Franchitti has lead after 50 laps at Indianapolis 500

Dario Franchitti led the Indianapolis 500 after 50 laps Sunday in the 200-lap race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Pole-sitter Helio Castroneves, attempting to become only the fourth driver to win four Indy 500s, was second behind Franchitti, who won the historic race in 2007.

Raphael Matos was third, and Ryan Briscoe, Castroneves' teammate at Team Penske, was fourth.

Danica Patrick continued to struggle. After starting 23rd, she was 19th and running at speeds much slower than the leaders.

But Tony Kanaan, her teammate at the team of Andretti Autosport, moved up quickly to 12th after starting next to last in 32nd.

With the 33-car field lined up in 11 rows of three cars each, the start of the Indy 500 is always a hair-raising moment. The start Sunday went smoothly as the cars moved into the first turn after getting the green flag from actor Jack Nicholson, the honorary starter.

But then Davey Hamilton spun and smacked the inside wall, bringing out the yellow flag. A few laps later, Bruno Junqueira also lost control and hit the outside wall. Neither driver was injured.

Nicholson clearly enjoyed his day in the speedway's flag stand overlooking the start-finish line.

The honorary starter typically waves the green flag only at the beginning and then departs. But with the two early spin-outs triggering caution periods, the 73-year-old Nicholson -- wearing a Lakers cap, of course -- stayed put so he could again wave the green flag each time the field restarted.

Stay tuned to latimes.com/sports for more updates on the race.

-- Jim Peltz in Indianapolis

Photos: Top, actor Jack Nicholson waves the green flag to start the Indianapolis 500. Credit: Darron Cummings / Associated Press. Bottom, Helio Castroneves leads the field down the front straightaway at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Credit: Mike Groll / Associated Press

Indy 500 preview: Can Helio Castroneves win No. 4?

As an estimated 200,000-plus filed into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway under sunny skies Sunday, the overriding question was whether Helio Castroneves could win his fourth Indianapolis 500.

If so, Castroneves would join only three other drivers -- A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser -- who have won the historic race a record four times. And Castroneves is on the pole for this year's race, which will start when actor Jack Nicholson waves the green flag as the honorary starter.

Other favorites in the race include former Indy 500 winners Dario Franchitti and his teammate Scott Dixon, starting third and sixth, respectively.

Other drivers to watch included Danica Patrick, who will be under pressure to move up early in the 200-lap race because she's starting a distant 23rd. There are three other women in the race as well: Ana Beatriz, Simona De Silvestro and Sarah Fisher.

Also keep an eye on Tony Kanaan, a teammate of Patrick's who is starting next to last, in 32nd place. He too is expected to try to pass a lot of cars in the early going.

Stay tuned to latimes.com/sports for updates during the race.

-- Jim Peltz in Indianapolis

Photo: Racing legend Mario Andretti, left, and actor Jack Nicholson at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, where Nicholson was to wave the green flag for the Indianapolis 500. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas / US Presswire

Dario Franchitti fastest in final Indy 500 practice

Dario Franchitti turned the fastest lap in the final practice Friday for the Indianapolis 500 while Danica Patrick continued to struggle to find sufficient speed.

Franchitti, who won the race in 2007 when it was shortened by rain, posted a lap of 225.574 mph on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway on so-called "Carb Day," a throwback term to the days when teams would make final tweaks to the cars' engine carburetors before the race.

Scott Dixon, the 2008 Indy 500 winner and Franchitti's teammate at Target Chip Ganassi Racing, ran the second-fastest lap at 225.159 mph, and both drivers were the only ones to top 225 mph in the one-hour practice on a clear day with temperatures in the mid-80s.

Pole-sitter Helio Castroneves, who is trying to become only the fourth driver to win the Indy 500 four times, was fifth-fastest in practice.

But Patrick languished in 21st in her Andretti Autosport car with a lap of 222.306 mph, more than 3 mph slower than Franchitti. Patrick, the most popular driver in the Izod IndyCar Series, qualified 23rd for Sunday's race.

-- Jim Peltz in Indianapolis

Photo: Driver Dario Franchitti before leading the final practice Friday for the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Credit: AJ Mast / Associated Press

Jack Nicholson to wave green flag at Indianapolis 500

Even if the Lakers-Suns series goes seven games, the teams have Sunday off -- enough of a break for Jack Nicholson  to wave the green flag at this year's Indianapolis 500.

The 73-year-old actor and die-hard Lakers fan on Wednesday was named the honorary starter of the legendary race, which typically draws more than 200,000 spectators at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race starts at 10 a.m. PDT on Sunday.

"We look forward to welcoming him to Indianapolis and watching him wave the green flag," track president Jeff Belskus said in a statement.

Defending winner Helio Castroneves won the pole position for this year's race and will lead the 33-car field past Nicholson to start the 200-lap event.

--Jim Peltz

Photo:Actor Jack Nicholson during a Lakers playoff game with the Oklahoma City Thunder at Staples Center on April 20. Credit: Noel Vasquez / Getty Images