Indianapolis 500: Field Reaches 22

Fourteen cars made qualifying attempts, including five that were unsuccessful in securing a spot on Pole Day.

Indy Car star Danica Patrick will start 8th in the 91st running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 13th. Photo: IndyCar.com

INDIANAPOLIS - By: Dave Lewandowski

Courtesy: indianapolismotorspeedway.com

Davey Hamilton said he has given more than 4,000 passengers a thrill in the Indy Racing Experience two-seater.

Veteran IndyCar Series driver Hamilton received one himself on Second Day Qualifying for the 91st Indianapolis 500 on May 13th.

Hamilton, returning to competitive driving for the first time since suffering multiple injuries in a crash during a 2001 race, put the No. 02 Vision Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone solidly in the field at 222.327 mph as positions 12 through 22 were filled for the May 27th race.

Fourteen cars made qualifying attempts, including five that were unsuccessful in securing a spot on Pole Day.

Five were faster than Michael Andretti's 222.789 mph four-lap qualifying average that stood up for 11th on the first day.

Scott Sharp, driving the No. 8 Patron Sharp Rahal Letterman Racing car, topped the list at 223.875 mph (which would have been good for ninth on Pole Day).

He will be on Row 4 with Andretti and Vision Racing's Tomas Scheckter. Sharp's teammate, Jeff Simmons (223.693) in the No. 17 Team Ethanol car, Ed Carpenter (223.495) in the No. 20 Vision Racing car and Darren Manning (223.471) in the No. 14 ABC Supply Co. car will share Row 5.

Row 6 will be occupied by Buddy Rice (222.826), Kosuke Matsuura (222.595) in the No. 55 Panasonic car and A.J. Foyt IV (222.413).

Delphi Panther Racing's Vitor Meira (222.333), Hamilton and Sarah Fisher (221.960) will be on Row 7.

Buddy Lazier, the 1996 race winner, bumped Jon Herb from the final available spot on the day with a second attempt of 221.380 mph.

"The qualifying run was all right," said Rice, driving one of the two Dreyer & Reinbold Racing cars that did not make a qualifying attempt on the first day. "We wanted to qualify on Saturday, but realistic there was only one spot open after the three big teams (Penske, AGR, Ganassi), and Tomas and the Vision team did a good job to get that position. We didn't run Saturday afternoon due to some mechanical issues so we did have a chance to go back out after the first qualifying run. The issue might have been why we didn't run as fast as we thought on Saturday.

"But we haven't really been working on qualifying this week. We are very happy with the A1 TEAM USA Honda for race trim. We knew we didn't have a car for the pole. So we concentrated on the Race Day car. I have been here enough to know that you need to have a good car in traffic. We will work on traffic this coming week."

Maybe the day didn't match Pole Day qualifying in suspense, but it was an emotional roller coaster for Hamilton.

"It's the best," said Hamilton, who was congratulated by members of other teams on pit road after he completed his run. "I honestly didn't really think I had the opportunity to come back and do this. I was a bit nervous; it's been six years since I'd been in that (qualifications) line. We had a great race car, but you never know until you get out there. Vision Racing has done such a great job giving me a good car all week. I think every time I've been out there, I've been flat out, so the car has been great."

Hamilton has been trying to put together an Indy program for two years. One of the passengers in the two-seater, which travels to each domestic IndyCar Series race, was Todd Bradley, Hewlett-Packard's executive vice president, Personal Systems Group. They struck up a conversation that turned into a friendship and business relationship with Vision Racing.

"I kept fighting and fighting, and got Hewlett-Packard to believe in me and believe in my story," said Hamilton, who thanked team co-owner Tony George for the opportunity to make his seventh start in the 500-Mile Race.

"It was about the third day of about two years of hospital stays when he visited me. He knows the story and knows what I've gone through. The whole team realizes it. It's so emotional for all of us just to know it was a tough road. They've been supportive all the way.

"At the time (of recuperation), I was still worried about having legs and hoping I would walk again. As time (passes) and you wish on something and you get it, then you want more. That's kind of where I was. First it was to save my legs, then to walk and get stronger. It was a four-year process doing that. The last two years I've been ready, but it's been hard getting the funding and the proper situation. It was an emotional rollercoaster, that's for sure."

A rundown of bubble-producing and bumping runs:

• Carpenter put Marty Roth (No. 25 Roth Racing car at 219.889) on the bubble.
• Foyt IV (222.413 in the No. 22 Vision Racing car) bumped Roth and put Herb (No. 19 Racing Professionals car at 219.906) on the bubble.
• Sarah Fisher (221.960 in the No. 5 AAMCO/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing car) bumped Herb and put Lazier (No. 99 Sam Schmidt Motorsports car at 220.452) on the bubble.
• Rice (222.826 in the No. 15 A1 TEAM USA/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing car) bumped Lazier and put Al Unser Jr. (No. 50 ABC Supply Co. car at 220.963) on the bubble.
• Herb (221.70) bumped Unser for 22nd with a run that began with 31 minutes left in the session.
• Lazier (221.380) bumped Herb for 22nd with a run that began with seven minutes left in the session.

The No. 21 Playa Del Racing Panoz/Honda/Firestone driven by Jaques Lazier completed three qualifications laps but waved off while Lazier's brother, Buddy, was on the bubble.

Of cars practicing the first week, the No. 77 Chastain Motorsports Panoz/Honda/Firestone driven by Stephan Gregoire and the No. 23 CITGO Dallara/Honda/Firestone driven by rookie Milka Duno did not make attempts. Duno's car was damaged in a practice crash Friday, May 11.

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