Ron Hemelgarn won’t be part of the Indianapolis 500 field this year, but the Toledo businessman and long-time racing team owner is taking the setback in stride.
“It’s not a heartbreak, it’s just Indy,” Hemelgarn said after his car failed to qualify over the weekend for Sunday’s 93rd running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
“We didn’t hit it,” Hemelgarn said of his team’s inability to draw enough speed out of the car. “We went out there, and we picked up a little looseness in the car. We waved it off and came in, and there were other cars in the chute.”
Click Here For Indianapolis 500 Photos
The would-be challengers vying to bump Hunter-Reay from the starting grid, including Lazier, were lined up to take another shot when the qualifying period closed.
“It’s just part of Indy,” Hemelgarn said, “and I’ve been running long enough here to know that.”
Failing to make the Indy 500 field ends a streak of 14 straight starts in the race for Lazier, who first raced at the historic speedway in 1991 and had been a part of every 500 since 1995.
Failing to make the Indy 500 field ends a streak of 14 straight starts in the race for Lazier, who first raced at the historic speedway in 1991 and had been a part of every 500 since 1995.
Driver and Hollywood stuntman Stanton Barrett joined Lazier and Hemelgarn in the group of those who left Indianapolis without a place in Sunday’s race.
Click Here For Indianapolis 500 Photos
“We just gave it our all,” said Barrett about his Team 3G effort. “It’s just a real bummer it didn’t work out. It’s a real disappointment. It’s just one of those things. A lot of other guys didn’t make it too. There were three others. It’s not an easy deal.”
| 
|