Since the dawn of the automobile, an otherwise nondescript street corner west of Indianapolis has served as the focal point for the hopes and dreams of racecar drivers the world over.
The sprawling Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the home of the 94th annual Indianapolis 500, an American institution since the year before the RMS Titanic was built. It has survived a century of American history.
This year, some 300,000 people are expected to experience the race in person, along with millions more around the world via television and radio, as Helio Castroneves tries to add to that history by becoming the fourth four-time Indy 500 winner.
Brazilian native Castroneves is the most recent 500 winner -- having won from the pole last year -- and his chances for winning this year improved dramatically when he repeated his pole-winning performance from 2009. Should Castroneves be victorious, he would join A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr. and Rick Mears as the only four-time champions while also delivering team owner Roger Penske his 16th Indy 500 victory.
Castroneves delivered a blistering performance Saturday during Pole Day qualifications, turning in a four-lap average of 227.970 mph around the 2.5-mile oval. He edged teammate Will Power, whose 227.578 mph average was good enough for second. His other Penske Racing teammate, Ryan Briscoe, will start fourth after Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Dario Franchitti broke up the Penske party with the third-fastest time.
"Each run encouraged my teammates -- if he can do it, I can do it as well. This track is very tricky. You have to go at the right time, and we did that," Castroneves said. "It's great to be part of this team. We work so well together. I'm on the pole but all three of us benefit from it. I'm very proud of Team Penske, they did a great job today."
Bump Day qualifications followed on Sunday, and the atmosphere was electric as drivers attempted to make it into the field of 33 starters. Since Indy qualifications were compressed from their traditional two-weekend format to a single weekend, drivers and teams found themselves bereft of their usual safety cushions and were forced to gamble on last-minute "make it or break it" attempts. For some, including Tony Kanaan -- who crashed both his primary and backup cars in practice -- the gamble paid off. For others, including fan favorite and 2002 Indy 500 runner-up Paul Tracy, it did not.
Kanaan was unable to post a qualifying time until there was less than an hour to go in Bump Day qualifications. His car, cobbled together from pieces of other Andretti Autosport cars, was not the threat for the pole position that many considered it would be earlier in the month, but it was good enough. Kanaan, who for the past eight years has started in the top two rows, will start from the middle of the last row on Sunday.
"This is quite a life. Today was very stressful for the whole 7-Eleven team, but it is what it is," Kanaan said. "I know I can pass cars, so I think next Sunday is going to be a lot of fun."
Tracy, meanwhile, was in the field as Bump Day wound down, but a controversial call from team owners Kevin Kalkhoven and Jimmy Vasser and race strategist Barry Green resulted in him withdrawing his speed in favor of trying for a more solid qualifying time. The move backfired after Tracy could not get up to the requisite speed. "Can you believe it? Because I can't. [I'm] going to miss the biggest race in the world," a devastated Tracy said afterwards.
The 33 starters will participate in a whirlwind media tour at the beginning of the week but will return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Friday's Carburetion Day final practice prior to the 94th Indy 500, which will get under way at 1:00PM EDT on ABC Sports.
Four women will be competing in this year's Indianapolis 500. The fastest is Sarah Fisher, who comes to Indy as an owner/driver in the Dollar General No. 67 Dallara. Fisher originally came to Indy with two cars, but her teammate Jay Howard failed to qualify on Bump Day.
Two rookies, Ana Beatriz and Simona de Silvestro, will be making their Indy debut in 21st and 22nd place respectively. Beatriz races in the Firestone Indy Lights Series for Dreyer and Reinbold Racing and won the FILS race at Iowa Speedway last June; this will be her second IZOD IndyCar Series start. De Silvestro has competed the full season to date for HVM Racing and has impressed many with her performances, although her race finishes have thus far been disappointments.
Danica Patrick finds herself in unfamiliar territory. The darling of the IndyCar world and perhaps its most famous personality sits back in the 23rd position. Danica has made headlines this month for her dissatisfaction with her car and her team that became public in a series of post-qualifying interviews. Her teammate, Kanaan, eventually sat Patrick down and had what he called a "Come to Jesus" talk, trying to get her to enjoy what she's doing on the track more. The talented but sometimes temperamental GoDaddy Girl will have a long way to go if she hopes to improve upon her career-best finish of third in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
SBNation's IndyCar blog Pop Off Valve offers this three-part SBNation Primer on the Indy 500 and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to help you learn more:
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2010 Indy 500 Preview: Can Any Drivers Beat Helio Castroneves?
May 26
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