Patrick’s bid to win pole postponed because of rain
INDIANAPOLIS – Everyone, including a calm and confident Danica Patrick, is going to have to wait another day to see if a woman can win the Indianapolis 500 pole.
Rain kept the 2 1/2 -mile oval closed Saturday and eventually washed away the first of four scheduled days of time trials for the May 29 race. The start of qualifying was postponed to today
“It really doesn’t matter,” said Patrick, a 23-year-old trying to become the fourth woman to qualify for the race. Everybody’s going to get the same shot at it.”
In practice, Patrick’s lap of 227.633 mph on Thursday was second-fastest only to the 227.804 posted Friday by Tomas Scheckter.
The 5-foot-2, 100-pounder from Roscoe, Ill., is a rookie, but Patrick insists she will be disappointed if she doesn’t take the top qualifying spot for what is arguably the world’s most prestigious race.
“I’m hoping for a pole,” she said Saturday, standing amid a sea of media crowded into her Rahal Letterman Racing speedway garage. “I can’t believe I’m saying that; it’s my first Indy. But I am.”
Team owner Bobby Rahal, a former Indy 500 winner, understands the pressure on Patrick, a teammate of defending pole and race winner Buddy Rice and two-year Indy veteran Vitor Meira.
“This team has been here before and we’ve been through things like this (postponement) before,” Rahal said. “I sat down with Danica and said, ‘I don’t want you getting all frustrated and weirded out. Sit and watch a movie or read a book and take it easy.’ “
Under the new qualifying format at Indy, 11 drivers were to qualify on each of the first three days of time trials, with drivers having an opportunity to bump out the slowest qualifiers from the 33-car field on the fourth day.
Indy Racing League president Brian Barnhart said the rainout would shorten the qualifying to three days, with the top 22 qualifiers being determined today. The final two days of qualifying are set for May 21 and 22.
Sharp observation
Former pole winner Scott Sharp, first in the qualifying line today and also among the fastest drivers in practice, said everyone will be watching his performance on a day when temperatures are not expected to reach above 60 degrees.
“The gauge for everybody will probably be the way we run,” Sharp said. “There’s a big temperature change expected and the (morning) practice is going to be important. Whoever makes the best adjustments in practice will have the best chance of doing well in qualifying.”
No fear
When Janet Guthrie started racing Indy cars in the 1970s, she said it was difficult to get sponsors because they were fearful of a serious crash involving a woman.
Patrick has no such fears.
The rookie acknowledged Saturday that racing can be dangerous – and that’s how she likes it.
“There are a heck of a lot more injuries in cheerleading than in other sports and I was a cheerleader,” she said. “I guess I’m just attracted to dangerous sports.”