Dario Franchitti, Michael Andretti, Kim Green, Kevin Savoree
MODERATOR: Ladies and gentlemen, we greet the winner of the 91st running of the Indianapolis 500, Dario Franchitti, and Andretti Green Racing. Congratulations, gentlemen. An incredible day.
Dario, I can't imagine how many twists, turns, emotions, not only for you but your entire ownership team.
DARIO FRANCHITTI: I would imagine at this point these guys have better stories than me, apart from Michael because he was busy today. These guys saw the whole picture, working all five cars, the ups and downs throughout the day.
What can I say? I'm in shock at this point, I must say. I'm definitely in shock. We started off the first stint of the race. I was really struggling with the car with understeer. Progressively we just worked on it, through each pit stop made it better. I was really happy with it. When the red flag came out, one of those bittersweet moments there. I'm looking, seeing Tony leading the thing and looking like he's going to win it. I'm thinking, I think my car is good enough here, but at the same point my best friend's leading this race, my other two teammates second and third. You know, it's looking like a pretty good day for us, isn't it, at that point?
The selfish side of me is thinking I hope we go back racing because I think we can do something. At the same point, if the result would have stayed after the red flag, I wouldn't be anywhere as happy as I am now, but it was probably going to be the second best result of the day.
And then after the red, we had a cut in the right rear tire. I guess we ran over some carbon from the last accident. We had to pit. That wasn't our intention, but we had to do it for safety, I guess. That put us on the strategy that won us the race. Pretty happy right now about that (laughter).
Then the last, when we got into the lead -- first of all, I had to fight my way back through the pack. That was exciting. Ended up not only behind the guys one the lead lap but behind the lap cars, too. The car was really good. Managed to get through the traffic pretty quickly, get back up into contention. Then the strategy, our roll of the dice proved to be the lucky one. We got in front, made a couple of good restarts, then the rain came. This place, it's been a roller-coaster month and definitely a roller-coaster day. I just, as I said, am in shock right now.
MODERATOR: Michael, I'm going to go back to a conversation I had with you in the Milwaukee airport two years ago. You had just come off a race at Nashville where your car got into Victory Lane, but you had a couple of cars with some significant mechanical problems. At Milwaukee you had a great quality team finish, but your car did not get into Victory Lane. I asked you which scenario do you most prefer, all your cars basically having good quality finishes or having one guy get into Victory Lane with the other couple cars getting torn up. I remember your answer then. I'm curious about it now.
MICHAEL ANDRETTI: It's still all about winning, isn't it? That's why we have five cars out there. Hopefully one of 'em is going to be in the right position. And that's what happened.
At the first part of the race, we had three in a good position. In the end, we had one. Lucky that it was Dario. That's the way it works out for us. Like I said, we're all about the win. We want the wins. We're very happy today that Dario was able to get it. I'm so very happy for him personally. He deserves it. He's been such a big part of Andretti Green Racing since day one. He's helped build it to where it is today. I'm just so happy that he was able to get the benefits of that. I'm really happy for him.
MODERATOR: Kevin Savoree, I saw you nodding there. Obviously, you had a glorious run at Andretti Green Racing a couple years ago. You found yourself in a fight-back position in 2006. Now it looks like your squad is back where you're the most comfortable and happy. Congratulations on a win at the Indianapolis 500.
KEVIN SAVOREE: Thanks very much. Again, I'm so proud of this organization. Last year here we just got our butt kicked. Through some strategy, we were almost there. Then, you know, as the season progressed, we just kept getting clobbered. We made a real commitment to development over the winter. I think it showed how much it paid off early in the month on Pole Day. But that's nothing like getting into Victory Circle.
Personally, I'm so proud of Dario. He sat down with us after Fontana at the end of '05 and basically said, I'm going to give this one more year. He's always been that kind of guy, very honest with us. He's such a part of our family. Then he followed up last year. He said, I've got some more left in me. I think he showed that today. Very determined. Drove his butt off. You know, just couldn't be more proud of him.
MODERATOR: Kim, you've been through these wars many times. It's a strenuous month, difficult month. There's the emotional twists and turns. I'm looking at the face of a guy who has I think look of satisfaction. I can't tell whether it's satisfaction or relief, as well.
KIM GREEN: All day today, we had race cars in strong positions. Certainly, we were doing a big rain dance at Lap 113 hoping it would rain out at that point. Danica drove a great race. In the end, the rain probably got to us a bit earlier than we thought it. Everybody at AGR, all five drivers today, did an awesome job. It was a very fast-paced race at the start. We had very, very good race cars. I think the way it all played out, we sort of covered the bases. I was a little bit concerned we only had one up the front toward the end rather than three of them.
I know every one of other drivers is disappointed but extremely happy because this is a team that works together, strives to get perfect race cars, and strives to help each other out on the racetrack so they can work together on the team. I think you saw a lot of teamwork on the racetrack today, a lot of team strategy in the pits, a lot of team strategy during the red flag. In the end, all the hard work paid off.
MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q: Dario, on Thursday you described yourself and Scott Dixon as the invisible men. Now you both finish first and second. For being invisible, you certainly were seen quite clearly today.
FRANCHITTI: That didn't escape me. When we came down to what was going to be the last restart, I looked back and saw Dixon there. I thought, ‘Hmm, this should make people sit up and take notice.’
We kind of flew under the radar all month - all year, actually, I think. But this whole month, it's an interesting thing to go through, the whole Indy 500, because you put all your eggs in one basket. This thing only comes along once a year. It really hit me today after Lap 113, when we thought the race was finished, that was it. We figured that was a chance gone for this year. You put so much into it. If you saw the way our team worked together, how hard the engineers worked back at the shop, the mechanics, to get these cars quick and make the difference between that last year, if you saw the way the five drivers worked together, the five sets of engineers, it's bloody impressive. I'm really, really proud to be a part of it.
Any one of the cars today could have won this race, and it came down to, you know, there was some luck involved. That's not to sort of diminish what we've achieved today. That's the job that this team did: they put five cars on the grid capable of winning. We put ourselves in right place and things worked out.
Q: Dario, how does it feel to have won this race burning a hundred percent renewable fuel in your tank and how well did it perform in your car?
FRANCHITTI: I've had absolutely no problem with ethanol. I felt it worked really well. We were getting pretty good fuel mileage under the yellows today. I was quite happy for that. We knew the rain was coming. We were just hoping we had enough fuel to make it there, and we did.
Q: Dario, any kind of extra satisfaction or maybe a feeling, you talked about it being a roller-coaster month, to get a win after the way pole day finished up for you? I'm sure this kind of makes up for all of that.
FRANCHITTI: I made a kind of a joke with TK, actually. We were in the engineering office, sitting there. I turned to TK. He was looking stressed because he had to wait out to see if the track was going to dry. I turned around said, "It's your turn now." I won't tell you what his reply was (laughter).
As I said, it's not really sunk in yet. The two things that really give me the satisfaction of today's race were coming -- improving the car from where we started and then coming from the back through the field again. That felt good.
Q: Dario, who made the decision to fully fuel? Was it you, John Anderson? Were you feeling extra lucky after your dad got a hole-in-one this month?
FRANCHITTI: That's a good point. Michael did ask, had my dad used up all the family luck for the month? My dad got a hole-in-one last Wednesday at the Brickyard Crossing. First hole-in-one. We're pretty proud of him.
When we took the tires, we only had to put I think 5 gallons in the car because we pitted pretty soon before the red flag came out. It was a no-brainer to fully fuel the thing.
Q: Dario and Michael, can you spell out what you did during the lengthy rain delay to keep from being bored, stay focused, all that.
FRANCHITTI: We talked about some -- we talked about strategy, how we would behave, how we would try and make sure that an AGR car finished in this position. We talked about that. We had some fun, as well, cracked a couple jokes. Just tried to ease the tension a bit. We all sat in engineering, put our feet up, hung out. It was good.
ANDRETTI: I was right there. Same thing.
FRANCHITTI: Little bit of pasta. The guys at hospitality made us a nice bowl of pasta. It was very good.
Q: Any leftovers?
FRANCHITTI: I think so. It was a big bowl.
Q: Toward the end, Dario, was there a bit of anxiety hoping the rain would come, knowing the rain was on its way? I assume you knew it was on its way. Talk about the desire to be in this position when the rain finally hits.
FRANCHITTI: The one comment that sticks in my mind was John Anderson saying on the radio, "The rain's eight blocks away." I'm like, "C'mon."
When you get in that position, we knew we had to pit one more time, we pretty much were sure everybody else had to pit one more time, too, it was going to come down to a dogfight. There's a lot of strong cars, especially, as I say, my teammates, the Ganassi guys, the Penske guys. So whatever happened, it came down to that dogfight, it was going to be hard. So I was hoping for the rain.
Q: Michael, what were your feelings to see your son going upside-down and then at the same time your other driver winning the race? Had to be a range of emotions.
ANDRETTI: I didn't know he went upside-down. I just knew he was involved in an accident. Right away, Barry was on the radio telling me, “Marco is fine, Marco is fine. He's talking on the radio. Everything's cool.” Then I was just wondering what happened.
Then, obviously once I got the good news, then it was all about hoping and looking at the skies and hoping that it rained soon so we get the win with Dario, so...
Q: Michael, this is your last one. Are you at peace with the decision, how this has finished?
ANDRETTI: Yeah. I mean, I was disappointed with today. I really thought there was going to be a lot more out of today. It was just a day that nothing worked. I think we had an OK car. It's just I got mixed up in the back, and I could never get it to the front. Every time we tried a different strategy, something else would go wrong. It was just one of those days.
It's like it's just the way it happened. Obviously it wasn't meant to be, to win it as a driver. We won it as an owner. Two of the last three years isn't too bad. Like I said, when we won it in '05, maybe I'm just meant to be -- meant to win 15 of these things, huh (laughter)?
Q: Dario, you said at the end of the 2006 you thought you had a little bit more left in you. Sam Hanks famously retired from this race in Victory Lane in 1957. Do you think there's enough left in you, and did this race give you a little more?
FRANCHITTI: Yeah, when we sat down, the four of us actually sat down in California, we were just talking about the following year. I think we just won at Fontana, hadn't we? I was feeling good about things. I wasn't sure. I was just being honest. I wasn't sure how much more I wanted to do. Then when the fairly average year we had last year, my motivation came back stronger than ever.
I don't see me quitting any time soon. There's a good few years left now and a championship.
You know, one of the things that really helps is having a 20-year-old teammate. Seriously. To see life through -- TK and I are old married men now. To see things through Marco's eyes is pretty cool. I've had some great teammates in my life. Really had some fantastic teammates, but I don't think we'll ever have this situation again. It really is a privilege to be part of this team.
Q: Speaking of the team, Dario wanted the chance to get back out there at Lap 113 when the rain came, but as a car owner, you have four in the top five, were you hoping that rain would just last a little bit longer?
ANDRETTI: Yeah, it was mixed emotions. We knew with my car, if everything was perfect, we only had to do two more stops and everybody else maybe had to do three. There was a shot we could do it there. But then on the other side, we were running one, two, three, and five at that point. It was a tough one. At that point it was just like we got to do what we got to do and hope and pray, you know, we end up with at least one of our cars up there. That's what happened.
Q: Dario, before you said it was extremely difficult to move through the pack. You did it after you had to change the tires. Any difficulty coming through?
FRANCHITTI: Yeah, it wasn't easy. There were some interesting moments. When a car goes into sort of a four-wheel slide at 220 miles an hour, it catches your attention. One lap it's pushing, the next lap it's loose, the next corner in fact. I was lucky in the fact that the Canadian Club guys gave me -- fixed the car throughout the race and gave me a great car all month to allow me to do that. I want to recognize the whole engineering staff, Andretti Green Racing, for giving us great cars, especially Allan McDonald and Dave Seiffert, my guys, my engineers, and also John Anderson for calling the race.
Every bump in the roller-coaster this month, they lived it with me. Just really proud - really, really proud of them.
Q: Dario, all through the month you and Tony, the whole team, worked very closely together as you said. You were very close on setup. You were saying before the race how much different you were going to have to go from Tony. How much different did you have to go and how much work did you have to do to really dial the car in as the race went on?
FRANCHITTI: I was very surprised how much work because the car seemed to work the last week of practice and also Carb Day in a range of conditions. We went out there today and had a huge push in the car. We had to work very hard to get rid of that. Big understeer. We really managed to do it. I was very impressed with the job the engineers did there. Split-second decisions. They made the right choices. They were talking to me; I was making adjustments in the car all the time. It was going in the right direction which really helped us because coming back through the pack at that point I thought I was going to have to pick off one car at a time here and see where we end up. It all worked out well.
Q: Dario, the look on your face in Victory Lane kind of defined of the word "disbelief." Can you take us through what went through your mind as you pulled off the helmet and were getting out of the car and teammate one by one coming up to you?
FRANCHITTI: I knew TK was going to kiss me. I knew that. That was a given (laughter). I was really happy to see Marco, see that he was OK. When I saw the accident, I saw the aftermath of the accident, I was on the radio, Is he OK? Is he OK? They said, “Yeah, he's fine.” Just to see him there was really a big relief.
I think the disbelief started, first thing, when the rain started. Oh, it's raining pretty hard here, guys. The downpour started. They came on the radio, checkers next time by. I'm thinking it's going to be difficult even to get there because the car was aquaplaning, it was so wet out there. Then across the finish line, it was just disbelief coming into the pits. I came in really slowly. First of all didn't want to crash the car on the in-lap. The crowd stayed throughout the rain delay, got absolutely soaked. I just wanted to enjoy that moment, just have a little time to think.
Q: Dario, by my arithmetic 42 years ago a fellow by the name of Jim Clark won the race. Could you talk about being the whole Scottish aspect and following in that great tradition?
FRANCHITTI: Yeah, that was one of the reasons I was so pissed I didn't win in '05. I was so upset because it was 40 years since Jimmy Clark had won it. Jackie Stewart came over, watched the race. My old boss, obviously one of my heroes. It was looking good for a while. It didn't turn out.
It all kind of made sense when I turned around and looked at the trophy. I saw some of the names on the trophy today. Then I was in awe, I really was, to see the great names that are on there, see some of the great guys that should be on there. It's a humbling experience, put it that way.
Q: Michael, talk about how quickly Marco had gotten up to the front at the start of the race. 20 laps in.
ANDRETTI: Yeah, I was really surprised. I looked up. I saw he was like P2 or whatever. I'm like, He's flying. I don't know. He was very happy with his car in traffic, I know that, at the beginning. We were talking. The red flag, he seemed pretty good about things. What happened after that, I really don't know. I didn't really get to talk to him too much. Something must have went away for him.
Q: Dario, Alex Lloyd won the Freedom 100 the other day. You're the second British driver to win in three years. Do you think will encourage more British drivers over here?
FRANCHITTI: I hope so. I hope so is the answer to that. I've been over here now 10 years. Obviously, Dan has made a hell of an impact here. Alex Lloyd is doing a good job. It's good to see. So the more the merrier, definitely.
Q: When is the last time either of you won a race because of a flat tire?
FRANCHITTI: It technically wasn't flat. It was a cut tire. I've lost one here because of that I think. Second year here -- the biggest problem is when there's a wreck, there's tiny shard of carbon lying around the track, and they're razor-sharp. Before the safety crew can get a chance to clean them up, you try to avoid them. You end up driving over some of them sometimes. That's one of the side effects.
But, yeah, I wanted to keep using it but the Firestones guys are, "No."
ANDRETTI: Never happened for me (laughter).
Q: Dario, on the historical note, a few years ago you won the race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in car 27. That was a special moment of its own. Maybe it's unfair, but can you compare the two historical/emotional wins?
FRANCHITTI: It is the 27th of May, isn't it? That's pretty cool. It's difficult to compare wins. Each one's special. The Indy 500 is the pinnacle of my career at this point. It's massive. It's awesome.
Told you I wouldn't make much sense today (laughter).
Q: Dario, back to Jim Clark, he's kind of like a hero or something. Don't you have a Jim Clark room or something?
FRANCHITTI: Yeah, we finished restoring or almost finished restoring an old house in Scotland. What are we going to do for all these bathrooms, bedrooms. We made one of the rooms Jim Clark room. I have all these Jim Clark memorabilia. Robin Miller gave me some fantastic Jim Clark pictures this morning. Thanks, Robin, they were awesome. We have a Jim Clark room in the house at home.
I think he's a hero for any Scottish driver, and really one of the best drivers in the world ever. Only time I ever went and picked out tile. I had to get the tile to match his helmet (laughter).
Q: It seems like you're the good guy of the sport. Everyone that has been interviewed after the race is telling about how really happy they were for you to get this win. What does that mean to you?
FRANCHITTI: It's awesome. It's really nice. There's one thing, you go out on the track and you race each other very hard. A good friend of mine Greg taught us that. We'd go out, race each other as close and hard as we possibly could, then afterward go and have some fun. We seem to manage that quite well in the paddock as a whole, but we certainly manage it within our team.
Yeah, it's a good atmosphere to go racing in.
Q: Dario, when you came over here, you came as a road racer. You raced sedans, had a reputation. Maybe you didn't quite get the respect as an oval racer. Does today put an end to that?
FRANCHITTI: I don't know. I hope so (laughter). I mean, we've managed to win on every type of track now. Certainly the first year I struggled a little bit on the ovals, but then I got more and more comfortable.
I think the short ovals, we won at Milwaukee and stuff like that, but I really -- I enjoy the challenge of the short ovals, and this place is particularly difficult. But, yeah, not quite sure what to say about that one.
MODERATOR: One thing we should do is congratulate a championship team, an Indianapolis 500 winner, and a gentleman right here who is a champion by any measuring stick you ever want to use.
FRANCHITTI: Thank you.
Dario Franchitti became the second Scotsman to win the Indianapolis 500, claiming victory in a rain-shortened 91st running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
The Andretti Green Racing driver, who joins Jim Clark as the only Scottish drivers to win the race, inherited the lead on Lap 155 when teammate Tony Kanaan pitted, and the No. 27 Canadian Club Dallara/Honda/Firestone splashed across the finish line under the yellow/checkered flag combination on Lap 166 as rain doused the cavernous facility.
“Who would have thought it?” said Franchitti, whose rain-soaked firesuit didn’t dampen his enthusiasm as he chugged the traditional winner’s bottle of milk in Victory Circle. “I can’t believe it. It’s the Indianapolis 500.”
Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon was runner-up, while pole sitter and two-time 500-Mile Race winner Helio Castroneves of Team Penske finished third. Sam Hornish Jr., who last year gave team owner Roger Penske his 14th Indy 500 title, finished fourth and Ryan Briscoe in the No. 12 Luczo Dragon Racing car (a Team Penske satellite program) rounded out the top five.
The 2007 edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” played out before a boisterous crowd of more than 250,000, had numerous turns that determined the finish order.
Race Day started and ended with rain. Though the 33 cars took the green flag from honorary starter Peyton Manning at the appointed time, the red flag flew on Lap 113 because of a cloud burst that enveloped the racetrack. After a 2-hour, 57-minute delay, Kanaan led the field to the green flag. During the three pace laps, Franchitti pitted because of a right-rear tire puncture.
AGR drivers – Kanaan, Danica Patrick and Marco Andretti – took turns on the point during the ensuing 20 laps (Kanaan leading Patrick by 0.4277 of a second on Lap 135). But when the teammates, who last pitted on Lap 100, ducked in for 22 gallons of ethanol and four Firestone Firehawks under green on Lap 137, Franchitti assumed the lead.
It was Jaques Lazier’s turn to move to the front when Franchitti pitted on Lap 143, but Kanaan was the leader on Lap 150 (4.1198 seconds ahead of Hornish and turning a lap of 222.645 mph). It was under yellow (single-car crash in Turn 3 involving the No. 25 Roth Racing entry) when Kanaan’s No. 11 Team 7-Eleven rumbled onto pit lane. Franchitti again assumed the lead, with Dixon on his tail and Briscoe not far behind.
The deal was sealed on Lap 163 when a multi-car crash on the backstretch, sparked by the Nos. 10 (2005 winner Dan Wheldon) and 26 (Marco Andretti) cars touching wheels. The cars of Ed Carpenter and Buddy Rice also were involved. As the Delphi Safety Team was clearing the racetrack, the skies opened.
Scott Sharp (No. 8 Patron Sharp Rahal Leterman Racing), Tomas Scheckter (No. 2 Vision Racing), Patrick (No. 8 Team Motorola), Davey Hamilton (No. 02 HP Vision Racing) and Vitor Meira (No. 4 Delphi Panther Racing) filled out the top 10.
RACE DAY NOTEBOOK:
Kevin Swindell led all 50 laps to win the 62nd “Night Before the 500” USAC National Midget Car Series event Saturday night at O’Reilly Raceway Park.
***
Eric Gordon won the 59th “Little 500” USAC Sprint Car event Saturday night at Anderson Speedway. It was Gordon’s eighth win in the event.
***
Five members of the United States Armed Forces – one each from the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy – will sing the National Anthem before the start of the 90th Indianapolis 500 today at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The singers are: Senior Master Sergeant Angela Burns, U.S. Air Force; Petty Officer Lisa Williamson, U.S. Coast Guard; Staff Sergeant Colin Eaton, U.S. Army; Petty Officer J. David Sigmon, U.S. Navy; Sergeant Terri Kopetzki, U.S. Marine Corps
***
PRE-RACE HISTORICAL RACE NOTES:
• The best finish by a woman in the Indianapolis 500 was fourth by Danica Patrick in 2005.
• Marco Andretti and Michael Andretti are the fourth father-son combination to race in the same Indianapolis 500. The other father-son duos: Mario and Michael Andretti, Mario and Jeff Andretti and Al Unser and Al Unser Jr.
***
Television personality and actress Melissa Rivers took a few laps around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a Chevrolet Corvette Convertible Pace Car on Saturday with IMS President and Chief Operating Officer Joie Chitwood behind the wheel.
MELISSA RIVERS: "It's unbelievable. It's absolutely mind-boggling to see in person. You know, I've seen it in person my whole life and to see it up close and personal is quite an experience." (Was it scary riding with Chitwood): "He was very kind and very gentle. We were both a little concerned about the camera mount, so we didn't open it up completely. Maybe I can talk him into a lap without the cameras later on." (About riding in the Pace Car): "It felt like we were barely going at all. We were definitely close enough to the walls. We were talking about the fact that people don't realize how narrow the track is, and he (Chitwood) was saying when you have 11 rows of three Indy cars behind you chomping at the bit before you get out of the way, it's pretty intimidating.”
***
The latest race technology was created for airplanes but it is now a unique new addition to Andretti Green Racing's arsenal of strategic tools. The team, which will field five cars in the Indianapolis 500, has exclusive access to real-time weather data, through its partnership with XM Satellite Radio, delivered trackside to team computers by XM’s satellites.
The result is up-to-the-second information about critical weather elements that can impact race car performance, from wind speed and humidity to storm cells and lightning strikes. Andretti Green Racing's engineers receive a constant stream of localized weather data directly to pit computers. The data is overlaid on a GPS map, and can be viewed in multiple formats. The result is an extensive system of current and approaching weather measurements, all of which allow AGR to customize racecar set-up and formulate strategy.
KIM GREEN (Co-owner, Andretti Green Racing): “With the weather forecast to be a major factor in this year's Indy 500, we're happy to have XM Weather technology available as an additional strategic tool. Racing is both science and art, and successful racing requires the absolute best combination of both."
***
Sam Hornish Jr. has altered his helmet design for the 91st Indianapolis 500 to commemorate his 2006 “500” win. Hornish’s helmet will continue to fly the red-and-white stripes of the American flag but will be intersected by a row of bricks running the length of Hornish’s helmet. In addition, the face mask of the helmet will feature white stars but will be flanked by wings similar to the logo of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Jason Beam painted Hornish’s new helmet.
SAM HORNISH JR. (No. 6 Team Penske Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “I think the helmet came out really well. The design is very personal, because the Indianapolis 500 has always been a very special part of my life. The wings and bricks are two symbols that really speak to the history of the race and the reasons why the Indy 500 is truly ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.’”
***
The 92nd Indianapolis 500-Mile Race is scheduled for Sunday, May 25, 2008. Ticket information can be found in a foldout page between pages 16-17 of the 2007 Indianapolis 500 Official Program. Ticket information also can be obtained by calling the Speedway’s ticket office, (317) 492-6700 or (800) 822-INDY, or by logging on to www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com.
***
91ST INDIANAPOLIS 500 PRE-RACE CELEBRITY QUOTES:
PATRICK DEMPSEY (Actor, Pace Car driver): (About driving the Pace Car): “I’ll never get the opportunity to race here, so this is the closest I’ll come. It’s hard to find the words to describe it. It’s a memory I’ll always cherish. This means so much to me. This is my fourth year here, but I’ve been watching it as long as I can remember.” (Who do you think will win today?) “I think TK (Tony Kanaan) has a really strong shot. He’s always good on the ovals. I think he may take it. Dan Wheldon also is very strong. Penske, you never know, he always finds a way to win the race. And Dario (Franchitti), he did a phenomenal job qualifying. It’s a shame he didn’t get the pole. And Tomas (Scheckter), he’s an incredible driver. He never holds back. He’s very passionate about it, and you’ve got to respect that. Some days are good; some days are bad. He’s got some great results this year, so hopefully that continues.” (About convincing colleague Eric Dane from “Grey’s Anatomy” to come to the! “500”): “I was like: ‘Do you want to come? You’ll have a great time.’ He really has fallen in love with the ‘500,’ and I’m happy to see that, that someone else gets it, as well.”
ERIC DANE (Actor): (First time to an Indy-car race?): “No, I saw Danny Sullivan race in Laguna Seca back in ’86 or ’87. This is the first time I’ve been to the ‘500.’ This is the granddaddy of them all, THE spectacle. The Indy 500 is the Indy 500, and that’s what got me interested in coming here. There is no comparison as far as races go.” (About riding with Patrick Dempsey on the track Saturday in the Pace Car): “150 miles an hour, 120 in the turn. I’ve never been that fast in a car before. 150 miles an hour -- you better hope you’re on a racetrack! He (Dempsey) was very relaxed throughout the whole thing. I kept looking at the speedometer, then looking at him to make sure he was still calm. As long as he was cool, I figured we were all good. No fear, I trusted him. He does this – he’s a race car driver. I’m ready to go as fast as you take me. I’m driving one of the pace cars today, one of the 80 mile-an-hour pace cars.”
RICHARD PETTY (Seven-time NASCAR Cup champion): “I'm here to support John Andretti. He's going to drive for Kyle (Petty) later on in the year. You know, he's drove for us before. This is his first time in 10 or 12 years since he's been here. So I'm here to give him moral support." (About IndyCar Series cars compared to stock cars): "They are just so much different. They are just airplane wings with wheels on them. They put on a heck of show, and that is what we came to see." (Are you interested in starting an IndyCar Series team?): "No, I don't think so. I think these things are little bit beyond my years. I'm still from the old school. I still like to see windshields, wheels, fenders, bumpers and stuff like that. I never did really look at the Indy car. Stock cars were all we ever did, and that is where I stayed.”
MARCUS ALLEN (Pro Football Hall of Fame member, Heisman Trophy winner): “I’m here with the Luczo Dragon racing team. I’m with All Stars Helping Kids. Part of the proceeds of their effort today will go to charity. It’s one of, I think, 12 foundations involved here. It’s really exciting.” (As an athlete who’s been on a big stage, what’s it like for you to be at the Indy 500?): “This is new to me. I grew up watching this on TV and watching Mario Andretti, so this is exciting for me to be here. I’m here with Steve (Luczo), who’s a dear friend, and Jay Penske, so it’s exciting to be here to support these guys.”
MITCH DANIELS (Governor, state of Indiana): “This is the greatest day of the year in Indiana. I just hope the weather will cooperate. I'd be hard to top last year, both for the weather and the racing. If I wasn't an optimist, I would have never run for this job. I am optimistic about today.”
GREG ODEN (Indiana Mr. Basketball in 2006, center for 2007 NCAA runner-up Ohio State): “I’ve been learning about the history of Indy cars. It’s cool to see the cars. I saw the steering wheel, and I got confused. Hands down to anybody who does this. I’m enjoying myself. It’s a crazy atmosphere out here, but I’m going to have fun. I have not been to the race before. I came to the track to wave the green flag at practice one day last year. I’m ready to see some cars go by!” (About the cars) “They’re so small. I think I was bigger than the car itself. (Oden is 7 feet tall). Someone said I could wear one as a skate and just roll around out there.” (His pick for the win today): “A guy that I did meet is Alex Barron. He’s a really great guy. He’s my favorite to win today.”
BARON DAVIS (Guard, Golden State Warriors): “I’m here to support the No. 12 car, Ryan Briscoe, as well as Team Play –The Baron Davis Foundation – and LAStars.net charities. I’ve been friends with Steve Luczo for a while, and he’s been a mentor to me throughout our friendship. This is one of the greatest events I’ve ever been to – far beyond any basketball game you can imagine. When those cars start up, you feel the intensity of what it’s like to be here at the Indy 500. For me, this is a release from basketball. This is exciting.”
JOHN OATES (Musician, Hall & Oates): “I’ve got my 11-year-old son with me. He’s here for his first race. We’re really looking forward to it. We were with a bunch of guys, Gene Simmons, Apolo Ohno. It’s really great to be here.”
MIKE CONLEY JR. (Guard, 2007 NCAA runner-up Ohio State): (About growing up near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway): "To tell you the truth, I never knew where the (Indianapolis Motor) Speedway was when I was growing up. I stayed on my side of town and concentrated on basketball. I never had a chance to come over here." (About preparing for the NBA Draft): "It's crazy. It has been a whirlwind." (About being in the garage area): "It was fun. I got to sit in the car. I couldn't really fit, but it was exciting."
CANDICE MICHELLE (WWE Diva, GoDaddy.com Girl): "This is my second time being here. It's a better opportunity this year. I was here about four years ago up in the suites. I was new to racing. I was the fan who thought it was just driving in circles. After being in the pits, I learned what goes into racing and really started to support it. I came back this year to support Danica Patrick. She's such a strong woman in a man's sport. She's not just a pretty face. She is very competitive." (What do you remember from your first year?): "I remember sitting up in the suites. They gave me ear plugs and I didn't think I needed them, but once the race started I ran and got them because they were so loud."
RAY LIOTTA (Actor): (Is this your first time here?): "This is my first time out to the track. I'm been to Fontana, but I've never been here. I was asked to come, and I wanted my daughter to experience. She's having a great time, and I'm glad to be here."
TYLER CHRISTOPHER (Actor): “Life is good. I'm just here to enjoy the race. My fiancée (Brienne Pedigo) is here as a pit reporter. I'm just trying to learn this crazy race business." (What have you been doing?): "I had the privilege of going through the garage of Panther Racing and seeing the shells (of the car). I now understand why so many of the drivers are smaller. I can't imagine being in one of those things trying to maneuver. I couldn't fit in the car."
ALISON SWEENEY (Actress): "This is my first time here at the (Indianapolis Motor) Speedway, and it is awesome. I am having such a blast." (Who do you think will win?): "It is hard to say. I'd really like to see an Andretti win. That would be great."
PEYTON MANNING (Indianapolis Colts quarterback, race honorary starter): "Before coming here in 1998, I always heard what a big deal the Indianapolis 500 was. I've been to the race a few times, but this year is special because I'm a part of the parade yesterday and waving the flag today. I'm kind of worried that it may be me causing this bad weather between the Super Bowl and this. I'm just glad to be involved. I live here, so the party comes right through Indy, and I just stay out of the way. It's a great time to be in Indianapolis. Obviously, the more awareness this city can get from events like the Indianapolis 500, the Final Fours and with the Super Bowl. It's been a lot of fun to be a Hoosier and to be a part of this community." (What's bigger bling: the Borg-Warner or the Super Bowl trophy?): "Obviously, I'm biased. I'm excited about being a part of the Super Bowl. It's the first championship brought back to this city. The most special times have been to share it with the! fans. It's been a team and city-wide state effort."
CHRIS “LIGHTS OUT” LYTLE (Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor): (Your thoughts on this year's race): "It's funny, because I was talking to someone and said, 'These people are crazy!' They looked at me and reminded me how I get in a cage and fight people. I'm not used to that, so I think that's crazy. They go 225 miles per hour. I don't understand it. If I was in a car going that fast, I wouldn't be able to handle it." (Who do you think will win?): "I'm going with Helio Castroneves. Usually, I never pick the pole sitter because they rarely win. But from what I've seen, I think he has the best chance. I'm usually always wrong, but if I was betting, then that's who I would pick.”
LUDACRIS (Actor, musician): "How can I be too risky for the Indianapolis 500? These cars are going at 225 miles per hour. I'm ready to go." (About gaining so much attention when he comes here): "That means a lot. Make sure you tell the Indy 500 people that so I can keep coming back. I'm going to bring the whole city of Atlanta, Georgia, next time. The fans love me, and I show the love back. I have a lot of fans here in Indianapolis, and I appreciate it." (Who will win the race?): "Danica (Patrick) is my girl. I know she's married, but she's my pick for this year's race. Last year, I was in the Andretti pit, and I've always wanted Michael to win. Now that Danica is with Andretti Green Racing, I'm rooting for her along with both Marco and Michael."
IAN ZIERING (Actor): “I’m a big fan of motorsports. Two wheels, four wheels, one wheel, whatever. If it’s got a combustible engine, I’ll watch it run. Today, the Indianapolis 500, it is the biggest event in racing. To be here where the whole world is focused on the sport, it’s an honor to be among all the icons of the sport. This is my first time here. It’s very thrilling for me. I mean, I smell the rocket fuel. I smell the burned rubber, and it gives me a lift. It’s just exciting to be around it. I had dinner last night with Scott Sharp and Bobby Rahal. Scott is an excellent driver. He’s my pick to win.”
APOLO ANTON OHNO: (Olympic gold medalist, winner, “Dancing with the Stars”): “I’m always interested in anything that goes fast, to be honest with you. I can’t help it. I’ve always loved car racing, and I’ve seen the race on TV many, many times. I’ve never been here in person. I’m very excited to be here. I have a pick but I’m not going to say it. It will jinx it.”
GEN. CHUCK YEAGER (First person to break sound barrier): “I’ve probably been here 10 times. I drove the Pace Car twice. I’ve flown over four times.” (About the speeds) “It’s all relative to me. I fly 2, 3,000 miles an hour. As long as you don’t hit anything, that’s all that matters. I’ve driven these cars, got to 212, 213 (mph). I’ve driven cars over 600 miles an hour!”
***
•When #11 Tony Kanaan took the lead in the 2007 Indianapolis 500 on Lap 1, it represented the sixth consecutive race that Kanaan has led in his Indianapolis 500 career. Kanaan now shares the Indianapolis 500 record for most consecutive races led with Rick Mears, who also led six consecutive years (1979-84). But Kanaan is the only driver to have led six consecutive races starting with his rookie year. Mears failed to lead the race his rookie year in 1978.
•This is the third consecutive Indianapolis 500 that the leader of the opening lap has started second.
***
•At the 50-lap mark, there were eight lead changes. The record for the most lead changes at the 50-lap mark is 17 in 1923.
•When Marco Andretti took the lead on Lap 41, he became the first Andretti to lead in his first two starts at the Indianapolis 500.
***
•When #26 Marco Andretti led the race on Lap 104, it represented the 1,000th leading lap by the Andretti family in the Indianapolis 500.
***
1969 Indianapolis 500 winner Mario Andretti offered comments about the performance of his grandson, Marco Andretti, who was in second when rain forced the suspension of the race.
MARIO ANDRETTI: "I think he was driving like a master again today. When the car is there, he can drive. That is no question." (Did he know he was going to get passed?): "He felt he was going to be a sitting duck. He wasn't worried except for the possibility of rain. He felt he had a fight in him. It's just a weather situation." (About Marco being a legitimate driver): "I agree, of course. Even last year, he was competitive all day, too. It wasn't like he just landed in second. He proved it again this time. If he has a car under him, then he can drive."
91st INDIANAPOLIS 500 POST-RACE QUOTES:
DARIO FRANCHITTI (No. 27 Canadian Club Dallara/Honda/Firestone, winner 91st Indianapolis 500): “I can hardly believe it. Who would have thought it? I have thank my team. Can you believe it? The reason we went for that strategy was because we cut a tire on some debris. We had to make make the pit stop. And these guys called a great race. I was saving fuel uner the yellow. I was saving so much fuel. I can’t believe it. It’s the Indy 500! I’ve got to thank my whole team. I have to thank everybody at AGR and all of our sponsors. It’s awesome. I couldn’t believe it, just driving in there. It’s fantastic. To be a member of this club is fantastic. It could have been any one of the five of us (AGR team members) today. We rolled the dice. We were unlucky in the first stint of the race. Really glad to run the second part (after the rain). I’m glad we went with it. I kind of have half an idea of what it means to win this race now. I’m pretty happy.”
SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone, finished second): “Such a strange day. We were doing good at some point, and then when the rain came and cleaned the track, we just had no grip and we were really bad at traffic. We just needed some way to cycle to the front. Probably one of the worse races I’ve ever been in. There was no rhythm to it. There were crashes after crashes, and then obviously it rained twice. It is not the way the people want to see this race. Fans who had to leave because of the rain, and obviously there’s not that many people left. We didn’t want to see it end when it did at (Lap) 113 because that was just totally unfair. Nobody really had a cycle through on their pit stops. It is tough for TK (Tony Kanaan), but that is the way it goes. It’s good on Dario. He was lucky he came in on that pit stop because he wasn’t going to.”
HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Team Penske Dallara/Honda/Firestone, finished third): “We started extremely well, and then unfortunately had a little incident in the pits that put us way at the back of the field. With a lot of patience, not only from me but from the entire team, we were able to recuperate, be patient, pass big and put ourselves in a very good position. After the rain, we made some changes. The car wasn't the way we liked it. We pitted, and that was incredible. The car was just a rocket ship. When I looked on the board, it was (Lap) 160. That's the time Rick Mears normally says go. And I went, and the car was real accepting. It is such a shame to not be able to finish green. It would have been such a battle. Congratulations to Dario and Andretti Green. They had five cars, and I guess they really took a chance and gambled, and worked it out for one." (About the rain delay): "It's the worst situation. You want to keep going. We made some adjustments, and it was good. T!hat's what the beauty of it is. You try and make everything better. Rain sometimes does that."
ROBERTO MORENO (No. 77 Chastain Motorsports Z-Line Designs Miller Eads Panoz/Honda/Firestone): “The car had a bad wiggle all over the place. It was very tough. When I got to Turn 1, we just went straight. I couldn't do anything.”
JON HERB (No. 19 AERCON/Dad’s Root Beer Special Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “I had a good run going into Turn 1, and I saw the two cars in front of me make a move. They both kind of hesitated a little bit more than I expected, and I got a run into Turn 1 on Al (Unser) Jr. I had nowhere to go, and I ended up in the marbles. It's just a shame. I just feel terrible about the deal.”
MILKA DUNO (No. 23 CITGO Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “I was having a good race. I was in 22nd when had a penalty in pit lane. When we went green, I was passing a car in Turn 1 when my car spun. It was a fantastic day.”
JOHN ANDRETTI (No. 33 Camping World Panther Dallara/Honda/Firestone): “We lost the mirror early, and they made us replace it. We lost a lap replacing it. We tried to manage our way back up through, to see if we could try to do something to get into the lead lap. And that wasn’t working. Going down on Turn 1, I had someone dive underneath me. I got up into the second groove and got all that stuff on my tires. And when I went into Turn 2, I knew it was going to be bad. I couldn’t turn down again because after going through Turn 1 and lifting, they were starting to get underneath me. And so I got into Turn 2, and the car wouldn’t turn at all, and the car just went straight. It wasn’t a very fast hit. I wasn’t going wide open because I anticipated what was coming, and it took off way quicker than I thought it was. This place can pump you up so much and take it all away from you that quickly. Today wasn’t the day I hoped for, but I also see my teammate Vitor in fourth, so I think !that’s a great day.”
PHIL GIEBLER (No. 31 Ethos Fuel Reformulator Panoz/Honda/Firestone): “We were out there on cold tires, and I went into Turn 1, and the cars in front of me checked up, so I had to brake as well. The car had a pretty bad push, and the car just snapped on me. The car was pretty unpredictable on the restarts, so it made the first corner hard to handle.” (About his day): “We were struggling with the car all day, but I think we were really starting to make it work. We tried to make some strategic moves by staying out, and then we had some trouble in the pits on the next stop. It truly was a fight out there. It really is a shame that I couldn’t give all the Playa Del Racing and Ethos Fuel Reformulator guys a better finish, but I think we learned a lot and hopefully we can find the funding for some more races this season.”
UNOFFICIAL INDYCAR SERIES POINT STANDINGS:
1. Scott Dixon 184
2. Dan Wheldon 183
3. Dario Franchitti 181
4. Helio Castroneves 171
5. Tony Kanaan 151
6. Sam Hornish 151
7. Tomas Scheckter 130
8. Scott Sharp 110
9. Danica Patrick 109
10. Vitor Meira 103
INDYCAR SERIES POST-RACE NOTES:
• This is Dario Franchitti’s fifth career IndyCar Series victory and his first victory of the season. His last win came at the California Speedway in October 2005.
• This is the Andretti Green second win of the season and its 25th win in the IndyCar Series, breaking a tie with Team Penske for winningest IndyCar Series entrant.
• Spotter Dave Reininger had a perfect weekend at Indianapolis. Reininger serves as spotter for Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti and Freedom 100 winner Alex Lloyd.
• Davey Hamilton finished ninth in his first IndyCar Series event since June 2001.
***
91st INDIANAPOLIS 500 POST-RACE NOTES:
• Dario Franchitti, a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, is the 66th driver to win the Indianapolis 500, including the two co-winners. He is the second native of Scotland to win the Indianapolis 500. Jim Clark (1965) is the other.
• Franchitti is 34 years, 8 days old. He is the sixth 34-year-old to win the “500.” Other drivers who were 34 when they won the Indianapolis 500 are Joe Boyer (1924), Wilbur Shaw (1937), Bill Vukovich (1953), Bobby Unser (1968) and Tom Sneva (1983). Like Franchitti they were all first-time winners at Indianapolis.
• This is the third victory for car No. 27 in Indianapolis 500 history. The last time the number won was with Jaques Villeneuve in 1995.
• Franchitti is the 10th driver to win the Indianapolis 500 from the outside of the front row. The last time was in 2002 when Helio Castroneves won.
• This is Andretti Green Racing’s second Indianapolis 500 victory. It is the 18th entrant to win multiple Indianapolis 500s.
• Michael Andretti led a lap of the 2007 event. This raised his career lap leader total to 431 laps, which is ninth place on the all-time lap leader list. Michael Andretti's 431 laps led represent the most laps led by a driver who has never won the Indianapolis 500.
• Today’s race was the ninth Indy 500 that Michael Andretti has led, tying him with Rick Mears and Rex Mays for fifth on the all-time list for most races led. A.J. Foyt has the record with laps led in 13 races.
• Shortened Indianapolis 500-Mile Races
1916: 120 laps (scheduled)
1926: 160 laps (400 miles, rain)
1950: 138 laps (345 miles, rain)
1973: 133 laps (332.5 miles, rain)
1975: 174 laps (435 miles, rain)
1976: 102 laps (255 miles, rain)
2004: 180 laps (450 miles, rain)
2007: 166 laps (415 miles, rain)
• Danica Patrick has finished on the lead lap in all three of her Indianapolis 500 starts.
• Davey Hamilton and Alex Barron shared the honor for highest position advancement (11 positions) of all drivers in the field. Hamilton started 20th and finished ninth, while Barron started 26th and finished 15th.
• Vitor Meira's 10th-place finish gives him four consecutive top-10 finishes in his five-year Indianapolis 500 career. He finished 12th in 2003, which was his only finish outside the top 10 in Indianapolis 500 competition. He has finished on the lead lap in four of his five Indianapolis 500 starts. In 2003 as a rookie, he finished one lap off the pace.
• The 2007 rain-shortened Indianapolis 500 had nine different lap leaders. This is the greatest number of different lap leaders for an Indianapolis 500 that went less than the full distance. The greatest number of different lap leaders for an Indianapolis 500 that went the full distance is 12 in 1993.
• Tony Kanaan was the top lap leader with 83 laps led.
• 2007 Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti led 34 laps. This total exceeded his previous career number of laps led of 16 (1 in 2004 and 15 in 2005).
• Tony Kanaan recorded the fastest lap of the race (223.420 mph) on Lap 18. This is the third time that Tony Kanaan has recorded the fastest lap in the Indianapolis 500. The other two years were 2003 and 2005.
• There are seven Indianapolis 500-Mile Races that have ended under caution: 1940, 1988, 1989, 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2007.
• 2007 represents the third time that a race has been stopped twice in the same day due to rain. The 2007 Indianapolis 500 was stopped on Lap 113 due to rain and declared over at Lap 166 due to rain. In 1926, the race was temporarily halted because of rain on Lap 71 and was declared over after 160 laps because of rain. The 2004 Indianapolis 500 was stopped on Lap 27 due to rain and was stopped on Lap 180 due to rain.
***
The next IndyCar Series event is the ABC Supply/A.J. Foyt 225 presented by Time Warner Cable at 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 3 at The Milwaukee Mile. The race will be carried live by ABC Sports and the IMS Radio Network. A Spanish-language telecast of the race will be carried by ESPN Deportes. The IMS Radio Network broadcast also is carried on XM Satellite Radio channel 144 “XM SportsNation and channel 145 “IndyCar Racing” and indycar.com.
