Back home again

A condensed, drama-filled month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has seen a new qualifying format garner fans’ praise, a  popular driver experience fan displeasure, and high-profile veterans struggle — and fail — to make the 33-car field.

Speedway chairman Mari Hulman George has yet to even say, “Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!”

But the hectic two-week schedule at the famed racing venue has provided plenty of storylines to follow when the green flag waves for the 94th running of the Indianapolis 500 at 1 p.m. Sunday.

One such storyline is the pursuit of history, as many eyes will be on polesitter and three-time winner Helio Castroneves. The Brazilian has become synonymous with the event long billed as “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” after becoming the first to win the race in each of his first two starts in 2001 and 2002, respectively.

However, he claimed perhaps the most satisfying victory of his career in last year’s running after being cleared of federal tax evasion charges.

“That was the best moment of my life,” Castroneves said in an ESPN.com feature titled “Life in Reflection: Helio Castroneves.” 

He now stands one win shy of Indy immortality. Only three drivers — A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears — have won the race four times.

“After everything I went through, to be that close to joining the most incredible drivers in this place — wow, another dream come true,” he said.

After posting an average speed of 227.970 mph on his four-lap qualifying run Saturday, Castroneves has history on his side, as the polesitter has won 20 times.

Also in the front row are current points leader Will Power and Dario Franchitti, the winner of the 2007 Indianapolis 500.

The field also includes two other former victors: Scott Dixon, the 2008 winner, and 2005 winner Dan Wheldon.

The new two-day qualifying format, which replaced the traditional two-week odyssey, generally received positive reviews from fans. However, Indy’s new schedule triggered the unexpected, as well.

Before Castroneves made his official Pole Day run, Alex Tagliani held the provisional top spot for much of the initial qualifying session. Tagliani advanced to the new “Fast Nine” shootout and earned the sixth starting position.

Paul Tracy, a seven-time Indianapolis 500 veteran, missed the field after withdrawing his time during the final session and failing to find sufficient speed afterward. 

Also dominating headlines were the struggles of Andretti Autosport, which has produced the race’s winning driver twice in the last decade. The team could only muster highs of 13th with Marco Andretti and 14th with Ryan Hunter-Reay.

Tony Kanaan nearly missed the field after crashing during his first qualifying run and again during morning practice the following day. But in the waning moments of Bump Day, Kanaan’s crew pieced together a patchwork backup car using parts from other Andretti crews and turned in a courageous four-lap run to qualify 32nd.

Danica Patrick, IndyCar’s most popular driver and the first woman to lead the Indianapolis 500, also struggled in qualifying. Patrick blamed her career-worst 23rd starting position on a poor car setup.

“I’ve never been outside the top 10 on a finish or qualifying, so, um, it’s not my fault,” Patrick said in an interview. “This car is not good.”

Her statement caused fans to respond loudly with boos. Patrick was only third-quickest among the four female qualifiers.

The speedway opens at 6 a.m. Sunday. The pre-race ceremonies, highlighted by the annual singing of “God Bless America” by Florence Henderson and “Back Home Again in Indiana” by Jim Nabors, begin at noon.

“Good Morning America” host Robin Roberts will drive the pace car.