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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 5:52 a.m., Saturday, May 24, 2008

Autos: Indianapolis 500 driver profiles

By STEVE HERMAN
AP Sports Writer

Profiles of the 33 drivers in Sunday's Indianapolis 500, in starting order with car number in parentheses, age, hometown, chassis, race team, four-lap qualification average and biographical information (w-former winner; r-rookie; all engines Honda):

ROW 1

1. (9) Scott Dixon, 27, Auckland, New Zealand; Dallara, Ganassi Racing; 226.366 mph. Won New Zealand Formula Vee championship at 13. CART rookie of the year in 2001, when victory at Nazareth, Pa., made him at 20 the youngest winner in major open-wheel racing. Moved to IRL with Ganassi and was series champion with three wins in 2003. Won four races last year and was series runner-up to Dario Franchitti by just 13 points after running out of fuel on the last turn of the last lap of the last race at Chicagoland. Won season opener this year, his 11th career win, and after four races is second in points to Helio Castroneves

2. (10) w-Dan Wheldon, 29, Emberton, England; Dallara, Ganassi Racing; 226.110 mph. Former Indy winner is third in points after winning last race at Kansas. Won 2005 Indy 500 after passing Danica Patrick with six laps to go and went on to IRL series championship. Won two races in 2006 and tied Sam Hornish Jr. in points, but Hornish earned series title because he had four race wins. Disappointing 22nd at Indy last year after crashing. Former rookie of the year in the U.S. F2000, Toyota Atlantic, Indy Lights and IndyCar series. Fourteen career wins in IndyCar.

3. (6) Ryan Briscoe, 26, Sydney, Australia; Dallara, Team Penske, 226.080 mph. Fifth at Indianapolis for Luczo Dragon Racing in 2007, his only IndyCar start of the season. Also finished second in American Le Mans Series LMP2 class for Penske Racing last year and joined Penske's IndyCar team this year in place of Sam Hornish Jr., who moved to NASCAR. Sixteenth in season points, still looking for first career win. Tenth in only previous start at Indy in 2005. Won Formula Three Euroseries championship with eight wins in 2003 and was a test driver in Formula One in 2004.

ROW 2

4. (3) w-Helio Castroneves, 33, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Dallara, Team Penske; 225.733 mph. Has won 12 IndyCar races, at least one each season since 2001 when he came to IRL with Penske. Series leader this year despite no wins yet. Won Indy 500 in debut race in 2001 and again in 2002, the first to repeat since Al Unser Sr. in 1970-71. Second at Indy to former teammate Gil de Ferran in 2003. Started from pole and finished third in 2007. Known for outgoing personality and for nickname "Spiderman" with victory fence-climbs. Won TV's "Dancing with the Stars" during offseason last year.

5. (7) Danica Patrick, 26, Roscoe, Ill.; Dallara, Andretti Green Racing; 225.197 mph. First woman to win major open-wheel race with victory in Japan last month, and fifth in season points. Indy and IRL rookie of the year in 2005, when she won three poles and started and finished fourth at Indianapolis, where she was the first woman to lead the race. Eighth at Indianapolis each of the past two years. Drove in developmental Toyota Atlantic series before moving to IndyCar Series with Rahal Letterman Racing in 2005. Joined Andretti Green Racing last year and finished seventh in points with 11 top-10 finishes.

6. (11) Tony Kanaan, 33, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Dallara, Andretti Green Racing; 224.794 mph. The 2004 IndyCar champion has 12 career wins and is fourth in season points, still looking for first win this year. Best finish in six previous starts at Indy was runner-up to Buddy Rice in rain-shortened 2004 race. Started on pole and led 54 laps in 2005 but finished eighth, and fifth and 12th at Indy the past two years. Led 83 laps in 2007, becoming the only driver in history to lead in each of his first six starts at Indianapolis.

ROW 3

7. (26) Marco Andretti, 21, Nazareth, Pa.; Dallara, Andretti Green Racing; 224.417 mph. Indy runner-up and rookie of the year in 2006, when he was passed by Sam Hornish Jr. just before the checkered flag. Crashed and finished 24th at Indy last year. Son of car owner Michael Andretti, grandson of 1969 Indy winner Mario Andretti. Drove in Indy Lights in 2005, with a win on Indy's road course during U.S. Grand Prix. Only IndyCar win was at Infineon Raceway in 2006, when at 19 he became the youngest winner of a major open-wheel race (since broken by Graham Rahal). Seventh in points this year.

8. (4) Vitor Meira, 31, Brasilia, Brazil; Dallara, Panther Racing; 224.346 mph. Indy runner-up in 2005; 10th the past two years. Began racing go-karts when he was 12 and won a Brazilian karting title before moving to Europe in 1995. Won the South American F3 championship with eight wins in 2000, and joined IRL in 2002 after two seasons in European F3000 series. Two IndyCar career poles, holds IRL record with 80 career starts without a win. Twenty-first in points this season, with best finish 10th in opener at Homestead.

9. (27) r-Hideki Mutoh, 25, Tokyo, Japan; Dallara, Andretti Green Racing; 223.887 mph. Runner-up in developmental Indy Lights last year, joined Andretti Green in place of Indy 500 and IRL champion Dario Franchitti, who left for NASCAR. Eleventh in points, with two sixth-place finishes this season. Graduate of Honda's driver development program, raced in multiple series in his native Japan and Europe. Made his IndyCar Series debut at Chicagoland Speedway in the final race of the 2007 season, finishing eighth.

ROW 4

10. (20) Ed Carpenter, 27, Indianapolis; Dallara, Vision Racing; 223.835 mph. Driving for team co-owned by his stepfather, Speedway boss Tony George. Started in midget and sprint cars, finished third in IRL's developmental Indy Lights in 2002 and 2003, including win at Indianapolis in 2003. Was 31st as Indy rookie, then 11th the next two years and 17th last year. Best finishes in 69 career starts were fifth at Chicago in 2006 and Homestead in the opener this season. Ninth in IndyCar standings this year.

11. (12) Tomas Scheckter, 27, Cape Town, South Africa; Dallara, Luczo Dragon Racing; 223.496 mph. Son of 1979 F1 champion Jody Scheckter. Runner-up in the British Formula 3 championship in 2000 and in Formula Nissan series in 2001. Led 85 laps and was co-rookie of the year at Indianapolis in 2002 and fourth in 2003. Crashed at Indy the next two years and finished seventh last year. Only wins in 93 IRL starts were at Michigan in 2002 and Texas in 2005. Started only one race this season, 23rd at Kansas last month, and tied for 30th in series points.

12. (99) Townsend Bell, 33, San Francisco; Dallara, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing; 222.539 mph. Twenty-second in only previous start at Indianapolis in 2006. Indy Lights champion in 2001, drove in 10 CART races in 2001-02 and 14 IRL races since 2004. Best IRL finish fifth at Nashville in 2004. Twenty-fifth in season points this year, with best finish in two starts 10th at Japan last month.

ROW 5

13. (06) r-Graham Rahal, 19, New Albany, Ohio; Dallara, Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing; 222.531 mph. Son of Rahal-Letterman Racing co-owner and 1986 Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal. Won his IRL debut at St. Petersburg, Fla., in April, becoming the youngest winner in major open-wheel racing. Tenth in series points after three races. Finished fifth in Champ Car last year with a best finish of second at Houston. In 2006, he finished second in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship, winning five times for Conquest Racing.

14. (14) Darren Manning, 33, North Yorkshire, England; Dallara, A.J. Foyt Racing; 222.430 mph. Former Formula One test driver was ninth in CART series for Walker Racing in 2003 and moved to IRL with Ganassi Racing in 2004 and 2005. Sat out 2006 season and returned to IndyCar Series with Foyt last year, finishing 20th at Indianapolis and 13th in series points. Eighteenth in points after four races this season, with best finish eighth at Japan.

15. (18) Bruno Junqueira, 31, Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Dallara, Dale Coyne Racing; 222.330 mph. Won the pole and led 32 laps at Indy in 2002 but finished 31st with a bad gearbox. Best finishes in four starts at Indianapolis were fifth in 2001 and 2004. Had eight Champ Car wins and was series runner-up three times. Finished seventh last year in first season with Dale Coyne Racing. No wins in seven IndyCar starts. Twenty-second in IRL points this year with best finish 15th at Kansas, although was 12th in final Champ Car race at Long Beach.

ROW 6

16. (02) r-Justin Wilson, 29, Sheffield, England; Dallara, Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing; 222.267 mph. Champ Car series runner-up the past two years to Sebastien Bourdais, and took spot with Newman/Haas/Lanigan when Bourdais moved to Formula One. Won four times in Champ Car. Best finishes in four IRL starts this season are ninth twice; 17th in series points. At 6-foot-3, he's one of the tallest drivers in open-wheel racing. Won 2001 F3000 championship and had 16 Formula One starts in 2003 with Minardi and Jaguar before moving to Champ Car.

17. (15) w-Buddy Rice, 32, Phoenix; Dallara, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing; 222.101 mph. Won Indy from the pole in 2004 with Rahal Letterman Racing, but unable to compete the next year after injuries in a crash during practice. Was 26th at Indy in 2006 and 25th last year. Moved to Dreyer & Reinbold last year, finishing ninth in the standings with a best finish of fourth at Iowa. Nineteenth in points this season, with best finish 11th in the opener at Homestead.

18. (22) Davey Hamilton, 45, Eagle, Idaho; Dallara, Vision Racing; 222.017 mph. Making second start since 2001, when he was seriously injured in a crash at Texas and underwent 21 operations on feet and legs. At the time, he was the only driver to compete in every IRL race since league began in 1996. Returned to racing last year and was ninth at Indy in only start of the season. Best finish in seven races at Indy was fourth in 1998. IRL series runner-up in 1997 and 1998 and fourth in 1999.

ROW 7

19. (16) r-Alex Lloyd, 23, Manchester, England; Dallara, Rahal Letterman/Ganassi; 221.788 mph. Won a record eight races in Indy Lights last year, taking the IRL developmental series championship by a record margin. Wins included the Liberty Challenge in 2006 and Freedom 100 in 2007, making him the only driver to win on both the oval and road courses at Indy. Came to IRL after racing F3000 series in Europe. Making first IndyCar Series start.

20. (17) r-Ryan Hunter-Reay, 27, Boca Raton, Fla.; Dallara, Rahal Letterman Racing; 221.579 mph. IndyCar rookie of the year in 2007 after joining Rahal Letterman at midseason. Finished 19th in the standings with three top-seven finishes in six starts. Fifteenth in points this season, with best finishes seventh at Homestead and Japan. Won three grand national karting championships in the 1990s. Drove in the Barber Dodge Pro Series and Toyota Atlantic Series and joined Champ Car in 2003, becoming the first U.S. rookie in 20 years to win a race.

21. (24) John Andretti, 45, Indianapolis; Dallara, Roth Racing; 221.550 mph. Nephew of Mario Andretti and cousin of Michael and Marco Andretti. Was 30th at Indianapolis last year in his first start since 1994. Spent most of last decade in NASCAR. Best finish in eight Indy 500s was fifth in 1991. Only IndyCar victory also in 1991 in Australia. Won two Cup races in NASCAR and drove 10 times at Indianapolis in the Brickyard 400. Hired by Roth Racing this month in place of rookie Jay Howard for Indy only.

ROW 8

22. (67) Sarah Fisher, 27, Commercial Point, Ohio; Dallara, Sarah Fisher Racing; 221.246 mph. Became third woman to race at Indianapolis in 2000. Drove in NASCAR West series in 2005 and returned to IRL in two starts late in 2006. Best finish in six Indy 500 starts was 18th last year. At Kentucky in 2002, became first woman to start from pole in a major U.S. open-wheel race. Best finish in 67 career starts was second at Homestead in 2001. Formed her own race team this season and making first start of the year.

23. (8) r-Will Power, 27, Toowoomba, Australia; Dallara, KV Racing Technology; 221.136 mph. Champ Car rookie of the year in 2006, finished fourth in series points last year with two victories and nine top-10 finishes. First season in IRL, sixth in points. Best finish in three IndyCar starts eighth at St. Petersburg, but won the final Champ Car race at Long Beach, which counts in IRL points. Began racing in native Australia, moved to British F3 series in 2003.

24. (41) Jeff Simmons, 31, Hartford, Conn.; Dallara, A.J. Foyt Racing; 221.103 mph. Indy Lights series runner-up in 2003 and 2005, finished second in the Freedom 100 at Indianapolis in 2004 driving for Foyt. He moved up to the IndyCar Series in 2005 and drove the past two years with Rahal Letterman Racing. His best finish in three previous starts at Indianapolis was 11th last year, and best career finish was sixth last year at Texas Motor Speedway. Making first start this season.

ROW 9

25. (5) r-Oriol Servia, 33, Pals, Spain; Dallara, KV Racing Technology; 220.767 mph. Champ Car series runner-up for Newman/Haas in 2005, filling in for injured Bruno Junqueira. Finished sixth in Champ Car standings last year while splitting his season between Forsythe and PKV teams. Only career win came at Montreal in 2005. Tried to make Indy 500 in 2002 but failed on three qualifying attempts. Eighth in series points this year, with best IRL finish seventh at St. Petersburg and fifth at Long Beach in final Champ Car race.

26. (33) r-E.J. Viso, 23, Caracas, Venezuela; Dallara, HVM Racing; 220.356 mph. A test driver in Formula One in 2006, Viso also competed in the European GP 2 Series, winning twice and finishing on the podium six times. Won the 2001 Skip Barber Dodge Series championship in the U.S., then went to Europe to race in the British F3 and Formula Renault Series. Thirteenth in IndyCar points, with best finish fourth on the road course at St. Petersburg, Fla. Also finished ninth at Long Beach in the final Champ Car race.

27. (23) Milka Duno, 36, Caracas, Venezuela; Dallara, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing; 220.305 mph. Fifth woman to qualify at Indy, was 31st in her rookie race last year. Raced sports cars for a decade, winning Panoz GT Series championship in 2000 and the first woman to win a major North American sports car race with 2004 victory at Homestead. An engineer, holds four master's degrees. Best finish in nine IRL starts was 11th last year at Texas. Running part-time schedule this season for Dreyer & Reinbold, and 28th in points after two races with best finish 16th at Kansas.

ROW 10

28. (19) r-Mario Moraes, 19, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Dallara, Dale Coyne Racing; 219.716 mph. Two weeks older than Graham Rahal, and is second-youngest driver in the lineup. Former karting star, finished second in South American F3 series with five wins in 2006 and 14th last year in the British F3 International Series. Joined IRL with former Champ Car team Dale Coyne Racing and made IndyCar debut with 16th at Homestead. Twenty-fourth in series points after three races.

29. (36) r-Enrique Bernoldi, 29, Curitiba, Brazil; Dallara, Conquest Racing; 219.422 mph. Raced in Formula One in 2001 and 2002 for Arrows, with a best finish of eighth at Germany in his rookie season. Won the European Formula Renault championship, then moved to British F3 for two years and F3000 for two seasons. Finished 12th in the US Grand Prix at Indianapolis in 2001. Twelfth in IndyCar points after three IRL races this season, although finished fourth at Long Beach in the final race for Champ Car last month.

30. (34) r-Jaime Camara, 27, Goiania, Brazil; Dallara, Conquest Racing; 219.345 mph. Began racing go-karts in native Brazil. Drove in South American Formula 3 in 2002-04 and in the IRL's developmental Indy Lights the next three years, winning three races. Wins included the Freedom 100 at Indianapolis in 2005, and was third at Indy both in 2006 and '07. Made IndyCar Series debut last month, starting 19th and finishing 21st at Kansas.

ROW 11

31. (2) A.J. Foyt IV, 24, Hockley, Texas; Dallara, Vision Racing; 219.184 mph. Sunday is 24th birthday of grandson of four-time Indy winner A.J. Foyt. Won Indy Lights championship in 2002 and was youngest starter in Indy 500 history in 2003, when on his 19th birthday was 18th as a rookie. Drove in NASCAR Busch Series in 2006, with one IRL start in place of injured Dario Franchitti at Chicago. Best finish in four previous starts at Indy was 14th last year. Also had career-best third place at Kentucky last year. Fourteenth in points this season, with best finish eighth at Kansas.

32. (91) w-Buddy Lazier, 40, Vail, Colo.; Dallara, Hemelgarn Johnson Racing; 219.015 mph. Making 100th IRL career start, third behind Scott Sharp (146) and Sam Hornish Jr. (116). The Indy 500 winner in 1996 and IRL series champion in 2000, when he was runner-up at Indianapolis for the second time. Making 16th start at Indy and first start this season. Was 19th at Indy last year, his only start of the season. Older brother of driver Jaques Lazier; their father, Bob Lazier, was 19th in only start at Indy in 1981.

33. (25) Marty Roth, 49, Toronto, Canada; Dallara, Roth Racing; 218.965 mph. Former motorcycle racer, owns his own team and was the first Indy Lights owner to move up to IndyCar Series after buying the equipment of Panther Racing. Oldest driver in the race for the fourth time. Best previous finish at Indy was 24th as a rookie in 2004. Best finish in nine career starts was 14th at Chicagoland last fall. Twenty-fifth in IRL points this season, with 17th at Japan his best finish in three races.