May 24, 2009
Helio
Castroneves Ends the Race with No Photo Finish, and Now It's Three for
#3
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Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc.
photo by Ed Vincent
Helio
Castroneves Wins the Indy 500 in Front
of Wheldon
by 1.9819 seconds and That's Not
a Photo
Finish....
by Ed
Vincent
Castroneves
brings home $3,048,005 in earning from today's
race. The total purse for the event was $14,315,315.00.
Helio Castroneves, has won the Indy 500 twice before, in
2001 and 2002. It has been seven years since his last win at
Indy, but he has had some other notable wins or victories in
the recent past; “Dancing With The Stars” television competition and
his best win, escaping a potential 35 year
prison term for tax evasion of more than $2,000,000.00.
Helio was found innocent by a jury of the tax evasion charges
(six counts). A charge of conspiracy was delayed
some three
days in deliberations and finally was called a hung jury by the
Judge.
“I just want to thank God and my fans, and all of the people who prayed
for me,” Castroneves noted at the end of the trial.
He was reported to have had his rosary in hand while sobbing
in emotion.
They Arrive
Early and Watch for the Teams to Enter Gasoline Alley.
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Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc.
photo by Ed Vincent
Helio Castroneves had a good car, and a
great team this year
as he led the field in some 66 of the total 200 lap race (including the final 59 laps all the way to
checkered flag). There
threats of
rain all day long and the earlier clear skies slowly turned to
clouds. The cloudy sky cooled things a bit, but the humidity
made for an uncomfortable day with breaks of blowing breeze from time
to time. Wind can have a dangerous effect for those
coming into turn 3, especially if the wind is at your back,
Castroneves also gave his team owner and
track Icon
Roger Penske another win to add to his total, now at 15
with this year's triumph. Roger Penske does not smile a lot
but he does when his team wins the Indy 500.
Helio will visit the Radio City Music Hall, New York City
for some photos with the long legged beauties of the famed
Rockettes. The race had an interesting and tragic start after
a bad and then restart following the first lap. On the first lap
of official start Mario Moraes went to the outside of the
track and came into contact with Marco Andretti. The
young Andretti at 22 years of age was upset at the younger
20 year old Moraes; "The kid doesn't
get it, and he never will. He's just clueless out there."
Hopefully things will cool down
some as the season continues,
Helio Castroneves is the 9th person to win the Indy 500 three times, as
well as first since Rick Mears recorded the third
of 4 race wins in 1988.
The Start of
the Race, had to be repeated because of a false start--so to speak, but
it does make for some nice photos.
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Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc.
photo by Ed Vincent
 
A Camera blimp
gave great shots through the race and a pair of WWII B-25s Flew
Overhead at the Start of the Race (the
same kind of bomber
that first bombed Tokyo with James Dolittle in WWII)
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photo by Ed Vincent
Fans everywhere
and the new paint on Patrick's new car had her old
car images selling quickly, need a tee shirt?
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Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc.
photo by Ed Vincent
We spoke with some
Firestone engineers who informed us about how a car with 12 psi of air in
the tire may eventually get to
50 psi before the tire is changed. All tires leak air and all
tires
gain pressure with heat. A tire of 12 psi after driving some
30 laps might equal 39 psi on one track and more or less on another
that's the tracks are all tested and configured for the day and
location. All Firestone tires are leased to the race teams,
all tires are returned at the end of the race. There composition
is a secret, like the formula for Coke. We did
learn that 221 degrees fahrenheit will cause the tires to begin to melt
and get real sticky. If the tires have 12% silica or not
you may never know until Dan Browne writes a book on it.
Three of the
female drivers in the Indy above, Danica Patrick on top,
Sara Fisher in the middle, and Milka Dunno on the bottom.
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Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc.
photo by Ed Vincent
Sara Fisher owns
her own racing team and is the head driver.
Milka Dunno is the nicest of the female drivers, Danica has
been performing the best, but also running from fans in the garage area
that just want a picture of her, not even an autograph. For all
around champ I will still give my vote to Sara Fisher.
Danica Patrick finished third today, and that is the best that
any female has done at the Indy 500, but Sara Fisher is her
own person
and does not run from the fans.
Three well known
drivers took an early leave from the track Marco Andretti, Tony Kanaan, and Graham Rahal. The
longest frightening crash happened in lap 173, as Vitor Meira and
Raphael Matos smashed into one another in the first turn.
Three for #3
and then some. Race winner, trial winner, dancing winner,
pole winner, and pit crew winner.
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Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc.
photo by Ed Vincent
Tony Kanaan
collides with the wall and bursts into flames.
©
Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc.
photo by Ed Vincent
Tony Kanaan was
running in third place and holding his own when something the wrong way
in turn 3. He smacked the wall and parts went here and
there. Fuel from his number 11 car spilled onto the track and
fire followed in a moments time. Tony has had his supply of bad
luck with the walls and today was needed for his list of
troubles. The rescue crews were at the scene in a fraction of a
minute, putting out fires, and helping Tony out of his car.
"At the end, I just
didn't have enough for Helio," Wheldon noted. His engine wasn't going to cut the distance
for him like
it did in 2005 when he
won the Indy 500.
Kanaan is out
for the day and things slow down while the track is cleaned and set for
the race to resume.
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Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc.
photo by Ed Vincent
The average winning
speed this year was 150.318 mph, and with only four leaders: Helio
Castroneves, Ryan Briscoe, Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti.
Castroneves surged
past Scott Dixon to reclaim his lead with 59 laps to go, and never gave
up the lead. Helio Castroneves
won on the rain
threatened day, the crash threatened day, and then with all those other
drivers trying to take his lead, his position, and his win.
Marco Andretti even got back on the track
for 56 laps to finish 30th in the 33-car field.
The Last Lap
and no one could touch him....
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Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc.
photo by Ed Vincent
Meira
suffered a lower back injury in the closing laps of the Indianapolis
500 and has been treated at Methodist Hospital since May 24. Dr.
Michael Olinger, medical director for the Indy Racing League, evaluated
Meira again on May 26 and expects Meira to be released from the
hospital on May 27. Meira will meet with Dr. Terry Trammell on May 29
and expects to receive clearance to return to his home in
Florida. He injured two of his lower vertebrae, but the doctors
feel that it will heal without having to go into surgery.
Castroneves is the 20th driver to win the
"500" from the pole, the most of any starting position. The pole sitter
has won the last two "500s" and four of the last six.
·
Castroneves is the first driver to win the pole, Pit Stop Competition
and the race since Buddy Rice in 2004.
·
This is the second consecutive year the winner led both
the first and last lap of the Indianapolis 500.
·
Castroneves won a race from the pole for the eighth consecutive season,
extending his series record.
·
This is the 15th Indianapolis 500 win for Roger Penske,
the most of any entrant. No other entrant has more than five.
·
Team Penske has won five of the last nine Indianapolis 500s.
·
This is the seventh time a Penske-owned car has won the Indianapolis
500 starting from the pole position. The other pole winning years for
Penske were 1979 (Rick Mears), 1981 (Bobby Unser), 1988 (Rick Mears),
1991 (Rick Mears), 1994 (Al Unser Jr.) and 2006 (Sam Hornish Jr.).
·
This is the 31st IndyCar Series victory for Team Penske, second among
all teams. Andretti Green Racing has 35 victories.
·
This is Castroneves' 15th career victory in the IndyCar Series, tying
Dan Wheldon for third all-time. Sam Hornish Jr. has 19 wins, and Scott
Dixon has 17. Castroneves' last victory came in the 2008 season finale
at Chicagoland Speedway.
·
Castroneves has 91 top-10 finishes, most in IndyCar
Series history.
·
Castroneves has led 74 races, most in IndyCar Series history.
·
Castroneves has finished in the top 10 in eight of his nine
Indianapolis 500s.
·
Dan Wheldon finished second, his fourth top-four finish at Indianapolis
in seven starts. The last time past winners finished first and second
was in 1993 when Emerson Fittipaldi and Arie Luyendyk finished 1-2.
·
This is Wheldon's second top-five finish of the season and his best
finish since second at Nashville last July.
·
Danica Patrick finished third, her best career finish at Indianapolis
and the best-ever finish for a woman. She finished
fourth as a rookie in 2005. Patrick has four top-10 finishes at
Indianapolis in five starts.
·
Patrick and Tony Kanaan are the only drivers with three top-five
finishes to start the 2009 season.
·
Townsend Bell finished fourth, improving 20 positions during the race
to record a career-best finish. His previous best finish in
the "500" was 10th in 2008. His previous best IndyCar Series
finish was fifth at Nashville in 2004.
·
Will Power finished fifth in his second "500." Last year,
he finished 13th.
·
Power has finished sixth or better in all three of his starts
this season.
·
Dario Franchitti finished seventh in his first start in the
Indianapolis 500 since winning the race in 2007. He has finished
seventh or better in four consecutive "500s."
·
Franchitti led 50 laps and has led 84 laps in his last two "500s."
·
Ed Carpenter finished eighth, his second consecutive top-10 finish in
the Indianapolis 500. Last year, he finished fifth.
·
This is Carpenter's second consecutive top-10 finish of the season.
·
Paul Tracy finished ninth, his second consecutive top-10
finish in the Indianapolis 500. He finished second in 2002.
·
Hideki Mutoh finished 10th, his second consecutive top-10 finish in the
Indianapolis 500. He finished seventh as a rookie last year.
·
Alex Tagliani was the highest-finishing rookie in the field, finishing
11th after starting 33rd.
·
A record 19 cars finished on the lead lap in the 2009 Indianapolis 500.
The previous record for most cars finishing on
the lead lap is 16 in 1959.
·
The 2009 and 2000 Indianapolis 500 races had only six lead changes,
which is the fewest number of lead changes for the full
500 mile distance since 1965. The rain-shortened (133 lap) 1973
Indianapolis 500 race had four lead changes. The record for the fewest
lead changes in the Indianapolis 500 race is 1 in 1930.
·
This is the 11th time car number #3 has won the Indianapolis 500, the
most times ever for an individual car number.
·
A.J. Foyt IV finished 16th and completed the full 500-mile distance.
This is the first time a Foyt finished on the lead lap since 1979 when
his grandfather, four-time winner A.J. Foyt Jr., finished
on the lead lap in second place.
·
The top lap leader in the 2009 Indianapolis 500 was defending winner
Scott Dixon, who led 73 laps and finished sixth. He also was the top
lap leader (115 laps) in the 2008 Indianapolis 500.
·
The three female drivers in the 2009 Indianapolis 500 field completed
599 laps out of a possible 600. Danica Patrick finished
200 laps, Sarah Fisher 200 laps and Milka Duno 199 laps.
·
19th-place finisher John Andretti completed the full 500-mile distance
as did 16th-place finisher #41 A.J. Foyt IV. This is the only time a
Foyt and an Andretti completed the full 500-mile distance in the same
race. The Foyt family was first represented in the 1958 Indianapolis
500, and the Andretti family was first represented in 1965.
·
The last time there was a yellow flag on the first lap was the 2001
Indianapolis 500 when pole sitter Scott Sharp crashed in
Turn 1.
·
When #3 Helio Castroneves led the first lap, it was the third time he
has led the opening lap of the Indianapolis 500. The other
two years were 2003 when his teammate, Gil de Ferran, won the race and
in 2006 when his teammate, Sam Hornish Jr., won the race.
·
When #5 Mario Moraes crashed before completing a lap of
the 2009 Indianapolis 500, it marked the third time that a car
starting in the seventh position crashed before completing a lap.
Tom Sneva (1986) and Scott Brayton (1988) were the other two
occurrences.
·
In 2008, the youngest driver in the field, Graham Rahal, crashed and
finished 33rd. In 2009, the second-youngest driver in
the field, #5 Mario Moraes crashed and finished 33rd.
·
The 45,000 mile mark in Indianapolis 500 race history was reached at
the completion of the 27th lap.
·
#6 Ryan Briscoe took the lead for the first time in his Indianapolis
500 career on Lap 53. This is Briscoe's fourth Indianapolis 500 start.
·
When #11 Tony Kanaan crashed on Lap 98, it ended his Indianapolis
500-record streak of leading seven consecutive races (2002-08). The
2009 event is the only Indianapolis 500 he never
led.
·
When #3 Helio Castroneves took the lead on Lap 142, it represented the
1,000th lead change in Indianapolis 500 history.
INDIANAPOLIS - Results Sunday of the Indianapolis 500 IndyCar Series
event May 24 at the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with order of
finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps
completed and reason out (if any). Prize money to be announced May 25:
1. (1) Helio Castroneves, 200,
Running
2. (18) Dan Wheldon, 200,
Running
3. (10) Danica Patrick, 200,
Running
4. (24) Townsend Bell, 200,
Running
5. (9) Will Power, 200, Running
6. (5) Scott Dixon, 200, Running
7. (3) Dario Franchitti, 200,
Running
8. (17) Ed Carpenter, 200,
Running
9. (13) Paul Tracy, 200, Running
10. (16) Hideki Mutoh, 200,
Running
11. (33) Alex Tagliani, 200,
Running
12. (26) Tomas Scheckter, 200,
Running
13. (11) Alex Lloyd, 200,
Running
14. (20) Scott Sharp, 200,
Running
15. (2) Ryan Briscoe, 200,
Running
16. (19) A.J. Foyt IV, 200,
Running
17. (21) Sarah Fisher, 200,
Running
18. (27) Mike Conway, 200,
Running
19. (28) John Andretti, 200,
Running
20. (30) Milka Duno, 199,
Running
21. (14) Vitor Meira, 173,
Contact
22. (12) Raphael Matos, 173,
Contact
23. (15) Justin Wilson, 160,
Contact
24. (29) E.J. Viso, 139,
Mechanical
25. (31) Nelson Philippe, 130,
Contact
26. (25) Oriol Servia, 98,
Mechanical
27. (6) Tony Kanaan, 97, Contact
28. (23) Robert Doornbos, 85,
Contact
29. (22) Davey Hamilton, 79,
Contact
30. (8) Marco Andretti, 56,
Handling
31. (4) Graham Rahal, 55,
Contact
32. (32) Ryan Hunter-Reay, 19,
Contact
33. (7) Mario Moraes, 0,
Contact
Race
Statistics
Winner's
average speed: 150.318 mph
Time of
race: 3:19:34.6427
Margin of
victory: 1.9819 seconds
Cautions: 8
caution flags for 61 laps
Lead
changes: 6 among 4 drivers
Lap
leaders: Castroneves 1-7, Franchitti 8-52, Briscoe 53-63, Dixon 64-85,
Franchitti 86-90, Dixon 91-141, Castroneves
142-200. Point standings:
Franchitti 122, Castroneves 117, Briscoe 114, Dixon 111, Kanaan 110,
Patrick 109, Wheldon 106, Power 99, Hunter-Reay 84, Andretti 83.
Press Release
concerning: Tony George
Tony George said:
“Contrary to published reports, I continue to serve as CEO of IMS. Our
board of directors met yesterday, and we did discuss how to best
confront challenges and exploit opportunities facing our businesses.
This is nothing new and is something that we continually do as a board.
But no changes in leadership or responsibility have been made. We don’t
normally comment on board deliberations concerning our family business.
However, the widespread, inaccurate reports and rumors caused my mother
and me to conclude that it was necessary to set the record straight. If
changes are made in the management of the company that are newsworthy,
we will announce them when they are made.”
2009 INDIANAPOLIS 500 WINNER’S PRESS CONFERENCE
Helio Castroneves, Roger Penske, Tim Cindric
Sunday, May 24, 2009, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
PAT SULLIVAN: We know that this man now has
orchestrated a
15th Indianapolis win. He did exactly what I know they plan to do or
want to do every month of May. They won the pole, they won the pit stop
competition and won the race. Any way you slice it, that's a clean
sweep, and that's a great day.
ROGER PENSKE: We talked with Helio about the win of
his life a
couple of weeks ago, and he comes back do show you. Outside he has that
personality, he climbs the fence, but inside he's as tough of nails. He
had to be to go through what he went through the last six months. It's
really a credit to the team. Great to see how Briscoe ran. Will Power
was up there. Sorry to see my son Jay's car have the problem. But you
look up to that podium, that's the one thing during this race, you look
up at the podium for two reasons; where are you and how many laps to
go. And I think about 85 or 90 laps, that 9 and 10 car were out there
doing a pretty good job, and I said it's going to be a long day. But we
stayed on our game plan; the pit stops were sharp. For some reason,
Ryan thought he had a tire go down, and we got a lap down and able to
get him back into second, but unfortunately we were probably four or
five laps short and we had to come in. So it was just one of those
things, but it was a great day.
It's a credit to Tim Cindric, who will come in here,
obviously, and
the consistency. I think I said before probably 800 years of experience
on this team, and it's interesting that Rick Rinaman has had, I think,
12 wins, too. He's a crew chief that's been on the team, not always as
a crew chief, but certainly as a key part of our whole team. So it's
consistent sponsor, consistent wins, and this guy is something else.
Give a big hand. (Applause)
SULLIVAN: Welcome the winner of the 93rd
Indianapolis 500 and three-time winner, Helio Castroneves, and Tim
Cindric.
Mr. Penske just talked about your toughness, Helio,
and I think
about the emotional Victory Lanes we've seen in years past. Bobby Rahal
certainly had an emotional Victory Lane, and Emerson one time comes to
mind and the famous Al Unser Jr. Victory Lane. But I don't know if I've
every seen one like that, and all I could think was this has all the
makings of a made-for-TV drama. It is the most incredible finish to a
set of circumstances. And all of us in Indianapolis were hoping you'd
be here, simply be here for the month of May. And to be here and win,
wow. How about that?
HELIO CASTRONEVES: That's exactly what I said, wow.
When I was
inside the helmet and still on the victory lap, I, normally I cry --
no, actually I scream to the guys and celebrate, and this time I have
no words, just let it go. It was a very special moment that last, the
celebrating lap. I was a little upset because I to stop and I keep
hearing breaking radio, "You've got to go to Victory Lane." I didn't
know where Victory Lane is because the last two times I was here was
exactly where I stopped. So I was like I've got go over the fence. What
they did for me during this very difficult time; they never stopped
sending great messages. As you said, I heard it all what I'm talking
about. It is a great way to pay them back. What a great way to show
that I am so honored to have fans like that. I will never forget so
many positive messages.
Obviously, I keep telling this to Roger and Cindric
to give me --
and our partners, to never stop believing in me and to give my life
back, to be in the race car again and to be here in Victory Lane and to
be here in Indianapolis, winning for the third time is just, without
you guys, I wouldn't be able to do that. So thank you
so much.
SULLIVAN: Before we go to the questions, Tim let's
get a comment
from you. One of the things Roger said, you never know what's happening
in the month of May to some degree, you've been the dominant car in
everybody's mind and all of a sudden, bingo, there go the two Target
guys and they were looking awfully strong. What were your emotions at
that time?
TIM CINDRIC: I was about to ask him what was
going on
because all those things happen, and all of a sudden we're fifth, and
he's as calm as can be. He was a lot calmer than I was, because I was
sitting there trying to figure out what our next steps are going to be.
Just like Indianapolis always is, it's a series of races inside of
races, and you always have to look at the next stop and you know you
have four or five more stops to make it up. If you can make up one
stop, all of a sudden you're the leader. He actually had to pass a guy
or two to get there. We knew we had the right guy behind the wheel.
Q: Helio, I think one of the things that's been overlooked here is you
are a three-time winner, a historic achievement in itself. All the
adversity aside, now you've joined three-time winners, four-time
winners, that's the best of the best.
CASTRONEVES: I feel honored to be in this category
of drivers. When
I go to the dinners with the old-timers, and I'm there first of all
feeling pretty impressive -- feeling pretty honored. I feel pretty
honored just to be there. And now being this type of category, wow,
with such the incredible names. I feel blessed to be in that category.
But without a team, without good people surround you, you cannot make
that and, like I said many times, Team Penske has won so many times, so
they prepared this race. I again give them credit for all my guys and
especially Ryan Briscoe and Will Power when they did the preparation,
you know, while I was not there. And that was incredible.
During the race, you know, just to answer the question, I was just
trying to take it easy. I didn't want to push it. I was waiting for the
right time and I just asked them, put me in the lead, and I will have
no problem. In fact, we didn't change anything in the car. As soon as
they put me in the lead, boom, the car was just incredible. We were
running 220s, even saving fuel, and this guy kept telling me got to
save fuel, got to save fuel. In the back straight I could not hear
because I have a problem with the radio, it was the best thing. So
every time I come to the front straight, got to save fuel. Gosh, this
guy won't let me go. And then I was actually back there, I was studying
what the car could do and if I have to pass somebody. And I was just
waiting for the right time, and the right time came, like in 2002, the
right time came, 2001. So this place is amazing. I had a great car,
Roger Penske gave me a great car today. When we needed the speed, we
were right there, and when we didn't need the speed we were very close
to the other guys. So great job there.
Q: Helio and Roger, it took you guys maybe a little
longer to get
together after the race and, Helio, I know you were greeted by a lot of
people before Roger. What was that meeting like sort of between the
most emotional guy in the place and one of the most calm guys in the
place? (Laughter)
CASTRONEVES: As you can see, look, he only smiled
three times or
two times, when it's his birthday and when he wins the Indy 500.
(Laughter)
But I tell you one thing, these guys know me for a
long time. Like
I said, they are not only my boss, but what I've been through, I really
felt they are becoming great friends. It was just incredible, you know,
so many people, even the fans as you can see that everybody was
cheering. It was just incredible. I want to say thank you to everybody
who supported me and to give me the extra push, especially when I
wasn't there driving the car. To drive for this man here is just an
honor again, and I'm so glad I'm still doing what I love most for the
best in the business.
PENSKE: Well, I guess my situation is the race, I
think I mentioned
on the way in, I said, "Tim, one thing you do is you look up at that
pylon and see where your number is and how many laps to go," and I did
that a lot today. From Lap 180, I knew who had the wheel, I knew the
experience, I knew the preparation, and I felt calm and there was no
reason to get excited. I talked to Tim, I said, "Has he got enough
fuel?" He said, "No problem." So it was a matter of winding it out.
And, of course, the chance to see Helio, he's part of our family and,
you know, you're just so happy to see these guys execute like they
have, because it's -- you know, I said I think to someone, that
Indianapolis, what it's done for our company and our 40,000 people, our
customers, my family, building a brand, you could never do it like you
can if you surround yourself with the Indianapolis 500.
So for me it was just spinning in my head, I say
this is exactly
what people expect. So I have to take my hat off to you. Thank you.
Q: Helio, you said Friday, "That's the last chapter
in my book."
Obviously you're writing more chapters. Kind of talk about how many
more chapters you've got, and what's this chapter going to be?
CASTRONEVES: Hey, if we keep doing what we're doing,
it's going to be a big book, you know? (Laughter)
I'm probably not going to read it, but it's going to
be a big one, too much. (Laughter)
But I said it was the last one but, I think it's the
beginning. And
certainly it's a great way to come back. I feel fantastic, I feel
great. But certainly like I said, I couldn't do it without those guys.
Talking about Rick Rinaman, he won this place 12 times with different
drivers. When he come to you and he says he has so many other drivers
and he's honored to be with you, so that's the type of people you want
to be, you want to have right there tightening your wheel because you
know they're going to do everything to make this happen. And I can't
stop thanking them because without a great team you can't do what we
did, and a great strategy. This guy here has been with me since 2000.
He's still the only one that understands me. However, I did improve my
English but even today with the problem on the radio, we have to go
through a lot of communication. And Rick Mears, he was there for me;
Clive Howell was there for me, as well. Those guys were just -- it was
a great synchronization piece, you know. We never lost any calm on
those issues that we had. That's what it takes to win this race.
Q: Helio, you know, you showed your emotion a lot
after wins and
stuff like that, what do you do before the race to like turn it down?
Do you still have that statue you smuggled into the Vatican in '04?
CASTRONEVES: I do actually. I just put my helmet on
and close my
visor, that's it. That's what I do. When I'm there in my space, in my
territory, I know what I need to do. Obviously, I have guys around me
telling me what to do because they have better eyes than me in those
circumstances, but I'm the one in charge there and I'm the one telling
me I need to put the car where I need to be. So when you do that, it's
a great place in the world. You don't need to worry about anything
else. That's why I'm one person out -- not that I'm different, I'm just
excited to be around in race cars, but when I'm in the car I've got to
do everything I can to reach the limit, not only myself but in the car,
as well. Today was just a perfect combination.
Q: Roger, you were faced with a pretty unique and
extraordinary set
of circumstances with Helio's legal troubles. What went into your
decision to handle that situation the way you did it, keeping the seat
warm? Also, did you ever during that process wonder to yourself, "Will
I get Helio back?"
PENSKE: Obviously, that was the big question, what's
going to be
the final answer. When Helio and I talked almost every night, and
initially we talked about a race and so many seconds ahead, so many
seconds behind as we kind of went through the four or five months of
discussion. But I think Tim Cindric and our sponsor, we met, we talked
about it, we sat down with Helio and said, "Look, we've got a situation
here we've got to deal with, we will stay with you until the final
answer." Obviously as the season was going to start, he understood that
we had to put someone else in the car and we said, "You need to focus
on your situation, but the moment we get the word that you're ready to
go, we're going to have a car for you." And I think you saw that at
Long Beach and we were able to give Will a good car, finished second,
sat on the pole.
So I guess, you know, I had so much faith that Helio
hadn't done
anything wrong. I couldn't understand why he was guilty, you know,
before he had the trial. That's all I saw, every piece of publicity
that came out of Miami was he was guilty, and the way they treated him
initially was, you know, was deplorable. We just said, "Hey, we're with
you." The good news is Helio, myself, his family, we never had to get
the other side of the answer, so, again, the final answer was exactly
what we thought it would be. He was cleared of any situation, and
obviously there was no issue because one has to understand that we knew
Helio, we had a contract with Helio. That contract we knew was the
right one, and we handled it properly. Obviously when he first came to
this country, putting something together, we had the Greg Moore
problem, lost Greg, and Helio was there, I talked to him and he said he
didn't have a ride with Carl Hogan. So there's lots of moving parts
there. This is the things that you don't get unless you're sitting
there in court and read a lot of these documents that you don't see.
But I can say this: We never, ever were going to
leave his side.
It's worked out, and I think the payoff today is not only for him but
for everybody on this team that never, never blinked an eye.
Q: Helio, Roger mentioned when you first came here,
and I want to
take you back for just a minute because when you did first come here,
nobody knew anything about you. And I remember I met you in the garage
and we walked together to the pits and nobody bothered to say boo to
us. Then within about three weeks you were totally inaccessible because
you became a superstar. I saw you on television recently and I know how
emotional you are, and I think people rightfully adore the sincerity
that you exude. But you said something about this whole series of
events has really kind of -- these are not the exact words -- but
something like this whole series of events has put life back in
perspective for you and given you a better perspective or sense on
that. I kind of wonder, you know, you became this instant superstar,
and I'm kind of wondering how that's going to temper now your life
moving forward. Is there anything that can change really given what
you've done?
CASTRONEVES: No, I'm always going to be the same
Helio as I've
always been. Outside the car, I've always been accessible to you guys.
Whenever I'm asked questions, I'm always able to do that and the fans,
as well. I'm going to continue being myself because that's what my mom
taught. My mom always told me to be yourself. If you're happy, you're
happy; if you're sad, you're sad. But I always continue to be myself.
Q: Helio, you kind of talked about you're honored to
be part of
this, the category of being three-time champ of this race. Winning the
100th anniversary of this track, does that add a little more excitement
to today's victory?
CASTRONEVES: Winning here, I mean it's very special.
I'm just so
honored to be the guy doing that. Like I said, to be in a select group,
first of all, and this is just incredible to see how many people -- and
I was actually coming to the track this morning, asking a lot of
people. I don't remember seeing how many people were here and struck in
traffic and things like that, and they keep saying the Indy 500, it's
coming back. And for me, to hear those words, it's just fantastic. And
be sitting here talking to you guys is just amazing because this place
is very special. I'm super-happy that it's coming back.
Q: Helio, a question concerning the final stages of
the race. You
said earlier your team were on the radio and said save fuel, save fuel.
Nevertheless, just from the outlook on the television, personally I had
the impression lap times, speed, et cetera, et cetera, have been nearly
identical. So how difficult was it to concentrate and do always the
same speed or nearly identical lap times?
And a question also for Mr. Penske. Three or four
laps before the
end the camera shows Helio's family very emotional, very nervous. You
seemed pretty controlled and cool. (Laughter)
How difficult was this not to show emotions and to
be controlled?
CASTRONEVES: Do you want to answer the last one?
PENSKE: I guess when you've been here, you just hope
that there
isn't, you know, a yellow. I knew at 180, when we said, when Tim said
we had fuel, and I knew Helio was behind that wheel and he made that
restart without Wheldon getting by him, it was ours to lose. So you
have to be rational in this thing. You get excited, it doesn't do
anything to help you go faster. I think Helio, the lap times that he
was turning, we have a fuel gauge, we know where we had to be on fuel,
he obviously had a number he was making and still running in the 220s.
Wheldon is a real competitor, and what we didn't want to do was have
him jump us on the start and we didn't want to have another yellow.
That's the time, you can see at the beginning how aggressive Franchitti
was, and yet, as we ran about 20 laps, Helio just moved on by.
So this is -- it's a very, very different race.
CINDRIC: Just to clarify as far as saving fuel, not
the last yellow
but the yellow before that when he actually made his last pit stop,
that's the point where everybody was really having to save fuel. If
there weren't any more yellows, once the last yellow occurred, who was
it, Matos and -- from that yellow because it was so long put us in a
position and put Helio in a position the last 20 laps to run flat-out
as much as he needed to, just to clarify all that.
CASTRONEVES: He answered that. (Laughter)
CINDRIC: What he said.
CASTRONEVES: I can't hear, man. The radio and
everything, it's like a buzz.
Q: Tim and Helio, they're talking about the best of
the best of the
best. And Helio, you're still a relatively young man. Has the
discussion ever come up the first to win five Indianapolis 500s between
you two?
CINDRIC: You know, I guess it hasn't really crossed
my mind too
much since probably 2003, you know, at the point where he had a chance
to win three in a row and we had made our last pit stop there in 2003
and he was the leader. Helio ran up on lapped traffic there toward the
end of the race and he was able to get by him, and at that point in
time that's probably the last time we really talked about numbers here.
After that it was just a matter of what's it going to take to get back
there again. We had a couple of rain races and a few things where I
think we had the car to win, but we weren't able to get to the end for
a couple of reasons, but rain being one of them. As we look at it now,
I remember as a kid growing up here, remembering how cool it was to
wait for A.J. to win his fourth and what that meant and all the hype
about A.J. winning his fourth, and then again with Mears. So I kind of
lived it as a kid, and it's kind of cool to sit up here and think he
has a chance to do it.
CASTRONEVES: Well, for me, I tell you, you can't be
thinking about
five without making three. We just made three and now thinking about
fourth. But I will think about it, dream about it, but we've got to
work for it. Certainly have the team to do that, but we have a long
way. Right now for me, I'm just going to enjoy this moment because it's
very special.
Q: Helio, to win this race sometimes takes a little
bit of luck.
Weren't you behind Kanaan when he crashed in the back straightaway?
Take me through that and what went through your mind when he veered off.
CASTRONEVES: Yeah, I saw on the straightaway like a
little smoke
probably from bottoming and all of a sudden, I'm not sure if it was the
left rear or right rear suspension broke, and he hit pretty hard. I saw
a piece of wing coming straight to me. I even told the guys to check
the air box because I thought something hit, didn't hit my helmet but
there was so much debris. Well, we did stop right on that yellow, and
we found out there was a piece of carbon stuck into the right front or
left front tire. So it was lucky that everybody stop and I stop, as
well. So we were able to go back and continue the race. So it was very,
very impressive because it was right on the front straightaway and it
was a big crash.
SULLIVAN: We've got four questions left in line.
That will be our final four.
Q: Helio, I want to go back to a question, sort of a
spinoff on a
question he asked before. I remember when you started the tax case, I
remember you saying on TV to a reporter, "I'm trusting in God to get me
through this." And today when you took the checkered flag, you
hadn't
completed the lap and you said, "Thank you, God, thank you."
What's happened to your faith in the course of this
last six months?
CASTRONEVES: Sometimes you try -- I try to answer
questions, I just
couldn't find the answer. And today I found the answer and that's why.
I thank Him.
Q: Helio, I want to go back toward the end of the
race when
everyone was saving fuel, so it might have been two yellows from the
end. When Will Power was behind you, if it wasn't a situation where you
both had to save fuel, and say you had enough fuel to make it to the
end, what do you think would have happened? Were you worried about
Will, because he looked like he was catching you?
CASTRONEVES: Yeah, he was very strong. What was up
with that? (Laughter)
PENSKE: We hadn't dialed the number yet.
CASTRONEVES: I didn't know who it was until I looked
at the Pagoda
and saw the No. 12, and it was like he's coming here, and they're
telling me to save fuel, tell him to save fuel. (Laughter)
No way. And he was very strong, and I don't know
what happened. But
I would not give up that position. Toward the end, certainly I don't
think he was saving fuel, but he was doing extremely well up to that
point because we already have quite a few laps on the tires, and he
didn't have a clear lap. I had a clear vision and no traffic, and he
was catching pretty fast. So he was doing very well. Then I think a
yellow came up and we all had to pit, so he definitely show he's very
strong and potential here.
Q: Helio, I have two questions for you but they're
short. The first
one: Was there some confusion about you being able to climb the fence?
Were they saying, "No, don't do it?" If you want to answer that
one,
and I'll ask the other one. It's real short.
CASTRONEVES: Yeah, I was going over there and they
were like,
"You've got to go to the Victory Lane." And this yellow guy kind of
like pulled me in. (Laughter)
I want to get out, and he's like, "No, you've got to
stay here." I
was trying to take the stuff and he was literally holding my helmet and
myself there. Finally I saw the team come, and I said, "I'm sorry, I
want I've got to get out." (Laughter) That was the confusion, I wanted
to go and climb the fence.
Q: The other thing was so often the person leading
with ten laps to
go doesn't win this race just for whatever reason or whatever various
circumstances. It looked like to us when you were leading at that
point, there was absolutely no way that anyone was going to catch you.
Do you think, did you have that feeling, I mean after the all the
emotions and things like that, it really felt this is one time there is
absolutely no way?
CASTRONEVES: You guys make that. You guys talking
about the 10
laps, guy's not going to win. No, I was just going in and certainly I
had a good gap between the second place, and I was just managing, make
sure -- and I couldn't hear how many laps to go. I tried to keep
looking to the number of laps, and he keep telling me 10, then I didn't
know if it was 10 or seven or I was just so confused. So I'm just like,
“OK, forget it, keep going, keep like the 219s, 218s.” And I think I
had enough car. I didn't even ask the lap time that the second place
was doing. So at that point I was just trying to finish the race and
manage the gap that I had and hopefully not get in traffic. Because
this year the field was so tight, I can see it was very hard to get
traffic. So it was interesting to see that.
Q: Helio, the boss mentioned his concern about the
restart. You had
seen starts and restarts where a guy in second place was in pretty good
position. Were you concerned about that restart with Wheldon?
CASTRONEVES: Yes, absolutely. We didn't have the new
tires, either,
so I kind of like knew that in that situation if you don't have a very
good car, you'll be able to keep behind and certainly it happened and I
was able to manage the gap. After that I was just -- and because I had
a few laps in the front as well, so I was pretty comfortable with the
car. It was just one of those things when you're in the front, you just
keep going and the car was just fantastic up there.
Q: A quick one for Roger and then a quick one for
Helio. In '06 you
said that was your most exciting Indy victory. Was today your most
gratifying?
PENSKE: I would say yes.
Q: For Helio on a lighter note, are you glad this
one was a decisive Indy 500 victory?
CASTRONEVES: A what? Well, the last one was never a
problem for me
or for us. But hey, we didn't have rain, we didn't have to deal with
anything. So we proved it.
SULLIVAN: We've learned something that Tim Cindric
is right, by the
way, Helio used the word synchronization very well. That's a dancing
turn, the decisive maybe not so much. I tell you what, how about it,
folks, what a great effort by all of you? A salute. (Applause)
2009
INDIANAPOLIS 500 2ND-3RD-4TH-TOP ROOKIE PRESS CONFERENCE
Dan Wheldon, Danica Patrick, Alex Tagliani, Townsend Bell
Sunday, May 24, 2009, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
PAT SULLIVAN: Tell us about working your way through
the front, and what that was like for you?
ALEX TAGLIANI: First of all, the day started when I
walked into
Gasoline Alley and saw the grandstands the first time here on Race Day.
So quite unbelievable, very, very happy that I had the chance to do
this race. And, you know, for the team, they did a fantastic job on the
car. Obviously, from where we were starting, we pretty much had no
choice but to go for a little more downforce on the car, and I think
that's why at the end of some runs some guys were struggling pretty bad
with their tires and they were coming back to us. We made some ground
and when I was unable to pass, I saved a lot of fuel in every pit stop;
the guys did really, really good. Slowly but surely, we were going into
the front, and at the end when we got into the pack with the top-10
runners, obviously it was a lot easier to stay flat all around for my
runs because I was really stuck. And then it was harder for guys to
pass us. So, you know, our day was pretty simple. Just like make no
mistakes and stay out of trouble and continue to make some grounds
toward the front and no mistakes in the pits, and that's exactly what
we did. The team obviously in the stops with having to put less fuel
from saving so much, we kept leap-frogging a lot of the guys and, girls
and we got ourself into P11. So really good job, team effort.
SULLIVAN: It was a good team. Danica, you had one
hell of a race. I
was thinking about your rookie year when you had that battle with Dan
Wheldon, and you two you were out there the latter stages of the race.
We heard you talk; we thought perhaps an adjustment here and there, a
chance to win, but awfully good day.
DANICA PATRICK: I was happy with my car the last run
and the run
before that, once I cleared a couple cars in the second to last run,
and I think I got up to sixth or something at that point. I was just
running flat-out all the way around, which I'm happy with because it
didn't happen that much in practice.
But that was as a result of us being more in the
proactive side of
keeping the car on the ground and being ready for longer runs, being
ready for traffic, being ready for lapped traffic. So we were pretty
good. And then on the last stop the guys got me another couple of
spots, and I was up to fourth. I knew there was something going on with
Briscoe because he had been a good chunk back, and all of a sudden he
was at the front. So that was what I thought was going to happen,
something on fuel.
So when he pulled in, that was third, and I wish it would have been
green the whole last run. Our car was really good on longer runs. Had a
great restart on the last restart and awesome run out of (Turns) 3 and
4 and went instantly went to the outside of (Turn) 4. It was that good
of a run. I just kind of stalled out, I just didn't have enough. I
think that was the difference. That was kind of us being ready for the
whole run, the whole race and not just the last run. So it seemed Dan
was a little more trimmed out maybe because it just kind of run side by
side all the way down into (Turn) 1. I thought I was going to pass him
completely on the outside, but that did not happen. But it was a good
job. Dan did a good job. He looked like he had a handful in front of
me, and obviously with Helio winning, that's great for him and
everything that's been going on with him for the last sort of, well, I
don't know, year or years. So I'm happy to see him happy. And he's
great for the sport. So congrats to Helio, he had this standout month,
really. If you'd ask me who was going to win, I would have said Helio.
SULLIVAN: I think everyone felt that way, but
awfully good run, Danica.
Q: Danica, it's maybe unfair for you to compare 2005
because you
had a shot at the win but after the race you were not very happy, but
now you've moved up.
PATRICK: Which one, '05 or this one?
Q: '05, that's my question. You've improved: This is
your best Indy 500 finish. Can you compare how you've changed?
PATRICK: I think that I did my best to stay calm the
first year,
for sure. I'd have to say there are lots of parallels, actually. Once
the car got to the front in '05, I was good there, I was fine. But back
in traffic, I remember in the very beginning of the race I had some
engine cuts happening and I dropped back to 10th, and I was nothing
special back there. I was just hanging out. That's kind of the way it
was this year. Once I was back in the pack, it wasn't anything special,
and that's how I felt for the first half. But I think once the track
grip came up enough where it came into me being able to be flat out
there, I think that's when it made the difference out on the track and
I could make passes happen. So, you know, and my crew did a good job.
The pit stops were good. I mean, I'm happiest I've ever been with my
team there.
But, you know, I mean, I have mixed emotions about
both of them,
obviously. I was happy with the day, I was happy with the '05 day with
what happened, but to miss a win here -- and it's enough to just have a
chance. If you can be there, that doesn't happen that often, but to
miss it is even more like, oh. But, you know, what can I say? Helio was
really fast and Dan did a good job, too. So they actually remember very
similar.
Q: Danica, maybe as a third-place finish at Indy,
does that fulfill the promise of the fortune cookie?
PATRICK: No, no, a win would have fulfilled. How
many times do you
get a fortune cookie tell you a four-wheel adventure is going to bring
you happiness? Why would they even write that? Who has four-wheel
adventures, I guess on a four-wheeler, but how great could that be? I
would love to get a road course win, so maybe that's somewhere down the
line. Actually, I love Milwaukee, which is coming up in a few days.
So I think it was a good day. I'm really happy. I
wish it would
have ended up a little bit better than what it did, but that's the way
it goes here, and that's what makes this place so awesome and
frustrating.
Q: The way the cookie crumbles.
PATRICK: Cookie crumbled at the third.
Q: This question goes to Alex Tagliani. Alex, did
you feel after
Bump Day and not having a ride, then having a ride afterward, that you
would be sitting in 11th position at the end of the “500?”
TAGLIANI: Well, you know, in all honesty, you know,
we definitely
missed first weekend qualifying from the crash on Sunday morning. So
that really put us back a little bit. And like the last weekend of
qualifying, we qualified Saturday and we probably showed exactly what
not to do, just went out there, you know, feeling safe and doing race
trim all day long, and at 4:00 pulled the car in the garage and go to
qualifying sim and basically run the clock down until we had no time to
go put our lap in. Obviously, the car was quick. As a driver, you know
the car is fast enough to compete in the field but, you know, from an
exceptional situation we just got bumped and never seen before. It was
not actually a Bump Day; it was a replica of Saturday because everybody
pulled their time off. But in the race, you know, like obviously with
the car we had, we just -- it was unfortunate that we started so far
back and we had to put like quite a bit of downforce on the car because
like in the last stint I felt like, you know, maybe a degree less on
the rear wing and we would have been able to compete inside the top 10.
The car was really, really good.
So I guess the consolation was to just win that
Rookie of the Year
trophy and showing that the team is not only good on road course now
but is also pretty good on ovals.
SULLIVAN: Let's welcome the gentleman who ran
second, Dan Wheldon.
Looks like Dan and Danica were trading notes on the last run. That was
pretty exciting stuff.
DAN WHELDON: Yeah, she's certainly a tough
competitor. I think
she's like a lot of those troops, she never gives up. So all credit to
Danica. But I have to say I'm incredibly proud of the Panther Racing
National Guard Team, and in my IndyCar career there's not many races
where I've honestly left the track feeling that we've executed
everything perfectly. And I have to say, I thought they did an absolute
phenomenal job. The pit stops were just first class. I didn't have to
do too much work on track because they kept making me spots up. It was
one of those things at the end where I just didn't have enough for
Helio. I was toward the end having to hold off Danica. But they should
be incredibly proud of the job they did. Honda and Firestone yet again
gave everybody very consistent engines and tires, and it was a good day.
Q: Danica, could you talk a little about what
Michael (Andretti),
how he helped you specifically during the race today? I'm interested,
your first year when you got the good finish, led the race, the earth
stood still afterward and it set off Danica mania and everything, I
suspect this year it's just a good race car driver that ran a good race.
PATRICK: Thanks.
Q: Talk about that a little bit, too.
PATRICK: That's good. I'm doing my job. My job is to
finish as high
as possible and get as many wins as possible. So I'm actually glad
about that shift. I'm glad that I'm not like, “Oh, my God, wow, third.”
I'm paid to do this job, so I wish it could have been a little bit
better, like I said, but it was a good day overall, and it was for the
tough month that we had and just how we had to keep our heads down so
much of the time, it ended up turning out pretty well.
So, you know, I'm glad that people are seeing it
more like just a good finish from a good driver.
Q: How about Michael, what did he tell you?
PATRICK: Mike has done a fantastic job on the radio.
As you guys
probably know because you've been around racing, he's a passionate guy.
He's, you know, he gets very into it, and I think in practice I see
more of that even than in the race. In the race, he stays really calm,
even on the pit stops I was looking over to him, and he was just
standing very calm. That's very important. So when he needs to be on,
he's on, and he's right. But I think he was just saying, he was telling
me "good job" every now and again. You know, he was obviously telling
me when to tune the fuel down and things like that, but I mean he did a
great job on the radio. I think the most important thing from someone
like that and basically a voice in your ear is that they are calm. They
can't influence you because trust me, there's plenty going on to
influence me on my own.
Q: Alex, I just wondered, I ran into Bruno this
morning, had a
couple of words with him. He's such a gracious guy. Now that the race
is over, I wonder if you could tell us whether you got any help from
him prior to the race after following qualifications and if you said
anything to him in the interim. How did that go?
TAGLIANI: No, actually, not really any help. But
just like a really
good conversation with him on Sunday night, you know. Obviously last
year after finishing fourth with the team in Australia, they decided
that they wanted to build like a long-term program. They knew
sponsorship was going to be the first big challenge, and we kind of
like decided to work together. So at that exact time in 2008, I became
kind of like the No. 1 driver for Conquest Racing. So when Bruno came,
we worked on the car, they put the same setup. You know, he came up to
speed really fast because of his experience here, and when the team
decided that, made a mistake on Bump Day and we had the fastest car of
Sunday, felt it unfair to let me miss the Indy 500, and they got me
into the second car that was sponsored.
So the only conversation I had with him was just to
thank him, to
be understanding and that's all. After that just spent a lot of time
with the engineers and get settled in in the second car and pretty much
go forward from that.
Q: For Dan and Danica. Can you guys even begin to
imagine what
Helio's emotions have been like this month and a half, what he's gone
through?
WHELDON: I can't imagine, to tell you the truth. You
know, he's a
first-class individual at the racetrack. You know, I don't really know
him aside from that, but I think the best thing about it is obviously
that's over and the guy has won his third Indianapolis 500, which is no
mean feat. This race is incredibly difficult. You know, it's not just
it looks obviously very individualistic with just the driver in the
car, but there's so much effort that goes in. Even to the, you know,
the families of the guys back at the race shop, you know, there's so
much preparation that it's difficult, and he's handled himself very
well in difficult circumstances. I've been very impressed with the way
Roger Penske has handled the whole situation. I think that's why he's
one of the most respected individuals, if not the most respected
individual in the IndyCar Series and, you know, I think in business, in
general.
So he was, I think, the deserved winner of this race
certainly from
what I saw. I didn't see how Scott and Dario were up close, but
certainly at the end I didn't have anything for him. So he should be
very proud, but that's taking away nothing from the team that I drive
for. Like I said, I think they executed everything perfectly.
SULLIVAN: We're going to let Alex Tagliani go.
Congratulations to you, Alex.
TAGLIANI: Thank you.
SULLIVAN: We're going to let Townsend Bell come in,
fourth place.
PATRICK: Obviously, with all that's gone on with
Helio, I saw him
at Long Beach and just the kind of hug you get from him after what he's
gone through, it was a different kind of hug. So I'm very happy for
him. I enjoy him as a person. He's always been kind to me and, what I
felt, respected me, which goes a long way. So I'm glad to have him
back, and obviously he's great for the sport. So, you know, I'm happy
to have him around. But he's pretty tough to beat, though. That's the
only problem with it.
Q: Dan and Danica, the last restart you got the
great run, and then
you had to hold her off instead of making a run on Helio. Did either of
you have anything, if the circumstances didn't arise, if one of you had
a clean line?
PATRICK: I don't know what Helio was doing. What
speeds was he doing out front, does anybody know?
Q: 220s.
PATRICK: Oh, no. (Laughter)
I was doing 218 and a half, and I'm like, “Yeah,
this is pretty
good, flat-out without lifting.” If he was doing 220 in the lead, I
have a feeling I would have had the same thing to, say Dan did; he was
pretty fast.
So, obviously, I felt like I had a pretty good run
on Dan, and he
went low, and I wish I would have went low before he got low because if
it was side by side going into the corner with me on the inside, it
would have worked, probably. But when you're side by side going into
(Turn) 1 here, it's not likely because I wasn't sure if they had a
chance to clean the top line into one. It's just got a good idea. It's
not a two-lane track, really. Paul Tracy makes it a two-lane track out
there, obviously. (Laughter)
I had the excitement of seeing him on many restarts
at the
beginning. The guy was amazing, passed three or four cars. So anyway, I
don't know if he was doing 220s on his own, that's pretty stout.
Q: Yeah, up here. No. 1, congratulations, all of
you, great, great
race this afternoon. To all of you on the panel, just one quick
question: What does the meaning of the 100-year anniversary of the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway mean to you? If I could get a quick answer
from three of you because this is extra special. Thank you.
WHELDON: Yeah, I think that's a nice question to
ask. I think the
value of what this race means to everybody is I think primarily based
on the number of fans, but also the history and tradition. There's, I
don't think, any greater -- I'm biased obviously, but there's no
greater sporting event because of that. I think it makes it truly very
special. I think when you consider the great names who have won this
race, certainly coming second, third, fourth, fifth, whatever, it's a
very, very tough event. Like I said, there's so much that goes into it
that, you know, it makes it very special. But I think primarily, it's
the fans that make this race. I really do when you consider how many
there were today. I haven't seen it this busy since I've been an
IndyCar driver. So I think that's a great kind of thing that's
happening for the IndyCar Series, in general, right now. But it's an
event that I'm very proud to be part of. I love it. I can't wait to
come back next year.
PATRICK: You know, I think it's obviously pretty
amazing, you know.
I saw the book that a couple hundred people got at the event that
happened a few months ago and just the people that helped create this
and their successes both with this and so many other things. Obviously
some brilliant minds had a part in this. And to keep, like Dan said, to
keep to tradition, I just love the fact that the Pagoda still looks
like it did in 1911. It still has the same sort of look. Just being run
around the track all the time and being in the golf cart and seeing
everything. I had my first chance to go on the golf course itself, and
it's just spectacular. It's manicured so well. It's just a beautiful
event. You know, when you look at how this has been around compared to
like Daytona, the Daytona 500 is half the time, it's only about 50
years. So, I mean, double that, it's very -- what a success. Over all
the years and transitions that culture makes, it still has stood there.
Also, I would like to read the original bricks are still mostly
underneath the track, so that's kind of cool.
TOWNSEND BELL: Yeah, Indianapolis is truly a special
place. Mr.
George told me one time that he felt that his responsibility was really
as a steward, as a caretaker for the track going forward, that it was
just sort of his turn to watch over this great place. That's how I
feel. I think that the fact that the bricks reared its head this month
during practice is kind of cool in a way. It's sort of barking out to
us. When that happened, we walked out on the front straightaway because
my teammate was one of the guys that hit the loose bricks. And you
stand there and think, wow, these guys were super brave back in the day
to be running around the Brickyard. To think what an absolutely
beautifully smooth, well manicured, well maintained facility it is
today is so cool. I'm always -- I feel so privileged to be part of this
event every year.
Q: Dan, I know throughout the month the car wasn't
necessarily
ideal, that you worked, worked, worked toward it. Compare maybe even to
your win, was what you did today the amount of work, the extra whatever
you had to do because the car perhaps didn't start out, you know,
exactly in the ideal position, if you could just talk about your drive.
WHELDON: Yeah, it was relatively non-eventful. I
didn't get into
too many close calls. Like I say, I thought the guys did an absolute
phenomenal job in the pits. It's so important even with, you know, we
didn't qualify as well as we would have liked, and that puts you in a
difficult position in terms of your pit position. You know, with that
said, they were still able to make me up a lot of spots each time.
Actually to be fair to Townsend, I think he must have overtaken me
about five times this race, but every time I came into the pits the
guys put me back in front of him.
But I would have to say we did, I think there's
nothing more that
we could have done in this race. I was, you know, still fighting a
little bit of an imbalance in the race car, but I think everybody was.
It was difficult conditions out there. Actually one of the races that I
think we did execute perfectly on was back in 2005 and, you know, I
would say this is exactly the same. It's just unfortunately the result
wasn't there, but I'm going to be -- I'm not going to give up on this
place until I win again, that's for sure.
SULLIVAN: Here's what we've got, we've got one back
here and two here, four more questions.
Q: Dan, can you just talk a little bit about how
other drivers'
views of Danica have kind of changed from 2005 until now as she
continues to do top ten and things like that? (Laughter)
WHELDON: Can we do it when she's not here? (Laughter)
PATRICK: You have to be nice now.
WHELDON: It's funny, actually, because everybody
thinks we don't
get along. I would say we've always got along very well other than
Milwaukee, and we cleared that up pretty quickly. She can get feisty
every now and then, but so can I.
But I obviously was starting my career in Europe,
and I know Danica
went over there and, you know, from the time she was over there she's
driven for people that I've driven for before, and I'm not just saying
it because she's here, she's always been somebody that I've respected.
There's actually a very big race in England called the Formula Ford
Festival, which is kind of like a young, crazy version of the
Indianapolis 500, and she did very well there, and that's an incredibly
tough event. But I've always thought that she can do the job, that
she's certainly -- I don't treat her like, you know, a female on the
racetrack. She's just a formidable competitor that doesn't give up. I
wish she perhaps would have today because I was sweating with how loose
I was because I didn't turn the car. But she's an IndyCar winner and,
you know, to win IndyCar races nowadays is incredibly difficult, and
anybody that's an IndyCar winner in my book, it doesn't matter what
they look like, what their gender is, they're somebody I'll respect
immensely.
Q: Dan, we talked last Sunday and we asked what your
chances were,
and you didn't think very highly of your chances, so what changed?
WHELDON: No, that's not true. I didn't think, you
know, that my car
at the time was good enough to win. You know, I have to say that the
team just worked incredibly hard. I was able to give a clear and
concise rundown of what the car was doing; it was just a matter of
being able to fix it. From the other teams that I've been to, they've
got some different programs that can perhaps give you answers a little
bit more quickly. We're getting to that point, but I would have to say
we're still a little bit behind.
But with all the guys at Panther Racing, they really
don't give up.
I think, obviously, my association with the National Guard, I can see
where John Barnes gets it because a lot of the soldiers that we meet,
they're phenomenal people. Male or female, they've got that
never-say-die attitude. It certainly humbles me and inspires me and I
think has actually matured me, believe it or not. It was one of those
things where we kept working very, very hard and came up with something
on Carburetion Day and we just kind of evolved that.
But to answer your question simply, it was just
never giving up and
being controlled with the changes and disciplined with the changes that
we make to get an avenue that's worth pursuing.
Q: Danica, you said that having Paul Tracy around is
always very exciting. Can you get a little more into that, please.
PATRICK: I can't get into what's going through his
head, that's for
sure. But no, he's very good out there. He's very good out there, he
makes things happen, you know. He doesn't wait around for things to
happen. He makes them happen. He had amazing restarts, and he was
passing guys. He was going on the outside around a lot of cars, and he
did it to me. And I went into (Turn) 1 and side by side and side by
side through (Turn) 2. He was hanging it out there. So, you know, a guy
like that, you know, another tough competitor, you're glad he's not
around all the time because he's really good.
But I respect PT, he's a driver that I used to watch
when I was
younger and coming up the ranks and always used to think, “Wow, my God,
if I'm ever that fast, you know.” So, you know, to be out there running
with people like that is really cool for me.
SULLIVAN: Listen, folks, we've got one more
question, and then I
conned Townsend into sticking around because I believe we should talk
to Townsend about the incredible run we've had, as well.
Q: That's my question to Townsend. Townsend, I think
in the very
early part and after your first pit stop you lost a lot of positions,
eight or nine very early, 20, 22 laps, and then you stormed back with
this great result. Do you think that it's maybe a restart for your
career in open-wheel racing or you've become hungry to do more races?
BELL: My career seems to have been a series of
starts and restarts
for six years. But doesn't matter, this was a great day for us. We did
have some problems, I don't know what happened on the first pit stop.
The fuel wasn't going in, or something, so we had to go to the back. We
had a good start, stayed out of trouble, got up to 12th or something, I
think, before the first pit stop and then had to go to the back and
fight our way back up. It was fun. This was a great race team. This KV
Team deserves to be in the top five at the Indy 500. They worked
tremendously hard. We've got a great sponsor in Herbalife. Those guys
are pretty fired up, as you can imagine. I had a blast out there. It
seems, strangely enough, that the diciest racing I had was with Paul
Tracy. Twice I kind of bobbled it a bit on a restart, and I would just
go straight for the inside because I wasn't going to give him an inch
there. And he went to the outside and, man, we went through (Turn) 1
side by side. I didn't lift; he didn't lift. I know we're teammates,
but we've become such good friends the last year or so that it's like
playing a video game with your buddy. You're just like no way am I
going to give up.
Happened going into (Turn) 3, also. I kind of knew
where his setup
was on his car, was a little different than what I was running, I
thought I would be a little quicker on longer runs and I didn't want to
get caught behind him. I'm glad I stuck with it. We left each other
room, but there were good times.
SULLIVAN: Questions for Townsend?
Q: Townsend, with this good finish, do you feel that
maybe you do
have a shot to run, even if it's the road courses, maybe a lot more
races a season because it would be great to see you back in the series?
BELL: You're only as good as your last race, that's
what they say,
right? So we'll see. I've been doing it long enough to not plan or feel
like I deserve anything, you just work hard and hope that things turn
out. It was fun, you know. There at the end I'm running, Dan Wheldon
and I raced in Indy Lights, and Scott Dixon I think was behind me, and
Danica I've known for a while, and these are people I know I can
compete with in equal equipment. I'm just thrilled that I had the
chance to do that today.
Q: Townsend, follow up on that on the equal
equipment side of that.
How do you feel, you and Paul pretty much shared crews to get qualified
and you guys both wound up in the top 10?
BELL: We definitely get the trophy for making the
most of what we
had. Paul qualified the first weekend and I took his crew for the
second week to get into the show and then, you know, we cobbled
together the crew for the stops. I've got to thank my engineer, Gerald
Tyler, who, by the way, I won the Indy Lights championship with Gerald.
Been trying to figure out a way for years to work with him again and he
came in the last minute to help out.
What happened, after Mario, I don't know what happened to him at the
start, but obviously he hit something big, what they did was actually
took his crew, which are the full-time, full-season KV guys that work
together all the time and they moved some or most of those guys to my
car. I haven't even had a chance to ask. But that made a big
difference. The only bummer for us was because we qualified second
week, we were way down at the end of the pit lane. I mean, damn near
the end. So what happens, of course, is we had great stops but I pop
out, I've got to go all the way down pit lane and give everybody in
front of me a chance to pull out and block. Danica, bless her, but her
rear was a little wide on pit lane, and I mean that in the nicest way.
(Laughter)
They know what they're doing and when they throw
their car out of
the pits and you swing your right rear out into the high line, Wheldon
did the same thing. I have to lift. I'm either going to punt them,
which is not good for anybody, and when you lift, that's it: You're
going to lose a spot.
As Dan said, it was a little frustrating at the end
to know you
were ahead of a couple of cars, but hey, all in all, it was a great
month for us.
SULLIVAN: Other questions?
Q: Let me follow up on the KV part of it. They're a
new team to the
series. They made huge strides. How did you come to be racing with
them, and what do you think of doing that much that quickly?
BELL: Well, my first race in the big cars as I say
when I was a
CART rookie, was 2001. It was Lausitzring, and it was kind of a
last-second deal, crazy circumstances. Another story for another time.
But I showed up as a third driver with Patrick Racing. My teammate was
Jimmy Vasser. And I signed a contract to race in 2002 thinking Jimmy
was going to be my teammate. It didn't happen. I ended up as a rookie
on a one-car team. The bummer was Jimmy had a great reputation as an
excellent teammate. He helped Juan (Pablo Montoya), and he helped
(Alex) Zanardi. I was really looking forward to that. So to finally
have an opportunity eight, nine years later to work with Jimmy is just
awesome. Also Kevin Kalkhoven, I cold-called Kevin Kalkhoven eight
years ago and asked him to help me get in Formula One. He's an
incredible guy. I've known him since then. So to have a chance to race
with those guys is just great.
SULLIVAN: Townsend, thank you for coming in.
Congratulations on a great run.
BELL: Thanks. Appreciate it.
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