The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page C10

C10 SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013 2nd THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR INDYSTAR.COM Freedom 100 finish one of IMS finest The last lap of Friday's Firestone Freedom 100 Indy Lights race was one of the best in Indianapolis Motor Speedway history. Sage Karam and rookie Gabby Chaves went side by side down the backstretch before Carlos Munoz pulled alongside for a three-wide duel through Turns 3 and 4. The thrilling alignment was intact O'Gara, who graduates today from Roncalli High School, saw his car hit with its nose. Pagenaud fastest Speeds posted in final practices don't usually mean much in IndyCar races, but Friday was Carb Day, and this practice was the last before the 500. So people paid attention.

Simon Page Lazier Continued from C1 ible years left where I would personally put him up against any driver in the field." The Laziers had to give up racing for a while to focus on business, which involved building the Tivoli Lodge in Vail, Colo. "Half of them are race fans," Buddy said of 60-70 weekend customers. "If they're not when they get there, they usually leave as race fans. And we have some very special business partners." Skiing buddies got together and decided to buy Buddy a car. Previous racing friends also helped, as did a Vail businessman.

"This thing has been fun for everybody involved except the crew," Bob said. "We got here too late. They did 20 days work in 10, and I apologize." Any age question amuses Buddy. He was 19 when he first came to IMS, when team owners advised him to return as a 40-something with experience. Now he's 40-something with experience, but team owners are looking for fearless younger drivers.

"Age really is a nature of what kind of shape you're in, how you are mentally and physically," Buddy said. "I've always enjoyed the fact the Speedway tests you as a driver. This is a very demanding racetrack. It's so fast. It's so flat.

"You take it to the absolute edge." Call Star reporter Phillip B. Wilson at (317) 444-6642. Follow him at twitter.comindystarpwilson24. coming off the last corner. Fourth-place Peter Demp- sey then saw a spot for his car, and he darted to the outside.

naud, who hadn't posted eye-popping speeds throughout the month, put a Honda in the top spot with a lap of 225.827 mph. Curt Cavin PIT PASS Peter Dempsey celebrates atop his car after winning the Firestone Freedom 100 in a four-wide finish, greggriffo the star What fol- lowed was a four-wide photo finish. Dempsey edged Chaves by a blink, a margin of 0.0026 seconds, the closest ever at IMS. Karam was third with Munoz, the No. 2 starter for Sunday's Indianapolis 500, fourth.

First to fourth spanned 0.0443 seconds at about 185 mph. Dempsey, who won his first race in the series, credited spotter Stefan Wilson, the younger brother of Justin Wilson, for coaching him through the congestion. "(Stefan) said, 'Be patient, get us across the line. They're going to spread out and you'll sneak up on Dempsey said. The win was the first for Brownsburg-based Belardi Auto Racing.

The closest Indy Lights finish 0.0005 seconds was at Chicagoland Speedway in 2007. The closest IMS finish had been the 1992 500 when Al Unser Jr. held off Scott Goodyear by 0.043 seconds. Dempsey was fortunate for the chance to win. On the third lap, he had series newcomer Kyle O'Gara battling on his inside in Turn 4 when O'Gara lost control of his car and spun into the wall.

EJ Viso and Ryan Hunter-Reay were second and third as Andretti Autosport continued to look like the team to beat. Marco Andretti was ninth with James Hinchcliffe 14th. Munoz was 30th. Ganassi Racing showed some strength with Scott Dixon fourth and last year's race winner, Dario Franchitti, sixth. Ganassi's trouble came at the end of the session when Ryan Briscoe lost an engine, leading to a fire that was quickly extinguished.

Briscoe was not injured. There are no engine penalties at the 500. A few drivers posted laps significantly higher than they qualified: No. 15 starter Sebastien Bourdais was fifth, No. 33 starter Katherine Legge was eighth and No.

25 starter Josef Newgarden was 16th. Pole sitter Ed Carpenter was 17th and Helio Castroneves, the No. 8 qualifier, 28th. Castroneves' team erased any disappointment by beating Franchitti's team in the finals of the Pit Stop Challenge. The win was the Brazilian's sixth in the event and Team Penske's 14th.

Zanardi visits track Two-time CART champion the Paralympic Games' hand cycling division, was presented with a gift: Ganassi gave him the 1996 Reynard Honda car he used to make the famed pass of Bryan Herta in the CART race at Laguna Seca. Zanardi went to the dirt to pass Herta in the downhill portion of the track known as the corkscrew. Etc. Dan Wheldon's widow, Susie, and his sister, Holly, are in town for the weekend. Ana Beatriz made contact with her car's front nose coming to pit road, but it was a quick fix.

Castroneves and Team Penske teammate Will Power had new Chevrolet engines for Friday's practice. New on the Honda side were Pagenaud, Beatriz, Takuma Sato, Justin Wilson and Newgarden. Call Star reporter Curt Cavin at (317) 444-6409 or email curt.cavinindystar.com. Alex Zanardi paid a rare visit to IMS, a guest of his former boss, Chip Ganassi. Zanardi answered the natural question without it being asked.

"Don't take this too seriously," he said of possibly competing in the 500 with prosthetic legs. "When you say it's possible, technically it's possible." But not likely. Zanardi will be 47 in October and the work it would take to fit him in a car, especially with him living in Italy, would be extensive. Zanardi was racing on the other side of open-wheel racing's split when he lost both legs in a horrific crash in Champ Car's 2001 race in Germany. Not only has he never raced at IMS, Friday's visit was his first with cars on the track.

He came once and paid to ride the tour bus. Zanardi, who brought all three gold medals he won in Buddy Lazier got to hoist the bottle of milk in 1996. star file photo MEMORIAL DAY SAVINGS EVENT ONi 1th mobElsi pen Stock 19949 StOCk 20300 StOCk 20130 StOCk 20438 StOCk 20502 2015 FORD F150 0 60 Months $1000 ov Up tO $9800 Off MSRP 2013 FORD EXPEDITION 0 60 Months $500 ot Up to $8000 Off MSRP 2013 FORD FLEX 0 60 Months $2000 ov Up to $7000 Off MSRP 2013 FORD EDGE 0 60 Months $1000 ov Up to $5500 Off MSRP 2015 FORD EXPLORER 0 60 Months $1000 ov Up to $5500 Off MSRP StOCk 20608 StOCk 20597 StOCk 20521 2015 FORD MUSTANG 0 X-60'MonthS $1000 op Up MSRP StOCk 20656 2015 FORD FUSION 0 60'Months op StOCk 20430 2015 FORD FQGUS 0 X-60'MonthS $500 op 2015 FORD ESCAPE 0 X-60'MonthS $500 op MSRP 2015 FORD FIESTA 0 X-60'MonthS $500 op Up MSRP W.I 06th Si YOUR LOCAL FORD DEALERS' if PEARSON (888) 421-6104 10650 N. Michigan Rd. Zionsville, Indiana 46077 www.MYindyford.com WAC.

Must finance with Ford Credit. $1 000 Trade Assistance. Must trade a 1 995 or newer vehicle Hwy 465 ALL-STAR EVENT 2012 Ford Edge Sport 2010 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 2010 Ford Edge Limited 2011 Ford Taurus SEL 2012 Ford F150 FX4 Stock20627A- White Platinum, 20,230 Stock 20678A- Blue Flame with Pale Ado be Accent, Stock20631A- Tuxedo Black, 49,748 Miles Stock 20540A- Ingot Silver, 14,115 StockZ0165A-Tuxeclo Black, 24,492 Miles, Miles. 22 inch Wheels. AWD.

Naviaation. 19758 Miles. 4WD. Leather. Moon roof.

Naviaation. 20 Inch Wheels. Leather. Panoramic Moon Miles. Bouaht here new.

Front dual zone AC. Bouaht here new. 20 inch black wheels. Local Trade, One 534,772 Local Trade, One Owner $25,991 Roof, One Owner $23,841 Privacy Class, One $21,472 Leather, Navigation $38,991 (888) 421-6104 10650 N. Michigan Rd.

Zionsville, Indiana 46077 www. Yi ndyf rd WAC. Must finance with Ford Credit. $1 000 Trade Assistance. Must trade a 1 995 or newer vehicle 3 Hwy 465- PEARSON.