Rain takes practice time from Bump Day contenders

Rain. The bane of the existence of Indianapolis 500 racers and teams struck again this weekend and took away valuable practice time from teams that could not make it into the field during the May 11 Qualification Day. \nFor some race teams, their final chance to get into the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" during Bump Day suffered Sunday because of the showers.\nRobby McGehee, the 1999 Indy rookie of the year with a fifth-place finish, was the next-to-last qualifier on Sunday, earning a spot in the lineup with a four-lap average of 224.493 mph for Panther Racing. \nBilly Boat also managed to qualify for his seventh Indianapolis 500 on Sunday with a solid average speed of 225.598 mph, avoiding the possibility of an unprecedented three-peat as the slowest starter in the field. He'll take the green flag for the race from the 29th position, the middle of the 10th row. Instead of Boat, Airton Dare took the final qualification spot with a 223.609 mph speed.\n"You love to come here. Even when it kicks you in the stomach, you just keep coming back. This place has so much emotion, so much history," Boat said. "Even as cruel as this place can be, you still want to come back. I know what it was like when I sat on the pole; I can only imagine what it would be like to win the race. That's why you keep coming back."\nTwo-time defending Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves holds the pole for the May 25 race with a 231.725 mph qualifying speed, which is the best since the introduction of the specialized Indy Racing League (IRL) chassis and motors in 1997. \nWhile there is no chance of taking Castroneves' top spot, many prominent drivers, including 1996 Championship Auto Racing Teams champion Jimmy Vasser, did not manage to make it into the field during Qualification Day.\n"It was a little frustrating not getting out (Saturday)," Vasser said prior to Bump Day. "We wanted to get a little bit of qualifying setups ready for Sunday. But I think we can do that on Sunday morning. I think we have a good race car right now. And the qualifying setup should be pretty fast, too."\nThere is also some drama amongst teams that have already qualified for the event, as two-time Indy 500 winner Al Unser Jr. brushed the wall Friday during practice.\n"We were just trying to get the car right, and I got a little high getting into Turn 2 and got into the marbles and tapped the fence. It put an end to our day," Unser said. "We were out doing a long run and got in just a little bit high and couldn't get it back down. It is a long month at the Speedway, but I think you need it because you get the best out of your team, the best out of your race car and the best 33-car lineup on Race Day." \nUnser, who is returning to prominence after bouts of bad publicity concerning his battle with alcoholism and his arrest in 2002 for allegedly hitting his girlfriend, has qualified for the No. 17 position in the race. After years of disappointment, Unser currently sits at sixth in IRL standings and has finished in the top-five in his last two races.\nWhile Unser has been working to regain some of the racing notoriety he enjoyed during the 1990s, Castroneves is right in the middle of his hey-day. Castroneves, affectionately known as Spider-Man for climbing of the fence after each of his Indy 500 wins, said he is relishing the opportunity to become the first driver since its inception in 1911 to take the race three years in a row. \n"It's an opportunity of a lifetime," Castroneves said. "I'm just not going to get frustrated or upset if nothing happens. If we did it twice, why not another one? 2003, my car is No. 3, going for (win) No. 3. Oh my God. If you're superstitious, things are really looking good."\nCastroneves is the first driver since Al Unser in 1971 to shoot for three in a row. The only other drivers to take back-to-back 500's are Bill Vukovich, Mauri Rose and Wilbur Shaw during the 1950's and earlier.\nThe Associated Press contributed to this story.