The Indy Racing Experience is proud to support Davey Hamilton, driver of the HP 2-seater, as he Photo Gallery | Click "Special Events" After having such a good month at the Speedway, it was really disappointing to finish the way we did. The car that was 10th quickest on Carb Day was not the car we had today. We missed on our gearing and downforce set-ups and on lap 83, I got really loose in Turn 3 and tried to save it, but I chased the car up the track and hit the wall in Turn 4. That is the first accident I have ever had in the Indy 500, which obviously made it my first DNF. Many will judge on the final result, but I have learned to look at and appreciate the body of work and the efforts of all. Without question, this was the most enthusiastic I have ever been when it has come to an Indy 500, the car and the team. I could not be more thankful and appreciative to Hewlett-Packard, Kingdom Racing, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, and the Indy Racing Experience for getting me to where I am today. From the "Making it Personal Again" Mailbag E-Mail: Davey, I'm writing late the day before the race. I've thoroughly enjoyed the newsletter and your replies. I'm unable to make the race this year, but will be watching with my Dad and my 3 year old son at home. He's been to the track for Carb Day twice in his young life and we hope to get there next year with him. In early May 2003, my wife and I were visiting Indiana and I insisted that we stop at the Speedway as she'd never been. We had only a few hours before our flight back to Phoenix and I wanted her to see what I had been raving about for so many years. I had forgotten that the 2-seater experience was up and running and certainly didn't expect to see it that day. One thing led to another and before I knew it, I was sitting in your #44 2-seater. We were the last ride of the morning and you and the crew were gracious enough to squeeze me in for an unscheduled ride at the last minute. I wanted to say thanks again for allowing me to feel a bit of the thrill of Indy in an Indy Car. You were great! I've been able to watch most all the coverage on Versus this month and have been happy to see your effort. Your confidence and experience are apparent and I know will serve you well. Please be safe and I wish you the best of luck. Steve Dreiseszun, Phoenix, Ariz. A: Steve, thanks for the kind words and I think that's great that someone that took a 2-seater ride with the Indy Racing Experience five years ago is still talking about it to this day. I appreciate your thoughtful comments and hopefully we can get you guys back in the car real soon. Please tell your father I said Happy Birthday. - Davey I want to thank everyone once again for all the supportive comments this past month. This newsletter thing was a first for me and it was pretty humbling to see all the e-mail replies and feedback. There are those people that have done the 2-seater in the past, some who have followed me or know of my story, or some that just love the 500... all of you from around the world are great! I tell ya, the internet is an amazing thing. I feel like if the program was right and a good fit, I could come back and race in the series full-time, but realistically, I'm just blessed to have an opportunity each year at the 500. Many guys today who had back luck can just focus on Milwaukee, but I don't have another race. I just have the 500, so this one will be tough to take for the next year. But here is what I know... The program we have with HP and Kingdom Racing is a special one and I think we will be able to make significant strides in the future. For now, it's back to the HP 2-seater with the Indy Racing Experience. If you have signed up for a ride or you are thinking about doing it, please say hello when you are at the track. Thanks again for everything this month! Touch the Future Now, Davey Hamilton Davey's Diary | May 22, 2009 Carb Day has come and gone and what a great day we had on the track today. As you know, we lost a lot of track time last week because I was busy helping my teammates qualify for the race. It's awesome we got all four cars in the race, but perhaps the best thing all month was when I strapped into the car today and found more speed! In fact, we were 10th quickest today with a race set-up speed of 221.371 mph. We were faster than Kanaan, Paul Tracy, Danica, Marco and Mutoh to name a few. What a great feeling since we had not spent a whole lot of time in the car recently. This car is ready for the race! From the "Making it Personal Again" Mailbag Q: Davey-Thanks so very much for taking the time to do the blog----I like many have greatly enjoyed. I have to agree with one of your readers---the ride in the 2-seater at Indy is a thrill of a lifetime---there is nothing that compares to it. Sunday-you stood head and shoulders above many with your team play----now that's a fast lap. The very best to you Sunday ---my son and I will be in turn 2 rooting you on. Can't wait to see my 59th straight Indy 500. Enjoy and have fun. Ed Gyenes, Mansfield, Ohio A: Ed, thanks for checking back in and letting me know where some of my fans are going to be on Sunday. It was very important that we got all four cars in the show and I was going to do whatever it took to make that happen. John made one heck of a run at it! - Davey Q: Davey, thanks for the updates. I feel like I have "inside info". I have been forwarding to my eight year old grandson which he thinks it is awesome that his PaPaw is getting emails from and IndyCar driver. Thanks so much for taking the time from your busy schedule to post reports about your month. We look forward to seeing you practice on Carb Day and then at the race. Good Luck and have a safe race. We look forward to hearing the latest following your Carb Day. Have a blessed day! Trent Pohlar, Greenwood, Ind. A: Trent, that's great to hear you are enjoying the blogs. I'm enjoying doing them. Please tell your grandson that I'll try my best on Sunday. Carb Day was very exciting for us today and we think the race is going to be even better! - Davey Q: Hi Davey! Congrats on the speed posted on Carb Day. We noticed that partway through practice, you team replaced the nose on the car. Were there any problems? Can you actually see the nose in the car? Good Luck on Sunday and we'll see you at Babe's in Texas Brent and Joni, Cincinnati, Ohio A: Wow, what an observation... I'm serious, that is pretty impressive. There were no problems at all. In fact, the nose and wings are all the same, but we use a wicker or a spoiler on them to create downforce. Since we only had one hour of track time today, we ran a setup one way, and to save time, we had the wicker adjusted on a backup nose wing. It was just a quick way for us to make a change without losing a lot of time in the pits. Great question and observation! - Davey We're so pumped about Sunday and thanks to everyone for writing in with their thoughts and support. I think the race is going to set up where it might be tough to pass, so I think it's going to be about track position. We obviously will be starting in the middle of the pack, but I am so confident that Larry Curry will get our No. 44 HP machine in position to make a little noise! I'll check back following the race! Touch the Future Now, Davey Davey's Diary | May 17, 2009 What a great day for the entire Dreyer and Reinbold team. We were able to get all four cars in, which is huge for us. As for the No. 44 Hewlett-Packard machine, we intended to do 100 laps today of race set-up, but we were only out there for 30. The car felt really good in traffic the first 15 laps, but we made some changes in the second run that didn't work out so well. And unfortunately, we needed to get the other three D&R cars in the race so I didn't go back out. We definitely did not get the race prep we had hoped for, but then again, I'm still really comfortable with the car. I can't wait for Carb Day! From the "Making it Personal Again" Mailbag Q: Congrats on making the field and hopefully you will get to sip a little milk after the race. By the way I am enjoying your blog. I would like your opinion on the racing experience. I have experienced driving and I am going to have my son try driving. My question is should I drive again or should I let you show me what a real lap at Indy feels like? I have driven 30 laps in a cup car at Charlotte Motor Speedway and a truck at IRP but my laps in the Indy car at IMS still has my adrenalin pumping. It was an experience of a lifetime! I look forward to your response and good luck on race day. J.B. Hoy, Roanoke, Ind. A: J.B., thanks for the note about my 500 stuff and the Indy Racing Experience. All I can say is riding in the IRE 2-seater provides you one of the fastest experiences in the world. The ride and drive at Indy are really not apples to apples. I've never seen an unhappy customer in my years with the Indy Racing Experience. There is simply no faster 2-seater ride in the world than what the Indy Racing Experience puts on the track. Hopefully that solves your dilemma! - Davey Q: DH, I got to do the IRE a few years ago with Stephan Gregiore. It was the hottest day of the year at IMS and your car had some mechanical problems. I did 4 laps at top speed and had the time of my life. But that is not what I want to talk about. Good luck in the 500 this year. My wife and I will be in turn 3 for the 10th year in a row feeling the goose bumps as you and the other 32 beautiful ground rockets come toward us, picking up speed to take the green flag to start the 93rd Indy 500. But that is not what I wanted to talk about either. I want to thank you for being a teammate. I know you wanted to get out there yesterday and today to set up your car for the race. Instead, you put your team ahead of yourself and got all of them in the field. We were living and dying with John Andretti as he tried to re-qualify today and really cheered when he turned in that "sudden life" run with a few minutes to go. Wow, what a thrill. My wife and I plan to be out there on Carb day for the festivities and hope to get to see you and your team run well. My wife is wanting to do the IRE session at Indy soon. Maybe we can get together with you driving. By the way, what is the status of Gregoire? We would like to see him back at the Brickyard. Bill and Jennifer Deal, Indianapolis, Ind. A: Bill and Jennifer... Thanks for sending all of that tonight. When it comes down to it, we have a team, and it is very important for each of us to be in the race. Selfishly, I wanted to get some track time today, but we would have felt terrible if one of our drivers didn't make the race. A part of me feels lucky to have the confidence and the feel for the car where I'm asked to help the other drivers and people seek out my opinion. Today was an important day for the team and as I said above, we still have a lot of confidence in this No. 44 HP "ground rocket" for the race! Oh and Stephan is still around. In fact, he is driving the HP 2-seater this month while I'm focused on the 500 and when I'm back with the IRE, he'll be in the National Guard 2-seater. - Davey And just like that, it's off to New York City. Myself and the 32 other drivers in the 500 are off to the Big Apple for the media blitz promoting the race. In past years each driver has stood in his or her starting position on the grid in Times Square or on an aircraft carrier, and last year in front of the New York Stock Exchange. It will be interesting to see what we do this year. So with me being busy the next few days, I'll check back on Thursday or Friday and talk Carb Day, which is always a blast. Thanks again for the positive comments. One week from today we will know the results of the Indy 500. Anyone thirsty for milk? Touch the Future Now, Davey Davey's Diary | May 15-16, 2009 I hope all is well with you. Sorry for not checking in on Friday. I had no problems with my HP computer, however, the wireless connection was another issue! Luckily, there has not been a whole lot of on-track action to report. We did not take one lap on Saturday because of qualifications, so I spent the entire day in the garage coaching teammates Mike Conway, Milka Duno and John Andretti. As of right now, we have them all in the show, but we will see how Bump Day goes. Friday was a good day for us. We were looking for the additional half MPH and found it in the car. I ran a 218.977 on Thursday and pushed it up to 219.699 on Friday, so I'm pleased with the car. It was also nice to see that the car work well in traffic. I ran about 10 laps behind Penske's Will Power and stayed right with him. We are definitely dialing in this car and very close to where we need to be for race day. From the "Making it Personal Again" Mailbag E-MAIL: Davey, wish you the very best in this year's race. I rode with you in July 2007 and it really is great to have my personal favorite for the race. I'll be pulling for you from the first turn stands - have a great and safe race!! Jim Sharp, Winter Springs, Fla. E-MAIL: Davey, I rode with you last July 31st at Indy and WHAT AN EXPERIENCE! Best thrill I've had in my 62 years of living; I'm ready to go again. I just wanted to wish you the best of luck on May 24th; my wife and I will be sitting in the Paddock area rooting you on. Doug Pottorf, Sidney, Ohio E-MAIL: Congratulations Davey. We wish you all the best for the 500. I rode with you at Indy three years ago and it was the thrill of a lifetime for a 63 year old just retired young man. I've been going to the Indy 500 and qualifications sence 1965 when the top speed was 161.233 mph. set by AJ Foyt. I'll be watching and pulling for you. Stan Walters, Decatur, Ill. E-MAIL: Section 51 will be rooting for you on race day. Thank you for the ride 2 years ago at the speedway. Highlight of the years of going to the race since 1975. God's Speed and go get that bottle of milk!! Jeff Lovejoy, Millbury, Ohio These were just a few comments I wanted to address in tonight's blog. It is an incredible feeling to share my passion for racing with fans from all over the country through the Indy Racing Experience. Not only do I get to drive an awesome HP car in the Indy 500, but I also get to the drive the HP 2-seater throughout the year. It's pretty cool to see comments like these because while I'm out taking laps and just doing the norm, people are sitting behind me in the car and nothing about the ride is normal for them. To me, these are "wow" e-mails. I read these and just say "Wow!" So thank you. Thanks to everyone that has written in. It means a lot. - Davey Sunday will be an interesting day for our Dreyer & Reinbold team, but so far the No. 44 HP team has been awesome. We had a very productive week with race set-up and I really feel like we are ready to perform. To some degree, it was somewhat nice to not be on the track today since we feel good about the car. Obviously if the weather cooperated and the on-track time wasn't used completely for qualifications, we would have been out there, but I don't think we lost anything by not making a lap. I'm trying to get to all the comments and questions, but you all are sending in a ton! That is something I'm definitely humbled by. Thanks again for the support and your positive comments on my blog. It's nice to kinda have you guys along for this awesome ride! Touch the Future Now, Davey Davey's Diary | May 14, 2009 Well today was the first day we ran race set-up with full tanks of fuel. We really weren’t all that happy with the car in the early part of the day, but we made a change and got content with it. We will make big changes tomorrow because although the car is comfortable, it’s still lacking a little speed. I would like to gain at least a half a MPH throughout the run tomorrow. That would make me much more confident for the race. I also had a chance to shake down my teammate Mike Conway’s car today. Mike has yet to be released by the IRL medical staff after his accident last weekend, so I ran the No. 24 car for 10 laps to make sure all was well and it was. All the focus will be on the No. 44 HP machine tomorrow! It’s a quest for speed! From the "Making it Personal Again" Mailbag Q: Davey, congratulations on making the field
for the Indy 500. Those are very good competitive times and capable of a winning
run on May 24th. I will be rooting for you as I attend my 53rd Indy 500!
From a fellow passenger in your car at the Indy Racing experience, thank you.
David Post, Bethlehem Pa. A: David, thanks for the e-mail and support. I think it is awesome that we have had a bunch of responses to this blog from people that have gone to the 500 for years. I hope my ninth makes your 53rd a memorable one! Thanks for writing. - Davey Thanks again for reading my blog. Remember, if you have a question or comment for me, just send it here and I'll get to them tomorrow. Be sure to check out the photo gallery (Special Events) above. Is it race day yet??? Touch the Future Now, Davey Davey's Diary | May 10, 2009 We have qualified for the 93rd Indianapolis 500! We went out early this afternoon and ran four consistent laps to put the No. 44 Hewlett-Packard Honda-powered Dallara in the show. My 4-lap average was 221.956 mph and I was pretty pleased with that. This morning we upped our top speed of the month to 222.4, so we knew there was a little more in the car. The afternoon was a little crazy because we kept getting pushed down the speed charts toward the 22nd and final position up for grabs today. After A.J. Foyt IV got in the field and we fell to 21st, we got back in line and were ready to go out for our second attempt. It was close to the 6 p.m. gun though and when things appeared safe, we pulled our car out of line along with Sarah Fisher and made way for Scott Sharp's final attempt. If you missed it, Scott made it into the field in the 20th spot, which pushed us back to 22nd. Is it the way I wanted to qualify? No, I would've much rather gone out and put up a bigger number because we ran 222.3, 222.5 and 222.8 in three straight laps in the afternoon session. We were much faster than our qualifying speed showed. Keep in mind that we qualified when the track temperature was 110 degrees and at 6 p.m. it was 84. That's a huge difference and we could have been much faster. But once you are in the show, you don't want to pull out too soon. Now it's on to race setup and that's always much easier on the crew than suffering through another week of qualifying. From the "Making it Personal Again" Mailbag Q: Davey, I hope you are doing awesome and having a great day at the track! I've got some questions about practice for qualifying and Race Day. When the weather is uncertain, for example last week, on a practice day, do you work more on the qualifying setup or the Race setup? And how many qualifying runs do you practice before Pole Day? I wish you all the best for this month and I hope you will have a Dream Day on May 24th! The bottle of milk is waiting for you! P.S. Hope to see you in Miami and with a bit of luck, to realize a dream by getting a ride with you on the track;) That would be just awesome! Take care, Davey. I'll root for you today! Cheryl Cloux, Geneva, Switzerland A: Cheryl, it's all about qualifying setup until you get in the show. We did three simulated qualifying runs prior to pole day and we felt that got us prepared for today. It was great to see you in St. Pete and we'll definitely get you back in the car in Miami! - Davey Q: Davey, I took a ride with you at Barber (Motorsports Park) and what a thrill! My question is this... I noticed after the Indy 500 last year, you did really well but were not on the prize money list. Are you salaried and the owner receives the position money? Hope to see you at Barber Motorsports again. Len Murphy, Oueouta, Ala. A: Len, all drivers and teams have different monetary agreements and no two are the same. Barber was a good time and it's a very scenic track. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! - Davey Thanks again for reading my blog. As I said yesterday, I thought we could be 12th or 22nd today but I was confident we would qualify for the race. Well, we put it in 15th and wound up 22nd, but we are in. It was a tough day for the team though. My rookie teammate Mike Conway hit the wall on his second lap of practice today and was taken to the hospital. Milka Duno was bumped from the field and then while he was on the bubble, teammate John Andretti wrecked and was bumped shortly thereafter. It would have been nice to have all four cars in race prep next week, but I will be the only one doing so. I guess we'll just need to find some single-car teams out there that want to be our friends for practice. The track will be dark for the next three days, so my next blog entry will be following Thursday's practice. In the meantime, if you have a question or comment for me, just send me an e-mail and I'll include them in Thursday’s blog. Thanks again for following and all the supportive comments. Touch the Future Now, Davey Davey's Diary | May 9, 2009 Well, we did not get blown away today from the stiff breeze at the Speedway and we weren't all that blown away with some of the changes we made early. We tried something different in the morning for a big speed gain, but it didn't happen. So... we went back to our previous setup and began to find some speed we were pleased with. Prior to Happy Hour (5 p.m.), the 11th and final position was held by Raphael Matos at 221.5 mph. We went out and did three hot laps and ran 221.3, 221.7 and 222.2 -- the latter of which was our fastest speed of the month. We pulled it in, went back to the garage, and sent the car out to the line to qualify. But if you were watching on television, you know that that Matos was bumped and then reclaimed the 11th spot with a 4-lap average speed of 222.466 mph. When he did that, I didn't think we could get to that speed today so we watched all the action unfold from the garage. From the "Making it Personal Again" Mailbag Q: I had a ride with you at Chicagoland in '06. Three laps weren't enough. Larry knows how to qualify at the Speedway, I know you'll have a rocket. Will you be racing at Irwindale on Turkey Night again? Matt Stevens, San Clemente, Calif. A: Matt, thanks for the e-mail. I'll be back at Irwindale this fall. I've done the Turkey Night for five or six years and it's one of the coolest events out there. You have 60 top drivers vying for 30 spots so it always makes for some good racing. And yes, Larry Curry knows how to prepare a car and we were in a position to get in today. That was very promising for us. Be sure you come back and see me again for more laps in the 2-seater. You won't be disappointed! - Davey Q: I had the fortunate opportunity to ride with you at the Dallas Texas Motor Speedway/HP experience, and wow what a ride! After having been on the track in Vegas with NASCAR, this was no comparison. This is just a word of encouragement to take it to the next level. You've got more than you realize behind you pushing with all we've got! But you've got to be our hands and feet. Keep up the momentum. We ride with you. Dave Senter, Plano, Texas A: Wow, thank you for those comments. First and foremost, Dave, I'm glad you enjoyed your experience in the HP 2-seater at Texas Motor Speedway. HP has been a wonderful supporter of the Indy Racing Experience and my efforts in the Indy 500. I'm privileged to represent such a great group of friends as their driver. But after reading your e-mail, I realize I'm driving for so many others as well. Your words mean a lot and I'll try to make you guys proud on Sunday. - Davey Thanks again for reading my blog. I'm pretty excited about Sunday. If you look at the speeds from today, you'll find nine drivers that ran between 222.0 and 222.8 mph, which means things will be tight tomorrow. We might be 12th or 22nd tomorrow, but I'm very confident that we will get in this race! I got some pretty cool responses yesterday and wanted to let you all know that I really appreciate the support. If you have a question or comment for me, just send me an e-mail here and I'll respond tomorrow night. Thanks again for following and all the supportive comments. It means a lot. Touch the Future Now, Davey Davey's Diary | May 8, 2009 Fast Friday turned out to be Gloomy Friday, but that was more so about the weather than it was our performance on the track. We did go faster today, topping out at 221.981 mph. I was talking to my crew chief Larry Curry earlier in the day trying to figure out how we could find more speed. We actually made some changes on the car that did not necessarily produce more speed, but we are still really comfortable with the car. I'm going to try to lock down one of the first 11 positions up for grabs tomorrow in qualifying. We may be listed as a longshot to do so, but hey, last time I checked a 50-1 shot just won the Kentucky Derby, and by a convincing margin to boot! Don't count out this HP squad! From the "Making it Personal Again" Mailbag Q: I took a 2-seater ride last year and was fortunate enough to have you as my driver. It was an unbelievable experience. My ride was on a hot and sticky day and that is something you have yet to have this year at Indy. Has this affected your qualifying approach? Michael, Evansville, Ind. A: Michael, the weather has been tough to deal with this year because we have had a lot of rain and our track time, which was already limited this year, has been hit and miss. We have been pleased with the car and have only run 60 or so laps because of that. Tomorrow it's supposed to be really windy and that should be interesting for everyone! We haven't run in windy conditions yet and this will put everyone back on the same page for the most part. Fast cars will still be fast, but one gust of wind can take a driver off their line and hurt the qualifying time. It will be interesting. Thanks for writing! - Davey Thanks again for reading my blog. We're really excited about qualifying on Saturday and we think that we do have a chance of getting in the top 11. Of the 66 entries in the qualifying order, I'm scheduled to go out 48th in my primary HP car, just ahead of Graham Rahal, Helio Castroneves, Paul Tracy and Dario Franchitti. It's the toughest 10 miles in racing. As always, if you have a question or comment for me, just send me an e-mail here and I'll try to get to it this weekend. Thanks again for following and I'll keep you posted tomorrow. Touch the Future Now, Davey Davey's Diary | May 7, 2009 There is nothing like having a great day at the Speedway! If you look at the speed charts today, we were 19th fastest of 32 cars on the track, with a top speed of 221.624 mph. However, if you look closer at the numbers, you'll see that we also ran the second fewest laps of anyone out there today and that's because we were very happy with the car! In fact, we only ran 37 laps -- the 36th of which was our fastest of the day -- and we used up just one set of tires. On top of that, several of my laps today were logged when I was out there by myself and without a drafting partner. We are very pleased with where we are at! From the "Making it Personal Again" Mailbag Just wanted to drop a note and say that I have enjoyed your blog thus far. It has been 2-3 years, but I wanted to say thank you for the Indy Experience. I can remember as I was getting strapped in, a friend of mine that takes pictures for IMS and the IRL was there to take pictures and the Indy Experience Team asked what he was doing there and he had told them he was there taking pictures for me. One of the team members tapped you on the helmet and said "Take this guy for a ride." You proceeded to light up the tires and went directly up on the track out of the pits. I felt like we were going for a qualification run. My wife had an old fashion bottle of milk when we got done which was pretty cool. It was an experience I will never forget! A year later I got the opportunity to actually drive one of the cars at Raceway Park. My Dad took me to my first 500 in 1968 and I haven't missed one since. I will be taking my 8 year old grandson (Ethan) to the race this year for the first time. He was at the track the day you took me for a ride. I am a huge IndyCar fan and very much enjoy your blog. Sorry to ramble on but again I just wanted to say thank you. Good luck and hopefully the rain will go away. Looking forward to seeing you on the grid the 24th. Trent Pohlar, Indianapolis, Ind. A: Trent, I really appreciate the personal story. I'm a race car driver; it's what I do for a living. It's what I have done my whole life. But I'm always grateful to hear that I have been a part of so many wonderful stories with the 2-seater rides. Thanks for sharing and "making it personal again." - Davey Q: Davey, I rode the Indy Racing Experience a few years ago at the Indianapolis 500. After the ride I felt that I was kind of dizzy. I guess that I am not used to the G's. My question is do some or all drivers experience this sensation or is this part of getting sea legs. Thanks for your time and good luck in qualifying and the race. Philip Whiting, Fortville, Ind. A: Philip, thanks for the e-mail and the question. What you felt was totally normal because it was everything but normal during your ride. That is one of the great things about the Indy Racing Experience. The public is able to get a taste of what we go through. It is a "sea legs" type of thing. You get used to it, but don't get me wrong, it's still a heckuva ride. - Davey Thanks again for reading my blog. I have to tell you, it was a very nice surprise to see several replies from yesterday's entry. To Buckeye Jeffrey Lovejoy in Section 51 and Steve Fensler in California, I really appreciate your comments and yes, milk is the drink of choice come May 24th. Tomorrow is all about working on speed. I'm really pleased with the downforce on the car, so Fast Friday will be just that. There may have been 18 drivers quicker today, but what's promising is those 18 cars averaged 30 more laps than we did. I am more excited than I have ever been right now. As always, if you have a question or comment for me, just send me an e-mail and I'll try to get to it in Friday's blog. Thanks again for following and I'll keep you posted tomorrow. Touch the Future Now, Davey Davey's Diary | May 6, 2009 Rain, Rain, Go Away! I hope all is well with you because all was WET today at the track. What was really frustrating wasthe fact that around 10 a.m., we were rolling our No. 44 HP machine out of our Gasoline Alley garage to take to the track for my "refresher course" and the sky opened up and never quit. The whole day was a wash! I'll be able to get out there Thursday morning from 9:30-10:30 a.m. and make some laps before the IndyCar regulars get on the track. Hopefully the weather will cooperate tomorrow and we'll have a productive day. From the "Making it Personal Again" Mailbag Q: Regarding "your" future Indy 500 plans, do you believe they include watching your son DJ run the greatest spectacle in racing? It was fun talking to him while you were flying around the track (at the Walt Disney World Speedway). A close look at the pics tells me he just might be thinking about it! Jeff Perkins, Brookfield, Wis. A: Jeff, thanks for the e-mail and I enjoyed the pictures. You know, I don't know if he'll ever do it, but he says he wants to race in the 500. We still have plenty of time to figure that out, so we'll just have to wait and see. - Davey Q: Do you think Fast Friday will be as active (weather permitting) as in past or will finances of some teams keep activity down some? Ed Gyenes, Mansfield, Ohio A: Ed, thanks for the question and it is amazing that you are making your 59th consecutive trip to the 500 this year. As far as Fast Friday is concerned, I actually think that day will be very competitive and we'll see more cars than ever on the track. I think you'll see all the second-week teams out there trying to find speed. I believe we have 32 full-time entries of the 41 total, so that leaves nine that will be hustling in more ways than one! Also keep in mind that the track schedule was cut back this year so that means every team will have less time than they did last year. It'll definitely be busy! P.S. - Give my best to Team Rameri. Be sure to stop by the garage and say hi! - Davey I hope you are enjoying the blog. It's only the second one, so there is plenty more to come. I know I directly answered a few questions above, but I want to also thank some of the Indy Racing Experience riders that wrote such kind things to me. To Richard Schenk, Jerry Kublank, Lee Geiling and Sharon Denney, your comments and stories really "made it personal" for me. I'm more than happy to answer questions thoughout the month. Just reply to this e-mail and I'll be sure to respond as fast as I can. After all, it's all about doing things fast this month! Touch the Future Now, Davey Davey's Diary | May 5, 2009 Finally, since I only race in the Indy 500, it has been a real privilege to drive the popular HP 2-seater for the Indy Racing Experience. I know many of you have done the experience in the past and I hope you were able to take away just a little sense of what we do in that cockpit on race day. There is simply nothing like driving an IndyCar around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the Month of May! Thank you for your support as I prepare for the 93rd Indianapolis 500. There is truly something magical about the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the 500, and being with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing this season, and having the continued backing of Hewlett-Packard and Kingdom Racing, I am excited as ever for this Month of May! Opening Day is tomorrow and I plan on being on the track from 2-6 p.m. I'll check back in and update you on our progress throughout the month. If you have a question for me about practice, qualifying, the car, or just anything surrounding my Indy 500 plans, feel free to e-mail the Indy Racing Experience here and I'll be sure to answer your questions in future blogs! Touch the Future Now, |
RESERVATIONS
Ready for the ride or drive a lifetime? Reserve your Indy Racing Experience today online or by calling Shonda Kennedy at (888) 357-5002!
PHOTO GALLERY
Now that you have taken the ride of a lifetime, search through our photo gallery and find your picture in victory lane!
ENHANCED EXPERIENCES
Enhance your experience by purchasing a replica helmet or front nose wing, or talk your company into renting a show car or coming back to the track for a corporate outing!
ASK SHONDA
Want to know more about purchasing a ride or where and when to be at the track for your Indy Racing Experience? Just take a look at Shonda's Frequently Asked Questions!
- 2A GASOLINE ALLEY
- |
- INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46222
- |
- (317) 243. 7171
- |
- (317) 243. 7185 fax
- |
- EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING INCORPORATED
- |
- INDY RACING EXPERIENCE
- |
- INDY PARTS