Welcome to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Welcome to the hallowed grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. As I type, I am having to do so while doing something I haven’t done since attending the 105th Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May – I am wearing a mask. This is a NASCAR mandate, something they instituted about ten days ago. That only applies to inside the media center. The paddock and pits do not require masks.
We haven’t been on the grounds very long, but long enough to tell that masks are not the only sign that NASCAR is in charge. As I suspected, it seems that IndyCar is definitely playing second fiddle to Xfinity and Cup. We haven’t been to the paddock yet. I’ll be curious to see if IndyCar is inhabiting their usual garages they utilize in May, or if they have kicked out in favor of Cup or Xfinity cars. I’ll be unhappy if I see IndyCar teams operating out of their transporter in the back parking lot.
There is currently a press conference going on in here, between the two NBC crews that are here. Dale Earnhardt, Jr, Dale Jarrett, Steve Letarte, Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy. Both crews acknowledge that their respective fan bases are a little protective of their turf this weekend, so I’m not the only one.
The temperature is a very pleasant 81° with cloudy skies. That’s a lot more pleasant than what we left behind in Nashville this morning. Today’s high is expected to reach only 84°. That’s a breath of fresh air compared to the sauna that drivers raced in last week in Nashville. There is some weather headed our way – possibly affecting practice or qualifying. It will cool things down even further overnight. The expected green flag temperature tomorrow is to be a very nice 76°. For once, I hope our friends that predict the weather are right.
We are going to head out and hopefully find Indy cars in the garage area. If they aren’t we’ll find them. I may or may not have a post here after practice, but I will definitely have a post here after tonight’s qualifying (yes, tonight – it will probably be finished around 8:15 local time). Today’s 3:00 EDT practice will be shown live on Peacock. Qualifying will be shown live on NBCSN. Qualifying will begin at 7:00 EDT.
In the meantime, please follow us on Twitter for videos, photos and comments. Follow Susan at @MrsOilpressure and me at @Oilpressureblog. Please check back later.
George Phillips
Oilpressure 
August 13, 2021 at 4:15 pm
This is NASCAR’s weekend, the IndyCar race wouldn’t even be happening if it weren’t for NASCAR. During an already slim season and with my travel being restricted due to a tight budget, I’m happy to be able to attend another IndyCar race even if it means they’re playing “second fiddle” on their home track. The big positive is that a lot of NASCAR fans are going to get exposed to IndyCar and maybe we’ll attract some new followers. I know, I’m not a very good fan, but I’m a happy fan this weekend because I get to attend a race. 🙂
August 13, 2021 at 5:23 pm
Any fan cross over has got to be good and I cannot imagine there won’t be. Quite a lot actually. Hopefully!