Shortly after my last post, it was obvious that the yellow flag was staying out for sometime. Then track-drying got underway and we were teased with thinking we might resume shortly. But then it all went terribly wrong, when the bottom fell out and they lost the track.
It’s a Holding Pattern at IMS
Posted in IndyCar on May 19, 2019 by OilpressureWelcome to Bump Day/Pole Day at IMS
Posted in Indianapolis 500 on May 19, 2019 by Oilpressure
Welcome to a cloudy and very windy Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is dry for now, and the forecast is a little bit better than it had been – but the skies don’t look great.
A Day of Twists and Turns
Posted in Indianapolis 500 on May 18, 2019 by Oilpressure
If you had Ben Hanley and Pippa Mann locking in spots for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500, and Fernando Alonso having to come back tomorrow to duke it out for a spot in the last row – raise your hand. I thought so, and neither did I.
Trouble in Turn Two
Posted in Indianapolis 500 on May 18, 2019 by Oilpressure
As qualifying was chugging along at a not-so scintillating pace, things suddenly took a somber tone as James Hinchcliffe lost control of his car and had a crash very similar to that of Pato O’Ward just one day earlier. The car went airborne and flirted with flipping over, before it slammed back into the track. But unlike O’Ward and the other drivers involved in crashes earlier this week – Hinch did not immediately hop out of the car.
Welcome to Indianapolis 500 Qualifying Day
Posted in Indianapolis 500 on May 18, 2019 by Oilpressure
Welcome to a very sunny and warm Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I checked the forecast just before we left the hotel and it calls for a zero percent chance of rain and a high of 87°. That means there should be a good turnout of fans today, but it does not bode well for fast speeds.
Fast Friday Recap
Posted in Indianapolis 500 on May 17, 2019 by Oilpressure
Fast Friday was like two days in one. When the green flag flew this morning, it was obvious that the boost had been turned up. 228-229 mph was the norm right out of the gate. Then Marco Andretti set the bar higher when he turned a lap of 230.851. It stayed that way through lunch. Then around 2:30, the skies were darkening and it looked like we may be looking at a replay of yesterday when heavy thunderstorms ended the day early.
Indianapolis 500 Qualifying Preview
Posted in Indianapolis 500 on May 17, 2019 by Oilpressure
Today is Fast Friday – the last day before qualifying. A few years ago, someone got the bright idea to increase the turbocharger boost for Fast Friday and carry it through the qualifying weekend. Then they dial it back down for Carb Day and the race. How much is the boost increased? I don’t really know. Once they stopped quoting the measurement in inches, the numbers never really meant anything to me.
Oilpressure 