Alex Tagliani was asked about his relationship with Scott Dixon, who will start beside him in second position on the front row for the start of the Indianapolis 500.
"We get along very good. Good friends," Tagliani said over the phone after finishing a series of interviews at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., this week. "He's actually behind me right now in the other car that's going to the airport with us.
"Hopefully he'll stay behind me in the race as well," Tagliani added with a laugh. "Nah, he is a nice guy, and after qualifying the way I did he had some nice words for me. That's the way he is."
Tagliani will be the first Canadian to start from pole position for the 100th anniversary running of the Indianapolis 500 Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (10 a.m, TSN, ABC). And the 37-year-old native of Lachenaie, Que., is excited about possibly becoming only the second Canadian to win "the greatest spectacle in racing," following in the tracks of fellow Quebecer Jacques Villeneuve, who won in 1995 after starting fifth in the middle of the second row.
"This is bigger than the Super Bowl," Tagliani said. "The Indy 500 is the biggest motorsport event in the world. And it's the toughest race to win.
"It has everything you could have inside a race to make things as difficult as possible for the driver to try to come out of it with a win. If you look at Scott (Dixon), he's participated in seven Indy 500s and won it once (2008), and it was probably the best day of his life other than (marrying) his wife and the day his kid was born.
"Winning this race is very tough," Tagliani added. "It's not because you have the best car and the best chance that everything is going to go for you. There are 32 other drivers in the race who think they have as good of a shot at it as you. Past races have shown that you can go from the back to the front, have the strategy and the great pit stops, but no one knows for certain they can do it.
"All I know from having raced all my life is that you can't take anything for granted. If anybody does, they're in the wrong business out here. Of course, to win would be quite an accomplishment, but a lot of things have to fall into place for you and the team. And a whole lot can happen over 500 miles."
Tagliani, who will make his third Indianapolis 500 start, is driving the No. 77 Bowers & Wilkins-sponsored entry for Sam Schmidt Motorsports.
He secured the pole position after setting a four-lap average speed of 227.472 m.p.h. in final qualifying a week ago. Dixon, an Australia native who is the Indy Racing League's alltime wins leader with 24 and drives for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, saw his hopes of getting the pole dashed when he ran out of fuel in the fourth turn of his final qualifying lap.
Spain's Oriole Servia of Newman/ Haas Racing has the third spot on the three-car wide starting grid. The 33car field includes Canadians James Hinchcliffe of Oakville, Ont., one of five rookies in the race who qualified 13th, and Toronto's Paul Tracy, who qualified 24th and is competing in his seventh Indy 500.
There are also four women on the starting grid, including Simona de Silvestro of Switzerland, who qualified 23rd and is in her second Indy, and Danica Patrick, who qualified 25th and is making her seventh appearance.
Patrick finished third in 2009, the best performance ever by a woman in the race. Tagliani made his Indy 500 debut in 2009 with Conquest Racing, a team he actually paid to drive for as he was desperate to continue his racing career. He finished 11th after starting dead last.
"We get along very good. Good friends," Tagliani said over the phone after finishing a series of interviews at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., this week. "He's actually behind me right now in the other car that's going to the airport with us.
"Hopefully he'll stay behind me in the race as well," Tagliani added with a laugh. "Nah, he is a nice guy, and after qualifying the way I did he had some nice words for me. That's the way he is."
Tagliani will be the first Canadian to start from pole position for the 100th anniversary running of the Indianapolis 500 Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (10 a.m, TSN, ABC). And the 37-year-old native of Lachenaie, Que., is excited about possibly becoming only the second Canadian to win "the greatest spectacle in racing," following in the tracks of fellow Quebecer Jacques Villeneuve, who won in 1995 after starting fifth in the middle of the second row.
"This is bigger than the Super Bowl," Tagliani said. "The Indy 500 is the biggest motorsport event in the world. And it's the toughest race to win.
"It has everything you could have inside a race to make things as difficult as possible for the driver to try to come out of it with a win. If you look at Scott (Dixon), he's participated in seven Indy 500s and won it once (2008), and it was probably the best day of his life other than (marrying) his wife and the day his kid was born.
"Winning this race is very tough," Tagliani added. "It's not because you have the best car and the best chance that everything is going to go for you. There are 32 other drivers in the race who think they have as good of a shot at it as you. Past races have shown that you can go from the back to the front, have the strategy and the great pit stops, but no one knows for certain they can do it.
"All I know from having raced all my life is that you can't take anything for granted. If anybody does, they're in the wrong business out here. Of course, to win would be quite an accomplishment, but a lot of things have to fall into place for you and the team. And a whole lot can happen over 500 miles."
Tagliani, who will make his third Indianapolis 500 start, is driving the No. 77 Bowers & Wilkins-sponsored entry for Sam Schmidt Motorsports.
Spain's Oriole Servia of Newman/ Haas Racing has the third spot on the three-car wide starting grid. The 33car field includes Canadians James Hinchcliffe of Oakville, Ont., one of five rookies in the race who qualified 13th, and Toronto's Paul Tracy, who qualified 24th and is competing in his seventh Indy 500.
There are also four women on the starting grid, including Simona de Silvestro of Switzerland, who qualified 23rd and is in her second Indy, and Danica Patrick, who qualified 25th and is making her seventh appearance.
Patrick finished third in 2009, the best performance ever by a woman in the race. Tagliani made his Indy 500 debut in 2009 with Conquest Racing, a team he actually paid to drive for as he was desperate to continue his racing career. He finished 11th after starting dead last.
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