Liveblogging the 92nd Indy 500
More Like A Tape-Delay Blogging...
Howdy, y'all! Time for my yearly dose of motor sports. I first visited the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1977 after Dad was transferred up there, and I have been hooked on Indy car racing ever since. My Uncle Ray & Aunt Anita were huge racefans, and gave me a good schooling in Indy race lore. I sat and listened to the race that first year on my little AM transistor radio, and I could swear I could hear the roar of the cars from across town.
We only spent 3 years living in Indianapolis, but I came back to Texas thoroughly addicted to the 500. For the last 31 years, I've spent the Sunday prior to Memorial Day watching or listening to the race. This makes year 32!
And away we go!
11:55a - Whoever this no-talent bint is that's singing the national anthem needs to be dragged off and thoroughly flogged. Got-DAMN I hate it when people try to jazz up the song. Plus, she's dressed like a tramp...
12:00p - Playing of Taps. Nice moment of reflection. Dead silence in the stands, which proves some sports fans still know what's important.
Estimated crowd size - 300,000 The track is ginormous. Check out this graphic!
12:02p - Jim Nabors back after last year's illness to sing 'Back Home In Indiana'. Showing his years, but that mellow baritone is still there.
12:03p - "Ladies & Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!"
12:05p - Sarah Fisher's car has delayed start, but engine finally starts and she joins pack out on track
12:10p - Emerson Fittipaldi driving pace car! Field lining up for the start after warm-up laps...
12:11p - And they're off!!
12:15p - Lap 5 with no wrecks! The Rookie Curse is absent this year...
12:17p - Yellow flag on Lap 8 - Debris on racetrack.. rear view mirror from Bruno Junqueira's car just fell off!.
12:20p - Most cars pitting for fuel.
12:25p - Sarah Fisher spun out on yellow. No damage to car, though. Junqueira's car still in pits to fix mirror.
12:30p - Back to green flag on lap 17. These speeds are amazing. I remember the hoopla the first time the 200 mph barrier was broken during Indy Time Trials, and that was an extreme engine-busting balls-out effort. Most of the cars today are reaching 224-226 mph in the straights and 210-212 in the curves during normal racing.
12:43p - Lap 37 - Yellow flag - Graham Rahal slid into into the wall on turn 4
12:49p - AJ Foyt IV's car on fire in pits - Fuel Spill - Back in race after car hosed off and cleaned
12:58p - Green Flag back on lap 46 - Scott Dixon in lead
1:09p - Lap 61 - Yellow flag #2 - Marty Roth into wall on turn 4. Most cars pit for fuel & tires under yellow.
1:28p - Lap 72 - Back to Green Flag racing!! Scott Dixon still in lead - Danica Patrick far back in pack - 11th place - Tony Kanaan running strong in 3rd
1:34p - Lap 80 - Yellow Flag out again - Rookie Jaime Camara slams into wall on turn 1, slides across track, slams into wall again past turn 2
1:54p - Back to green flag - Lap 91 - Wheldon takes lead, Kanaan moves into 2nd place, then takes lead at lap 94
2:01p - 101 laps down, so the race goes into the books. Should weather stop the race, the current lineup will be the official finishers in their current order.
2:03p - Yellow flag #4 - Lap 105 - Big Crash!! Tony Kanaan forced high on the track by passing Marco Andretti, slides into wall - Hits Sarah Fisher on rebound, both out of race...
Kanaan was quite restrained during media interview following medical check, but it's clear he wants to jam Andretti's helmet up his tailpipe. Major dick move on Andretti's part...
2:19p - During yellow. Jeff Simmons' car suddenly swerves right and impacts wall, then rolls across track to slam into opposite wall. Possible broken steering linkage?
2:24p - Green Flag - Lap 113 - 24 cars on lead lap, almost unheard of this late in race... Castroneves & Patrick struggle for 8th place, Her car has been lacking speed all afternoon
2:27p - Marco Andretti takes lead on lap 121
2:35p - 68 laps to go - Justin Wilson into infield wall after car's back end breaks loose and he spins across track - Yellow flag comes out for 6th time...
2:45p - 62 laps to go. Green Flag back out, Scott Dixon takes lead
2:52p - 50 laps to go- Moraes kisses wall for 2nd time, will probably get called into pits - Now we're getting to the strategy part of the race. Teams start managing fuel and betting on whether they can skip that last pit stop...
2:54p - Lap 152 - 7th Yellow of the day - Rookie Alex Lloyd hits wall after turn 4, slides all the way inside pit lane and takes out pit row speed limit timer! - Scott Dixon still in lead - Andretti 2nd, Scheckter 3rd
3:01p - Lap 156 - Wheldon in pits, car's engine cover being removed, so something is way out of whack. Scheckter has broken driveshaft, out of race.
3:05p - Green flag back out, 41 laps to go, Vitor Meira in lead
3:12p - Lap 169 - Yellow flag comes out for 8th time - Milka Duno spins out and shreds tires after almost colliding with Buddy Lazier - Vitor Meira still in lead, Dixon 2nd, Castroneves 3rd
3:16p - Ryan Briscoe hits Danica Patrick coming out of pits, breaks her suspension, she's out of race
3:24p - 24 laps to go - Green Flag back out, Scott Dixon in lead, Meira 2nd, Castroneves 3rd
3:33p - 11 laps to go, it's a sprint to the finish.. No more pit stops - Marco Andretti moves into 3rd
3:40p - Scott Dixon holds the lead and takes the checkered flag!
And that's all she wrote!
Howdy, y'all! Time for my yearly dose of motor sports. I first visited the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1977 after Dad was transferred up there, and I have been hooked on Indy car racing ever since. My Uncle Ray & Aunt Anita were huge racefans, and gave me a good schooling in Indy race lore. I sat and listened to the race that first year on my little AM transistor radio, and I could swear I could hear the roar of the cars from across town.
We only spent 3 years living in Indianapolis, but I came back to Texas thoroughly addicted to the 500. For the last 31 years, I've spent the Sunday prior to Memorial Day watching or listening to the race. This makes year 32!
And away we go!
11:55a - Whoever this no-talent bint is that's singing the national anthem needs to be dragged off and thoroughly flogged. Got-DAMN I hate it when people try to jazz up the song. Plus, she's dressed like a tramp...
12:00p - Playing of Taps. Nice moment of reflection. Dead silence in the stands, which proves some sports fans still know what's important.
Estimated crowd size - 300,000 The track is ginormous. Check out this graphic!
12:02p - Jim Nabors back after last year's illness to sing 'Back Home In Indiana'. Showing his years, but that mellow baritone is still there.
12:03p - "Ladies & Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!"
12:05p - Sarah Fisher's car has delayed start, but engine finally starts and she joins pack out on track
12:10p - Emerson Fittipaldi driving pace car! Field lining up for the start after warm-up laps...
12:11p - And they're off!!
12:15p - Lap 5 with no wrecks! The Rookie Curse is absent this year...
12:17p - Yellow flag on Lap 8 - Debris on racetrack.. rear view mirror from Bruno Junqueira's car just fell off!.
12:20p - Most cars pitting for fuel.
12:25p - Sarah Fisher spun out on yellow. No damage to car, though. Junqueira's car still in pits to fix mirror.
12:30p - Back to green flag on lap 17. These speeds are amazing. I remember the hoopla the first time the 200 mph barrier was broken during Indy Time Trials, and that was an extreme engine-busting balls-out effort. Most of the cars today are reaching 224-226 mph in the straights and 210-212 in the curves during normal racing.
12:43p - Lap 37 - Yellow flag - Graham Rahal slid into into the wall on turn 4
12:49p - AJ Foyt IV's car on fire in pits - Fuel Spill - Back in race after car hosed off and cleaned
12:58p - Green Flag back on lap 46 - Scott Dixon in lead
1:09p - Lap 61 - Yellow flag #2 - Marty Roth into wall on turn 4. Most cars pit for fuel & tires under yellow.
1:28p - Lap 72 - Back to Green Flag racing!! Scott Dixon still in lead - Danica Patrick far back in pack - 11th place - Tony Kanaan running strong in 3rd
1:34p - Lap 80 - Yellow Flag out again - Rookie Jaime Camara slams into wall on turn 1, slides across track, slams into wall again past turn 2
1:54p - Back to green flag - Lap 91 - Wheldon takes lead, Kanaan moves into 2nd place, then takes lead at lap 94
2:01p - 101 laps down, so the race goes into the books. Should weather stop the race, the current lineup will be the official finishers in their current order.
2:03p - Yellow flag #4 - Lap 105 - Big Crash!! Tony Kanaan forced high on the track by passing Marco Andretti, slides into wall - Hits Sarah Fisher on rebound, both out of race...
Kanaan was quite restrained during media interview following medical check, but it's clear he wants to jam Andretti's helmet up his tailpipe. Major dick move on Andretti's part...
2:19p - During yellow. Jeff Simmons' car suddenly swerves right and impacts wall, then rolls across track to slam into opposite wall. Possible broken steering linkage?
2:24p - Green Flag - Lap 113 - 24 cars on lead lap, almost unheard of this late in race... Castroneves & Patrick struggle for 8th place, Her car has been lacking speed all afternoon
2:27p - Marco Andretti takes lead on lap 121
2:35p - 68 laps to go - Justin Wilson into infield wall after car's back end breaks loose and he spins across track - Yellow flag comes out for 6th time...
2:45p - 62 laps to go. Green Flag back out, Scott Dixon takes lead
2:52p - 50 laps to go- Moraes kisses wall for 2nd time, will probably get called into pits - Now we're getting to the strategy part of the race. Teams start managing fuel and betting on whether they can skip that last pit stop...
2:54p - Lap 152 - 7th Yellow of the day - Rookie Alex Lloyd hits wall after turn 4, slides all the way inside pit lane and takes out pit row speed limit timer! - Scott Dixon still in lead - Andretti 2nd, Scheckter 3rd
3:01p - Lap 156 - Wheldon in pits, car's engine cover being removed, so something is way out of whack. Scheckter has broken driveshaft, out of race.
3:05p - Green flag back out, 41 laps to go, Vitor Meira in lead
3:12p - Lap 169 - Yellow flag comes out for 8th time - Milka Duno spins out and shreds tires after almost colliding with Buddy Lazier - Vitor Meira still in lead, Dixon 2nd, Castroneves 3rd
3:16p - Ryan Briscoe hits Danica Patrick coming out of pits, breaks her suspension, she's out of race
3:24p - 24 laps to go - Green Flag back out, Scott Dixon in lead, Meira 2nd, Castroneves 3rd
3:33p - 11 laps to go, it's a sprint to the finish.. No more pit stops - Marco Andretti moves into 3rd
3:40p - Scott Dixon holds the lead and takes the checkered flag!
And that's all she wrote!
posted by El Capitan | 4:11 PM
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