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Indy 500: James Hinchcliffe, Fernando Alonso forced to bump into race

INDIANAPOLIS – Drama and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway go hand in hand. Things were no different during the first day of qualifications on Saturday. A blistering average lap of 230.083 miles per hour by Spencer Pigot in the very early moments of qualifying set the pace for the day. But the two major stories of the day centered on fan favorites Fernando Alonso and James Hinchcliffe. The struggles of McLaren have been well documented throughout the course of the week. An accident during the morning hours of Wednesday’s practice session forced McLaren and Alonso to qualify their backup car. They were unable to run during Thursday’s practice session.

Saturday, Alonso was seemingly never able to find a good balance in his car. His first attempt of the day was the slowest of all the cars that completed a four-lap run at 225.113 mph. It was later discovered that a punctured tire hindered the first run. On his second run, the first lap of 228.464 mph was good enough to make the field of 33. However, the feeling of relief was short lived as Alonso’s second lap was 226.211 mph, almost a full 2 mph slower than his first lap. His third lap was a dismal 223.608, forcing McLaren to waive off the run