IRL: Indy 500: Billy Boat day ten practice notes

With a mere two full days of practice left and the threat of rain ever- present, the CURB Records team is using their time wisely and investing in taking the time to find a race setup with which they feel confident. The threat of a challenge to Billy Boat's position is always looming, but the team is using the time they have left judiciously and balancing the importance of a back-up qualifying setup with that of the setup they will use in the race.

To that end, the CURB/Agajanian/Boat Indy Racing team had both the #98 race car and the #98T backup car on the track today. Although the yellow flag was waved and practice was delayed a few times during the day due to rain, Billy Boat was able to turn a total of 73 laps in the #98T car, with a fast lap of 224.996 mph in 40.0008 seconds and 14 laps in the primary #98 with a fast speed of 221.622 mph in 40.697 seconds.

"The Curb Records team really used today as a race preparation day" says Billy Boat. "We ran the car with a full load of fuel for a full fuel stop length, checking the consistency of the car - which was very good. I was really happy with the consistency. I wouldn't mind seeing a little more speed out of the car, but I think it's going to be more important that it's consistent than that it has outright speed. We're still keeping our eye on our precarious bubble situation. But, again today, not a lot of cars were running speeds fast enough to contend with our speed. We have a couple other race setups that we'd like to try, so if we get more track time, we'll try those. Otherwise, we'll focus on preparing the back-up car in qualifying trim, just in case we need it on Sunday. We'll continue to keep our eye on that. "

Although erratic weather is predicted for the next few days, practice is scheduled to continue tomorrow Friday, May 17 at 12:00pm EST.

-cabir-