2008 Indianapolis 500

The Indianapolis 500 in the IndyCar Series 2008 season was the 92nd edition of the race track race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which took place in the 2008 IndyCar Series season. The fifth race of the season was held on 25 May 2008. In Germany the race of Premiere Sport was broadcast live. Primarily due to the merger of the Indy Racing League and the Champ Car enormously high starting field was expected. The conjecture was disproved with an average starting field. The prize money, which the state winner Scott Dixon, was $ 2.5 million in previously unreached. The prize for all drivers totaled $ 13.4 million.

First week of training

Indianapolis Star Opening Day presents the Prayer / Rookie Orientation

Introduction of newcomers

IndyCar Series Training

Qualification (1-11)

The first "Pole Day" award for the first ten starting positions was held on May 10. The awarding of ranks twelve to 22 was on the following Sunday because of rain does not take place, which forced the organizers to award the starting positions of the remaining 33 participants on Sunday 17 May. This disadvantaged, especially the rookies, as they could only collect very little track experience through multiple failures.

Second week of training

Qualification ( 12-33 )

The actual third qualifying session brought three accidents by Mario Dominguez, Max Papis and Phil Giebler. Former were little affected, but Giebler made ​​a 90 degree turn and flew backwards into the Safer Barrier. The driver suffered a lung contusion, the car beinahen a total loss.

A bump there was not even on this day, as only exactly 22 other riders tried to qualify. In AJ Foyt IV there were technical problems and the other candidates were mostly not present. Since both were already known at the time the only qualifying attempt by Marty Roth, at this time was irrelevant, he still had to get through.

Bump Day

On this day six drivers should try to qualify. American Dream Motorsports no longer appeared after the accident by Phil Giebler, although one would have had a second car. Since little later, the team also established its activities in the IndyLights Series, must be assumed to financial reasons here.

The remaining drivers had very different requirements:

  • AJ Foyt IV is one of the established riders in the series, though not to the absolute top. The fact that the car was not yet qualified, quite clearly technical problems was due to the previous training. His team-mates were in the squares 10 ( Ed Carpenter) and 18 ( Davey Hamilton) clearly qualified. As expected, he qualified at the beginning of the session. However, this was already clear that the windy weather would not allow miracles times - he was 11 km / h slower than the poles and would also landed on the previous day of qualifying only on the grid 31.
  • Buddy Lazier is a former Indy500 winner, but Hemelgarn Racing in 2008 was only at this one race at the start, so that the tradition team had to contend with the power density.
  • Marty Roth runs the full season in his own team, which is funded but rather modest and can attract sponsors only from race to race. His teammate John Andretti was clearly qualified as 21, but has much more experience; Roth was not able to Andretti's times, who drove faster lap times in free practice even on the last day therefore.
  • Roger Yasukawa and Beck Motorsports were previously only available at the race in Motegi, Japan at the start. Here we had the whole weekend on the clear slowest car - a because of rain abgesagtes qualifying session did here the rest of his. In Indy, however, it was reasonably able to keep up with the back of the field, but could ultimately just do not qualify.
  • Mario Dominguez and Pacific Coast Motor Sports are one of the former Champ Car teams, but at the Indy 500 for the first time at the start. So there was no experience with the Dallara chassis and one had ever disputed for a long time no more oval races. The initiated immediately before the time expires last qualification attempt nevertheless saw first of a scoop here. In the first of four flying laps Dominguez was with 219.7 mph succeeded by far the fastest lap of qualifiers on that day; However, in the second round he lost control of his car and landed in the distance limitation.
  • Max Papis and Sam Schmidt Racing were similar Hemelgarn, only at this event at the start and also had to deal with technical problems. The team drove not a single round, which would have only rudimentary enough for the qualification; the best were 216.3 mph

Line-up

Not qualifies have Mario Dominguez (# 96 Pacific Coast Motorsports ) and Roger Yasukawa (# 98, Beck Motorsports ). Although Max Papis (# 44 Sam Schmidt Motorsports ) and Phil Giebler (# 88, American Dream Motorsport) were at Traiming locally, but do not have a qualifying attempt. # 44 was much too slow in all the practice sessions, # 88 had an accident in free practice.

  • (G ) = Former Indianapolis 500 winner
  • (R) = Indianapolis 500 Rookie

Race

As expected, led to the beginning of Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon at the race. Already in the eighth round there was the first caution period due to a fallen outside mirror with Bruno Junqueira. The front panel also took the opportunity for the first pit stop. In AJ Foyt IV occurred during the yellow phase in the pit lane to a fire on the car, no one was injured. The next caution periods were proclaimed in round 50 and 80. The guidance given further the Ganassi drivers. On lap 94 Tony Kanaan was the leader, as with any of his previous Indy 500 starts. Also, as with each of its participations in the most traditional circuit racing car race in the world, he lost this again. On lap 106, then again led Scott Dixon, Marco Andretti before. When Andretti overtaking Kanaan lost control of his car and still collected a Sarah Fisher. On lap 122 Andretti led before Dixon, Scheckter, Meira and Ryan Hunter -Reay. The seventh caution period triggered Alex Lloyd, who departed in the wall and then schliterte in the pits, where at that time no one was staying. On lap 169 of 200 Milka Duno solved with foul play from the last race interruption. Danica Patrick took the opportunity to make a pit stop to hold. At the exit of the pit lane Ryan Briscoe came to the slides, what Patrick left no room to dodge. The contact caused a broken suspension in popular figure Danica Patrick. Consequently, she left visibly upset out of the race, but also Briscoe could not continue the race. After a messy restart still 24 laps were run, followed by Vitor Meira all led Dixon.

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