Dan Wheldon ha vinto la 500 Miglia di Indianapolis numero 100. Nessuno avrebbe pensato ad un finale più rocambolesco per l'edizione del centenario. Wheldon, che partiva dalla seconda fila, si è trovato in testa sull'ultimo rettilineo poche centinaia di metri dalla bandiera a scacchi ed in regime di bandiere gialle.Il pilota britannico era in quinta posizione a dieci giri dalla fine quando Baguette, che si trovava al comando, è dovuto rientrare alla 197a tornata per un rifornimento veloce lasciando la testa della gara all'esordiente Hildebrand che si è trovato a condurre davanti a Scott Dixon.
I piloti in testa in quel momento stavano cercando di consumare meno carburante possibile per terminare la gara senza effettuare ulteriori soste, procedendo perciò di conserva.
All'ultima curva il pilota americano che si era qualificato con il 12° tempo, l'esordiente più veloce, si è trovato davanti l'altro rookie Charlie Kimball da doppiare e ha deciso di sorpassarlo senza aspettare il rettilineo finale. La manovra si è rivelata fatale perchè Hildebrand ha dovuto allargarsi finendo sullo sporco e conseguentemente a muro terminando così quella che molto probabilmente avrebbe potuto diventare la più bella affermazione della sua carriera, ossia vincere una corsa leggendaria in una edizione storica da esordiente.
Invece ha potuto solo guardare Wheldon passarlo ed andare a vincere la corsa che più di ogni altra edizione lo ha iscritto nei libri della storia motoristica.
A Conversation With ... Dan Wheldon, Bryan Herta, Steve Newey
Sunday, May 29, 2011
MODERATOR: Dan Wheldon, winner the second time of the Indianapolis 500. Dan, always been such an incredible competitor. We all want to snow, what in the world was going through your mind there?
DAN WHELDON: You know what, it probably is different to what you guys were thinking. On the radio with 20 to go, they said: ‘Listen, this is the deal. Some people are going to try to make it on fuel. You're one of the guys that can make it to the end. But you've got to go and you have to make sure you get everything out of the car that you possibly can.’
So I said to myself at that point, I'm going to move the weight jacker every lap to optimize every single corner, adjust the roll bars to be able to just maximize everything. I didn't have a problem. I was able to catch traffic perfectly without having to lift. They said that there was one person that potentially could make it, I believe. So that made me even more hungry. I started pressing the overtake that Honda brought to the series.On that last lap I was trying to deal with bears between Turns 3 and 4. In the corner of my eye, I saw him hit the fence. I just carried on by. As Bryan says, you have to make it to the bricks with a car that can go forward with all four wheels. At that point, I knew it was mine.Just extremely happy. I mean, this is obviously a very, very special racetrack to me. I love this racetrack. I love how the fans energize the Speedway. To think that I'm a two-time winner, I mean, Bryan, who has been a teammate and a good friend for a long time gave me a fantastic opportunity to win this race.I think, as everybody will agree, him and Steve were very astute to collaborate with Sam Schmidt, and we can't forget those guys, Alex, Townsend, all the engineering guys and mechanics did a phenomenal job.But everything that Bryan put together with Steve has worked phenomenally well, have worked very, very hard, very diligently. They've done everything in their power to give me the fastest race car possible. I was going to drive that thing like I stole it until I saw the checkered flag, whether that was first, second, whatever the position. Just proud to do that with William Rast on board. CURB Records, Big Machine Records, Forsythe Solutions, and iGo.
Obviously it was emotionally for me because of my close relationship with Honda. To win, I almost feel they're as big a part of my program as anybody just because they're always very loyal.You know, it was emotional for me, as well, to win for my wife and my family. I think my contract expires at midnight tonight (smiling).
I just knew when I started this race that I wanted to do everything in my power to deliver a win for not just myself, I didn't feel we had anything to prove, but for such a great group of people.You can think I'm giving you the media cheesy line, but it's not like that. The people that form this team, the relationships that we've all kind of bonded very quickly, has been extremely good. With a Cinderella story we took on the might of Roger Penske's organization and Chip Ganassi. We've had a very, very quick car all month. I don't think I saw a Penske in front of me all of the race. So that's a testament to the team.
So now when I'm on the beach with my wife and two kids, we can honestly be proud of what we've achieved together. Certainly my family back home. This is obviously a special race because it is the 100th anniversary. I'm honored to be the winner of this particular race.
I'm honored as well to represent the Alzheimer's Association. For everybody out there that knows somebody that's diagnosed with Alzheimer's, which is perhaps a lot more than people think, hopefully this made them smile. Certainly my thoughts and prayers to everybody out there that has that disease, the families associated with that person, it's truly an honor to represent them.It's a fantastic day. I just love Indianapolis. I really do. I love Indiana. It's been so good to me, so good to my career. But to these guys for giving me an opportunity, it's tough to beat these big teams. This is a Cinderella story.
By the same token, it shouldn't be taken away from how smart these guys are, who they associated themselves with. Like I said, Sam has a fantastic organization, we work very well together. And the leadership of these two, and Allen McDonald, Rob Edwards and Sam Schmidt has been a great relationship.Kind of quiet for me a little bit. I'm talking a lot, but just very, very emotional.MODERATOR: Bryan, as a former driver, you've been given instructions, as well, like Dan received. What were your reactions to the last few laps?
BRYAN HERTA: There were several different strategies being played out there. We were on the strategy of Dario had been going longer than us on the pits all day long. When we saw him coming in, it kind of made up our mind to stay out because we knew we couldn't beat him on fuel mileage. We had to try something different.
Dan has done such a great job. One of the things he did for us is bring an attitude and a belief we could win this race.On paper, based on our previous effort, anything, on paper we really had no business believing we could win it. But Dan believed in us so strongly he made us believe it, too. I really think over the course of this last two weeks, he made the crew guys believe it, he made a lot of people on the outside believe it, because so many people were coming up to us the week of the race saying, We think you're going to win. It was so uplifting.It's really his spirit that came across the whole team and made us believe we had a chance to win this thing. So when these strategies were playing out, I wasn't sure how it was going to work out. But we knew we wanted to give this guy enough fuel to race to the end, just keep it flat. We didn't want to save fuel, we wanted to go race those guys.
Somehow it all worked out.
MODERATOR: Steve, an interesting tactical race in many ways. How much pressure was felt in your pit area about that?
STEVE NEWEY: There was a lot of pressure in the pit area. A lot of double-checking and rechecking, recalculating our fuel figures. The guys were under a lot of pressure, made some great decisions.
Bryan is right, having enough fuel in the car to race hard, not have to save fuel. There was a few minutes there where I thought it might not have been the right decision, but thankfully it was. The guys did a great job. Great pit stops all day. For a one-off team to pull off the pit stops that we did is a real testament to their dedication and their hard work.I'm so proud of the guys. Dan has been leading us all month long. He's a great guy to work with. I've been around a long time. Dan is one of the best drivers I've seen around here, if not the best. I really enjoy working with him. It's just been a great month. Can't say enough about how good it's been.
WHELDON: They're not telling you how much pressure I put on them in the prerace meeting. They're being nice about that. But I did have to remind them this is my one and only race and I expected very good strategies. They delivered on that (laughter).
HERTA: I would be remiss if I didn't also mention the technical partnership we had with Sam Schmidt Motorsports, all their guys, Sam, Allen McDonald, Rob Edwards, Don Oldenburg, all the crew. They welcomed us. Something that could have been viewed as a distraction by them, they saw that this is a benefit and we can really work together. They were very, very open with us in everything. Alex Tagliani, Townsend Bell, Dan, they worked as teammates all month long. I think that absolutely made a difference to our program. We really have a big, big thank you to them, as well.
MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q: This autumn, the Japanese race, will you race in that?
WHELDON: I think I've touched on my relationship with Honda, being the first winner there as a Honda driver, that's obviously a very special memory to me. Like I've touched on, I joined Andretti Green Racing in 2002 and helped them develop the engine for the IndyCar Series. With that relationship, I would certainly hope so.We've been blessed this month to have the support of William Rast and CURB Records, Big Machine Record. I say this, but Forsythe Solutions and iGo, without them, I wouldn't have been racing at all. I certainly understand the importance of that.
I would love to be in Motegi. Right now I'm not sure I'm going to be. It's a fantastic racetrack. That's one of the most challenging. This is obviously very difficult. The double-file restarts were pretty interesting. But it turned out to be a phenomenal spectacle as it always is at Indianapolis.
Q: Dan, if you could talk about the last lap for you. Pretty spectacular for us watching. We're smiling about your contract expiring at midnight, but what does this do to the potential here going forward?
WHELDON: That's one for the owners. I have to win because of that conversation when I landed in St. Pete (smiling).My emotions, I didn't have any. Right up until the point that I passed JR, I didn't. I was so focused. It was one of those races where it was so competitive that you had to be on your game. And the wind seemed to be getting under the front of my car. If I wasn't on the same line every time at turn three, I would have to lift. I was catching bears, I wasn't focused on what was going on in front. I had the run on her through Turn 3 and 4, then pulled out.
When I saw him crash, I mean, I knew it wasn't serious. As soon as I knew it was not serious, there was a little smile on my face, I will say. From that point, it was just making sure that I didn't do anything silly. Then I think I got on the radio and started crying.
I'm not normally that emotional. But having been through what we've been through, being able to deliver this for everybody is certainly very gratifying. Proud of everybody. In terms of what it will do for the future, it will make me a happier person on the beach. In terms of more races, you'll have to ask these guys.
Q: Dan, it was mentioned several times during the race by the commentator that you didn't have a full-time IndyCar ride. Do you have any other possibilities in other championships? To the owners, winning the Indy 500, you have to carry on for the rest of the year. Can you give me an idea about your master plan for the rest of the year?
WHELDON: It was one of those offseasons where I did believe that I was going to get a full-time ride. I had that confidence. But, you know, come the end of January, things hadn't panned out as I expected.My management have got me in a position where I can be more selective, and I don't have to drive. It was important for me to put myself in a very positive situation.I called Bryan to ask him about something else. We happened to talk about Indianapolis. I mentioned that I had a couple of options, if I believe, and asked his advice on that. At that point I think he said, ‘Would you be interested in perhaps running for me?’Bryan went and made a couple of calls. I said to him that it's obviously very important for me to feature very strongly. I'm not just saying this because Bryan is sitting next to me. I think anybody that knows Bryan will say this. He's a rarity in IndyCar racing. He's a man of his word. He's provided me an opportunity.When he said that he would give me a fast race car, I never doubted that. We pretty much wrapped a contract up soon after the conversation and started working on this program with him and Steve.I just knew if Bryan said it was going to be a good deal, it would be a good deal. Like I say, you can see by the people that him and Steve have been able to put together why he is the person he is. I mean, they're a great group of people. It's not really like a partial program; it's like a full-time program with just one race because of the talent within the team. That shouldn't be underestimated by anybody.It's not like we kind of just scrapped this crew together. There's some quality individuals there, certainly some people that I think are the best I've ever worked with.
I've got to say, as well, the engineer that Bryan selected to work for his team has done an incredible job.
HERTA: Steve picked him.
WHELDON: Steve picked him. Sorry. Credit to Steve.
But to integrate so well with another team is obviously very important, and they did a great job at that.Q: (Question regarding J.R. Hildebrand.)
WHELDON: It can here. That's what's great about Indianapolis. It's bad if you're on the receiving end.
It happened to me in 2006. I dominated the race. Got a flat tire about 20 laps to go. Then Chip and I argued for a lap if it was flat or not, and that cost us more time. Which if anybody knows Chip and me, I'm sure you could see that happening (smiling).
Actually, a couple of times on that last 20 laps, I was trying to get through Turn 2 quickly behind a couple of cars. I had a couple loose moments. I was actually forced really close to the wall by Kanaan. You just have hairy moments out there, and it's part of it.
That's why this is ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing:’ you never know what's going to happen.
Q: This has been a month of the little guys. I was wondering if you had an opinion of why this month turned out that way. You've been a big guy. In particular, the underperformance of the Penskes.
WHELDON: When you say 'a little guy,' Bryan and Steve can correct me on this, I'm sure they're spending a lot of money on this race. We are a small program. But with the sponsors we've had, we've been able to put together a great program.I can't thank William Rast enough, especially. Not only was it fast, it was a good-looking car. I have an excuse to wear jeans to the banquet tomorrow, as well, so it's perfect.Somebody asked me this last night. I think the biggest thing with Indianapolis, the partial programs, it is a partial program, but, again, the talent is there. But what it allows you to do at Indianapolis is you have more track time. The simulation programs that the big teams work on, the fine tuning, the wind tunnel stuff, the shaker rigs, that's all well and good. But it allows the smaller programs the track time to be able to catch up a little bit.Like I say, I don't think Bryan and Steve will say it's a partial program in terms of spending because I know they didn't partially spending, they were spending like it was going out of fashion. I think it's worth it.
I think, as well, the quality of drivers in some of the partial programs, Buddy Rice, Townsend Bell, there's a lot of talent. It's been an incredible 500. I would never have thought that two Andretti Autosport cars would be bumped. I know Michael. I think Michael does a phenomenal job. I guarantee that won't happen next year.
Q: Dan, in your career, have you ever raced a wrecked car to the finish line before or seen it happen?
WHELDON: No, I don't think so. I don't think so. So, no, probably not. I wasn't really racing. I mean, it was hard for him to keep up with me when he's got two wheels on his wagon.
Q: You have been through a lot together from being teammates in one of the biggest teams in the series to winning the race with a one-off team. Through all that, how has your friendship evolved and where does this rank in all those things?
WHELDON: Who said we were friends (smiling)? He's sacking me at midnight tonight.
HERTA: When Dan came to Andretti, or actually when I came to Andretti, Dan was already there. But he was the kid, the rook. I actually came in, kind of the old guy, the experienced guy. Then we had T.K., obviously, Dario came back after he'd been hurt. It became kind of the Four Musketeers.We had a lot of fun together on and off the track. We had an opportunity, the four of us got together for dinner about a week ago. Literally we laughed till our sides hurt just reminiscing about those times.So there was a bond that formed between the four of us during those years that will never change. It wasn't the reason that I brought Dan to the team or asked him to drive for us, not because he's my buddy. It's because he's, flat out, the best guy there is around this place. That is the reason we hired Dan Wheldon.Our friendship is our friendship, and that will never change. But, obviously, this has been another bonding experience. It serves to bring us closer.
Someday when we're old guys laying on the beach, we can still talk about this.
WHELDON: No, I mean, I agree with Bryan. He's been a great friend, always has been. With him being my boss now, it's not different because the amount of respect that, you know, I think Dario, myself and Tony always had for him. He was the unsung hero at Andretti Green. He was doing a lot of development for us, allowing us to go win races.
When he was allowed to race, he normally kicked our butts. It was nice when they put him back to work again.
One thing I'll tell you this about this guy is he will not do anything that is not going to be successful. If it's not going to be successful, he will have no part of it whatsoever. That's a true talent. I think, like you say, when you look at the people working in the organization, you can see that, too.
Q: Dan, do you think it will be difficult to sort of gear down mentally and emotionally on Tuesday, transitioning back into being a domestic man of leisure?
WHELDON: I'm sure I'll be back to changing diapers by tomorrow. My wife might let me off tomorrow morning, but tomorrow afternoon. The St. Pete twins, it would be great to take another Baby Borg back there.It's one of those things that's difficult. I really feel I have the talent to be in a full-time seat. With all due respect, I like this team, I'm fed up with changing teams back and forth. I'd like to stay in one place and stay there for the rest of my career.But it is what it is, and I don't want to get frustrated at the things I can't control. It will actually give me more satisfaction while I'm sitting on the beach with my wife that I have a second Indianapolis 500.People shouldn't forget what a great job my wife has done. It's very easy for you guys to just think that you can come back and win. But it's not the case. There's times where you do doubt yourself a little bit. Through all of this, she's been incredibly supportive, and she understands that this is all I've ever done. Racing is all I've ever done. She knows that racing creates the personality in me that she loves. So she was desperate to get me back out the house and in a race car.
It's good to deliver for her, my two boys, my family back home, too.
MODERATOR: Dan, congratulations. Thank you very much.
A Conversation With ... JR Hildebrand, Graham Rahal
Sunday, May 29, 2011
MODERATOR: Obviously JR, don't even know where to start.
JR HILDEBRAND: I don't, either.Obviously, we decided we were going to take an alternate fuel strategy. If we could save fuel at the beginning of the stint, we could make it with that sort of extended caution. We were looking good to be able to do that. You don't have a lot of time to look up at the podium driving down the front straight at 230.I was entirely aware of where we were at until five or six to go, when it started to shuffle out. I had just gotten by Dario and was informed that we were leading the race.At that point, it was a fuel and kind of tire strategy game trying to get the car to the end. We were looking OK on fuel, but obviously having to run rather slow from a relative pace standpoint to keep the mileage where we needed it to be.On the last lap, the cars that previously been cycling around in the lead that had pitted were all coming out of the pits and were up to speed. I was aware there were some cars coming with some heat towards the end of the race, like the 98 and the 9 were the two guys quickest toward the end.Certainly, I was aware of the fact that I had some gap on them. But I then, on the last lap, started catching some other cars coming out of the pits as I was cycling through (Turns) 3 and 4. I guess as it happened, I ended up catching the 83, I think, going into Turn 4, a fairly inopportune area.I quickly decided, knowing that the cars in second and third were coming pretty strong, that rather than downshifting a bunch, you know, sort of risking slowing the car way down coming onto the front straight to stay behind him, I thought I'll breathe it and go to the high side because it was a move I used earlier in the race to get around some slower cars in a fairly similar situation.I guess just with the tires as worn as they were, the run being as long, that sort of stint of the race being as long as it was, there were a bunch of marbles on the outside. Once I got up there, there wasn't a lot I could do.
MODERATOR: We'll take questions.
Q: We can only imagine what sort of emotions you're going through. How bad do you feel?
HILDEBRAND: I mean, this is not really about me at this point. You always show up to try to win. But for me, my disappointment is for the team and for National Guard as a sponsor. It's one of the those things, as a driver, you never really know what you're going to expect. We knew we had a fast race car. We knew if the race came to us, we may be in a position to sort of finish top three, top five, wherever that might be, depending on how it panned out.But as a driver, I'm smart enough as a rookie to not expect, no matter what's going to happen, I'm going to come to the Indianapolis 500 my first year and be in a position to win the race.As it turned out, we most certainly were. We were in a position that we should have won the race. So for me, it's not so much that I'm pissed off or disappointed that my face isn't going to go on the Borg-Warner. Just with this team, Panther Racing has finished second three years in a row now with the National Guard sponsorship, I felt like we had an incredible opportunity to get on a big stage for those guys.
Q: As you made that move around the 83, suddenly you realized you were in the marbles, what was the thought?
HILDEBRAND: Is this over the public PA (smiling)?
Q: No.
HILDEBRAND: There were a few choice words going through my head at that moment, really fast and frequently until I hit the wall. They were still going through my head there, I guess.I guess I was fortunate to have hit the wall far enough around that I could still -- I mean, I was like Flat Chad after I hit the wall to try to get the thing across the start/finish line.It's a helpless feeling driving the race car when you get in a situation like that. It can happen on road courses, it can happen at other places. It's most extreme at a place like this where it truly does turn into a one-groove track towards the end of the-race. That was certainly my mistake to have judged it otherwise.
Q: This is four straight second places for the Panther team. What were John's words to you at the end?
HILDEBRAND: John was great. I mean, he's just so proud of this group of guys for putting up such a tremendous effort throughout the day. That was certainly a welcomed face and emotion for me walking down the pit lane. Sometimes you never know what you're going to get from a team when you've just lost the Indy 500 by a spot or whatever.But he's a real driver's owner from that perspective. He's ultracompetitive, but at the same time he can understand I think the emotions of what the driver goes through, as well.
Q: You kept the car going. Did you still think you might have a shot of getting there before Wheldon caught you?
HILDEBRAND: I did for a second. The mirrors on our cars really aren't that great. It was tough to tell down the back straight. I took a glimpse to see where he was at. He wasn't anywhere near the near vicinity around the car, where the mirrors are more suited to be able to see. There was certainly a split-second where I thought, “Oh, shoot, maybe I'll pull a Terry Labonte at Martinsville or Bristol or whatever it was that year (smiling).” Obviously, no such luck.
Q: How close did you think Wheldon was to you on the back straight? You said you couldn't see him. Never mind the finish, would you do the same move again? Would you do it differently?
HILDEBRAND: Well, I mean, to answer the first part of your question, I knew coming out of Turn 2 that he was in the short chute between 1 and 2. At that stage, I obviously knew that he was rather close.In terms of distance on the track, that's a little bit tough. Spotter could have said car lengths to give me maybe a little bit more information about where he was at. But I knew that he was close, relatively close, and I knew that he was going a lot quicker than we were, as well.Then to the second part of your question. Is it a move that I would do again? No. I think the only reason I did it in the first place was that it had worked at different stages earlier in the race. But in hindsight, I think with the tires being as used as they were at that stage, that last run after the caution being for so long, it's obviously a learning experience for me, that the marble buildup is quite severe.
Q: As you were sliding down the fence toward the finish line, was there anything you were able to do to hurry the car along?
HILDEBRAND: I was flat on the gas, man. What are you gonna do at that point?
Q: (No microphone.)
HILDEBRAND: I mean, after I hit the wall, I was not slowing down to the start/finish line. Obviously, I got to the point that I couldn't steer it anymore. I was making every effort at that point to try to lessen the blow.
Q: It's been an odd month in that the Penskes haven't performed. Ganassi was there. Panther has taken on the biggest teams, like Andretti. How do you feel about the little guy coming on? What was it about May that allowed the little guys this year to compete against the big guys
HILDEBRAND: I mean, I could give you a fairly complicated answer to that in terms of what I would really say. I think in a general sense, and this is just speculation on my part, it has nothing to do with anything.But, you know, I think that with these cars, we've gotten to a point that, yeah, you can kind of rub on them and make changes all day long. But they're effectively kind of the similar formula that we've been running for quite some time here.I guess as I've experienced a little bit on the road-course side, it's not difficult to overcomplicate what you're doing. In the end, it's still just another race car.I can't say that's what's made other teams do more poorly than you might expect, but I think that's a part of what's allowed us to continue staying up toward the top of the sheets all month. We had a fairly simple outlook on what we were going to do, and we stuck to a game plan.I'd certainly give some credit to Buddy Rice coming along for this weekend, that he's obviously quite a low-anxiety personality. Between the two of us, it's kept the mood of the garage area sort of relaxed. I think that's an environment that you make better decisions in, so...That would be my two cents.
Q: You seem remarkably composed for someone who lost the Indy 500 by crashing on the last corner.
HILDEBRAND: I'm pretending well, I guess (smiling).
Q: It must be churning you up.
HILDEBRAND: Yes. If that's a question, yeah.You know, like I said, it's not really like a personal thing right now. Maybe down the road it will turn into a personal thing that I'll just be pissed off at myself for not doing whatever. In the end, it's really more about the people, for me at least, this team has worked so hard, it's such an integral part of being here at Indianapolis and being successful at Indianapolis, that's really where the sort of heartbreak is for me right now.I certainly wasn't planning my victory speech. But being here on Memorial Day weekend, driving the National Guard car with so many servicemen and women out here for this weekend, it's really a treat to be a part of that. It would have been an outstanding feat to be able to get up on the top step of the podium for them, as well.
Q: Is there a glimmer of hope?
HILDEBRAND: I heard something about the yellows, blah, blah, blah. You know, yellow flags have determined this race in the past, if you would recall. I'm sure Mr. Paul Tracy would be happy to come in here and talk to you a little bit more about that (smiling). We'll discuss how it shakes out.I would have to say, for whatever it's worth, Dan obviously must have done quite a job because he was a few steps behind those cars that were up at the front prior to that stint. So good on him to get up there, as well.
MODERATOR: Thank you for coming in, JRGraham, you've ran the Indianapolis 500 before. Driver with great promise. Results haven't been what you were looking for. We watched a guy walk out of here that's down with a second-place finish. How are you feeling with a third-place run?
GRAHAM RAHAL: Obviously, I feel great about it. At the same time if it were two laps longer, I'd probably be drinking milk right now.I mean, I feel great about what my guys did today. Someone just told me we passed 67 cars today and didn't win. I mean, both guys finished ahead of me, I passed Hildebrand probably four times today and I passed Wheldon once.We knew we had probably one of the best cars out there. At the end, we were running probably a little bit too much downforce to do some of those big numbers, which is why Dixon passed me after that last restart. I didn't quite have the pace out front. But in traffic, I was as good as anybody.It feels great, to be honest. My Service Central guys did a fantastic job all day staying levelheaded. We went down a lap with 70 laps to go, got the wave-around. That took us from fifth back to 17th. We worked our way all the way back up.I mean, it feels really good to be sitting where we are right now.
MODERATOR: Questions.
Q: What was your view of JR there?
RAHAL: I don't know. I'd have to look at it. I've made that mistake before. I don't know how close Wheldon was to the back of him. You know, that's a tough spot. He must have gotten really high.
Q: He was going around a guy, the 83 car.
RAHAL: OK. Well, anyway, I did the same thing and made the same mistake twice. But I had run fairly high there earlier. A couple of guys had. The grip was OK up there.I think Firestone did a fantastic job creating a tire for this race. Truthfully, the marbles were never bad. You could always kind of pick a lane, whether it be outside, inside, not too wide, but you had some freedom to run. Otherwise, I wouldn't have passed, as I said, 67 guys. It wouldn't have been possible.But they made a tire that was strong enough in which you could do that. It was dead consistent for me. I know a lot of guys were falling off, but our car was really good. In the long run, probably we were the best car out there today.But as far as JR, you know, obviously I feel bad for him that he was in that position. Certainly he was in that position because of what the team had done for him, to get him off strategy and put him in that place. Like I said, I passed him four times today, and he was never quicker than us.Overall, I would say that you learn from the mistakes that you make and you move on.
Q: You were doing a lot of passing in traffic. Seemed like three or four guys throughout the race would be back, then fight their way up to the front. What happened there that you just couldn't get over the edge? I'm talking about all of you. Anything in particular?
RAHAL: What do you mean 'get over the edge'?
Q: Get up to the front and keep it.
RAHAL: In my circumstance, it was the downforce level we picked. We picked it because we knew where we were starting, we picked it because we knew we were going to have to be good in traffic. We were excellent in traffic.We never made a single tire pressure change or wing change. We don't have adjustable wing pillars, so whatever we picked is what we were running. A lot of guys could probably trim out near the end.That was probably it flat out for me. If you saw the last restart, I took the lead from Oriol, then Dixon passed me a couple laps later. I know a wing angle they're running, and it's far less than us. The straight-line speed is going to be higher.At the end, I would say the same is true for Wheldon. When I came out of the pits on cold tires, he flat out had more pace than me. I just couldn't quite keep up.
Q: Did the Ganassi cars all have similar strategy? If not, were you just really surprised that you beat guys that have won multiple Indy 500s?
RAHAL: I don't know what their strategy was. Obviously, I saw Dario come in on that last yellow. But am I surprised? Not really, because I could have told you last week I thought we probably had the best race car of any of our teammates.We don't debrief together. But when you hear the mumblings from the other trailer, as far as what they're thinking or how they're feeling, I don't think anybody felt as confident in their race car as I did. So I'm not surprised.They were obviously faster than us I think today in outright pace. But our strategy was pretty simple. What I'm most impressed about is we never did anything off strategy. I thought to get to the front we were definitely going to have to do that. But we didn't.Overall, I mean, like I said, my Service Central guys just did a fantastic job all day. I don't think we lost a spot in the pits all day. I don't think we hurt ourselves at all on or off the track. I don't think I made any mistakes. Overall it's just a good day.
Q: Graham, for just people looking at this, they might consider what Dan was able to do with his first start with this team a surprise. Can you explain why it is or is not necessarily a surprise for the way that turned out and also if you've had a chance to talk to your dad?
RAHAL: I don't see what Dan's done as a surprise at all. Dan is a fantastic driver. He's always proven it, particularly here. He's won here before. That team, from what I see, that was a three-car team this month. Tagliani, Wheldon and Bell. I'm not surprised. My hat goes off to Dan. He's a great guy. Did a fantastic job today. Did exactly what he needed to do.As far as talking to dad, I saw him briefly, said a couple of words, then kind of just came over here. I'm sure I'll see him more this afternoon.
Q: You've been coming here a lot of years. You've observed it as a son, as well. Do you have any opinion why the results, let's say Las Vegas favorites, did not perform and the unexpected teams did so well?
RAHAL: 'Cause it's Indy flat out. I mean, that's what I put it off to. This place, when you think you got it figured out, it bites you. I mean, it's Indy. It's so tough.But I thought today was so special, the whole thing. The atmosphere was fantastic. The crowd looked great. The whole buildup to it was incredible. It was a very special day, so...But as far as those guys that you thought were going to dominate and didn't, it's this place.
Q: (Question regarding Penske.)
RAHAL: I was surprised about that, actually. I'm not going to lie to you there. I raced with a Briscoe a couple times, passed Helio a couple times, passed Will. They didn't have it. You could see Briscoe just did not feel comfortable all day.Yeah, I'm pretty surprised that they weren't faster.
Q: There was a lot of talk with the weeks leading up to the race about the double-file restarts, scrutiny about it. How did it feel out there?
RAHAL: It felt good. Honestly, the changes they made, letting us just race, I thought the restarts were great. There was a lot of passing opportunities, plenty of excitement. I haven't watched a race tape, but I thought that the excitement was incredible inside of the car.The last restart I passed seven positions, and there were three lapped cars in there, so 10 cars in one corner. Really, I think that it gave you the opportunity to do that. People get bogged down; it moved the cars around just enough you had to be almost on the grass on (Turn) 4 to make it work. It was good fun.I'm not sure that's going to work on the road courses, but I think on all the other ovals from here on out, that's the way it should be. Let us go racing. Put it in our hands. Don't give us 20 rules to work by. That's just going to make it harder and more confusing.
Q: What was it like to lead briefly the Indy 500?
RAHAL: It felt good. But obviously my focus was go as fast as I possibly can. I had Dixon breathing down my neck. I could see that. It felt nice. But I hope that's not the last laps I lead here.
Q: In recent years one of the complaints has been not enough American drivers. Now we have two that finished two and three, almost one and three. Do you think this is going to attract more Americans?
RAHAL: I don't think that the results attract more Americans. I think what it comes down to is IndyCar racing, I think it's on the rise. We saw it today. Ticket sales were up huge. You could visibly see the difference from this year to last year in the crowd size.I think that's what attracts people, because that's what attracts sponsors. That's what will attract drivers, is the opportunities that the sponsors present them. Clearly in my case of Service Central, I'm here because of them. JR is at Panther because of National Guard. That's what is going to attract people, is the opportunities they see.I think as far as a show, today was far more passing than I thought would ever be possible around here. I thought it was a helluva lot of fun, that's for sure.
Q: You mentioned earlier you don't have the adjustable front wings. Is that by choice?
RAHAL: No, rear wing pillars. That's not necessarily by choice. There's two ways to look at it. It's an advantage. At the end there under yellow, you could crank a little wing out of it, you're going to go faster. At the same time, there's a story about the Ganassi boys a long time ago. They were telling me they took out rear wing accidentally and added front wing on Jimmy Vasser, which is obviously going to turn the thing like a top. You can shoot yourself in the foot, too, with it.Really, it just came down to we're a new team as of five months ago. We haven't gotten around to that. There's a lot of other things we need to do before making an adjustable rear wing.
MODERATOR: Thank you for coming in.
RAHAL: We're riding high, second and third. Feels fantastic. To be the highest-finishing Ganassi car, I'm not disappointed with either.