Its May, that means one thing....Indianapolis 500 thread

[scubasteve87]

Today I spent the better part of my afternoon down at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway enjoying one of the better pole day battles of recent memory. The front row of this year's race is now set and Helio Castroneves will lead the field along with Tony Kanaan and Dario Franchitti. I am really excited about this year's event and wondered if any other UCPers were paying attention and who everyone is rooting for? I am pulling for sentimental favorite Michael Andretti to finally win the race that has escaped him and plagued his family with bad luck, also wouldn't mind Helio Castroneves, Marco Andretti, or Al Unser Jr.

[Dino Scuderia]

Not an Andretti fan....the main thing is I hope none of the hacks that somehow get rides in this event take out any of the good guys as so often happens.

Would like to see Dario win it.

[scubasteve87]

wow, guess interest in the biggest race in open wheel isn't what it used to be...

[Ferrer]

Originally Posted by scubasteve87

wow, guess interest in the biggest race in open wheel isn't what it used to be...

Wait till F1 comes...

[Jack_Bauer]

I do tend to watch the Indy 500 race when it's on, particularly the last 20 laps or so when things start to get really exciting. However, I think it's fair to say that the race ain't what it used to be. As Dino alluded to, the organisers tend to let some highly mediocre drivers compete just to bump up the waning numbers on the grid. That certainly detracts from the quality and allure of the race.

I think that also the whole "Month of May" thing detracts from the event a bit. They spend a whole month out of the IRL season just testing, practicing and qualifying for the one race. It just gets boring, especially as pole position isn't really that important in oval racing anyway. A week should be all that is necessary for preparations and qualifying for any race. That way the IRL series could squeeze at least one more race into the calendar. I'll watch the race when it's on, but I just can't get excited about endless testing and qualifying sessions for a whole month.

As for the race itself, I'll be shamelessly patriotic and go for Dan Wheldon for the win. He won two years ago, SHOULD have won last year, and has looked mighty impressive in the races so far this season. Wheldon FTW!

[Kitdy]

Originally Posted by Jack_Bauer

As for the race itself, I'll be shamelessly patriotic and go for Dan Wheldon for the win. He won two years ago, SHOULD have won last year, and has looked mighty impressive in the races so far this season. Wheldon FTW!

Shameless patriotism FTL! (Let's go Jacques at Le Mans!)

[scubasteve87]

Originally Posted by Ferrer

Wait till F1 comes...

I would, but then most F1 fans shamelessly crap all over how terrible Indianapolis and its track are as an F1 venue and whine about neglecting possible places with a better heritage when Indy is arguably one of the greatest and most historic tracks in the world. That being said, I'll be in attendance for The 500 and USGP, but I'll never support NASCAR.