Shaker Heights native Roger Penske's race team has had a rough day as pole-sitter Helio Castroneves has failed to lead one lap, along with other concerns for both he and his teammates.
Dario Franchitti, of Scotland, makes a pit stop Sunday during the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis. He later won for the second time at Indianapolis. Race Running at the Indianapolis 500
Dario Franchitti won his second Indianapolis 500. Racing with a drizzle of gas at the end, and avoiding 10 cautions, including a shrapnel splintering mishap by Mike Conway on lap 199.
Lap 188 -- Unknown Mike Conway, who qualified 15th, played the fuel strategy game along with several others late in the race to take the lead at the Indianapolis 500. Avoiding a pit stop after the eighth caution of the day Conway, Justin Wilson, Helio Castroneves and Graham Rahal all decided not to pit, and inherited the top four spots on the grid.
The question was could more cautions help keep him top the front. It didn't as he pit on lap 177 giving the lead to Wilson making it the first time for both as leaders at the Indianapolis 500. With 12 laps to go Wilson, Castroneves and Rahal were holding their positions with Dario Franchitti, the dominant racer all day, sitting behind them with a full tank and a heavy foot.
Lap 150 -- Not looking good for Shaker Heights native Roger Penske's race team. Lots of action as race favorite Helio Castroneves stalled in the pits on lap 145 giving the three-car Roger Penske team two major faux pas on race day that first cost Will Power with a hose nozzle stuck on exit from the pits. Power then hit the wall on lap 147 to bring out the seventh yellow flag of the race.
Castroneves is back in 15th slot when Power's caution comes out, just behind Graham Rahal. Power is just a few spots ahead in ninth. At the front of the pack Andretti Autosports looks to having a bit of redemption after struggling all month. Behind race leader Dario Franchitti sits a pair of Andretti cars; Marco Andretti in second place and hard-charging Tony Kanaan in third.
Lap 130 -- The story is Tony Kanaan, the hard-luck Brazilian who started the race last, has charged to the front just after the midway point and is now sitting second, on the rear wheels of race-leader Dario Franchitti. Surprising Tomas Scheckter, who drew the wrath of Davey Hamilton for causing Hamilton's first-lap crash, is third followed by pole-sitter Helio Castroneves.
Graham Rahal has had a rugged race, including a black flag penalty that knocked him to the back of the field, but still on the lead lap at 18th. Danica Patrick, after a very cautious first half of the race, improved to as high as 12th at one point. Track conditions are starting to come into play as the track surface is a sizzling 130-degrees with the temperature resting a 94-degrees. Despite the six cautions, only eight cars are out of the race.
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Lap 100 -- Halfway home, and the race is official, but not before Graham Rahal is given a black flag for blocking and his drive-through penalty on lap 81. That drops the suburban Columbus, O. driver from 11th back to 24th, the last driver on the lead lap.
At the front it is still a three-horse race as Dario Franchitti, Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe are 1-2-3. Franchitti, the 2007 winner, led the first 85 laps of the race. ... Sixth yellow on lap 105, but it's a break for Rahal who was entering the pits just as Vitor Meira hits the wall and brings out the caution. When the pits re-open he should pick up several spots closer to the leaders.
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Race running at the Indianapolis 500
Lap 60 -- Dario Franchitti has better than 3.9-second lead over Helio Castroneves in second place .... Will Power drops all the way back to the pack, resting 24th on lap 62 following his black flag ... Tony Kanaan has settled in, holding 12th place on lap lap 63, Graham Rahal, after pitting, is back in 16th ... fourth caution on lap 64 as John Andretti hits the wall .... up front it's Franchitti, Castroneves, Rapahel Matos, Ryan Briscoe and Ed Carpenter ... Danica Patrick, who has struggled all month is back in the pack at 17th.
Yellow pit stops on lap 67 ... Matos spins in the pits as left rear tire comes off and stalls ... Scott Dixon also stalls exiting his pit stall as his left front tire comes off ... leaders after pit stop are Franchitti, Castroneves, Briscoe, Tony Kanaan and Carpenter. Kanaan picks up eight spots in the pits and is now a serious threat to win from last place.
Green again on lap 72 -- Moments after the green Matos is into the wall bringing out a fifth caution on lap 73.
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Dario Franchitti takes the lead on the first lap over Helio Castroneves ...
First caution on the first lap with Davey Hamilton going into the wall in turn two. He had no kind words for driver Tomas Scheckter who he felt caused the mishap, dropping words like "idiot" and "knucklehead" after being released from the infield medical center.
At the back, Tony Kanaan who started 33rd on the grid, had already picked up eight spots in half a lap.
Restart on Lap 5 ... Bruno Junqueira brings out second yellow on lap 8. Kanaan now up to 19th.
Restart on lap 14 and Kanaan remains on the move by lap 24 he is halfway through the field at 16th. Up front it is a three-car chase with Franchitti holding the lead, Will Power second and Helio Castroneves third.
First round of hot-lap pitstops on lap 29, leaders stay out and Wil Power slips past Franchitti to take the lead on lap 31.
Kanaan up to 11th on Lap 35 ...
Leaders in the pits on lap 37 all out clean.
Third caution on lap 39, black flag for Will Power, Franchitti back in the lead, Graham Rahal, who is yet to pit, is currently second.
1:15-Yes folks, Jim Nabors once again was the voice of 'Back home again in Indiana" as blue, purple and white balloons rose from behind the grandstands. Jack Nicholson was in the flag stand, wearing a Los Angeles Lakers hat, to wave the flag to start the race. All 33 cars made the start, behind ABC's Robin Roberts in the pace car.
Roberts is familiar with speed, since her father was a Tuskegee Airman in World War II.
The start of the race was clean, but the oldest driver in the field, Davey Hamilton, 46, ended his day going into the wall in turn two, bringing out the first yellow flag of the day.
11:55 a.m.
They're rolling the cars out to the start/finish line for the 1 p.m. start for the Indianapolis 500. The grandstands are filling up and those who can get on the grid with the cars for their final photos are crowding around just about anyone in either a drivers suit or wearing long hair and spandex.
Absolutely no threat of rain this morning, although a 'pop-up' shower can't be ruled out this afternoon. Consensus in the media center actually favors Dario Franchitti to win todays race over favorite Helio Castroneves.
Speaking of favorites, Danica Patrick is certainly the favorite for the cameramen, and the favorite for those looking for pit-side drama and unscripted post-race quotes. But contrary to the 'most popular driver in the IRL' that the electronic media casually proclaims, that title belongs to someone else, and has for several seasons.
In a vote by IRL fans, not even Helio Castroneves sits on top. For race fans, 'the most popular driver in the IRL' is actually Sarah Fisher who has race at Indy eight previous times prior to this season, but has never finished higher than 17th, last season.
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Helio Castroneves8:41 a.m. Greetings from the Indianapolis 500 where the sky is clear blue for miles, the humidity is bearable and the temperature has yet to start rising. Burning charcoal is already so thick it burns the nose. And walking through the infield, the site of gravy over the top of eggs obviously says 'good morning' to somebody.
The 1 p.m. race doesn't start for hours, but the traditional pagentry has already started including the parades, the bagpipes and the bikinis. Traffic, seven hours before the race, was already thick and backed up at every entrance. Pedestrians pulling coolers, pushing strollers and carrying everything from a six-pack to each other also lined the streets.
NFL Hall of Famer and former Cleveland Brown Ozzie Newsome is in town to see his first Indy 500 and said, "I've never seen anything like this.''
On the track Helio Castroneves remains the favorite to win his fourth Indianapolis 500.
More to come ....