Here are some news and notes from this week's 2008 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Media Tour.......................
~~George pleased with momentum entering the month of May..............
Indianapolis Motor Speedway CEO Tony George gave an overview of the past few months and a look ahead during a Q & A session at the Brickyard Tuesday, saying in part,
"The Greatest Spectacle in Racing", the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500, is set for May 25th; Opening Day at the Brickyard is scheduled for May 4th.The first couple of weeks (after the IndyCar and Champ Car merger), there was an anxious feeling among the Champ Car teams having to prepare for the season with new equipment, new people, new faces and on-track and off-track activities. When we actually got equipment in the hands of the teams, things started to settle down. We had a great race last weekend at St. Petersburg (with) great crowds, lots of energy, great fields and a lot of unification interest among sponsors. It's setting up for an exciting month of May.
~~"Back Home Again in Indiana"................
After missing last year's "Greatest Spectacle" due to health concerns, IMS officials were extremely pleased to announce that actor Jim Nabors will be returning to the Speedway to sing "Back Home Again in Indiana"
~~Rarin' to go.........................
Say what you want about Roth Racing, but the 2-car Canadian-based IndyCar team says they are ready for the month of May; following in the footsteps of fellow Canadian drivers such as Cliff Hucul, Ludwig Heimrath, Jacques Villeneuve and Paul Tracy, Toronto's Marty Roth says he's ready......
Adding to the atmosphere was 2006 Indy Pro Series champion Jay Howard, who will be making his first 500 start next month.........Everyone thinks we always bring a knife to the gunfight.....this year, we are bringing guns to the gunfight. We've got four cars, two for myself and two for Jay. We're ready.
~~No changes in Firestone Firehawks for 2008's 500........Unlike the past couple of years, when Firestone, tire supplier for the IndyCar Series and Indy Lights Series, brought different tire compounds to the 500, Bridgestone Motorsports Executive Director Al Speyer says there's no changes for this year's 500......I'm still learning. Like Marty says, we have the ability to go fast. The way you drive the Indycar is pretty similar (to the Lights car); everything just happens a lot faster.
~~The Down Under Invasion...................There will be two different stagger options (for teams) but only one compound setup. In 2006, we weren't too happy with the compounds, so we brought a different one in 2007, which we'll be bringing back this year.
Prior to Ryan Briscoe's first 500 run in 2005, the last Aussie to run in "the Greatest Spectacle in Racing" was Geoff Brabham back in 1993. This year, Briscoe, driving for the Captain, Roger Penske, will be joined by fellow Aussie Will Power, driving for the new KV Racing Technology team. Here's what Briscoe had to say Tuesday.....
The interest has been increasing in Australia and with (both) the growth of the series and two Australians in the field, it should get bigger and bigger. My showing last year (fifth) helps with that. It's always special coming here (to Indy). The more I learn about it, the more special it becomes. And coming here with Team Penske is as special as it comes.
