Sean Rayhall Sets His Own Winning Legacy At Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

Image Credit: Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda

Sean Rayhall Sets His Own Winning Legacy At Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

If one is a race fan and the sound of this last name sounds familiar, it's because this sound ... Rayhall/Rahal/etc., no matter how it's spelled, is the sound of winning.

Image Credit: Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda

This sound has an additional historic significance at one of California's racing treasures, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (MRLS). Bobby Rahal had won more races at MRLS as a ChampCar driver, then team owner, and ALMS sports car team owner (all combined) than anyone else in the history of the storied race track, and since September, 2003 his name is linked to the facility in perpetuity. The challenging section of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca from the exit of Turn 6 up the hill and through the Turn 7 kink to the entrance of the Corkscrew was named the "Rahal Straight," honoring one of the true greats of this historic venue.

Image Credit: Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda

Last weekend had this familiar sound winning yet again, but this sound is not spelled like the name of the back uphill straight at MRLS. Sean Rayhall shares much of the same DNA from Lebanon as the other, more famous Rahal sounding/spelling family, but much more importantly, shares the ways of winning domination at MRLS. First, by posting a P1 in qualifications for the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda two race weekend. Then, by winning both Friday's Round 3 and Saturday's Round 4 of this 2013 Mazda ladder series season.

Image Credit: Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda

"Qualifications went really well - for the Comprent Motor Sports Machine," Sean Rayhall said. "The Robert Talbott No. 14 got the pole for both races so we are really excited about that.  Me and Mike (Brandon - engineer) worked really hard these past few nights to get the perfect set up and we made a lot of changes. But it ended up being the right way to go!"

At the end of Round 4 on Saturday when asked about the weekend, the 18-year-old Sean Rayhall said, "We had a little competition on the start of the race I guess but I am really happy to come away with Robert Talbott winning both these races. This is an awesome event and it's awesome to be here at Laguna with everyone and to come away with two poles and two wins for Robert Talbott, Comprent Motor Sports and Racing Radios. I really have to thank everyone behind me in my program for giving me a chance to do this."
(ht: prototypelites.com)

Image Credit: Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda

When pressed about the competition at the start of Round 4, Sean shared, "Me and Ryan Booth had some hard side to side racing [at the start] in the second race. Even a bit of contact going into [turn] two between us, but after that it was clear sailing!"

In a post race question laden conversation with Sean Rayhall, it was discovered that this winning attitude at MRLS was developed quite recently, in that Sean first drove this track "a month ago in a SCCA event actually driving a spec racer. We broke the track record by a second and had a ton of fun learning the track with 3 wins."

What age did you discover that you wished to become a race car driver and what was your first venture in driving competitively (Karts? Sports cars?)?

"I started karts at 7 and wanted to be a race car driver since then. Moved to cars at 12 where I broke the record for youngest driver to win an open wheel race in the states."

Besides the infamous Corkscrew ... what other section of the track do you find challenging? And, Why?

"At Mazda Raceway besides the Corkscrew ... turn 6 [going into the "Rahal Straight" section] and turn 9 ["Rainey Curve"] are interesting turns because of the high speed and elevation changes involved which take a fine setup to handle correctly in those areas."

Image Credit: Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda

After Rounds 3 and 4 of the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda, it now can be said of this young, new Rayhall on the motorsports racing scene, the Rahal that has a winning legacy connection with Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca isn't just named Bobby ... or Graham (found a P3 finish in Star Mazda 2005 - ?) ... but also Sean with the last name sounding the same but spelled Rayhall!

With continued dominate success, they may have to name the currently unnamed Turn 6, going into the "Rahal Straight", "Rayhall Curve" ... Y? what the L! (the two missing letters from the name of the next section), just a thought.

... notes from The EDJE


Featured Article >>>

**Article first posted as Sean Rayhall Sets His Own Winning Legacy At Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca at Motorsports Unplugged** 

** Republished as "RACING: Rayhall sets own winning legacy" at the Douglas County Sentinel, Douglasville, GA **

2010 Japan 300 -Tweeting Twin Ring Motegi

The drivers of the IZOD IndyCar Seies pose for a group photograph before practice for the IndyCar Series Indy Japan 300 on September 18, 2010 at Twin Ring Motegi in Motegi, Japan. Image Credit: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

2010 Japan 300 -Tweeting Twin Ring Motegi

Qualifications for the IZOD IndyCar Series penultimate 2010 season race Japan 300 being held at Twin Ring Motegi, Tochigi, Japan finds the season points leader Will Power of Verizon Penske Racing in P3 along side Dario Franchitti of Target Chip Ganassi in P4, who at just 17 points behind, is looking to close the gap before the final race.

Tonight is time for Will Power to put-up or shut-up if he wishes to capture his first ever open-wheel championship in the IZOD IndyCar Series ... where as Dario Franchitti seeks his third championship in four years, second in a row, and is in his element on an oval track.

The reason it is time for Will Power to take command is that he will not find a better chance over these last two races on oval tracks to put distance between himself and Dario Franchitti because of two main factors:

1) Twin Ring Motegi is not a symmetrical track. The track is designed with a large corner at one end and a very tight corner at the other end which gives an edge to the driver that has the greater attention to detail - advantage Power ... the IZOD IndyCar Series inaugural 2010 Mario Andretti Road Course Trophy winner.

2) The front row is filled with Penske Racing teammates Helio Castroneves in P1 and Ryan Briscoe in P2. With a little creative team management during the course of the race aired on Versus 11:00 PM ET tonight.

Dario's challenge will be made a little more difficult in that he will start the race with three Andretti Autosport cars directly behind, all wanting a piece of this Japanese pie. Andretti Autosport's Marco Andretti, Tony Kanaan and Ryan Hunter-Reay are behind Franchitti, and E.J. Viso of KV Racing Technology recorded his best start on an oval this season in eighth. Panther Racing's Dan Wheldon will start ninth.

Scott Dixon, Dario's Target Chip Ganassi teammate will be starting nine positions behind at P11 and qualified over one-half a second behind at -.5320 of a second. It will be difficult for Dario to find any partners to run with whereas Will has a chance to be shepherded to a high finishing position before the final race to be held at the symmetrical style oval Homestead-Miami Raceway on October 2, 2010.

How they line up at Twin Ring Motegi:

Pos - Driver - Team - Speed
1. Helio Castroneves Penske 201.992mph
2. Ryan Briscoe Penske 201.594mph
3. Will Power Penske 201.463mph
4. Dario Franchitti Ganassi 200.964mph
5. Marco Andretti Andretti 200.187mph
6. Tony Kanaan Andretti 200.011mph
7. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti 199.623mph
8. EJ Viso KV 199.487mph
9. Dan Wheldon Panther 199.225mph
10. Takuma Sato KV 199.191mph
11. Scott Dixon Ganassi 199.020mph
12. Danica Patrick Andretti 198.935mph
13. Bertrand Baguette Conquest 198.794mph
14. Vitor Meira Foyt 197.950mph
15. Alex Lloyd Dale Coyne 197.556mph
16. Graham Rahal Newman/Haas 197.402mph
17. Hideki Mutoh Newman/Haas 197.361mph
18. Justin Wilson Dreyer & Reinbold 196.850mph
19. Raphael Matos De Ferran Dragon 193.813mph
20. Mario Moraes KV 196.460mph
21. Roger Yasukawa Conquest 196.296mph
22. Paul Tracy Dreyer & Reinbold 195.709mph
23. Alex Tagliani FAZZT 195.483mph
24. Simona de Silvestro HVM 193.561mph
25. Milka Duno Dale Coyne 192.527mph

Twin Ring Motegi (ツインリンクもてぎ, Tsuin Rinku Motegi?) is an automobile racing track located at Motegi, Japan. Its name comes from the fact that there are two race tracks at the facility: a 2.493-kilometer (1.549 mi) oval and a 4.8-kilometer (2.98 mi) road course. It was built in 1997 by Honda, as part of Honda's effort to bring the IndyCar Series to Japan, helping to increase their knowledge of American open-wheel racing. The oval course is the only one of its kind in Japan, and currently is only used once a year for racing. It is a low-banked, 1.549-mile-long egg-shaped course, with turns 3 and 4 being much tighter than turns 1 and 2. On March 28, 1998, CART held the inaugural race at Twin Ring Motegi Speedway. The race was won by Mexican driver Adrian Fernandez. CART continued racing at Twin Ring Motegi Speedway from 1998-2002. In 2003, Honda entered the Indy Racing League and the race became a part of the IRL schedule. In addition to IndyCar Racing, the track has also hosted a single NASCAR exhibition race in 1998. Honda, which had built the oval for the express purpose of developing its oval-racing program for Indycar Racing, did not win a race at the track for its first six years of operation. In 2004, Dan Wheldon took the first win for Honda on the oval. In 2008, the Motegi oval gained additional publicity when Danica Patrick became the first woman to win an Indy car race there. Caption & Image Credit: Wikipedia

2010 Japan 300 play by play via "tweet" by "tweet" -

IndyCarNation Race Control presented by iRacing.com will go live at 12:30PM local, 11:30PM ET with in-car cameras of: Sato, Mutoh, Patrick, and Kanaan

curtcavin @99forever You've got @kevinlee23 on your side. He switched midseason to Will for the title. I've stuck with Dario since Day 1.

99forever @curtcavin Fascinating -- Will has been my pick for the title since the day he signed with Penske. It'll be an interesting finish!

TheEDJE @99forever I'm with you - I've been a big fan since his early CCWS days, just something about him. Read This - http://tinyurl.com/2es9szr

99forever @TheEDJE Nice!

kvracing Driver Introductions has begun

FollowAndretti RT @FirestoneRacing So it's 84 degrees at #Motegi but it feels like 184. #hot #humid

indy44 Must record, best one in years RT @whatimthinking: oooh! Betty White episode of SNL! I'll leave that on in the background too keep me awake!

CrashGladys OK, hubby just kicked me 2 the other TV room, so #IndyCar HERE I COME! Holy ... LOVED the @tonykanaan piece. You, TK r just 2 cool 4 school.

prismsinc God bless you @TonyKanaan! Have a great time celebrating your son's birthday! #IZODindycar

Biaracing Ta todo mundo acordado? Is everybody awake? Já na band para a transmissão da Indy. At Band tv to Indy broadcast.

FirestoneRacing Sounded like "Pavarotti Sings Lee Greenwood" in #Motegi prerace ceremonies!

TheSpeedgeek @indy44 @SBPopOffValve Versus chat is absolutely out of control. No way to keep up. I'll be concentrating on Twitter.

TheEDJE @TheSpeedgeek There are quite a few looking in on Twitter - This will be good for a play by play via tweet by tweet live blog I do sometimes

SBPopOffValve No offense to VERSUS, but this is starting to feel like the longest pre-race show in recorded history.

Dale_Nixon @SBPopOffValve at least KV could be confident in booking several thousand lbs. less gear for the return leg of the trip #airfreightrebate

TheEDJE @Dale_Nixon Would this be in reference to the record number of wrecks and DNF's by KV team drivers? Nice!

RaceRemote In case you missed it - Randy Bernard - CEO of the #IndyCar Series interview on our SidePods Podcast http://snipr.com

SBPopOffValve ...and here's another of our EMOTICONIC chat images that seems appropriate: http://twitpic.com/2pupq3

IndyCarNation Laps away from green flag. Get ready.

The three Japanese drivers (left to right) Roger Yasukawa, Takuma Sato and Hideki Mutoh pose for a photo before practice for the IndyCar Series Indy Japan 300 on September 18, 2010 at Twin Ring Motegi in Motegi, Japan. Image Credit: Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

GREEN! GREEN! GREEN! - The Japan 300 is underway at Twin Ring Motegi (photo)

Hardly 2 laps in and Baguette comes out of turn #2 into the safer barrier (photo)

YELLOW Flag

FollowAndretti Green, followed by a yellow for Baguette. #izodindycar

kvracing Yellow Flag for Baguette. Viso is 11th, Sato 13th and Moraes moved from 20th to 16th

99forever Groan! Guys, the word baguette means more than just bread in French, you know. The toast jokes are getting old!

curtcavin First yawn: 12:05 a.m.

Dale_Nixon Another #IndyCar race in which #ParkMilka won't finish last; TGBB probation or pure genius?

TheEDJE The Tweeting Live Blog begins ion earnest! http://tinyurl.com/298ufjb

GREEN! GREEN! GREEN! - Restart - The Japan 300 is underway again on LAP 10

SBPopOffValve Looks like PT's crew might have fuel rig issues. Saw the fueler having an issue with the buckeye

IndyCarNation Alex Tagliani #77 has been sent to the back of the line after speeding on pit road by going 64.7mph

TheEDJE LAP 20 - Helio, Ryan, Dario, Marco, Tony, Will, Scott, Danica, Dan, and Ryan are TOP 10

shagers Will Power drives these ovals like Rick Mears. He's never up front early. We'll see if he finishes them like Mears... #indycar

99forever There's a really good reason for that. :) RT @shagers Will Power drives these ovals like Rick Mears.

prismsinc #Danica has moved from 12th to 8th in the first 30 laps

IndyCarNation Lap 32 of 200: 3, 6, 10, 26, 11, 12, 9, 7, 4, 37, 8, 14, 2, 5, 32, 19, 02, 77, 06, 24, 22, 18, 36, 78, 34 is the running order

TheSpeedgeek PT's up 3 spots since the yellow. Aaaaaannnnd another ad break. A very slow head shake here, Versus.

indy44 Helio up now by 2.4427

shagers Versus chat pole. 37% Dario, 29% Will. I assume the other 34% given @royhobbson is involved, have voted for O.J.Simpson, or something. :)

YELLOW, Flag LAP42 - Alex Lloyd slows

ajformulagirl WTF! Milka is in front of Simona!!! #IZODIndyCar

Every body dives in for a YELLOW Flag pitstop

curtcavin I hate full-field caution pit stops. I know too many crew guys

IndyCarNation [Photos] Lots of pit lane activity - IZOD IndyCar Series posted a photo: All the cars in. http://ow.ly/194dPk

IndyCarNation Throttle linkage is broken on the #19 car and will be fixed shortly to put Lloyd #19 back in the race

GREEN! GREEN! GREEN! - Restart - LAP 48

FirestoneRacing It's inched up to 85 degrees in #Motegi. Track temp 128. Ouch that's #hot! #IndyCar

TheEDJE At this point if Dario gains one position over Will he is running in the points lead

kvracing After 55 laps, Viso is 10th, Sato 14th & Moraes 17th.

TheSpeedgeek Milka is changing lines on the straights to hold off Taku. Who is in 14th. Huh?

TheEDJE Alex Lloyd re-enters race 14 laps down

IndyCarNation Lap 60/200: Castroneves leads Briscoe by 1.3800 seconds then Franchitti, Kanaan, Andretti, Patrick, Dixon, Wheldon, Power, Viso are top 10

chunter16 I wonder how much money Sato carried with him? There's no way that decal paid for his year. #IZODIndyCar

YELLOW Flag - KV Racing's Mario Moraes hits the wall with left front tire failure - car bottoms out LAP 68

Fieldof33 Congrats to KV Racing. As of lap 67, they have completely 201 combined laps, an entire race, without crashing.

shagers KV car, here we go, the race is official. #indycar

99forever There's your wrecked KV car. 68 laps in.. is that a record on the year?

99forever @Fieldof33 Seriously, I was JUST wondering where the hell you were. What a time and way to show up! LOL

Dan_Brunell Little known #Indycar fact: If KV racing wreaks another three chassis, Dallara will throw in a free set of streak knives.

prismsinc ALLRIGHT! @DanicaPatrick up to 5th position out of the pits with 70 laps in! #IZODindycar

IndyCarNation Matos #2 and Mutoh #06 did not pit during the caution to take the lead spots.

GREEN! GREEN! GREEN! - Restart - LAP 77 - Three Wide!!

TheEDJE Franchitti picks up 2 spots - Power getting passed by Andretti and Dixon

IndyCarNation Franchitti #10 up to 3rd place with Power #12 back in 9th place at lap 80 of 200

FollowAndretti We're back to green racing... on lap 82: Danica 6th, Tony 7th, Marco 6th, Ryan 15th.

Will Power is in P8 and Dario is in P4 on LAP 90

IndyCarNation Lap 90/200: Briscoe, Matos (off sequence), Castroneves, Franchitti, Mutoh (off sequence) are top 5

RaceDrive RT @DerekRoss: Need a Team Penske Program Guide ? LOL - End Fences | Helio = Red | Ryan = White | Power = Black

SBPopOffValve Well, Gold Leader had a shot at the exhaust port, but the TIE fighters just shot him down. Briscoe to the lead.

IndyCarNation Dario Franchitti #10 now in 5th place while Power #12 makes up spots under green now up to 7th place.

Just Past halfway (LAP 100) and the off sequence cars go to the pits

SBPopOffValve I think the HVM crew is having Simona come in every 5 laps to put the Legos back in place on the tub.

FollowAndretti At the halfway point @IndyJapan... Danica 6th, Tony 9th, Ryan 12th, Marco 13th #izodindycar

99forever I'm curious: If Briscoe or Helio were to be told tonight that "Will is faster, confirm," how would you react?

TheEDJE If the race would end right now - Power leads Franchitti by 10 points

YELLOW Flag - 4th caution of the race - Paul Tracy brushes wall and leaves debris

IndyCarNation Mario Moraes is awake and alert and being transported to a Mito hospital for evaluation from reported back pain.

Castroneves swaps positions with Briscoe - Comes in P2 and leaves P1 / Franchitti in P3 and Power in P5

IndyCarNation Lap 120: Castroneves, Briscoe, Franchitti, Patrick, Power, Dixon, Kanaan, Hunter-Reay, Wheldon, Andretti are top 10

FollowAndretti After the pit stop: @DanicaPatrick up to 4th, @TonyKanaan 7th, @RyanHunterReay 8th, @Andretti26 10th #izodindycar

GREEN! GREEN! GREEN! - Restart - LAP 122

IndyCarNation Paul Tracy #24 may be done for the day as his car was taken behind the pit wall after contact in turn 4 with the wall.

curtcavin More than an hour into the race and Graham finally got a call on the broadcast. #indycar

IndyRacingNut Must be cutting into my 16yr old's Cinemax time b/c he keeps coming downstairs asking when the race is over. LOL

indy44 "Time to sew a checkered flag Betsy Ross Danica is coming through" #ToddHarrisQuotes

IndyCarNation LAP 133/200 order: 3, 10, 6, 7, 9, 12, 11, 37, 4, 26, 02, 8, 5, 14, 77, 22, 2, 06, 18, 36, 19, 24, 78, 32, 34

TheEDJE If the race were to end now ... Power holds on to a slim 5 point lead!

IndyCarNation Castroneves has opened up a 2.6116 sec. lead over Franchitti with Briscoe another 1.1023 sec. back, then Patrick and Dixon in top 5

IndyCarNation Lap 145/200: Castroneves, Franchitti, Briscoe, Patrick, Dixon, Power, Kanaan, Hunter-Reay, Wheldon, Andretti are top 10

YELLOW Flag - Alex Lloyd bottoms out and catches on fire with 53 LAPS to go

indy44 Yellow for Lloyd on three wheels.

Dan_Brunell That way of starting a fire is definitely not in the Boy Scout handbook. #Indycar

indy44 Last pit stops, YAY no fuel strategy race.

IndyCarNation Alex Lloyd has been checked, cleared, and released from the infield care center after his incident earlier in the race.

indy44 Here we go P1 Helio P2 Dario P3 Ryan P4 Power P5 Danica P6 Dixon P7 RHR P8 TK P9 Marco P10 Rahal

TheEDJE If the race were to end right now - Power will hold on to a nine point lead over Franchitti

chunter16 The reason Sato has a reputation for wreckage is because he drives cars to their edge and breaks them, not because he can't drive.

TheEDJE @chunter16 EXACTLY - there is NO edge to Sato's driving - it's ALL or NOTHING!

99forever Longest. Yellow. Ever.

indy44 Penske cars are going to try and pounce on Dario.

TheEDJE @indy44 Yeah - Briscoe punts Dario and Will scoots by for P2 while Franchitti spins to a much lower P position

GREEN! GREEN! GREEN! - Restart - LAP 168

IndyCarNation Back to green at lap168 after extensive debris cleanup. Will Castroneves be able to open up a big lead after the restart yet again?

Will Power moves into Ps right behind Dario Franchitti in P2

shagers "Power is faster than you, do you understand this message"

IndyCarNationTakuma Sato #5 has gained 5 spots since the restart and is now up to 12th place (photo).

99forever Why the hate? Briscoe's box is so close to pit out that he could have slipped the button and still not been speeding at the line.

TheSpeedgeek @99forever Briscoe clearly beat Dario to timing line. Either he didn't speed and restarts 2nd or he sped and starts at the tail.

99forever Oh, true. Missed that. It's late here. :P RT @SBPopOffValve Then he should have been placed ahead of Frico. He beat him to the line.

IndyCarNation Lap 180/200: Castroneves, Franchitti, Power, Briscoe, Patrick, Dixon, Kanaan, Hunter-Reay, Rahal, Wheldon are top 10

TheEDJE 15 laps remaining and Dario is being pushed by Will with only 12 points between them if the race were to end now

SBPopOffValve Hey! Milka's going to get a top-20 finish!

shagers LOL. Indycar SkypeUp quote of the night: "They send 3 747's to Japan. 2 for the teams, and 1 with Jack Arute's sun tan lotion"

IndyCarNation Championship leader Power #12 is slowly closing the gap on 2nd place Franchitti #10. Will he catch Franchitti?

3 LAPS remain and the drivers maintain position

WHITE Flag

CHECKERED Flag (photo)- Helio Castroneves gets his 25th win in the IRL - followed by Dario Franchitti and Will Power with only 12 points between them

danicaracing Good run tonight for Danica - brings it home in 5th place at Motegi.

indy44 Checkered P1 Helio P2 Dario P3 Power P4 Briscoe P5 Danica P6 Dixon P7 TK P8 Rahal P9 RHR P10 Wheldon P11 Marco P12 Sato P13 Tagliani

IndyCarNation Congrats to "Spiderman" for winning the Indy Japan 300 as he climbs the fence once again (photo) & (photo).

scottdixon9 6th place finish for Scott at Motegi today....

IMSProductions [New IndyCar Video] Helio's Post Japan Qualifying Interview http://ow.ly/194ddV

Podium Photos - (photo), (photo), (photo)

UPDATE - Finishing Order:

Pos - Driver - Team - Time/Gap
1. Helio Castroneves Penske 2h04m04.4780s
2. Dario Franchitti Ganassi + 4.5746s
3. Will Power Penske + 5.0743s
4. Ryan Briscoe Penske + 6.4825s
5. Danica Patrick Andretti + 7.6057s
6. Scott Dixon Ganassi + 8.3641s
7. Tony Kanaan Andretti + 9.4093s
8. Graham Rahal Newman/Haas + 11.7163s
9. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti + 12.2125s
10. Dan Wheldon Panther + 12.4720s
11. Marco Andretti Andretti + 15.5007s
12. Takuma Sato KV + 16.0693s
13. Alex Tagliani FAZZT + 17.6774s
14. Hideki Mutoh Newman/Haas + 18.2811s
15. EJ Viso KV + 18.7349s
16. Justin Wilson Dreyer & Reinbold + 19.4293s
17. Vitor Meira Foyt + 20.1047s
18. Raphael Matos De Ferran Dragon + 21.2346s
19. Milka Duno Dale Coyne + 3 laps
20. Roger Yasukawa Conquest + 5 laps

Retirements:

Alex Lloyd Dale Coyne 131 laps
Paul Tracy Dreyer & Reinbold 114 laps
Simona de Silvestro HVM 85 laps
Mario Moraes KV 66 laps
Bertrand Baguette Conquest 1 lap

SBPopOffValve Unofficial results: Twinkletoes, Frico Suave, Powerbar, Inferno, Princess, Iceman, Kanostril, Graham Cracker, Hunter-RaceToTheParty, ShoeBoy

With that, we close the laptop lid on this penultimate race of the 2010 season ... see you all at Homestead-Miami Raceway ...

... notes from The EDJE

Pole Day At IMS's Centnnial Era

The main straitaway Pagoda of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway located at 16th and Georgetown in Speedway, Indiana. The Pagoda is decorated to commerate the first 100 years of the race facility's existance. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2009)

Pole Day At IMS's Centnnial Era

The first full day of qualifications for the 93rd running of the INDY 500 begins today as Justin Wilson takes to the track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in his Dale Coyne Racing prepared, Z-Line HD furniture sponsored Dallara.

On this first day, only the first 11 places of the grid will be filled based upon the average speed attained over four laps of this 100 year old 2 and a half mile four-cornered oval. The field for the race on race day will have 11 rows of three cars per row making 33 cars, but on this first day only 11 cars are assured of a position in the grid of "The World's Greatest Race Course".

Each driver will have a maximum of three attempts to get into the field in the allotted time of the six and a half our qualification period.

Once the fastest 11 places are filled, the slowest car to qualify will be on the "Bubble" for the balance of the day. The driver who ends up in the 11th position will be a position that will be in jeopardy of being bumped until the six and a half hour session ends.

Winds swirl around the Speedway and set the flags mounted on the Pagoda straight. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2009)

This excerpted and edited from indycar.com -

Handicapping qualifying
By Dave Lewandowski - indycar.com - Friday, May 8, 2009

Helio Castroneves has started from the pole twice in his eight Indianapolis 500-Mile Races. Scott Dixon, attempting to qualifying for his 100th IndyCar Series race, was the 2008 pole sitter. Tony Kanaan is the only other full-time IndyCar Series driver with 10 career pole starts, including 2005 at Indianapolis.

Does that make them favorites to win the PEAK Performance Pole Award presented by AutoZone on May 9?
----
The point is there are more contenders than pretenders to fill the 11 positions on Pole Day. There's a two-hour practice window (first hour split between two groups) preceding commencement of four-lap cumulative time qualifications.
----
Once positions 1-11 are filled, bumping will occur for the remainder of the noon-6 p.m. (EDT) session to determine the pole winner and 10 other qualifiers for the day. Each car has three attempts per day to qualify and, if bumped, that entrant can re-enter the qualification line. Entrants also can withdraw a qualified car and re-enter the line.

"Today was an important day," said Meira, driver of the No. 14 ABC Supply car for A.J. Foyt Racing. "The main thing is that the car is solid. We might not be the fastest car out there but it's very, very solid. It's really grippy and definitely a good race car."

Four consistent qualifying laps - on the largest stage in auto racing - is all that's needed to claim one of the 11 spots available for the May 24 race. Maybe even the pole.

"I would be surprised if one of the Penske's wasn't on the pole," Patrick said. "They seem to really be quick right now. But anything can happen around here. You can be one small change or two or three small changes away from having a really great car or a really bad car -- or at least a car that's not in the ballpark for the front spot. Anything can happen."
Reference Here>>

Click it: Qualification procedure Qualification order

One impression of a long time motorsports legend of the 100 year old Indianapolis Motor Speedway complex came in from Richard Petty on his first year as a car owner at the track ...

the500Petty's initial IMS impression ... not so great. Re: garage area -- "Looked like a bunch of barns for horses and cows and stuff." --pd

Ryan Briscoe (224.131), Helio Castroneves, Graham Rahal, Will Power, Marco Andretti, Danica Patrick, Hideki Mutoh, Mario Moraes, Raphael Matos, Ed Carpenter, & Justin Wilson fill the top 11 places - Let the bumping begin!

UPDATE: It's 4:00 PM ET at the track, two hours to go and drivers are beginning to take runs for the pole position.

Tweets - From Twitter:

IndyTalkDanica 7th 222.882. Faster than first run. Climbs from 10th to 7th. #indy500

IndyCarPRCastroneves takes the pole from Ryan Briscoe with a four-lap average of 224.864.

kvracingMario & Paul going out for practice for maybe attempting to qualify again for MM and first time for PT

FuriousWedgeHelio's run should be the lighting of the fire for everyone, those wanting poll, and those just wanting in the Top 11

1:30 PT - 4:30 at the track and 90 minutes left to make it into the first 11 spots ... or grab the pole away from Helio Castroneves.

Stack ranking at 90 minutes out: 1-Helio Castroneves (224.864), 2-Ryan Briscoe, 3-Dario Franchitti, 4-Scott Dixon, 5-Graham Rahal, 6-Will Power, 7-Danica Patrick, 8-Marco Andretti, 9-Tony Kanaan, 10-Mario Moraes, 11-Hideki Mutoh

With the action warming up on the track, Danica Patrick wonders if her position in the field is assured [CONTROL-CLICK PHOTO - 1st Qualifying Run Video]. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2009)

IndyTalkWe're back to practice at Indy. #indy500

IndyTalkTranscript of press conference today at Indy with The King, Richard Petty: http://twurl.nl/t457dp #indy500

VisionRacingEd & the 20 Menards car heading out to get in some practice laps & see where we can do... no decision on a qualifying attempt yet #Indy500

SarahFisher67Off to tech....we shall see- Klint

VisionRacing21 Vision car will wait until tomorrow to qualify. Ed however in the 20 Menards car... we'll see! OH the drama #Indy500

5:00PM ET at the track and one hour to make it into the top 11!

17:03:09 GMT-0400 The track is green. Tony Kanaan is out to make a qualifying attempt. He thinks he has a shot to move up ... maybe take the pole.

17:04:44 GMT-0400 Tony Kanaan has a 223.619 mph second lap.

17:06:21 GMT-0400 Tony Kanaan takes the checkered flag and qualifies in P5 with a 4-lap average speed of 223.612 mph. Moves up four places.

17:07:34 GMT-0400 Paul Tracy is on the track for a qualifying attempt.

PlanetIrlPT talking to his favorite person in the world there. I expect a good run here. #indy500

17:09:16 GMT-0400 Paul Tracy has a 222.076 mph first lap.

17:10:38 GMT-0400 Paul Tracy has a 221.893 mph third lap.

17:11:25 GMT-0400 Paul Tracy takes the checkered flag and qualifies in P11 with a 4-lap average speed of 221.915 mph. He is presently "On The Bubble" ready to get bumped.

IndyCarPRTracy qualifies 11th, bumping Hideki Mutoh from the field.

IndyTalkTracy 11th at 221.915. Bumps Mutoh. Tracy heads right back into qualifying line.

Penske Racing's Will Power makes it into the field at P9 making three cars operated by the Penske stable in the top 9 positions. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2009)

17:18:20 GMT-0400 Hideki Mutoh is at the track pad for a qualifying attempt.

Talk has it that Graham Rahal may pull his time and head to technical inspection in order to improve his position at P4??? This does not make sense, but it is not official.

17:22:22 GMT-0400 Hideki Mutoh takes the green flag for his qualifying attempt.

17:23:05 GMT-0400 Hideki Mutoh has a 223.245 mph first lap.

17:25:17 GMT-0400 Hideki Mutoh takes the checkered flag and qualifies in P10 with a 4-lap average speed of 222.581 mph. Bumps PT (Paul Tracy) to the curb.

Shock of the day - NHLR's Graham Rahal removes himself from the second row for a shot at the pole!

17:30:08 GMT-0400 Graham Rahal has a 224.230 mph first lap. Fastest lap for him in the month.

Graham Rahal moves up from the outside of the second row to the inside of the second row - What Is The Point?

Marco Andretti on the track - 17:35:46 GMT-0400 Marco Andretti has a 223.143 mph second lap.

Four lap average 223.114 puts him on the inside of row 3.

Scott Dixon now out challenging for the pole. Finishes the four laps with 223.867 and does not move his position on the grid.

IndyCarPRDixon fifth. Moraes out for a second attempt.

17:42:27 GMT-0400 Mario Moraes is on the track for a qualifying attempt.

17:44:08 GMT-0400 Mario Moraes has a 223.785 mph first lap.

17:46:08 GMT-0400 Mario Moraes takes the checkered flag and qualifies P7 with a 4-lap average speed of 223.331 mph.

Paul Tracy is the only driver to be bumped each time these qualified drivers remove their times and post better or equal times.

17:47:42 GMT-0400 Raphael Matos takes the green flag on the qualifying attempt.

17:50:28 GMT-0400 Raphael Matos takes the checkered flag with a 4-lap average speed of 222.466 mph. Does not qualify for the field today. Hideki Mutoh on the bubble.

Ryan Briscoe had already placed his car next to his teammate Helio Castroneves, was thinking of giving it another try at the pole position [CONTROL-CLICK PHOTO - 1st Qualifying Run Video]. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2009)

Ryan Briscoe removes his P2 time to challenge for the pole.

17:52:05 GMT-0400 Ryan Briscoe takes the green flag on the qualifying attempt.

17:52:48 GMT-0400 Ryan Briscoe has a 224.377 mph first lap. This is faster and looks good.

17:54:09 GMT-0400 Ryan Briscoe has a 223.930 mph third lap. Not faster. May lose a spot!?

17:54:49 GMT-0400 Ryan Briscoe takes the checkered flag with a 4-lap average speed of 224.083 mph. Struggles with wind on the track - inconsistant. Keeps P2 on the grid.

17:55:19 GMT-0400 the driver for Ganassi/SamSchmidt, Alex Lloyd is on the track for a qualifying attempt.

17:57:08 GMT-0400 Alex Lloyd has a 222.989 mph first lap.

17:58:28 GMT-0400 Alex Lloyd has a 222.427 mph third lap. Four lap average of 222.622 and bumps Hideki Mutoh and places the HER energy drink sponsored ride into 11th and last place for the day.

17:59:53 GMT-0400 Justin Wilson is on the track for a qualifying attempt. Seconds from the final gun and out for four laps.

17:59:53 GMT-0400 Justin Wilson is on the track for a qualifying attempt.

Justin Wilson does not make the field on this day.

18:04:05 GMT-0400 Justin Wilson takes the checkered flag with a 4-lap average speed of 222.476 mph.

IndyTalkWilson too slow. 222.476. But he should be a solid Day 2 qualifier. Way to go Dale Coyne for taking a shot. #indy500

Helio Castroneves captures his third pole position for the Indy 500 [CONTROL-CLICK PHOTO - Qualifying Run Video]. The Brazilian, who won the race in 2001 and 2002 as well as taking pole in both 2003 and 2007, beat his Penske team-mate Ryan Briscoe to the top spot, with Dario Franchitti completing the front row for Ganassi. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2009)

IndyTalkHelio in tears on pit lane, overcome with emotion after winning third career Indianapolis 500 pole. #indy500

A great story for Helio, from facing a prison term jus a couple of weeks ago to Pole Position at the INDY 500 - May has been very, very good for Helio Castroneves!

Pos --- Driver --- Team --- Speed
1. Helio Castroneves Penske 224.864mph
2. Ryan Briscoe Penske 224.083mph
3. Dario Franchitti Ganassi 224.010mph
4. Graham Rahal Newman/Haas/Lanigan 223.954mph
5. Scott Dixon Ganassi 223.867mph
6. Tony Kanaan Andretti Green 223.612mph
7. Mario Moraes KV 223.331mph
8. Marco Andretti Andretti Green 223.114mph
9. Will Power Penske 223.028mph
10. Danica Patrick Andretti Green 222.882mph
11. Alex Lloyd Ganassi/Sam Schmidt 222.622mph

Story description of the day's events HERE >>

... notes from The EDJE

Heads In The Game - An INDY Long Beach 2009 Retrospective

Penske Racing's driver, Ryan Briscoe, working through chassis set-ups with team owner, Roger Penske during Practice session #3 of the 35th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Ryan Briscoe had trouble handling the demands thrown up by the streets around Shoreline Drive, failing to make it into the Firestone Fast Six in "Knockout" qualifying and eventually finishing the race out of the top ten at P13 - while setting the fastest lap in the race at 1:11.2582 (on lap 82 of 85). Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2009)

Heads In The Game - An INDY Long Beach 2009 Retrospective

A Photo/Video compilation of the event from the pits. Photos taken during the three days of practice, qualification, and competition at the 35th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach and the first ever IndyCar Series event in Long Beach under full unification of open wheel racing competition in North America.

The video uses close-up images of the drivers as they sit in their Dallara race cars while engineers tweak the chassis in order to gain faster lap times. Red Wall tires Vs Black Wall tires, umbrellas, cockpit fans to keep drivers comfortable, pit in, pit out, add fuel, and discuss the set up with team owners are postures expressed by the players who drive here and have their heads in the game.

Video music overlay performed by the Kings of Leon - "Sex On Fire" - launch 

and play while watching video below.

Players in order of appearance are (some are repeated with photos taken in time sequence) Graham Rahal, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dario Franchitti, Justin Wilson, Ed Carpenter, Danica Patrick, Marco Andretti, EJ Viso, Mike Conway, Stanton Barrett, Robert Doornbos, Ryan Briscoe, Helio Castroneves, Vitor Meira, Jimmy Vasser, Paul Tracy, and Will Power.

Dallara platforms at full song from the sounds of Honda engines overlay this version - mute volume and play music from video above as this content is timed to coincide.

Pole Position

Driver Will Power (Penske Racing)

Time 1:09.7107

PODIUM

First         Dario Franchitti (Chip Ganassi Racing)

Second Will Power (Penske Racing)

Third Tony Kanaan (Andretti Green Racing)

Last Note: Danica Patrick (Andretti Green Racing) qualified at P22 in a field of 23 cars and finished P4 just behind her teammate Tony Kanaan.

Enjoy.

... notes from The EDJE 

TAGS: Kings Of Leon, Doornbos, IRL, Long Beach Grand Prix, Viso, Wilson, Conway, Hunter-Reay, Andretti, Meira, Tracy, Patrick, Castroneves, Rahal, Vasser, Franchitti, Barrett, Briscoe, Power, Carpenter, The EDJE