The Standings after the Indy 500

So Dixon swept the boards and made some people very happy. To find out if you are one of those who capitalised and how the double points extravaganza has modified the standings, simply scroll down. There will be a full report on Midweek Motorsport this Wednesday.



1st
1212 - Doug Werner - "Drivers who weigh more than Danica"
[Scott Dixon, Hideki Mutoh, AJ Foyt IV, Marty Roth, Ed Carpenter]

2nd
1180 - "3.2 Million Bricks" - Michael Rennick
[Scott Dixon, Vitor Meira, Ernesto Viso, Buddy Lazier, Ryan Hunter Reay]


3rd
1140 - "Team IndyCart" - Robert Duffield
[Scott Dixon, Helio Castroneves, Townsend Bell, Mario Moreas, Milka Duno]

4th
1045 - "RPH Racing" - Julie Werner
[Helio Castro Neves, Hideki Mutoh, Ryan Hunter Reay, Ed Carpenter, Mario Moraes]


5th
990 - "Come back to Rockingham" - John Harbey
[Scott Dixon, Ryan Briscoe, Vitor Meira, Mario Moreas, Milka Duno]


6th
970 - "Gerry Forsythe's 'Play your cars right'" - Declan Brennan
[Helio Castroneves, Hideki Mutoh, Marco Andretti, Jamie Camara, Milka Duno]


7th
437 - "Month of Mayhem" - Adrian Bourne
[Helio Castro Neves, Vitor Meira, Bruno Junquiera, Townsend Bell, Darren Manning]

8th
845 - "I am Timgray" - Tim Gray
[Scott Dixon, Ryan Briscoe, Danica Patrick, Townsend Bell, Mario Moraes]

9th
840 - "no Ferrari Influence Apparent" - David Harbey
[Dan Wheldon, Marco Andretti, Darren Manning, Mario Moraes, Townsend Bell]


10th
835 - "Tony George stole my Series" - Emiliyan Stoykov
[Helio Castro Neves, Dan Wheldon, Bruno Junquiera, Townsend Bell, Milka Duno]

11th
815 - Michael Gathman - "Weekend Warriors"
[Tony Kanaan, Ryan Hunter Reay, Ernesto Viso, Jaime Camara, Ed Carpenter]


12th
765 - "Team Bigger USA" - Jon Bigger
[Marco Andretti, Ryan Briscoe, Danica Patrick, Milka Duno, Vitor Meira]


13th
753 - "Should We Stay or Should We Split Now?" - Andrew Harbey
[Dan Wheldon, Justin Wilson, Darren Manning, Enrique Bernoldi, Buddy Rice]


14th
740 - "PT Cruiser" - Maureen O'Neil
[Dan Wheldon, Graham Rahal, Ed Carpenter, Ernesto Viso, Mario Moraes]


15th
732 - "I am Hindy" - John Hindhaugh
[Marco Andretti, Hideki Mutoh, Bruno Junquiera, Ernesto Viso, Darren Manning]


16th
690 - "Super Duper Best Friends" - Andy Blackmore
[Tony Kanaan, Marco Andrettti, Franck Perera, Milka Duno, Townsend Bell]


17th
687 - "Joe Blob & the Spoonerisms" - James Murphy
[Marco Andretti, Ryan Briscoe, Hideki Mutoh, Mario Moraes, Buddy Rice]


18th
685 - "Sideways Sam's Sideways Tings" - Sam Collins
[Dan Wheldon, Hideki Mutoh, Danica Patrick, Jay Howard, Franck Perera]

19th
659 - "Empty Tank Racing" - Matt Thompson
[Marco Andretti, Will Power, Enrique Bernoldi, Danica Patrick, Marty Roth]


20th
602 - "Chip, your name doesn't mean you have to eat Chips" - Matthew Hyndman
[Helio Castroneves, Ryan Briscoe, Ryan Hunter Reay, Jay Howard, Milka Duno]

21st
590 - "Opposite Lock Motorsports" - Louis Berlan
[Dan Wheldon, Franck Perera, Will Power, Mario Moraes, Roger Yasukawa]

23rd
575 - "Indy Pace Car Speed" - Jason Kwok
[Tony Kanaan, Marco Andretti, Buddy Lazier, Milka Duno, Townsend Bell]

24th
552 - "I Hate Tony George" - Jim Casey
[Dan Wheldon, Danica Patrick, Bruno Junquiera, Townsend Bell, Mario Moraes]


25th
517 - "One Lap Down" - Jeremy Scott
[Will Power, Ryan Hunter Reay, Bruno Junquiera, Thomas Scheckter, Jaime Camara]

26th
487 - "Team IROC - Indignantly Racing Our Crapwagons" - Simon Speichert
[Helio castroneves, Alex Lloyd, Bruno Junquiera, Townsend Bell, Buddy Lazier]

27th
447 - "Danika Wheldon Crash Team" - Chris Vince
[Marco Andretti, Alex Lloyd, Bruno Junquiera, Townsend Bell, Mario Moraes]


28th
435 - "Why do we keep turning Left on our way to the merger?" - Nick Daman
[Tony Kanaan, Justin Wilson, Jay Howard, Jaime Camara, Mario Moraes]



- The Commish

Bonus transfer window is now closed....

....enjoy the 92nd Indy 500. :)

Think of me at a bar on a cruise ship, drinking something wierd with an umbrella in it.

- The Commish

The grid is set and a bonus window is opening.

The field for the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 is complete. The League Committee, that means me, has decided to spice things up a little by opening a very small transfer window this week in order for you lads and lassies to do some last minute tinkering.

The rules are very simple. The top 11 qualifiers, see below, are locked in and you cannot move any of them into a team if they are not already there, after that you are free to do whatever you wish. I am heading off to cruise around the Gulf of Mexico so I need your picks back to me by 7pm EST tomorrow, Tuesday, May 20th.

The latest driver values are now on the site.

The Top 11 - Locked in.

1- Scott Dixon, 226.366
2 - Dan Wheldon, 226.110
3 - Ryan Briscoe, 226.080

4 - Helio Castroneves, 225.733
5 - Danica Patrick, 225.197
6 - Tony Kanaan, 224.794

7 - Marco Andretti, 224.417
8 - Vitor Meira, 224.346
9 - Hideki Mutoh, 223.887

10 - Ed Carpenter, 223.835
11 - Tomas Scheckter, 223.496


The Next 22 - A 'Free for All'

12 - Townsend Bell, 222.539

13- Graham Rahal, 222.531
14 - Darren Manning, 222.430
15 - Bruno Junquiera, 222.330

16 - Justin Wilson, 222.267
17 - Buddy Rice, 222.101
18 - Davey Hamilton, 222.017

19 - Alex Lloyd, 221.788
20 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, 221.579
21 - John Andretti, 221.550

22 - Sarah Fisher, 221.246
23 - Will Power, 221.136
24- Jeff Simmons, 221.103

25 - Oriol Servia, 220.767
26 - Ernesto Viso, 220.356
27 - Milka Duno, 220.305

28 - Mario Moraes, 219.716
29 - Enrique Bernoldi, 219.422
30 - Jaime Camara, 219.345

31- AJ Foyt IV, 219.184
32 - Buddy Lazier, 219.015
33 - Marty Roth, 218.965


Not that I am giving any hints or anything but, based on their qualifying efforts, Townsend Bell and Bruno Junquiera look like good value for money picks. Do with that information what you will!

- The Commish

I do not want to be in the Newman Haas pit tonight!

First things first, Target Chip Ganassi Racing were sensational today. Dixon and Wheldon judged the track conditions and the timing of their runs perfectly, it's almost as if Chip had acquired a copy of the Roger Penske playbook, that would never happen would it?

More of the first 11 later, the real drama came right at the end of qualifying, about 15 minutes ago, when Graham Rahal, who had been seated atop of 'The Bubble' for much of the day, was bumped out of the Day 1 qualifying group. He was confident that he had one more good run in him as he had been doing times very close to those of Tomas Scheckter who was now sitting in position 11. He went out with about 15 minutes to go and just missed making it into the field. He immediately told his team that they could make it and to get a fresh set of tyres on the car and get it through tech. Incredibly, whether by accident or design, the team failed to produce a new set of boots for the 06 car and Graham was left standing in pit lane ready to give it one more shot, only to be told that it wasn't going to happen. The composure he showed during the inevitable interview which followed was a lesson in professionalism. He was absolutely incandescant with rage, but did not show it.

Ryan Briscoe's run as the afternoon session began was stunning! The car never ran a low line and looked beautifully balanced through all four corners. His presence on the front row is not a shock but for him to be one place ahead of Helio Castroneves could be considered a minor one.

The 'slightly surprising' files also contain the fact that the highest AGR car on the grid is Danica Patrick in 5th. Tony Kanaan and Marco Andretti fill out the next two spots while never getting a full handle on their cars today. There are many teams who would love to have those sort of troubles.

If I had an enormously massive novelty/promotional hat, I would be taking it off in recognition of Vitor Meira's performance in sticking the Panther Racing entry firmly into the middle of Row 3. This under funded single car team have been superb all week and this is the very least that they deserve. I have no doubt that he will feature in the mix for a podium finish come the Sunday before Memorial Day. They don't have a podium so he'll have to make his own and provide the champagne and nobody will be watching, but at least he'll be happy.

Hideki Mutoh is a true rookie and has performed superbly all week and despite the lack of hoopla on TV today, he has done a fantastic job in qualifying 9th. Ed Carpenter's presence on Row 4 has not come as a surprise based on the speed that he and the Vision team have shown all season. Penske know how was certainly evident in the efforts of the Luczo Dragon team in getting Tomas Scheckter into the show on Day 1.

1- Scott Dixon, 226.366

2 - Dan Wheldon, 226.110

3 - Ryan Briscoe, 226.080

4 - Helio Castroneves, 225.733

5 - Danica Patrick, 225.197

6 - Tony Kanaan, 224.794

7 - Marco Andretti, 224.417

8 - Vitor Meira, 224.346

9 - Hideki Mutoh, 223.887

10 - Ed Carpenter, 223.835

11 - Tomas Scheckter, 223.496

More today as qualifying continues......................

The Indy 500 Transfer Deadline has come and gone........

.......................... like the career of Jordin Sparks.


The level of transfer activity was almost nil.

I hope you all know what you are doing.


- The Commish

Rookie Orientation - Day 2

Full report to follow........

1 - Alex Lloyd, 223.033 (51 laps)
2 - Hideki Mutoh, 222.600 (35 laps)
3 - Will Power, 222.267 (61 laps)
4 - Oriol Servia, 222.089 (52 laps)
5 - Graham Rahal, 221.155 (45 laps)
6 - Justin Wilson, 221.029 (34 laps)
7 - Ryan Hunter, Reay, 220.839 (59 laps)
8 - Enrique Bernoldi, 220.314 (48 laps)
9 - Bruno Junquiera, 220.289 (26 laps)
10 - Davey Hamilton, 219.901 (38 laps)
11 - Ernesto Viso, 219.558 (33 laps)
12 - Max Papis, 219.101 (22 laps)
13 - Jaime Camara, 218.264 (4 laps)
14 - Mario Moraes, 215.616 (68 laps)
15 - Jay Howard, 214.597 (31 laps)
16 - Mario Dominguez, 214.358 (48 laps)

Rookie Orientation - Day 1

Day one is over and the majority of the 2008 Rookie Class have passed the orientation phase.

The day not only allowed many of the ex Champ Car racers to gain full entry to the event, but its also gave some of the front runners invaluable additional track time over the established veterans. The top three drivers on Sunday averaged over 220 mph which sounds phenomenal but is really only just a solid start to the week. Will Power topped the timing charts with a lap that was the culmination of a very deliberate and precise day of driving. Power has stated that he now feels like he can run flat out with confidence but in front of him is the difficult task of dialling out the wing while maintaining speed and grip in order to reach 225mph, a speed that will put him towards the front end of the grid next Saturday (pole day).

Danica's BFF, Ernesto Viso, showed more of the outright speed he showed in spells in Kansas, while hitting the 220mph mark in only 64 laps. It took Oriol Servia a little longer to get into the 220's but he did so towards the end of the day and no doubt he has a car that can make it into the field on Saturday.

It is also worth noting that Alex Lloyd ran a 219.964 over the course of a limited 55 lap run, he was also up to speed very quickly and it is safe to say that there is a lot more to come from the Rahal Letterman/Chip Ganassi joint entry.


1 - Will Power, 220.694 (93 laps)
2 - EJ Viso, 220.445 (64 laps)
3 - Oriol Servia, 220.102 (94 laps)
4 - Alex Lloyd, 219.964 (55 laps)
5 - Hideki Mutoh, 219.824 (43 laps)
6 - Ryan Hunter, Reay, 219.797 (44 laps)
7 - Jaime Camara, 219.175 (47 laps)
8 - Graham Rahal, 218.619 (51 laps)
9 - Justin Wilson, 218.142 (43 laps)
10 - Enrique Bernoldi, 217.338 (44 laps)
11 - Jay Howard, 217.247 (61 laps)
12 - Max Papis, 214.068 (19 laps)
13 - Mario Moraes, 186.445 (3 laps)

.....more to come during the week. Don't forget that your final team selections have to be in by Friday night at 7pm EST or Midnight GMT.