SPEEDWAY, IN. — For the first time in 7 years there was bumping in Indianapolis 500 qualifications, and the result of it caused a major shake up. With 33 spots in the field and 35 drivers attempting to qualify for the 102nd edition of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”, two drivers were going to be left out of the race.
To build drama for the qualifying weekend Indycar flipped its traditional format of qualifications on Saturday and the “bumping” phase on Sunday. This year’s format was set to qualify all 35 drivers in a session from 11 AM until 3 PM before beginning the second phase of drivers improving their position in the field and bumping back into the field.
Expectedly with Indiana weather in May did not go as planned as two different rain showers delayed qualifying for a combined 1 hour and 30 minutes that would later cause drama for one of Indycar’s biggest names.
James Hinchcliffe is no stranger to drama at Indianapolis Motor Speedway: In 2015 he nearly bled to death in a practice crash and missed that year’s 500, the following year Hinchcliffe returned to IMS and sat on the pole for the race, and this year he was one of two drivers to not make the field for the 102nd Indianapolis 500.
He’s one of the bigger names in Indycar with his huge social media presence, his ‘Dancing with the Stars’ appearance, and not to mention his immense on-track talent. Hinchcliffe is the face of Honda’s crossover campaign. Not having one of the biggest names in Indycar in the 500 causes a stir in more than the racing world.
A couple of events went against Hinchcliffe starting with the first rain delay happening right before he was set to begin his pole run. Being the first on track after the shower, track conditions were not ideal for Hinch and posted a 224.784 4-lap average that put him at the bottom half of qualifiers.
The true drama of the day began in the final hour when he was bumped out of the field by Indiana native Conor Daly and rushed to get back in the field. After beginning his lap he reported a vibration in his right front tire that was diagnosed as a broken pressure sensor in the tire.
Hinchcliffe’s team frantically worked on the car to try to get the car back in line to make one last effort to get in the field. With other cars looking to improve on their time or bump back into the field, Hinch never got back on the track for another attempt.
There was an emotional scene on pit road as crew members who worked all year for a chance at 500 glory had their dreams dashed right in front of them. An emotional James Hinchcliffe joined his crew hugging them and thanking them for their efforts. A mix of silence and shock fell on the speedway crowd with fans trying to comprehend what had happened.
“It’s devastating in every way possible. We got in line there and then we had a tire vibration. I’m not exactly sure what the problem was… Indy is a cruel mistress sometimes. The highest of highs and the lowest of lows, but SPM worked their tails off to get these cars ready. We have three cars in the show, unfortunately the fourth one didn’t make it, but we win as a team and we lose as a team” said Hinchcliffe.
While he’s technically out of the field, there is still a way for him to make the field and save his championship contending season. His owner, Sam Schmidt, can buy a car that’s already in the field to get him into next Sunday’s 500. The easiest option would be moving Hinch to the car of his teammate Jay Howard.
Howard, who is only running in the 500 may get pushed out of his ride to make way for his teammate who is in championship contention and bigger sponsorship backing. This is not an unfamiliar practice in Indycar with Stefan Wilson getting pushed out of his 500 ride last year for F1 driver Fernando Alonso, but was promised a car for this year in which he made the field.
It is highly unlikely that next Sunday’s race will be missing one of its biggest and most talented drivers. There is too much money, attention, and other factors on the line for Hinchcliffe to be watching the ‘Greatest Spectacle’ from the Pagoda Suites.