Friday in Indy is always a very odd type of day for me because there’s this strange calm that hangs over the Professional pits, particularly in the nitro classes, that just doesn’t seem to happen at many other events or any other day here. It’s the calm before the storm, and much like the track versus corn fields side of the road (see my previous blog post), it’s kind of a weird contrast from what we will see in the coming days. With the Pros not slated to run until 5:30 p.m., it opens the door for a more relaxed start to the U.S. Nationals for those teams. As I walked through the pits at about 11 a.m. this morning, I couldn’t help but notice how quiet things were as many teams took the opportunity to sleep in and those who were in the pits worked at a slower-than-usual pace methodically preparing for what comes later. That calm, quiet atmosphere, of course, will soon be replaced by bustling, the sounds of tools working on the engines, the large crowds of people marveling at what is happening, and more … an electricity that charges the air and amps up the excitement. I don’t think one could really compare the two environments as they are vastly different, but I found the calm, quiet of this morning a little intriguing and kind of a nice way to start the day … start out slowly and work into the excitement and energy. I wouldn’t have minded the usual, more noisy start either, though.

One of the advantages of coming early is getting to check out the great Sportsman racing, particularly the Mopar Hemi Challenge, and that allowed me to cross off one item on my nine-item to-do list I posted the other day. When I saw Bob Frey this morning, one of the first things he asked was how I was doing on the ol’ list, so I thought it might be fun to go through and see how many I have been able to check off so far. Some will have to wait until Monday (not sure how to find out who wins before that), but I have made progress on others. Watching the large Sportsman fields? Check. Seeing old friends? Check … had many opportunities as I wandered the pits. I saw Hollis and Bobbie Colleasure, aka Debbie Pierce’s parents, who are continuing their whirlwind tour of races across the country with a stop at the Big Go. Whle talking with the Colleasures, I also got to meet former Super Gas national champ Iggie Boicesco, who's name and resume I was familiar with but whom I hadn't yet had the pleasure to meet before now. So, though it wasn't on my list, I was also able to make a new friend today as well. I also ran into NHRA.com's most consistent and persistent blogger Bob Wilber and hitched a ride with him on the Team Wilkerson golf cart as he took Krista Wilkerson to the motorhome area so she could venture off to purchase food for the weekend. I also got a chance to check out some cool new decals on Wilk’s car, but I will save those for a little later. Turning the corner from Raceway Road onto 30th Street? Check. The roundabout on Raceway Road? Check … went round and round with Brad Littlefield and Kelly Wade in tow. So, that’s four out of nine I’ve been able to accomplish … not a bad start for day one!