By Bruce Martin PA
INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) - The buzz was back at the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday with one of the largest crowds in years filling the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, including NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France, who was on the starting grid before the race. After so many years of strife with the split in open-wheel racing, an estimated 350,000 fans got to celebrate a "unified" Indy 500 with all the stars in the starting lineup, including race winner Scott Dixon of Auckland, New Zealand. This year's Indy 500 may help catapult this form of racing back to prominence in the United States, which has been ruled by France and NASCAR for the past decade. "Winning the Indy 500, it's the biggest race in the world to win," said Mike Hull, the managing director of Target/Chip Ganassi Racing. "To be blessed to win it again is why we come here every year. We're excited about this. "One of the greatest things about the Indy 500 this year - outside of what we did today - is the fact that the people are back on Georgetown Road. That's the barometer really ... and it always has been. When you have what goes on Georgetown Road happen on Saturday night, you know that people are here and it's awesome. And in unification, it is giving us what we need to make this the best thing in the world." According to winning team owner Chip Ganassi, it's time that "the split" be put to rest. "We all lived and died a lot in those years of the split," Ganassi said. "Can we please all put this behind us? Put a period on that thing and let's move forward. We lived during that time but we died, too. So I would just as soon forget about everything that is behind us in that respect. "I'm happy there is one IndyCar Series. It's IndyCar racing again." With the biggest race of the year over, the IndyCar Series must find a way to capitalize on the momentum it has enjoyed since unification was announced on February 22. Dixon is one of the series' greatest racing talents, displaying a supreme confidence and quiet demeanor. Its biggest name, Danica Patrick, displayed the competitive fire that makes men fearful of her temper outside of the race car, as she displayed when she marched down to confront Ryan Briscoe after the pit lane crash with 29 laps left in the race. Expect to see that highlight replayed throughout the coming weeks. But as the series heads to Milwaukee, Iowa, Richmond and Watkins Glen, it has to continue to promote itself as an elite form of racing, far different from NASCAR but with outstanding personalities and young stars such as Marco Andretti, Graham Rahal, Patrick and Dixon. It's not going to happen overnight, but with more fans at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway than in recent years, it shows that there are plenty of people in the world that still view this as the most exciting form of motorsports. The challenge is to get the television partners to promote the product, bring more sponsors into the series and sell its stars and its diverse form of racing. If the IndyCar Series can do that, then it can return to the status it once enjoyed. At least it's off to a good start in that direction.
ANDRETTI TRIES TO CLEAR THE AIR: Tony Kanaan was in the lead Sunday and being pursued by Andretti Green Racing teammate Marco Andretti on lap 106. Andretti dove to the inside of Kanaan's car down the backstretch and Kanaan had to make a decision. If he turned in, he would take out both AGR cars. Instead, he tried to switch into the next lane, got into the "marbles" in Turn 3, hit the wall and slid across the racetrack where he was T-boned by Sarah Fisher's car. "It was a stupid move," Kanaan said. "I think teammates shouldn't do that to teammates. I'm sure he will have a good explanation for what he did. Halfway through the race with a bunch of traffic, why are you going to dive into me like that? I will have to wait and see what he has to say." Andretti said afterward that he had a huge run on Kanaan and kept his car as far to the bottom of the track as possible. "You hate to see this stuff happening with teammates but I had a run, I went for it," Andretti said. "If I wouldn't have went for it, I would have been overtaken and then I would have been in that position. "I had a run so I went for it. Maybe it was a bit last minute, but I don't know about stupid move. You know, maybe he didn't expect it to be coming, I'll put it that way. But, you know, we didn't touch, I didn't really take his air away, it was just a last-minute thing. I didn't see a replay yet, but I was as low as I possibly could have been."
FOYT IN ANOTHER FIRE: For the second time in a week, A.J. Foyt IV was involved in a fire. He crashed last Sunday when a crew member forgot to tighten the "buckeye" on the right side of his car, spewing Ethanol out of the opening and allowing it to ignite. The fire last week singed the hair on the back of Foyt's head. In Sunday's race, his car caught on fire again when it lurched forward in the pits during a pit stop. "Obviously, it was terrible," Foyt said. "I mean, we caught on fire there again, in the pits and it ruined our day. We had to get out of the car and get the car all sorted out, and it was just miserable. From there on, you're just out there riding around and trying to stay out of trouble, waiting to screw up. "It was a terrible race, a miserable race. One of the worst of my life. You don't learn nothing trying to stay out of everybody's way, and that's the worst way in the world to race."
HONDA EXTENDS AGREEMENT: With a unified IndyCar Series, Honda Performance Development has agreed to a five-year extension to supply engines to the series. Honda joined the IndyCar Series at the start of the 2003 season and became single supplier of racing engines to the series in 2006. The news extends an already fruitful relationship between the engine manufacturer and the IndyCar Series. "I am very excited about Honda's decision as it brings stability and continuity to a very competitive racing package," said Brian Barnhart, president of Competition and Operations for the League. "We're encouraged by Honda's commitment to the IndyCar Series, and their willingness to assist us in growing the series, both on and off the racetrack."
HELIO FINISHES FOURTH: Two-time winner Helio Castroneves was in the battle to the very end but settled for a fourth-place finish. "Well, fourth place, definitely not what we expected," Castroneves said. "We tried everything we could. We had a little issue with the debris. I was trying to avoid a slow car. I slammed on the brakes instead of hitting him. I pulled away and a piece of the debris hit my front wing so we had to stop to change that. "Now, let's think about the championship. Scott Dixon did an excellent job. Ganassi seems to be the favorite team right now, but, hey, the championship is still a long way and we're going to continue working hard."
DISAPPOINTMENT FOR SCHECKTER: Tomas Scheckter had the Symantec Luczo Dragon Racing car in contention all day before a broken driveshaft sidelined his car after 156 laps. He finished 24th. "It happens," Scheckter said. "I just have to thank my team and sponsors for giving me the chance to do what I love to do. It is a pity. These things sometimes happen. It is the worst time. It was the last stop of the Indy 500. "I was just conserving fuel by driving at 90 percent, waiting for the last laps. When I wanted to give it a go and see what I could do, it happened. That is racing."
CARPENTER SCORES FIFTH PLACE AT FAMILY'S TRACK: Ed Carpenter took fifth place - his best Indy 500 finish. The son of Laura George, who is married to Indianapolis Motor Speedway CEO Tony George, continues to show signs that he is a serious contender for victory in the IndyCar Series. "To be in the top five at Indianapolis is a great feeling," Carpenter said. "I'm happy for all the people that make it happen for us. My Mom and Tony for giving me the opportunity to go show everyone that I do belong at this stage, and really think we are going to get Vision Racing our first win this year. We've got good cars, and I think it's just a matter of time. "I have been a top-five car all season, especially on the ovals. I just need to get a little bit better on the road courses. Then we will be a threat all the way around. I think that is just around the corner."
SPECTATOR DIES FROM CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING: For the second time in eight years, a spectator in a recreational vehicle parked near the Speedway has died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Police Lieutenant Trent Theobald said a 43-year-old Ruma, Illinois, man was unresponsive when police and medics arrived before Sunday's race. He was pronounced dead at an area hospital. Other family members in the camper included a 69-year-old man, a 61-year-old man and a 53-year-old woman who also were hospitalized, including two in serious condition and one in stable condition. According to Theobald, seven family members drove from Illinois to Indianapolis for the race. The victim's wife was treated but not hospitalized. Their identities were not released Sunday pending notification of family members. The victim's carbon monoxide levels were high, Theobald said, and all four of the sickened family members' symptoms were indicative of carbon monoxide poisoning. The RV, which was parked in a vacant lot on Georgetown Road, apparently had an exhaust leak.
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