IPL 500 Festival Parade-The Drivers

(Photos by Mike Hall)

During the IPL 500 Festival Parade, 33 drivers wanted to have their likeness on the Borg-Warner Trophy for winning the 2012 Indianapolis 500 Race. On May 26, it was anybody’s race to win with the right combination of driving, car handling, fast pit crew and avoiding accidents.  Starting on the outside of the the sixth row was the eventual winner, above, Dario Franchitti, four-time and reigning IndyCar Series champion and two-time Indy 500 winner with a red and white Honda driving for Ganassi Racing.  He is one of a 10 people who have won the race at least three times.

Helio Castroneves is one of the three-time Indy 500 winners, he last in 2009, but this year he finished 10th.

Bryan Briscoe took his Chevrolet IndyCar to the pole position at 226.484 MPH for a four-lap average., however he finished took 5th place when the checkered flag was waved.

With another popluar driver out of the IndyCar series, sponsor Go Daddy had Toronto-native James Hinchcliffe in position at the start of the Indy 500 in the middle of the first row to win the race, and he held on to the 6th place by the time the event was over.

This year had two women drivers in the race, and Katherine Legge was in her first Indy 500 at a qualifying speed of 221.624, good enough for the outside of  row 10 at the start of the race. Finish 199 laps for 22nd place at the end.

Ed Carpenter waved to the crowd with the help from his daughter during the parade, and his experience in 10 Indy 500 races since 2003 got his to start at the inside of row 10 this year.   By the end of the race the moved from 28th to 21st place.

Will Power waved to the crowd during the parade. The IndyCar Series points runner-up for the last two years and he leader up to this race, had problems during the Indy 500, and he had nowhere to go when driver Mike Conway spun and had contact on lap 80.

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