Your Favorite Indy Qualifying Run

[racer0053]

Speaking of interesting runs,since the topic came up, what about Danica in 2010? I remember her being interviewed over the PA. Talking about the car, obviously frustrated, then, the infamous words:

"It's not my fault the car is slow"

A shocked silence dominated for a split second.

And then, the boos came.

It was The Day The Crowd Turned.

I wish there was a recording of the pa interview and the crowd's reaction because she came across downright nasty and the crowd obviously thought so too.

[whopper]

Don't remember the year but when Billy Boat put AJ's backup car in the field with no previous laps. I remember AJ saying that it took real balls to get in that car cold and put it in the show.

[pdas1996]

Every run that ended with Tom Carnegie saying "and it's a new track record!"

THIS.

[Oldfan]

My two favorites:

-Sneva's breaking 200 mph barrier (I was there that day, it was awesome)

-Simona's pole day shocker last year. She was terrified but kept her foot in it and held on to a very loose car, great stuff.

[aowzone]

I wish there was a recording of the pa interview and the crowd's reaction because she came across downright nasty and the crowd obviously thought so too.

I was standing right there's, she had just done the interview as Rafa was pulling in. Lot of interestng faces in green shirts that day.

[DamonG19]

Kenny Brack in 2005

[heliogordy]

Props to everyone who remembers Buddy in 2008....they could've taken the rear wing off it was laid down so low....dude got out of the car and was emotionally drained...major props...as ballsy as when he drove the wheels off of it in his 1996 win when he was clipping grass in turn one.

[goldie19]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0t1Fi0RwLs

Rick Mears in 93. Goes out slow and nails it, like a boss

My gosh look at that crowd!

[Joonyah]

OK, yeah, I think I recall that. He was too slow and Buddy's time was beyond the bump with his final run?

Mario crashed on lap 2.

[autoracingfan2]

There have been a ton, but I was here for this one, it was electric. 232 mph!? This was TWENTY years ago. Look at the crowd.

For for the 100th Indy 500, open it up to any internal combustion engine powered, open wheeled car. It would be dangerous, but the speeds would be insane and the crowd would be tremendous....kind of like the good ole days.

[MichaelP]

I don't know if it was two separate runs, or if both of these memories were the same year, but it centers around Scott Brayton's pole positions in 1995 and 96. I recall his pole run taking place in a light rain. Also, he withdrew a top 5 car and went out in another car to claim the pole (I'm pretty sure that was 96 as Tony Stewart and Luyendyk were involved in that decision).

[Jim Wilke]

1997. Greg Ray comes out of nowhere with an unsponsored plain black car and on the second day of qualifying is running laps that would put him solidly in the field when he runs out of fuel on lap 3. He comes back the following week and calmly puts the car in the show as qualifying ends on Saturday. As the sun sets and the crowd heads for the exits, the announcer asks Greg about his background. He says, "I'd done a little boat racing and decided I wanted to race cars. I went to a driving school and the instructor went around the room and asked everybody what they hoped to get out of the course. A couple said they just wanted to be better drivers on the street, a couple others said they wanted to do some regional sports car racing, one guy wanted to race vintage cars. When it got to me, I said, 'I want to race in the Indy 500' and everyone laughed. I'm quite sure none of them are here today."

[Tree0404]

1997. Greg Ray comes out of nowhere with an unsponsored plain black car and on the second day of qualifying is running laps that would put him solidly in the field when he runs out of fuel on lap 3. He comes back the following week and calmly puts the car in the show as qualifying ends on Saturday. As the sun sets and the crowd heads for the exits, the announcer asks Greg about his background. He says, "I'd done a little boat racing and decided I wanted to race cars. I went to a driving school and the instructor went around the room and asked everybody what they hoped to get out of the course. A couple said they just wanted to be better drivers on the street, a couple others said they wanted to do some regional sports car racing, one guy wanted to race vintage cars. When it got to me, I said, 'I want to race in the Indy 500' and everyone laughed. I'm quite sure none of them are here today."

And then, still as a very unknown driver (only an 8th at Texas in '97 to his name) with a very unknown team, he ends up putting the thing on the front row for '98 in a still unsponsored black car.

[Unzerdog]

Can't really call em Favorites but as far as quals go, the ones that got me were when Penske and Rahal DNQ'd. I think I cried seeing little Al head back to gasoline alley. Stunned.

[preacher]

Here's an obscure one but one I really enjoyed before it was curtailed...

Tom Sneva 1989 for Vince Granatelli. Running the stock block Buick.

First lap was blistering fast (out of no where in terms of his practice speeds). I think at that time it set a stock block record. And would have been 2nd or 3rd fastest of the month (Did Mears have the pole?).

Then, of course, the thing broke.

He coasted to the entrance of pit row. Got out and walked. Met Rutherford and they gave each other a high five.

Fun to watch. And ended up being really Sneva's last positive thrill at the Speedway.

Sneva was something else when it came to qualifying at Indy.

[11rowsof3]

I don't know if it was two separate runs, or if both of these memories were the same year, but it centers around Scott Brayton's pole positions in 1995 and 96. I recall his pole run taking place in a light rain. Also, he withdrew a top 5 car and went out in another car to claim the pole (I'm pretty sure that was 96 as Tony Stewart and Luyendyk were involved in that decision).

Yup, 1995 was in the drizzle. Miserable, foggy, chilly day... until Scott got the pole. 1996 was cold too, but all sun. That was huge to withdrawal the car in '96. Man I miss Scott. I need to scan in the pic I took of him after the 1995 run, he was smiling so big back in the garage.

[Joonyah]

Yup, 1995 was in the drizzle. Miserable, foggy, chilly day... until Scott got the pole. 1996 was cold too, but all sun. That was huge to withdrawal the car in '96. Man I miss Scott. I need to scan in the pic I took of him after the 1995 run, he was smiling so big back in the garage.

I'll go on record saying that Scott's car in 1995 was the best car that ever ran at the speedway. That thing was pretty.

[Z28]

It's tough to pick one but off the top I'll say 1984 when Sneva went past 210mph. The entire first weekend of qualifying was rained out and they qualified a full field in one day. The defending champion on a new team of Tyler Alexander and Teddy Mayer. He had been fast but sandbagging by not running both ends of the track in practice to keep the speed down. Then he comes out and nails it. They ran the superspeedway wings with a short track under tray and it was THE combination.

[John R]

I wish there was a recording of the pa interview and the crowd's reaction because she came across downright nasty and the crowd obviously thought so too.

i was there and i wasn't a big fan already but it really was like a shocked silence for a second. Almost as if everyone asked themselves "did she really just say that?" Then she caught all the boos erupting at once. She looked genuinely surprised that people were upset with what she just said.

[John R]

Can't really call em Favorites but as far as quals go, the ones that got me were when Penske and Rahal DNQ'd. I think I cried seeing little Al head back to gasoline alley. Stunned.

penske missing the show was one of my earliest memories of actually being at the track when i was 9. just remember my dad telling me to pay attention because something crazy was about to happen haha. i had been begging to go to the race for a couple years prior but parents thought i was too young to handle the long day. being on the edge of my seat all bump day was what convinced my dad to bring me. originally he was gonna wait till i was 10.

[yoakj]

2004 - Buddy Rice was as smooth as glass all month. Talk about in the "zone"
2010 - Helio hanging it out in the first Fast 6 Shootout. Laid down a run that no one could get.

[hdolan]

Jerry Hoyt 1955...on the pole...those who know the history will appreciate my selection...

[preacher]

Jerry Hoyt 1955...on the pole...those who know the history will appreciate my selection...

Yep, Jerry won the pole but was not the fastest qualifier. Did he miss the word that the drivers had agreed not to run on what was a less than ideal weather day? Or was the Hulman family happy he ran cause it saved them having to issue rain checks?

But, fair if not square he was the pole winner that year. Pretty sure McGrath was fastest starting on the outside of row 1.

[jkg]

Did he miss the word that the drivers had agreed not to run on what was a less than ideal weather day? 1.

From the stories I've heard, yes. Supposedly when other drivers ran up to him while his car was waiting to go out to qualify, they pleaded "what about the agreement?!", Hoyt replied "What agreement?"

[MS]

1972! The two slowest cars would have been on the front row the year before in 1971 with speeds of 178mph. Bobby Unser had a four lap average of 195.9 and he was three miles per hour faster than P2. I was 14 at the time, and I was witnessing history being made by virtually every driver.

I was a baby then and if I could have gone back in time, that's the pole day I'd most want to see.

[cheeseczar]

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (May 25, 2007) - Chastain Motorsports already faced a narrow window for success at this year's Indianapolis 500, considering it was destined for a second-week bid at qualifications in the little-used Panoz chassis it recently acquired.

The window appeared nearly shut tight when driver Stephan Gregoire crashed in practice two days before the qualifying weekend. Not only did substantial repairs to the car loom, but Gregoire was sidelined with a fractured vertebra and replaced by veteran "super sub" Roberto Moreno. Instead of giving in, however, the team buckled down behind chief mechanic John Jones, fixed the car and watched proudly Sunday as Moreno qualified at a solid 220.299 mph to safely make the field for the 91st running of the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing."


http://www.motorsport.com/indycar/ne...-award-winner/

I am so proud to call John friend. To achieve the Brawner award was it for him I think. He hasn't turned a wrench since. I think he and Soppe could have gone a long way had they stayed together.
He's a EMS guy out east somewhere and doesn't miss racing a bit. I miss him around TF too. Hilarious guy.

[MS]

Don't remember the year but when Billy Boat put AJ's backup car in the field with no previous laps. I remember AJ saying that it took real balls to get in that car cold and put it in the show.

2000ish. The first year quals were a two-day event.

[MS]

One of my favorites was in 1992. I think second day. Al Unser, Sr., missed the show the year before and showed up again in 1992 without a ride. Well, after Piquet was injured he got the Menard ride. I got to watch him put it in the show during happy hour and was so happy that he was back in the show. I was even more thrilled when he brought home the Buick boat-anchor home third! I think that was the first time a stock-block Buick finished the race.

[kevin99]

How about 1981, George Snider gets in Foyt's back-up, he had not ran a lap all month in anything, does three warm-ups, qualifies the car, Foyt sells the car for Tim Richmond to drive (see, AA was not the first to do it), so there is George, ran seven laps all month, including his qualifying run, made the race, and didn't get to drive in it.

[Doctorindy]

How about Johnny Rutherford's 1984 run in a Foyt backup....smoking the whole time, but plenty fast.

Bill Puterbaugh finally qualifying in 1975

Willy T. Ribbs "climbs out" of his car in 1991

Foyt's "last hurrah" during qualifying happened in 1991....waited out the whole day and a fortunate rain shower to get on the front row. Then the next day, Arie, Gary B, and Emmo out-qualify the front row.

Al Sr in 1989...first driver out. SOOOO smooth. Every lap faster. Track record on each lap. It held up for 2nd starting position.