A look at F1 legend Fernando Alonso

Ryan Hunter-Reay, the 2014 Indy 500 champion, posted the fastest qualifying average outside the nine-car pole shootout, and Japan’s Takuma Sato proved he could be a contender. But he’s getting awareness not just for himself, but for Indianapolis, for IndyCar, for Formula One.

The 36-year-old lifted several notches in the second and final qualifying session on Monday, clocking an average speed of 373.632kmh over four laps, nearly 3kmh quicker than a day earlier. The president of the speedway seemed to be everywhere at once, shaking hands with some of the estimated 350,000 fans on race day, taking selfies that showed up on all manner of social media and ensuring the centennial edition would be one to remember.

“We all know that McLaren has not offered him the best opportunity to be competitive in Formula One, as you can see”.

Apart from the rain, the other factor that may impact the drivers is the wind.

Dixon, who started from pole when he won the 2008 Indy 500, said Alonso will benefit from driving for an Andretti Autosport team that put four drivers in victory lane, including Alexander Rossi, who a year ago became the race’s ninth rookie victor.

While Indy cars are able to use rain tires on road courses to be able to race in the rain, that is not an option when racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Actually, Dixon thought his engineers had made a mistake before Sunday’s qualifying. “I think they’ve changed the configuration of the track a little bit”. It just doesn’t bother me. “There’s a lot, a lot of hours that go into organizing something like this and making it all happen and we’ve got to get it right”. “I mean, it’s different if you’re 14th and in the middle of everything as you’re going through Turn 1”. The downside is that it has come at the expense of quite a few storylines that, without the presence of Alonso, would be a huge part of the hype leading into Sunday. “Not in a bad way, it’s just what we do here”.

The race beat other major events, including the World Series, Ryder Cup and World Cup of Hockey, among others.

“You can be the fastest driver out there 10 years straight and you won’t win the race”. He surged to the lead in the closing laps – passing Michael, of all people – before he was caught by Sam Hornish Jr.

While a media mob surrounded the podium Alonso was put on, with two of IndyCar’s biggest stars flanking him, three-time Indy 500 victor Helio Castroneves and pole sitter Scott Dixon were left in the shade. “[Last year’s winner] Alexander Rossi did very well to capitalize on a set of circumstances that fell his way last year”.

Many of you will know who Rob Wilson is. Maybe Harvey or Veach could do the same. He noted Pence has been to about 30 Indianapolis 500’s and the Second Lady has probably been to more.

Parking for the race is completely sold out, at least for official IMS spots.

The excitement has not been lost on Alonso’s McLaren bosses, and Brown in particular who will be the busiest man in motor sport this weekend flying back and forth between Monaco and Indianapolis for two of racing’s biggest events.

Count Carpenter among the co-favorites along with his Ed Carpenter Racing teammate JR Hildebrand.

In this photo taken Thursday, May 18, 2017, Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Doug Boles speaks during a news conference before a practice session for the Indianapolis 500 IndyCar auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis.