Welcome to Texas Motor Speedway
Good morning from a dark and chilly Texas Motor Speedway! It is 6:45 am as I begin to type, and the sun is just starting to appear. Paul Dalbey and I have one car (mine) and he had to be at the photographer’s meeting at 6:30. So here I am drinking coffee and chatting with a few people I haven’t seen since the last race I attended last August. I’m missing Mrs. Oilpressure this morning, but she would not have liked being here at this hour.
It is a compact schedule today. All times quoted this weekend are local time (CDT). Practice starts at 8:00 am and qualifying will be at 11:15 The Final Practice, which will involve rubbering in the high line, commenced at 12:45. Initially, it will be split into two groups and then all cars will practice together from 1:30 to 2:30. All IndyCar track activity concludes for the day, allowing us to have plenty of time to go grab some famous Texas BBQ.
With all the tornadoes in the south yesterday, many people were asking on social media and texts if we were OK. It think we lucked out. We were watching the radar all day, and were just skirting the storms as we drove. As it turns out, we did go through Little Rock, AR at the same time as the tornado, but it was just to the north. So, we lucked out.
We ended up getting to our hotel around 8:30 last night, after a delicious dinner at a Buc-ee’s outside of Dallas. Not that I don’t like their brisket, but I am expecting more authentic BBQ tonight. I come from a place where BBQ means pork, not beef – so I am looking forward to tonight.
With people coming over to chat and refilling my coffee cup, it has taken me 45 minutes to type five paragraphs. Practice starts in thirty minutes, so I am going to head out. Please follow me on Twitter at @Oilpressurebog for photos videos and comments. With the compact schedule, I will not post here until after the final practice ends at 2:30. Please check back then.
George Phillips
Oilpressure 
April 1, 2023 at 9:18 am
Glad you all arrived safely. The weather had me worried for you two. Beautiful day at the track! Enjoy!
April 1, 2023 at 1:30 pm
Have fun. Be safe.
April 1, 2023 at 4:03 pm
Glad to hear that you made it safely and avoided the serious weather. I was at the track for the autograph session this morning. I’m pretty peeved at TMS for requiring me to purchase tickets to today’s truck race (that I have no interest in) to attend the session. It hasn’t been that way in the past.
As far as barbecue, I recommend Heim in Fort Worth. That is my favorite. A lot of people prefer Hurtado (in Arlington). Just thought I’d pass it along. Hope you enjoy your time here!