Sporty Blog - The Sport Blog

While the Phoenix Suns try to usurp those pesky Lakers from La-La Land, with the Orlando Magic facing elimination by the Boston Celtics, as The Boys of Summer, a.k.a Major League Baseball go about there business and the 2010 World Cup is less than a Fortnight away in South Africa, another staple of Americana is slated to take place in Indiana this coming Memorial Day weekend on Sunday, May 30th.

Known as The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, I’m talking of none other then the Indianapolis 500, which will see this year’s 94th Running’s celebratory Pace Car Driver being Robin Roberts of Good Morning America, while Jack Nicholson will wave the race’s Green flag, with Actor Mark Walberg riding along in a specially designed Two Seater Indy Car with Michael Andretti at the controls.

This year’s field of 33 contestants is an eclectic mix, with six Rookies entered, a record four Females making the race and four former Indy 500 winners competing, as many Drivers seek to have their likeness immortalize upon the Champion’s Borg Warner trophy.

Here’s a quick rundown on this year’s field.

Team Penske: Although it wasn’t overly shocking that “The Captain,” Roger Penske’s Racing Team captured the Pole, his record 16th by this year’s race favourite Helio Castroneves, who seeks to join the very elite company of only three other Drivers to ever win the race four times, Penske’s cars also claimed the second and fourth starting spots with Will Power and Ryan Briscoe respectively and narrowly missed out on another Front row sweep.

Target Chip Ganassi Racing: Chip Ganassi’s red rockets spoiled Roger Penske’s Front Row sweep when Dario Franchitti snatched the Row 1’s outside third place in the final moments of Saturday qualifying, while teammate Scott Dixon rolls off in sixth place, with both Drivers being former race winners.

FAZZT Race Team: This is the Cinderella Team for the Month of May, as Alex Tagliani was impressive all week prior to Pole Day Qualifying, being the Big 3 “Giant Killer” with a great fifth place qualifying effort, while the Team’s added second car entry driven by Bruno Junqueira was simply amazing after having only six practice laps before qualifying a stout 25th and fastest on Sunday.

Rahal-Letterman Racing: 1986 Indy 500 winner father Bobby Rahal and son Graham unite in a “One-Off” effort that sees Graham garner the Kardashian’s a start from the inside of Row 3 in seventh place.

Panther Racing: Ed Carpenter in an “Indy Only” effort for Panther in conjunction with Vision Racing makes his best start ever from eighth place, while the Team’s primary Driver Dan Wheldon will start in 18th.

Newman Haas: Fielding a single car entry, Japanese Driver Hideki Mutoh will start in ninth place.

Sam Schmidt/Chip Ganassi Racing: This pseudo Third Chip Ganassi ride in conjunction with Sam Schmidt saw “Indy Only” specialist Townsend Bell score a fine tenth place starting position.

Dryer & Reinbold Racing: DRR sports an impressive quartet of Drivers this May, with Justin Wilson the quickest of their four entries, as Wilson starts 11th, Mike Conway 15th, Tomas Scheckter 20th and Female Rookie Ana Beatriz 21st.

De Ferran Dragon Racing: The Team’s primary Driver Rafael Matos starts in 12th and its second car added for Oval Track Specialist Davey Hamilton will start in 14th.

KV Racing Technology: Shockingly, the Team’s biggest Name Driver Paul Tracy failed to qualify for the race, while Mario Moraes was the quickest of the squad’s remaining three entries and will start from 13th place, with E.J. Viso in 19th and Rookie Takuma Sato rolling off from the final Row in 31st.

Andretti Autosport: A pretty rough weekend for this Powerhouse Team as Team leader Tony Kanaan struggled mightily to make the show while crashing a Racecar on Saturday and Sunday, before scraping into the race in 32nd place. Thus Team Owner Michael Andretti’s son Marco was the quickest of the Team’s five entries and will start in 16th place, with teammates Ryan Hunter-Reay 17th, Danica Patrick 23rd and John Andretti in 28th.

HVM Racing: This Minnowesqe One Car Team continues impressing with Rookie Female sensation Simona de Silvestro who will make her inaugural Indy 500 from the inside of Row 8, starting 22nd and one position ahead of Danica Patrick.

Conquest Racing: Another great performance from Eric Bachelart’s Minnowesqe racing Team, as both of Conquest’s Rookie Driver’s made the cut, with Bertrand Baguette starting 24th and Mario Romancini in 27th.

Dale Coyne Racing: This perpetually underfunded Minnowesqe Squad was unable to get the league’s “Fifth-wheel” (Female) Milka Duno into the race, as the Venezuelan Driver who’s qualified the past three running’s was simply off the pace this May. Yet the Team’s second Driver Alex Lloyd will make his third Indy 500 by clinching the 26th Grid slot.

Sarah Fisher Racing:
While Team Boss Sarah Fisher made her way into her ninth Indy 500 race, unfortunately teammate Jay Howard failed to make the race for the second year in-a-row when the Team elected to withdraw his car at the final moment, as Howard became the last competitor on track attempting to qualify but was unsuccessful, while Fisher will start 29th.

A.J. Foyt Enterprises: Upon Grandson A.J. Foyt IV complaining that his Racecar wasn’t any good, ‘Ol Super Tex, a.k.a. A.J. Foyt II (Foyt Sr.) replaced him with Jacques Laizier who failed to qualify for the race. Thus Foyt’s primary Driver Vitor Meira will be the Team’s lone racer in this year’s 500 starting in 30th place.

Bryan Herta Autosport: Inaugural Indy 500 Team Owner Bryan Herta’s Minnowesqe Racing Team incredulously makes its way into the show after having been bumped out twice in the final hour of qualifying, as Rookie Driver Sebastian Saavedra crashed their lone Indy Racing Car with just over one hour remaining, before learning while at Methodist Hospital that he’d made the show in the 33rd and final slot upon the Grid.

You can watch the race this Sunday on ABC at 10AM Pacific…