The 2013 Indianapolis 500 qualifying order is out

By May 17, 2013, 7:30 PM EDT
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Here’s your qualifying order for this year’s Indianapolis 500. Note that the No. 40, which leads off, is the second Ed Carpenter Racing entry that won’t turn a wheel, and both primary and “T” cars are entered in the draw. Scott Dixon, the 2008 500 winner, will be the first driver to make a qualifying attempt.  Each driver’s best speed of the month in that car are listed just to the right.

Other notes: Sam Schmidt’s third car (second Schmidt Peterson entry) is the No. 99/99T with driver TBA, and Townsend Bell gets spot “12A” – not 13 – in-between 12 and 14 for the No. 60T backup car at Panther Racing.

Pole Day qualifying will be airing live on the NBC Sports Network at 11 a.m. ET and 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, and also streamed live on NBC Sports Live Extra.

Qualifying Order:
1 40 TBA
2 9 Scott Dixon (W) 226.162 17-May
3 14 Takuma Sato 227.038 17-May
4 15 Graham Rahal 226.152 17-May
5 14T Takuma Sato
6 2 AJ Allmendinger (R) 227.199 17-May
7 6T Sebastian Saavedra
8 91 Buddy Lazier (W) 222.464 17-May
9 8T Ryan Briscoe 217.773 12-May
10 78 Simona de Silvestro 225.518 17-May
11 83T Charlie Kimball 220.633 11-May
12 40T TBA
12A 60T Townsend Bell
14 27 James Hinchcliffe 226.983 17-May
15 27T James Hinchcliffe
16 9T Scott Dixon (W) 218.143 11-May
17 41 Conor Daly (R) 220.780 16-May
18 3T Helio Castroneves (W)
19 16T James Jakes 219.191 14-May
20 12T Will Power
21 7 Sebastien Bourdais 226.736 17-May
22 19 Justin Wilson 226.043 17-May
23 3 Helio Castroneves (W) 226.988 17-May
24 11T Tony Kanaan
25 1T Ryan Hunter-Reay
26 78T Simona de Silvestro
27 16 James Jakes 224.632 17-May
28 99T TBA
29 5T E.J. Viso
30 22T Oriol Servia
31 18T Ana Beatriz
32 6 Sebastian Saavedra 222.127 17-May
33 63 Pippa Mann 225.077 17-May
34 60 Townsend Bell 227.160 17-May
35 20T Ed Carpenter
36 5 E.J. Viso 229.537 17-May
37 98 Alex Tagliani 226.812 17-May
38 12 Will Power 228.401 17-May
39 77T Simon Pagenaud
40 25T Marco Andretti
41 8 Ryan Briscoe 225.265 17-May
42 11 Tony Kanaan 226.822 17-May
43 21 Josef Newgarden 226.372 17-May
44 55 Tristan Vautier (R) 223.369 17-May
45 10 Dario Franchitti (W) 227.080 17-May
46 18 Ana Beatriz 224.476 17-May
47 4T JR Hildebrand
48 19T Justin Wilson
49 10T Dario Franchitti (W) 218.842 11-May
50 55T Tristan Vautier (R)
51 83 Charlie Kimball 225.616 17-May
52 20 Ed Carpenter 226.768 17-May
53 1 Ryan Hunter-Reay 226.919 17-May
54 17 Michel Jourdain Jr. 223.266 17-May
55 26T Carlos Munoz (R)
56 26 Carlos Munoz (R) 228.520 17-May
57 2T AJ Allmendinger (R)
58 4 JR Hildebrand 227.549 17-May
59 25 Marco Andretti 228.754 17-May
60 21T Josef Newgarden 222.340 15-May
61 98T Alex Tagliani
62 99 TBA
63 7T Sebastien Bourdais
64 41T Conor Daly (R)
65 77 Simon Pagenaud 225.853 17-May
66 15T Graham Rahal 220.360 13-May
67 63T Pippa Mann
68 22 Oriol Servia 227.237 17-May

Ford unveils a new Mustang for 2024 Le Mans in motorsports ‘lifestyle brand’ retooling

Associated PressJun 9, 2023, 7:00 PM EDT
Ford Mustang Le Mans
Ford Performance
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LE MANS, France — Ford has planned a return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with its iconic Mustang muscle car next year under a massive rebranding of Ford Performance aimed at bringing the automotive manufacturer “into the racing business.”

The Friday unveil of the new Mustang Dark Horse-based race car follows Ford’s announcement in February (and a ballyhooed test at Sebring in March) that it will return to Formula One in 2026 in partnership with reigning world champion Red Bull.

The Mustang will enter the GT3 category next year with at least two cars in both IMSA and the World Endurance Championship, and is hopeful to earn an invitation to next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The IMSA entries will be a factory Ford Performance program run by Multimatic, and a customer program in WEC with Proton Competition.

Ford CEO Jim Farley, also an amateur sports car racer, told The Associated Press the Mustang will be available to compete in various GT3 series across the globe to customer teams. But more important, Farley said, is the overall rebranding of Ford Performance – done by renowned motorsports designer Troy Lee – that is aimed at making Ford a lifestyle brand with a sporting mindset.

“It’s kind of like the company finding its own, and rediscovering its icons, and doubling down on them,” Farley told the AP. “And then this motorsports activity is getting serious about connecting enthusiast customers with those rediscovered icons. It’s a big switch for the company – this is really about building strong, iconic vehicles with enthusiasts at the center of our marketing.”

Ford last competed in sports car racing in 2019 as part of a three-year program with Chip Ganassi Racing. The team scored the class win at Le Mans in 2016 in a targeted performance aimed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ford snapping Ferrari’s six-year winning streak.

Ford on Friday displayed a Mustang with a Lee-designed livery that showcased the cleaner, simplified look that will soon be featured on all its racing vehicles. The traditional blue oval with Ford Performance in white lettering underneath will now be branded simply FP.

The new mark will be used across car liveries, merchandise and apparel, display assets, parts and accessories and in advertising.

Farley cited Porsche as an automaker that has successfully figured out how to sell cars to consumers and race cars in various series around the world while creating a culture of brand enthusiasts. He believes Ford’s new direction will help the company sell street cars, race cars, boost interest in driving schools, and create a merchandise line that convinces consumers that a stalwart of American automakers is a hip, cool brand.

“We’re going to build a global motorsports business off road and on road,” Farley told the AP, adding that the design of the Mustang is “unapologetically American.”

He lauded the work of Lee, who is considered the top helmet designer among race car drivers.

“We’re in the first inning of a nine inning game, and going to Le Mans is really important,” Farley said. “But for customer cars, getting the graphics right, designing race cars that win at all different levels, and then designing a racing brand for Ford Performance that gets rebranded and elevated is super important.”

He said he’s kept a close eye on how Porsche and Aston Martin have built their motorsports businesses and said Ford will be better.

“We’re going in the exact same direction. We just want to be better than them, that’s all,” Farley said. “Second is the first loser.”

Farley, an avid amateur racer himself, did not travel to Le Mans for the announcement. The race that begins Saturday features an entry from NASCAR, and Ford is the reigning Cup Series champion with Joey Logano and Team Penske.

The NASCAR “Garage 56” entry is a collaboration between Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear, and is being widely celebrated throughout the industry. Farley did feel left out of the party in France – a sentiment NASCAR tried to avoid by inviting many of its partners to attend the race so that it wouldn’t seem like a Chevrolet-only celebration.

“They’re going right and I’m going left – that NASCAR thing is a one-year deal, right? It’s Garage 56 and they can have their NASCAR party, but that’s a one-year party,” Farley said. “We won Le Mans outright four times, we won in the GT class, and we’re coming back with Mustang and it’s not a one-year deal.

“So they can get all excited about Garage 56. I almost see that as a marketing exercise for NASCAR, but for me, that’s a science project,” Farley continued. “I don’t live in a world of science projects. I live in the world of building a vital company that everyone is excited about. To do that, we’re not going to do a Garage 56 – I’ve got to beat Porsche and Aston Martin and Ferrari year after year after year.”

Ford’s announcement comes on the heels of General Motors changing its GT3 strategy next season and ending its factory Corvette program. GM, which unlike Ford competes in the IMSA Grand Touring Prototype division (with its Cadillac brand), will shift fully to a customer model for Corvettes in 2024 (with some factory support in the IMSA GTD Pro category).