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Byline: Curt Cavin
Graham Rahal was the first driver to hit the wall during the Indianapolis 500, and he was joined in disappointment by Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing teammate Justin Wilson, who made wall contact in a different form. But overall, it was a successful May for former members of the Champ Car World Series.
None of them earned the prestigious rookie-of-the-year honor-that went to Ryan Hunter-Reay of Rahal Letterman Racing-but three finished on the lead lap along with race winner Scott Dixon.
"A very strong month for us, I'd say,'' commented Oriol Servia of KV Racing Technology. "I don't know if it will completely set us up for the rest of the season, but we have a lot more oval-track experience than we had before the month began.''
The IndyCar Series newcomers who figure to excel on road courses all said they were in better shape after Indy, even though much of the month was rained out. Servia led the pack with an 11th-place finish, and teammate Will Power (13th) and Conquest Racing's Enrique Bernoldi (15th) also completed all 200 laps.
"I was pushing hard all the time and was really racing,'' said Bernoldi, whose only Indy experience had been on the road course as a Formula One driver. "Really racing, you know?''
Both of Dale Coyne Racing's drivers even led the 500, although both of those leads happened because ...