Published: May 07, 2008 12:09 am            

Move over rookies: Indy veterans hit the track

INDIANAPOLIS — Tuesday’s Happy Hour proved happy for Marco Andretti as he topped the speed chart at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the first day of practice for veteran and rookie drivers combined.

Andretti’s 226.599 eclipsed last year’s pole speed of 225.817, making him a contender for Saturday’s Pole run. “The Indiana Jones car is on it so far, but unfortunately it’s still early. But we’ll take it. Obviously I had a very big tow, but I think you need the mechanical balance to be able to stay flat so you can get a [good] time. I’ve been very pleased with the guys so far. It was a good start, but this place changes.”

Andretti Green teammate Tony Kanaan followed with a 225.269. Earlier in the day, Kanaan put in just 11 laps during his first run, but came away with a 224.591 which no one was able to match until happy hour.

“There are a few improvements we need to make on the car, but I am pretty pleased with it. I was glad Marco [Andretti] did a good job out there. It was a good day for AGR today.”

No surprises in the top 10 with Target Ganassi’s Scott Dixon turning in a 225.011, third fastest for the day. His teammate Dan Wheldon was fifth with a 224.727. Penske Racing drivers Ryan Briscoe and Helio Castroneves were fourth and sixth fastest with 224.804 and 224.576, respectively. Briscoe came away from the day’s practice with a positive feeling. “Today was really about me getting comfortable with my crew and my engineer on this track and learning how to communicate what I need from the car here. The good news is that we were in pretty good shape on the speed charts, so we’re pleased with what we accomplished today. I’ve really been looking forward to coming to Indianapolis as part of Team Penske. What this organization has been able to do here is truly remarkable.”

Other Andretti-Green drivers, Danica Patrick and Hideki Mutoh took advantage of the clear warm weather. Patrick was 9th quickest with a 224.095, while Mutoh was 13th with a 223.225. We came out this morning, and for a while we were one of the quickest cars on track. We came out in the afternoon, because our lap was done alone this morning, very alone. “I thought that was really good, so we just waited it out and let the track grip come in and try to be smart. Then we went out, and the balance was all off. The car was very difficult to drive, so thanks to Marco’s [Andretti] good work, we went and stole a few ideas from him and went back out at the very end and found a car that was much closer to what it needed to be,” Patrick said.

Surprisingly, Tomas Scheckter, who hasn’t been in an IndyCar all season, was seventh quickest with a 224.436. “This morning we were struggling a little bit, but we came back and looked at everything and got the car back to where it’s fairly decent. I still think we’ve got a little bit to go. We’re just working away, and I’m pretty happy with it.”

He is driving for Luczo Dragon this year, the same team who fielded a fifth-place finish with Briscoe in last year’s 500.

Will Power of KV Racing Technology headed the rookie field with the 10th fastest speed of the day 223.550. “It was a good day considering we started off with pretty bad balance

We were able to come back at the end of the day with very nice balance,” Power said.

Fellow rookie Justin Wilson closely followed with a 223.461. Winner of the St. Petersburg’s April race, Graham Rahal fell into the middle of the speed chart with his best lap of 222.552. “Today started off rough; the car was not very good. We kept coming back to the pad to try to figure out what it was and were working on several little issues, and at the end of the day I think we were pretty good.”

Vision Racing’s third entry into this year’s race, Davey Hamilton was totally pleased with his car’s performance, but wasn’t disheartened. “I didn’t run a whole lot of laps but the good news is that the team ran quite a few laps. Ed [Carpenter], Anthony [Foyt IV] and I all tried different things. It’s early in the week, fortunately, because we’re not super-pleased with the cars at the moment. But on the other hand, it’s a complete different setup than what we ran here last year. His best lap was just under 222.

With rain looming on the radar for Wednesday and Thursday, 31 drivers and 33 driver/car combinations turned 1385 laps before the clock hit 6 p.m.

As soon as the green flag dropped to open practice, Penske teammates Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe were first to take a lap, crossing the yard of bricks on the first circuit side by side.

However, before any driver took a lap, Sarah Fisher created excitement in her garage as Presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton visited her. “I was thrilled to have a chance to meet Sarah and her team, the first owner driver who is a woman “ said Clinton.

As Senator Clinton greeted the crowd, she stopped to speak briefly with rookie Mario Doninguez, driver for Pacific Coast Motorsports. Dominguez, from Mexico City, said he had been a supporter of the Clintons since former President Bill Clinton was in office. “This is a big thrill for me,” said Dominguez. He added that being here in Indianapolis at the speedway was a huge thrill as well. “Even though I have experience, this is completely different. I have a lot to learn.”

Dominguez is getting help from many of the drivers including four-time Indy 500 champion Rick Mears and two-winner Arie Luyendyk. “These guys are living legends, but they are so nice and so willing to help us out. Everyone is so open and helpful.”

Practice resumes today with public gates opening at 9 a.m. and practice beginning at noon.

        

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