The NEW & IMPROVED INDY

[Bob Mulry]

*
*
*
So let me see if I have this right?

1....Go race The US Nationals at Indy
2....Have 8 cars in your class
3....High horsepower car with trouble getting down the track during qualifying.
4....1st round of class you win but only go (1.02 Note: Change to) .85 under the index
5....You get a handle on the problem and in the 2nd round of class you run 1.12 under and win
6....In the final for class you get left on but you are able to get around the other car and win class at Indy running 1.24 under
7....The Class runner-up had run (1.03 Note: Change to) .87 under during the 1st qualifying pass before the starting line was covered in oil.
8....It takes .866 under to qualify for Stock Eliminator
9....Class runner-up makes the show.
10...You get your CLASS WIN Wally because you kicked butt and then you load up and go home because you didn't make the field.

Well, did I get it right?

Bob

[Alan Roehrich]

No. Last year you'd have gotten in on time with an 0.866 under pass. That was what the 128th fastest car ran. A 1.02 under was probably close to being in the top 100 cars.

[Lynn A McCarty]

Bob's points are well taken, but Alan is right on this big one.

Depending on the number of class winners that take the spot, it actually raises the bar for the guys who must qualify without taking a class win under the previous method.

The best run at Indy is early on Thursday morning for Stockers, and early Friday Morning for SSers. This is typically about 2500 feet corrected around 7 or 8AM. In the heat of the afternoon runs it is typically 3500 to 3800 feet corrected. That is our savings grace. Once every 10 years there is crazy air like the week of Katrina. It pushed all the low pressure out and replaced it with high pressure for about 600-800 feet, which is unheard of in Division 3.

So it could be a lot worse. The moderately bad Indy air gives us a break except when the aftermath of a hurricane blows through. I was pitted next to the Top Stock champion at Martin a few years ago. He was going 9.80's down in Rockingham, and his car qualified in the #1 spot at a 10.31. (Oh wait, I forgot, air doesnt matter) I went 10.12

He said, "Lynn how do you guys run in this crap?". I said, welcome to Division 3 No matter how bad the air was, I fixed a huge pot of Spaghetti and we had fun anyways. Only bad comment all day was Alex saying he couldnt concentrate on tuning for the bad air cause he had to smell the spaghetti sauce cooking rolling out of my motorhome.