Many questioned whether the new format for the Indianapolis 500 would work out. Many wondered how it would affect the drivers, teams and racing.
Thus far the “Month” of May has been a tremendous change for the better. Although the track time has been cut in half by two weeks, the time the drivers have been on the track has been thrilling.
The shortened schedule doesn’t affect the large teams very much. They have been here for decades with dozens of different drivers. The small teams however have remained strong and are dedicated to win.
The new qualifying format last weekend went over well with the fans. Putting pole day and bump day in one weekend made for an exciting weekend at the track.
On bump day, Paul Tracy and rookie Jay Howard both withdrew their position near the end because they thought their speed was not fast enough. They were in line ready to make another run when they were out of time. So instead, 19 year-old Sebastian Saavedra, who was in the hospital from a wreck in practice, remained in the field of 33 for the 94th running. A wild turn of events!
Helio Castroneves dominated pole day. He posted an average just under 228mph which was unmatched throughout the day. Under the new format, the top 9 qualifying times advance to a “shootout” where for 90 minutes, drivers compete for the top spots. The top speed receives $175,000, 2nd place $75,000 and 3rd place $50,000. Overall it went over great and was well-received by the fans—but not the drivers.
With the new format, the top drivers found themselves qualifying at least two times, and some up to five times. One costly mistake on any of those runs can cost the driver a shot at making the field. The drivers all said that qualifying is the most challenging and stressful task at the Indianapolis 500. Thus adding more runs challenges teams and drivers even further.
Meanwhile, there are three changes I believe that need to be made to the final nine “shootout.” First, the window of opportunity needs to cut from 90 to 60 minutes. Then it will truly be “Happy Hour.” Every team safely posted their time within that window.
Second, the order needs to be predetermined by their previous qualifying speed. This year, the drivers were able to chose when they wanted to run 1 through 9. Helio was smart, went first and posted the best speed of the day. Very intimidating. That had drivers pushing their cars to the limits knowing they had a small shot at the pole. Instead, the slowest driver should re-qualify first in the shootout to save the best (and drama) for last.
And finally, after each driver has gone, any driver may get back in line and run again. This year Helio got back in line with the fastest speed and did not have to withdrawal his first attempt. That needs to change.
Again the openness of drivers has been amazing. Wednesday was community day for fans and kids alike to come to the Speedway and see their favorite driver in person. There were three autograph sessions and every one of them was packed. The support is tremendous for these drivers from Helio Castroneves to Thomas Scheckter. Fans bring items of choice to have the drivers sign, or they have driver photos available.
The drivers are divided up into three’s each session for each table. There were then roughly four tables per session of drivers going at it. They would sign anything from helmets, T-shirts, hats, to photos. Although I’m sure the drivers get annoyed after a while, they each do it enthusiastically with a smile on their face.
After one of the sessions, WISH-TV’s Chris Widlic and I went to Alex Tagliani’s trailer for a profile interview on Alex and his beautiful Australian wife Bronte. It was a great interview because it didn’t touch on much racing at all. It provided a unique perspective of their personal life, how they met, and how they remain so strong on the road and through adversity. This interview allowed us to get to know the drivers on a personal level. It was an exclusive interview that I thoroughly enjoyed and absorbed much from.