The Field is Set for the 93rd Running of the Indianapolis 500

05.17.09 - aaracers - John Andretti and Ryan Hunter Reay were the last two qualifiers on Bump Day for The Indy 500. Andretti found himself on his final attempt to bump his way back into the starting field after being in and out of the race no less than five times throughout the day. With the current qualification format, drivers are allowed three attempts per qualification day to make the starting field. Even if a driver is already qualified, he may withdraw his time and re-qualify if they choose. This is the scenerio that found Andretti looking on the outside of the starting field for the race.

Andretti's rollercoaster ride went like this:

1:02 p.m. - Bumped from the field by car #36 Bruno Junqueira.
3:22 p.m. - #21T Hunter-Reay withdraws his qualified time and #43 J. Andretti is re-inserted in the field and is on the bubble.
3:29 p.m. - #21T Hunter-Reay bumps #43 J. Andretti from the field.
3:33 p.m. - #24 Conway withdraws his qualified time and #43 J. Andretti is re-inserted in the field and is on the bubble.
3:40 p.m. - #24 Conway bumps #43 J. Andretti from the field.
3:53 p.m. - Andretti uses his 1st qualification attempt of the day but is too slow and waves off after 1 lap
4:29 p.m. - #13 Viso withdraws his qualified time and #43 J. Andretti is re-inserted in the field.
4:37 p.m. - #13 Viso bumps #43 J. Andretti from the field.
5:35 p.m. - #19 Scheckter withdraws his qualified time and #43 J. Andretti is re-inserted in the field.
5:40 p.m. - #19 Scheckter bumps #43 J. Andretti from the field.
5:52 p.m. - #43 J. Andretti qualifies on his 3rd and final attempt of the day with the 26th fastest speed of 33 and is safely in the field.

Andretti was obviously elated, exhausted and complimentary about his Bump Day ride which saw him qualify for his 12th Indianpolis 500. “I’m exhausted. I don’t want to do this anymore, to be honest. Just coming down pit road, you would have thought that I won the race. I couldn’t hear the crowd, but I could see them standing and waving. The fans have always been behind me at Indianapolis. The team did such a great job" Andretti commented.

Ryan Hunter Reay's day may not have been as bumpy but it was just as trying, Being 5th in the IndyCar Series points standings, Hunter-Reay stood to lose more than points if he did not make the race."I couldn't imagine the position I would be in if I didn't make it today. And I came way too close to that" said Hunter-Reay. "Since we woke up, it was: 'What are we going to do? What are we going to do? Let's pull the car out. Let's put it in.' The whole day it was qualifying simulations. That was the hairiest day I've ever had, I think. I've never been so happy to be in last place."

Post Qualification Notes:

· There are four former Indianapolis 500 winners in the starting field: Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002), Dan Wheldon (2005), Dario Franchitti (2007) and Scott Dixon (2008). Between them they have six victories. The record for most former winners in the field is 10 in 1992. The fewest, other than the inaugural race in 1911, is zero in 1912.

· There is a combined 125 previous Indianapolis 500 starts among the 33 drivers in this year's field. The record is 260 years of experience set in 1987 and 1992. There were 104 years of combined experience in last year's field.

· Scott Sharp is the most experienced driver in the field with 13 previous Indianapolis 500 starts. The record is 35 set in consecutive years from 1958-1992 by A.J. Foyt.

· The oldest driver in the starting field is Davey Hamilton, 45. The youngest qualifier is Graham Rahal, 20.

· There are five rookies in the field. They are Mike Conway, Robert Doornbos, Raphael Matos, Nelson Phillipe and Alex Tagliani. Last year's field had 11 rookies.

· In addition to the five rookies in the race, there are three other drivers (Dario Franchitti, Scott Sharp and Paul Tracy) who did not start in last year's race.

· Dan Wheldon has led 234 career laps in the Indianapolis 500, more than any other driver in this year's field. Tony Kanaan is the only other driver in the field who has led more than 200 career laps in the Indianapolis 500. Kanaan has led 214 laps.

· There are seven graduates of Firestone Indy Lights in the field. The graduates are Marco Andretti, Ed Carpenter, A.J. Foyt IV, Alex Lloyd, Hideki Mutoh, Raphael Matos and Graham Rahal.

· Buddy Lazier failed to qualify for the Indianapolis 500. The 16-time race starter is the only driver who had started every Indianapolis 500 under IndyCar Series banner (1996-2008).