'Big guns' out to play in Indy rookie tests

At the north end of the pits were two red, yellow and black Target/Chip Ganassi Racing cars with rookie drivers Bruno Junqueria and Nicolas Minassian. Just a few pit stalls down was a red-white-and-black Marlboro Team Penske car with Helio Castroneves preparing for his practice laps.

It seems odd to call Castroneves a rookie, but the driver who won last Sunday's Long Beach Grand Prix is preparing for his first Indianapolis 500. Although Indy Racing League vice president of operations Brian Barnhart had waived any driver from CART having to go through the ROP, team owner Roger Penske decided to put the fourth-year CART driver through it anyway to get a better feel and understanding of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Technically, Castroneves did not have to pass any of the four phases of the ROP, but is using the two days as a practice session.

"It's a very fortunate time for me because I can spend two days here and get used to it," said Castroneves, who started on the pole and led every lap of last Sunday's Long Beach Grand Prix. "It's good because this race track does not allow people to just cruise around. When people come from behind, they come fast. That is why it is important to everybody to know the track and be able to go fast."



While Castroneves was the only one of the nine drivers going through ROP who had already gained approval to attempt to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 in May, CART rookies Minassian and Junqueria only had pass the fourth and final phase to be cleared for competition. That meant both drivers had to run 10 laps at more than 210 miles per hour under the observation of four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser, three-time Indy 500 winner Johnny Rutherford and other IRL veterans.

Both of Ganassi's drivers easily passed the fourth and final phase before Minassian discovered how treacherous the 2.5-mile oval can be just one hour and 48 minutes after practice began Friday morning when he brushed the wall and injured his wrist (see separate story).

Minassian's was the only mishap of the day as nine drivers went through ROP with eight passing all four phases. Cory Witherall has passed the first three phases, but wasn't able to fit in phase four before close of play.

Two other IRL drivers - two-time Indy 500 winner Al Unser Jr and Tyce Carlson - also drove laps to shake down their cars before practicing later this weekend.

The decision to bring Castroneves to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one that Team Penske hopes will pay off in May when he joins Gil de Ferran on the two-car team in the Indy 500.

Looking up pit lane and seeing another CART team going through ROP, Castroneves couldn't help but feel a common bond with Ganassi's effort.

"I think it's pretty cool that everybody came over," Castroneves said. "These guys are very competitive. The IRL drivers at Phoenix were competitive so I have a lot of respect for those guys."

De Ferran and Castroneves ran in the IRL season-opening event at Phoenix International Raceway on March 18. Both drivers led in the race, but both dropped out before the chequered flag.



Castroneves admits racing in his first Indianapolis 500 will be a unique experience and he is doing everything he can to be prepared for the biggest race in the world.

"I heard it is pretty amazing when you go into Turn 1 and have 400,000 people in the stands," Castroneves said. "I thought the Speedway would be wider and more banking, but when I came over here, it was just one line. It's the same for everybody, so forget about it.

"It's unbelievably huge. It's amazing. It's really nice. Every corner here is different. It looks the same and the angles look the same, but every corner is different. I have trouble going into Turn 1. Turns 2 and 3 are better and I'm okay with Turn 4. It is different. I don't know what it is, whether it's visually or what, but it is different."

Castroneves has a lot to uphold when he returns to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway next month. He is racing for Roger Penske, who is the all-time victory leader at Indy with 10 wins. Penske has not been in the Indianapolis 500 since his two drivers at the time - Emerson Fittipaldi and Al Unser Jr - failed to make the field in 1995.

"Driving for Roger in the Indianapolis 500 is a pretty big deal for me, too," Castroneves said. "I don't want to be a number, I want to be a competitor. Roger wants to be the number. We have the cars, we have a great team, we just have to get used to it."