The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 30

-i D8 MONDAY, MAY 16, 2005 jno Sports THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR WWW.INDYSTAR-COM MONTH OF MAY: QUALIFICATION RESULTS 11 Tony Kanaan Born: Dec. 31, 1974 Resides: Miami First Indy-car start 1998 Past Indy 500s: 3 Career highlights: Defending series champ from Brazil won three races and two poles last year. Second in points this year. Top-five starter in each of his Indy runs. Finished second last year and third in 2003.

6 Sam Hornish Jr. Born: July 2, 1979 Resides: Defiance, Ohio First Indy-car start 2000 Past Indy 500s: 5 Career highlights: Two-time series champ is third in points this season. Victory at Phoenix this season was 13th of Indy-car career. Led nine laps in last year's 500. Best Indy finish was 14th in 2001.

Withdrew first attempt before making front-row run. 8 Scott Sharp Born: Feb. 14, 1968 Resides: Jupiter, Fla. First Indy-car start 1993 Past Indy 500s: 10 Career highlights: Making 11th 500 start Won Indy pole in 2001. Has qualified in top 10 seven times.

Best finish 10th in 2000 and 1996. Led three laps in 2002. Has eight series wins, the last in 2003. Qualifying report Qualifying report: Qualifying report Lap time 39.505 Lap time 39.533 Lap time 39.591 227.821 227.771 227.459 227.212 227.566 227.660 227.634 227.182 226.620 227.273 227.325 227.120 227.249 226.811 39.513 39.568 39.611 Totals: 2:38.196 39.537 39.616 39.714 Totals: 2:38.400 39.627 39.604 39.681 Totals: 2:38.502 i 227.126 Car: PanozHonda Car: DallaraHonda Car: DallaraToyota Colors: Greenwhiteorange Team: Andretti Green Racing Team: Team Penske Team: Delphi Fernandez Racing Colors: Redyellowblack Colors: Whiteorange Mi''- fmn01 I fr 3 Helio Castroneves Bom: May 10, 1975 Resides: Miami First Indy-car start: 1998 Past Indy 500s: 4 Career highlights: First to win 500 in first two starts (2001, '02). Sat on pole in 2003 and finished second to teammate Gil de Ferran.

Has six career wins in this series and in CART. Fifth in points this 27 Dario Franchitti Born: May 19, 1973 Resides: Nashville, Tenn. First Indy-car start 2002 Past Indy 500s: 2 Career highlights: Scot qualified third and was 14th in Indy 500 last year. Missed 2003 race with a back injury. Won at Milwaukee and Pikes Peak last year.

Was second in CART points in 1999 and third in 1998. Has two top-fives this year. Qualifying report Lap time Speed 40.014 224.920 39.536 227.638 39.539 227.623 39.498 227.860 Totals: 2:38.588 227.004 Car: PanozHonda 16 Danica Patrick Born: March 25, 1982 Resides: Phoenix First Indy-car start 2005 Past Indy 500s: None Career highlights: Qualified second and finished a season-best fourth last month at Japan. Ran fastest practice lap of opening week at 229.880 mph. Was third in Toyota Atlantic Series points last year with 10 top-five finishes.

Qualifying report Lap time 39.615 227.186 226.959 226.727 226.621 226.873 39.655 39.695 39.714 Totals: 2:38.679 Car: DallaraHonda Team: Andretti Green Racing Colors: Blueorangewhite jfX s. i- 'itfe- Qualifying report Lap time 39.590 227.330 226.939 226.636 226.804 226.927 39.658 39.711 39.682 Totals 2:38.641 Car: DallaraToyota Team: Team Penske Colors: Whiteorange Team: Rahal Letterman Racing Colors: Redblueyellow Qualifying report Lap time Speed 39.631 227.096 39.629 227.105 39.681 226.808 39.756 226.384 Totals: 2:38.697 226.848 Car: PanozHonda Qualifying report Lap time Speed 39.746 226.439 39.741 226.466 39.772 226.289 39.785 226.218 Totals: 2:39.044 226.353 Car: DallaraChev. v. Qualifying report Lap time Speed 39.705 226.675 39.757 226.375 39.778 226.256 39.774 226.281 Totals: 2:39.013 226.397 Car: PanozHonda Team: Rahal Letterman Racing Colors: Blueyellow Team: Panther Racing Colors: Redblackyellow Team: Super Aguri Fernandez Colors: Blueorangewhite 3 i Qualifying report Lap time Speed 39.869 225.741 39.871 225.727 39.884 225.656 39.877 225.692 Totals: 2:39.501 225.704 Car: PanozHonda Qualifying report Lap time Speed 39.789 226.194 39.810 226.073 39.841 225.899 39.830 225.960 Totals: 2:39.270 226.031 Car. DallaraChev.

Qualifying report Lap time Speed 39.803 226.111 39.792 226.175 39.808 226.084 39.813 226.057 Totals: 2:39.217 226.107 Can DallaraChev. A Team: Newman Haas Racing Colors: Bluewhiteyellow Team: Panther Racing Colors: Silveryellow Team: Panther Racing Colors: Blackredyellow Qualifying report Lap time Speed 39.946 39.958 39.953 39.991 Totals: 2:39.848 225.307 255.237 225.265 225.050 225215 Can PanozToyota Team: Ganassi Racing Colors: Redwhite Qualifying report Lap time Speed 39.987 225.075 40.047 224.734 i 40.021 224.881 (J 39.977 225.128 JL Totals: A Jf 2:40.032 224.955 Can PanozHonda Qualifying report Lap time Speed 39.922 225.442 39.975 225.144 40.017 224.905 40.002 224.989 Totals: 2:39.915 225.120 Can PanozHonda Fernandez Racing 17 Vitor Meira Born: March 27, 1977 Resides: Brasilia, Brazil First Indy-car start 2002 Past Indy 500s: 2 Career highlights: Had best Indy 500 last year with sixth-place finish. Enjoyed six top-five finishes and led 152 series laps in 2004. He was eighth in series standings. Has two top-five races this season.

Was fourth at Homestead, Fla. 2 Tomas Enge Bom: Sept 11, 1976 Resides: Monaco First Indy-car start 2004 Past Indy 500s: None Career highlights: Top-10 starter in first three races this season. Finished career-best 13th at Texas in 2004 season finale. Czech Republic native finished fourth in FIA F3000 Championship last year. Drove American Le Mans series in 2003.

9T Scott Dixon Born: July 22, 1980 Resides: Indianapolis First Indy-car start 2001 Past Indy 500s: 2 Career highlights: Dominant series debut culminated in 2003 title. Won three races and five poles. Set series record with 14 races led. Best Indy 500 run was eighth place last year. Qualified fourth in 2003.

26 Dan Wheldon Born: June 22, 1978 Resides: St Petersburg, Fla. First Indy-car start 2002 Past Indy 500s: 2 Career highlights: Led 26 laps in third-place run at Indy 500 last year. Qualified second and fifth in previous 500s. Three-time winner and series points leader this season. Points runner-up last season, winning three races, tied for most in IRL 10 Darren Manning Born: April 30, 1975 Resides: Indianapolis First Indy-car start 2003 Past Indy 500s: 1 Career highlights: Top-10 finisher in each of series four races this season.

Had eight top-lOs in last year's series debut At Indy, he left race after 104 laps in 25th place. One season in CART in 2003 included three top-five runs. Was ninth in points. 51 Alex Barron Born: June 11, 1970 Resides: Menifee, Calif. First Indy-car start 1998 Past Indy 500s: 3 Career highlights: Top Indy 500 run was fourth in his 2002 debut Also sixth in 2003 and 12th in 2004.

Best series finish was fifth in 2002. Spun and won at Michigan in 2003 and triumphed at Nashville in 2002. Danica Patrick's day Colors: Orangeblue Qualifying report: Uptime 40.085 40.139 40.203 40.194 Speed 224.523 224.222 223.865 223.915 224.131 II JU 1 2:40.621 l. DaaraHon(ja Team: Dreyer Reinbold Racing Colors: Blueorange Qualifying report Uptime Speed 1 39.956 225.249 I 40.016 225.909 i 40.136 224.235 40,385 222854 Totals: 2:40.493 224.308 Can DallaraHonda 55 Kosuke Matsuura Born: Sept 4, 1979 Resides: Indianapolis First Indy-car start 2004 Past Indy 500s: 1 Career highlights: Started ninth and finished 11th last year. Won Indy 500 and series Rookie of the Year honors.

Japan native jumped to series last year after three wins in the Formula Renault V6 Eurocup series. 4 Tomas Scheckter Born: Sept. 21, 1980 Resides: Indianapolis First Indy-car start 2002 Past Indy 500s: 3 Career highlights: Best Indy 500 finish was fourth in 2003, when he led 63 laps. Led 85 laps in 2002 but finished 26th. South African native's lone series victory came at Michigan in 2002.

Sat on pole at Homestead, in March. 5 Adrian Fernandez Born: April 20, 1963 Resides: Paradise Valley, Ariz. First Indy-car start 1993 Past Indy 500s: 3 Career highlights: Best Indy 500 finish was seventh last year, in which he led three laps. Also drove at Indy in 1994, 1995. Had three wins in series debut in 2004.

Former CART driver from Mexico was points runner-up in that series in 2000. 24 Roger Yasukawa Born: Oct 10, 1977 Resides: West Hollywood, Calif. First Indy-car start 2003 Past Indy 500s: 2 Career highlights: Two 500s have been consistent both lOth-place finishes. Started 12th last year and 11th in 2003. Has nine top-10 series finishes, the most recent a seventh at California last season.

Was second in IRL rookie standings in 2003. 70 Richie Hearn Born: Jan. 4, 1971 Resides: Las Vegas First Indy-car start 1996 Past Indy 500s: 5 Career highlights: Best Indy 500 run was his first when he placed third in 1996. Added a sixth place in 2002. Only series victory came in his hometown in 1996.

Owns two-car team in the Star Mazda series. Pole Patrick posts fastest lap of month in morning practice. From D1 Patrick conceded that she drove the Rahal Letterman Racing car a bit too hard into the first turn, and the back end wiggled on her. She knows she was lucky to keep it pointed straight. The lap ended up being 224.920 mph, easily her slowest.

"I'm surprised the lap was as good as it was," said team owner Bobby Rahal, the Indy 500 winner in 1986. "She was out of the throttle three times." Said Patrick: "It was just a little unstable. We were walking all over the track." Patrick's fastest lap was her last one, a 227.860 that was the day's best during qualifying. In the morning practice, though, she produced the month's best lap at 229.880 to become the fastest woman in Speedway history. Sarah Fisher ran a lap of 229.675 mph in her 2002 qualifying run, which concluded with a four-lap average of 229.439.

Patrick practiced later in the 95 Buddy Lazier Born Oct 31, 1967 Resides: Vail, Colo. First Indy-car start 1990 Past Indy 500s: 12 Career highlights: Won Indy 500 in 1996, finished second in 2000 and 1998 and fourth in 1997. The 2000 series champ making first start of season. Only race last year was Indy. Had four wins in 2001 and was second in series points.

36 Bruno Junqueira Born: Nov. 4, 1976 Resides: Miami First Indy-car start 2001 Past Indy 500s: 3 Career highlights: Has two fifths in Indy 500. Sat on pole in 2002, but finished 31st that year. Qualified fourth last year. Champ Car World SeriesCART points runner-up the past three years.

Is third in Champ Car points this year. 37 Sebastien Bourdais Born: Feb. 28, 1979 Resides: Tampa, Fla. First Indy-car start: 2005 Past Indy 500s: None Career highlights: Champ Car World Series champion last season with seven victories. Frenchman sat on pole eight times.

Won Champ Car opener this season at Long Beach, Calif. Making first start in Indy Racing League. 7 Bryan Herta Born: May 23, 1970 Resides: Valencja, Calif. First Indy-car start 1994 Past Indy 500s: 3 Career highlights: Led three laps and placed fourth in Indy 500 last year. Is fourth in points this season with three top-10 runs and two poles.

Lone series victory came at Kansas in 2003. Also drove Indy in 1994, 1995, finishing ninth in 1994. 44 Jeff Bucknum Born: July 12, 1966 Resides: Lake Havasu City, Ariz. First Indy-car start 2005 Past Indy 500s: None Career highlights: Finished 22nd, started 18th in series debut at Japan. Was eighth in P2 class points in American Le Mans Series last year.

Won four of six championships in Star Mazda Series in 2000-01. Did he think about trying it again? "Once is enough," he said. Roger Penske's team just missed winning its record-setting 13th pole at the Speedway. Castroneves took two runs at it, including one 10 minutes before the final gun. Penske admitted it was risky to take Castroneves' No.

4 speed off the pylon. "But that's what Helio wanted to do, and he's earned the right to take that chance," he said. Castroneves has won a pair of 500s and the pole in 2003. The decision ended up costing him one position, to Patrick. The format was installed to promote bumping, and three drivers were knocked out of the top 22.

Only Alex Barron got back in. There were as many winners as losers in Sunday's actioa Andretti Green Racing put Kanaan on the pole an Indy first for team owner Michael Andretti but Franchitti (sixth), Dan Wheldon (16th) and Bryan Herta (18th) had disappointing afternoons. Team: Andretti Green Racing Colors: Orangewhite Qualifying report Lap time Speed 40.386 222.851 40.450 222.496 40.426 222.631 40.386 222.850 Totals: 2:41.648 222.707 Can PanozChev. Qualifying report Uptime Speed 40.164 224.082 40.177 224.009 40.220 223.769 40.195 223.911 Totals: 2:40.756 223.943 Can PanozToyota Racing Team: Sam Schmidt Motorsports Colors: Redblack Team: Newman Haas Racing Colors: Bluewhiteyellow Qualifying report Up time Speed 40.127 40.194 40.177 40.236 Totals: 2:40.734 224.287 223.912 224.009 223.680 223.972 Can DallaraHonda Team: Andretti Green Racing Colors: Blackyellowred Qualifying report Up time Speed 40.653 221.388 40.607 221.639 40.637 221.473 40.617 221.584 Totals: 2:42.513 221.521 Can DallaraHonda Team: Dreyer Reinbold Racing'. Colors: Bluered Panther Racing thought it had a pole contender in Tomas Scheckter, who had set the month's fastest speed Friday (227.804), but Scheckter (11th overall) ended up being No.

3 on his team behind Buddy Lazier (ninth) and Tomas Enge (10th). Teams racing under Adrian Fernandez's banner qualified third (Scott Sharp), eighth (Kosuke Matsuura) and 14th (Fernandez). Fernandez's effort was noteworthy given his lack of an Indy Racing League ride at the end of last season. For the first time since 1991, the front row is a collection of former Indy-car champions (Kanaan, Hornish and Sharp). Ganassi Racing got Scott Dixon and Darren Manning qualified in the 13th and 19th positions, respectively, but saw rookie Ryan Briscoe crash.

He nearly flipped upside down. Rookie Jeff Bucknum bumped his way in as the session ended. Eliminated for now was Jaques Lazier. The track will be closed today and Tuesday. Practice resumes Wednesday with the final two rounds of qualifications this weekend.

Call Star reporter Curt Cavln at (317) 444-6409. i 1 aa "I'm surprised the lap was as good as it was. She was out of the throttle three times." Bobby Rahal, team owner of Danica Patrick's car Colors: Redwhite Qualifying report Uptime Speed 40.702 40.694 40.698 40.763 Totals: 2:42.857 221.118 221.162 221.144 220.789 221.053 Can DallaraToyota Team: Cheever Racing Colors: Blueyellow afternoon but could not duplicate her speed. Each lap was a tick below Kanaan's average, and team officials decided against withdrawing her car for another try, as was allowed for the first time Sunday. Patrick wasn't happy with the decision, but no woman has started this race in a better position.

Lyn St. James was the sixth-fastest qualifier in 1994. Patrick was easily the star of the Speedway's show on a day that turned out better than expected despite attracting a crowd estimated at just 15,000. The new format called for 22 positions to be settled, and there were 25 drivers making attempts on a cold day. Sam Hornish Dario Franchitti and Helio Castroneves qualified their cars only to withdraw them later in a bid to improve their starting positions.

Hornish's decision turned out to be the wisest. He went from a speed that would have ended up 12th on the grid to No. 2, his first front-row starting spot at Indy. 10:44 am Runs practice lap of 229.880 mph, fastest this month. 12:52 p.m.

Finishes qualifying run, starts extensive media interviews. 2:15 p.m. Watches qualifying run of teammate Vitor Meira from Rahal Letterman Racing garage. 2:30 p.m. Talks with engineer Ray Leto, wants to make another qualifying run.

2:50 p.m. Decision is made to practice again. 3:08 p.m. Sees car rolled to setup pad toward pits. 3:20 p.m.

Climbs back into car during second qualifying run of Sam Hornish Jr. 3:43 p.m. Begins seven laps of practice. 3:50 p.m. Returns to pits.

3:56 p.m. Car is refueled. 3:59 p.m. Returns to track for four more laps of practice. 4:04 p.m Returns to pits.

4:05 p.m. Climbs from car, gets hug from team owner Bobby Rahal. Decision is made not to make another qualifying attempt 4:16 p.m. Leaves pits for Gasoline Alley. 4:50 p.m.

Tells media of team's decision during interviews in team garage. Indianapolis Motor Speedway IHHHI.