92nd Indianapolis 500 Qualifying
12/05/2008
Pole day for the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 got off to an exciting start on Saturday 10 May, with spectators witnessing one crash, two spins and four cars withdrawn that re-qualified.
New Zealand’s Scott Dixon claimed his first Indy pole position by posting a four-lap qualifying average of 226.366mph (362.185km/h), and circling the 2.5 mile speedway oval in 2 minutes 39.034 seconds.
Dan Wheldon, Dixon’s Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate took second place after setting a 226.110mph (361.776km/h) average, whilst Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe claimed the final position on the front row of the 33 car grid.
Those drivers hoping to fill positions 12-22 on Sunday 11 May will now have to wait until Saturday 17 May as the second round of qualifications were called off by IndyCar Series officials after rain returned to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Track action is scheduled to continue on Wednesday 14 May, with three days of practice. Positions 12-33 will also be filled on Saturday, with Bump Day taking place on Sunday 18 May.
Al Speyer - Executive Director, Firestone Racing, said:
“The Indianapolis 500 is always highly anticipated, but with this year’s open-wheel unification, the excitement and buzz is even greater. We finally have all of the top open-wheel teams back competing at Indy; that is tremendous news. The additional teams place an added burden on Firestone as the exclusive tyre supplier to the Indy 500, but it is a welcome challenge for which we are well prepared with a tyre specification already proven to stand up to the extreme demands of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Qualifying days should become even more dramatic this year, especially the ‘Bump Day’ which now includes the $50,000 Firestone Indy 500 Final Qualifier Award that goes to the last driver to successfully secure a spot in the field. It should be a sensational and most memorable month of May, and Firestone is proud to be part of this historic year and event.”
92nd Indianapolis 500 Starting Line-up, 1-11
1. Scott Dixon, Target Chip Ganassi Racing
2. Dan Wheldon, Target Chip Ganassi Racing
3. Ryan Briscoe, Team Penske
4. Helio Castroneves, Team Penske
5. Danica Patrick, Andretti Green Racing
6. Tony Kanaan, Andretti Green Racing
7. Marco Andretti, Andretti Green Racing
8. Victor Meira, Panther Racing
9. Hideki Mutoh, Andretti Green Racing
10. Ed Carpenter, Vision Racing
11. Tomas Scheckter, Luczo Dragon Racing