As today is Carb Day, it is a good time to look ahead to the Indianapolis 500. Today is last day for on-track action for the IndyCar teams before race day and their last chance to work on any final setups. Lots to do at the track but here are some points to look forward to for race day.
Can Chevrolet Stay Dominant?
They have won the first four races and wiped Honda in qualifying. The Chevrolet engine has also proved to get better mileage than the Hondas and that was well illustrated at Long Beach with Will Power beating Takuma Sato and Simon Pagenaud. The past two years, Indianapolis has came down to full mileage and it looks that if comes down to a fuel derby, Chevrolet will have the upper hand.
Andretti vs. Penske
These two teams seem to be the favorites and the battle between them will be an interesting one. The three full-time Andretti cars ended up 2nd (Hinchcliffe), 3rd (Hunter-Reay) and 4th (Andretti), while Penske took the pole with Briscoe and both Will Power and Helio Castroneves made the Fast Nine and will start 5th and 6th respectively. Not to forget the two Andretti one-offs of Ana Beatriz, starting 13th and Sebastian Saavedra who was the last driver to lock himself in on Pole Day and will start from the 24th position.
Who is Honda's Best Bet?
The Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing team has beaten Ganassi all month long with Josef Newgarden and Bryan Clauson has had a very good month other than his Pole Day accident. Can Newgarden as a rookie lead the Honda charge for a victory? Rahal and Kimball have had good months but Dixon and Franchitti have to be disappointed with their 15th and 16th starting positions. Could the defending champions, Bryan Herta Autosport be the lead Honda team? Alex Tagliani was the second fastest Honda and will start 11th ahead of Rahal who will start 12th.
Can Hildebrand Make The Ultimate Comeback?
The buzz has been around JR Hildebrand a little bit this month. He has an article by Lars Anderson in the most recent Sports Illustrated focused on him and he was on Sportscenter talking about the race. Everyone has praised Hildebrand on how he has handled last year's race the questions that come with it. Hildebrand has showed pace at the first four races and starts 18th. Panther Racing has had four consecutive second place finishes in the Indianapolis 500. They are ready for a win.
Dan Wheldon
I can not go out without mentioning the 2005 and 2011 Indianapolis 500 winner. It is sad that he is no longer with us but Wheldon loved Indianapolis. We should celebrate the Speedway as Wheldon celebrated it. We should love the Speedway as Wheldon loved the Speedway. While he is gone we will always have the great memories of Dan. My prayers are still with his wife Susie, his two boys Sebastian and Oliver, and the rest of his family. We miss you Dan.
Predictions
Normally I make a prediciton of who I think will win. But I won't do that. I can not pick one because in all honesty I personally would like to see one of eighteen drivers win. There can only be one though. Here is what I will say; we will see a great pre-race ceremony, even though Jim Nabors is in Hawai'i, "Back Home Again in Indiana" will still be great, Taps will give many chills, we will see a true flying-start of 11 rows of 3, the race will be exciting and whoever wins will be celebrated by the fans and he or she will have drink of milk.
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