[...] a NASCAR opportunity came along and Allmendinger switched series, and the dream of one day cheering on their son in the "Biggest Spectacle In Racing" began to fade. [...] one bad decision cost Allmendinger the best job he ever had — and Roger Penske decided to give him a rare second chance. Allmendinger will make his Indianapolis 500 debut on Sunday, seven years after he left open-wheel racing — in a Penske Racing entry, no less. Allmendinger says the pill he popped last June was Adderall — he didn't ask what it was as he was swallowing it — and it caused him to fail a random NASCAR drug test. Suspended hours before the July race at Daytona, Allmendinger was out of a job since Penske had no choice but to fire the driver when the backup B'' sample also came back positive. Allmendinger didn't ask Penske why he was standing behind him, why he brought him out to the IndyCar season finale at Fontana in September as his guest, or why he continued to think of ways to get Allmendinger back in the race car. The competition was much improved all the way down the grid, and driving the year-old Indy car was harder than his time in Champ Car. Allmendinger's experience of landing his dream job then promptly losing it because of a dumb mistake has taught him so much that he didn't hesitate Monday when asked if he's happier now then he was a year ago when he driving in NASCAR for Penske.

[...] a NASCAR opportunity came along and Allmendinger switched series, and the dream of one day cheering on their son in the "Biggest Spectacle In Racing" began to fade. [...] one bad decision cost Allmendinger the best job he ever had — and Roger Penske decided to give him a rare second chance. Allmendinger will make his Indianapolis 500 debut on Sunday, seven years after he left open-wheel racing — in a Penske Racing entry, no less. Allmendinger says the pill he popped last June was Adderall — he didn't ask what it was as he was swallowing it — and it caused him to fail a random NASCAR drug test. Suspended hours before the July race at Daytona, Allmendinger was out of a job since Penske had no choice but to fire the driver when the backup B'' sample also came back positive. Allmendinger didn't ask Penske why he was standing behind him, why he brought him out to the IndyCar season finale at Fontana in September as his guest, or why he continued to think of ways to get Allmendinger back in the race car. The competition was much improved all the way down the grid, and driving the year-old Indy car was harder than his time in Champ Car. Allmendinger's experience of landing his dream job then promptly losing it because of a dumb mistake has taught him so much that he didn't hesitate Monday when asked if he's happier now then he was a year ago when he driving in NASCAR for Penske.

"What an incredible opportunity for the fans to have not only one but two guys trying to make history," Castroneves said Monday while promoting the race with Franchitti in New York City. Castroneves won his third in 2009, so he's now used to the pressure of trying to tie the record. [...] Franchitti won No. 2 in 2010 and No. 3 last year. Castroneves qualified eighth, while Franchitti will start 17th after a frustrating day Saturday for Chip Ganassi Racing. The 38-year-old Castroneves, who earned his first two Indy 500 victories back-to-back in 2001-02, has the advantage of working with Mears on Team Penske.

Michel Jourdain Jr. fails to make Indy 500 field INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Michel Jourdain Jr. was the only driver who failed to make the Indianapolis 500 field during Bump Day qualifying Sunday. The Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver from Mexico tried to get into the field Saturday, the first day of qualifying, but fell short. The team switched engines and copied setups from teammates Graham Rahal and James Jakes to help figure out what was wrong. Jourdain never posted an official time Sunday because the team backed off 15 minutes before the final deadline, sensing it couldn't reach the 33rd-place time to get into the field for May 26 race. On Sunday morning, he tried the setups from Rahal and Jakes.

On a day devoid of tension and rumors, all nine drivers who made attempts on the second and final day of Indianapolis 500 qualifications made it into the 33-car field, led by two young Americans — Josef Newgarden and Graham Rahal — who easily had the two fastest cars on the track. The lone twist might have come if Mexico's Michel Jourdain Jr. actually made a qualifying attempt to get in the race. Newgarden's chance came after he failed to get a second shot to make it in Saturday when he sitting in qualifying line as the gun sounded at 6 p.m. He had to wait another 18 hours and this time, he left no doubt that he belonged. The top Honda qualifier was Canadian Alex Tagliani, the 2011 Indy pole-sitter. [...] when it mattered Sunday, Rahal easily made it in with an average speed of 225.007 to claim the No. 26 starting spot — the middle of Row 9. After flying back from two races in Spain, the airline lost his HANS device, and after Thursday's crash A.J. Foyt's crew had to rebuild Daly's car. The day's biggest scare came with about 30 minutes to go in practice when Team Penske driver Will Power tapped the wall with his right rear tire. There was Newgarden, the hotshot 22-year-old who drives for Sarah Fisher, a local favorite; Rahal, the 24-year-old with the familiar last name; and Daly, the new kid on the block with deep ties to the speedway. "The Rahal name, it's a nice perk around here," Graham Rahal said before adding fuel to his budding rivalry with the younger Andretti. —Scotland's Dario Franchitti and Brazil's Helio Castroneves will try to become the first foreign-born four-time winners in Indy history.