2010 Indianapolis 500 Tweet By Tweet By Half

Alex Tagliani as he is lined up in front of the famous infield Pagoda structure at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2010)

2010 Indianapolis 500 Tweet By Tweet By Half

We join Twitter and the postings at 140 or less characters to tell the story of the 2010 Indianapolis 500 at the halfway point. The race action at the beginning was just too fast and furious to drop in and set a spell with Twitter until LAP 112 where we pick up the action. There was an accident on the first lap involving Davey Hamilton, the oldest driver to make the show at 47 years old. Davey felt that Tomas Scheckter caused the spin by being where he shouldn't have been at the start of the race ... coming out of the fourth corner.

IndyCarPR Lap 112: GREEN. Scheckter leads the field into Turn 1. Sato is issued a 15 second stop and hold penalty for entering the closed pit.

toomuchracing Restart, and Dario retakes the lead. Kanaan up to 3rd over Helio

CrashGladys And 3rd again... Lovin' me some TK! Now freakin' P2!!!! #indy500

IndyTalk #11 Kanaan passes Franchitti for second #indy500

IndyCarNation Lead change Lap 114: #10 Franchitti makes pass of Scheckter entering Turn 1. Kanaan makes pass for seconds. Crowd goes crazy.

500coverage 3:03 - Tony Kanaan is now in 2nd place after starting 33rd.

indy44 These restarts are excellent! #Indy500

kvracing Back to Green Flag racing, Viso moves up another spot to 16th. Lap 114

IndyCarNation Will Power reports he has lost the Honda Overtake Assist on the #12

500coverage 3:04 - Don't look now, but Danica Patrick is up to 12th. #indy500

toomuchracing RT @99forever: Sato gets a 15-sec penalty for striking pit personnel. #Indy500

IndyRacingNut Scheckter hasn't used a single Push to Pass yet...this is good for Tomas. :)

Marco26Web Marco has used more Push-to-pass than anyone else but the #26 is dialled! Now P4 and still pushing.

IndyTalk Fisher's car now being pushed toward Gasoline Alley #indy500

Newman_Haas We are done for the day. Hope you enjoy the rest of the race. May the best man or woman win!

VisionRacing Fuzzy's crew disappointed w/ situation, but not giving up. Lots of racing left! http://flic.kr/p/86bNFV

indy44 I get real nervous when Tomas and Marco run near each other. #Indy500

CRASH - Ryan Briscoe slams wall in turn #4 - speculation is cold tires after pit stop!

IndyRacingNut @Pinkgineer If you try showing people calculator tricks and no one is impressed....you might be a math geek. LOL

Pinkgineer Totally! I got my Dad interested haha RT @99forever: @Pinkgineer That means new people are paying attention. Great news. :)

Marco26Web Green flag pit stops shaking out, and Marco would have re-started P2. But we're back to yellow as Briscoe wrecks out.

indy44 This next restart is going to be insane. Hold on to your hats! #Indy500

VisionRacing Callusing the thumbs for your tweeting pleasure; it's Pat! http://flic.kr/p/86fdr9

penskeracing With 50 laps remaining, Will Power runs ninth and Helio Castroneves 15th

VisionRacing Indy 500 Firehawks! RT @FirestoneRacing: RT @VisionRacing: Tires. Full Fuel. Front wing. GO get em Ed. #Indy500 // what kind of tires?? ;)

IndyCarPR 50 laps to go: Leaders under yellow are: 10, 26, 11, 23, 99, 37, 4, 9, 12, 24

This race now becomes a sprint to the finish with only one Green Flag stop left!

Restart - GREEN, GREEN, GREEN - 45 LAPS to go - Everyone hits Push-To-Pass!

Kanaan passes to take P2

F1B_Indi Officially the hottest race in the history of ever. Miami would be a cooldown.

Ryan Hunter-Reay passes to take over P6 - Townsend Bell gets a Black Flag for Blocking ... gets a drive through penalty.

IndyCarPR The Block party continues.... Next invitee, @townsendbell for a block on @ryanhunterreay Drivetrhough

16AndGeorgetown Saavedra into wall - Lap 161

99forever Saavedra tags the wall. #Indy500

Yellow Flag - 11th car out of race - 22 cars are still running. Andretti Autosport has all cars in the top 10.

SpeedJournal (ThatsRacin) Aussie aces aim to end Helio's reign in the 500 http://bit.ly/b6BqLv #autoracing

indy44 I don't think I've seen a race with so many black flags. Nicholson must have got Barnhart all pumped up. #FlagAction

37 LAPS remaining/165 run and two cars stay out to gain position - Mike Conway and Justin Wilson of DRR.

IndyCarPR Lap 163: Leaders to pit road. 4 cars stayed out, including 24 Conway, who is the new leader of the Indianapolis 500. It is his first lap led

Restart - GREEN, GREEN, GREEN - 34 LAPS to go! Conway gets swept up.

IndyCarPR @justinwilson22 @h3lio and @grahamrahal also stayed out. #indy500

99forever Mike Conway leads a lap at the #Indy500 for the first time. He seems so meek.. wonder how his continence is holding up. :)

RacingNation @DreyerReinbold running one-wo with 30 laps to go. Mike Conway leads Justin Wilson. However a lot can happen.

Conway, Wilson Castroneves, Rahal, and Frachitti round out the top five - this could become an unpredictable win for three of the top five drivers!

RacingNation Methinks Helio trying to save fuel by running behind Conway & Wilson-just biding his time. Needs yellow perhaps two to make it per Cindric

toomuchracing Conway pits from the lead. Leader is now Wilson. 22 to go

RacingNation 19 cars on the lead lap with Justin Wilson now leading, 22 laps to go #Helio #Indy500 #needyellowstomakeit.

500coverage 4:03 - Justin Wilson has gone 28 laps since pitting. Castroneves in 2nd has been out for 24. Rahal in 3rd out for 25. They need a yellow.

500coverage 4:04 - 180 laps, 450 miles. Top 10 Wilson, Castroneves, Rahal, Franchitti, Kanaan, M Andretti, Wheldon, Scheckter, Dixon, Hunter-Reay.

ConquestRacing 20 laps to go. Romancini highest ranked rookie at the moment in 17th position and Baguette has moved up to 22nd! http://bit.ly/c6nSrG

indy44 Race is in Dario's hands. Don't think TK can catch him. All bets are off on a yellow. #Indy500

BeccyGordon Dixon slowed drastically.... Saving fuel????

IndyRacingNut It looks like Helio has this race. He's set himself up perfectly.

99forever This is shaping up to be a very interesting finish indeed. #Indy500

99forever I don't want it to be over... :( #Indy500

IndyTalk #3 Castroneves is new leader and has yet to pit. Franchitti P2 #indy500

Castroneves IN THE PITS for fuel.

500coverage 4:12 - The best car all day, Dario Franchitti is now back in the lead with 8 laps to go in the #indy500. Tony Kanaan in 2nd.

indy44 Does Dario have enough fuel, this is going down to the wire. GO TK!!!!!!!!!! #Indy500

Kanaan IN THE PITS for fuel from 33rd to 22nd ... and now fuel.

FIVE miles to go!!!!

Whie Flag - Last Lap and there is a crash - Yellow Flag -Ryan Hunter-Reay and Mike Conway UPSIDEDOWN and without anything left but the driver safetypod.

maxpapis Dario Dario Dario soooo happy for u justice is made again

autoracingnews Wheldon 2nd, Lloyd 3rd, Dixon 4th, Patrick 5th. #indycar

500coverage 4:20 - Congratulations to Dario Franchitti. But the focus now is for Mike Conway, who had by far the day's most serious crash.

IndyCarNation MIke Conway is awake, alert and is being taken to Methodist Hospital with an orthopedic leg injury.

toomuchracing RT @johndagys: Danica: "At the end of the day, it's the race that matters. And we got a top-5." #Indy500

toomuchracing RT @shagers: Marco is on IMS Radio saying that he finished THIRD, and got passed under yellow at the end.... Stay tuned.

RacingNation Chip wins Daytona with McMurray, Indy with #DarioFranchitti, can he win tonight with Montoya or McMurray?

Left to Right - Patron/Highcroft Racing drivers Marino Franchitti, Simon Pagenaud, and David Brabham. Marino drove the last stint of the race and won at seven laps over the next closest competitor. Photo taken at the driver meet-up with AARWBA members in the Mazda suite at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca May 21, 2010. Image credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

After seeing Marino Franchitti, Dario's younger brother, win his ALMS race with co-drivers Simon Pagenaud and David Brabham ... it was great to see Dario Franchitti win this very next week at INDY. Everyone thought a father/son pairing might be the family story of the week ... and it would come from either the Rahal, or Andretti family, but it is the Franchitti family who are the Kings of Motorsport for the month of May 2010.

14 lead changes and a bunch of negative action that cost many a shot at the race in the pits - Target Chip Ganassi and Dario Franchitti never "got a wheel wrong" and comes up with his second Indy 500 win while saving fuel under a final lap Yellow Flag full-course caution!

UPDATE: Marco Andretti restored to P3!

This excerpted and edited from AutoSport.Com -

Marco Andretti has been restored to third place in the Indianapolis 500 after the race organisers reviewed footage of the moments after the final full course caution was called.

The Andretti Autosport driver was originally credited with sixth on the timing screens, but was adamant that Alex Lloyd, Scott Dixon and Danica Patrick had all passed him after the yellow flags came out for Mike Conway and Ryan Hunter-Reay's violent tangle.

The officials reassessed the finishing order, and just over two hours after the race, a final result was issued with Andretti back up to third place, and Dale Coyne Racing's Lloyd fourth ahead of Dixon (Ganassi) and Patrick (Andretti).
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The results were also altered further down the field, with top rookies Simona de Silvestro and Mario Romancini swapping positions in 13th and 14th - making Conquest's Brazilian driver rather than HVM's de Silvestro the highest placed rookie in the results.

How The 2010 Field Of 33 Fared
(** indicates ChampCar transition association - Driver/Team)

1
Dario Franchitti
Target Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 10 C/E/T D/H/F Start 3 Laps 200 Total Time 03:05:37.0131 Laps Led 155 Status Running Points 64

2
Dan Wheldon
Panther Racing
No. 4 C/E/T D/H/F Start 18 Laps 200 Total Time 03:05:37.1667 Laps Led 0 Status Running Points 44

3
Marco Andretti
Andretti Autosport
No. 26 C/E/T D/H/F Start 16 Laps 200 Total Time 03:05:58.0006 Laps Led 1 Status Running Points 39

4
Alex Lloyd
Dale Coyne Racing **
No. 19 C/E/T D/H/F Start 26 Laps 200 Total Time 03:05:58.0007 Laps Led 0 Status Running Points 35

5
Scott Dixon
Target Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 9 C/E/T D/H/F Start 6 Laps 200 Total Time 03:05:58.5053 Laps Led 0 Status Running Points 39

6
Danica Patrick
Andretti Autosport
No. 7 C/E/T D/H/F Start 23 Laps 200 Total Time 03:05:58.7691 Laps Led 0 Status Running Points 32

7
Justin Wilson **
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
No. 22 C/E/T D/H/F Start 11 Laps 200 Total Time 03:06:02.9892 Laps Led 11 Status Running Points 30

8
Will Power **
Team Penske
No. 12 C/E/T D/H/F Start 2 Laps 200 Total Time 03:06:07.2605 Laps Led 5 Status Running Points 37

9
Helio Castroneves
Team Penske
No. 3 C/E/T D/H/F Start 1 Laps 200 Total Time 03:06:10.0268 Laps Led 3 Status Running Points 37

10
Alex Tagliani **
FAZZT Race Team
No. 77 C/E/T D/H/F Start 5 Laps 200 Total Time 03:06:11.2613 Laps Led 0 Status Running Points 30

11
Tony Kanaan
Andretti Autosport
No. 11 C/E/T D/H/F Start 33 Laps 200 Total Time 03:06:36.6088 Laps Led 0 Status Running Points 22

12
Graham Rahal **
Rahal Letterman Racing
No. 30 C/E/T D/H/F Start 7 Laps 200 Total Time 03:06:36.9870 Laps Led 0 Status Running Points 26

13
Mario Romancini
Conquest Racing **
No. 34 C/E/T D/H/F Start 27 Laps 200 Total Time 03:06:38.6875 Laps Led 0 Status Running Points 20

14
Simona De Silvestro **
Team Stargate Worlds/HVM **
No. 78 C/E/T D/H/F Start 22 Laps 200 Total Time 03:06:38.6876 Laps Led 0 Status Running Points 20

15
Tomas Scheckter
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
No. 23 C/E/T D/H/F Start 20 Laps 199 Total Time 03:05:38.7686 Laps Led 5 Status Running Points 19

16
Townsend Bell **
Sam Schmidt/Ganassi Racing
No. 99 C/E/T D/H/F Start 10 Laps 199 Total Time 03:06:11.8268 Laps Led 0 Status Running Points 18

17
Ed Carpenter
Panther Racing
No. 20 C/E/T D/H/F Start 8 Laps 199 Total Time 03:06:38.5137 Laps Led 0 Status Running Points 20

18
Ryan Hunter-Reay **
Andretti Autosport
No. 37 C/E/T D/H/F Start 17 Laps 198 Total Time 03:03:59.4537 Laps Led 0 Status Contact Points 16

19
Mike Conway
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
No. 24 C/E/T D/H/F Start 15 Laps 198 Total Time 03:03:59.7754 Laps Led 15 Status Contact Points 16

20
Takuma Sato
KV Racing Technology **
No. 5 C/E/T D/H/F Start 31 Laps 198 Total Time 03:06:14.4668 Laps Led 0 Status Running Points 15

21
Ana Beatriz
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
No. 25 C/E/T D/H/F Start 21 Laps 196 Total Time 03:03:59.7737 Laps Led 0 Status Running Points 16

22
Bertrand Baguette
Conquest Racing **
No. 36 C/E/T D/H/F Start 24 Laps 183 Total Time 03:05:50.9723 Laps Led 0 Status Running Points 16

23
Sebastian Saavedra
Bryan Herta Autosport
No. 29 C/E/T D/H/F Start 32 Laps 159 Total Time 02:32:32.5892 Laps Led 0 Status Contact Points 15

24
Ryan Briscoe
Team Penske
No. 6 C/E/T D/H/F Start 4 Laps 147 Total Time 02:13:47.7317 Laps Led 5 Status Contact Points 23

25
E.J. Viso **
KV Racing Technology **
No. 8 C/E/T D/H/F Start 19 Laps 139 Total Time 02:13:28.9454 Laps Led 0 Status Handling Points 14

26
Sarah Fisher
Sarah Fisher Racing
No. 67 C/E/T D/H/F Start 29 Laps 125 Total Time 02:03:57.1651 Laps Led 0 Status Handling Points 13

27
Vitor Meira
A.J. Foyt Enterprises
No. 14 C/E/T D/H/F Start 30 Laps 105 Total Time 01:46:16.3889 Laps Led 0 Status Contact Points 13

28
Hideki Mutoh
Newman/Haas Racing **
No. 06 C/E/T D/H/F Start 9 Laps 76 Total Time 01:30:16.6932 Laps Led 0 Status Handling Points 16

29
Raphael Matos **
de Ferran Dragon Racing
No. 2 C/E/T D/H/F Start 12 Laps 72 Total Time 01:08:35.6525 Laps Led 0 Status Contact Points 14

30
John Andretti
Richard Petty/Andretti Autosport
No. 43 C/E/T D/H/F Start 28 Laps 62 Total Time 00:55:05.9418 Laps Led 0 Status Contact Points 13

31
Mario Moraes **
KV Racing Technology **
No. 32 C/E/T D/H/F Start 13 Laps 17 Total Time 00:20:36.2718 Laps Led 0 Status Contact Points 14

32
Bruno Junqueira **
FAZZT Race Team
No. 33 C/E/T D/H/F Start 25 Laps 7 Total Time 00:09:22.6660 Laps Led 0 Status Contact Points 13

33
Davey Hamilton
de Ferran Dragon Racing
No. 21 C/E/T D/H/F Start 14 Laps 0 Total Time 00:00:02.2573 Laps Led 0 Status Contact Points 14

... notes from The EDJE