May 18, 2019; Indianapolis, IN, USA; NTT INDYCAR driver Fernando Alonso walks back to the pits after his car failed to qualify in the top 30 spots for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He will have just one more attempt on Sunday to make the race. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

Bump Day at the Indianapolis 500 is here and it is real. From Bobby Rahal in 1993 to Team Penske in 1995 to James Hinchcliffe last season, even the best of the best can be bumped from the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

This year, it was two-time Formula 1 World Champion and Monaco Grand Prix winner Fernando Alonso who was bumped from the 33 car grid. Coming back after racing in 2017, Alonso was trying to win and become the second person to win the Triple Crown of Motorsport (Indy/Le Mans/Monaco GP).

Alonso hadn’t had the speed since he crashed his primary car Wednesday. With the backup car, Alonso attempted to qualify Saturday but a deflating tire hurt his first run. Despite that, McLaren just couldn’t get the car right to get him locked into the top 30.

On Bump Day, Alonso put in a four-lap speed of 227.353 mph and was provisionally in the race. But in a dramatic twist of fate, the Formula 1 stable with a World Champion got knocked out on the last moment by a second-year driver on one of the smallest teams in the NTT IndyCar Series.

Kyle Kaiser from Juncos Racing put in a four-lap speed of 227.372 mph to just barely knock out Alonso and McLaren. There have been rumors that McLaren may buy their way into the race by paying one of the 33 teams to take their spot but as of just after qualifying, it hasn’t happened.

While there was drama on the back row of the grid, we were trying to see who would win the pole for the 103rd Indy 500. The Ed Carpenter Racing cars of Spencer Pigot, Ed Jones and Carpenter were at the top of the chart for the Fast Nine on Saturday. Pigot had the provisional pole but it would be Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud leading the field to green next Sunday.

Pagenaud won the IndyCar GP on the Indy road course last week and is looking to match what teammate Will Power did last year which is to sweep both Indy races.

About Phillip Bupp

Producer/editor of the Awful Announcing Podcast and Short and to the Point. News editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. Highlight consultant for Major League Soccer as well as a freelance writer for hire. Opinions are my own but feel free to agree with them.

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