Friday, May 16, 2008 Practice - The 92nd Indianapolis 500 Round 5 of 18 in the IndyCar Series WILSON AND RAHAL BOTH HAVE CLOSE CALLS ON FINAL PRACTICE DAY BEFORE QUALIFYING FOR THE 92ND INDY 500 1) Scott Dixon 40.2301 / 223.713 mph 80 laps 5) Graham Rahal 40.3661 / 222.959 mph 59 laps 29) Justin Wilson 40.9444 / 219.810 mph 62 laps Justin Wilson, No. 02 McDonald’s Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “We were working on the race set up earlier in the day and the McDonald’s car was pretty good when we started so I was pleased with that. We tried to change to qualifying trim towards the end and went out and the balance wasn’t too good. I had a big moment in Turn 1. I think it was more luck than judgment that the back came back in line. I basically crashed but didn’t hit anything. It was the crash that never happened but should have. We thought that was enough luck for today so we put the car away. We’re going to try to sort out the qualifying setup in the pre-qualifying practice session tomorrow. We’ll just take a big breath and try to sort it out. The car has been good but the track conditions have changed so much since we last ran the setup and that has made an impact on the handling.” FAST FACTS: Will be his second race at IMS and first in the IndyCar Series (ICS) after having competed here with Jaguar in 2003 where he earned his first Formula One point in the USGP with an eighth place finish after running as high as third. He started 16th…He has competed on an oval track seven times…Qualified 17th but started 15th in the season-opener in Homestead due to two cars having their qualifying speeds disallowed. Dropped one lap down when he was hit by Will Power on a restart after approx. 22 laps and had to pit to replace a deflated tire but rallied to finish 15th…Started third in his street course ICS debut in St. Pete but alternate fuel and tire strategies dictated by intermittent rain led to a ninth place finish after he led a total of 18 of 83 laps…Was the pole winner on Friday and Saturday in the Long Beach Champ Car finale and dropped to second on the start but engine failure on Lap 13 ended his race and he finished 19th … Gained valuable experience after he was first to qualify and started 22nd in Kansas, led five laps after staying on track while others pit and finished ninth…Is ranked 17 in the point standings with 71 and is sixth in ROY…Finished runner up in the Champ Car championship to the driver he recently replaced, four-time champion Sebastien Bourdais, in 2006 and 2007. Was a championship contender until the conclusion of the penultimate race of each season. Graham Rahal, No. 06 Hole in the Wall Camps Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “The car was pretty quick and we were trying to do a qualifying run simulation when I white-walled the tires. It was due to wind. I had lifted already and at that point there is not much you can do. You turn the wheel and you’re off the throttle and it’s tough to get the front end back. Unfortunately I went a little wide and just touched the wall. We have a pretty good qualifying car and we’re ready for tomorrow. Obviously we hope the wind dies down. I think we can be pretty quick.” FAST FACTS: Will be his first Indy 500 and only his second on an oval track after having finished 12th at Kansas Speedway last weekend. He previously ran in a junior formula, Star Mazda event in 2005 at the Pikes Peak oval. In his IndyCar Series debut on a road/street course he became the youngest winner in major open-wheel racing in North America after winning in St. Pete on 4-6-08 at 19 years, 93 days old…He is ranked 10th in series points with 88 points. 1 POLE (1987) & TWO SECONDS AT IMS: The 2008 entry will mark the 16th year for NHR/NHLR in the event and the third since 1995. Prior to 2008, the team prepared a total of 23 entries for drivers such as Mario and Michael Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Paul Tracy, Bruno Junqueira and Sebastien Bourdais. The entry of Justin Wilson and Graham Rahal in 2008 will bring the total to 25. 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. They have earned Rookie of the Year once, with Mansell in 1993 when he finished third.