INDIANAPOLIS — Last time at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Justin Wilson and Enrique Bernoldi were going backward. They’re going the right direction now, and a whole lot faster.
“This definitely feels like the right way around the track,” said Wilson, a former Formula One driver who raced at Indianapolis in 2003 in the U.S. Grand Prix, which was run clockwise on the Speedway’s road course instead of the normal counterclockwise oval.
Wilson, whose top lap on Sunday was 218.142 mph, increased it to 221.029 on Monday in Indy 500 practice. Bernoldi was at 220.314.
The quickest among the rookies was Alex Lloyd, last year’s developmental Indy Lights champion, who turned a lap at 223.033 mph. Hideki Mutoh, who replaced last year’s Indy and series champion Dario Franchitti with Andretti Green Racing this season, was next at 222.600. Seven other drivers were faster than 220.
“It was a good day,” Lloyd said. “We’re taking our time with it, improving our balance, getting up to speed. I’m feeling very comfortable with it.”
Another rookie and former Indy Lights driver, Jaime Camara, crashed in the first turn early in practice and was hospitalized with back pain. X-rays were negative, though, and he was expected at the track this morning.
• Police are investigating the death of a Newman/ Haas/Lanigan Racing mechanic as a homicide. David Evans, 63, died Sunday morning after a fight while leaving Kazablanka Bar, which is attached to the team hotel. Evans had been with Nemman/Haas/Lanigan for more than 20 years and had worked on cars for Mario and Michael Andretti.
Hamlin limps into practice.
Just when Denny Hamlin thought things couldn’t get any worse, he fell hard on his left hip playing basketball and could hardly walk when he arrived for testing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.
“I’d like to say I was going up for a dunk, but I think everybody knows that ain’t true,” Hamlin said. “When I went up, the person was lower than I was and I kind of clipped over his shoulder and I was horizontal to the ground — that was bad. It popped, and it doesn’t feel good at all.”
The injury came roughly 24 hours after Hamlin led a record 381 of the first 382 laps at Richmond International Raceway, only to lose a coveted win on his hometown track when his right front tire was cut.
