Drivers, crews start prep for Indy 500

Gasoline Alley buzzing as practice opens today at Indianapolis Speedway

INDIANAPOLIS — IndyCar team owner Sam Schmidt started plotting Indianapolis 500 strategy even before Saturday’s race ended. He certainly wasn’t alone. With Will Power dominating practice, qualifying and the IndyCar Grand Prix for his first win of the season, just about everyone else in Gasoline Alley began looking ahead to today’s opening practice for the Indianapolis 500.

“Since we had such a crappy grand prix, I think (our focus) shifted 30 minutes ago,” Schmidt said shortly after the race ended. “Maybe even as much as an hour ago. We know we have good cars for the 500 and hopefully we can be as good as we were last year. Right now is when we start working on the cars for the 500.”

In less than 48 hours, speedway workers must convert the track from the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course into the traditional 2.5-mile oval.

Crew members will scramble to change the cars to perform on four distinct corners and at speeds nearing or topping 230 mph.

Strategists will plan when to run in qualifying trim, when to run in race trim and how weather could affect next week’s two qualification rounds and the May 28 race.

Drivers will have to contend with much more traffic, with 33 cars expected to fill the traditional 11-row, three-car starting grid.

And numbers crunchers will get ready for the data influx that comes only once a year.

It’s all part of the biggest month in racing.

“It’s definitely a different deal,” said Power, who is still looking for his first 500 win. “You (have to) get in a groove — you have plenty of time to get in that grove. You just run so many miles around this place that you know it too well, but you can’t get too comfortable.”