Tag: Indianapolis 500

Baseball Legend Ken Griffey Jr. To Drive Pace Car at 108th Indianapolis 500

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From IMS:

One of the Most Prolific Home Run Hitters in Baseball History
To Lead NTT INDYCAR SERIES Field to Green

INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, May 20, 2024) – Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Ken Griffey Jr. has been named honorary Pace Car driver for the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 26.

Griffey will drive the 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray and lead the field of 33 drivers to the start of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

“Driving the Pace Car and leading the field to start the Indy 500 is one of the coolest experiences,” Griffey said. “I came to the track a few years ago as a photographer and look forward to seeing the race from a different perspective.”

Known as “Junior” and “The Kid,” Griffey played 22 years as an outfielder in the Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent the majority of his career with the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds, with a short stint with the Chicago White Sox.

The first overall pick in the 1987 draft and a 13-time All-Star, Griffey is one of the most prolific home run hitters in baseball history. His 630 home runs rank as the seventh-most in MLB history. Griffey was also an exceptional defender and won 10 Gold Glove Awards in center field. He is tied for the record of most consecutive games with a home run (eight, with Don Mattingly and Dale Long).

One of only 31 players in baseball history to have appeared in major league games in four different calendar decades, Griffey was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016. He received 99.32 percent of the vote, breaking pitcher Tom Seaver’s record of 98.84 percent, which had stood for 24 years. He also was inducted into both the Mariners Hall of Fame and the Reds Hall of Fame.

“Every baseball fan knows Ken Griffey Jr.,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “Two legends will come together as Griffey hops into the Corvette E-Ray to lead the field at the Racing Capital of the World.”

Corvette has paced “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” more times than any car. The 2024 race marks the 35th time for Chevrolet to pace dating back to 1948 and the 21st time overall and since 1978 for America’s favorite sports car.

The 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge is scheduled for Sunday, May 26. Visit IMS.com for tickets and more information on all Month of May events and activities at IMS.

Newgarden Fastest in Monday Practice

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Josef Newgarden edged ahead of Coltn Herta in the second half of Monday’s post-qualifying practice session with a lap at 226.238 mph. Herta was just 16 thousandths pf a second behind.

The two hour tune-up ran without incident on track, although there were some pit issues with stalls and what looked like an airgun problem on Ryan Hunter-Reay’s car.

Colton Herta
Pato O’Ward

Colton Herta and Pato O’Ward talked about their day afterwards.

Herta doesn’t think the tire degradation will be much different from last year’s race. O’Ward expressed concern that his car is slow, and the team can’t figure out why. He is worried about performing in the race if the car doesn’t improve.

Notes

It’s kind of bittersweet when Monday practice ends. The track is closed for three days. after on track activity for nearly a week straight, it’s hard to wait until Friday. I find it even harder during the years when the race is on May 26 or earlier. It feels as if We are getting gypped out of part of our May.

I’m still scratching my head over the fact that Will Power has never won the pole for the 500. What a weird mark on his resume should he retire without one.

Qualifications Wrap Up- Indy’s Newest Hero Isn’t in the Race

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Photo: Nolan Siegel talks about his day.

It is not very often that the star of qualifications weekend doesn’t make the race. But on Sunday, Nolan Siegel showed what a true racer is. After a serious crash on Friday which destroyed his car, the Dale Coyne team went to a backup car- one they use for road courses.

The speed was never there, but yesterday the car improved enough to where it could possibly compete in the Last Chance Qualifying. Thanks to a mistake by Marcus Ericsson on his first run, Siegel had a chance.

Ericsson bumped Siegel with less than three minutes to go, and the rookie then went on track to attempt to regain his position. After a first lap that was not good enough to make the field, Siegel crashed at the exit of turn 1 and will not race next Sunday.

When the week began, I had doubts about Siegel even being entered in the race, but I, along with many fans, came away from the track yesterday with nothing but respect for Siegel.

He told the media Sunday afternoon, “I was going to go home because I went flat and did everything I could do. I wasn’t going to go home
because I lifted, so here I am.”

“…we’ve had a difficult couple of days, and we pulled through it as a team. The maturity. We did everything we possibly could. I feel like we
maximized the runs today. Yeah, I mean, that’s all you can
do,” Siegel concluded.

Siegel will be back, and he will make the race, likely next year

If there is a Spirit of Indy Award, Nolan Siegel would be the 2024 recipient.

A Near Costly Mistake

Marcus Ericsson lifted at after crossing the line to complete his third lap on his qualifying run, resulting in a lap of 195 mph for lap 4. His first three laps would have easily put him in the field.

It appears he miscounted the laps. With the pressure he was facing, it is understandable that he was so focused on having a good run that the lap count was not on his mind.

Ericsson is in good company, however. Wilbur Shaw miscounted qualifying laps once and slowed on his final lap thinking he was done. Fortunately, his crew got him to not complete the last lap. Under the format then, once a car finished its run, there was no going again in the same car.

Rahal Struggles

RLL struggled for speed at IMS for the second year in a row. Christian Lundgaard is the fastest on the team in 28th. Pietro Fittipaldi starts 30th, and Graham Rahal brings up the rear of the field.

Rahal is the only starter to average les than 230 mph.

The team seemed to make progress last year after the 500, but it appears their speedway program is mired in the same spot as 2023. I hope the team can find an answer for next year. It is painful to see Graham struggling at IMS.

Legge Finds Speed

With all the buzz surrounding the other three cars trying to make the field yesterday, Katherine Legge almost quietly went out and posted the fastest speed in the Last Chance round.

Her average of 230.092 was her fastest time of the week. Between her effort and the wiork to get Siegel on the grid, the Dale coyne teamdeserves praise for their hard work.

The Starting Lineup


Monday at IMS

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Just four track days left. One of them is kind of a big deal.

Qualifying weekend attendance was just over 90,000, the best crowd in a while .Attendance was around 5,000 more than 2023.

 Information about 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge practice track activity Monday, May 20 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:

SCHEDULE (All times local):

11 a.m.-3 p.m.: Public gates open

1-3 p.m.: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice

TICKETS: General Admission tickets are $25. Children 15 and under are admitted free with a paying adult. The General Admission ticket will provide the opportunity to move between the IMS infield viewing mounds and first-come, first-served access to selected grandstands to view racing action from different vantage points.

PUBLIC GATES OPEN (11 a.m.-3 p.m.): Gate 2, Gate 4, Gate 6S, Gate 7, Gate 7S, Gate 10, and Gate 10A.

PARKING: Free parking is located in the N Lot for vehicles and in the South Carousel Lot for motorcycle parking. ADA parking is available in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway West Museum Lot, Tower Lot, and Flag Lot.

CASHLESS OPERATIONS: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a cashless facility. Fans should be prepared to complete their ticket, credentials, parking, concession and merchandise purchases with ease during their event via debit or credit card.

Tap-to-pay phone payments will be accepted, as will credit and debit transactions. Cash-to-Card machines, which convert paper money onto a temporary debit card, will be located in Pagoda Plaza and outside Turn 1 by concessions stand 7. These funds can be spent inside the venue, outside the venue, online or anywhere in the world where Mastercard/Visa debit cards are accepted.

MUSEUM: The IMS Museum is closed for a major renovation, reopening in April 2025. To learn more, please visit imsmuseum.org/renovation.

McLaughlin Pole Leads Penske Front Row Sweep

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Photo by Kyle McInnes

Scott McLaughlin took the pole away from his teammates with a solid 234.220 mph average speed. He edged Will Power by three tenths of a second and Josef Newgarden by four tenths. The Penske trio was nearly a mile an hour ahead of fourth place Alexander Rossi.

Penske also swept the front row in 1988 when pole winner Rick Mears also won the race.

The pole shootout was anticlimactic as only the drivers kept the same positions they earned in the earlier round of 12.

As usual, all the drama took place in the Last Chance Shootout for the final three spots on the grid.

While most fans expected the drama to come down to Graham Rahal versus Nolan Siege, but it was Marcus Ericsson who created the tension.

Ericsson was on a run that would have comfortably made the field, but he lifted after taking the white flag. Ericsson went out agauin, mainky tom cool his engine. He then waited until there were about six minutes remained to make an attempt which knocked Nolan Siegel out of the race. Siegel went out for one last attempt. His first lap was too slow to make the race, and his last ditch effort ended when he hit the wall in turn 1, and slid to a stop in turn 2, ending a valiant effort by the 19 year old and his crew, who worked all night to get a car ready for qualifying after his crash on Friday.

Graham Rahal made the race on his own merit this year after being bumped in 2023 but getting to start as a replacement for Stefan Wilson.

Katherine Legge was the fastest of the Last Chance round and she will start 31st.

Notes

. I like Alexander Rossi’s chances on Race Day.

Scott McLaughlin is the future of Team Penske. This pole is the first of what I think will be many achievements accomplish at IMS.

I am becoming for a fan of the first day of qualifying than I was when this format first started. It is fun and intriguing. Day two still needs some work. I think it is confusing and a bad marketing move to have both bumping and the pole decided on the same day.

The pole should be determined on Saturday, and the pole winner should be in the broadcast booth while drivers battle for the last few spots.

I will have some more thoughts tomorrow morning. Thanks for following along this entire week.

Provisional Grid

Running for the Pole- A Penske Sweep?

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In 1988 Team Penske locked out the front row. Rick Mears on the pole, Danny Sullivan in the middle, and Al Unser, Sr. on the outside.

Today a similar scenario is a very good possibility. Chevrolet powers nine of the 12 cars eligible for the pole today, and yesterday Team Penske set the three fastest times, with Will Power on the provisional pole. Power has to be considered the favorite to win the top spot, but I would not count out Scott McLaughlin’s chances today.

Who could spoil the Penske front row party? One of the Mclaren drivers, Alexander Rossi, fourth yesterday, or Pato O’Ward, who recovered from an early issue to salvage 10th place yesterday afternoon.

Among the Honda drivers, Kyle Kirkwood came closest to spoiling the Chevy party, but he could only manage fifth place, a half second from the front row.. Felix Rosenqvist has qualified well this season and could move up to row two, Takuma Sato seems to have a great car, but I’m not sure how well he will qualify.

Last Chance

The four cars vying for the three final spots in the field have a less daunting task today. They each only have to beat three cars instead of 30.

For time Saturday it appeared we would see another Rahal versus Coyne shootout, and it essentially is. Marcus Ericsson of Andretti is the lone outsider in basically a rematch of the 2023 last chance rematch.

I think Nolan Siegel will be the one missing the show. Since his crash on Thursday, the car has not shown any speed. Hoiw much downforce dare they remove to make the rookie comfortable enough to challenge for a palce on the grid?

McLaren Turnaround

Yesterday morning, Arrow McLaren had a series of misadventures which I chronicled here. To review, the nfirstb half of their day went like this:

Kyle Larson aborted his run after a plenum issue. He just completed a run and is currentlyn sixth.

Alexander Rossi pulled his car out of line to keep it cool. He has since placed the car fourth provisionally.

Pato O’Ward pulled his car out of line, then made a run. He had the same issue as Larson, but O’Ward finished the four laps. He is currently 32nd.

Callum Ilott qualified at his appointed time and had aa solid run. His car was disqualified in tech for a non compliant rear wheel offset. He has not made another attempt as of this moment.

The afternoon went much better.

Alexander Rossi, Kyle Larson, and Pato O’Waard qualified in the top 12. Rossi, the only driver not having issues, was fourth, Larson earned the sixth spot, and O’Ward squeezed into the 10th position.

Ilott requalified in 15th.

I think hey will have a better day today, and Pato is a dark horse for the front row.

Plenum Problems

One thing that could stand in the way of Chevrolet success today is if the plenum issues from Saturday returns. Will it hit different teams than it did yesterday? Did Chevy resolve the problem overnight?

This will be something to watch for this afternoon.

Pole Day

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Weather fd\rom @Indycar_Wxman

 INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, May 18, 2024) – Information about 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge practice and PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying track activity Sunday, May 19 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:

SCHEDULE (All times local):
10 a.m.-6 p.m.: Public gates open
Noon-1 p.m.: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice (Top 12)
1-2 p.m.: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice (Last Chance)
3:05-4:05 p.m.: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying (Top 12)
4:15-5:15 p.m.: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying (Last Chance)
5:25-5:55 p.m.: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying (Firestone Fast Six)

Qualifying rounds on NBC, 3-6 pm Eastern

TICKETS: General Admission tickets are $35. Children 15 and under are admitted free with a paying adult. The General Admission ticket will provide the opportunity to move between the IMS infield viewing mounds and first-come, first-served access to selected grandstands to view racing action from different vantage points.
Free entry for all military personnel with a valid military ID.

PUBLIC GATES OPEN (10 a.m.-6 p.m.): Gate 1, Gate 2, Gate 3, Gate 4, Gate 6S, Gate 7, Gate 7S, Gate 9, Gate 10, and Gate 10A.

PARKING: Free parking is located in Turn 3 and Lot 7 (North 40), in the South Carousel Lot for motorcycle parking and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway West Museum Lot, Tower Lot, Flag Lot and Lot 7 (North 40) for ADA parking. Paid parking is $20 in Gate 1 and $10 in Main Gate, Lot 2, Lot 3G and Lot 3P. Paid ADA parking is $20 in Gate 1 and $10 in Lot 2, Lot 3P and Lot 3G. Bicycle parking is located outside Gate 1, Gate 6 and Gate 9.

CASHLESS OPERATIONS: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a cashless facility. Fans should be prepared to complete their ticket, credentials, parking, concession and merchandise purchases with ease during their event via debit or credit card.Tap-to-pay phone payments will be accepted, as will credit and debit transactions. Cash-to-Card machines, which convert paper money onto a temporary debit card, will be located in Pagoda Plaza and outside Turn 1 by concessions stand 7. These funds can be spent inside the venue, outside the venue, online or anywhere in the world where Mastercard/Visa debit cards are accepted.

MUSEUM: The IMS Museum is closed for a major renovation, reopening in April 2025. To learn more, please visit imsmuseum.org/renovation.

Qualifying Wrap Up- Rinus the Comeback Kid

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Rinus VeeKay had a rollercoaster day, but he turned out to be the star of Indianapolis 500 qualifying today. His first qualifying attempt looked to be a very solid top 12 run, but he crashed hard in turn 3.

The crew put the car back together in under three hours- an amazing turnaround time. After a mid afternoon run just to get into the field, VeeKay went out in the final minutes and put the car in the top 12 to be eligible to vie for the pole tomorrow.

On the other end of the spectrum, Graham Rahal once again faces a restless night as he needs to wait until tomorrow to attempt to make the race. Rahal got onto the track with six seconds remaining, but the crowd di not get a second dramatic run.

The track was busy virtually all day. In the final two hours cars made multiple attempts to either get into the top 12 or just get into the top 30 to lock down a spot in the 500.

Notes

Kyle Larson overcame a first attempt engine issue to place sixth.

Pato O’Ward had a mostly frustrating day but did end up 10th.

Chevrolet engines endured six plenum fires today, and Honda changed at least two engines. Engine issues have abounded this season.

Only three Hondas are in the top 12.

Team Penske occupies the entire front row.

Felix Rosenqvist continues his qualifying mastery. He was seventh today.

Nolan Siegel may not make the race, but he has not given up. Returning from Thursday’s’ big crash, Siegel made numerous attempts, but is still on th outside.

It’s nice to see former winners Takuma Sato and Ryan Hunter-Reay in the top 12. Five former winners will fight for the pole Sunday.

Alex Palou was left sitting first in line when time expired. It will be srange not seeing a Ganassi car in the top 12.

The Provisional Grid

Midday Qualifying Update

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Qualifying for the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 turned dramatic before it started. Scott Dixon did not present his car as Honda decided to change the engine in the number 9.

Kyle Kirkwood qualified first at 232.764 mph. Scott McLaughlin then blew past Kirkwood with a 233.758 mph average. After Kyffin Simpson set am time, Rinus VeeKay spun in turn 3 on his first lap. the car suffered right side damage. VeeKay has stared the race on the front row the last three years. thjat streak is in jeopardy.

McLaren Miseries

Arrow McLaren was expected to put up a fight against Team Penske for the pole. Their day has gone like this:

Kyle Larson aborted his run after a plenum issue. He just completed a run and is currentlyn sixth.

Alexander Rossi pulled his car out of line to keep it cool. He has since placed the car fourth provisionally.

Pato O’Ward pulled his car out of line, then made a run. He had the same issue as Larson, but O’Ward finished the four laps. He is currently 32nd.

Callum Ilott qualified at his appointed time and had aa solid run. His car was disqualified in tech for a non compliant rear wheel offset. He has not made another attempt as of this moment.

Ganassi’s Qualifying Reign Is Over

Chip Ganassi Racing has had a frustrating week. Linus Lundquist crashed on Wednesday, All the cars have not had the speed they have shown at IMS the last three years.

As of now their positions are-Alex Palou 9th

Marcus Armstrong 11th

Kyffin Simpson 14th

Scottb Dixon 17th

Linus Lundqvist 23rd

Since 2020 no Ganassi car has qualified worse than 14th.

Current standings as of 2:47 pm.