The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is open for business and the 17th running of the Brickyard 400 is just hours away. Early morning rain showers have moved through and given way to a beautiful Indiana Sunday morning as race fans began filing into the Speedway after the 7 a.m. bomb went off. I got in just before 6 and have set up in the IMS media center for what promises to be a very interesting and exciting day. I have not mapped out my race day strategy entirely as yet and am waiting to see if there will be any new information revealed at the scheduled 10 a.m. photo meeting. This is the first year in all the years I've been covering the Brickyard that I was unable to attend any of the practice or qualifying sessions. With Juan Pablo Montoya on pole and Jimmy Johnson alongside in the front row, I see no reason at this point to vary from my pre-race predictions. I would add a darkhorse pick of Ryan Newman who starts fifth today.
I would like to congratulate former Indy 500 and F1 champ Jacques Villeneuve for making the race and kudos to Max Papis and JJ Yeley as well. of the 43 starters, I count 13 with major open wheel experience so if the track gets greasy in the heat today, these are guys who likely will be able to manage their tires and make progress to the front. I was especially happy to see Michael McDowell make the show as I continue to follow him after having done some work for him during his ARCA career a few years ago. I'm heading to the garage area now to see what's going on and will have more later.
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