Monday, May 28, 2007
Miscues hurt Penske effort: Team Penske played catch-up all day. The team that seems to do everything right at the Indy 500 suddenly had to contend with bad luck and obstacles usually reserved for other teams — even before the race began. An engine wouldn’t start; a fuel hose stuck; a tire went flat. Although two-time winner Helio Castroneves and defending Indy 500 champ Sam Hornish Jr. finished third and fifth, respectively, they couldn’t overcome the mistakes. “If the rain held off, the leaders would have had to pit, and we didn’t need to, so we had a bit of bad luck,” Hornish said. That’s not typical talk from a driver employed by Roger Penske, the master of strategy. Penske’s team has built its reputation on flawless execution. After winning the pole and the pit-crew competition, Penske couldn’t add to his record 14 Indy wins Sunday. It first went wrong just after the traditional starting command when pole-sitter Castroneves’ engine wouldn’t start. By lap 40, Castroneves had another problem. Entering pit lane as the race leader, he left in 29th after a fuel-hose problem. It was reminiscent of last year’s race when teammate Hornish was penalized for leaving with the hose attached. Castroneves lost more time on the next lap, when he had to return to the pits to check the fuel. “We were able to recuperate, be patient, pass big and put ourselves in a very good position,” said Castroneves, who moved up to sixth before the rain delay. Teammate Hornish Jr. also had to work his way through the field. A year after finishing the race for the first time, a flat left rear tire nearly took the defending champ out of contention. On lap 84, he made an unscheduled pit stop after South Africa’s Tomas Scheckter tapped Hornish’s tire with his front wing. Both cars pitted, and Hornish, running second, dropped back to 27th.
Triumphant comeback: Davey Hamilton didn’t expect to win Sunday’s race. All he really wanted to do was prove he could still finish one. Mission accomplished. Hamilton returned from a six-year break after a 2001 horrific crash to complete all 166 laps, finishing ninth in his seventh career Indy start. “It was all strategy really,” he said. “Our car was OK. That last restart, I actually had a good one, but the two Penske cars got by me. But, man, it was a great day.” Hamilton, who started 20th, was one of the race’s feel-good stories after undergoing 21 surgeries and years of rehab after his feet were shattered in the wreck. He raced Sunday with his left ankle fused and a right foot that’s an inch shorter.
Strange start: The start of Sunday’s race had an unusual look, because the 33 cars were running single file rather than in the traditional three-car rows when the green flag dropped. Some thought it might be the fault of the honorary starter, Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning. Track officials, however, insisted it was not Manning. Speedway spokesman Eric Powell said IndyCar series president Brian Barnhart issued instructions during Saturday’s drivers meeting to make sure each driver left enough room to avoid an accident-marred start.