Ed Carpenter, who earned the Verizon P1 Award for the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race the previous two years, was uninjured in a morning practice crash hours before the start of Old National Armed Forces Pole Day qualifications at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The CFH Racing co-owner/driver had recorded a fast lap of 231.806 mph on the 2.5-mile oval, and on Lap 12 the No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet made hard rearward contact with the Turn 2 SAFER Barrier and flipped on its left side. Carpenter, who exited the car without assistance from the Holmatro Safety Team, was examined at the IU Health Emergency Medical Center and cleared to drive.
A few minutes earlier, Scott Dixon turned a lap of 233.001 mph in the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. Reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion Will Power, driving the No. 1 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, was second fast at 232.118 mph, and seven drivers topped 231 mph in the truncated session. Practice for the second group of cars was delayed more than two hours because of repairs to the SAFER Barrier and catch fencing.
Carpenter’s crew was furiously building around a backup chassis in hopes of being able to make a qualifying attempt.
Rain forced cancellation May 16 of the scheduled qualifications program. A revised May 17 schedule includes entries making one four-lap qualifying attempt, followed by the “Fast Nine Shootout” in which the top nine cars return for one run each to determine the Verizon P1 Award and the first three rows for the May 24 race (scheduled 1:45-2:30 p.m. ET on ABC). Finally, positions 31-33 will be determined, with multiple attempts allowed time permitting.
The four-lap average qualifying speeds of Ryan Hunter-Reay (229.845 mph) and Carlos Huertas (228.235), who were the only drivers to beat the rain, were deleted.
Tickets sold for May 16 will be honored May 17.
Helio Castroneves posted a lap of 233.474 mph, which was the fastest lap since Eddie Cheever Jr.’s 236.103 mph in the 1996 race, the morning practice May 16.
“That 233 mph number was pretty cool, but it was with a little bit of help,” said Castroneves, driving the No. 3 Shell V-Power Nitro+ Team Penske Chevrolet. “The guys have really done an amazing job over the last couple of days since the (May 13 crash). To lose a day and still be on top of the practice speeds is a testament to how hard they worked. The weather, there is nothing we can do about the weather. We’ll just come back and see what’s in store.”
Castroneves will seek to join A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears as four-time Indy 500 winners, and he’s in contention for pole history, too. Castroneves, with No. 1 qualifying efforts in 2003, 2007, 2009 and 2010, is tied with Foyt and Rex Mays. A fifth would put him second among all-time pole winners, one behind Team Penske consultant Mears. Castroneves also could give team owner Roger Penske a record-extending 18th pole position.
In 2014, Carpenter earned the Verizon P1 Award in the Fast Nine Shootout with a four-lap average speed of 231.076 mph. Carpenter is in his second year of driving solely in oval events. Luca Filippi is behind the wheel of the No. 20 entry in the 12 road/street course races this season. On April 26, CFH Racing — a merger of Ed Carpenter Racing and Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing for the 2015 season — celebrated a victory by Josef Newgarden in the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park.
In practice last week, Newgarden was uninjured when the No. 21 Century 21 Chevrolet made contact with the Turn 1 SAFER Barrier, and Castroneves was uninjured when his car made contact with the Turn 1 SAFER Barrier. Also, Pippa Mann was examined and cleared to drive after the No. 63 Dale Coyne Racing Honda she was driving made contact with the inside pit lane retaining wall and pit lane attenuator.
