Sunday marks the 100th anniversary of ?The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,? the Indianapolis 500. It?s the 33 fastest drivers and cars in the world battling for the right to achieve history, to drink from the bottle of milk, and have their face forever living on the Borg-Warner Trophy. And, oh yeah, the $2.75 million-plus expected payday to the winner isn?t bad, either.
After a dramatic qualifying weekend, this year?s race has the potential to be a great one. Here are my top five questions for race day:
1. Could this be the year of the little guys?
Like the INDYCAR series itself, the Indy 500 in recent years has been dominated by the big boys?teams with experience, prestige, and cash. Target Chip Ganassi Racing has won two of the last three, including Dario Franchitti?s victory a year ago. Team Penske?s Helio Castroneves gave Roger Penske his 15th Indy 500 win in 2009. But this year could be different with 12 of the top 15 qualifiers, including pole-sitter Alex Tagliani, representing smaller teams. Now, of course, once the green flag is waived, the winning pedigree and experience of Ganassi and Penske cannot be underestimated.
2. Can Dario Franchitti repeat?
The defending race and INDYCAR series champion has started this season strong, posting a win in the opener at St. Petersburg and is second in the point standings, just 14 behind Will Power. He is one of just two drivers with multiple 500 victories in the field. He definitely has the experience and skillset to become the first back-to-back winner in eight years.
3. Will Helio Castroneves get No. 4?
Castroneves has the opportunity to make history and join Indy legends A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears, and Al Unser in winning at the Brickyard four times. If the Brazilian is to do so, he?ll need to get his confidence back and avoid trouble. It has been a disastrous start to a year that has seen him make contact with other drivers in each of the four opening races.
4. Has Will Power mastered the oval?
The series? points leader is a master of the road and street courses, but the question remains whether he can do the same on ovals. He claimed the road and street championship last year but lost the overall title due to his lack of oval prowess. While he has yet to post a victory in 21 attempts on ovals, he feels he?s due. Getting his first at Indy would definitely be proof.
5. Is the ?Andretti Curse? back?
Michael Andretti thought the curse was gone when his team won the Indy 500 with Dan Wheldon in 2005. It looks like the curse may have returned. His cars struggled for speed all month with two of his racers failing to qualify. He then decided to buy A.J. Foyt?s car that qualified with driver Bruno Junqueira for Ryan Hunter-Reay. This has led to heavy fan and media criticism. But with Danica Patrick and his son Marco both posting podium finishes in the past at Indy, it?s still possible he could quiet those critics with a victory.
You can follow Kevin Graham?s random daily riffs on INDYCAR and sports in general at www.SportsMashup.com and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/kevingraham1280.
advertisement
football news cricket news golf news baseball news soccer news
No comments:
Post a Comment