Best of the Rest Indy 500 Preview

Best of the Rest Indy 500 Previews

Townsend Bell will drive the third Dreyer & Reinbold machine. Bell finished 22nd in his only previous Indy 500 start in 2006. He was the fastest third-day qualifier (second day rained out). Solid open-wheel experience should make him a genuine competitor on Sunday.

The Indy 500 welcomes another second-generation racer when Graham Rahal, son of 1986 Indy 500 champ Bobby Rahal, starts his first Indy 500. He rolls off the grid 13th for Newman Hass Lanigan Racing. Rahal poses perhaps the best threat of any Champ Car drivers based on his passion and appreciation for the speedway.

Darren Manning is hungry for his first IndyCar win, which could not occur at a more historic event like the Indy 500. A victory would be the second for car owner A. J. Foyt, who won in 1999 with Kenny Brack. Manning will be making his fourth Indy start with his best finish of 20th coming in 2007.

2002 pole sitter Bruno Junqueira returns for his fifth Indy 500 after a two-year hiatus. Junqueira had a solid run going in 2005 before a violent wreck broke his back just before the 200-mile mark. He is eager to improve on a pair of fifth-place finishes. He has led in each of his last three races, so if his Dale Coyne machine holds up he should be a contender.

Rookie Justin Wilson may not win the Indy 500, be he will go down as one of the tallest to ever cross the yard of bricks. Wilson, who stands 6’3, is eager to win the only trophy that eludes Newman Haas Lanigan; the highly coveted Borg Warner Trophy

Buddy Rice is one of four former winners competing in the 92nd Indianapolis 500. Rice looks to rebound after some recent bad lack at the speedway. He was unable to defend his championship in 2005 due to a practice accident, and then crashed out in both 2006 and 2007. Rice drives for Dreyer & Reinbold, which seeks its second IRL win and first at Indy.

Alex Lloyd is the reigning Indy Pro series champion and is making his Indy 500 debut in a joint effort by Chip Ganassi and Rahal Letterman Racing. Lloyd found the wall on Fast Friday, but rebounded to qualify safely for the race. Assuming his confidence has not been shattered, Lloyd could be a legitimate threat on Sunday.

Ryan Hunter-Reay is driving for the same Rahal Letterman Racing team that won the race in 2005, so the bar is set high for this 27-year old rookie from Dallas. Hunter-Reay crashed on pole day, but he has the backing of an experienced car owner to guide him through his first race.

John Andretti joins cousin Marco as the other Andretti in the field. He makes his second consecutive start after a 12 year absence. Andretti drives the second Marty Roth owned car, but managed to find speed immediately. Andretti has four top-10 finishes in his eight career starts, including fifth-place back in 1991.

For the first time in her Indy 500 career, Sarah Fisher comes to Indianapolis as a car owner. Despite a lack of support from several primary sponsors, Fisher qualified for her seventh race. Despite being voted most popular driver in the IRL three years in a row (2001-2003), she has failed to deliver successful results. Her best finish of 18th came last year, which means much room for improvement.

Will Power, a fiery Australian rookie to Indy, seeks his second IndyCar victory of the year after winning on the streets of Long Beach. He drives for KV Technologies, owned by former Champ Car president Kevin Kalkhoven and 8-time Indy 500 starter Jimmy Vasser. Does Power have the power to be the third rookie since 2000 to drink the milk?

Jeff Simmons straps into the second A.J. Foyt car for what will be his fourth Indy 500. Last year was his most impressive showing – he actually led a lap en route to an 11th place finish.

Oriol Servia makes his first start at Indianapolis, but he no stranger to open-wheel racing. In fact, this is his second trip to Indianapolis; he failed to qualify in 2002. Servia is best known for replacing an injured Junqueira in 2005 and finishing second in the Champ Car final season standings.

EJ Viso’s first appearance at the track came by way foot, not car, when he participated in the Mini Marathon. Viso drives for HVM Racing, which is a carryover team from Champ Car. Viso has displayed signs of potential thus far which makes him optimistic for Sunday.

Milka Duno became the fifth woman to drive in the Indy 500 last year, when she finished 31st after crashing out on lap 65. She returns to Indy with more experience and even more confidence so improving on her prior performance should be a simple task.

Mario Moraes, Enrique Bernoldi, and Jaime Camara are all rookies at this year’s Indy 500, and they fill up the 10th row. Moraes look for advice and leadership from Dale Coyne teammate Junqueira while Bernoldi and Camera are teammates are Conquest Racing and plan to surge to the front together.

It was an up and down bump day for 1996 Indy winner Buddy Lazier, but he survived and will start a race-high 16th Indy 500. Lazier’s resume is impressive, which includes the 1996 win and five top-five finishes. It will be a challenging charge from the rear, but there is no driver in the field more capable of overcoming incredible odds at Indy.

Last, but certainly not least, is Canadian Marty Roth, who survived the bubble and will start from the tail end of the pack in his fourth Indy 500. No need to waste space discussing Roth’s history. He has yet to finish an Indy 500 and there is a better chance of Milka Duno and Danica Patrick making out in victory lane than Roth has of winning the race.

Hopefully everybody is now more familiar with some of the newcomers and journeymen who will be competing in Sunday’s Indianapolis 500. It should be filled with drama, suspense and excitement, and that is why it is the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.