Tony- @TonyD1070

Nancy- @gassracing

Rick- @JubileeMS

Pat- @PCaporali

Tomas- @tomassscheckter

Lauren- @LaurenBohlander

Tomas Scheckter

Topic 1: Anyone have any thoughts on why Chevy is showing such an advantage at Indy in qualifying??

Nancy-I would have liked to see more engine competition as this may cause Honda to drop out. I think that people will perceive that Honda engines aren’t as strong as Chevy as Honda has been in the series for years vs. Chevy just coming back.

Rick-It appears that Chevrolet is working harder than Honda at the moment. But I will have to wait and see what happens in the race. If I recall there was a gap last year and something of a controversy ensued. I will wait and see the difference when there is traffic and real racing.

Lauren-I agree with Rick. I think it’s too early to tell. Last year, many of the Honda’s lagged behind all month and come race day, 2 were on the podium after the engine change.

TScheck-Chevy worked harder than Honda.

Nancy Gass

Topic 2- Back to an OLD question, which seems more relevant right now, NBC sports network had some issues this qualifying weekend with coverage, how important is it that IndyCar finds a better TV package, or negotiates this coverage currently in place?

Rick-This will not change until the existing television contracts run their course. Or someone decides to loosen the purse strings, which I do not see happening anytime soon. But again, while the television contract is abysmal, it is a symptom of a greater disease. Fixing the TV contract will not put the series back on solid ground on its own. It can help, but it is not the answer any more than having an American Champion was the single solution to getting people back in the stands or back in front of their TV sets on race day.

Nancy- In order to build a fanbase you have to be able to show your product to the world, not just the chosen few that can afford satellite/cable TV. The series may have to pay big money to achieve this and that is where they fall short, they don’t want to spend money to make money. I think if all the races were on area TV channels we would be better off and fans would see great racing especially this year.

Lauren-The TV package must be better, period. Unfortunately, that is not going to happen anytime soon. The existing contract will first have to run it’s course and even after it has, there is no telling which direction INDYCAR will go. ABC does not want the entire season, as it has NASCAR to prioritize, yet they will pay whatever it takes to keep the 500. This one will be tricky for the long term, I’m afraid.

TScheck-I did not see coverage but TV is everything these days. If they doing crap job they need to renegotiate or pull out. Series can’t survive with crap TV. 

Rick Maas

Topic 3- Who is your pick to win the 2013 Indy 500 and why?

Nancy-I think Ed Carpenter he has had some top ten finishes and I think this year will be his. It would be great to have a little team win.

Rick- I would love to see Ed Carpenter win for so many reasons. But I am going to pick someone form the Andretti camp. Marco has been strong all month and it could be his year. He appears very calm and driving very smart. Hinch has been fast and seems to have some momentum going with his two wins. I would not rule out Helio either. And if Honda gets it’s stuff together Sato could be a player as well. I really like the idea of an Andretti challenging “the Curse”.

Lauren- Tony Kanaan. For more obvious reasons than just the obvious.

TScheck-Pippa Mann cause she thinks I don’t like her.

Lauren Kanaan

Topic 4: Who has the best story so far: Lazier, Legge, Jourdain or someone else?

Nancy- I believe Ed Carpenter, for years I have read on forums fans calling him “special Ed” because of his step-dad Tony. I think he has proved time and again when it comes to ovals he can drive. To me this is “The Feel Good Story” of the year and the Samson and Goliath of IndyCar.

Rick The Ed Carpenter story is solid, but will not get as much play outside of the immediate area. Still would be a great story. The Andretti curse being challenged would be fun to run through the grist mill. There are a number of fast rookies in the field as well. Munoz, starting from the same position as the one his hero Montoya started from when he won could have legs. It would be fabulous if Hildebrand could redeem his heartbreaking second place from two years ago. The continued slide of Ganassi, the success of the smaller teams, and the number of female drivers are also interesting. There is no shortage of story lines here.

TScheck-Who’s the chap who qualified 2nd, that seems like a good story.

Lauren- So far, Ed Carpenter no question. However, at Indy there are still so many chances for the story of the month to emerge.

Tony Donohue

Topic 5: What will be the biggest surprise on race day?

Nancy- Ed Carpenter winning the 500. The little guys showing the big teams up.

Rick- Carlos Munoz wins the Freedom 100 and finishes in the top 3 of the 500 with a shot to win on the last lap.

Lauren- Rick that would be a surprise! Very creative. Indianapolis is SO unpredictable, it doesn’t make it easy to say what would really be shocking. Was it shocking for Dario to struggle all month, start mid-pack and win? What about JR walling it in the last turn of the race to give the little team that could (BHA and Wheldon) the win? A rookie winner? TK not winning again after leading half the race? So many things in only the recent history were so unpredictable they could be called shocking. You just never know what can happen at Indy. That’s the beauty of it.

TScheck- The biggest surprise Pippa Man wins!

Pat Caporali

As a fan of IndyCar, seeing new sponsors come into the series is exciting, and scary all at the same time.  Hippino brings more than that excitement to the series.  Their passion for giving back, combined with the founders passion for racing, have combined into an exciting partnership with both KV and Tony Kanaan for the Detroit doubleheaders and one more race later in the season.

I asked Ian what their goal was with their new partnership.  Hippino’s hope is to raise a significant amount of funds through the downloads and Member Signup in their mobile app for Racing For Cancer (racingforcancer.org).  Exact details are forthcoming, but there is a promotion all ready to roll out around Detroit called “Survivors Cup” which is already being seen in the mobile app.

Hippino signup is only $1.99 and along with Hippino’s pledge to donate $1 for each download of the mobile app to Racing For Cancer, they are relying on the loyalty of IndyCar fans to help provide the support for both the company, as well as the IndyCar supported organization.

To help support Racing for Cancer, Hippino, and KV Racing driver Tony Kanaan download the mobile app for iPhone HERE and Android HERE.

Visit Hippino.com for more information about the Survivors Cup and Team Hippino: http://hippino.com/racing/index.html

Photo: Steve Snoddy

As we all gear up for the 2013 Indy 500 on Sunday, let’s not forget about another important race for the rising stars in the Mazda Road to Indy Ladder.  The Firestone Indy Lights will run its biggest race of the year, the Freedom 100, on Friday at 11am.  These young drivers who dream about the Indy 500 will get to run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and hopefully lay claim as a winner at the historical speedway.

Carlos Munoz is the points leader and has won the last 2 races and leads second place Jack Hawksworth by 21 points.  Carlos will be driving in this year’s Indy 500 and surprised everyone by qualifying 2^nd for the big race on Sunday.  Jack won the first race of the FIL season but his last race, he made a mistake and cost himself and two other drivers a good finish.

Two other drivers within striking distance are fourth place Gabby Chaves and third place Sage Karam.  Sage has finished 3^rd, 4^th and 3^rd up to this point in the season.  If you remember the Long Beach race, he had contact with Zach Veach which damaged the suspension on the car.  He was able to limp around and hold onto third place which is simply amazing.

I caught up with Sage this past weekend back at the SPM garage and was able to talk to him for awhile.  If you did not know, he has moved to Indy which allows him to be near the SPM team facility and take advantage of the great fitness places around Indy.  It’s been a big transition for him but he has handled it well.  If you can think back to when you were 18, imagine moving away from home the first time and going from a small town to a large metropolitan city.  He has handled it with class and made some wise decisions.  Sage has fit right in at SPM and is very happy with the opportunity and gets along well with Gabby and Jack.

It’s also great to see a company like Comfort Revolution support a rising star in the Firestone Indy Lights Series.  Sage would not be able to do what he enjoys doing and showing off his immense talent if it wasn’t for a great sponsor like them.  I would encourage you to let Comfort Revolution know that you appreciate their commitment to a rising star by purchasing their products and tweeting with them @comfortrev

I think Sage is the one to watch for the Freedom 100 and I am picking him to win the race.  I am thankful that I was able to meet Sage and that he is a guest contributor to Open Wheels.  Keep an eye out for another Sage Karam article soon.  You can follow Sage on twitter: @SageKaram

• The pole sitter for the Indianapolis 500 has won 22 of the 96 times, or 27% of the time, the most by any starting position by far. This bodes well for this year’s pole sitter Ed Carpenter.

• 68 of the 96 Indianapolis 500′s have been won by drivers starting ninth or better, which amounts to 70.8% of the races. Good news again for Carpenter, as well as Carlos Munoz, Marco Andretti, EJ Viso, AJ Allmendinger, Will Power, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Helio Castroneves, and James Hinchcliffe.

AJ Allmendinger (closest) and Will Power on among those who have the odds in their favors. Being on Team Penske doesn’t hurt either (Photo: Marshall Pruett)

Can there be anything better than starting your day off gazing at the IMS Pagoda?  That is how I started my day off this morning as I took in the Armed Forces Bump Day.  The track was a little more subdued this morning than pole day.  If you were there for Pole Day, Indianapolis Motor Speedway will wear a person down.  If you add in that this morning was much warmer and more humid than the previous couple days, it will cause you to conserve energy for when the action takes place on the track.

Morning practice at 9am brought some cars out who needed more seat time like Buddy Lazier and Katherine Legge.  This was the first time Katherine hopped in the Sam Schmidt Car to see where the car stood and what needed tweaked.  Buddy, on the other hand, was unable to find the speed on pole day but with a new Chevy engine, looked to see what the car had for him.  After a few laps, Buddy had found the extra speed and I had no concern that he would be in the field of 33.  Katherine immediately started running 220mph and it was clear that after a few adjustments, she would be just fine.

Qualifying started at noon and the drivers and teams were ready to see if they could make this year’s Indy 500.  They all lined up and went out one by one, except a notable exception, Michel Jourdain, Jr.  Panic crept into the stands and talk centered on why he wasn’t in line?  Were they working on the car, tweaking the new engine or waiting for the right condition?  We would have to wait and find out.

The cars who had qualified on Pole Day began to take over the track.  It was time to get down to business and get the cars set up for race trim along with how the car felt in traffic.  Did I say traffic?  You bet!  It was a busy place with over 17 cars out on the track at the same time.  It was exciting to watch and took your mind off the heat.  As the time approached 5pm, eyes turned to Michel Jourdain, Jr.  Graham Rahal, his RLL teammate, had taken the car out to see if he could figure out why they could not get any speed out of the car.  Graham was just as baffled as Michel was.  As the minutes ticked away, Michel never made an appearance and had to be humble and pack it in.  This was not his year and I could only imagine how hard it was to not make the greatest race in the world.

It was a fantastic weekend and it leads us to an interesting race.  Look for more articles this week on my time at Indy covering the greatest spectacle in racing and the 8^th wonder of the world, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Her #81 Honda carried a basic livery with Team Pelfrey badging but she wore a plain carbon fiber helmet. She took to the track and immediately was posting speeds that would put her in the field ending the mornings practice with an top speed of 223.191 turning a total of 24 laps. Michel Jourdain struggled in this mornings practice which leads the way for some interesting story lines.

More to come…

The morning began at 5:30am and why not, it’s Pole Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway!  You have to wait every year for this day and when it finally arrives, you want to savor every moment.  This year, the two Open Wheel founders: Tony Tellez and I, were spending the weekend together at the 8th wonder of the world.  We arrived at the track at 6:15am and watched the sun come up from the media center.  It was a beautiful morning, the air slightly cool.  It was overcast and in the distance you could see what appeared to be a little fog.  As I stood on the 4th floor balcony of the media center, I could see the place start to come to life ever so slowly.  We had our morning breakfast and off we went to the garages.

Crew members started to open the doors and arrive one by one.  In just a half hour time, the garage area was in full swing.  As I walked off and on throughout the day, I was proud at how accessible the IndyCar drivers were to the fans.  Many times they would go out of their way to come out and sign autographs or take pictures.  Two drivers that excelled at this were Pippa Mann and Conor Daly.  Both drivers would stand outside the garage talking and accommodate any fan that came by.  Neither driver made the top 24 the first day and for some drivers, the stress of the day could have kept them thinking, concentrating or sulking back in the garage, but not these two.  Conor had an engine blow on a qualifying run but it did not derail him from making time for the fans.  He genuinely enjoyed the interaction and so did Pippa.

After a brief rain delay between morning practice and the start of qualifying, the day warmed up nicely.  In fact, the humidity was high so you had to make sure you were drinking water.  Although no one hit 230mph, there were some close calls by Will Power and a couple other drivers.  I’m not sure anyone thought all 5 Andretti Autosport drivers and the 3 Penske drivers would claim 8 of the top 9 positions but they did.  Then there was the little team that could of Ed Carpenter Racing.  Chevy came to lay claim to the Firestone Fast 9 and boy did they ever!

In the end, Ed Carpenter won the pole for the Indy 500.  Job well done Ed!  You deserve it and you are an inspiration for the little teams out there.  It goes to show that if you work hard, give it all you have and work together, you can surprise the big boys.  It was a fabulous day and if you did not go, you really missed out.  I would challenge you to pencil it in for 2014 and make it happen no matter what.  Tomorrow is bump day and yes, there will be a couple drivers/teams that won’t make it in this year’s Indy 500.  Come on out to the track Sunday and be a part of the drama that unfolds.  I’ll be there, will you?

Courtesy of Marshall Pruett

lead photo borrowed from Marshall Pruett on twitter @marshallpruett

On Sunscreen:

Someone please hand Beaux Barfield a bottle of sunscreen.  That is all.

On slaying dragons:

On another note, and MUCH more important, today Ed Carpenter slayed the giant, beat the proverbial Goliath, toppled the monolith, and every other silly idiom that can be used.

Realistically? Ed did what he’s been born to do.  He raced.  Sure the real race was against the clock, but Ed has Indy engrained in his being.

Watching today from the pit lane as Ed prepared to head out for his first qualifying run, you could tell that he was focused.  Many people forget that just two short years, Ed was fighting for the pole here.  And in the last two seasons, he has won two oval races, and even improved his standing on road and street courses.

He is on the path to becoming a complete racer.

Congratulations to the entire staff at ECR Indy, and to Ed and Heather and the kids.  You deserve this one, but most importantly, you earned it.

The Bumpty Dance:

Ok, so I have a problem.  Bump Day is great….for watching practice and meeting drivers who already qualified…

WHERE ARE THE CARS FOR BUMPING? sure let’s shuffle up the field a bit from 10-33, but I mean, really?  One car won’t make it?  Here is what I think that should happen.  Drop the price of running the 500, and let’s get 36-37 cars lined up with Jay Howard, Tomas Scheckter, Alex LLoyd, Bryan Clauson, and Katherine Legge all looking to join the field of 33.  Give them equal amounts of track time for practice, and let THEM shoot it out, to bump out the 33 other drivers.  Not only does this force those in #12-20 not rest on their laurels and to be prepared helmet in hand to jump in the car and secure themselves a starting position, but it also gives underfunded programs a chance to showcase sponsors, and potentially even wind up in the show and making for an exciting race.  This one car bumping is almost depressing.

That said, does ANYONE else hope to see Legge bump the Dragon #6 out of the field?

In closing:

Today was a great Pole Day experience.  The fans got a great show, Ed Carpenter proved not only is he capable of running with the big boys, but he is capable of BEATING them.  Red car’s be damned, that golf ball just got hit 500 miles, and you guys watched it from the ass end.

-TT

1) Carlos Munoz

Driving for Andretti Autosport, rookie driver Carlos Munoz from Colombia has had a solid week of practice, cruising through Rookie Orientation and quickly coming up to speed in the several practice sessions throughout the week. With the fastest lap of the month (as of May 16th), Munoz looks primed for a great starting position for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

Munoz is having a very solid Month of May (Photo: Doug Matthews)

2) Josef Newgarden

The only Honda to make my list, Josef Newgarden has been steadily quick all month. While not possessing that high 224/low 225mph lap that others have from the tow, do not be surprised if Newgarden, who, as a rookie was the only driver with a Honda engine to make the Fast Nine in 2012, should be up their once again on Pole Day.

3) EJ Viso

Another driver from the Andretti Autosport stable, EJ Viso of Venezuela, looks prepared to make another go at the Fast Nine. EJ made it into the Fast Nine last year while driving for KV Racing. Now driving for the elite Andretti Autosport, expect the Venezuelan Badger to be knocking on the door of the front row.

4) Oriol Servia

There is no driver with more to prove out of the 33 drivers than Oriol Servia. Servia was recently notified that his current team, Dreyer and Reinbold Racing, would be shutting down their fulltime racing operation, leaving Oriol with a cloudy future, but he would love to send the team off with a bang. He has a very good car even without the tow, so expect Oriol to be up front when the gun goes off.

5) JR Hildebrand

Maybe it is the superman colors on the car, or maybe it is because he has seemed to figure out Indy, but whatever it is, JR Hildebrand has got it going on. Steadily fast all month, JR should have a very solid car on Pole Day and should translate into a great race day result.

JR Hildebrand has been quick all month (Photo: Michael Hickey)

Who gets the pole? Let me know what you think.

Driving for the top tier team in Indy Lights, Schmidt Peterson Racing in conjunction with Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing, O’Gara expects to do very well. When asked bout the team, Kyle said, “I can’t thank everyone at SFHR Development and Schmidt-Peterson Motorsports for this great opportunity. The SPM team has proven over the past decade that they are the team to be with if you want to succeed. They have been very welcoming and helpful in everything that I need.”

O’Gara testing at Indy (Photo: IMS / Indycar Media)

Goals? Well, I’ve known Kyle for quite a while. He’s definitely got the racer gene in that a) he is very good at driving, always kicking ass (obviously) b) he is a big critic of himself. All he wants to do is win. Kyle told me, “I have nothing but high expectations for this month of May. Going into the Freedom 100, I have put a lot of pressure on myself to succeed. I see no reason why I cannot compete for the win with the SPM team behind me. I expect my past oval experience to help along with advice from Sam (Schmidt), Sarah (Fisher), and Josef (Newgarden).” He also went on to say, “This is the biggest race of my life, with the most weight ever being out on my shoulders. I don’t want it to sound like it is a MUST that I perform well, but it will definitely help.”

Finally, I asked him what it means to be making his debut and how much it means to him to be racing at Indianapolis. Me personally, I faint just from walking in to the joint. Taking laps in a race car? That would give me some happy dreams. Kyle feels the same: “It means the absolute world to me to finally race at the famed “Brickyard.” In my eyes, this is when you can say that you have made it. Now, it’s time to see what I can do.”

Kyle with car owner Sam Schmidt (Photo: Indycar Media)

I fully expect to see Kyle O’Gara succeed at any race he does. For the Freedom 100, which I will regrettably not be watching live, I can see Kyle going for the win. I will be cheering him on during his whole journey! One final quote from our conversation:

“The Freedom 100 has been something that I have been working towards my whole career. It is such a great stepping stone to make it to my ultimate goal of the Indy 500.” -Kyle O’Gara

Thanks for reading! Click here to find Kyle on Twitter, make sure to follow him!