Redemption 500

To be honest, Bump Day was a snoozefest. After the eight initial qualifying efforts, it became clear that Michel Jourdain Jr.'s car did not have the speed to make the field. All the drivers showed empathy and concern for his disappointment, which had to be elevated as each hour dragged on. Had his car been adequate, we might have had some bumping competition, but alas, it was not to be this year. We can only yearn for the Bump Days of yore, and look to the future, when more than one car might be on the bubble.

It was fun to see so many cars out on the track, drafting one another and practicing their race setup, but it's too soon to speculate who looks good so far. After looking at the final grid, I would have to say that there are about 20 cars who have a legitimate chance of winning the 500. I'm still going to stick with my initial prediction of Takuma Sato, but it's anyone's race. And that is exciting.

As I mentioned in a previous blog, I think this year's Indy 500 should be called the "Vengeance 500." I thought of that title after Katherine Legge entered the field, because she'll be trying to prove to her former team that she still has something to offer. Couple that with Ryan Briscoe's possible "revenge" on Penske Racing, and you have some possible vengeance. However, I think it's more appropriate to call this the "Redemption 500" because that seems to be a key theme running through the grid. There are so many drivers looking for redemption from last year or from previous Indy 500 miscues. Let's examine a few.

I already mentioned Legge and Briscoe, who definitely have something to prove. Legge's departure was a bitter feud, whereas Briscoe's seemed more expected and professional (I may be wrong about that, though). I would love, love, love to see Briscoe win this race. I could not believe he did not have a full-time ride this year, and he definitely deserves it. I see shades of 2011 here, with an eventual winner who also should have had a full-time ride....

AJ Allmendinger is another driver on the path to redemption. In an NBC Sports Network interview, which showed his passion and love for the Indy 500, he talked about last year's "dark days." You have to respect his honesty at admitting his mistakes from last year, and his immense gratitude toward Roger Penske for giving him a second chance. He will be a crowd favorite, and his entrance in this year's race should give it some additional eyeballs because of his experience in NASCAR.

Also consider the last two Indy 500's had crashes on the final lap. The drivers who were the victims of those crashes--Sato and JR Hildebrand--will be looking for redemption. Sato appears to have gained confidence and a strong team, while Hildebrand still awaits his first IZOD IndyCar Series victory. I'm not convinced Hildebrand has the best team, and I wonder what would happen if he were in position to win the race again. Those demons do not go away easily, but it would be a feel-good story if either of these drivers were able to push aside the last-lap disappointments and wind up in Victory Lane.

There are plenty of other stories to follow for this year's race, but to me these are some of the most compelling. America seems to love second-chance, redemption stories, and you'll find them in the 2013 Indy 500.