News
Over the offseason, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was milled and repaved in asphalt. Selective diamond grinding was done in an effort to smooth out bumps in the turns. On April 5, 2005, a private test session saw four teams (AGR, Ganassi, Rahal, and Panther) test for Firestone. The session was cancelled, however, when the inconsistent pavement in the turns created an unsuitable dual level of grip in the corners. A week later, the entire track was diamond grinded to cure the problem.
Among the numerous team/driver changes for 2005 included Rahal Letterman Racing. Defending Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice returned, and was joined by rookie Danica Patrick. Newman/Haas Racing returned to the Indy 500, entering Sébastien Bourdais and Bruno Junqueira.
Two-time winner Al Unser, Jr. took a brief retirement from driving for 2005, and did not enter. With him along with others such as Michael Andretti, and Arie Luyendyk on the sidelines, no participants from the 1980s would qualify for the field, the first time ever.
Read more about this topic: 2005 Indianapolis 500
Famous quotes containing the word news:
“And are ye sure the news is true?
And are ye sure he’s weel?”
—William Julius Mickle (1735–1788)
“The news we hear, for the most part, is not news to our genius. It is the stalest repetition.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“The village appeared to me a great news room.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)