Bert Beiswanger

Bump Day Sunday offered all the excitement that qualifying for Indy has been know for during its rich history. Drivers and teams put everything on the line, swapping spots in the field during the final hour of qualifying for the Indy 500 this Sunday, May 25.

 This was certainly the most exciting Bump Day we’ve seen in a while. At the end of the day, five cars were involved in a fight for the final two spots in the 33 car field.  What added to the excitement and intrigue was the fact that each car gets three qualifying attempts per day to put it in the show. In addition, gusty winds (the worst of the month by many accounts) made conditions downright frightening for the drivers out there laying it on the line. Qualifying at Indy is one of the toughest things a driver does in motorsports. Cars are so trimmed out (less downforce) to gain every little bit of speed, handling the car for four laps becomes an adventure. When you add inconsistent wind gusts and direction to the mix, it becomes a cross-your-fingers and pray proposition. Nonetheless, it provided for plenty of action and drama during the final half hour:

• 5:30 p.m. - 1996 Indy 500 winner Buddy Lazier, having been bumped out of the field earlier in the day by the No. 25 car of Marty Roth, took a crack at re-qualifying. Lazier’s Hemelgarn Johnson Racing team didn’t get their first track action until Friday and conditions and time were not in their favor. One of the most underrated drivers in Indy history couldn’t find the speed to make the field. 
• 5:34 p.m. - Mario Dominguez qualified the No. 96 Visit Mexico City car. He was on the bubble in the 33rd spot. He bumped the No. 98 car of Roger Yasukawa out of the field. Dominquez’ Pacific Coast Motorsports team came together just three weeks ago and was challenged with re-building the team’s car after a Saturday practice accident. It was quite an impressive effort.
• 5:38 p.m. - Yasukawa took a shot at bumping Dominguez out of the field. His time after three laps was identical to the four-lap average of Dominquez! However, the fourth lap was too slow. Dominquez was safe - for now.
• 5:47 p.m. - The performance of the day. Lazier’s team takes as much downforce out of the car as possible. On the warm-up lap, Lazier radioed his crew, “Will it stick?” His crew assured him it would. He was two miles per hour quicker than his previous attempt and put the car in the field. The crowd cheered the former champion. Emotions were running high. Dominquez was out of the field and Marty Roth was now on the bubble with an average speed of 218. 965
• 5:52 p.m. - Yasukawa takes one more shot. He doesn’t have the speed to make it back in. That leaves time for only one more qualifying attempt.
• 5:58 p.m. - Dominguez takes to the 2-1/2 mile oval for one more attempt. The team has just removed more downforce out of the car in hopes to find more speed. At that moment, one prominent motorsports journalist said to me, “If I know Mario Dominguez the way I think I know Mario Dominquez,  he’ll either put it in the show or in the wall.” Dominquez completed lap one: 219.780 mph! Moments later, Dominguez lost control exiting Turn 1 and crashed. It didn’t stick. The gun sounded ending qualifying. Dominquez was out, Roth was in and the field was set.

The day was the ultimate example of what making this race is all about. Teams mortgage the future to be part of the event. Drivers drive the car on edge to make it. If Bump Day is any indication of what the race will be like this Sunday, we’re in for a special day.

Open-wheel racing in America is unified once again due to the acquisition a couple months ago of the Champ Car World Series by the Indy Racing League. This unification should pave the way for growth of the IndyCar Series - both in audience numbers and corporate dollars. I think we’ll begin to really see the fruits of this unification as the season plugs along and we head into 2009.

I attended the Honda grand Prix of St. Petersburg on April 6 and sensed added excitement among the fans. It didn’t hurt that Graham Rahal won the race and became the youngest winner in series history. His Dad, Bobby, won Indy in 1986 and Graham seems destined to become a star - along with the likes of the talented Marco Andretti, Will Power and Danica Patrick. In addition to the young rising stars, established veterans Helio Castroneves, Dan Wheldon, Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan help round out a deep, talented core of drivers and personalities.

Before the open-wheel split in the mid-’90s, Indy car racing was neck-in-neck with NASCAR in sponsorships and TV ratings. Once the split happened, it drastically hurt open-wheel racing, while NASCAR continued to soar in popularity. Now that it is once again under one umbrella, I really feel the IndyCar Series will grow steadily during the next few years. It will take time. There’s a lot of lost ground to make up. However, I feel corporate America will embrace the IndyCar Series moving forward (DirecTV signed on as a major sponsor recently), as will the fans. I also feel this will result in the decreased likelihood that drivers, such as 2006 Indy 500 winner Sam Hornish, Jr., will leave IndyCar for NASCAR in the future. Just my hunch.

The IndyCar Series races this Sunday at Kansas Speedway - ESPN2 Sunday at 5 p.m. (ET). This track always produces outstanding IndyCar racing and should provide us with more exciting storylines as we gear up for the 92nd Indianapolis 500. It promises to be a very busy, yet, exciting month of May.

I’ll report from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway all month long and will post notes and insight on a regular basis. This should be an exciting year at Indy.