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Kaiser, Juncos look for perfect ending to Indy fairytale

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Kaiser, Juncos look for perfect ending to Indy fairytale
Sport

Sport

Kaiser, Juncos look for perfect ending to Indy fairytale

2019-05-24 06:33 Last Updated At:06:40

Kyle Kaiser's comeback story began by bumping two-time world champion Fernando Alonso out of the Indianapolis 500.

He hopes Sunday's final chapter will be every bit as compelling.

After beating the odds during a topsy-turvy month, the 23-year-old Californian hopes to become the first driver to win the race from the 33rd and final starting spot on the grid.

Kyle Kaiser celebrates with a crew member after qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 IndyCar auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sunday, May 19, 2019 in Indianapolis. (AP PhotoDarron Cummings)

Kyle Kaiser celebrates with a crew member after qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 IndyCar auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sunday, May 19, 2019 in Indianapolis. (AP PhotoDarron Cummings)

"We've seen a lot of fairy tales at this track before," he said Thursday at the annual media day. "Why couldn't we see a fairytale this weekend?"

It reads like a Hollywood script.

Just as practice for the 500 began last week, team owner Ricardo Juncos announced his two primary sponsors had withdrawn, leaving the side pods and chassis virtually devoid of decals.

The crew for Fernando Alonso, of Spain, watch as Kyle Kaiser makes his qualification attempt for the Indianapolis 500 IndyCar auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sunday, May 19, 2019 in Indianapolis. Kaiser bumped Alonso from the field. (AP PhotoDarron Cummings)

The crew for Fernando Alonso, of Spain, watch as Kyle Kaiser makes his qualification attempt for the Indianapolis 500 IndyCar auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sunday, May 19, 2019 in Indianapolis. Kaiser bumped Alonso from the field. (AP PhotoDarron Cummings)

Then just as Kaiser started getting comfortable in the cockpit last Friday, he lost control of the car and spun into the outside wall. It nearly went airborne before landing on one wheel with the tub smashing back to the track surface.

Crew members scrambled to repair the damage overnight but when Kaiser returned to the track for the first day of qualifying last weekend, he didn't have enough speed to make the protected top 30. So the team went back to work Saturday night, giving Kaiser one final chance in the last-row shootout.

This time, on the final run of the shootout, he completed a four-lap qualifying effort with an average speed of 227.372 mph — barely ahead of Alonso's 227.353 — putting the nearly barren No. 32 car into the race and sending Alonso and his well-funded team, McLaren Racing, home.

"It's been such a roller-coaster ride you could chart it," he said. "I mean even before the sponsors pulled out, I wasn't sure if I was going to drive the car. I can't even explain the emotions we've been through."

Now, everyone seems to want to jump on board.

Since Wednesday, Juncos Racing has announced 250ok, an Indianapolis- based email intelligence platform, will serve as the primary sponsor this weekend.

Last year's primary sponsor, insurance company NFP, has teamed up with Global Medical Response as a co-sponsor. The team also has added Hagerty, the world's largest specialty insurer of collector vehicles and the publisher of Hagerty magazine, and Juncos, who is from Argentina, continues to work the phones with companies from his home nation for even more funding.

The result could help the part-time IndyCar team take another step toward becoming a full-time entrant.

Kaiser finished 21st in his only start this season at Austin, Texas, after making four starts in 2018 including Indianapolis. But Juncos hasn't yet said whether the team will compete in any races this season though team spokeswoman Abby Carter acknowledged the momentum from Kaiser's incredible run could provide the team with enough momentum to start looking beyond Sunday's race.

But what Kaiser managed to do over the past two weeks has not been lost on veterans who have fought through their own struggles on IndyCar's biggest stage.

"You've got to stay calm her because this race is all about preparation and if you're not prepared your chance of failing is huge," 2013 Indy winner Tony Kanaan said. "It's really easy to lose your head here and this place can really drain your mind if you let it."

Kaiser refused to let that happen and now he has a chance to rewrite history with a perfect ending.

"I think it was the magic of May," he said. "It's just a great underdog story and I think everyone can relate."

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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — A race car veered off the track during a competition in Sri Lanka on Sunday and rammed into a crowd of spectators and race officials, killing seven people and injuring 20 others, officials said.

Thousands of spectators looked on as the mishap took place during a race in the town of Diyatalawa in the tea-growing central hills, about 180 kilometers (110 miles) east of the capital Colombo.

It wasn't immediately clear what caused the mishap.

Police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa said one of the cars veered off the track and crashed into spectators and officials of the event. Seven people, including four officials, were killed and another 20 were being treated at a hospital, said Thalduwa. He said three of the injured were in critical condition.

Thalduwa said police have launched an investigation into the accident, which was the 17th out of 24 events scheduled. The race was suspended after the accident.

About 45,000 spectators had gathered at the race circuit at a Sri Lankan military academy. The event was organized by the Sri Lankan army and Sri Lanka Automobile Sports.

People attend to the injured after a racing car crashed into the spectators during the Fox Hill Supercross, a motor racing event organized by the Sri Lanka's army, in Diyatalawa, Sri Lanka, Sunday, April 21, 2024. (AP Photo/STR)

People attend to the injured after a racing car crashed into the spectators during the Fox Hill Supercross, a motor racing event organized by the Sri Lanka's army, in Diyatalawa, Sri Lanka, Sunday, April 21, 2024. (AP Photo/STR)

People gather around a car that had crashed into the spectators during the Fox Hill Supercross, a motor racing event organized by the Sri Lanka's army, in Diyatalawa, Sri Lanka, Sunday, April 21, 2024. (AP Photo/STR)

People gather around a car that had crashed into the spectators during the Fox Hill Supercross, a motor racing event organized by the Sri Lanka's army, in Diyatalawa, Sri Lanka, Sunday, April 21, 2024. (AP Photo/STR)

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