There won't be any bumps in the road for drivers trying to remain in the field of 33 cars for the 96th Indianapolis 500 this year, as there are just nine car and driver combinations left to fill the final nine spots on the starting grid.
This turns Bump Day into I Hope I Don't Hit The Wall Day as the remaining cars look for enough speed to put their car in the field. With the new chassis design and engine specs for 2012, there simply aren't enough options for more drivers to make a run. This combined with the struggles by Lotus to develop a competitive engine are factors making it difficult to fill the field.
On Saturday, Pippa Mann confirmed that she would not try to qualify and according to Phillip B Wilson, Jay Howard decided not to take a shot at qualifying this morning.
Nine drivers for nine spots today on #Indy500 bump day. Jay Howard says he won't try to jump in a car. Only drama will be if field is full.
— Phillip B Wilson (@pwilson24) May 20, 2012
The main drama now centers around how well the two Lotus drivers Simona de Silvestro and Jean Alesi can qualify and whether the rest of the cars can make four clean laps to make the field.
For more information and coverage of the 2012 Indy 500 check this SB Nation StoryStream. For all of the comings and goings in the world of IndyCar, please visit SB Nation's dedicated IndyCar blog, Pop Off Valve.