Joining Mutoh as first-time Indianapolis 500 participants are KV Racing Technology’s Oriol Servia and Will Power, Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing’s Justin Wilson and Graham Rahal, Dale Coyne Racing’s Mario Moraes, Conquest Racing’s Enrique Bernoldi and Jaime Camara, HVM Racing’s E.J. Viso, Alex Lloyd of Rahal Letterman Racing with Chip Ganassi, and Rahal Letterman Racing’s Ryan Hunter-Reay.
“It’s a race that’s unique, and I’m happy I made the field,” said Bernoldi, who will start in the middle of Row 10. “It’s nice to do a lot of activities outside of driving, which makes it a race that is very complete. There are so many fans here, it’s just been a great month.”
Preparing for the race on the 2.5-mile oval, making adjustments for and experiencing changing weather and racetrack conditions, has been challenging and rewarding.
“It has been a lot of learning because the place is so different from anywhere I’ve ever driven,” Bernoldi said. “It was good because we drove for many, many days and it really helped me because I’m not that familiar with ovals. You can’t get a good result if you can’t race.”
Four Fastest Rookie of the Year recipients have won “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” in the 34 consecutive years the American Dairy Association of Indiana has sponsored the award (Rick Mears, Jacques Villeneuve, Eddie Cheever Jr. and Juan Montoya). There are five former Fastest Rookie winners in the field this year (the three AGR drivers plus pole sitter Scott Dixon of Target Chip Ganassi Racing and Bruno Junqueira of Dale Coyne Racing).
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