Today marked the first day of the annual Indianapolis Motor Speedway Media Tour and I, your humble moderator, have a full notebook of things to talk about......the question? Where to start......
Quotes......
Joie Chitwood, President--Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
Brian Barnhart, IRL President of Competition: (when asked about what effect the switch to ethanol fuel will have on strategy during the 500)A lot was said about Danica two years ago, but we had 27 lead changes in the 2005 race; (until) 2006, there had never been a pass for the lead on the last lap, and we had one in the last 200 yards. I'm not sure what the 91st Indianapolis 500 has in store, but it's up to us to set the stage.
Les Mactaggart, IRL technical director: (when asked about how the switch to ethanol fuel has gone)It could present some changes on pit stop scenarios, but not on the overall number. (We're seeing) 3.1-3.3 miles on ethanol as opposed to 1.8-2.0 miles on methanol (fuel), so with the smaller fuel cells[22 as opposed to 30 gallons] it may take longer for the tire changers than for the fuelers.
~~Another five-car assault on the Brickyard. Just as in 2005, Andretti-Green Racing will be running five cars during the month of day, with drivers Danica Patrick, Marco Andretti, Dario Franchitti, Tony Kanaan and team co-owner Michael Andretti, and here are some selected quotes from him.............seamless. I don't think it could have gone any better. It was about this time last year that we seriously started looking at it as an alternative fuel source. The major burden was on Honda to run the fuel and really, it just became an adjustment rather than major changes. They had to do simple adjustments in mapping to run it the way we wanted. We've adjusted the size of the fuel tanks because we're using 30% less fuel. The other major change is we're putting a little more heat in our water so we had to look at some cooling changes. That's the sum of our changes.
(on returning to the 500 after last year's third-place finish)
(on how Danica Patrick has adjusted to being with AGR in 2007)After everything that happened last year, I had a lot of fun doing it. Five cars affected the team in a positive way. I think we're coming up with a better team this year, and I think we'll be way more competitve this year.
(on the team's penchant for practical jokes and other pranks)I think the team has changed a little because for some it's still all new. Danica's been accepted; I see Marco getting texts from her and (vice versa). They're all talking (to one another) and that's the big thing.
~~Who speaks proper English? A.J. Foyt, Jr., "SuperTex" is said to have a penchant for looking a little downward towards the English........then again, his team did hire Yorkshire native Darren Manning, who was "with his mates" back in England when he got the call from A.J. Foyt Racing's Larry Foyt to drive for his team.......when asked whether he could understand Foyt(especially A.J., jr) , Manning quipped,It's really calmed down a little bit. You'll notice one driver(Bryan Herta) is running another series(AGR's ALMS team) and that's a big part of it.
With A.J., it's all about communicating with him, even though we both speak English. Okay, I still say I speak proper English.
~~Has it sunk in yet, Sam? They say it never really sinks in that you've won "the Greatest Spectacle in Racing" until you get to see your visage on the Borg-Warner Trophy; I think it depends on the driver's perspective. Just ask Sam Hornish, Jr........
~~No regrets......For years, 4-time Indy 500 winner Rick Mears has been asked why he decided to retire early and whether he missed the Brickyard......once again, someone has asked him that question. He didn't answer the former; he did reply as to the latter........I don't know what it's like coming back to Indy after winning. There's probably a lot more questions; the last 12 months have been a whirlwind for me. Sometimes I wake up and can't believe it even true; I don't know if it has really sunk in yet. The ring came from the Speedway, as did the Baby Borg. I think the first lap of veterans' practice this year is when it'll really sink in.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss it. But then, if I missed it, would I be able to do it at the level it should be done? That answer became greater and greater as time went on, so it wasn't long. The main part for me was laying down a good lap. That was the fun part, the limit. That was my payback to the team, to pull in to the pits and see the team members smiling and Roger (Penske) smiling.