Notebook: "Rocket man" blasts Panther racing to pit crew win
By Chris Corbellini, ABC Sports Online INDIANAPOLIS -- All Captain Comeback had to do was watch. The "Rocket Man" won the Indianapolis 500 pit crew competition for him.
Goodyear's pit crew celebrates as they win the pit stop competition.
With former Indianapolis quarterback Jim Harbaugh looking on, Scott Goodyear crew chief Kevin "Rocket Man" Blanch and the rest of the Panther Racing pit crew won the featured event of Carburetion Day on Thursday. Goodyear's crew defeated Robby McGehee's Treadway Racing car with a time of 11.19 seconds.
"It was real, real ugly out there," said Harbaugh, a part owner of Panther and current San Diego signal caller. "But I'll take it."
The competition starts with the green flag on a small stretch of pit lane, where the drivers screech roughly 200 feet to the waiting mechanics. After about 12 seconds or so, the cars get new tires and a "re-fueling" and drive another 200 feet to the finish. It looks a lot like a drag race with a moment's rest in the middle.
The Panther crew was initially staring at second place during that final drag, as McGehee's group beat them to the finish by roughly two seconds. But as the second-year driver's crew doused him with beer and high-fives, the Speedway announced they would be penalized three seconds for an illegal move in the pit.
Goodyear, meanwhile, got out of his car at the finish and stood completely alone as the nearby celebration ensued, hands on hips, staring at his crew. Moments after the penalty was announced, he sprinted towards his guys for a massive bear hug and the $37,500 winner's purse.
"These guys worked so hard on this," Goodyear said. "They are really, really good at fixing problems all the time ... This should carry over nicely on Sunday."
Goodyear's crew had been training for the event for the last two months, lifting weights at the gym regularly. For weeks, they practiced jumping over a wall they built to better simulate the conditions. Then they learned the Indy Racing Northern Light Series was taking the wall out of the competition. It didn't matter, as they cruised over pit wins against Kelley Racing in the first round, Galles ECR Racing in the second, and Kelley Racing in the Final Four.
"We just had a great time out there," Blanch said, holding the pit trophy. "We are ready to race."
Anyone got cotton balls?
Here's a tip straight from pit row about the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway if you're heading to the 500 for the first time: Wear earplugs.
The capacity crowd that watched Carburetion Day hollered its approval throughout yet another sunny, 85-degree day at the Speedway. Later, the infield got Smash Mouth-loud, as the rock band performed on Thursday, playing most of its own stuff while adding a decent cover of Van Halen's immortal "Running with the Devil."
Louder still, of course, were the cars bulleting around the track and out of the pits, making their final preparations for the race from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Team Menard the center of attention
John Menard's two Indy 500 drivers appeared all smiles after the final practice on Thursday. Both pole-sitter Greg Ray and teammate Robby Gordon had run their laps cleanly with no serious errors. Gordon ran a top speed of 216.471, while Ray topped out at an unimpressive 215.560.
"I think we are all good here," a Team Menard mechanic said over the scanner as Ray pulled in for the day.
Gordon, who just had a qualifying run for NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 the night before, accommodated every autograph hound along the way from pit row to Gasoline Alley to garage B-23. He left for Charlotte shortly thereafter to prepare for NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600.
Ray will perform the ceremonial first tip Thursday night before Game 2 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Where's Sharp?
Scott Sharp was the only driver not to finish Carburetion Day practice on Thursday, as he suffered clutch problems right from the start.
Sharp completed only three laps before his car was unable to drive. The Kelley Racing team worked on the problem for the rest of the afternoon.
"We have a problem we are trying to sort out," Sharp said.
CART catches up
Juan Montoya, the 1999 CART champion, finished with the top time during Carburetion Day practice on Thursday.
"I think I've got a good race car now," Montoya said. "We're just hoping for a good race and good weather this weekend."
Montoya reached 218.257 in Chip Ganassi's No. 9 Team Target entry.
