After being bumped from the field on Pole Day, Vautier qualified for his first Indianapolis 500 with an average speed of 224.873 mph.

“I know that my car had more speed in it than my qualifying lap average showed, but I am happy to officially be in the field for my first Indianapolis 500,” Vautier said.

Driving the No. 55 SPM/Lucas Oil Dallara/Honda/Firestone car, Vautier will be one of four rookies in the 2013 Indianapolis 500 field.

Katherine Legge qualified the No. 81 SPM entry in the 33rd and final starting spot on the starting grid after stepping into the car for the first time Bump Day morning. Legge completed less than 30 laps before heading out for her qualifying attempt.

“It has been a rush to get everything together, but the team has worked so hard and I’m so happy,” Legge said. “The engineers and my teammates Simon (Pagenaud) and Tristan (Vautier) have done a fantastic job of setting up the cars so that I could just hop in and feel comfortable right away.”

After a hectic several days in which she was not sure if the deal for the No. 81 car would come together or if the car would make the field with very little practice time, Legge can breathe a sigh of relief. She qualified the No. 81 car in 33rd position with a four-lap average speed of 223.176 mph.

“It’s been a stressful few days and I honestly haven’t been able to sleep much because I’ve been so focused on getting the car in the field,” Legge said. “Now that I know the car is in the field I’ll be able to rest easy and hopefully get a bit of a breather!”

Simon Pagenaud, who secured the 21st spot on the starting grid on the first day of qualifying, ran 77 practice laps in the No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports Dallara/Honda/Firestone car on Bump Day focusing on his race day setup.

“We practiced race trim today and the car is really good,” Pagenaud said. “It’s obviously going to be very difficult for everyone to pick a downforce level. That’s going to be the tricky thing to decide this week before the race. Going on the low side would be very risky but if we stayed with a high level of downforce we’ll stay at the back of the field.”

Pagenaud also had high words of praise for his crew, who were instrumental in providing a setup for the No. 81 car of Legge.

“I want to congratulate the whole team, especially on the HP side of things, because without their setup the third car wouldn’t be in the field,” Pagenaud said. “They have done so much work getting a third car in the field at Indy which is tremendous because that is never easy.”

Pagenaud, Vautier and Legge will all return to action at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, May 24 at Coors Light Carb Day for the final practice session before the Indianapolis 500. For the latest team updates, follow @SPMIndyCar on Twitter.

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“We expected to be faster, but the handling of the car is fantastic,” Pagenaud said. “I’m not too worried about it because I know we have a good race car. But somehow, we didn’t have the speed we expected. It is one of those things where the balance is there, but there’s something else we need to find.”

Pagenaud’s No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports Dallara/Honda/Firestone car will be back on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval tomorrow to continue practicing for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

“All in all, it’s good that we’re in the show so we just have to worry about the race car tomorrow,” Pagenaud said. “We’ll see how things go next week and try to drive to the front.”

Rookie Tristan Vautier made a qualifying attempt in the No. 55 Lucas Oil/Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Dallara/Honda/Firestone car, but was bumped from the field at 3:51 p.m. ET by Marco Andretti.

Vautier made a second qualifying attempt in the final half-hour of qualifications, but did not find enough speed in the No. 55 car. His team scrambled to put him back in the qualification line for a third and final attempt, but he was too late and could not get on the track before the qualifying session ended at 6 p.m. ET.

“I really thought I could have found enough speed if I went out one more time, but unfortunately we ran out of time,” Vautier said. “This track is so tough, and that was very clear today. There are a ton of quality teams sitting on the outside looking in, including us. We’re going to put our heads together tonight and come back strong tomorrow to put this car in the field.”

Vautier will be back on track to practice for Bump Day qualifying at 9 a.m. ET, and then attempt to qualify for his first Indianapolis 500 at 12 p.m. ET. Schmidt Peterson Motorsports will also attempt to qualify the No. 81 SPM Dallara/Honda/Firestone entry with driver Katherine Legge on Bump Day.

For the latest team updates from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, follow @SPMIndyCar on Twitter.

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Legge will pilot the No. 81 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Dallara/Honda/Firestone car for her second start in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

“I’m psyched to get back in the car, especially at Indy because this is such a special place,” said Legge. “I owe a huge thank you to Honda, Firestone, the IZOD IndyCar Series and especially Schmidt Peterson Motorsports for pulling this together in the last minute to get the car on track. I was talking with Sam (Schmidt) in 2011 about driving one of his cars, and I’m so excited to finally get in one of them and work with the entire team in addition to Simon (Pagenaud) and Tristan (Vautier).”

In 2012, Legge started 30th and finished 22nd in her rookie year at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  She made 10 starts on the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series schedule, five of which were on oval tracks.

“I’m very happy that we were able to give Katherine a shot at her second Indianapolis 500, which is a lifelong dream of hers,” Ric Peterson, equity owner of Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, said.

Legge finished 9th in the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series finale at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., the only other 500-mile race on the series’ schedule.

“Katherine’s top-10 finish in Fontana last year showed me that she has the speed and endurance to finish a 500-mile race, which are the most grueling conditions our drivers encounter,” Sam Schmidt said. “Our team is working very hard to build her car and give her the equipment she needs to qualify and race competitively at Indianapolis.”

Qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 begins on May 18 and continues with Bump Day on Sunday, May 19.  The 97th running of the Indianapolis 500 will take place on Sunday, May 26.

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Forrest Lucas, founder of Lucas Oil, first partnered with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports’ owner Sam Schmidt a decade ago when his company served as primary sponsor for Schmidt’s Indianapolis 500 entry for Richie Hearn in 2003. Since then, Lucas Oil has served as a title sponsor each race season on one of Schmidt’s Firestone Indy Lights entries.

“Sam asked me if I’d like to sponsor Tristan (Vautier’s) car for the 10th anniversary of our relationship, and I jumped at the chance,” Lucas said. “I was attracted to the Indianapolis 500 10 years ago because it’s the biggest race in the world, and it’s a huge pleasure to be part of the race again with a car, driver and team that have every chance in the world of winning.”

Schmidt and Lucas found common ground in their desire to foster growth and development in young open-wheel drivers in Firestone Indy Lights, which makes the Indianapolis 500 sponsorship of Tristan Vautier’s car even more appropriate since he is the reigning Firestone Indy Lights Champion.

“I appreciate all that Sam (Schmidt) has done to help young drivers advance their careers, and I’m glad that we’ve been part of that,” Lucas said. “We sponsored Tristan (Vautier’s) car in the Grand Prix of Long Beach earlier this year, and I can’t wait to see how this young, talented driver fares in the biggest race in the world.”

Sam Schmidt is excited to team up with Lucas Oil for the Indianapolis 500 again after having found success with the company on board as a sponsor in Firestone Indy Lights.

“It is fantastic to be associated with such an iconic motorsports brand for the Indy 500 and the 10th anniversary of our original partnership,” Schmidt said. “Their business and racing truly go hand in hand and we’re proud to have brought them several Firestone Indy Lights Championships. I can’t think of another person I would rather give a Baby Borg Warner trophy to than Forrest Lucas!”

The 97th Indianapolis 500 will run on Sunday, May 26. For the latest updates from Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, follow @SPMIndyCar on Twitter.

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Vautier completed all three speed phases which included 10 laps at 200-205 mph, 15 laps at 205-209 mph, and 15 laps at 210 mph-plus.

“That was so much faster than a Firestone Indy Lights car!” Vautier said. “It was harder to run slow when they were asking us to stay between the lower speed ranges because it was difficult to judge how much to lift to stay in that segment.”

Once Vautier reached the third phase in his No. 55 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Dallara/Honda/Firestone car, he really started to enjoy himself.

“I managed 15 laps at full speed at the end and loved it!” he said. “Everything happens faster in these cars and you need to anticipate everything. It’s easier to make a mistake and you have to be on it all the time.

In addition to his Schmidt Peterson Motorsports team, Vautier received guidance from INDYCAR driver steward Arie Luyendyk.

“It was great to have Arie (Luyendyk) as a coach because he has so much experience here at IMS that you know you can trust what he’s saying to you,” Vautier said. “It was very good because he was giving me just enough advice and still letting me work with the team. If I have any more questions over the month I’ll definitely be asking Arie!”

After completing ROP, Vautier was cleared to join veterans in practice at IMS for the Indianapolis 500. Practice resumes at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 12 from 12 – 6 p.m.

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Pagenaud started from 23rd in the No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports car, and drove as high as third before settling for ninth.

“It was a tough day at the office,” Pagenaud said. “We had a good recovery from qualifying to finish in the top-10, which is hard to do when you start at the back of the field. The team did a fantastic job with strategy to get our car in podium contention.”

Schmidt Hamilton Motorsports also gleaned a wealth of data to use in the future.

“We struggled here in Brazil but we’re working hard and we learned so much today,” Pagenaud said. “We can use all of this information to our advantage in the future.”

Rookie Tristan Vautier, driving the No. 55 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Dallara/Honda/Firestone car, started 21st in the São Paulo Indy 300 field. Vautier drove his car to the top-10 before his luck changed.

“Our pace was ok today and we had a great strategy to move through the field,” Vautier said. “The first part of the race was great because we were picking off positions one by one.”

The race was slowed by seven caution flags however, and the final caution stuck the dagger in the Schmidt Peterson Motorsports team’s strategy for the No. 55 car.

“The last caution threw off our strategy and we lost a ton of positions,” Vautier said. “To top if all off we ran out of fuel on the big straightaway of the final lap and lost two more spots.”

Pagenaud and Vautier won’t have long to dwell on their finishes in São Paulo as the gates open at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Indianapolis 500 practice in only six days.

“We’ve been struggling on the street circuits, but we have a strong oval package that we’ve been working on all winter,” Pagenaud said. “It will be nice to be back home for sure and see what we can do at the biggest race of our year.”

James Hinchcliffe, driving for Andretti Autosport, won his second-career IZOD IndyCar Series race at the São Paulo Indy 300. He was followed to the checkered flag by Takuma Sato of A.J. Foyt Racing and Marco Andretti of Andretti Autosport.

Pagenaud and Vautier will return to action with Schmidt Hamilton Motorsports and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports on May 11 for Opening Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. For the latest team updates, follow @SPMIndyCar on Twitter.

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Simon Pagenaud starts every day off with a cup (or several) of coffee to awaken his senses, and the driver of the No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports car is in for a treat this weekend as he heads to Brazil for the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300, where the best coffee in the world is grown.

Brazil produces around one-third of the world’s coffee, which should be enough to get Pagenaud through a race weekend.

“I’m not a morning person, and coffee really helps me get going when I’m groggy,” Pagenaud said. “I’ve heard it has amazing flavor and that it’s the best coffee in the world, so I can’t wait to try the real thing.”

After shipping race cars, tires, fuel and pit equipment to a different hemisphere, it is a safe bet that Pagenaud’s crew will be needing a strong cup of coffee as well.

“Logistics for this race are tough on the team, and it takes a lot of organization,” Pagenaud said. “I can’t even imagine all the work that goes into moving an entire race team such a long distance via ocean and air freight. The drivers definitely have it easier for this one because we just have to show up!”

Pagenaud’s teammate Tristan Vautier will make his debut in the Streets of Sao Paulo on the 2.536-mile course in the No. 55 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Dallara/Honda/Firestone car. The IZOD IndyCar Series rookie will be the only driver new to the circuit.

“Obviously I’ll have a little more work to do once we get to the track because I’m learning the track from scratch,” Vautier said. “I spent a little more time than usual watching different videos and talking with the team to try and be as prepared as I possibly can.”

Modifications have been made in Turns 1 and 2 of the track to widen the turns and create more opportunity for passing zones. And just as they would do to their famous Brazilian coffee beans, track officials have ground key bumps that caused issues for drivers in 2012.

“One of the most unique things about this circuit is the very long back straight,” Vautier said. “It’s hard to identify which parts will be the most challenging before I’ve run on the track, but it certainly looks bumpy in places which might be challenging.”

Rain is another element that seems to present itself every year in Brazil for the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300, but Simon Pagenaud is looking forward to the chance to drive his No. 77 car to the front of the field through wet conditions.

“I love racing in the rain,” Pagenaud said. “It’s very different to dry conditions obviously and requires an entirely different skillset and mindset. You’re much more on the edge and anything can happen. It can either go very wrong or very right. We’ll see how it goes and be ready to adapt if we need to.”

Simon Pagenaud and Tristan Vautier will take the green flag south of the equator for the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 on Sunday, May 5. Live coverage begins at 11 a.m. ET on NBC Sports Network. Follow @SPMIndyCar for the latest team updates from practice, qualifications and the race.

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Tristan Vautier, driving the No. 55 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Dallara/Honda/Firestone car, started 27th due to a 10-spot grid penalty after an unscheduled engine change.

Vautier made contact with the No. 9 car of Scott Dixon on Lap 2, and was issued a drive through penalty for avoidable contact. The IZOD IndyCar Series rookie was not discouraged by the setback however, and began climbing through the field at a blazing pace.

“I made a mistake at the beginning of the race with Scott Dixon, and I’m sorry about that for him and his team,” Vautier said. “We got back out there after the penalty though and my pace was amazing.”

Making a focused march through nearly the entire field, Vautier climbed as high as second through on-track passes.

“We really made the most of the restarts,” Vautier said. “I think we gained five positions on each of them. It felt great to run up in podium position for awhile.”

Unfortunately the flow of the tide changed for the No. 55 car on Lap 56 when he came in for a pit stop under caution. After being released by his team at the completion of his stop, he collided with the No. 12 car of Will Power who was entering his own pit box.

“We had some communication issues as a team, but we’re all learning to work together and things happen,” Vautier said. “We win as a team and we lose as a team, and I had my mistakes as well. We had a great race going and it’s too bad it ended this way, but we’re going to get a good result soon because our speed is there.”

Vautier received a second drive through penalty for his involvement in the pit lane incident. After serving the penalty he remained on the lead lap, but found himself well behind the front-runners. He finished the day in 17th.

Simon Pagenaud started the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach from 17th, and took advantage of an alternate fuel strategy to climb through the field. The No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports car made up nine positions throughout the race to finish eighth.

“Honestly it was a good points day for us when you look at all the championship contenders who finished behind us,” Pagenaud said. “Starting 17th and finishing eighth is really a good day. The strategy my team came up with worked out really well, and my car had a great pace. We were nearly the fastest car on the track and I’m really happy with the end of the weekend.”

While encouraged by a top-10 finish, Pagenaud is eager to push for more in qualifying to put himself in a better position for races.

“It’s just a shame we weren’t able to have a good qualifying session to start higher on the grid today because I think I could have run away from the field,” he said. “We’re chipping away at things, and since it’s early in the season we still have time to make up points in the championship.”

Takuma Sato of A.J. Foyt Racing won the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, which was his first career IZOD IndyCar Series victory. Graham Rahal and Justin Wilson followed Sato to the finish line in second and third position.

The race was slowed by five caution periods for a total of 16 laps. There were five changes for the lead between four different drivers.

Pagenaud and Vautier will pick up where they left off in Long Beach at the Sao Paulo Indy 300 in Brazil on May 5. For the latest Schmidt Hamilton Motorsports and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports updates, follow @SPMIndyCar on Twitter.

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Pagenaud will start 17th in Sunday’s Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in the No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports Dallara/Honda/Firestone car. He believes focusing on tire management is crucial before race day in the Streets of Long Beach.

“It’s frustrating because the car is so good on Firestone Black tires, but we don’t know quite what’s going on here,” Pagenaud said. “I thought my flying lap was good in qualifications and that we had transferred into the next group. We have to try and understand how we’re not working the tires properly, which is one of the same issues my teammate Tristan (Vautier) is having.”

Tristan Vautier, driving the No. 55 Lucas Oil c/w Schmidt Peterson Motorsports car, qualified 19th for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

“It’s a little disappointing that we’re struggling but that is part of the racing process sometimes,” Vautier said. “As soon as you have the tiniest little issue you end up 10th in your qualifying group like I did today.”

The rookie driver’s focus has shifted to making sure he maximizes results for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in Sunday’s race.

“We’ll be working very hard tonight to figure out what we need to fix for tomorrow’s race,” Vautier said. “I’ll also be studying my driving line tonight to try and find every ounce of speed possible. Our struggle today just shows you how competitive this series really is.”

Vautier and the No. 55 car will incur a 10-spot penalty on the starting grid due to an unscheduled engine change.

Dario Franchitti will start from the pole for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in his Honda-powered car for the second year in a row. He set an IZOD IndyCar Series track record with his qualifying lap of 01:07.2379 on the 1.968-mile course.

Reigning IZOD IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay qualified second, followed by Will Power in third. Takuma Sato and Mike Conway rounded out the top-five in qualifications.

Broadcast coverage for the 2013 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach begins at 4 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network. Follow @SPMIndyCar for live updates from Schmidt Hamilton Motorsports and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports during the race.

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