Indy’s gaining in Spain

Oriol Servia will attempt to become only the second Spaniard to make a "500" field, following the late Fermin Velez' first start in 1996. Servia said interest in Spain is gaining.

"When Fermin did it, it got some exposure," he said. "Since I came to the U.S. in 1998, interest has been increasing (in Spain). Now, there are a lot of expectations back there.

Servia tried to make the field in 2002 with Walker Racing but did not qualify.

"It's always been a big race," Servia said. "Even when I was a kid, I followed Indy. I think it has more following than your (NFL) Super Bowl back home. Indianapolis, if you come here once or 100 times, it always impresses you."

His teammate with KV Racing Technology, Australian Will Power, ran an oval with Champ Car at Milwaukee before his IndyCar Series debut at Homestead.

"I really enjoyed Milwaukee because it was different than what I had been doing all my life," Power said. "A couple of years ago, I came here and went to the museum, watched the video and took the bus ride."
Power joins veteran Ryan Briscoe as Australians listed on entries.

"With two Australians in the series, it's going to get a lot more coverage," Power said. "And it's live on TV down there, so a lot more people are going to know about it."