It was a long day of waiting for the Conquest Racing team but when the gun went off signaling the end of qualifying for the 2008 Indianapolis 500, Conquest rookie drivers Enrique Bernoldi and Jaime Camara were now officially part of the 92nd running of the Indy 500 lining up 29th and 30th in the 33 car field.
 
Sitting in the 29th and 30th positions heading into Bump Day – which bumps the slowest qualifier out of the field - the Brazilian pair watched attentively as a couple of drivers made early successful attempts to bump their way into the field. The pair remained safe and off the bubble as the qualifying speeds were slower than what the Conquest drivers had achieved the previous day.
 
Things heated up in the final half hour after lap times decreased during practice. Camara decided to be ready just in case he were to “be on the on the bubble” and hopped aboard his Dallara for the final 15 minutes of the session watching and waiting. But as the minutes ticked away his position became more comfortable and Camara, as well as teammate Bernoldi, became part of the 2008 Indy 500 starting field.
 
This will mark the second time that Conquest Racing starts the Indy 500, after a successful attempt in 2002, but the first time that they will be in the field with a two car team.
 
The Conquest Racing team started working on their race trim during practice today and will continue Friday during the final practice session that takes place Friday from 11 a.m. to noon.
 
CONQUEST QUOTE BOARD
 
ENRIQUE BERNOLDI (#36 Sangari Dallara/Honda/Firestone)
“It’s nice to finally be in the race, we have been working the last couple of weeks toward that and now we can turn our focus toward the race. Tonight I will sleep a bit better than what I was. That is for sure! The waiting is over and now we can think of the race. (How stressful was today?) I wasn’t too stressed today, I was confident that if there were cars that went faster than me I would be able to go back and bump myself back in but we were never in danger. I’m just really excited to be part of the Indy 500 field.
 
30th - JAIME CAMARA (#34 Sangari Dallara/Honda/Firestone)
“It was a tough day, very stressful for everyone. The position was comfortable but at the end the guys showed some speed but with a tow and we wanted to be ready to go out in case and I waited in the car for the last 15 minutes to be sure, but it was fine. The whole day was really stressful. I’m mentally tired from the whole day. But we made it, we’re in and now we are going to focus on the race. During the last practice on Carb Day we really have to do a good job and be prepared for the race now.”
 
Eric Bachelart, Team Owner
“We have had two long weeks and we started on a wrong note with Jaime’s accident on his second day on the track. However, the whole team has worked really hard and we have improved daily. We have gone through some drama and lots of emotions but this is what the Indy 500 is all about and what makes it so special. This team has lots of talent but not that much experience on ovals so I think we can be very pleased with what we have done so far and we are all looking forward to a great race.”