I am Indy

This Sunday is the 92nd Indianapolis 500 (10am on ABC). You better believe that I will be watching the excitement as 33 open-wheel cars battle it out at speeds well over 200 mph. Some might say that motor sports are nerdy or "hick" but that is lame. Boring to watch cars circle around and around an oval track? It's no more boring than watching nine innings of baseball on TV.

The #9 and #10 cars of the Target/Chip Ganassi racing team are out front this year as Scott Dixon has the pole while Dan Wheldon (my favorite driver) is in the second position. Sports Illustrated just did an article on Danica Patrick that said she is claiming that this is her year to win Indy. Haha fat chance is what I say, but we shall see. Danica is in the 5th position this year. To see the starting grid, click here.

In preparation of this year's Indy here is a video and some fascinating facts about Indy cars. These machines are truly spectacular! My dream one day is to get to drive in one. That would be sweet!





Did you Know? (taken from indycar.com)

* That the 3.5-liter, ethanol-powered engines of IndyCar Series cars produce more than 650 horsepower, nearly four times that of the average street car?

* That each of the eight pistons in an IndyCar Series engine travels nearly 1 mile up and down in the cylinder every minute?

* That each of the eight pistons in an IndyCar Series engine is subjected to a maximum acceleration of 70,000 times the force of gravity?

* That an IndyCar Series car accelerates from 0 to 100 mph in less than three seconds, more than nine seconds quicker than it takes a production Porsche 911 Turbo street car to reach the same speed?

* That a 1,530-pound IndyCar Series cars generates 5,000 pounds of downforce at 220 mph, enough to allow the car to run upside down if that speed is maintained?

* That the tread depth of an IndyCar Series tire is 3/32nds of an inch – slightly thicker than a credit card?

* That a front tire for the IndyCar Series weighs about 18 pounds - slightly less than the average weight of a 1-year-old?

* That, at speed, the tread area of the racing tires approaches the temperature of boiling water (212 degrees Fahrenheit)? At those levels, the tread area actually becomes tar-like in consistency to help the tires and car adhere to the track.

* That at any given moment on the racetrack, the total area of all four tires that is in contact with the track surface is equal to about 1 square foot? That means that an area not much bigger than a sheet of notebook paper is responsible for transferring all the technology and power generated by IndyCar Series cars into speeds exceeding 220 mph.

* That at speeds of 220 mph, the front tires of an IndyCar Series car rotate at a rate of 43 times per second. That means, over the course of a single lap at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the front tire will experience about 1,955 revolutions, and the rear tires will experience 1,800 revolutions. Considering a normal fuel stint is 30 laps or more at Indy, each tire could experience more than 60,000 revolutions before it is changed for a fresh set.

* That the draft (or the “hole” in the air) created by an IndyCar Series car extends 25 feet behind the car?

* That while traveling about 220 mph, IndyCar Series cars travel slightly more than the length of a football field every second?