Hildebrand was one turn away

Sunday was just not a good day to be driving a National Guard race car. Rookie JR Hildebrand was one turn away from winning the biggest race in the world, when he crashed into the wall, giving Dan Wheldon his second Indy 500. Later that night, Dale Earnhardt Jr was leading the race in Charlotte when he ran out of fuel on the final turn of the last lap, giving Kevin Harvick the win.

Both drivers drive National Guard sponsored cars, and suffered heartbreaking losses on this Memorial Day weekend.

If it had been any other driver, I think there would have been some interesting emotions and comments to the media after what happened. Hildebrand though, handled the situation with the most class you could ever imagine. All he talked about was how bad he felt for the team, and how they deserved to win. Not only did he handle it with class, but drivers like Paul Tracy, Danica Patrick, and Tony Kanaan went out of their way to talk to Hildebrand in his coach with no cameras around.

The Wasp Will Run Again, 100 Years Later

In a truly great surprising news story, it was announced that the Marmon “Wasp” that Ray Harroun drove to victory in the inaugural Indy 500 in 1911 will take two laps around the track during pre-race ceremonies on Sunday. Parnelli Jones, winner of the 1963 Indy 500, will drive the famous car around the famous speedway.

This Sunday will be only the third time that the Wasp has driven on the speedway since Harroun won with it 100 years ago. In all, eleven Indy 500 winners will drive eleven Indy 500 winning cars in another lap around IMS. Included in those, will be IMS Chairman of the Board Mari Hulman George, and four time Indy 500 winner A.J. Foyt.

The Hot Wheels Stunt Ramp

6 a.m..................... Public Gates Open
8 a.m..................... Spectacle of Bands
9:25 a.m................ 500 Festival Princess Lap
9:50 a.m................ 1911 Race Cars Pace Lap
10 a.m................... Indianapolis 500 Past Winners Pace Lap
10:30 a.m.............. IZOD Presents Hot Wheels Fearless at the 500 Stunt (Turn 4)
11 a.m.................... Decade Cars Pace Lap
11:10 a.m............... Military Salute Pace Lap
11:30 a.m............... Driver Introductions
11:47 a.m............... America the Beautiful performed by Miss America, Teresa Scanlan
11:51 a.m............... God Bless America performed by Florence Henderson
11:54 a.m............... National Anthem performed by David Foster, Seal & Kelly Clarkson
11:57 a.m............... Invocation given by Bishop Christopher Coyne
12:02 p.m.............. Taps
12:03 p.m.............. Back Home Again in Indiana performed by Jim Nabors
12:05 p.m.............. Ladies & Gentlemen, Start Your Engines – Mari Hulman-George
12:10 p.m.............. Pace Laps led by A.J. Foyt
12:12 p.m.............. 2011 Indianapolis 500 Mile Race

Honda gets Ganassi

It was announced today at the track that Chip Ganassi’s organization will be a Honda team in 2012. Their rival team, Team Penske, has already committed to Chevrolet next season. Chevrolet is returning to the Series next season, after being absent since 2005. We are waiting to hear where Andretti Autosport is going to be next season. If they did go to either Chevy or Honda, they would likely be a #2 team.

The rest of the teams for 2012 can be determined  today at the earliest. Each manufacturer is required to supply one-third of the field, although some will likely have a few more, white others have less. Ganassi’s team will begin testing the new Honda engine early next year, in preparation for the 2012 season.

Briscoe's team was fastest in pit lane

Despite not having ideal race day conditions at the track today, the drivers and teams were eager to get out on track one last time before Sunday’s race. They came out ready to go, turning over 1,400 laps in the one hour practice session.

It was no surprise that Scott Dixon was the fastest, Alex Tagliani was second, and Dixon’s teammate and defending champion Dario Franchitti was third. The surprise may have been Ryan Hunter-Reay, who was seventh fastest in the number 41car owned by AJ Foyt.

The pit stop competition was won by Ryan Briscoe's team. They beat Dario Franchitti's team in the finals with a 7.882 second stop. It was a record 13th win by Team Penske, who won $50,000 for the event. Franchitti's team received $30,000 for their runner up finish.

Townsend Bell starts fourth

It's hard to imagine someone coming into a race against 32 other drivers, and coming out with a win. Add in the fact that it is the biggest race in the world, and the other drivers all have better equipment, more data, and better teams, and your odds of winning are minimal at best. This year, things are different.

Looking at the part-time drivers in this year's Indy 500, there are many that you look at and say yes, they could very well win this race. Even more impressive, is that many of them are at the front of the field. With the struggles of Andretti Autosport, and the misfortunes of Penske and Ganassi, the smaller teams with veteran drivers are looking good going into Sunday's race.

Townsend Bell and Dan Wheldon are starting in row two. Both of them are just running part-time, but they are both very experienced around the speedway. There are two more just behind them in row three, with Buddy Rice and Ed Carpenter. Davey Hamilton, John Andretti, Tomas Sheckter, and Paul Tracy all have a fighting chance as well. The 100th anniversary race is truly going to be special, especially if one of these guys can pull of the victory.

The 2012 Chevrolet IndyCar Engine

While the Greatest Race in the World is less than three days away, it has been another rainy day here in Indy. The Indy Lights Freedom 100 Qualifying was rained out today, and there was no track action at all today on the famous speedway. The field will be set by points, giving the pole to rookie Bryan Clauson, who is driving the No. 77 Sam Schmidt Motorsports car normally driven by points leader Conor Daly.

There was also some big news off the track today, as Chevrolet announced that they will have their twin-turbo V-6 engine for the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series car ready by June. The Chevrolet engine will join Honda and Lotus as engine manufacturers for next season. They have been in the series before, capturing 104 wins, six championships, and seven Indianapolis 500 victories.

Mark Kent, director of GM Racing, said that the first fully functional Chevrolet IndyCar engine is scheduled to run in June, and that they plan to begin on-track testing the Chevy twin-turbo V-6 in the third quarter of this year.

Normally the only thing going on at the Speedway the day before the greatest auto race in the world is the drivers meeting. This year, with the 100th anniversary of the race, there will be a lot more to see and do. This Saturday there will be over 100 former drivers signing autographs at the track for fans. It is being called “The World’s Largest Autograph Session” as part of the AJ Foyt Day festivities.

As an added bonus to fans, 95 year old Dick Harroun (the son of Ray Harroun) will be on hand to sign autographs and talk about his father. There will be 13 former Indy 500 winners signing autographs from 9-10am at the Pagoda Plaza. More than 100 other drivers will be participating from noon to 4pm. Everything is free, and the gates will open up at 8am.

In addition to these things, there will also be a public question and answer session, a full-scale memorabilia show, the drivers' meeting, live music, a display of vintage sprint and midget race cars, a BMX competition, book signings, and a "Virtual Indy 500" simulation iRace.com event.

The IMS Hall of Fame Museum will also be open for fans to walk through and see 67 former Indy 500 winning cars. I was able to see this exhibit when it was first put together in March, and I must say it is truly something that every auto racing fan should see. More details can be found at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com

If you are looking at getting your tickets at the last minute for this year's Indianapolis 500, you may be in for a surprise. Despite raising ticket prices for Sunday's race, IMS officials are expecting a much bigger crowd than in recent years. All of the suite tickets (including the ones along Gasoline Alley) are sold out, which hasn't happened in more than five  years.

The Speedway's CEO Jeff Belskus contributes the rise in ticket sales to the history of the race, and a more stable economy, among other things. Thirteen of the 29 seating categories, including all penthouse, vista deck and paddock seats, have been sold. The grandstands will also be full on Sunday, as they have also seen a spike in sales.

This comes as great news for the Speedway, and the IZOD IndyCar Series. Last year's NASCAR race had record low numbers, and it is expected to drop even lower this  year. This race is celebrating it's rich heritage as this will be the 100th anniversary since the very first Indy 500 in 1911. The competitive balance in the race is also a contributing factor to the higher interest level.

Mari Hulman-George and AJ Foyt

Today the Indianapolis Motor Speedway got a bit of a makeover. In honor of AJ Foyt's win 50 years ago in the 1961 Indy 500, a Centennial golden brick was put in at the Yard of Bricks at the start/finish line. Mari Hulman-George and AJ Foyt were on hand for the celebration.

The 37 pound golden brick was put in by IMS President and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Belskus. The Centennial Golden Brick will remain in the track through the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 on Sunday. In 1961, Tony Hulman and Ray Harroun placed a golden brick in the Yard of Bricks to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Harroun’s victory in the inaugural race in 1911.

The race in 1961 that Foyt won was the last race where the front straightaway was paved with bricks. The entire front straightaway was paved over with asphalt in October that year, except for the famous three foot strip of bricks at the start/finish line that is kissed every year.

Danica moving to NASCAR could be good for INDYCAR
Jamie Squire/Getty Images

So what we all thought would happen seems to coming to fruition. It was announced today that Danica is getting together with officials to finalize a deal that will have her race full time next year in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. She will also most likely run a few Sprint Cup races before going full time with the big boys in 2013.

While this is big news to most fans that don't follow the sport, most of us realize that this was coming. In fact, I have actually been looking forward to it. The speculation of her future plans have been putting a cloud over what has been a great season already in the IZOD INDYCAR Series. While most people are worried about how big of a hit the series will take, I actually think it could be a good thing for the sport.

While Danica has had a few good runs in her short open-wheel career, I would actually label her as the Anna Kournikova of the sport. I realize she has won a race, but winning one (fuel mileage) race in six years doesn't exactly make you a star. While the series might take a hit as far as sponsorship, the talent of the series will remain just as high, and may actually even get better as a whole.

RHR is going to race after all

In a stunning move made today, it was announced that Bruno Junqueira is out of next Sunday's Indy 500. The surprising move has angered many fans, and is being scrutinized across the motorsports community. Junqueira had qualified in 19th position for the race, but the 2002 pole winner will now be a spectator of this race for the second time in the last three years.

Hunter-Reay was bumped from the field in the final seconds by teammate Marco Andretti. It is presumed that Bruno was given a very nice paycheck, and AJ Foyt has just confirmed that Bruno is out, and that Ryan will be in the number 41 car for the race. The car will have joint sponsorship from both teams, and since they are making a driver change, he will start from 33rd position.

You can't help but feel a little dirty on how the whole situation went down. Sure Ryan has more to lose as far as the championship points go, but selling your car to someone that didn't make the field just feels wrong. I don't think you can blame Ryan though, this was more on the shoulders of Foyt and Michael Andretti. Remember the sacrifices that Ryan made last year to help then teammate Tony Kanaan get into the field.