New speed leaders seek Indy 500 victory lane

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (AFP) –

Ed Carpenter drives his #20 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet Dallara during final practice on May 24, 2013 for the 97th Indianapolis 500 mile race in Indianapolis, Indiana. With only one former champion among the 15 fastest qualifiers in the front five rows, Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 figures to produce a first-time winner and a hungry host of contenders.

With only one former champion among the 15 fastest qualifiers in the front five rows, Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 figures to produce a first-time winner and a hungry host of contenders.

American Ed Carpenter, IndyCar’s only owner-driver and the stepson of IndyCar series founder Tony George, was the unlikely pole winner last weekend followed by 21-year-old rookie Carlos Munoz and American Marco Andretti.

“It’s funny,” Carpenter said. “Even after winning the pole, I was thinking about (race) setups and what we needed to do. We achieved one goal but the bigger prize is next.”

The race features only four former winners, with Scotland’s Dario Franchitti trying to be the first back-to-back winner since Brazil’s Helio Castroneves in 2002.

Franchitti, who starts 17th, won the Indy 500 in 2007 and 2010 as well as last year. Castroneves, who starts eighth, won in 2001, 2002 and 2009, New Zealand’s Scott Dixon, who starts 16th, won in 2008 and American Buddy Lazier, who starts next-to-last in the field of 33 cars, won in 1996.

Crowds gather on May 24, 2013 to watch the practice runs ahead of the 97th Indianapolis 500 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

A victory by Franchitti or Castroneves would put them alongside Americans A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Snr and Rick Mears as record four-time Indy 500 champions.

Carpenter, who has won only twice in 132 IndyCar starts over 11 seasons, had the fastest pole average in seven years and the 32-year-old hometown hero improved upon his best Indy 500 starting spot, which had been eighth.

“I really enjoy the race and all that goes with it,” Carpenter said. “It’s the tradition. There is nothing else like it in racing.”

Colombia’s Munoz, Indy’s youngest-ever front row starter, would be the first rookie winner since Castroneves in 2001 and only the ninth debutant winner in Indy 500 history.

“This is going to be a really long race, but it will be really nice to start from the front row,” Munoz said.

Dario Franchitti of Scotland, stops during the pit crew challenge on Carb Day for the 97th Indianapolis 500 mile race on May 24, 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Franchitti, who starts 17th, won the Indy 500 in 2007 and 2010 as well as last year

Andretti hopes to break the family’s Indy 500 curse, a legacy of mechanical failures and bad luck that has seen only his grandfather, 1969 winner Mario Andretti, win the Indy 500 as a driver.

Team owner Michael Andretti, Mario’s son and Marco’s father, has the most laps completed and most laps led at Indy of any driver to never win the race. Michael’s brother Jeff and cousin John have also tasted defeat at Indy.

Marco, with only two wins in 118 IndyCar starts, lost the second-closest Indy 500 as a rookie in 2006 to Sam Hornish by 0.0635 of a second. Last year he led 59 laps, more than any rival, but crashed with 13 laps remaining.

But this will be his best starting spot in eight Indy 500 appearances.

“We have a great race car, even better then our starting position, which is going to give us a good chance,” Marco Andretti said. “We’ll fight for 500 miles to be sure we are up there on the lap that counts.”

Charlie Kimball leads a pack during final practice on May 24, 2013 for the 97th Indianapolis 500 mile race, in Indiana.

The second row includes Venezuelan E.J. Viso, with no wins in 86 IndyCar starts, and American A.J. Allmendinger, who won five ChampCar starts in 2006 but since then has only made two IndyCar starts this season.

Australian Will Power, who starts on the outside of row two, has 18 IndyCar victories but has finished second in the season points race each of the past three seasons. His best Indy 500 finish in five prior starts was fifth in 2009.

In all, 12 of the 13 fastest qualifiers, including the top 10, have Chevrolet engines but the Honda motors could prove their worth in the 200-lap endurance test around the 2.5-mile (4km) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval.

Four women will start on Sunday, matching the record for female racers in the Indy 500 set in 2010 and 2011. Swiss Simona de Silvestro will start 24th with Brazil’s Ana Beatriz 29th, Britain’s Pippa Mann 30th and Britain’s Katherine Legge 33rd and last.