INDIANAPOLIS — Canada's Jacques Villeneuve, a former Formula One and IndyCar champion, and Kurt Busch, a US stock car racer trying for a rare oval double, passed Indianapolis 500 orientation programs Monday. Villeneuve will attempt a comeback at age 42 while Busch, 35, is trying to become only the fourth racer to complete the Indianapolis 500 and a 600-mile stock car event in Charlotte, North Carolina, on the same day. They were joined by IndyCar rookies Mikhail Aleshin of Russia, Carlos Huertas of Colombia and England's Martin Plowman and Jack Hawksworth in completing the three-phase orientation program. The only starter who failed to complete the required demonstration of control at speeds progressing from 200 to more than 210 mph was US teen Sage Karam, who was foiled by mechanical issues. He can resume the process Sunday when the famed 2.5-mile (4km) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval reopens for practice ahead of the May 17-18 qualifying for the May 25 race. “For me, it was massively important to get in the car and dust off the cobwebs and get my feet on the floor,” said Plowman, a former IndyCar Series and endurance race driver. “It has been more than three years since I've driven a car in anger on an oval. Even though I've driven pace cars and two-seaters on ovals, it's not the same. It was nice to remember all the experiences I had and get a solid confident base in the car.” Busch, coming off a crash in a stock care race the day before, completed 180 laps and reached the top speed of the session at 222.289 mph. He also practiced pit stops. Only John Andretti, Robby Gordon and Tony Stewart have raced in the same double he's attempting, with Stewart in 2001 the first to complete all 1,100 miles. Aleshin, who was second in laps at 105 and speed at 219.170 mph, will make his oval debut at the 98th Indy 500 if he qualifies. “It was actually harder for me to go slower because you had to lift and I don't like to lift,” said Aleshin. “This will be the first oval race in my career and how awesome is it that it will be the Indy 500?” — AP
