bump Day qualifications Sunday.

The change in pressure adds about a 40-horsepower boost to the engines produced by Chevrolet (twin-turbocharged Chevy IndyCar V6) and Honda (single turbo-charged Honda HI13R). The boost level will return to 130 kPa for final practice on Coors Light Carb Day on Friday, May 24 and the 500-mile race Sunday, May 26.

***

Indianapolis 500 Pole Day qualifying procedures:

Order - A blind draw was conducted Friday after practice.

Warm-up laps - Each car is permitted two warm-up laps before the timed qualification laps. IZOD IndyCar Series officials may permit three warm-up laps if they deem it necessary.

Green-flag laps - A qualification attempt consists of four timed laps. The aggregate time is recorded as the official qualifying time for the car.

POLE DAY:

Qualifying is broken down into two segments, progressively narrowing the field to determine the pole winner.

Segment One - Held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., to determine positions 1-24 in the field based on the fastest four-lap averages. Once all 24 positions have been filled, bumping will occur until 4 p.m. Each car has up to three qualifying attempts. The top nine qualifiers advance to Segment Two.

Segment Two - Held from 4:30 to 6 p.m., the top nine cars will run in reverse order based on Segment One speeds. All cars are required to make at least one attempt in Segment Two. Cars making additional attempts will receive an additional set of tires. At the end of the session, the cars are ranked 1-9 based on their four-lap average during the segment.

***

Practice from 8-9 a.m. this morning will be separated into two groups, from 8-8:30 a.m. and 8:30-9 a.m. The track will be open for all cars from 9-10 a.m.

***

Today is the 29th birthday of Simon Pagenaud, driver of the #77 Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports Dallara/Honda/Firestone.

***

INDIANAPOLIS 500 PRACTICE QUOTES:

WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): "It's pretty heavy on air, you could say. It's pretty humid out there, but it's cool. It's very difficult to predict what to run trim-wise for qualifying. We'll see when the temperature comes. If it's similar to this, I think we have a good idea. We're just working it out. You've just got to make an educated guess. When I was out there, getting little bits of moisture on your visor makes you nervy. You're not sure if it's going to start raining in a different area. I think we're in pretty good shape."

AJ ALLMENDINGER (No. 2 IZOD Team Penske Chevrolet): "It's close to ideal for me right now. The track had decent amount of grip with cool conditions. I've never been here before, but I'm learning really quick that weather will play a huge factor. I think the car has good speed, but it's tough to tell with the tows that are out there. The car is pretty quick. I feel good; the car has speed in it." (Comfort level?): "Rick (Mears, Will (Power) and Helio (Castroneves) and all the guys, this whole team here have made me feel comfortable. They make me feel at home here, like I'm not the third car but really part of the team. It has been very comfortable this week so far. Hopefully we can get through the toughest day today."

***

Film and television star Michael Pena, who has a leading role in the upcoming 3D animated motion picture event "Turbo," will serve as the honorary starter of the 97th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 26.

Pena will wave the green flag to start the field of 33 drivers in "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing." The 97th Indianapolis 500 starts at noon (ET) and will be televised live on ABC.

In "Turbo," Pena portrays Tito, an entrepreneur who enters a super-fast snail in the Indy 500. The film races into theaters everywhere July 17. From DreamWorks Animation, and released by 20th Century Fox, the film's titular hero is an ordinary garden snail whose dream to race in the Indianapolis 500 comes true.

Ryan Reynolds is the voice of Turbo. The film also stars Paul Giamatti, Luis Guzmán, Bill Hader, Richard Jenkins, Ken Jeong, Michelle Rodriguez, Maya Rudolph, Ben Schwartz, Snoop Dogg, a.k.a. Snoop Lion, and Samuel L. Jackson.

Chicago native Pena has appeared in numerous motion pictures and television shows in the last decade, including in the Academy Award Best Picture-winning films "Million Dollar Baby" and "Crash." He also appeared in the Oscar-nominated film "Babel."

***

Six iconic military airplanes that played a vital role in the United States and its allies winning World War II will soar above the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the traditional pre-race flyover before the start of the 97th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 26.

A North American B-25 Mitchell twin-engine medium bomber will be joined in formation by five North American T-6 Texan trainer aircraft in the flyover that will appear above the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at the conclusion of the national anthem.

The B-25, nicknamed "Axis Nightmare," and T-6 military aircraft performing the flyover will be provided by the Cincinnati Warbirds EAA Squadron 18 and the Tri-State Warbird Museum that jointly promote the preservation of historic military aircraft, remember those who fought for our freedom and honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice. For more information, visit www.cincinnatiwarbirds.org and www.tri-statewarbirdmuseum.org.

***

Light rain began falling at the Speedway at 10:25 a.m., delaying the 11 a.m. scheduled start of Pole Day qualifications.

The sun began shining over the Speedway at 11:33 a.m. as track-drying efforts continued.

***

            Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano rode in the IZOD IndyCar Series two-seater car today at IMS, with 1969 Indianapolis 500 winner Mario Andretti driving.

CHUCK PAGANO: "That (the two-seater rider with Mario Andretti) was the most exciting thing I've ever done, obviously. What a treat, what a pleasure. Just absolutely exhilarating. When we took off and you get thrown into the back of that car a little bit and start feeling the G-forces like you do, what a sensation. But then you kind of settle in and start enjoying the ride. It was the opportunity of a lifetime, obviously, and a very humbling experience to be out here and be a part of this great tradition. It's a great, historic day."

***

IMS Historian Donald Davidson recently was named as one of five 2013 inductees to the Richard M. Fairbanks Indiana Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame. Induction ceremonies are scheduled for Oct. 3.

Davidson has been a member of the IMS Radio Network team since 1965. His popular show, "The Talk of Gasoline Alley," has been heard nightly during May on Indianapolis radio since 1971.

He also has appeared on qualification and race coverage for numerous Indianapolis television stations in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s and on a weekly nostalgic music program, "Looking Backward With Davidson," in 1973 on Indianapolis NPR affiliate WIAN-FM.

***

Schmidt Hamilton Motorsports driver Simon Pagenaud spoke to the media today during the rain delay. Today is Pagenaud's 29th birthday.

SIMON PAGENAUD (No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports Honda): "It's the weather - something you can't really control. You go with what you can control, and you only go with that. The nice thing is that I am really comfortable in the car. The car has been fantastic. In race trim and qualifying trim, we are very comfortable. I am really looking forward to the race. Qualifying is important. Of course, I would like to be on pole position. But we know what we've got. I think we are good enough to be in the top 12 and then go from there. I think in the race we might have something better. I am really putting my sight on Race Day. Today it is important not to crash the car, first, because it is a great race car, and I don't want to damage it. But we want to make sure we are in a good position to start (the race.) We want to get one good run in. We know what speed we've got. It should be pretty good off the bat. I don't see any reason why we would go back for a second one (qualifying attempt.) We know what we've got. But it's all going to depend on the weather. We drew number 66, so we are going to be one of the last to go out. Depending on the weather, that might not be a bad thing today." (What would be an ideal birthday present for you today?): "Pole position. That would be a great present."

***

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports team manager Rob Edwards talked today about the team's plans for its No. 99 Honda-powered entry, which has not been on track this month or assigned to a driver.

ROB EDWARDS: "It's obviously in the garage. It's being prepared. The focus today is on Simon (Pagenaud) and Tristan (Vautier). If we get to where we need to get to with the two of them, then we'll have some fun tomorrow. Absolutely 100 percent the focus today is on Simon's program and Tristan's program." (On preparing for qualifying with variable weather conditions): "We got a good chance to run this morning. We're pretty happy where we are with Simon's car. We're not quite where we want to be with Tristan's car. We got a couple more things to try in qualifying. But I think it's difficult until everyone gets out there and actually does there run and sees where everyone stacks up. We're reasonable optimistic but not overly confident."

***

The crew servicing the No. 1 DHL Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone driven by reigning IZOD IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay will have a different look this month at the 97th Indianapolis 500 - crew members will wear bright red pants.

Crew members will go retro by wearing red Dickies® Original 874® work pants with their yellow-and-red crew shirts. Many Indianapolis 500 crews wore colored trousers decades ago.

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 1 DHL Chevrolet): "I think the crew looks great in red (pants), and it complements the yellow/red paint scheme of the No. 1 DHL Chevy perfectly. It's such an important race for us, and there is so much history here at the  Speedway that having the crew go a little retro and get outside of the box is fitting."

***

FAST NINE SHOOTOUT NOTES:

The top nine cars will qualify in reverse order of their first-segment speeds, with ninth first, eighth second and so on. Each car will receive one attempt.

Drivers participating in Shootout: #12 Power, #1 Hunter-Reay, #26 Munoz, #3 Castroneves, #20 Carpenter, #25 Andretti, #2 Allmendinger, #5 Viso, #27 Hinchcliffe.

Team breakdown in Shootout:

•Andretti Autosport, five cars (#1 Hunter-Reay, #26 Munoz, #25 Andretti, #5 Viso, #27 Hinchcliffe)

•Team Penske, three cars (#12 Power, #3 Castroneves, #2 Allmendinger)

•Ed Carpenter Racing, one car (#20 Carpenter)

All nine cars in the Shootout are powered by Chevrolet engines. The highest-qualifying driver powered by a Honda engine is #98 Tagliani, who qualified 11th.

INDIANAPOLIS 500 POLE QUALIFYING NOTES:

•This is the first Indianapolis 500 pole for Ed Carpenter and Ed Carpenter Racing. Carpenter's previous best qualifying spot at Indianapolis was eighth in 2010 and 2011.

•This is the first time car No. 20 has won the pole at Indianapolis.

•Ed Carpenter became the first American driver to win the pole since Sam Hornish Jr. in 2006. Hornish also won the race that year.

•Ed Carpenter is the first owner/driver to win the pole since A.J. Foyt in 1975.

•Ed Carpenter became the first longtime Indiana resident to win the pole since Pancho Carter in 1985. Carter lived in Brownsburg. Carpenter was born in Illinois but moved to Indiana as a young boy. Scott Sharp lived in Indianapolis when he won the pole in 2001 but has lived most of his life in Connecticut and Florida. Indiana native and resident Tony Stewart started from the pole in 1996 after his teammate Scott Brayton died in a practice crash after winning the pole.

•Ed Carpenter's four-lap average pole speed of 228.762 mph was the fastest since Sam Hornish Jr. won the pole in 2006 with a four-lap average of 228.985.

•Ed Carpenter won the inaugural Firestone Freedom 100 race for Firestone Indy Lights exactly 10 years ago today, May 18, 2003.

•Carlos Munoz became the first rookie to qualify on the front row since fellow Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya also qualified second in 2000. Montoya won the race that year.

•Carlos Munoz is the youngest driver to qualify on the front row in Indianapolis 500 history, at 21 years, 136 days old. He broke the record set by Rex Mays, who was 22 years, 81 days old when he won the pole in 1935.

•Carlos Munoz has qualified on the front row in every INDYCAR race in which he has competed this season. He has won the pole for all three Firestone Indy Lights races this season and qualified second for the Indianapolis 500.

•Marco Andretti qualified third, his best at Indianapolis. His previous best was fourth in 2012.

•E.J. Viso qualified fourth, his best at Indianapolis. His previous best was ninth in 2012.

•The last time a Team Penske car didn't qualify on the front row was 2011. Penske driver Ryan Briscoe won the pole last year.

•Will Power made the last run of pole qualifying at 7:12 p.m. The last time a qualifying session extended past 6 p.m. was 2011, when Alex Tagliani made the final run at 6:03 p.m. after the start of the Fast Nine Shootout was delayed by rain. The last time qualifying extended past 6 p.m. before that was May 26, 1968. Rain forced the extension, and track-drying efforts allowed the track to open at 6:55 p.m. for 30 minutes of practice. Qualifying began at 7:31 p.m. and ended at 7:54 p.m. due to darkness. Since the field was not filled at that time, qualifying to fill the field took place Monday, May 27.

***

Ten drivers are competing for nine available spots on Old National Armed Forces Bump Day: #6 Saavedra, #15 Rahal, #17 Jourdain, #18 Beatriz, #21 Newgarden, #41 Daly, #55 Vautier, #63 Mann, #81 Legge, #91 Lazier.

***

SUNDAY'S SCHEDULE (all times local):

6 a.m. Garages open
 
Indianapolis 500 practice Noon-6 p.m

Bump Day Qualifying 12:15-6 p.m.

-end-

INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, May 17, 2013) - E.J. Viso's quest for a 230 mph lap fell just short, but the Andretti Autosport driver still recorded the fastest practice lap at Indianapolis since 2003.

Viso recorded a lap of 229.537 mph in the No. 5 Team Venezuela PDVSA CITGO Chevrolet before rain brought an early end to the day's activity

Viso's Andretti Autosport teammates, Marco Andretti (228.754 mph) and rookie Carlos Munoz (228.520), were next in line on the speed chart. Will Power in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car was fourth (228.401) and JR Hildebrand (227.529) was fifth in the No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing car. Munoz, driving the No. 26 Unistraw car, is among the pole contenders despite his first-year status. The last rookie to earn the pole for the 500 Mile Race was Teo Fabi in 1983.

Thirty-two drivers logged 707 laps in the session without incident. Rookie Conor Daly, whose No. 41 ABC Supply car for A.J. Foyt Racing made contact with the SAFER Barrier exiting Turn 1 on May 16, was the lone driver entered not to get on the track.

Despite the rainout, there's two hours of track time available (8-10 a.m.) preceding the 11 a.m. (ET) start of the first segment of qualifications.

Twenty-four positions will be filled until 4 p.m., when the top nine entries that posted the best four-lap average speed returning at 4:30 for a 90-minute shootout to determine the Verizon P1 Award and set the first three rows for the 97th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on May 26.

DAY 7 NOTEBOOK:

The track will be open from 9-9:30 a.m. this morning so 1996 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Lazier can start his required refresher test.

The refresher test consists of the final two phases of the Rookie Orientation Program: 15 laps at 205-209 mph and 15 laps at 210 mph-plus.

***

REFRESHER TEST SESSION:

9 a.m. - GREEN.

9:30 a.m. - CHECKERED. #91 Lazier completed the first phase of the refresher test. He will be allowed to complete the final phase during practice starting at noon.

BUDDY LAZIER: "The guys (crew) did a great job. The car feels incredibly good. It's always nice in the morning when it's cool. We would have gone a lot faster, but we were just flat out of gear. We were on the rev limiter more than two-thirds of the racetrack." (What will you work on the rest of the day?): "We've already spotted all of the other guys (drivers) six days. So we are going to go back to what we would be doing on the first day and start going through different steps and start trying to find some speed and race setup." (You were asked to actually slow down after your third lap. How did that feel?): "I was actually happy because to slow down is always easier than to have to go a little faster. But the car feels good. I like this new package. Obviously, I have some 'fit' issues. I'm still trying to get fit in the car just right. And these things you can't tell until you get up to speed. You get up to speed, and you do some adjustments. We can't really skip a whole lot of steps. We'll skip the few that we can, but other than that, we just have to go step by step. But it feels really good. So far, so good."

***

Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano is scheduled to wave the green flag as the honorary starter on Pole Day, Saturday, May 18.

***

The IMS Public Address can be heard within the grounds on 100.1 FM.

***

The boost level will be increased from 130 kPa to 140 kPa for "Fast Friday" practice today and Pole Day qualifications Saturday, May 18 and Bump Day qualifications Sunday, May 19.

The change in pressure adds about a 40-horsepower boost to the engines produced by Chevrolet (twin-turbocharged Chevy IndyCar V6) and Honda (single turbo-charged Honda HI13R). The boost level will return to 130 kPa for final practice on Coors Light Carb Day on Friday, May 24 and the 500-mile race Sunday, May 26.

***

A.J. Foyt Racing Team Director Larry Foyt spoke this week about the team's resurgence during the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season, as Foyt driver Takuma Sato leads the IZOD IndyCar Series standings entering this event.

Sato won the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 21, the first IZOD IndyCar Series for A.J. Foyt Racing since Airton Dare won in July 2002 at Kansas Speedway.

LARRY FOYT (Team director, A.J. Foyt Racing): (On the evolution of the team in the seven seasons he has managed it): "We've come a long way. I didn't want to come in and kind of be the boss' son and just start changing everything around. I had to definitely get A.J.'s trust, and I had to get back into the IndyCar mentality. I had been down on the NASCAR side of things for quite a few years. So it was good to come back and for me to start learning again and just make some small changes and start building something." (What's the biggest key to where the team is today?): "It's been a lot of things. Every year it's been a progression. We've had some good drivers, and they've brought things to the table. And through the years, we've gotten new people and new engineers. It's finally come to a point to where I think now, the last couple years we've had the same engineering group and a lot of the same mechanics. We're gaining synergy and bonding as a team. Then you throw Takuma (Sato) into the mix, who's just done a super job, and everything's come together." (On Sato's success so far this year): "He has driven super-smart this year and put ourselves in position. In Brazil when he finished second, he could have taken himself out to (try to) win that race, but he didn't and did a great job. This year he seems to just really be on his game." (On adding Conor Daly for the "500"): "A.J. enjoys working with rookies at the Speedway. When I met Conor at the Formula One race in Austin, we just really hit it off. He did the test for us in Sebring and impressed A.J. and the whole team, so we wanted to give him shot. It's great to have a young American in the 41 car, the ABC (Supply Co.) car. Rookie of the Year would be a great success for us."

***

The 47th annual BorgWarner Louis Schwitzer Award was presented to engineers Dale Harrigle and Brett Schilling from Bridgestone Americas Motorsports for the Firestone Firehawk™ Indy 500 Race Tire during a ceremony this morning in the IMS Media Center.

Presented by engineers to engineers, the BorgWarner Louis Schwitzer Award recognizes individuals for innovation and engineering excellence in race car design associated with the annual Indianapolis 500. The winners are honored at an awards banquet, and their names are immortalized on the Schwitzer trophy on permanent display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum. The $10,000 award is sponsored by BorgWarner and presented to the winning engineer(s) by the Indiana Section of SAE International.

Initiated in 1967, the award memorializes automotive pioneer, engineer and professional race car driver Louis Schwitzer. In 1909, Schwitzer won the first auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). He also designed the "Marmon Yellow Jacket" engine that powered the Marmon Wasp to victory at the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911.

After working in the automotive industry for many years, Schwitzer founded the Schwitzer Corporation, which produced innovative cooling fans, water pumps and turbochargers. In 1999, the Schwitzer Corporation joined BorgWarner. Throughout his career, Schwitzer enjoyed numerous technological accomplishments, supported higher education, led the IMS technical committee and maintained a strong association with SAE.
***

INDYCAR Technical Bulletin 2013-12: Rule 15.5.6.1 has been modified to read: "For the pit stop competition held during the Indianapolis 500 Mile Event, Manufacturers are free to substitute any engines for assigned engines with INDYCAR approval."

***

Thirty-two of the 33 drivers assigned to cars at this event were on track today. The only driver not on track was #41 Conor Daly.

***

The last year in which a 230-mph practice lap was turned at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was 2003. E.J. Viso's top lap today, 229.537, was the fastest in an Indianapolis 500 practice since 2003.


***

Dennis Reinbold, co-owner of the No. 22 Panther DRR Chevrolet driven by Oriol Servia, talked today about the opening week of practice and the team's future plans.

DENNIS REINBOLD (Co-owner, No. 22 Panther DRR Chevrolet): "This week has gone very well. We have done a lot of component testing and made only race runs. We've been in full race trim for the full week. We did a little bit of a (qualifying) trim Thursday. We had a couple of issues that we have sorted out. We have been efficient and effective so far this week in getting an understanding of the race car that we need for Race Day. We feel very confident. Last year we had a fourth-place finish, and we want to improve upon that. I'm looking forward to not only the race but the pit stop competition. We had the fast time in qualifications for that. Hopefully we can do better than our second place last year and win the competition. This (Indianapolis 500) is a journey of love. I am very passionate about the sport of racing and the Indianapolis 500." (About future plans for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing): "We have Mecum Auctions back with us next year, so we are pretty certain of the Indianapolis 500 next year. They want to grow with us, and they have been a great supporter and sponsor. The Mecum auctions are going on in Indianapolis this week in Indy, and that's great timing. It is also a cornerstone and gives us a cornerstone and gives us a jump start on everything else for 2014. We are building for the future again."

***

The afternoon rain prevented rookie Conor Daly from shaking down the No. 41 ABC Supply Co./A.J. Foyt Racing car that he crashed Thursday afternoon. Veteran team race strategist Larry Curry talked about the repair process earlier today.

LARRY CURRY (Race strategist, A.J. Foyt Racing): "We got the car in here after the accident yesterday and got it taken apart and assessed the damage. We worked last night until midnight then sent everybody home. Then we all came back in here at 6 o'clock this morning. We just fired it up at 12:30 (today). We are shooting for getting it out on the track today between 3 and 4 (o'clock) to at least get a shakedown run on it. So far, so good. If we don't run up against any other glitches, we'll be just fine. A.J. just had us fix the car straight up. We did not go out and take apart the backup car that is out in the truck to put parts on this one. Header-wise, the header manufacturer didn't have what we needed, and so we were able to get a set from Ganassi (Racing). Other than that, I think everything else we have been able to get from the vendors."

***

E.J. Viso received the F.E. Harding Fastest Lap Award today for posting the fastest lap of Fast Friday, 229.537 mph. Viso's team, Andretti Autosport, received a $10,000 bonus as part of the award, provided by F.E. Harding Asphalt Companies of Indianapolis.

***

INDIANAPOLIS 500 PRACTICE QUOTES:

GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 15 Midas/Big O Tires Honda): "Our plan for Fast Friday was to get as many new-tire runs in that we could to see how the balance is and to see how much speed we could get out of the car, and I think we found some good stuff. We made some changes today to the Midas/Big O Tires car that will not only improve the car for qualifying but also in the race. It's always good when you find things like that. We'll just keep moving forward. I feel good about where we are. I think we're certainly among the best of the Honda's. There is a little bit more room to go, but we're close." (About getting nervous for qualifying): "I think everybody gets nervous; it's just part of the deal. It's one of the biggest days of your life every year to come here and qualify at Indy. We'll be giving it our all, I know that."

JOSEF NEWGARDEN (No. 21 Sarah Fisher Hartman/Century 21 Honda): "It was a short day for us, but we got through what we needed to for what today was. It was a half day with the rain, but we got through all of our qual setups, and I think we're prepared for what we need to do tomorrow. We'll make the most of it, but obviously the race next weekend is what's most important, so that's what we're keeping our focus on. I think it's open still. We have a little better idea of where everyone is at, but I think anything could still change tomorrow. It will be interesting to see how quickly everyone actually runs. We'll see where we'll stack up. I'm not 100 percent sure where we're at, but I think we're looking good relatively to most people, and I think we've got a great race car. I think the adrenaline of having to go out and do four laps at a very tough setup to gain maximum speed in front of a great crowd in Turn 1 is the coolest part. It's a fun experience getting to do that in front of the crowds in the inside and outside of Turn 1 when all the pressure is on you and you have to complete the four laps. It's something that isn't super-easy to do."

JAMES JAKES (No. 16 Acorn Stairlifts Honda): "We did a lot of good work today. We were obviously hindered by the weather, but I think we are in good shape. If we put everything together, we should have a strong package for qualifying tomorrow. Obviously now it gives us a chance to look over some data, some extra time. We'll see what happens. All guns blazing tomorrow. All three cars have worked well together all week. I'm excited to get out there tomorrow." (About preference for qualifying draw): "It would be great to be the late teens. I don't want to be the first out, and I don't want to be the last out. To be honest, I don't care: It doesn't really bother me. You have to go out at some point, right? Here qualifying is so different to everywhere else. It's not too dissimilar to a test session apart from the fact that you are the only car on track. Let's see if we can get all three Rahal Letterman Lanigan cars inside the top10."

MICHEL JOURDAIN JR. (No. 17 Office Depot Honda): "We didn't get as much done before the rain came as we wanted to. We wanted to run five new sets of tires. We had a little problem with the weight jacker that they had to fix this morning, so we were delayed a couple of hours. So we were only able to run one set of tires and do our first trim, so we are a little behind schedule but better than last year. It's tough because it's so competitive. It going to be really tough for me to be in the top 24, but we will see where are tomorrow. In the pre-qualifying practice, we have to do two steps of trimming (the aerodynamic settings of the car), and we'll see if we can get them done in the morning and see what we have for qualifying."

ED CARPENTER (No. 20 Fuzzy's Vodka/Ed Carpenter Chevrolet Racing): "It's hard to have a good idea where everyone is at for speed right now. I saw some people get in some legitimate 'no-tow' laps. There are some good cars that I don't think got a 'no tow' lap, too. It's very difficult to predict anything right now. I think the pole will be in the high 227 or low 228 for four laps. I have a good idea of what I think we can run on Saturday, but I'm not sure what everyone else can do. Of course, weather will be a big component on how qualifying plays out. Until everyone goes out in qualifying, you really don't know how good you are with your car. It's really fun for the next two days. It's a lot of pressure, too. There is more pressure to qualifying for me than the race. I love running fast around here. Having the turbo boost turned up for the Chevy is awesome."

MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 25 RC Cola Chevrolet): "I reckon we would have been over 230 (mph) if we would have had a full day. But, obviously, those were tow laps. I think as a team we're quite comfortable with our speeds. Obviously, tomorrow is going to be another day, and it's just going to come down to having a good balance." (Do you learn much in the morning practice before qualifying due to so many cars being on the track?): "I'll be in my bed tomorrow morning. You don't learn a lot. In fact, you can fool yourself. So I think we are close enough from our last couple of runs that we can just run it and qualify." (There is another chance of rain tomorrow. How does that affect your qualifying mentality?) "You don't want to be as conservative on your first run because that could be the pole run if there isn't a top-nine shootout. So you have to go for it on the first run." (Would you say one of the five Andretti cars is the favorite to win the pole?) "I don't know. (Will) Power put up some good laps. It's just going to take a good balance. I think there is five of us in the running for the pole but as far as favorite - there is going to be a lot of factors tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be on the good end of that. They are drawing numbers today, so that will be a factor, as well."

ALEX TAGLIANI (No. 98 Barracuda Racing Honda): "I'm a lot happier today. We did some really nice changes to the Barracuda Racing car, and it made it a lot nicer to drive. It behaves more like our race car from last year, and it was nice. We needed a bit more speed, but with the changes we made, I feel that we're about 95 percent of where we need to be to get the car ready for qualifying. From this point, I'm really looking forward to the race because I think the car is going to be even better than it was when we did some race running. It's a big positive, and I'm very proud of the Barracuda Racing team."

E.J. VISO (No. 5 Team Venezuela PDVSA Citgo Chevrolet): "We went little by little, step by step, trimming the car one step at a time. Until that point, I believe our realistic time was in the high 227s or low 228s. There are so many factors in play when we were running that we really won't know until all of the factors are the same for everyone. I think that we have evolved as a team and heading into the right direction. Every day we've been on the track and testing a number of pieces on the car. And, as of today, we have a stronger car than what we started the week with. It's all about finding as much mechanical grip as possible, and when it comes time to trim it, you should be in a good position if you did your homework." (Is Andretti Autosport the favorite for winning the pole?) "I think we have a strong team, and we will definitely have a good shot for it. But the Penske guys have showed that they are strong. I think Helio (Castroneves) didn't put everything he had in his run before it rained. Will (Power) was fast. AJ (Allmendinger) was the first car to go out on the track, and he was not totally trimmed and he was competitive. Those guys are also doing their homework, and that is what we are here for. It is fun. It is a great month, and the more competitive it is makes it better for the series, better for the team. It's better for everyone, and it's really what we like."

CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen Honda): "Overall, it was a pretty good day for the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team. We rolled out and had a decent baseline. The HPD/Honda group made the adjustments to the boost levels overnight, which we needed a little bit for calibration stuff. We're focused on qualifying but making sure to do it intelligently. We're making progressive steps with downforce and trying to get the speed out of the car. We'll see what the weather does tomorrow. I think we ended up with a pretty good car, so we're pretty happy with that. We have another round of practice tomorrow, so we'll see what we can tweak on it. But other than that, I think we're pretty happy."

RYAN BRISCOE (No. 8 NTT DATA Honda): "Today was all about qualifying runs and trimming the car out. We felt pretty confident with it. The setup felt pretty strong, and we were able to do a few runs, clear of traffic. As far as car balance goes, we felt good, but the speed was a little bit down so we need to see what we can do to squeeze a little more speed out of it for tomorrow. Overall, I felt we got the most out of the day before the rain came."

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 27 GoDaddy Chevrolet): "I think the weird thing about Indy is we have 10 times more practice time than anywhere else, yet you always wish you had a little bit more to make it that little bit better. I think it's just a function of a bunch of drivers and a bunch of engineers who are perfectionists and are always striving to make it a little better. But I think we can be pretty pleased with how things have gone. Obviously, having team cars up there all but one day bodes well. Qualifying is definitely going to be tough. There's a lot of quick cars. Finding that right level of downforce that takes enough drag off but doesn't leave you sliding all over the place and scrubbing speed is going to be key, and it would have been nice to have a run or two more to really nail that down. As a team, I think we're confident and it's going be tough because, like I said, there's a lot of fast cars that are going to be going for that Fast Nine. Hopefully we can get there and get the GoDaddy car in a good position for the start of the race." (About importance of starting position versus the quality of the race car): "It's Sunday that everybody cares about. Dario (Franchitti) proved last year that qualifying is not the be-and all-end - he qualified 17th. He even got hit in pit lane and fell right to the back, but he had a good race car and got his way back up to the front. So it's definitely important to focus on the race car. What's so tricky about (IMS) is it's so sensitive to different weather conditions. So if you're working on your race car throughout the entire week and you actually see a variety of different conditions, that's good. Whatever comes around on Race Day, you'll at least have a little bit of an understanding of what the car and track might do."

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 1 DHL Chevrolet): "We feel pretty good overall. Still have some work to do, but hopefully the rain will hold off tomorrow and we'll get a shot at showing what we have. Andretti Autosport, as a whole, is competing for the front row again. But the race is really what counts. We need to be in the right position for the last 50 laps and leading on (Lap) 200." (Pole speed prediction): "It's tough to say. Potentially 228."

CARLOS MUNOZ (No. 26 Unistraw Chevrolet): "Today was a short day due to weather, but we wanted to get through our qualifying simulations during our afternoon run. We had to get through our runs pretty fast, but I'm really happy with how they went. I think we have a strong car going into qualifying tomorrow. The No. 26 Unistraw Chevy has been running well all week, so I'm looking forward to doing well. I'm really excited going into my first qualifying run for the Indy 500; it's a dream come true. Ever since I was small, I wanted to be in this race. I remember watching Montoya win the Indianapolis 500 in 2000. This is a special race for me; I'm going to give everything I have tomorrow."

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda): "We really didn't have the chance to do much today with the Target car due to weather. We still got to trim out the car a little bit, though, and we got some more performance out of the engines. We didn't really get to achieve much today, though. We came out for our second qualifying simulation, and then the rain came. We'll just have to see how it goes tomorrow."

MIKE HULL (Managing director, Target Chip Ganassi Racing): "It was a pretty short day today because of the rain and storms in the area. Dario had a really good run while the track was still dry, and we made really good progress. The definition of having a team is so you can compare notes. And we'll continue to do that and progress forward. We'll come back strong tomorrow."

TAKUMA SATO (No. 14 ABC Supply Co./A.J. Foyt Racing Honda): "Today was quite straightforward. On Fast Friday, we have higher boost and only look for the qualifying setup. After the first run, we made some good progress, and the second run was quite satisfying. We were not able to explore more due to the rain, but I think we're in quite good shape. We'll review the details tonight and fine-tune the ABC Supply car tomorrow morning to prepare for qualifying. It was short but quite a good day."

CONOR DALY (No. 41 ABC Supply Co./A.J. Foyt Racing Honda): "It's obviously not ideal that it's raining. I just got my suit on to go back out and unfortunately we can't. We'll see what happens, but at least we have a bit of practice tomorrow morning to get more comfortable with the ABC Supply car and be back to normal. So it should be good. I'm confident, and we'll just see what happens."

***

A total of 42 cars are at the Speedway, with 42 passing technical inspection. Thirty-three drivers have been on the track to date and turned 725 laps today and 10,352 laps this month. Josef Newgarden turned 47 laps today, most of any driver. There were three cautions for a total of 53 minutes today.

***

Many 2013 draft picks of the Indianapolis Colts visited the Speedway today.

BJOERN WERNER (Linebacker, selected in first round, 24th overall, from Florida State): "It was a good experience, but we didn't get to see any cars. I am surprised how big this whole area is. When you come in and you are in the middle of it, it's like a whole new village. That was really surprising. I'm from Germany and a watch a lot of Formula One. But this was something new for me. Hopefully I get to see the race."

***

SATURDAY'S SCHEDULE (all times local):

6 a.m. Garages open

8-10 a.m. Indianapolis 500 practice (Group 1, 8-8:30 a.m.; Group 2, 8:30-9 a.m.; All cars, 9-10 a.m.)

11 a.m.-4 p.m. First Segment Pole Day Qualifying

11:15 a.m.-4 p.m. First Segment Qualifying media availability (each qualified driver), Economaki Press Conference Room

4:30-6 p.m. Fast Nine Qualifying


***
The 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues with the 97th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on Sunday, May 26, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be televised live at 11 a.m. (ET) by ABC and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, including on Sirius and XM Channels 211 and www.indycar.com. The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Firestone Freedom 100 on Friday, May 24, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be broadcast by the NBC Sports Network live, during the network's coverage of Carb Day.

-end-

INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, May 16, 2013) - Rookie Carlos Munoz topped the speed chart for the second time during the month of May as team's geared up for "Fast Friday" at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Munoz, the Firestone Indy Lights point leader, set the fastest lap of the month, so far, with a lap of 225.163 mph (39.9711 seconds) in the No. 26 Unistraw Chevrolet. The lap  topped the previous best of the month by Andretti Autosport teammate Marco Andretti (225.100 mph).

Andretti, driving the No. 25 RC Cola Chevrolet, was third on the day (224.882 mph) as Andretti Autosport swept the top three. Reigning IZOD IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay was second (225.006) in the No. 1 DHL car.

Day 6 of on-track activity also featured 33 drivers for the first time as 1996 Indianapolis 500 champion Buddy Lazier made his maiden appearance in the No. 91 Lazier Partners Racing car. He contributed three install laps to the 2,227 total logged during the humid six-hour session. Lazier will participate in a refresher course before the track opens for practice at noon (ET) May 17.

Rookie Conor Daly brought out the yellow flag for the first incident of the month when the No. 41 ABC Supply car for A.J. Foyt Racing made contact with the SAFER Barrier exiting Turn 1 midway through the session. He was checked at the infield care center and cleared to drive.

Drivers will get a boost for the seventh day of practice for the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race as they transition from race setup evaluation to mostly qualifying simulations.

As with the 2012 race, the boost level will be upped from 130 kPa to 140 kPa for "Fast Friday" as drivers/teams focus on qualifying setups and the two days of qualifications. The boost level to the 2.2-liter, turbocharged V-6 engines will return to 130 kPa for the one-hour final practice May 24 and Race Day on May 26.

DAY 6 NOTEBOOK:

Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears, 2008 Indianapolis 500 winner Scott Dixon and IZOD IndyCar Series 500-mile race winner Ed Carpenter spoke to the media this morning about the Fuzzy's Triple Crown, which debuts this season.

Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka will be the major sponsor of the three IZOD IndyCar Series races during the 2013 season that constitute the Fuzzy's Triple Crown.

A driver who sweeps the races at the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway (May 26), 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway (July 7) and 2-mile Auto Club Speedway (Oct. 19) ovals will be awarded $1 million. A driver who wins two of the three races will be awarded a $250,000 bonus.

The Fuzzy's Triple Crown renews tradition of the popular series at Indianapolis, Pocono and Ontario (Calif.) from 1971-80 and from 1981-89 at Indianapolis, Pocono and Michigan. Only four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser has won all three races in a single season, in 1978 in the Jim Hall-owned First National City Travelers Checks-sponsored car.

SCOTT DIXON: "It's exciting. I'm very happy to be a part of it. It is so hard to win two or three of them, so forget about the money, I would be happy with just the getting those wins."

ED CARPENTER: "To win this race would be great in itself, taking into consideration the amount of preparation that goes into this race alone. To win this race and two others is difficult. That is the exciting thing about winning the Triple Crown."

RICK MEARS: "One of the great things about having the Triple Crown back is that it shows consistency within the team day in and day out. It is just great all around."

***

Indianapolis 500 winners Al Unser, Bobby Unser and Johnny Rutherford - who combined to win "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" 10 times - are among the 2013 inductees into the United States Auto Club Hall of Fame.

The Class of 2013 will be inducted into the USAC Hall of Fame during ceremonies Saturday evening, May 18 before the second annual Hall of Fame Classic USAC Traxxas Silver Crown race at Lucas Oil Raceway in the Indianapolis suburb of Clermont, Ind.

Other inductees include Indianapolis 500 veterans Henry Banks, Tony Bettenhausen, Tom Bigelow, Pancho Carter and Jack Hewitt, legendary Indianapolis 500 "roadster" builder A.J. Watson, Indianapolis 500 team owner Bob Wilke, USAC stock car standout Don White and track promoter and race organizer Earl Baltes.

Tickets are priced at $20 for adults and $5 for kids, and adult tickets will admit the holder to pit access starting at 5 p.m.

***

Medical report from Dr. Michael Olinger, INDYCAR director of medical services: Conor Daly was checked and released without injury from the IU Health Emergency Medical Center. He is cleared to drive.

CONOR DALY (No. 41 ABC Supply Co./A.J. Foyt Racing Honda): "We had just made a change on the springs in the rear. For me, I felt comfortable the whole time. It's all been reasonably good. I was just trying to experience a little bit more with the car, and there was a car in front and me. The wind, it feels like it's been gusting more, and the rear was leaning hard on the outside tire, and it just kind of folded over on itself. I just lost it. Just not good."

***
Schmidt Hamilton Motorsports driver Simon Pagenaud, a native of France, will make crepes for breakfast for his team and media from 9-9:30 a.m. Friday in the Schmidt Hamilton garages, A 11-16 in Gasoline Alley.

***
1981 Indianapolis 500 veteran Bob Lazier said his son, 1996 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Lazier, plans to make his 2013 Indianapolis 500 on-track debut today in the No. 91 Lazier Partners Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone.

Bob Lazier talked about the team's preparation of the chassis, which Jean Alesi drove last year for Lotus, and also about a possible 2014 Indianapolis 500 program for his other son, Jaques.

BOB LAZIER: (Where were you working on the car before bringing it to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway?) "We've been working on it at Ron Hemelgarn's shop with (crew chief) Dennis LaCava. Dennis is the real backbone of this organization right now." (What is your timeline for getting on the track?) "Our goal is to get out today. We started the engine and everything yesterday. So everything is fine in that regards. We plan on going out around 3:30 or 4 (p.m.), something like that. We want to get a little bit of time on it and dial it in to where we want it from that point on. You know, it's a process. Fortunately, we have a veteran driver. We've got a guy that's has driven 75,000 miles here, probably. So, we're very comfortable, and he is very relaxed. We're fine." (How does it feel to be back with Buddy for an Indy 500 attempt?): "It's wonderful to be here. I also have my other son, Jaques, here, too. We're going to try and do a program for him next year, as well. Buddy got this program started last year by coaching Jean Alesi. And that is why we are here now."

***

Strike, LLC, one of North America's leading energy services provider, has signed as a major associate sponsor of A.J. Foyt's No. 41 ABC Supply entry driven by rookie Conor Daly in the Indianapolis 500.

This is Strike's first foray into motorsports.

The red, white and blue Strike lightning bolt logos are located near the cockpit and on the nose of the red, white and blue No. 41 car.

Headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas, just north of Houston, Strike is a leading North American provider of pipeline, facilities, fabrication, maintenance and integrity services to world-renowned companies, delivering America's energy safely. The integrated network of energy services provided range from upstream production, processing and gathering facilities to high-pressure transmission and distribution lines.

STEVE PATE (Chairman and CEO, Strike): "Many of us in the Strike family are race enthusiasts, and the opportunity to sponsor an Indy car is very exciting. We are looking forward to working with the Foyt team and anxious to cheer Conor on to victory."

LARRY FOYT (Team director, A.J. Foyt Racing): "We're thrilled to welcome Strike to our team and to the Indianapolis 500. We appreciate their support and the opportunity to introduce them to the world's fastest race. We'll do our best to make it a memorable experience for them and their clients."

***

INDYCAR officials confirmed the boost levels for the 2.2-liter turbo-charged V-6 engines used by the IZOD IndyCar Series will remain unchanged for the 97th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.

As with the 2012 race, the boost level will be increased from 130 kPa to 140 kPa for "Fast Friday" on May 17 and Pole Day qualifications Saturday, May 18 and Bump Day qualifications Sunday, May 19.

The change in pressure adds about a 40-horsepower boost to the engines produced by Chevrolet (twin-turbocharged Chevy IndyCar V6) and Honda (single turbo-charged Honda HI13R). The boost level will return to 130 kPa for final practice on Coors Light Carb Day on Friday, May 24 and the 500-mile race Sunday, May 26.

WILL PHILLIPS (Vice president for technology, INDYCAR): "What we had last year worked really well for the full sequence of the Month of May. With the car performance progressing incrementally through natural development of the chassis and aerodynamics, lap speeds are expected to increase in qualifying."

***

ENTRY LIST UPDATE:

•The name of #5, #5T driven by E.J. Viso is Team Venezuela PDVSA Citgo.

***

2003 Indianapolis 500 winner Gil de Ferran will join the NBC Sports Network team as an analyst during its coverage of Pole Day and Bump Day qualifying. De Ferran is substituting for regular analyst Townsend Bell, who is driving in the 97th Indianapolis 500.

Joining de Ferran in the booth this weekend will be play-by-play announcer Leigh Diffey and analyst Jon Beekhuis.

NBC Sports Network Formula One pit reporter Will Buxton also will join the broadcast team in the pits this weekend, as F1 does not race. This is Buxton's first broadcast from the Brickyard.

Bell took Buxton for a ride in the Indy Racing Experience two-seater this morning for use in a feature during the Bump Day broadcast Sunday.

Joining Buxton in the pits will be Kevin Lee, Marty Snider and Rob Miller.

NBC Sports Network will televise qualifying live from 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 4:30-6:30 p.m. Saturday and noon-6:30 p.m. Sunday.


***

All 33 drivers assigned to cars at this event were on track today for the first time this month. #91 Buddy Lazier was on track for the first time today.

***
An Andretti Autosport driver has been the fastest in four of the six practice days so far this month. Carlos Munoz is the only driver to be fastest more than once. A breakdown:

•Saturday, May 11: #20 Ed Carpenter, 220.970 (Ed Carpenter Racing)

•Sunday, May 12: #26 Carlos Munoz, 223.023 (Andretti Autosport)

•Monday, May 13: #25 Marco Andretti, 225.100 (Andretti Autosport)

•Tuesday, May 14: #25 James Hinchcliffe, 224.210, in Marco Andretti's car (Andretti Autosport)

•Wednesday, May 15: #10 Dario Franchitti, 224.236 (Target Chip Ganassi Racing)

•Thursday, May 16: #26 Munoz, 225.163 (Andretti Autosport)

***

INDIANAPOLIS 500 PRACTICE QUOTES:

SIMON PAGENAUD (No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports Honda): "I'm very happy with the race car. I think we're really close to where we want to be. I got to run with Dario (Franchitti) and Scott (Dixon), which was really helpful in traffic. They helped me to see what the car might be like in the race. It's always difficult to predict what will happen when we're in the race, but I'm confident. The HP car is pretty fast I think. We just need to keep chipping away." (About receiving advice from JR Hildebrand about throwing first pitch at Milwaukee Brewers' game Monday, May 20): "I'm looking forward to the baseball game in Milwaukee because I've never been to a baseball game. It's going to be a lot of fun to go, and Milwaukee is a great city, too. It'll be great to get there before we race at the Milwaukee IndyFest. JR was a great coach, and he gave me a ton of great tips. Honestly, I think it's a game I could get addicted to. Big thanks to JR for helping and making sure I don't embarrass myself when I throw out the first pitch at the Brewers game."

ED CARPENTER (No. 20 Fuzzy's Vodka/Ed Carpenter Chevrolet Racing): "It was another pretty productive day. We learned some more things for the race. The last two days we have done some positive things as well as negative ones. And you do learn from the things that don't work. I think we are zeroing in on things right now. We are getting closer on the setup we like. I'm not sure it's where we need to be because some of these guys are very quick. There are times that I think we are very good and then other times I am worried. I think that really shows the depth of the field. It's very competitive. I do feel better with each day right now. The forecast was for rain today, but we dodged it. Conditions were pretty good today. Friday's forecast doesn't look good again. But who knows about the weather here."

ALEX TAGLIANI (No. 98 Team Barracuda-BHA Honda): "Early on today, we felt the Barracuda Racing car was OK. Later in the day, I think we took a big break and tried something pretty risky, and unfortunately it didn't work. It's not a big deal, though. We're just going to reset everything and go back tomorrow to where we know the car has been good in traffic. We'll also start working a bit more with a qualifying mindset because we're going to run the boost at 1.4 since it's Fast Friday. It's going to be a totally different approach, but overall we know we need to make some improvements on our race car. We're struggling a bit compared to last year, but we pulled through it in 2012, and the car was kind of a bullet then, so I'm sure the Barracuda Racing boys are going to do the same again this year. We should be in great shape."

JAMES JAKES (No. 16 Acorn Stairlifts Honda): "We made some great steps today with the Acorn Stairlifts car. To be honest, it's been going pretty well all week. We are just working with the plan that we have had all week, trying not to concentrate too much on the times on the tow reports but getting the car good in traffic and then looking for single-lap pace with no one else out there. The guys did a great job today. They have had a long few days, so it's nice to get done early so they can get home, get some rest and get ready for a big weekend."

AJ ALLMENDINGER (No. 2 IZOD Team Penske Chevrolet): "The IZOD Chevrolet ended up 11th today in terms of speed, but I feel like we are gaining on the setup. I was able to gain more experience in race traffic, which you can never get enough of. The car is good, and I'm interested to see how the car will handle with the extra boost of power we get tomorrow. Another day of experience behind the wheel, and we're learning more and more."

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Shell V-Power/Pennzoil Ultra Team Penske Chevrolet): "Another day of trying to find something new in the Shell Pennzoil Chevrolet. We are really digging, and the guys have done a great job so far finding the small bits here and there. Now we turn all of our attention tomorrow to qualifying and seeing what kind of speed we can find."

CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen Honda): "Today was another really good day. We spent a fair amount of time working on race stuff. We did a couple of solid, full-tank, new-tire runs in traffic. The car feels really stable. I think we made progress and found a couple of things today that some of my teammates run and liked, and I agree with them. So we went in that direction, as well. I think we're in really good shape for next Sunday. Now our focus kind of shifts to qualifying on Saturday. Obviously, with Fast Friday tomorrow, we'll get a little more boost. As race car drivers, we always like to go faster, and I think we have a good shot with the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car as we increase that boost. So we're going to trim out the car and see what we can get out of it."

WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): "It was great to be able to get Verizon Chevrolet on track today as we were planning for rain. We are still working our way through our list; it is a process of continual adaptation to the conditions. I feel as though we did find something today that will help us during the race. Looking at the times, you can tell it is going to be tough."

RYAN BRISCOE (No. 8 NTT DATA Honda): "We didn't get to do too many laps today as we kind of got stuck in the garage this afternoon with some work that the guys had to do on the car. So we probably didn't get to do as many long runs as we wanted to do, but the car felt good at the end of the day. We did a single long-run, where we ran with Scott (Dixon) and Dario (Franchitti) a bit, and it was pretty strong. It was pretty strong, so that's good. We're looking forward to some more race preparation on Bump Day."

JOSEF NEWGARDEN (No. 21 Sarah Fisher Hartman/Century 21 Honda): "I thought we had a good day today. We've had good days pretty much all week, so that is positive. We worked on our race setup today, which is great because we've been waiting to do that all week. And now tomorrow we get to work on qualifying, so I think we're looking really positive headed into the weekend. We'll be looking to do well in qualifying, but more importantly we'll be looking to do well next weekend. I like Fast Friday because it's the best indicator as to how qualifying will go. You're really going to see the highest speeds of the weekend tomorrow other than Saturday, and you'll get a clearer idea of where everyone is at, so that's always good to see after a long week of testing."

E.J. VISO (No. 5 Team Venezuela PDVSA Citgo Chevrolet): "The team has been consistently at the top of the charts. Carlos (Munoz) was up there today. Ryan (Hunter-Reay) was really fast yesterday. Marco (Andretti) and James (Hinchcliffe) have been at the top of the charts, and that's good. It shows that we are a strong team. So far, we've been working on the racecraft. I'm sure you've seen us out there passing each other and trying different things with the cars. This is what a big team and a team that has plenty of resources is able to do. First and foremost, it's been a very refreshing season for me. It's been a while since I have been able to feel I have a team fully behind me. It is what I have been feeling so far with these guys (at Andretti Autosport). Obviously, it's been a little of a learning curve. Everyone on my crew is new to the team, with the exception of maybe two or three guys. Every beginning is always difficult, but it's been nice. We've had the speed in every race. Talking more specifically about the Indy 500, about this special month for us, just knowing that I have a team and a car that is always fast is always nice. That gives us the liberty to go out and try different things in the car, and taking the chance that it might work or not but knowing that you can always go back to the roots and still have a good baseline." (How do you feel you will be when you start focusing on qualifying setup?): "I believe that every race car has some fundamentals. I believe the Andretti grip is a fundamental that they have developed that is really good. And then all you have to do is trim the car. Obviously, you smoothly adjust the car for qualifying, but I think we have what we need to find that grip when we really need it in qualifying with very little downforce."

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 1 DHL Chevrolet): "We worked at it again today - not even sure what day it is anymore, really - we just keep working on the cars and inching in on where we need to be with limited practice days left. I think we'll see some surprises in qualifying. We don't really know what to expect. We just need to concentrate on our program and being quick on Race Day. We need to peak in the race and not in qualifying. Hopefully we do well in qualifying, but we need to be able to make sure that we have the race sorted, too."

TRISTAN VAUTIER (No. 55 Lucas Oil/Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda): "I'm so glad we got a lot of time on the track today since we thought it was going to rain and didn't think we'd be able to do much. I'm really starting to feel more comfortable out there and can't wait to get back out there again. I think we're in good shape at this point now that practice days are winding down before Pole Day."

SIMONA DE SILVESTRO (No. 78 Nuclear Entergy Areva KVRT Chevrolet): "I think it was a pretty good day. We struggled a little bit in the beginning of the day but were able to figure it out. We were also able to run a little in traffic, and that was pretty fun. I think we have a pretty strong car in traffic. Now tomorrow we will have to see how it goes with some qualifying stuff, but I think today was a really good day and the first time I was pretty happy at the end of the day, so it's a good thing."

GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 15 Midas/Big O Tires Honda): "I think today went pretty good. We found a lot of things to make our car better. For our qualifying setup, I feel really good. The Midas/Big O Tires car was second of the Honda's on the no-tow report. We still have to work on the race setup; we have to make it better. We'll see what Fast Friday brings. I know there is still some stuff in the bag. We never really got a tow lap, though. Our fastest lap was by ourselves, so I don't feel too bad about that. It doesn't look good if you just look at the time sheets without taking that into consideration, but everything is all right."

MICHEL JOURDAIN JR. (No. 17 Office Depot Honda): "We felt like we were making big progress on the Office Depot car, especially by ourselves. We were much happier as the day was going on, but we tried to run in traffic, and we just couldn't. We have a lot of work to do to run in traffic."

ORIOL SERVIA (No. 22 Panther DRR Chevrolet): "Everything is going to plan, so I am happy to be boring in this way! It's all been good, and we're not where we want to be yet, but we're definitely getting closer and closer. Tomorrow is Fast Friday. We're doing what we have to do, so I'm happy."

CARLOS MUNOZ (No. 26 Unistraw Chevrolet): "The fastest lap was a tow, an unbelievable tow. Yesterday, I was thanking Hinch (James Hinchcliffe) and all the other drivers for the tow, and today I am thanking him (E.J. Viso) and Ryan (Hunter-Reay). But yeah, this last run I felt really comfortable each time I ran behind people in racing conditions. Each time I felt more comfortable. We are improving the car from the beginning until now, and I think right now we are really strong. We have a real strong car every time we test, and we can go back and make sure we have a pretty competitive car. But tomorrow and Saturday is another thing entirely. We will have to prepare for qualifying." (How do you feel about tomorrow when you will gain 40-50 extra horsepower?): "I'm excited to feel more speed again. I'm comfortable and think we'll have a great car, a really secure car. But I will tell you tomorrow how I feel after my first run how it feels to have this boost."

DARIO FRANCHITTI (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda): "We didn't have the day we would have hoped to today. We started to take some of the downforce of out the car, which is usual for qualifying. The tough thing is that the track conditions at Indianapolis were again different today, which makes things challenging. Looking ahead to tomorrow, we're focused 100 percent on qualifying the car. The boost levels in the Honda engine will be turned up over the next two days in preparation for qualifying. I think we'll have a closer idea of where we are in tomorrow's practice session."

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda): "Today was a decent day. We kept it pretty simple overall. We did one qualifying simulation run and then made some changes with the dampers in the car. We also worked on some mechanical things, and it was one of our better days because we just methodically went about our run plan and didn't run the death out of the car. We just went about our business today and ran with what we had. Looking to qualifying, you'll see the speeds go up anywhere from 2 to 4 miles per hour. How that pans out for us, we will see."

JR HILDEBRAND (No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing Chevrolet): "We've been working a lot on the race setup in the National Guard Chevy and feel like we've been making a lot of good changes. We're getting to where we'd ideally like to be for Race Day. We had a big tow lap, but the cars that put in those big laps are usually good cars. But that's not indicative of how fast the car really is or how well it works in traffic; it's just how many cars you can get in front of you to bang it up into sixth gear and put in a big lap. But we feel like we're pretty close on the setup, and we've been circling around trying to get the car to do a couple different things, but we feel strong."

TAKUMA SATO (No. 14 ABC Supply Co./A.J. Foyt Racing Honda): "First, I'm glad Conor (Daly) wasn't hurt. It was horrible to see that he had a big moment today. (How did your day go?): "My day went well because we learned a lot, so again it was productive. There were a couple of things we needed to address, but we learned the car performed well in race trim and qualifying trim, so that was good." (How does Conor get over that accident?): "The important thing is to find out why it happened. To know that is the most important thing, so once he knows that, he should be able to get back in the car, and in a few laps he will be back up to speed."

TOWNSEND BELL (No. 60 Sunoco "Turbo" Panther Racing Chevrolet): "The No. 60 Sunoco 'Turbo' Chevy is awesome. We're really happy with the balance, which means at this point we can think about our qualifying setup and optimization. Our basic foundation is really good, so tomorrow we'll do some qualifying sims and get things tweaked for Saturday. The competition in this series is as strong as I've ever seen it, and while I was commentating on the race in Brazil, I had it in the back of my head that I was going to have to get out here with these guys. I think we're in for an incredible race."

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 27 GoDaddy Chevrolet): "Practice today did not go as smoothly as we hoped. We ended yesterday really happy with the car after struggling for part of the day, so it's was good to end on a positive note. We were looking forward to coming into today and trying a few things. Earlier in the day, we accomplished a few useful things. We had another long run that, in all honesty, proved that we have a slow car even if the handling wasn't terrible. But late in the day, getting ready for our second long run, we scared ourselves with something. I'm not sure what it was, but there was definitely something amiss on the car because I couldn't even run a corner flat by myself in clean air, never mind a full lap or with traffic in the mix. Sometimes that happens. We'll take the car back and have a proper look at it getting ready for Fast Friday. I'm sure whatever the culprit is, we'll diagnose it and fix it. That's what this team does. So we'll be back at it tomorrow. Not an ideal way to end today, unfortunately, losing a bit of running in the pack and ending with a sour taste in our mouth. Luckily there are no points or prize money for today, so we'll just keep our heads down and get back on track tomorrow."

CONOR DALY (No. 41 ABC Supply Co./A.J. Foyt Racing Honda): "These guys work so hard. I'm incredibly thankful for the continued opportunity that I have. I'm just glad that the car wasn't as damaged as it might have looked flying through the air. I tried to save it, and I would have saved it if we had about another 100 yards wider. But I know they're going to work hard and get it all prepared, and as long as we can get out tomorrow and shake it down and make sure she's pulling in the right direction, I think we'll be fine. I think it should be good."

***

Thirty-three drivers have been on the track to date and turned 2,227 laps today and 9,627 laps this month. Justin Wilson turned 100 laps today, most of any driver. There were seven cautions for a total of one hour, one minute today.

***

FRIDAY'S SCHEDULE (all times local):

7 a.m. Garages open

Noon-6 p.m. Indianapolis 500 practice

***
The 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues with the 97th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on Sunday, May 26, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be televised live at 11 a.m. (ET) by ABC and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, including on Sirius and XM Channels 211 and www.indycar.com. The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Firestone Freedom 100 on Friday, May 24, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be broadcast by the NBC Sports Network live, during the network's coverage of Carb Day.

-end-

INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, May 15, 2013) - Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti put Honda on top of the speed chart for the first time at Indianapolis as teams continued preparations for the 97th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.

The 2012 race winner recorded the fastest lap of the day of 224.235 mph (40.1363 seconds) with 27 minutes left in the six-hour afternoon session in the No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

No less than 15 drivers toured the 2.5-mile oval in groups of three, four and five in the final 30 minutes in an effort to experience the balance of their cars in traffic and continue to develop their overall race setup. In total, 32 drivers piled up 2,165 laps without incident on day 5.

Townsend Bell, in his second full on-track session, climbed to second (223.716 mph; 40.2295 seconds) in the No. 60 Sunoco "Turbo" Chevrolet for Panther Racing. Three-time Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves was among the fastest again (223.699 mph) in the No. 3 Shell V-Power/Pennzoil Ultra Team Penske Chevrolet.

Marco Andretti (221.419 mph) in the No. 25 RC Cola Chevrolet and Andretti Autosport teammate E.J. Viso (220.305 mph), driving the No. 5 Team Venezuela Chevrolet, recorded the fastest non-tow laps earlier in the session.

DAY 5 NOTEBOOK:

The crews for #22 Servia (Panther DRR), #83 Kimball (NovoNordisk Chip Ganassi Racing), #27Hinchcliffe (Andretti Autosport), #8 Briscoe (Chip Ganassi Racing) and #25 Andretti (Andretti Autosport) qualified for the Indianapolis 500 Pit Stop Competition through pit stop time trials held this morning.

The five join the crews for #1 Hunter-Reay (Andretti Autosport), #3 Castroneves (Team Penske), #9 Dixon (Target Chip Ganassi Racing), #10 Franchitti (Target Chip Ganassi Racing), #11 Kanaan (KV Racing Technology), #12 Power (Team Penske) and #14 Sato (A.J. Foyt Racing) who qualified through pit performance at IZOD IndyCar Series events between the 2012 Indianapolis 500 and 2013 Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300.

The Pit Stop Competition will take place at Coors Light Carb Day on May 24.

***

Ed Carpenter will again carry a Butler University logo on his #20 Fuzzy's Vodka Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet during the Indianapolis 500. Carpenter, a 2003 graduate of the Indianapolis school, unveiled the logo along with Butler University President James Danko, Butler Athletic Director Barry Collier, Butler Men's Basketball Coach Brad Stevens and mascots Butler Blue II and Butler Blue III.

ED CARPENTER (Owner/driver Ed Carpenter Racing): "It's a lot of fun being in Indianapolis, my hometown, and Butler is just down the road. It's nice to be able to do something together. Hopefully we'll be able to celebrate together at the end of this month. They've been great to me from the time I was there (as a student) and since I've graduated. It's a great community and it's fun to represent them."

BRAD STEVENS (Butler University men's basketball coach): "It's great when you get to follow the race so close because it's in your hometown. To have a sincere rooting interest is fun too. Ed has been great to us. We're rooting for him. We're proud of him and appreciate he's put the bulldog on his car."

***

Charlie Kimball played host to four members of the Indianapolis Colts today at the Speedway. Indianapolis Colts quarterbacks Andrew Luck, Matt Hasselbeck and Chandler Harnish along with wide receiver Griff Whalen toured the No. 83 Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing garage and spent time on the pit lane with the team.

            CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 83NovoLog FlexPen Honda): "I got the opportunity to go to an event a few weeks ago sponsored IU Health Sports Performance that was Andrew Luck's Change the Play event. I met Griff (Whalen) and Andrew (Luck), and sort of connected being a Stanford fan, getting in (to school there), my dad being an alumni and I think Andrew mentioned that my aunt spoke to his freshman English literature class. It's all in the family. I'm a Stanford fan, and now an Indianapolis resident and Colts fan. I wanted them to come see my office, because in the Winter, it's easy to turn on the TV and see these guys go to work on Sundays. I wanted to give them the opportunity see what I think is the greatest sporting venue in the world - the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and see us turn laps at 215, 220 mph and give them the full Indianapolis experience."

ANDREW LUCK (Indianapolis Colts quarterback): "I didn't make it out last year. I think we were still in school last year and free weekends were at a premium. Unfortunately, I'm going to be out of town next weekend so I won't be able to come to the race, but I wanted to come and pay our respect to Charlie because he was kind enough to come out to our IU-Riley event. As a sports fan, it's awesome to see a spectacle like this, a stadium like this. To see how different athletes operate and how a race car team operates compared to a football team. Hopefully it will be a little educational for us."

***

Andretti Autosport Firestone Indy Lights driver Zach Veach spent most of Wednesday afternoon in the #26 pit box of his Indy Lights teammate Carlos Munoz. Munoz leads the Firestone Indy Lights points' standings and is attempting to qualify for his first Indianapolis 500. Veach led a Firestone Indy Lights test May 2 at 190.045 mph. Practice and qualifying for the Firestone Freedom 100 is scheduled for Thursday, May 23, with the race at 12:30 p.m. Friday, May 24.

ZACH VEACH: "It was really special to get to spend some time in Carlos' pit box today and see my teammate's dream coming true," said Veach.  "it was a bit surreal because I hope that's me next year too! But this year, I couldn't be more thrilled for Carlos and his opportunity. He is such a great guy and has been a huge help to me this season in Indy Lights.  I'll definitely be rooting for the #26 car come Indy 500 race day."

***

AutoNation, America's largest auto retailer, announced today it has partnered with 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay to support his Racing for Cancer charity.

AutoNation's primary charitable focus over the next two years will be cancer awareness and prevention, and Hunter-Reay's charity will serve as a key component of that program. Hunter-Reay founded the charitable organization following the 2009 passing of his mother due to colon cancer.

Racing for Cancer's mission is simply to help beat cancer. The organization seeks to unite motorsport fans, sponsors, teams and others in a coast to coast effort to help eradicate the disease. Efforts are focused on early detection and prevention along with an emphasis on supporting childhood cancer initiatives. With the support of AutoNation, Racing for Cancer will have 21,000 teammates in 15 states.

All of the organization's net proceeds go directly to supporting the cancer community. AutoNation will match the first $500,000 raised through Racing for Cancerand will contribute directly to the designated charities. Seventy-five percent of the funds generated by Racing for Cancer will be distributed in the markets where they're collected, and 25 percent will be designated to Racing for Cancer's trust fund programs.

AutoNation will be participating in race-related events in a number of markets coast-to-coast, including Long Beach, Calif., and Northern California; St. Petersburg/ Tampa, Fla., and South Florida; Fort Worth/ Dallas and Houston; and Baltimore, Md.. The company also expects to add Phoenix, Seattle, Atlanta, Las Vegas and Denver to the list, with additional cities to be announced. AutoNation also will participate in Racing for Cancer's third annual "Yellow Party" on May 23 in Indianapolis, the charity's  signature event and biggest annual fundraiser, held around the Indianapolis 500 each year.

MIKE JACKSON (Chairman and CEO, AutoNation): "All of us are touched by cancer in some way, and we're proud to join forces with Ryan in the race to help conquer this disease. We're looking forward to committing our efforts and the efforts of our 21,000-strong team of associates to the fight. Through his professional outreach and personal involvement, Ryan has demonstrated an amazing commitment to fighting cancer and we hope that the contributions we're able to make will bring us across the finish line that much faster in the battle to defeat cancer."

***

Thirty-two drivers were on track today. Only driver not on track was #91 Lazier, who has not turned any laps so far this month.

INDIANAPOLIS 500 PRACTICE QUOTES:

JOSEF NEWGARDEN (No. 21 Sarah Fisher Hartman/Century 21 Honda): "We had a shorter day today but still a productive one for setup changes. We still have a little bit of a list to work on, but I think we are actually sitting quite well. I think the car handles well in traffic and by itself and seems to be quick as expected from this team, as they built a fast race car. We're looking good. We just have to stay on task. You can get caught off guard around this place easily, so we have to make sure it doesn't get ahead of us."

CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen Honda): "Today was a really good day. We ran through a lot of stuff. We did nearly 70 laps in different conditions, both early in the afternoon and late in the afternoon. We worked on a lot of race stuff and are still focusing on next Sunday, for the race. We have to make sure that the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car is going to be happy in different situations and different conditions, whether we're running in traffic or running by ourselves. We worked on some developmental stuff, just to make sure we have as many tools in our toolbox as possible come Race Day. I think the car is pretty happy. We just have to keep making adjustments and paying attention as things develop. Obviously, as we're getting closer to the end of the week, we'll start looking toward qualifying. What's really important is what happens a week from Sunday, not necessarily what happens on Saturday in qualifying. Saturday is important; it's just not the only important thing ahead of us."

E.J. VISO (No. 5 Team Venezuela/Andretti Autosport/HVM Chevrolet): "The preparation is still happening. We're still following each of the steps of our test plan. Today we still answered some good questions that we had about the car, and what we are trying to do right now is make our race car even stronger. I think we are going to be good for the race, but there are still plenty of details to fix to have an even better car."

RYAN BRISCOE (No. 8 NTT DATA Honda): "It was a long day and pretty good. We got some long runs in there at the end of the day and got to run in packs, so we were really happy with that. We made some big suspension changes throughout the day and found a really good direction with the car, so we were happy with that, as well. We are definitely moving in the right direction, and we're really happy with what we have moving into tomorrow and on to qualifying."

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 1 DHL Chevrolet): "It was a good day for the DHL crew. We tried quite a few different setups because the weather is changing. The wind's changing; it's getting hotter. So we're just logging more data for weather conditions and ended the day on a good note. We were on the top of the charts most of the day but finished with a great race car, so I'm really happy with it."

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 27 GoDaddy Chevrolet): "I think the GoDaddy crew made some really good gains today. We had some troubles early on, but we've bounced back from that. We're still fighting the good fight that is Indianapolis. Well keep working at it; we gathered a lot of data over the five (Andretti Autosport) cars today, and we'll see where we are at come week's end."

SIMON PAGENAUD (No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports Honda): "It's day five, so we got to touch closely to what we think will be a good setup for the race. We optimized some changes that we made, and it was interesting to get to try all of those items. We'll definitely have a strong race car. We can race in the pack pretty easily. Since it's hot today, that's a great testing environment because that's similar to what the weather will be on May 26. I'm enjoying driving the car because it feels much more competitive than it was last year."

TRISTAN VAUTIER (No. 55 Lucas Oil/Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda): "Today was the first day where I really managed to get some time in the pack. I'm glad we made some progress there. It was a good day, although I wish we could have run even more. It was useful time, though, because it gave us a direction to head in. Hopefully we can get some time on the track tomorrow and Friday if the weather isn't too bad. I really want to keep working because we're catching up a bit since I'm a rookie, and I need to get comfortable on this track."

DARIO FRANCHITTI (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda): (About being fastest of the day): "It doesn't really count for much, but it's nice, nonetheless. Right now we're still very much in the preparation stage. We're making changes to the car, and sometimes doing one- and two-lap runs. I think we had a pretty tough morning there and made some big changes to the Target car in the afternoon. We ran some and was pretty happy with it, so we went out there with some of the Andretti guys and my teammates - Scott, Ryan, and I think Charlie was involved for a minute there, as well - and some other guys involved in a pack, and really the lap time came from being in the right place at the right time. It was a bit like everybody out there: It was when you got the tow and how big the tow was. So for us, it was more important that the car balanced and how the car is in traffic and stuff, and we're getting there with that. Still got a little work to do, but we're closer than we have been."

TAKUMA SATO (No. 14 ABC Supply Co./A.J. Foyt Racing Honda): "It was a productive day again. After yesterday, we were delayed on the program, but I think we caught up nicely and we tried several things we wanted to try over the last two days, and it was good to see the changes. We collected good data today, and finally we were able to run in traffic to see how the car performed. We found some positives and some not so much. We'll sort it out in the debrief tonight and hopefully continue to progress tomorrow."

CONOR DALY (No. 41 ABC Supply Co./A.J. Foyt Racing Honda): "We got over 220 today, which was enjoyable. I got to run in traffic at the end of the day, so that was good experience, a whole new experience for me, and I really enjoyed it. As long as I can keep running like that tomorrow, I think we'll have a good platform for the race." (Was running in traffic what you expected?): "It was a little surprising. It's tough to really get close to people, so I think there's some stuff we can do with the car to help that. But I think mainly it's just me trying to figure out how to navigate traffic, so it should get better."

TOWNSEND BELL (No. 60 Sunoco "Turbo" Panther Racing Chevrolet): (Is it more fun to go fast than to talk about guys going fast?): "It is a lot more fun. It feels a lot more at home for me to jump in and not have to say anything, not have to smile. No one can see me beneath the helmet and just get after it. It's been great. The car has been solid. The Panther guys have done an awesome job. We had a rocky start with me coming in late from Laguna, but we've rebounded nicely since then."

ORIOL SERVIA (No. 22 Panther DRR Chevrolet): "It was again a difficult day in terms of the conditions. It was very hot and even windier than yesterday. It's tricky because the car wants to slide around. There toward the end, we made a couple of changes that gave me more grip, which is what we were after. Honestly, it's hard when you do changes to get a read sometimes because you're out there and do some laps alone, and you get a perfect read. Then all of a sudden you're behind a big pack of cars, and you basically lose 200 pounds of downforce. We get caught in trying to see both things - how the changes are and how your car is in traffic because that's how it's going to be during the race. It's an interesting dynamic that happens out there. I think we made the best of it today."

ED CARPENTER (No. 20 Fuzzy's Vodka/Ed Carpenter Chevrolet Racing): "We had a busy day. We ran 107 laps, more than twice any other day for us. We had bad day on Tuesday, just a lot of problems. The Fuzzy's Chevy felt much better today, and we ran in a lot of traffic. With the heat and more cars, the track was more in a race setting. We aren't where we want to be just yet, but I think we are back into our scheduled plan. We aren't sure how the weather will play out the next two days, so we wanted more laps today. We have been working on the race car and haven't trimmed anything out for a qualifying setup. Let's just hope the weather is cooperating with us to get more laps in for Thursday and Friday."

MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 25 RC Cola Chevrolet): "Today was interesting, to say the least. We finished sixth overall, but we were trying new things on the car. Obviously, some things aren't always going to work out for the best. It kind of goes back to 'If it ain't broke, don't try and fix it,' so not every change to the car is a good change. We made more progress yesterday than today, but that's why we practice so much here. Tomorrow will be a better day for the RC Cola Chevy. We have a solid idea of the setup we want the car to have at this point."

JR HILDEBRAND (No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing Chevrolet): "We're feeling pretty good. We haven't worked very much on our qualifying stuff yet because there are still a couple of days before we really have to do that. More than anything, once we get to Friday and Saturday, it's hard to work on race stuff, so we've been running through a lot of things to make the National Guard car works well in traffic. And we've been trying to figure out what we need to do so we've got a fast car but also a car that works well throughout an entire stint. I feel like we've made good progress the last few days. It's always hard to tell running in traffic what other guys are doing, but we certainly aren't one of the cars struggling to get by people out there. But we've got to keep working at it, because at this place you certainly can't take anything for granted."

AJ ALLMENDINGER (No. 2 IZOD Team Penske Chevrolet): "It was warmer outside today than it was yesterday, which changed some of the things the IZOD crew out into the setup of the IZOD Chevrolet. The track had less grip than the day before, as well. I got to experience being in race traffic along with practicing pit stops, which was a first for me. Overall, it was another solid day on the track. We continue to learn more and more as the week goes on."

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Shell V-Power/Pennzoil Ultra Team Penske Chevrolet): "The Shell-Pennzoil car was good today. It was interesting out on the track with the wind conditions. We will keep finding little things and making improvements."

WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): "We did a lot of race setup work today. Some long runs, and the guys worked on pit stops, too. It was a good day for the Verizon team. We accomplished a fair bit of work today. There is bit more in the car, and I feel pretty good about it."

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda): "The No. 9 Target car was decent today. We went through a bunch of changes. The last run, when everyone was getting big times, we had too much understeer. It was really hard. I could keep up with the pack but couldn't pass anyone. Looks like the team cars were good. I'm excited to see what they were up to and see if we can make good changes tonight."

***

 A total of 42 cars are at the Speedway, with 41 passing technical inspection. Thirty-two drivers have been on the track to date and turned 2,226 laps today and 5,235 laps this month. E.J. Viso turned 134 laps today, most of any driver. There were five cautions for a total of 43 minutes today.

***

THURSDAY'S SCHEDULE (all times local):

8 a.m. Garages open

Noon-6 p.m. Indianapolis 500 practice

-end-

INDIANAPOLIS (Tuesday, May 14, 2013) - The weather got warmer at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but the results at the top of the time sheets remained the same as Andretti Autosport continued to dominate preparations for the 97th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.

Andretti Autosport's James Hinchcliffe posted the top lap speed of day 4 at 224.210 mph (40.1410 seconds), but accomplished it in Marco Andretti's No. 25 RC Cola car as the Andretti Autosport teammates compared notes.

Hinchcliffe, a two-time race winner this season, logged 26 laps in No. 25 entry, while Andretti recorded 22 laps in Hinchcliffe's No. 27 GoDaddy.com car.

"Marco's pretty upset with the fact I got the fastest lap in his car," Hinchcliffe joked.

Andretti, back in his own Chevrolet-powered car, was third-quick overall (223.570 mph). A day earlier, he posted the top speed of on-track activity (225.100 mph).

JR Hildebrand was second in the No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing car (223.652) - the second consecutive day he's been in the top five under divergent weather/track conditions. Also I the top five again was three-time Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves, who had a best lap of 223.556 mph in the No. 3 Shell V-Power/Pennzoil Ultra Team Penske car. Reigning IZOD IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay was fifth (223.332) in the No. 1 DHL car for Andretti Autosport.

In all, 34 driver/car combinations recorded a month-high 2,226 laps without incident on the 2.5-mile oval.

DAY 4 NOTEBOOK:

Conor Daly completed the final phase of the Rookie Orientation Program during the final minutes of practice Monday. He had finished the first two phases Monday morning.

Daly missed ROP on Saturday and Sunday because he was competing in GP3 races in Barcelona, Spain.

All four rookies assigned to cars this month - Daly, AJ Allmendinger, Carlos Munoz and Tristan Vautier - have completed ROP. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kurt Busch also completed ROP on Thursday, May 9.

***

ENTRY LIST UPDATE:

            •The name of #55, #55T is Lucas Oil/Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.

***
Driver birthdays during the 97th Indianapolis 500:

•Saturday, May 18 (Pole Day): Simon Pagenaud, 29

•Sunday, May 19 (Old National Armed Forces Bump Day): Dario Franchitti, 40

Helio Castroneves turned 38 on Friday, May 10, the day before Opening Day.

***

A.J. Foyt Racing is enjoying a resurgence this season in the IZOD IndyCar Series standings, as Takuma Sato leads the standings and won April 21 at Long Beach, Calif., in the No. 14 ABC Supply Co./A.J. Foyt Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone.

It was the first IndyCar Series victory for Foyt since Airton Dare won July 7, 2002 at Kansas Speedway. This is the first time a driver for Foyt's team has led the series entering the Indianapolis 500 since A.J. Foyt topped the USAC standings entering the 1979 race. The last Foyt driver to lead the championship at any point was Kenny Brack en route to capturing the 1998 series title.

***



***

Lucas Oil, a manufacturer and distributer of petroleum additives and oils for high performance engines, has signed on as primary sponsor for Tristan Vautier's No. 55 Honda-powered car in the 2013 Indianapolis 500.

Forrest Lucas, founder of Lucas Oil, first partnered with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports' owner Sam Schmidt a decade ago when his company served as primary sponsor for Schmidt's Indianapolis 500 entry for Richie Hearn in 2003. Since then, Lucas Oil has served as a title sponsor each race season on one of Schmidt's Firestone Indy Lights entries.

Schmidt and Lucas found common ground in their desire to foster growth and development in young open-wheel drivers in Firestone Indy Lights. Vautier is the reigning Firestone Indy Lights champion.

            FORREST LUCAS: "Sam asked me if I'd like to sponsor Tristan's car for the 10th anniversary of our relationship, and I jumped at the chance. I was attracted to the Indianapolis 500 10 years ago because it's the biggest race in the world, and it's a huge pleasure to be part of the race again with a car, driver and team that have every chance in the world of winning. I appreciate all that Sam has done to help young drivers advance their careers, and I'm glad that we've been part of that. We sponsored Tristan's car in the Grand Prix of Long Beach earlier this year, and I can't wait to see how this young, talented driver fares in the biggest race in the world."

***

Thirty-two drivers were on track today. Only driver not on track was #91 Lazier, who has not turned any laps so far this month.

***

INDIANAPOLIS 500 PRACTICE QUOTES

WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): "We put in another steady day of work on the Verizon Chevrolet. We feel as though we are making progress on our setup. It was a good day at the office and definitely a beautiful day here at Indy. Hopefully we get more of the same tomorrow."

GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 15T Midas/Big O Tires Honda): "Everything went to plan today. Our focus today was just to mileage this engine out and move on. I'm proud of the guys at Honda that we made it there without issue. We're focused on tomorrow now to see what we get. We're going to shake down the new car tomorrow with a new engine in it. It might be a whole different beast. The Midas/Big O Tires car will be all new, and I'm excited about it."

JAMES JAKES (No. 16T Acorn Stairlifts Honda): "We did another race simulation early in the day, and I think we made some progress compared to Monday on the Acorn Stairlifts car. Everyone seems pretty excited. And the rest of the afternoon, the guys were busy putting a new engine and switching everything to the other chassis. It was nice that we were able to get the work done well over the last two days so the guys have got quite a bit of time to work on the car today, and it means they won't get to bed too late tonight and will be able to spend some time with their wives and children. Everyone's pretty excited to roll out tomorrow. Both the No. 15 and 16 cars will be fresh chassis and motors, so I think everyone is optimistic and excited as to where we will end up."

ORIOL SERVIA (No. 22 Panther DRR Chevrolet): "It's starting to get interesting out there. The track was very hot, up to 130 degrees at some points. It makes things a lot more difficult, but that's how race conditions are going to be. We lose a lot of downforce when it gets hot like this, and it just gets tougher to get a good setup. It still was a great day. We were running in the top five most of the day, so I'm very pleased. Third day of running for us, and we have excellent notes. I'm very happy with where we are."

AJ ALLMENDINGER (No. 2 IZOD Team Penske Chevrolet): "Today was the first day it has been warm outside, which was something I had not experienced yet. The track changed throughout the day, getting slicker than it's been on the cooler days, but we were able to make adjustments to the IZOD Team Penske Chevrolet that helped us put down some pretty good laps. I was able to learn a lot with a lot of cars on the track today, which obviously critical for me as we get close to the race. Productive day, in all, but I still have a lot to learn."

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Shell V-Power/Pennzoil Ultra Team Penske Chevrolet): "It was another good day today for the Shell V-Power Pennzoil Ultra Chevrolet. We feel we've identified the places where we can improve and so now we have to continue working. Finishing near the top yesterday and today shows we hopefully have the consistency that it takes to win the race in the end."

E.J. VISO (No. 5 Team Venezuela/Andretti Autosport/HVM Chevrolet): "Very long day for me today; I completed 134 laps; it's enough to get the engine swapped. Anyways, it was a very good, productive day. We went through some tests, which we found some good answers. We did a couple of long runs with the rest of the Andretti Autosport guys, and we are still finding new answers every time we go on a run together. Today was a little bit hotter than the other days, and the weather predictions say that Race Day is going to be even a bit hotter than today. So I think the running that we did today was pretty productive to gather some data."

MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 25 RC Cola Chevrolet): "I think today went well. I'm quite pleased with how things are going for us so far. Working with the car in the heat of the day can be challenging, but we made a lot of progress to get where we are. We are going to continue to look at things and try to be faster by Race Day."

JOSEF NEWGARDEN (No. 21 Sarah Fisher Hartman/Century 21 Honda): "I thought we had another productive day. This is Day 4, and we got through another great set of changes. We made the car a little bit better, and we were able to run in some traffic today and get an idea of what the car is going to do behind other cars. I think we're on the right path, but we have to keep on it because there's still more for us to do. But we're definitely headed in the right direction."

TAKUMA SATO (No. 14 ABC Supply Co./A.J. Foyt Racing Honda): "Unfortunately not a good day for us. We had a few problems to address, which took a long time to correct, and we didn't get much running in today. Hopefully tomorrow will be trouble-free."

MICHEL JOURDAIN JR. (No. 17 Office Depot Honda): "We continued to work on the car; I haven't been comfortable at all. I am kind of feeling the same as Graham (Rahal) in that we're not feeling confident in the car. We made some changes in the afternoon, and it was better, but still on the last run I had to catch it two times. It's better. I have a little bit better feel and a little bit more confidence in it, but we have to make some changes and improvements. Of course, the strong winds are not helping a lot, but there are some things that happen in all four corners, and normally the wind only makes an impact on one or two corners. We are going to continue to work on it to improve the car."

TRISTAN VAUTIER (No. 55 Lucas Oil/Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda): "This was our first day really working on the car since we didn't get to run a lot yesterday. We managed to run a lot more in traffic, although we didn't quite have the speed we needed. We struggled a bit following other cars, but we have more time to practice. I'm sure I need to get more used to this track as a rookie, as well."

CARLOS MUNOZ (No. 26 Unistraw Chevrolet): "It was another good day of practicing a few different race simulations; I learned a lot on each of them. The conditions were hotter today then the last few practice sessions, so I had to adjust with each of the new tests. The track had a lot less grip, but that is something we need to keep working on in the upcoming days. There are still a lot of days left to figure out which run is going to work, but my team is working really hard to find the best one. I'm feeling more and more comfortable with the No. 26 Unistraw Chevy, and I think our team is doing a good job, but we need to take it day-by-day. Each time I go out on track I'm gaining more confidence, especially on the race runs with my teammates and other drivers."

SIMON PAGENAUD (No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports Honda): "It was an OK day. The weather was kind enough to be similar to what it's going to be on Race Day, so we got to try a lot of things that should relate to the race. It was an interesting day because we got to try a lot of different items, and I can't wait to debrief with the HP crew to see how we'll tackle tomorrow. We have a decent car. We just need a small adjustment to make it just right for the race. I'm pretty sure we're going to get there."

RYAN BRISCOE (No. 8 NTT DATA Honda): "Today was a bit of a long day. We didn't do a whole lot of running as we spent a lot of time making some big changes in the garage. It was a lot hotter today. The wind was going in the opposite direction, so we were battling a little bit with some different balance issues than we had yesterday. The changes we made with the rest of the team cars helped lead us in the direction we went. We got back out tonight, ran a bit in traffic, felt like we made some good gains with the car and ended with some good, solid laps. So, we made progress."

CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen Honda): "Today was a good day. As far as weather conditions, it was the first time we really had warm on-track temperatures. A lot of times, Race Day temperatures are this warm and this windy, so we tried to do as much as we could with the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen car in race trim. We ran with my teammates on full tanks and did a long run to see how the tires were holding up and see how the car was going to do. We did a few hot stops and pit stops with launches to get the guys warmed up. Everything feels really good. Toward the end of the afternoon, we thought we may have lost it a little bit, but we made some changes and put the car right back in the ballpark, so everything is good. It's just a question of what the weather does toward the end of this week and make sure we can keep it in that range and make sure we can be competitive as we trim it out for qualifying."

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 1 DHL Chevrolet): "It's certainly getting interesting now with the heat and the wind. Conditions are changing every day, so it's keeping the team on our toes, and we're just trying a lot of different settings now. We have five cars, so we have a lot of options, and I think as we work through the week, we'll work ourselves into a good car. But it's a work in progress."

JR HILDEBRAND (No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing Chevrolet): "With the qualifying situation and the added boost for Friday and Saturday, you see a lot of race running these first few days. Besides trying to make the No. 4 National Guard car better and head into Thursday and Friday with some idea of what's going to happen when you qualify, we spent the entire day running around in some form of traffic. We weren't trying to put big laps up. We're trying to understand how the car works behind one car, two cars, three cars, four cars, different speed of cars. It was nice at the end of the day to join the Andretti tow battle that was going on. At the end of the day, you want to figure out how your car is going to work with other cars that you might be able to race with. That's where the speed comes from, and that's where the focus is going to be today and tomorrow."

DARIO FRANCHITTI (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda): "Our plan was to do somewhere in the region of 140 laps today to mileage out the engine like the No. 9 team did, so we could have the qualifying engine in for tomorrow. Unfortunately, the engine let go before we were able to do that, and we lost a lot of time on track. It was disappointing, but the balance of the car is very good, and we felt we had a really good car in traffic today, which will be important for the race. Hopefully Honda are going to bring a big upgrade for qualifying and the race engines."

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda): "We had a very positive day today even though the speed chart doesn't show it. We mileaged our engine out, which means we ran it to its limit of 2,000 miles. That is significant because we will have a fresh Honda engine in tomorrow, which will move us up the speed chart. You only have a certain amount of engines per season for cost containment, so that is why we were where we were today. We changed suspension geometries, as well, and we discovered a part was wrong, so we got that corrected today, as well. After we fixed that, the car was back to normal, and we found some great options for the rear of the car. Because we had to mileage the engine out, we turned the power down just to make sure we made that 2,000-mile distance. Tomorrow will be a good test of where we stand speed-wise."

CONOR DALY (No. 41 ABC Supply Co./A.J. Foyt Racing Honda): "Today was good. We upped our personal-best speed. We also made some setup changes so that I could feel what it did to the car. At the end, I got to run with Bia (Ana Beatriz) and feel what that was like to run close to a car. Slowly but surely gaining experience."

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 27 GoDaddy Chevrolet): "Marco (Andretti) is pretty angry with me now. Not only did I rock a big tow, which he is famous for, but I did it in his car, so "Marco Tow-dretti" is pretty upset with me now. It's good to be up there, but at the end of the day, those numbers don't mean a lot right now. It's about the work you do on the race car and making sure the No. 27 GoDaddy car is going to be good not only on one lap, but over 200 (laps)." (About benefit of driving a teammate's car): "I get to see how good I look in red and blue. There are some things we wanted to see and suss out, and that's the way to do it. It's not uncommon. Guys have done it in the past -- especially this team. I think TK (Tony Kanaan) drove every single car on the team at some point during the month. It's standard procedure to feel a couple of things out."

TOWNSEND BELL (No. 60 Sunoco "Turbo" Panther Racing Chevrolet): "It's just great to be back out here with Panther Racing. We've got so much support from Sunoco and 'Turbo,' and they've all given me a great opportunity to be in good equipment. I was in Laguna Seca this weekend, and the Panther guys handled every little detail so we were ready to roll when I got back. In a lot of ways, it was like I never left. It's still John Barnes running the organization, and they still have a lot of great people. I just love coming (to Indianapolis), and luckily this is my seventh time and it starts to feel pretty normal after a while. Although the first outing I don't think I took a breath for a good three-and-a-half minutes, but the car feels really good so far."

***

            A total of 42 cars are at the Speedway, with 41 passing technical inspection. Thirty-two drivers have been on the track to date and turned 2,226 laps today and 5,235 laps this month. E.J. Viso turned 134 laps today, most of any driver. There were five cautions for a total of 43 minutes today.

***

WEDNESDAY'S SCHEDULE (all times local):

8 a.m. Garages open

Noon - 6 p.m. practice

***

The 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues with the 97th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on Sunday, May 26, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be televised live at 11 a.m. (ET) by ABC and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, including on Sirius and XM Channels 211 and www.indycar.com. The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Firestone Freedom 100 on Friday, May 24, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be broadcast by the NBC Sports Network live, during the network's coverage of Carb Day.

INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, May 13, 2013) - Conor Daly passed the three-phase Indianapolis 500 Rookie Orientation Program. Pippa Mann passed a refresher program. Marco Andretti and Helio Castroneves surpassed 225 mph.

On the busiest day of practice yet for the 97th Running of the Indianapolis 500, 32 driver/car combinations turned laps on the 2.5-mile oval during the six-hour session.

It was a grand day to get down to business for some teams and drivers, and for others to get started on their race preparations. The group included the Dale Coyne Racing entries for Mann, Justin Wilson and Ana Beatriz, Townsend Bell in the second Panther Racing car and Daly in the second A.J. Foyt Racing entry.

Andretti, driving the No. 25 RC Cola car for Andretti Autosport, posted the fastest lap of the month at 225.100 mph (39.9823 seconds). Castroneves was .0043 of a second behind in the No. 3 Shell V-Power/Pennzoil Ultra Team Penske car.

Eight cars had lap speeds in excess of 223 mph (quick lap of May 12), and the top 26 were separated by a second. In total, 1,733 laps were turned without incident.

Reigning IZOD IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay (224.386 mph) was third, 2012 championship runner-up Will Power (223.784) was fourth and JR Hildebrand (223.624) was fifth. Series points leader Takuma Sato was sixth (223.363).

Daly was the fourth first-year Indianapolis 500 driver to complete the formal Rookie Orientation Program which  designed to provide first-year Indianapolis 500 drivers an opportunity to get acquainted with the racetrack. The three speed phases, set by INDYCAR based on the weather and track conditions, include 10 laps at 200-205 mph, 15 laps at 205-209 mph and 15 laps at 210 mph-plus.

DAY 3 NOTEBOOK:

Conor Daly is scheduled to participate in the Rookie Orientation Program this morning in the No. 41 ABC Supply Co./A.J. Foyt Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone, while Pippa Mann will take a refresher test in the No. 63 Dale Coyne Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone.

Daly missed ROP on Saturday and Sunday because he was competing in GP3 races in Barcelona, Spain.

The Rookie Orientation Program is designed to provide first-year drivers an informal opportunity to get acquainted with the 2.5-mile oval. The three speed phases, which were set by INDYCAR based on the weather and track conditions, were: Phase 1: 10 laps at 200-205 mph; Phase 2: 15 laps at 205-209 mph; and Phase 3: 15 laps at 210 mph-plus.

AJ Allmendinger, Tristan Vautier, Carlos Munoz and Kurt Busch already have completed ROP this month.

The refresher test consists of the final two phases of the Rookie Orientation Program.

***

INDIANAPOLIS 500 ROOKIE ORIENTATION PROGRAM QUOTE:

CONOR DALY (No. 41 ABC Supply Co./A.J. Foyt Racing Honda): "That's what living the dream feels like. It was really cool. First of all, I haven't been on an oval in three years. The first run was kind of difficult to get familiar with it because the car turns in really, really well. Once I got rid of that first run, we were able to get on it. With the Rookie Orientation process, you just have to keep yourself from going flat out. It already feels good, and you want to go flat on the straight, but when you see yourself going 215 (mph) 216, 217 down the straight, you're like, 'Wait, they won't like this.' You have to hold yourself back a little bit." (How much throttle do you use): "I wanted to feel what it is like going flat through Turn 4 and Turn 3, and I'm not quite turning in flat yet. That's a little too fast for INDYCAR, but it's so stable. It's really nice right now. I just need to keep learning and try to learn from Taku (Takuma Sato) and the great guys on the team."

***

Rookie Conor Daly endured the trials and tribulations of many global travelers as he flew from Barcelona, Spain, where he competed in GP3 Series races last weekend, last night to Indianapolis. Daly's luggage didn't arrive with him in Indianapolis.

Daly, from nearby Noblesville, Ind., planned ahead, carrying his ABC Supply Co./A.J. Foyt Racing driving suit on his flight. He also had an extra helmet ready and waiting today in Gasoline Alley.

ut Daly didn't have a mandatory HANS Device. So he tweeted to fellow drivers last night, looking for one of the head-and-neck restraint systems. Marco Andretti of Andretti Autosport loaned his HANS Device to Daly for the Rookie Orientation Program.

***

1969 Indianapolis 500 winner Mario Andretti talked Sunday at the Speedway about his magical career at IMS and about the success of Andretti Autosport, owned by his son Michael.

MARIO ANDRETTI: (Other than your win in 1969, what is your most memorable moment at the Speedway?): "It's a collective situation for me. I dominated this race a couple of times - in '87, especially. Those are incredibly satisfying moments. But I've had many here. It's mostly positive for me even though I didn't win as many times as I hoped. But I was certainly in a position to do that if I didn't have so many mechanical failures." (On the success of Andretti Autosport last year and so far this season): "I think they're just feeding off momentum that they've had from last year with the championship. They started out in the best possible way for them. That's what you strive for. To come here with that momentum, having the guys in the top of the points is always good. This is again what you work for. There's nothing like coming here with that really positive attitude." (On what a team can accomplish in colder conditions like Sunday): "You always learn something. There's the mechanical side you can work with. It's not the ultimate, obviously. The temperature makes a big difference as far as the conditions. But nevertheless, you have to prepare for just about any situation."

***

Indianapolis microbrewery Flat12 Bierwerks once again is brewing a Month of May seasonal beer, The Hinchtown Hammer Down Ale, in honor of Andretti Autosport driver James Hinchcliffe.

Hinchcliffe has won two of the four IZOD IndyCar Series races this season in the No. 27 GoDaddy Dallara/Chevrolet.

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE: "I'm a Canadian guy who's got his own beer. It can't get any better than that. They've been so much fun to work with, and the beer seems to be pretty popular around town. It's been a fun project to be part of the whole process of how to go through making a beer, and hopefully we make something people like drinking. I'm so fortunate to get to do what I do. As a result, we get some really cool opportunities. I think taking advantage of those and having fun with everybody around me, and everybody in the community is a big part of it."

BOB WEAVER (Vice president, marketing, Flat12 Bierwerks): "We live in a racing town. In tribute to one of the brightest racing talents out there, we created Hinchtown Hammer Down, a crisp and refreshing golden ale perfect for the Month of May."

INDIANAPOLIS 500 PRACTICE QUOTES:

MICHEL JOURDAIN JR. (No. 17 Office Depot Honda): "We went out this morning and didn't have a lot of confidence in the car, so we have been making changes to get more confidence in it. I would have liked to start running in traffic a little bit, but right now, with how the car is, we don't have the gears to do that. We learned some things, but we still need to make some changes to improve the Office Depot car. I would like to have a better feel in the car, but we have a little time."

E.J. VISO (No. 5 Team Venezuela/Andretti Autosport/HVM Chevrolet): "Another day at the track just preparing and slowly trying to hit all the points in our to-do test list. Little by little, we've been accomplishing them. Today we had some things we had to check in the engine, which is why we couldn't run at the end of the day. Anyways, as a team, we've been progressing. As of now, we've all been doing our jobs, which is bringing the best information together so we can make some clever decisions and continue to put a good setup together. Tomorrow is another test day, and we're planning to keep following our (to-do) list."

JAMES JAKES (No. 16T Acorn Stairlifts Honda): "It was a busy day; we got a lot of race work done. We were trying to mileage out our engine as much as possible today and ran 114 laps. We were just trying to get a feel for the Acorn Stairlifts car in traffic and work on race stuff. I'm excited to get back out there tomorrow and finish the mileage off, and then we can work on qualifying stuff at the end of the week."

ORIOL SERVIA (No. 22 Panther DRR Chevrolet): "The position means nothing. It's all about how much tow you get, and we're not playing that game yet. I'm just very happy. Yesterday was a perfect first day; today was a perfect second day. We're actually in a much better position than we were last year at this time. We have learned a lot about the car, and the team has done a great job preparing it. Every time we go out we have a plan of what to try, and the plan is working out well. Also, we have two other cars - JR (Hildebrand) and Townsend (Bell). We're starting to get to a similar setup, so that only helps. We have a very good pace, and we're very happy with the progress so far."

GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 15T Midas/Big O Tires Honda): "We started with a little bit of issues and couldn't quite get them sorted while we were in the pits, so we came back to the garage and found a couple of things. We went back out, and immediately the Midas/Big O Tires car was miles and miles better. I think we are probably still conservative compared to others on wing and that sort of thing, so I feel pretty good about it. Frankly I wasn't expecting to go 220 (mph). I thought the maximum we could do at that time with the gears we had was maybe upper 218's or something. I thought the car was really comfortable in traffic, so we'll keep working on it and getting it better."

CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen Honda): "Another good day in the No. 83 car. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing guys were on it. We just worked through our program, went through a couple engineering changes, and we will just keep working toward our program and the end of the week. We'll have to see what the weather does, but today turned out to be a really nice afternoon. There's every likelihood that tomorrow will be beautiful, so we'll inevitably do a lot of running then, and we'll be in good shape for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. We'll just keep working in that direction."

RYAN BRISCOE (No. 8 NTT DATA Honda): "We had a really solid day of practice today in the No. 8 NTT DATA car. We were able to get into a really good plan of going through setups. We had a lot of running and a couple laps with some traffic. It was pretty challenging today with the wind, but it was good to get a feel for some setup changes, and I think we made some progress."

JOSEF NEWGARDEN (No. 21T Sarah Fisher Hartman/Century 21 Honda): "It was another good, productive day for us. We got through another strong list of setup changes. We did a little bit of running with cars, so we were able to get an initial read on how the car reacts behind other cars, which is great. We just need to do more of that in the coming week, hopefully before the weather comes in and we get some rain."

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 1 DHL Chevrolet): "I think it was another good day of practice. We've been trying some changes - some work, some don't - and that's all part of testing. Had another opportunity to run with the teammates, and it's really good to see all of Andretti Autosport working together that way. We'll put our heads together tonight and continue to make the DHL Chevy stronger."

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 27 GoDaddy Chevrolet): "Solid day. We purposely were limiting miles a little bit, but on the runs that we did, I think we accomplished what we wanted to and got some more good running in the pack this afternoon with the guys. Everybody is getting more comfortable and sort of blowing the dust off of running in a pack here, which is very unique to running in a pack to anywhere else. I say good day for the GoDaddy crew, and we'll just keep progressing like this. If we do that, we should be in a good position by the end of the week."

TRISTAN VAUTIER (No. 55 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda): "It was a lot of fun out there today. It was great to be in the Lucas Oil car, which was different than the one I drove in rookie orientation. It felt a lot different to be out on the track with all the other drivers instead of just the rookies. The car felt good. We're not at the speeds we want to run for qualifying because we're being conservative right now. We did two runs to get me up to speed and shake everything down. It went well, and I'm happy with how the car felt today."

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda): "We worked on a lot of items today in the Target car. We did a number of runs to work on aero setup, then followed that up with some damper work. We also spent a lot of time working on pit stops. The weather looks a bit iffy the next few days, so it was a very busy day on track for us."

DARIO FRANCHITTI (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda): "We were continuing with our plan today. We're trying to work through some issues today. It seemed we struggled with speed today with the Target team. Hopefully we can get that resolved tomorrow."