It’s a cold win a blowin’ at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Thursday morning – so cold the ambient temperature was/is 48 degrees F and the track temperature is so cold there isn’t an official reading. The morning Indy Lights by practice was postponed an hour so the track can be warmed up by vehicles on track and two jet driers in Pit Lane.
Thursday’s schedule calls for Indy 500 Media Day and on track practice and qualifying for Indy Lights. Part of the Media Day activities are a couple of new Press Conferences not earlier scheduled.
The INDYCAR Media schedule is somewhat fluid, and one new press conference has been announced by Schmidt Peterson Motorsports for 11:30am ET. Presumably this is to detail the team’s plans going forward for this weekend, including a driver announcement to replace the injured James Hinchcliffe. The good news is that Hinchcliffe has successfully undergone surgery for his upper left thigh, he’s out of Intensive Care Unit and resting. He won’t be racing for awhile, but the word is that he will make a good recovery. That replacement driver, TBA, will be on track at 12:15pm ET for Track Familiarization.
In the SPM Garage in Gasoline Alley, the door is nearly closed in the bay where the No.5 car was being prepped. The only visible portion was the bright gold nose cone. In the other bay bits and pieces wee being worked. No one was talking, and no driver or owners were seen.
Although the driver announcement is still officially forthcoming, rumours swirled and a fan who prints a Spotters Guide before each major race issued his updated Indy 500 Guide Wednesday night, showing Ryan Briscoe as the driver for No.5 Lucas Oil/Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda.
