Duno’s crew member ready to make Indy history

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Anna Chatten has spent her entire life working toward race day.

So she’d rather stay in the background than make a fuss about going over the wall during Sunday’s Indianapolis 500.

Chatten, who calls herself the gear box girl, will be in charge of the air jack for Milka Duno’s No. 23 Citgo car.

"It’s about time," Chatten said with her trademark pigtails flapping in the wind. "It’s been 10 years of hard work, and it’s been well worth it."

Women weren’t allowed on pit crews at Indy until 1971, and longtime track historian Donald Davidson said that although there have been other female crew members, he does not believe any made it over the pit wall.

The track does not keep any such official records.

The 29-year-old Peoria, Ill., native attended mechanics school in California at age 18 and worked for Derrick Walker’s Champ Car team for several seasons before staying on with Walker’s Atlantics team last season. Chatten then hooked up with Dreyer & Reinbold this month, working on a team with four cars in the race – matching Andretti Green Racing – for the most in this year’s 33-car field.

Dreyer & Reinbold also fields full-time driver Mike Conway, longtime IndyCar driver Davey Hamilton and John Andretti, whose car is co-owned by Richard Petty.

Chatten said she was not picked specifically for Duno’s team, just assigned to it.

"This is all I’ve ever done, this is all I want to do," she said. "I couldn’t not do it. Racing is just kind of like that."

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MATERNITY ROAD: Alex Lloyd’s wife, Samantha, has drawn much of the attention this week because of her impending due date, which is Sunday.

But pit road is becoming a maternity ward.

Ed Carpenter’s wife, Heather, is due June 1 and is expected to watch the race from the pits, too.

And pit reporter Brienne Pedigo, of ABC and ESPN, will be in a special firesuit, designed by Impact, because she and her husband, Tyler Christopher, a television actor, are expecting their first child in October.

The special firesuit is equipped with a stretch gusset in the back so it can be expanded throughout the rest of the season.

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HELIO SWEEP: Two-time Indy winner Helio Castroneves cemented his position as the race favorite Friday with a clean sweep of the day’s top awards.

The pole-winner posted the day’s fastest speed, 223.920 mph, in the final practice and later won the pit stop competition. Penske Racing teammate Will Power was second-fastest at 223.560. Nobody else topped 223.

Later, Castroneves’ crew beat Marco Andretti’s crew by nearly 1.5 seconds in the pit stop finals, an event Team Penske has always fared well in.

The combination gave Castroneves more confidence heading into the race.

"I can’t wait for Sunday, I’ll tell you that," he said. "It’s going to be a long race and a lot of things can happen, but I can’t wait for Sunday."

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SPARK PLUGS: The track had to close two public parking lots early Friday because of the large crowd for Carb Day. Track officials said it was the earliest they’ve closed the lots since moving Carb Day from Thursday to Friday in 2005. … Willy T. Ribbs, the first black driver in the Indy 500, and four-time NHRA Funny Car champion Don Prudhomme both attended Carb Day festivities.