INDIANAPOLIS - Although his eagerly anticipated home grand prix lasted all of about 10 seconds Sunday, Scott Speed tried to put the best possible face on what happened Sunday.
"I was just a victim of circumstance," Speed said after being eliminated from the United States Grand Prix in a second-turn pileup at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
"Of course you always want to finish one in front of your home crowd. It's disappointing, but that's racing. I didn't make any mistakes, so for that, I'm OK." 
Speed was the first American to make a U.S. Grand Prix start since Eddie Cheever in 1989. His Toro Rosso machine was caught up in the chain reaction triggered when Juan Pablo Montoya tagged teammate Kimi Raikkonen. The eight-car crash led to the formation of an extremely expensive impromptu junkyard as cars were fished from the gravel trap.
Follow up:
Worst of it: Sauber driver Nick Heidfeld barrel-rolled through the trap after being hit from behind and climbing the wheel of Jenson Button's Honda, but he was able to walk away.
"Actually, impact-wise it was very small, because I was simply flying through the air," Heidfeld said. "It was the first somersault, or however you call it, I had. But I am fine."
No luck: With Speed and Montoya, the 2000 Indianapolis 500 winner, out early, 1995 Indy winner Jacques Villeneuve became the best hope for Indianapolis fans, but he went out with an engine failure in his Sauber on the 24th lap.
Where the rubber meets the road: Although Michelin didn't have the sort of trouble it did last year, when it pulled its 14 teams from the U.S. Grand Prix because of safety concerns, the French giant's tires were at clear disadvantage to Bridgestone.
Winner Michael Schumacher had essentially the same engine, aerodynamic and suspension package on his Ferrari as he had a week earlier in Canada. His pace was similar to the Renaults' there but a full second per lap quicker at Indy.
That allowed Schumacher to end the four-race winning streak of Renault's Fernando Alonso, who finished fifth, and trim six points from his lead to 88-69 through 10 of 18 races.
"Bridgestone did a better job probably this race," Alonso said. "But in 10 races, I think nine races Michelin did better job and one Bridgestone. So hopefully we will continue to win this average."
Trulli remarkable: Toyota's Jarno Trulli, who was unable to race from the pole last year because of the Michelin problem, made up for it with a fourth-place finish, his best of the year. Trulli started from pit lane after a late suspension adjustment and completed the race on one stop.
"I couldn't have gotten third, but I'm the kind of person that always thinks they can do better,"
Trulli said.
Reason to celebrate: Speed's teammate, Tonio Liuzzi, finished eighth to give Toro Rosso its first point. The result caused a water fight to break out in the team's pit, and Liuzzi's crew danced and tossed him in the air.
"Now we have to look forward," Liuzzi said, "because we are on fire at the moment."
Looking ahead: Assuming Indianapolis Motor Speedway CEO Tony George and Formula One promoter Bernie Ecclestone reach an agreement on further U.S. Grand Prix races, watch for the race to return to a late-June date.
Faces in the crowd: Four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon brought a small entourage from Daytona Beach, Fla., after racing Saturday night and was joined by teammates Jimmie Johnson and Brian Vickers and 2004 champion Kurt Busch. Team owner Ray Evernham and his rookie driver, Erin Crocker, flew in from Kansas City, site of the Craftsman Truck Series race Saturday.
Working together: Before the race, Evernham and representatives of DaimlerChrysler, Team McLaren and Mercedes-Benz announced a technical partnership between Evernham's Dodge team and the McLaren Mercedes F1 team.
Tough choice: George reconsidered plans to split his time between the U.S. Grand Prix and the Indy Racing League event in Kansas City, opting to stay in Indy and miss an IRL race for the first time in the series' 10 1/2-year history. George waved the checkered flag and presented the winner's trophy.
Support winners: Englishman Richard Westbrook completed a sweep of Porsche Michelin Supercup races, and Stefano Coletti won the second half of the Formula BMW USA doubleheader over Saturday winner Robert Wickens.
Source: Mercury News
