Saturday morning update from IMS (Update)
I then asked if we would see a big difference between the primary and alternate tires. Harrigle stated, "I don't think the cold is going to change anything. We saw around 3/4 of a second yesterday in qualifying, the reds were quicker yesterday. I don't know the ambient changes would effect anything, unless it was super hot."
The Indy Family Foundation held their annual event Festival on Main in Speedway last night. The event blocked off Main Street, from 10th to 16th. The street was full of bouncy things for children to romp on, jewelry for the 100th running of the 500, wine from AJ Foyt's winery, entertainment and various food trucks. James Hinchcliffe was busy talking and holding hands for people donating blood during his blood drive in the Dallara factory. Stefan Wilson, the 3rd entry for KSVH Racing for the Indy 500, was busy at the Indiana Donor Network booth.
All the restaurants all had a bit of a wait to get a table at 8 pm. I went to Speedway Indoor Karting, Sara Fisher's new venture, and ate upstairs in the game room. Sara and her husband Andy were visiting tables and taking with their patrons. The food was good and the track was very impressive.
Lucille Dust reporting for AutoRacing1
05/14/16 What a difference a day makes! Yesterday was a nice day compared to what today has started out as. It rained early this morning but the rain has moved on and should not be a threat today. Cloudy, windy and 47 degrees right now. High of only 54 degrees today. Going to be cold in pit lane for this race.
How will this 20 degree temperature change effect the driving? Juan Montoya commented, "You call today warm? We will make the most out of it tomorrow. I will focus on what I need to do and adapt to the change." Simon Pagenaud, the polesitter, answered the question of the cold with, "I think you might struggle with the front tires, to get the front tires going. But also the game can be interesting because you can actually take away downforce when it's cold because there's more downforce naturally with the air density."
James Hinchcliffe commented on the tire wear for the today's 82 lap race. "The considerably colder temps tomorrow are definitely going to affect the tire degradation and grip. It's a bit of guesswork about tire strategy and setup and how to take care of them. When Hinchcliffe was asked about the smooth track effecting tire wear, he answered, "Bumps don't wear the tires out. Corners wear tires. Abrasive tracks wear tires. The other thing that wears out tires is sliding around a lot. This is a very smooth track. But that means you will be sliding around quite a bit."
"The cooler temps will help. Heat is the enemy up to a certain point. Because of the cooler temps, the reds will get up to temp quicker than the blacks. That will maybe lead more towards reds tomorrow."
The sun is peeking out of the clouds as I finish this….
To be continued.
Lucille Dust reporting from the Indianapolis Grand Prix