Today’s 92nd Indianapolis 500 is a truly special event for the first time in 12 years.
Since 1995, the race has been clouded in controversy over who is not included. But this year, the so-called “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” again features the best in the business.
Four months after the unification deal between the Indy Racing League and the former Champ Car World Series, there is peace in American open-wheel racing. The Indy 500 stands as a united front.
Here are the top-five story lines heading into the race:
• 1. Danica mania. Danica Patrick captured our attention when she finished fourth in the 2005 Indy 500, earning rookie of the year honors. Since then, most of the attention Patrick has received has been away from the track. However, in her 50th career start April 10, she gambled on fuel to capture the Japan 300, becoming the first woman to win an elite-level open-wheel race. Patrick, 26, qualified fifth at Indy and is one of three women in the field — but Sarah Fisher and Milka Duno don’t get nearly as much attention for a variety of reasons.
• 2. A year too late. The unified series agreement came a year too late to keep Sam Hornish Jr. and Sebastien Bourdais in the loop. Hornish, the only three-time IRL champion and 2006 Indy 500 winner, is a full-time rookie in NASCAR. And Bourdais, who captured the last four Champ Car titles, has moved on to Formula One. The open-wheel feud also contributed to the loss of 2007 Indy 500 champion Dario Franchitti and former Grand Prix of Denver winner A.J. Allmendinger. Franchitti switched from the IRL to NASCAR in the offseason, and Allmendinger left Champ Car for NASCAR the year before.
• 3. Not all in the family. Graham Rahal, 19, will make his debut at Indy, driving for longtime Champ Car owner Paul Newman. Rahal, who won his first IRL race in April, is the son of Bobby Rahal, the 1986 Indy 500 winner who co-owns Rahal Letterman Racing, which fields cars for Ryan Hunter-Reay and Alex Lloyd. Graham Rahal had an opportunity to race for his dad, but Bobby felt his son was better served by Newman, perhaps the most respected car owner in the business.
• 4. Buddy system. Buddy Lazier of Vail will make his 16th start at the Indy 500, becoming the 19th driver to reach that level of longevity. The 1996 Indy winner was runner-up in 1998 and 2000, the year he won the IRL championship. The 40-year-old has not raced since a year ago, when he finished 19th for Sam Schmidt Motorsports. His current deal, announced April 30, is with Ron Hemelgarn, the 1996 winning Indy car owner. The team might not have much of a chance, but at least Lazier — one of the few remaining racers who competed at Indy before the mid-1990s split — is in the field.
• 5. The favorite. Polesitter Scott Dixon and teammate Dan Wheldon make up an all-Chip Ganassi Racing front row, and will be tough to beat. But look out for “Hollywood” Helio Castroneves, the only two-time Indy winner in the field. The “Dancing With the Stars” star leads the point standings and races for 14-time Indy-winning car owner Roger Penske. Since returning to Indy in 2001, Penske has won four of the past seven races with Castroneves (2001, 2002), Gil de Ferran (2003) and Hornish Jr. (2006).
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
Today’s races
INDY RACING LEAGUE
Indianapolis 500
Site:Indianapolis.
TV: ABC, 11 a.m.
Track:Indianapolis Motor Speedway (rectangular oval, 2.5 miles, 9 degrees banking in turns).
Race distance:500 miles, 200 laps.
Fast facts:The race has taken place every year since 1911, except for when the United States was in World War I (1917-18) and World War II (1942-45). . . . The closest finish in Indy 500 history came in 1992, when Al Unser Jr. edged Scott Goodyear by 0.043 seconds. . . . Each winner receives an 18-inch sterling silver replica of the Borg-Warner Trophy. The original stands 5-feet-4, weighs 150 pounds and has a bas-relief bust of each winner. It is valued at $1 million. . . . Scott Dixon, who qualified two weekends ago, won the pole at 226.366 mph.
Next race:A.J. Foyt 225, June 1, West Allis, Wis.
On the Net:www.indycar.com
NASCAR SPRINT CUP
Coca-Cola 600
Site:Concord, N.C.
TV: Fox, 3 p.m.
Track:Lowe’s Motor Speedway (quad-oval, 1.5 miles, 24 degrees banking in turns).
Race distance:600 miles, 400 laps.
Fast facts:Dale Jarrett finished 21st in the All-Star race to wrap up his storied career. The 1999 champion won 32 times, including three Daytona 500s. . . . Jeff Gordon won the most recent points race at Lowe’s, taking the Bank of America 500 on Oct. 13. His first Cup win came in the 1994 event. . . . Jimmie Johnson has won five times at Lowe’s, including three consecutive 600s, from 2003-05.
Next race:Dover (Del.) 400, June 1.
On the Net:www.nascar.com
FORMULA ONE
Monaco Grand Prix
Site:Monte Carlo.
TV: Speed Channel, 5:30 a.m.
Track:Monte Carlo street circuit (2.068 miles).
Race distance:161.304 miles, 78 laps.
Fast facts:Felipe Massa has won two of the last three races and has taken 28 of a possible 30 points since failing to finish the first two races of the season. . . . Kimi Raikkonen leads the standings with 35 points, seven ahead of Hamilton and Massa.
Next race:Canadian Grand Prix, June 8, Montreal.
On the Net:www.formula1.com
