CARB DAY
93rd Indianapolis 500
NOTES - Friday, May 22, 2009

McDONALD’S DRIVER RAHAL AND HOLE IN THE WALL CAMPS DRIVER DOORNBOS COMPLETE FINAL PRACTICE PRIOR TO THE 93RD INDY 500

1) Helio Castroneves 223.920 mph
8) Graham Rahal 221.771 mph
28) Robert Doornbos 218.164 mph

Graham Rahal, No 02 McDonald’s Dallara Honda/Firestone: “The McDonald’s car felt super-nice. It’s pretty comfortable to drive in and out of traffic. We definitely have the pace to run with the rest of the big boys, that’s for sure. At the end we were going to get a killer lap, and I think a lot of the guys ahead of us on the time sheets got decent tows, but Tag (Tagliani) pulled into the pits in front of me and there went my killer lap. We are really happy with the car though and especially happy with our pace if we are in the lead pack. I think we are really fast. There are very few guys that are as quick as us so I’m pretty happy.”

FAST FACTS: When his father, Bobby, won in 1986 he also started from fourth place…Will be his second race here. In 2008, he was the highest Indy 500 starter of the Champ Car transitioning teams with his 13th place start but made contact on L36 after driving high to avoid the slower car of Lloyd. Retired in 33rd place…Earned two of the three poles so far this season, the first of which earned him the distinction of being the youngest pole sitter in series history after winning pole in St. Pete on 4-4-09 at 20 years, 90 days old…Is ranked eighth in series points with 72.

Robert Doornbos, No. 06T Hole in the Wall Camps Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “It wasn’t a great session. We had some issues with the car which cost us a lot of time at the beginning of the session. Then we got out and up to speed and it wasn’t that comfortable to drive so we are going to go back to the setup we used when we worked on the race setup when we ran the car last weekend and hopefully it is good enough for the race.”

FAST FACTS: Will be his first Indy 500 and third time to drive on this track after running here in the 2005 (Jordan GP test/Friday driver) and 2006 (Red Bull Racing) Formula One events…The Indy 500 will be his second-ever start on an oval. Qualified second in his oval debut in Kansas…Has competed against fellow ICS drivers Marco Andretti (A1GP), Danica Patrick (Formula Ford), Ryan Briscoe (F3) and E.J. Viso (F3000)…Two-time Indy 500 winner and fellow Dutchman Arie Luyendyk is serving as an advisor to Doornbos. Luyendyk won the 500 in 1990 and 1997 and is the only driver from the Netherlands to win the Indy 500 to date…Leads the Rookie of the Year standings.

1 POLE (1987) & TWO SECONDS AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY (IMS) FOR NHR/NHLR: The 2009 entry will mark the 17th year for NHR/NHLR in the event and the fourth since 1995. Prior to 2009, the team prepared a total of 25 entries for drivers such as Mario and Michael Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Paul Tracy, Bruno Junqueira, Sebastien Bourdais, Justin Wilson and Graham Rahal. Rahal and Robert Doornbos compete for the team in 2009 and will bring the total to 27. NHR’s highest finish in the Indy 500 is second place with Mario Andretti in 1985 and Michael Andretti in 1991 although team drivers have led many laps here. Mario Andretti also brought the team its highest start in the event when he won the pole position in 1987. NHR’s 2004 entry of Junqueira marked the first time for the team to compete here since 1995 and they returned in 2005 with Junqueira and IMS rookie Bourdais. In 2008 they ran Wilson and Rahal here during a transition season in the series but both made contact and retired in 27th and 33rd respectively. They have earned Rookie of the Year once, with Mansell in 1993 when he finished third.