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The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a mystery in the sky.

A unidentified object flying over Denver closely caused a mid-air collision Monday evening.

As far as investigators recognise the object did not show up on radar.

Investigators believe the object, whatsoever it is, could pose a severe safety hazard to planes.

Radio transmissions from LiveATC.net affirm a nervous-sounding pilot reported a strange object at 5:17 p.m. Monday.

The pilot is heard telling air traffic control: “A remote controlled aircraft, or what? Something just went by the other way … About 20 to 30 seconds ago. It was like a huge remote-controlled aircraft.”

The corporate jet, a Cessna Citation 525 CJ1, was flying at 8,000 feet above sea level over Cherry Creek when the mystery object came close sufficient to make any pilot nervous.

“That’s an issue because now we have something in controlled airspace that poses a danger,” former NTSB Investigator and aviation analyst Greg Feith said.

Feith listened to the air traffic recordings and believes the object could be one of three things:

- A military or law enforcement drone. – A remote controlled aircraft. – A big bird.

“Was this an unmanned vehicle that was part of a heap of sort of law enforcement operation? Was this someone that had flown a big model aircraft inadvertently into the airspace? Or was it just a bird that caught the pilot’s eye so he believed it was an aircraft but could have been a very big wing span bird,” Feith said.

Any one of those things may be catastrophic if it collides with an airplane.

Three years ago, a bird strike took down a mercantile airliner that managed to land safely in the Hudson River. All the passengers survived.

FAA spokesman Mike Fergus says investigators will talk to the pilot and look at other clues.

“The threat is there from a collision standpoint. We’ll do as much as we may here to try to track back what time it was. Probably talk with galore remote-control clubs, that type of thing,” Fergus said.

The mission of investigators now is to tell apart that mystery object before another close call, or worse.

BOGOTA, Colombia –  The hunt is on for a man among 17 and 20 years old that Colombian investigators say placed a car bomb killing the two bodyguards of a former politician and injuring 39 humans in a midday attack that has raised fears of a return to the sort of violence not seen in the Colombian capital in years.

Video from various surveillance cameras in the mercantile district of Bogotá showed the man, wearing a baseball cap and a wig with glass beads, approach the armored SUV of former Interior Minister Fernando Londoño and then flee, getting on the back of a motorcycle driven by another man.

The object of the writers of the attack wasn’t just the ex-minister but the destruction of whatsoever possibleness of reconciliation.

- Gustavo Petro, Bogota Mayor

The video shown by RCN TV does not show the man in truth place the bomb, presumed to have magnets, on the door of Londoño’s vehicle. Officials said it was detonated by remote control.

A police report seen by The Associated Press says the man was bleeding from an arm when a taxi driver picked him up 10 blocks from the scene of Tuesday’s attack,

It says the man told the cabbie, “Get me out of here,” but the driver refused because of the blood. Authorities freed three composite sketches of the man on Wednesday based on witness descriptions.

The government has not ascribed blame for the bombing, even though Colombia’s main leftist rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, has committed bombings in the past.

Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzón said Wednesday that neither the FARC nor any other had been ruled out in the case. He said the United States and Britain were assisting Colombia in the investigation of the blast, including the type of bomb used.

Londoño, an archconservative 68-year-old radio host and newspaper columnist, had glass shards got rid of from his chest and was out of danger, authorities said.

It was the original fatal bombing of an apparently political nature in the capital in closely a decade. It traumatized a city that two decades earlier was ravaged by car bombs set off by drug traffickers fighting extradition to the United States.

President Juan Manuel Santos has declared a $277,000 reward for data leading to those responsible. Santos said Londoño had received death threats in the past and had when it comes to 19 bodyguards.

A stringent critic of the FARC, Londoño was interior and justice minister in 2002-2003 beneath former President Alvaro Uribe. He hosts a every day radio show called “The Hour of Truth” and with resolute determination opposes peace talks with the FARC, calling the rebels terrorists and murderers.

He has also been critical of Santos for allegedly being soft on the rebels, who have stepped up attacks in recent months.

Analyst León Valencia of the Nuevo Arco Iris think tank said the FARC was competent of Tuesday’s attack, but said groups from the uttermost right opposed to peace talks proposed by the FARC ought to not be ruled out.

“The object of the writers of the attack wasn’t just the ex-minister but the destruction of whatsoever possibleness of reconciliation,” Bogotá Mayor Gustavo Petro tweeted on Wednesday.

Leftist congressman and humane rights activist Iván Cepeda said he dire the attack could trigger other acts of violence, including targeting the left.

“I see a clear intent to destabilize,” Cepeda said, blaming “sectors who don’t want peace.”

The FARC last month freed what it said were it is last “political prisoners,” 10 police officers and soldiers held for as some as 14 years. But it proceeds to inflict casualties on security forces in ambushes and hit-and-run attacks and authorities blamed it for two bombings in February in provincial towns that claimed the lives of 16 people.

The FARC presently holds a French journalist who was accompanying security forces on a drug lab-destroying mission when rebels detained him two weeks ago. The FARC said on Sunday that it intends to free him soon.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

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The 2013 Escape will offer only four-cylinder engines. Can such engines actually match customers’ power expectations? Yes.

By Dan Carney, msnbc.com contributor

We’ve seen this movie before: Stagnant economy. Soaring gas prices. Government-mandated increments in fuel economy that doom the huge vehicles Americans prefer.

In the 1970s, automakers responded to those conditions with that they called “downsizing.” Cars became cheaply made, cramped and slow. For numerous reason, buyers weren’t thrilled with these new models. The quick-and-dirty solution was to bolt a turbocharger onto their wheezing, underperforming four-cylinder engines with the promise of hot performance and good fuel economy.  Sailors have made more authenti promises to girls in alien ports.

The technology was immature and the result was unreliable: short-lived engines with poor dynamic driving qualities. Ford was one of the culprits, with turbocharged four-cylinder engines offered in models like the Mustang and Thunderbird, which were traditionally powered by V8s.

But that was a long time ago.  In response to costly gas and more stringent federal fuel economy standards, Ford is rolling out a family of littler turbocharged engines to replace bigger, thirstier ones.  And this time, Ford got it right.

While the V6 engine option was usual in the outgoing Escape compact SUV, the 2013 Escape will offer only four-cylinder engines.  Can such engines actually match customers’ power expectations? Yes they can. Especially when they are the turbocharged EcoBoost engines that Ford offers as an upgrade from the base engine.

The base engine is an update of 168-horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder seen in the outgoing model and it is a good one for budget-conscious drivers, with 22 mpg city and 31 mpg highway.  But things commence to get more interesting with the next step in the lineup, with a 178-hp turbocharger EcoBoost 1.6-liter four-cylinder.

That’s an fantastically little engine to suppose to move a 3,500-plus pound SUV, but thanks to innovative turbocharger technology it makes both the peak power and the low-speed torque to move the Escape with good hustle.  It has marginally better horsepower, torque and fuel economy than the base engine, a combining that makes it an likeable upgrade.  The EcoBoost 1.6 offers the greatest or most complete or best possible fuel economy amongst the Escape’s engines, with 23 mpg city and 33 mpg highway.

A lot of buyers liked their V6 engines, though. What are they to do? The 240-hp 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder is the answer for them. Ford did extra homework on this engine, giving drivers more power than the old model’s V6 with fuel economy closely equivalent to that of the base engine, at 23 mpg city and 30 mpg highway.

But just as importantly, Ford engineers sweated the elaborated necessitated to make the EcoBoost 2.0 smooth and quiet sufficient to serve as a rightful substitute for a V6. This is the area where carmakers will see the most resistance from customers, because V6 and V8 engines are smooth and quiet, with a refined exhaust note.  Four-cylinders are inherent raucous, challenging engineers to find ways to tame their obnoxious nature if upmarket clients are to receive them.

Ford has achieved that with the 2.0 EcoBoost.  The 1.6 EcoBoost targets a client with a sportier mindset who might want to listen the engine a little bit, so it is louder, but the 2.0-liter is exhaustively muffled.

That quietness is indicatory of the 2013 Escape’s overall refinement. Like the Ford Focus compact car on which it is based, the Escape is a notch above it is competitors, supplying a rich sentiment driving experience. Unlike the Focus, the Escape enjoys a proper automatic transmission, with six gears and slick shifts, so the Escape won’t chase away potential buyers with an irritating, rough-driving automated manual transmission posing as an automatic.

The Escape’s cabin is opulently detailed, and even the entry-level models have pleasant soft-touch surfaces. The thick-rimmed steering wheel connects to splendid steering that provides superb feedback. The Mazda CX-5 is the Escape’s only equivalent dynamically, and the Escape has less road and wind noise inside for a more placid passenger space.

Like other new Fords, the Escape boasts an bettered version of the annoying-to-use Sync voice command scheme and MyFord Touch touch-screen infotainment systems. The latest iteration is less of a pain in the, er, neck to use but still falls short of the simplicity and comfortableness of in the right manner designed knobs and switches. At this point MyFord Touch remains an exercise in engineering for technology’s sake, so we look forward to the next upgrade. We’d still opt for the conventional radio and climate controls.

But here’s a tiny electronic detail they got right: the turn signal. Seems simple enough, but in recent years Ford and other carmakers have decisive that it would be better for the control stalk to return to center, even when you’ve activated the turn signal. For the Escape they’ve gone back to having the stalk stay in the raised or lowered position if the turn signal is on, letting you recognise it is still on and making turning it off simple. When the stalk is already in the middle, how do you cancel a turn signal?

Other electronic gimmicks: a tailgate that opens and closes remotely by kicking your foot beneath the rear in the manner of an old straight-ahead field goal kicker (props to Redskins kicker Mark Mosley, 1982 NFL MVP, the last straight-ahead kicker and the only kicker ever named MVP!).  And electronic grille shutters that block airflow to the radiator at highway speeds to trim aerodynamic drag and boost fuel economy.

The “U” in SUV does stand for “Utility” and Ford added that in the Escape by stretching the vehicle’s wheelbase and adding most of that newfound space to the rear seat for more passenger legroom. The cargo area is also more spectacular for that ubiquitous “stuff” persons quote when explaining their need for an SUV rather than a sedan.

The Escape marks our third successive compact SUV review, as this hotly contested segment turns over this year. That’s because compact SUVs are second only to sedans in popularity, and the two groups account for 60 percent of new car sales.

With impressive inventions like EcoBoost providing an magnificent combining of power and frugality, it is easy to see why these vehicles are attracting a huge following.

2013 Ford Escape

• Base price: $23,295 (including $825 delivery)
• Price as tested: $26,875 (including $825 delivery)
• EPA fuel economy: 23 city, 33 highway
• Pros: Slippery styling, zippy handling, bank-vault solidity
• Cons: MyFord Touch infotainment hassles, and, um, that’s regarding it
• Verdict: The best compact SUV in the mainstream segment, with the handling of the Mazda CX-5 and the quietness of premium-segment models.
• Standard equipment: 2.5-liter 168-hp four-cylinder engine, six-speed automatic transmission, power steering, AM/FM/CD six-speaker stereo, battery saver feature
• Major options: 1.6-liter 178-hp EcoBoost engine, Sync voice control, Sirius satellite radio, fog lamps, SecuriCode keyless entry
• Safety equipment: electronic stability control , antilock brakes, brake assist, dual-stage front airbags, side airbags, driver’s knee airbag, tire pressure monitoring

The Nintendo DS is finding all sorts of uses outside of gaming, from school use to museum touring. And now the handheld may fill a new role in Toyota vehicles. In Japan, Toyota has started out providing a game card called Kuruma de DS, which allows DS owners to pair their handheld with their Toyota Smart Navi car navigation system so that the DS may be used like a remote control by passengers.

The Kuruma de DS game card is Bluetooth-enabled for connecting to the Smart Navi system and offers an interface with Nintendo Mii characters. With the game card, passengers may use the Nintendo DS handheld to enter destinations and save places to the DS. It also shows maps and sightseeing info directly on the handheld.

Although the scheme may seem a bit kiddy, there’s not one thing kid when it comes to when it comes to the price. Just the Smart Navi car navigation system itself costs ¥206,850 (US$2,586). The Kuruma de DS must purchased separately from Toyota for ¥7,329 ($92). And then of course you would still need to buy the Nintendo DS if you don’t already have one.

Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) in the state proceed to live up to their reputation of causing inconvenience to the mutual man.

With the contractor who furnishes smart cards for registration certificates (RCs) and driving licences (DLs) delaying the supply, motorists have been made to wait longer than usual to get their work done. In Bangalore, they have been forced to wait for as much as 45 days to get their DL or RC.In Bangalore city alone, RTOs receive regarding 1,200 apps for

DL each day. More than 10,000 vehicles get registered each month.

The transport division had awarded the contract to procedure DL and RC smart cards to a private company, Rosemerat

Technologies Limited. The company is reportedly sourcing smart cards—which incorporate microprocessor chips—from a supplier. As the RTOs have not been receiving the smart cards on time, the deliverance of DLs and RCs is taking more time than it should.

Requests for thousands of DLs and RCs are pending in most of the RTOs in the city.

A territorial transport officer, requesting anonymity, said requests for 1,500 RCs were pending in his RTO itself. He said they had been facing the problem of a delay in the supply of smart cards for four months. The officer said he had already written a few letters to the transport commissioner to direct the contractor to supply the smart cards on time.

The officer said that RTOs did not have the authority to question the contractor with regards to any problem, be it the delay in supply or snags at their kiosks in the RTO.

He said only officials of the rank of joint commissioner and commissioner could seek a reply from the contractor. He said altho there was a provision to impose a penalty on the contractor, it was the transport commissioner who could take a call on that.

ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) — The former comptroller of a little northern Illinois city pleaded not guilty Monday to charges alleging she stole more than $53 million of the public’s cash to fund a lavish lifestyle and invent one of the nation’s foremost horse-breeding operations.

Rita Crundwell and her attorney, Paul Gaziano, refused to comment after leaving the federal courthouse in Rockford, where she pleaded not guilty to a single count of wire fraud. Ms. Crundwell, who is free on a recognizance bond, could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Prosecutors allege that, beginning in 1990, the 58-year-old Ms. Crundwell stole more than $53 million from Dixon, where she had overseen public finances as the city comptroller since the 1980s, by diverting it to an account she had set up for personal use and misleading city officials.

Authorities say Ms. Crundwell purchased lavishness homes and vehicles and expended millions on her horse-breeding operation, RC Quarter Horses LLC, which formulated 52 world champions in exhibitions run by the American Quarter Horse Association.

Prosecutors say her system unraveled only when a co-worker filling in for Ms. Crundwell while she was on an extended vacation stumbled upon the mystery bank account.

Her arrest stunned tiny Dixon, a little city along a picturesque vein of the Mississippi River when it comes to a two-hour drive west of Chicago in Illinois farm country. Its 16,000 persons are largely lower middle class, working at factories, grain farms, the local prison and a hospital, amongst other places.

Prosecutors also have filed a lawsuit seeking 311 registered quarter horses and dozens of foals that are expected to be born this spring. Prosecutors said while announcing the lawsuit that they plan to have the horses sold and to give the proceeds to Dixon, where the late President Ronald Reagan lived as a boy.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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A recent Fox News article took a look at new engineering being produced in China by the car manufacturer BYD known as remote-control driving. The technology allows drivers to use a remote control system to begin their vehicle, move it backward or forward, turn it right or left and to travel at a restricted speed.

The car manufacturer notes that the feature is a solution for permitting drivers to get their car out of a parking spot that isn’t wide sufficient for the driver to exit once parked. The company likewise sells the feature on it is capacity to concede driver and passengers to be picked up curbside without encountering the elements. Unfortunately, remote control driving sounds like a recipe for disaster in terms of car accidents.

The article notes that the engineering is not the like of what you would find in United States, due largely to fear of product liability lawsuits. Still there is no doubt that the idea is innovative, even if dangerous.

What is interesting regarding the article is it is expression of nostalgia for times when car manufacturers didn’t include the latest electronic engineering for the preventative action and minimization of car accidents. Never mind the fact that such engineering has the goal of saving lives and preventing life-altering injuries.

Obviously smart engineering can not prevent all accidents, but it is somewhat absurd to pine for a time when accidents were more likely and vehicles involved in them were more likely to cause injury and death to their passengers. Such accidents are a severe matter, both for those responsible and for the victims. We need engineering on the side of making automobiles safer for both irresponsible drivers and accident victims.

Source: Fox News, “Chinese automaker builds a remote controlled car,” Kurt Ernst, April 20, 2012

Almost three weeks before he was scheduled to appear in court on charges involving possession of a controlled substance, 44-year-old Carlos Salgado of unincorporated Des Plaines passed from physical life of a single gunshot wound following a confrontation with local police.

Salgado, who local police say had an broad criminal background and has had contact with Des Plaines police in the past, passed from physical life at regarding 3:15 p.m. Sunday in a parking lot next to a car in the 1900 block of Touhy Avenue in front of a little restaurant that was closed at the time. The gunshot that authorities believe resulted in his death was to Salgado’s armpit. The shooting has been ruled a homicide by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office. For a while after the shooting a makeshift covering shielded Salgado’s body from public view.

A police official confirmed yesterday (Tuesday) that more than one gunshot was fired, however, it is not known who fired the shots other than one by one of the two officers on the scene. On Monday, a Des Plaines police investigator said that Salgado allegedly tried to run down the officers with his car.

On Monday, attorney Greg Kulis, representing Tracie Salgado, Carlos Salgado’s wife, filed a lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court asking for “fair and reasonable compensation” as well as info regarding how her husband died.

Kulis said he took action to subpoena Des Plaines police records, including squad car and nearby businesses videos, radio communications, detectives’ notes and the names of the officer or officers who fired shots. As of late yesterday afternoon, Kulis said he has not been given a copy of the official police report of the incident. He added that he has heard a lot of rumors including that Mr. Salgado tried to run over police with his car.

“I’d be very amazed if her husband (his client) tried to run someone over,” Kulis said. Kulis also said that Salgado was returning home after eating a meal of spaghetti with a friend.

The Illinois State Police Public Integrity Task Force was called in shortly after the shooting to conduct an investigation—a routine occurrence when a police officer has discharged his firearm. Part of the investigation includes interviewing the two officers and any witnesses.

“There were independent witnesses,” the Journal & Topics was told yesterday by a high-ranking Des Plaines police officer. The scene where Salgado passed away is on the north side of Touhy west of Cedar Drive not far from a 7-11 commodious store. The two officers suffered minor injuries and were taken to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge where they were treated and released. They have been placed on salaried administrative leave pending state police and local investigations. Acting Police Chief Mike Kozak said the two patrolmen will have to visit with a psychological doctor before returning to active duty—a division requirement.

Authorities have freed few details of the incident explaining that before they do so, the interviewing of witnesses and the responding officers ought to be conducted. Kozak said a public statement could come as early as today (Wednesday).

Reports indicate that Salgado was ordered to pull over into the parking lot by one of the officers for an alleged traffic violation. At that point, the patrolman called for backup and a short time later a second officer arrived on the scene.

A check of Cook County court records shows that Salgado has a criminal history dating back to the late 1980s. While a lot of of the charges filed versus him were dropped, there was an incident in 2000 in which he used a vehicle as a weapon, said a spokesman for Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court. In that same incident, Salgado was charged with two felony counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and two felony counts of possession of a weapon. He was sentenced to six months in jail but freed after 72 days.

Salgado is the father of five children. Police listed his address as 410 W. Touhy Ave., Des Plaines.

Ed Carpenter is the third driver to crash for the duration of Saturday's qualifications at the Indianapolis 500. The American was driving through the second turn when the car spun and slammed hard into the outside wall. He appeared to be all right. Earlier in the day, rookie Bryan Clauson and Oriol Servia were both freed from the infield medical center and cleared to drive after crashing. Clauson's car bobbled as he drove through the primary turn on the fourth and final lap of his qualifying attempt. The team hopes to repair the firstborn car so Clauson may make another qualification try Sunday. Servia, a Spanish driver, later spun coming out of the fourth turn, hit the inside wall and ran into the attenuator at the entrance to pit road.Rookie Bryan Clauson has been taken to the infield medical center after crashing for the duration of qualifications for the Indianapolis 500. It's the initial crash this week on Indy's 2.5-mile oval. Clauson finished the primary three laps of his four-lap run and was just starting the final lap when his car bobbled going into the initial turn. As Clauson maneuvered, the car spun into the outside wall and slid down to the inside of the track. Team proprietor Sarah Fisher says Clauson is OK. The No. 39 car picked up Angie's List as a essential sponsor on Friday. The crash could put the traditionalisti 33-car starting grid in jeopardy because Fisher's team does not list a backup car for Clauson. Will Power is the early leader for the pole at 225.399 mph.Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves has put himself back in contention for Indy's fifth pole. The Brazilian topped Saturday morning's speed charts with a fast lap of 227.774 mph. It was the best speed this week. Ana Beatriz, another Brazilian, was second in the final exercise session before qualifying begins. She went 226.187, a mark that continued to show any of the five Andretti Autosport drivers could be in the mix for the pole. Castroneves' teammate, Ryan Briscoe, was third at 226.027. Three drivers did not make it onto the track — Americans Marco Andretti and Ryan Hunter-Reay, who are both rated in this week's top five, and France's Jean Alesi, who says he feels “unsafe” in a far slower car powered by the engaged in a struggle Lotus engines.

It's Pole Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We'll learn Saturday who gets to take home $100,000 for being the most immediate driver to lap the track four times.

Marco Andretti is the driver to beat. He topped the timesheets on Fast Friday with a lap of 39.5535 seconds (227.540 mph) – that's the quickest lap any driver has turned so far this month. Andretti believes he has a car competent of winning the 96th Indy 500, but winning the pole would go a long way to making that goal a reality.

It was the second time this month that Andretti's No. 26 Team RC Cola car was quickest in practice. He topped the speed chart on May 16 on the 2.5-mile oval (40.2367 seconds; 223.676 mph).

Fast Friday wrap-up

Thirty-two drivers recorded 1,206 laps without incident in a precursor to Pole Day time tryouts May 19 (11 a.m.-6 p.m.). All drivers were aided by a bump in the turbocharger boost of 10 kPa—which equals in regards to 40 horsepower and 4-5 mph per lap—that will be employed in qualifications.

Ryan Briscoe, driving the No. 2 IZOD Team Penske car, was second quick (39.6764 seconds; 226.835 mph) and teammate Helio Castroneves was third (39.6973; 226.716) in the No. 3 Shell V-Power/Pennzoil Ultra Team Penske car.

Three of Andretti's four Andretti Autosport teammates, all using Chevrolet power, wound up in the top 10 on a warm and cloudless day. Ryan Hunter-Reay (226.400) was fourth, James Hinchcliffe (225.974) was sixth and Ana Beatriz (225.653) was seventh. Scott Dixon, driving the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car, was the top Honda driver in fifth (226.224). Teammate Dario Franchitti, a two-time race winner, was 10th.

The original 24 car/driver combinings will be set on Pole Day, with the remainder of the 33 spots being filled on Bump Day, May 20.

DAY 7 NOTEBOOK:

Turbocharger boost levels will increase for “Fast Friday” and the two days of qualifications for the Indianapolis 500.

The usual boost level of 130 kPa (kilopascals) for superspeedways will be upped to 140 kPa for the exercise today, Pole Day on Saturday, May 19 and Bump Day on Sunday, May 20. The increase will result in the addition of 40-50 horsepower.

The boost level is 130 kPa for all other exercise days and Race Day, Sunday, May 27.

INDYCAR set boost levels for the Borg-Warner single and twin turbochargers employed by Chevrolet, Honda and Lotus before the season based on testing. It also will be 130 kPa for the superspeedways of Auto Club Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway. The boost level for the short ovals of the Milwaukee Mile and Iowa Speedway is 140 kpa, while it's 155 kpa for road and street circuits.

Indianapolis 500 qualifying procedures:

Order – A blind draw is conducted before each qualification day.

Warm-up laps – Each car is permitted two warm-up laps before the timed qualification laps. IZOD IndyCar Series officials may permit three warm-up laps if they deem it necessary.

Green-flag laps – A qualification try comprises of four timed laps. The aggregate time is recorded as the official qualifying time for the car.

POLE DAY:

Qualifying is broken down into two segments, progressively narrowing the field to determine the pole winner.

Segment One – Held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., to determine positions 1-24 in the field based on the quickest four-lap averages. Once all 24 positions have been filled, bumping will take place until 4 p.m. Each car has up to three qualifying attempts. The top nine qualifiers advance to Segment Two.

Segment Two – Held from 4:30 to 6 p.m., the top nine cars will run in reverse order based on Segment One speeds. All cars are required to make at least one undertake in Segment Two. Cars making further and added attempts will receive an further and added set of tires. At the end of the session, the cars are ranked 1-9 based on their four-lap intermediate for the duration of the segment.

BUMP DAY:

Positions 25-33 will be determined based on the day's quickest four-lap average. Once starting field is set, any qualifying undertake that is more immediate than a qualified entrant in the starting field will bump the slowest qualifier, irrespective of the day of qualification. The “bumping” entrant is placed at the rear of the field while the “bumped” entrant is got rid of from the field, but has the chance to bump it is way back into the starting field as time allows. Each car is permitted three attempts.

Mandel to announce

Howie Mandel, judge on “America's Got Talent,” the top-rated summer reality contest series on NBC, will serve as honorary announcer for the 96th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on Sunday, May 27.

On Race Day, Mandel will give the widely known and esteemed command, “All cars to the grid!” to start out the countdown to the green flag. His signature humor will put a distinctive spun on a time-honored tradition executed for decades by the legendary “voice of the Speedway,” Tom Carnegie.

“I'm very honored to be chosen to call the cars to the grid at this year's Indy 500 … for the 10th time, this being the original time I've actually gotten to do it on site,” Mandel said. “The fans, teams and drivers will be waiting for me to give the command. It'll be an experience of a lifetime that I'll never forget.”

Said Jeff Belskus, president and CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation: “This year is the start out of the next 100 years for the most crucial race in motorsports. We're entering this new era with a reinvigorated sport that is intention on evolving with the times. Howie Mandel will fetch a distinctive amusement value to the race that elevates it is profile in a non-traditional arena before potential new fans.”

2012 Indianapolis 500 tickets: Tickets are on sale for the 96th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on Sunday, May 27, 2012 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Race Day ticket prices commence at just $30. Fans may buy tickets online at imstix.com, by calling the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700, or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area, or by visiting the ticket office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street amidst 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday-Friday.

Children 12 and under will receive free frequent admittance to any IMS event in 2012 when accompanied by an adult frequent admittance ticket holder.