Indy Report Card: Who’s Hot, and Who’s Not…

SPEEDWAY, IN: With yet another dismal weather forecast on tap for the final day of practice before Saturday’s Indy 500 time trials begin, this might be a good time to review how this week’s rather damp search for speed has gone.

TOP SPEED OF THE MONTH: Defending winner Helio Castroneves: 227.046 MPH. (Helio had a massive “tow” on his hot lap but…what the heck…it’s nice to be on top…especially when your boss is Roger Penske).

BEST SPEED WITHOUT A “TOW”: Probably Ryan Briscoe, who was observed running a simulated qualification run on Thursday alone on the Speedway. If Briscoe’s speeds in the high 225 MPH bracket are any indication, this years Pole speed should be a mile an hour or so better than last year.

MOST SURPRISING FAST GUYS: Sneaky-quick Paul Tracy, as well as Newman-Hass chauffeur Hideki Mutoh and Canadian leadfoot Alex Tagliani. These three have a real shot at making a run for the front row on Pole Day.

BEST FEEL-GOOD STORY: Davey Hamilton, making the most of his opportunity with de Ferran Dragon Racing, Davey has enjoyed a very productive Month of May so far, turning consistent laps in the 225 MPH range. Hamilton could write one of the biggest comeback story’s in Indy history if he hits the jackpot on Race Day.

SECOND BEST FEEL-GOOD STORY: John Andretti. Aldo’s son finally has a hot car provided by his cousin’s Andretti Autosport superteam, and has had a great week so far. Hopefully, John can become a full-time Indy Car driver again…

FASTEST AMERICAN: Marco Andretti, whose lap of 226.106 MPH puts him eighth on the speed chart for the week. Ahead of him are two Brazilians, and one each from New Zealand, Scotland, Canada and Japan. After all, it IS an international race, right?

FASTEST ROOKIE: Takuma Sato, driving a KV Racing Dallara that’s trying to look like a Lotus; Sato’ lap of 225.047 MPH places him 17th on the chart. So far, so good for the F-1 veteran.

FASTEST LADY DRIVER: Rookie Simona De Silvestro of Switzerland, looking good with a lap of 224.838 MPH. Although still relatively unknown, many insiders feel that this Swiss Miss may just be the best female racer of the current era. This lead-footed lady is not afraid to mix it up.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE WEEK: Danica Patrick. See above…

BEST LONG SHOT PICK: Alex Tagliani. Very impressive. Very smooth. A first year team usually doesn’t look this good. Better keep an eye on these guys…

Here is a link to the top speeds of the entire week of practice thru Thursday:

http://www.indyracingleague.com/var/assets/indycar-results-pcomb.pdf

As noted earlier, the weather forecast for Fast Friday is quite depressing, but Pole/Bump Weekend is looking good at this point. We’ll be keeping and eye on the sky. Stay tuned…

IZOD Indy Car Media Services contributed to this article.

RacingNation Crew

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