Indy 500 drivers told to be patient

Brian Barnhart addresses the drivers

Gail Miller/AR1.com

"Some segments of the race are about position, but the first turn of the first lap isn't one of them," Indy Racing League president Brian Barnhart said Saturday at the drivers meeting along the straightaway at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It's a warning he gives the drivers every year.

"Let's get off to a safe start."

"The start here is unique," Barnhart said of the three-abreast lineup on a track that is only 50 feet wide. "The key to a successful start is patience. Don't crowd the drivers around you. … As you have heard a hundred times, you can't win the race on the first lap.

"Let the race come to you," he told the drivers. "Concentration is vital all day long. Put yourself in position to compete for the win at the end. Control your own destiny with good decisions."