We love sport because of it’s narratives and it’s fairy tales. Sunday afternoon at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, we saw one of the more remarkable redemption stories in the one hundred-year history of the great race.
Canadian James Hinchcliffe, who was badly injured in a horrendous practice crash just about a year ago, coming perilously close to bleeding to death, but a period on a difficult year of rehab and recovery by storming around the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway fractionally faster than American Josef Newgarden to claim pole position for the one hundredth running of the greatest race in the world.
Of course, Hinchcliffe – arguably the most likeable IndyCar Series driver in a paddock full of them – will love the prestige of sitting at the head of the 33-car field after a dramatic day of qualifying, but what he’ll love more is being out front heading into turn one when they drop the green for the 100th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race in front of a capacity crowd at a little after 12:00pm Sunday afternoon.
And what drama – Hinchliffe was the last man to go out in the setting sun, posting a four-lap average of 230.760mph, which was just 0.4 of a second faster than Newgarden. It’ll be an all North American front row, with Floridian native and former Indianapolis 500 champion Ryan Hunter-Reay, also in a Honda (for Andretti Autosport) completing the trio on the first of eleven rows of three.
You have to feel a little sorry for Newgarden. To have been close yet and yet so far much be gut wrenchingly difficult, but the Tennessean will take heart in a pretty good starting spot for the race. His chances of winning the hundredth running are good. As are Hunter-Reay’s, for that matter. It’s great for American interest to have two home grown stars on the front row, and will result in plenty of coverage as we dive head-first into race week.
Sunday represented a redemption moment for the pole-winning driver and a great moment for Hinchcliffe’s organisation, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, led by Sam Schmidt, who was paralysed in a practice crash in the early 2000s and continues an association with IndyCar racing. They took the pole five years ago with another likeable Canadian, Alex Tagliani, but this one was (with apologies to Tag) far grander.
It was a really good day out for SPM: all thee of their cars have qualified inside the top ten, with the speedy Russian Mikhail Aleshin in seventh and veteran Spaniard Oriol Servia tenth. For one of the smaller teams on out road, it’s an incredible effort, and a testament to the group that Schmidt and Peterson have built over the years. Hinchcliffe’s pole came after he was a lowly seventeenth on the no-tow/unassisted lap charts – like the cars run in qualifying, alone on the track – so the improvement was an absolutely massive one.
Redemption, too, for Honda, who have been Chevrolet’s whipping boys all this season and most of last. This year alone, Chevrolet-powered cars have claimed five race wins and five pole positions. Hinchliffe’s epic 10-mile/4-lap qualifying run changed all of that. It really was one for the ages in front of a good crowd at IMS.
Suddenly, Honda look genuine contenders at the Speedway – something we couldn’t truly determine during practice, when it appeared some Chevrolet teams were actively sandbagging. With Hinchliffe, Townsend Bell (fourth), Carlos Munoz (fifth) and Aleshin in seventh, Honda seems to have a legitimate chance at glory on Sunday. That’s a turnaround for the ages from where they were just a few weeks ago.
Surprises? Ganassi’s fleet of cars were disappointing. Scott Dixon, the Queensland-born New Zealander was the best of the four, qualifying in thirteenth after an engine change between warm-up and qualifying. Two-time and defending champion Juan Pablo Montoya qualified fifteenth and will be in the eye of the storm right from the outset.
As will Graham Rahal, the driver of the Steak n Shake Honda for Rahal Letterman Racing. It was another miserable qualifying run for the American, who tweeted afterward that his car had actually lost speed overnight. Rahal will start from twenty-seventh on Sunday, nearly thirty years to the day since his father, Bobby, won the 500, and you can expect the second generation Rahal to be on the charge as soon as they drop the green. His Honda showed good pace Thursday in race trim, but survival in the melee that often breaks out at the back end of the field is no guarantee.
How about the Aussies? Queenslander Will Power had a quiet but respectable run to sixth, giving him a second row start. He'll be a threat on race day - the Penske cars always are. It's a guarantee at Indy.
Further back, and actually alongside the afore-mentioned Graham Rahal, is Matt Brabham in the Aussie-run Pirtek Team Murray. The third third-generation driver to qualify for the Indy 500 is going to have his work cut out for him starting back there, but the experience will be invaluable. A finish, inside the top twenty, would be a massive achievement for the rookie. What a thrill it will be for him, and you can bet the spirit of Sir Jack will be along for the ride. Along with Australians everywhere!
So, the grid for the 100th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race is set – stay tuned for our car-by-car preview on The Roar over the next few days – and race week is upon us. Only a handful of days until I get on a plane to experience it all first-hand.
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