Max Papis Indy 500 Post-Race Release
Indianapolis, Ind. - (May 28, 2006) - From
a qualifying position of 18th, Max Papis improved to finish the
90th running of the Indianapolis 500 in the 14th spot. The team
ran strong throughout the race, eventually moving up to 9th position.
With 50 laps to go, the Cheever racing / Sport Clips Dallara/Honda
was critically damaged making it difficult for Max to nurse the
car home to the finish.
After getting a good start, the team used the first pit stop
to take care of a small shifting problem and to also dial in
the car. Max was able to begin to move up in position through
the middle of the race, turning in very respectable times.
Everything was working well. The fuel was on target. Max was
running comfortably and able to stay out of trouble. Until he
ran over debris that damaged the undertray of his left sidepod
with 50 laps to go.
The debris was a fuelling probe, or the nozzle used to put
fuel into a racecar. The damage was severe enough that Max struggled
to keep the car on the track while running with a 20 mph reduction
in speed. Without the downforce of the left sidepod the team
slowly slipped back until the race ended, leaving them in the
14th position.
The extent of the damage was not known until after the race
when the team was able to get the car up on lifts and inspect
the damage. The fences were broken and gone. The fuel probe had
lodged itself in the broken carbon composite just in front of
the water cooler.
Max looked under the car and his jaw dropped. He was lucky
to make it to the finish.
The Memorial Day classic was run under sunny skies and in
very hot temperatures. In fact, this was one of the hottest Indy
500's in recent years. The stands were full and the fans were
treated to an exciting finish, which saw rookie Marco Andretti
just miss his first win when Sam Hornish beat him to the line
of bricks by 0.0635 seconds.
Max's Indy 500 Comments
That was an unbelievable race! We got a good clean
start but I found that my shift without lift wasn't working
properly. We ran that way until the first pit stop where the
team corrected the problem. After that the car was really good.
My engineer, Ian, and I were on the same page. The speed difference
with some of the cars was huge, but we were able to run at a
comfortable pace and begin moving up through the positions.
In the middle of the race I was even able to mix it up a bit
with Marco and Michael Andretti. Everything felt good. The fuel
was right. I think we were positioning for a top ten finish.
We were as high as 9th.
Then with about 50 laps to go I was running behind Al Unser
Jr, when he hit something on the track. We found out after the
race that it was a fuel probe. It went straight from his car
to mine. I felt a bump but kept running. I noticed that Al's
car was leaking fluid. I tried to stay out of it as I followed
him around. Then he lost it. That was a big moment! My spotters
were great. I kept the car low and was able to avoid any further
trouble.
Unfortunately my car was so damaged by the debris that our
race was over. It was so hard to drive the car after losing so
much downforce. It just wouldn't steer, and I couldn't keep any
speed up.
So, out of the race with 50 laps to go. Just trying to keep
the car on the track and staying out of other people's way. This
was very frustrating because until the incident we were running
well and could have had a good top ten finish. I had passed Marco
a couple of times, and we saw how he finished.
The last five laps were the hardest. We had a re-start from
a yellow and I was behind race leader Michael Andretti in line.
I knew the cars behind me would be dog fighting to run him down.
At the green I just tried to let everyone get around me so they
could race to the finish.
That is how these races go sometimes. I couldn't have expected
anything more from my engineer, my crew or my car. Everything
was great. I really thank Eddie Cheever and my sponsor, Sport
Clips for that. If it weren't for them I would not have been
here.
At least we knew that we were good. We showed that Max is
really back.
I had a great two weeks in Indy. This place is very special
to me. The fans are some of the best in the world. The organizers
run a great event. I want to come back.
The Cheever Racing #52 Dallara / Honda is sponsored by Sport
Clips.
Sport Clips, Inc. is a Georgetown, TX-based enterprise that currently
has 330 stores in 28 states. Targeting men and boys, Sport Clips
provides high-quality haircuts in a fun sports environment, complete
with TVs at every Stylist?s station tuned to sports. Every Sport
Clips has ?guy smart? Stylists who focus on providing the highest
level of service to every client.
