By Peter M. De Lorenzo
Detroit. A couple of weeks ago I wrote that "Indy will always be Indy" and there's truth to that, good and bad.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a magnificent place, its mammoth edifice drawing you in and its sheer imposing presence providing an aura of history that's unmatched by any other racing facility in the world. People have been coming to The Speedway since 1911 to compete in machines designed to go 500 miles as quickly as possible, and the sense that it is truly one of this country's - and the world's - historic places is palpable everywhere you turn.
And all of this is still intact - and great - which in this day of nanosecond attention spans and faux gravitas being attached to insignificant events and vacuous "celebrities" is refreshing and worth noting. But yet there are clear signs that the powers that be at The Speedway and in INDYCAR racing have to take a long hard look at the events leading up to and surrounding "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."
Robin Miller mentioned it again over the weekend and I've discussed it in past columns as well, but the festivities surrounding the "month of May" are antiquated and need to be completely revamped. The drawn-out, two-week schedule that has drivers pounding around The Speedway in front of the cavernous - and empty - grandstands is simply nonsensical and plays to the notion that major league open-wheel racing in this country is on life support.
What to do? The Speedway and INDYCAR have to get together and compress the schedule. We should be looking at a one-week schedule that unfolds like this: The teams unload and set-up their garages the Sunday before the race. Rookie orientation would take place on Monday. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday would be set aside for open practice. Friday would be qualifying, with "Bump Day" fading to the history books. Saturday would be reserved for the parade and other festivities, including the Indy Lights race. And Sunday, the Indy 500 would take place. Even one week is too long, but at least it's a schedule that makes sense and I believe it would bring larger crowds out on the Friday before the race.
But enough of the frustrating part of what's going on at The Speedway. The good part? The stunning performance by Ed Carpenter in qualifying over the weekend. Fighting against the Team Penske (three cars) and Andretti Autosport (five cars) juggernauts in final qualifying, Carpenter - the lone team owner/driver in the IZOD INDYCAR Series - recorded a four-lap average speed of 228.762 mph (with a blistering best lap of 229.347 mph; 39.2418 seconds) during the Fast Nine shootout in his No. 20 Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet to capture the coveted pole position for the Indianapolis 500, the $100,000 bonus and 15 IZOD INDYCAR Series championship points.
Carpenter's team is managed by Derrick Walker, who has been orchestrating the underfunded team out of his own shop for the past year and a half. Walker assumes his new duties as INDYCAR's president of competition on June 1, but in the meantime he and engineer Matt Barnes and team manager Matt Broyles were absolutely thrilled to see Carpenter grab the pole.
Carpenter, an Indiana resident and Butler University grad, became the first American driver to win the pole at The Speedway since Sam Hornish Jr. did it in 2006. He is also the first owner/driver to win the pole since A.J. Foyt did it in 1975 and the first Indiana driver to start first since Pancho Carter did it in 1985. (Scott Sharp lived in Indianapolis when he won the pole in 2001 but has lived most of his life in Connecticut and Florida. Indiana native and resident Tony Stewart started from the pole in 1996 after his teammate Scott Brayton died in a practice crash after winning the pole.) Ed Carpenter's four-lap average pole speed of 228.762 mph was the fastest since Sam Hornish Jr. won the pole in 2006 with a four-lap average of 228.985.
"... I wasn't sure we'd be able to do a 229 and we did two of them, and that was the key in the shootout," said Carpenter. "I knew we had a shot at it, but the field is so tight and Chevy brought such a great engine, and I wouldn't have been surprised if we were outside the top 10, too. It's an honor to win this pole because it is a really competitive field. This is a good start. I want to make sure we keep the team focused. I hope this is part one of a really magical month, and we're here for race day. This is awesome, and it's bigger than our wins and it's huge for the team, huge for Fuzzy's Vodka. It's definitely a landmark day, but I don't want to get overly focused on this because we have a lot of work to do yet... It's really fun. I've lived here since I was 8 years old, went to school at Butler University and probably will never leave. It gives me confidence knowing people are behind you, and I'm blessed to have a great family. A lot of them are here. Unfortunately my parents and sister are up in South Bend because Lauren graduates from Notre Dame tomorrow, which is awesome, so it's a big weekend for our whole family."
And there you have it. Despite all of the politics and the money and the cynical stuff that has come to dominate racing - all of racing - the one thing that never changes is the ebb and flow of human emotion that runs through the sport. It is the sport, frankly.
Talk to anyone who has been involved in racing and their memories are always dominated by the stories of the people they raced with and worked with. Sure it's the cars and the achievements and some of the bitterness, too, but it's ultimately about the people.
The Ed Carpenter story at Indy reminds us all that sometimes it's possible to triumph against impossible odds.
And it reminds us, too, that in spite of all of its travails - most of which are self-inflicted
- the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a track like no other in the world, and the Indianapolis 500 is the one race that everyone wants to win.
(Jim Haines/INDYCAR)
(Jim Haines/INDYCAR)
Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD
(Photo by Dave Friedman courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives and Wieck Media)
Indianapolis, Indiana, 1965. Colin Chapman and Jim Clark confer with a Firestone tire engineer before practice for that year's Indianapolis 500.
Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD