Richmond Qualifying Notes & Quotes
May 14, 2005
Dodge drivers Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman headed the chart following qualifying for the Chevy American Revolution 400 Friday. For the second race in a row, Kahne earned the pole position ahead of Newman. Here, thanks to various teams and manufacturers, are the collected notes and quotes from qualifying:
Rookie Danica Patrick Fastest on Thursday
May 12, 2005
INDIANAPOLIS, Thursday, May 12, 2005 - Rookie Danica Patrick became the first woman to lead a full Indianapolis 500 practice session in nearly 30 years as she posted the fastest lap of the month during preparations for the 89th Indianapolis 500. Daily driver quotes included as well.
Indy 500 - Thursday Practice Results
May 12, 2005
INDIANAPOLIS - Practice results Thursday for the 89th Indianapolis 500 IRL IndyCar Series event on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with position, car number in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine and speed:
‘500′ Qualifying Explained (?)
May 12, 2005
In addition to the excitement and drama of going for the pole, determining the starting order, and of course the drama of bumping, there is a new format in place this year that we think is going to add to the excitement and drama for the qualifying format for this year’s race, and that is that we are only going to take 11 cars –the 11 fastest qualifiers on each day – for the first three days.
(Ed. - Huh? What, only 11 per day? This is weird)
Ready to Rumble?
May 12, 2005
OK, so I’ve been slacking a bit. After a 10-year hiatus I’m trying really hard to get psyched up for the Indy 500. In years before the split, I subscribed to the Indy Star for the Month of May. I lived in Dallas, Texas at the time. Now, I’m missing wire feeds and barely able to turn my non-blind eye to it all.
Sam Schmidt Profile
May 10, 2005
The venerable “I. N. SIDER” who writes the monthly column “Behind Closed Garage Doors” for Valvonine.com has done an inspiring little profile of one of the most courageous men in racing today - Sam Schmidt
Mad Max: It’s Not Easy Maintaining One’s Reputation, Or Lack Thereof.
May 10, 2005
But, does anyone do it better than Max? When you expect some cordiality or calls for discussion over simmering disputes, you can always count on Max to go the other way. Or to needlessly ratchet up the sense of friction by blindly assaulting the teams with imposible threats.
Ferrari: Damned If They Do, Losers If They Don’t
May 10, 2005
The “Do” and “Don’t” referred to is that year long controversial bug-a-boo called testing. Having seen the writing on the wall (or in the tire marbles!) at the end of last year Ferrari did not buy into the new testing limits agreed to by the Gang of Nine. Wisely so, grasshopper, wisely so.
Newman Heads Busch Test at Lowe’s
May 9, 2005
Ryan Newman showed he is a threat to win the pole no matter the division, posting the fastest unofficial lap Monday evening as 29 NASCAR Busch Series teams tested at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in preparation for the inaugural nighttime running of the CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 on Saturday, May 28.
Spanish GP: McLaren & Raikkonen Breakthrough
May 9, 2005
The promise of McLaren West Mercedes-Benz shown through the opening rounds of the 2005 GP season has finaly been realized; a dominant win from pole by Kimi Raikkonen, and the threat of more to come.