Sam Schmidt’s driver qualifies on pole position for 100th running of Indianapolis 500
When the green flag drops for the much-anticipated 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, a car owned by Henderson resident Sam Schmidt will be leading the starting field into Turn 1.
Canadian driver James Hinchcliffe, who nearly lost his life in practice crash at Indianapolis while driving Schmidt’s No. 5 black-and-gold Honda last year, stole pole position away from young American driver Josef Newgarden during the final qualification run on Sunday afternoon.
Hinchliffe’s four-lap, 10-mile average speed was 230.760 mph — just enough to edge Newgarden’s effort of 230.700. Former race winner Ryan Hunter-Reay, driving for Michael Andretti, will start on the outside of the front row.
“C’mon, c’mon, c’mon,” Schmidt encouraged his driver as Hinchcliffe zipped around the venerable 2 ½-mile oval to set the fastest speed by a whisker.
“Unbelievable. For the 100th running, we put effort in this since last September. Obviously, it’s been an all-out team effort. My God, the things that have been happening today. All three cars in the Top 10.”
It was quite a day for Schmidt (and partner Rick Peterson) who placed three cars among the first 10 on the 33-car grid.
Schmidt’s second driver, Russian Mikhail Aleshin, posted the seventh-fastest speed and will start on the inside of the third row. Veteran Oriol Servia, driving a third team car, went 10th quickest and was the fastest of the drivers who did not finish among the top nine on Saturday and thus were not eligible to run for the pole on Sunday.
Earlier on Sunday, Schmidt, who is a paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair as a result of a racing accident in 2000, topped 150 mph on the straightaway behind the wheel of a specially equipped 2014 Corvette Stingray.
It will mark the second time a Schmidt-owned car will start the Indy 500 from pole position. Alex Tagliani, who owns a home in Summerlin, set the fast time in 2011 driving for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. Tagliani led 20 laps but crashed on Lap 147 of the race and was credited with 28th place.
Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ron Kantowski can be reached at rkantowski@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. His motor sports notebook runs on Friday. Follow him on Twitter: @ronkantowski
