Indianapolis

May 15, 2006

Indianapolis



Marco Andretti

I took my annual trek to Indianapolis this week for the first weekend of qualifications for the 91st Indianapolis 500. I flew up on Thursday and headed out to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the final practice session prior to the qualifying weekend.

Sarah Fisher

NASCAR's Rusty Wallace

The practice is known as “Fast Friday” because all the race teams trim out the cars to achieve the fastest possible speed. It was a busy day with perfect weather, sunny and warm with temps in the low 80s. The conditions were good for those trying to prepare to qualify. The big storyline at the track is the possibility of 3 female drivers competing together for the first time. Regular drivers Sarah Fisher and Danica Patrick are being joined by Venezuelan rookie Milka Duno. Both Sarah and Danica seemed like locks, but Milka’s chances took a hit when she crashed during practice. She didn’t seem too deterred though, coming out to talk with fans after the crash.
Scott Dixon had the quickest time of the practice with a fast lap of over 227 mph, followed by teammate Dan Wheldon and AGR drivers Tony Kanaan, Marco Andretti and Dario Franchitti who were all over 226.

Milka's crashed car

Milka & Michael

I ran into a few friends at the track, Matt Elliot, artist Brian Presnell (See Link Below) and Rick and Becky Henss, as well as my buddy Jason who works for Marco Andretti. All in all it was a great day at the track, capped off by a performance in the infield by the heavy metal thrash band Saliva, which seemed at first an odd selection, but actually were not that bad. I think the Speedway desperately wants to bring in a more youthful crowd and I guess booking bands like Saliva may be one way to get a turnout.

Becky, Matt, Brian & Rick


Saliva

I spent the majority of the day at the track before heading over to Editions Limited Gallery in Broad Ripple to attend their art opening as part of the Broad Ripple Gallery Walk. It was great to see old friends, though it was strange to be there and not see my mother Marta who worked at the gallery for years.

Editions Limited Crew

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=IMBPrez

http://www.editionsltd.com/