Playing too nice in IndyCar?
INDIANAPOLIS - Dario Franchitti has spent the better part of his career trying to find ways to beat Tony Kanaan.
Yet when it looked as if Kanaan might miss the Indy 500 after crashing during his first qualifying attempt on Pole Day, then wrecking again in practice on Bump Day, Franchitti texted Kanaan words of encouragement.
While Kanaan zipped around the track during his last-ditch effort to get in the 33-car field, Franchitti sat in his trailer going nuts.
"My dogs were definitely worried because I was shouting at the TV when he was on his qualifying run, and they were definitely confused as to what I'm shouting at," Franchitti said.
The day ended with Kanaan in the race and Franchitti buying dinner. If Franchitti or Target/Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon doesn't make it to Victory Lane today, Franchitti is openly rooting for Kanaan to finally come through at the Brickyard.
"Nothing would make me happier," Franchitti said.
Therein lies one of IndyCar's great dilemmas.
New CEO Randy Bernard talks often about creating compelling storylines to build around his drivers, but every good story needs a yin to offset the yang. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. The Red Sox and the Yankees. Ohio State and Michigan.
An intense rivalry combined with a little gamesmanship and an ounce or two of bile can raise an entire sport. In IndyCar, the rivalries are largely benign.
Danica Patrick is the closest thing the series has to a lightning rod, yet she is also its most popular driver.
Although she has been competitive, the only people Patrick is feuding with are the guys working on her Andretti Autosport car. Patrick was booed last weekend for criticizing her setup during qualifying.
Even IndyCar's version of the Celtics and Lakers get along swimmingly.
Ganassi and Penske Racing have turned the series into a thumb-wrestling match, combining to win three of the last four 500s and 20 of the last 22 races overall since the start of the 2009 season. Their drivers occupy five of the top six qualifying positions for today's race. Yet the relationship between the two organizations is hardly hostile.
Looking for grudges? Try NASCAR, where teammates Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch are feuding. Try Europe, where drivers talking to each other can be construed as a sign of weakness.
Not in IndyCar.
"You'd like to hate (Ganassi's team) to death, but they're such great guys," said Penske driver Ryan Briscoe.
At Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Lap length: 2.5 miles
Position, Car numbers, driver, time, speed; All cars Dallara-Honda; r-rookie
1. (3) Helio Castroneves, 2:37.9154, 227.970.
2. (12) Will Power, 2:38.1876, 227.578.
3. (10T) Dario Franchitti, 2:38.5970, 226.990.
4. (6) Ryan Briscoe, 2:38.9027, 226.554.
5. (77) Alex Tagliani, 2:39.0178, 226.390.
6. (9) Scott Dixon, 2:39.1277, 226.233.
7. (30) Graham Rahal, 2:39.6319, 225.519.
8. (20) Ed Carpenter, 2:40.3514, 224.507.
9. (06) Hideki Mutoh, 2:41.0831, 223.487.
10. (99) Townsend Bell, 2:39.9313, 225.097.
11. (22) Justin Wilson, 2:39.9647, 225.050.
12. (2) Raphael Matos, 2:39.9798, 225.028.
13. (32) Mario Moraes, 2:40.0794, 224.888.
14. (21) Davey Hamilton, 2:40.1053, 224.852.
15. (24) Mike Conway, 2:40.2969, 224.583.
16. (26) Marco Andretti, 2:40.3030, 224.575.
17. (37) Ryan Hunter-Reay, 2:40.3227, 224.547.
18. (4) Dan Wheldon, 2:40.3821, 224.464.
19. (8T) E.J. Viso, 2:40.4424, 224.380.
20. (23) Tomas Scheckter, 2:40.5270, 224.261.
21. (25) r-Ana Beatriz, 2:40.5402, 224.243.
22. (78) r-Simona de Silvestro, 2:40.5511, 224.228.
23. (7) Danica Patrick, 2:40.5584, 224.217.
24. (36) r-Bertrand Baguette, 2:40.5785, 224.189.
25. (33) Bruno Junqueira, 2:39.5305, 225.662.
26. (19) Alex Lloyd, 2:40.1543, 224.783.
27. (34) r-Mario Romancini, 2:40.2557, 224.641.
Row 10
28. (43) John Andretti, 2:40.3438, 224.518.
29. (67) Sarah Fisher, 2:40.4033, 224.434.
30. (14) Vitor Meira, 2:40.4367, 224.388.
Row 11
31. (5) r-Takuma Sato, 2:40.5865, 224.178.
32. (11T) Tony Kanaan, 2:40.6628, 224.072.
33. (29) r-Sebastian Saavedra, 2:40.9776, 223.634.