Different priorities for drivers at Indy practice

May 16, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was busy on Friday with most of the drivers already qualified for the Indy 500 on the track working on their race setups and 13 others trying to find the speed to qualify in time trials this weekend.

“At this point in the month, it’s not so much about the speed on one lap,” said 2007 Indy winner Dario Franchitti, one of 22 drivers who qualified last weekend. “It’s about balance and how the car handles in traffic and how it runs through a full tank of fuel.

Others felt a much greater sense of urgency.

Indy rookie Stanton Barrett, hoping to fill one of the remaining 11 positions in the 33-car field, was focused getting comfortable enough on the 2.5-mile oval to do a solid, four-lap qualifying run when time trials reopen today.

“We just keep working on it,” said Barrett. “Work on setup and get stability and grip and speed, that’s all we’ve been working on in different combinations.”

Barrett ran 35 laps Friday with a top speed of 218.499 mph.

The big question for the drivers still hoping to make the race by being one of the fast 11 today, or by bumping out the slowest qualifiers in Sunday’s final round of time trials, is how much speed will they need?

Townsend Bell, who didn’t get into his KV Racing Technology car until Thursday, was fastest among the non-qualified drivers Friday at 222.139 mph. But he expects it will take more than that to make the race.

“I really believe we can do some solid 223s in qualifying but, certainly, it depends on the weather and the track conditions tomorrow,” said Bell, who hopes to join teammates and first-week qualifiers Mario Moraes and Paul Tracy in the lineup. “The speed should be there.”

The slowest of the first-week qualifiers was Davey Hamilton at 221.956.

The veteran of eight Indy starts said he feels “fairly comfortable” with that speed, but adds, “I kind of wish we’d have been able to go out again and put up a little higher number.”

Tomas Scheckter, getting his ride with Dale Coyne Racing on Friday morning, said he wasn’t too concerned about the speed it will take to make the field, just with getting used to his car as quickly as possible.

He did just that, turning a fast lap of 220.516 in 37 laps.

The practice was cut short by 17 minutes because several of the bricks that form the finish line on the track came loose. Track officials said they expected the problem to be repaired for today’s action.