There won't be room at the top

INDIANAPOLIS -- Go ahead and try to pick a winner for today's 88th Indianapolis 500.

With a field of 33 drivers as deep as it is talented, the winner could come from anywhere in the grid. In fact, the last three Indy 500 winners (all hailing from Brazil and Roger Penske's race team) have started from as far back as Row 5. Helio Castroneves won back-to-back in 2001-02 from the 11th and 13th starting spots while Gil de Ferran won last year from the 10th position, in Row 4.

Still, the winner will likely come from near the top of the grid, where Honda outqualified Japanese rival Toyota by sweeping the top seven starting spots and eight of the first nine overall.

"We have a minimum of 20 to 25 really strong cars here this year," said 1986 Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal, who along with David Letterman has three cars in the field, including that of pole-sitter Buddy Rice. "This race is going to be a great show for the fans. I'm excited to be back here with three cars. And Buddy getting the pole was a really nice bonus."

Hired as a substitute for Kenny Brack, who suffered multiple fractures from a horrific crash in the Indy Racing League's 2003 finale Oct. 12 at Texas Motor Speedway, Rice acquitted himself well after his release last year from Eddie Cheever's team by winning his second pole of the season (and first at Indy) with a four-lap average of 224.024 miles per hour.

Asked how he intended to handle the start of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, Rice said, "Did you see the start of the season opener at Miami?" where he also sat on the pole.

"It was Check-Out Hotel, man," Rice said.

But that was before the IRL arrived at the Brickyard, where it adopted a 3.0-liter engine over a 3.5-liter package and a new aerodynamic package aimed at reducing speeds by reducing downforce.

"With the smaller engines, the torque is less," Rice said. "So it will be harder to keep that momentum going. Getting through traffic will be much tougher. Like Bobby said, `It's all about momentum.' "

Especially on restarts, which is what Rahal has been emphasizing not only to Rice but his other drivers, Roger Yasukawa and Vitor Meira, who will be looking for a 1-2-3 finish after Yasukawa, Rice, and Meira finished 10th, 11th, and 12th, respectively, in last year's race.

"I try and try and continue to tell them the importance of understanding closing rates," Rahal said. "Understanding where you want to pass somebody. Understanding not to get into a situation with somebody when you do get blocked and not get used."

Said Rice, "My car is pretty good in traffic. Cars that are not good in traffic will quickly fall to the back. If you are going to do well here, you have to do well in traffic."

That might be easier said than done against a strong field.

There's the Andretti Green Racing four-car stable that includes front-row starters Dan Wheldon and Dario Franchitti and Row 2 starter Tony Kanaan. Japanese rookie driver Kosuke Matsuura and his Mexican teammate and boss, Adrian Fernandez, posted the fastest laps during Thursday's Carburetion Day shakedown. Target Chip Ganassi drivers Scott Dixon and Darren Manning are also in the hunt.

And then there's the Penske Racing duo of Sam Hornish Jr., the two-time IRL champion who succeeded the retired de Ferran, and Castroneves, the two-time Indy 500 winner. Both will attempt to give their decorated car owner an unprecedented fourth consecutive Indy 500 title (and 14th overall).

"My plan is to stick to our team strategies," Rice said. "Penske, Ganassi, and Andretti have all been sizing each other up. We've all tested different scenarios and conditions with and without traffic, which will be the big battle come Sunday."