Bump Day at the 2011 Indianapolis 500 was bittersweet for Marco Andretti and the Andretti Autosport team.
Indy 500 Qualifying Results: Marco Andretti Qualifies, Bumps Teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay
With 75 minutes left, Danica Patrick qualified for the field with a four-lap average of 224.861 mph. That left teammates Marco Andretti, who qualified earlier at 223.688, on the bubble while Ryan Hunter-Reay (223.690) sat 32nd.
With 50 seconds to go in Indy 500 time trials, Andretti rolled out of the qualifying line for his final attempt of the month. The young Andretti Autosport driver had been bumped from the field by Dale Coyne Racing’s Alex Lloyd only moments before. But with Hunter-Reay directly behind him in the qualifying line, Andretti beat the end-of-session gun by mere seconds and placed himself into the starting field with a four-lap average of 224.628mph, good enough for the inside of the 10th row.
While Andretti Autosport owner Michael Andretti had to be happy for Marco, he still felt “It was probably my worst day as an owner, for sure.”
It was a rough month for Andretti Autosport, which brought five cars to Indianapolis but only got three of them into the starting lineup.
The green flag drops on the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at Noon on Sunday, May 29th. Fans can tune in to coverage on ABC beginning at 11:00 a.m./ET on race day.
For more on the race, stay with our 2011 Indy 500 StoryStream. Be sure to head over to Pop Off Valve for all things IndyCar, including the three excellent Indy 500 resources: The Indy 500 experience, Indy 500 traditions and the history of the Indy 500 and the Brickyard.
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