Little 500 track record expected to be challenged

Ken de la Bastide, The Herald Bulletin, Anderson, Ind.
·3 min read

May 25—ANDERSON — It has been a record that has stood for 11 years, but competitors in the 74th running of the Lucas Oil Little 500 expect that mark to be eclipsed.

During qualifications for the 2011 Little 500 Aaron Pierce set a one-lap record of 10.944 seconds (82.24 mph) and a four-lap record time of 44.030 seconds (81.76 mph).

Several competitors during the open practice at Anderson Speedway were turning laps in the 11.1-second range (81.08 mph) around the high-banked quarter-mile oval.

CB Fabricating Pole Day is Thursday with qualifying starting at 1:30 p.m. to lock the fastest 15 qualifiers into the starting field.

Defending race winner Tyler Roahrig agreed a new track record was possible.

"With the weather conditions, and the tires are a little bit better this year," Roahrig said. "The track record would be nice, but the main goal is to win the race."

Roahrig said overall the field for this year's race will be faster than in 2021 when the field average speed was 75.71 mph.

Three-time winner Kody Swanson said it could be the fastest Little 500 ever.

"The track is in pretty good condition," he said. "The weather is better. Usually it feels like 100 degrees. There are a lot of good cars making themselves better and each other better."

Swanson said the track is sensitive to the weather, so a lot will depend on the conditions Thursday.

He said it's probably the strongest field ever entered for Saturday's race.

"There are cars that are really fast and guys that can do it for a long time," Swanson said. "It makes for a fun race."

NASCAR veteran Ryan Newman, looking to make his first Little 500 start, said he is at Anderson Speedway for one reason — to win the race.

"I've been in the grandstands here before, probably 30 years ago," he said. "I've watched a few of them. This race has always been a big deal where I'm at in my career."

Newman won a 50-lap sprint car race at Anderson Speedway in the past.

"There are probably a lot of guys here that have not won anything here," he laughed, "so winning a 50-lap race says something.

"This is kind of home for me being from South Bend and open-wheel racing. I'll do it (the Little 500) whenever it makes sense. It made sense this time."

South African driver Quintin Saayman is looking to make his first Little 500 start.

He first attended the Little 500 in 1999 when Saayman was racing with a winged sprint car series.

"I've seen several of the races," Saayman said.

Setting a realistic goal for the race, he wants to make the starting field and to finish the race.

"I'll definitely be back next year," Saayman said.

He explained racing in South Africa, where he is an eight-time champion, is mostly all wing sprint cars races on pavement and a few dirt tracks.

"It's a different experience," Saayman said. "We only do non-wing show two or three times a year."

The tracks in South Africa are all quarter-mile with no banking.

"Last year we wanted to do the Little 500, but money wise we couldn't do it," he said.

Saayman started putting the deal together for the Little 500 three years ago and has purchased a car that was owned by Contos Racing.

He said a large contingent of fans will be watching the Little 500 on MAV-TV with the race starting in South Africa at 3 a.m.

Follow Ken de la Bastide on Twitter @KendelaBastide, or call 765-640-4863.