CART Teams Dominate Indy 500

It was one of the most beautiful starting fields to grace the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in recent years. Thirty-three high tech machines, aligned in almost perfect rows of three came through turn four and when Elaine Irwin-Mellencamp pulled the Olds Bravada Pace Vehicle off the track, Pole Sitter Scott Sharp led the field toward the green flag and the beginning of the 85th Indy 500. The field of thirty-three entered turn one and headed toward the short chute, and there, all of the beauty vanished for Sharp and the IRL contingent in the field.

As Sharp rounded the corner, he dropped down to the white line and on the cold paint of the line and cold tires, the car lost its grip and spun, sliding up the track and into the wall. Suddenly, the whole complexion of the race changed. The Pole Sitter was out. The cold conditions continued to take their toll as the race resumed.

After five laps of yellow, the race was on again, but not for long. On lap eight, Sarah Fisher made almost the exact mistake that Sharp did and spun, hitting Scott Goodyear. Goodyear received fractures to his lower back and is currently hospitalized at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis as a result of those injuries. He will miss approximately a month of action, but is hoping to return for the IROC race at Michigan next month. Ten laps later, Al Unser Jr. found himself in the wall, when Sam Hornish, Jr. spun and left him no place to go. In all, the first eighteen laps saw three caution periods and some of the pre-race favorites eliminated from the field.

As the day wore on, it was apparent that the big money teams from CART were beginning to dominate the race, but it wasn't the money that was the issue. It was the skill and teamwork. After all, the Penske and Ganassi teams were in IRL specification equipment, as were rest of the field, but for some unknown reason, on this May 27th, they appeared to totally outclass the IRL regulars in the field.

As the race neared the three-quarters mark, Indy 500 rookie, Helio Castroneves, driving the #68 Marlboro Team Penske entry took the lead and battled his team mate Gil de Ferran and Michael Andretti for the lead. In the end, it was Castroneves, who took home the Borg Warner Trophy, repeating the feat of Juan Montoya who won as a rookie last year. It also meant a one-two finish for owner Roger Penske, who was making a triumphant return to The Brickyard.

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