Cavin: Tagliani not confirmed but seen at Indy 500
Question: Drove over from Ohio for the test. Three observations. (1) I cannot believe how small the rear wing is on the Chevy kit (2) video boards need some work; looked really choppy, (3) with the old boards one thing I really liked was when they showed the speed as each car cross the line. Did not see that yesterday. I certainly hope they will bring that back for Fast Friday and qualifications. (Don, Canton, Ohio)
Answer: Interesting observations all. As for the rear wings, yeah, wow, really small. Honda's is the one that's really interesting to study with its intricate design; Chevrolet's is just paper thin. There's not even an end plate.
Question: Can Miss DeSilvestro win the 500 and so replace Danica in the heart of the fans? (Jimmy, Houilles, France)
Answer: I'm not sure she'll replace, but she can definitely reach a high level of support. Simona resonates with race fans, but I don't think she'll ever reach the mass appeal of Danica.
Question: Have you heard if Alex Tagliani will be confirmed for the 500? (Karen, Edmonton, Alberta)
Answer: He hasn't been confirmed yet, but he spent the day in the A.J. Foyt Racing garage chatting closely with Larry Foyt.
Question: Clearly the new aero kits are fast right out of the box; what are the drivers saying about the handling and comfort level? Are they white knuckling it? (John, Little Neck, N.Y.)
Answer: No white knuckles yet, but we've still got a good 5-7 mph left in these things. It's going to be an interesting progression starting next week. As for the handling, most of the drivers I spoke with yesterday didn't mention much difference in the feeling. However, Marco Andretti talked about the incredible number of things they still have to experiment with. "It's overwhelming," he said.
Question: Will there be a standing start for the Grand Prix Saturday? (James, Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Answer: No. IndyCar announced a few months ago that there will be no standing starts this season.
Question: I can only go to one day of IMS qualifying. With the changes implemented last year it almost seems I should choose Sunday instead of Saturday, but that sure seems strange after all these years! What are your thoughts? (Scott, Elkhart, Ind.)
Answer: I recommend Sunday because there will be more on the line, including the pole.
Question: With track records finally being broken at Long Beach, St. Pete and Barber, do you think someone will be able to break Arie's '96 Indy 500 qualifying mark when he was using the old CART formula? (Dean, Washington, D.C.)
Answer: I think the teams will approach Arie's speed, particularly in the Fast Friday practice, but I don't expect them to get there. If the conditions are right, I'm guessing high 233s.
Question: I saw that there are 4,000 individual seats behind pit road. Any idea how many people it sat before? (Brad, Clarian, Pa.)
Answer: I'm told it's about the same number. The difference is, there's only room for one person per seat now. Previously, people spread out and there were actually fewer people in that space than designed.
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