***NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's on Fox Sunday at 2pm PT /5pm ET***

NASCAR.com and Yahoo Sports! ^ | 5/24/03

[NormsRevenge]

After the Indy 500 race, catch all the action in a 400 lapper from Lowe's Motor Speedway.

God Bless our Armed Forces members and families.

Never Forget those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms and this nation and its allies.

[NormsRevenge]

You want to have some fun? Go start an Indy 500 thread! LOL

[NormsRevenge]

A full day of motorsports bliss.

And my wife and mother-in-law are out of town, to boot! :-) Life IS Good!!!

[Solomon Grundy]

In about ten hours I will be honored to attend my 40th consecutive Indy 500. A.J. Foyt won his second 500 in the year I attended my first (1964). Two drivers were killed (Eddie Sachs and Dave Mcdonald) on the second lap that i was ever in the place. I swore I would never go back, but I gave it one more try the next year and have gone ever since.

[WSGilcrest]

Checkin' in. Will have a house full and a hot bbq! See ya'll tommorrow.

[Solomon Grundy]

The fastest quals at Indy were actually in the firstyear of the IRL (1996). Arie Luyendyk set the one and four lap records at around 239. (This year pole speed around 232.) I think Eddie Cheever actually did a 235 lap in the 96 race.

[Glenn]

In about ten hours I will be honored to attend my 40th consecutive Indy 500.

Envy, envy, envy.

have a good outing.

[Solomon Grundy]

Thanks, Glenn. Can't wait. I taking my 12 yr old daughter. This will be her 5th race. She is on a course to outdo me. I went to my first at 12. I'm working on catching my late parents. They went to 43 consecutive (1949-92)

[joebuck]

Congrat's Solomon on that 40th race. I will be attending Indy today for the 30th consecutive race. ('73 to present). Open wheel drivers are the best in the world, certainly better than the stockers. (several Indy car drivers have won the Daytona 500, I can't remember a NASCAR driver who ever even qualified for Indy, Also, several of the best NASCAR drivers got thier start in open wheel. ie. Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon) I don't mean this as a put down to the NASCAR boys as I enjoy stock car racing also and usually try to go to three or four Winston Cup events every year. But, you just can't beat the Indy 500, especially that first lap when all 33 cars come roaring down the track in formation - the greatest moment in sports.

[zygoat]

Perhaps its because the cup cars can actually bang and scrape for position. This is exiting to many of us considering the fact that those supercharged go-carts can't even rub tires without disintagrating. I have tried to watch the open wheelers race, but the announcers go into orgasm when one car passes another. Might as well watch airplane racing. As for the poster who thinks the open wheelers are superior drivers, I think a night at Bristol would leave the open wheelers in shock. The fact that Mario won at Daytona years back proves nothing, put him on a short track and wait for the DNF after the smoke clears. Fittapaldi (sp?) was hot stuff in his go cart, what has he done lately? Open wheel racing....blaaah. I'll work around the yard until the real racing begins.

[Lessismore]

The engine block and a piece in the nose that carries the VIN number come from the manufacturer. That's about all that is "stock". Some other pieces, e.g. the Ford differentials used in most cars, come from the manufacturers, so not everything originates in the racing specialty shops.

The tubular space frame chassis and body panels are essentially hand made to fit a series of templates that define the shape of each type of car.

What I don't understand is why they don't continue racing in the rain? Just pit and put on rain tires like Formula One does. That goes for both NASCAR and American open wheel racing -- bunch of wusses.

[ChefKeith]

An 1,100 mile A.M. ping

[Pete-R-Bilt]

Morning boys & openwheel fans, hope your weekend is pleasant and that you've remembered to honor the men and women that made this party weekend possible.

Here's the radar pic., and as always it self updates;

[CAfraudPI]

Damn...I will be missing another race with you guys...Will be attending a bar-b-que this afternoon...will be recording the Coke 600...hope the 6 can repeat...if not then the 8, but smart money is always on the 97.

[CAfraudPI]

Lucky...

[CAfraudPI]

I don't understand the rain deal either...so they would have to slow down a bit...the speeds would be realative to eachother... would still be exciting.

[budman_2001]

Good Mornin' Racefans! Leeezzz get it on!

+

[tubebender]

Good morning. That weather map Pete posted is not the thing I want to see but as the Resident Weather Lady said it's a long time till the Real Races start.

See you later...

[The Coopster]

I do like IRL. Although racing is still, pretty much for those with cash, at least IRL harkens back to the old days, when 5 or 6 guys could pool their cash, find a driver, and try to get a car in the race.

And the speeds are getting back up there.

And I'll bet this year is pretty good racing. It's a pretty competitive field.

[glock rocks]

I have a theory that if enough of us put enough pork smoke into the atmosphere today, we can cause a PBV, and distort the path of that nasty green weather blob over Charlotte...

so, let's get out there and fire up the coals folks!

( PBV = pig barbeque vortex )

[Final Authority]

I just checked his official qualification ave. speed and it is posted as 225 and change in 1999. Before the IRL when turbocharged cars were running all the way back to 1991 speeds occasionaly touched 230 or higher. The cars are safer now and supposedly sound better. Gone are the days when a small team can build its own chassis and engine combo and go racing. Like NASCAR one has a couple of chassis builders to select from and a very tight engine spec to meet.