Barracuda Racing Ready for May at IMS |
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Topics: Alex Tagliani, Indianapolis 500
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Monica Hilton
Bryan Herta Autosport
May 11, 2013
Indianapolis, IN – Alex Tagliani and his Barracuda Racing crew started Indianapolis 500 preparation with a successful shakedown of the No. 98 car on opening day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
With just over two weeks until The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, Tagliani is ready for the traditional celebratory activities and fast-paced, on-track action that the historic race has become known for.
Tagliani ran a lap time of 220.248 to post fourth fastest of the day. Alex and the Barracuda Racing team will participate in a week of practice leading up to Pole Day, Saturday, May 18, where he will look to repeat his 2010 pole-winning run.
Following qualifications, Tagliani will participate in a week of fan-focused activities including a media tour, autograph sessions, public drivers meeting, 500 Festival parade and the Official INDYCAR Tweetup.
Today’s brief shakedown allowed the team to get reacquainted with the track and complete the initial install laps. With temperatures forecasted to be lower than usual for the next couple of days, the Barracuda Racing crew doesn’t expect to run much on Sunday or Monday.
“Today we’re just putting laps together and clearing off the cobwebs,” said Tagliani. “So far, I think we can be pleased. The Barracuda Racing team tried a couple things and we were able to avoid the rain.
“The good thing is that our car is fairly good. It was good last year in the race in traffic, so we just picked up where we left off, so that’s a good feeling to open the month of May. Other than that, we just have to stay on top of the track temperature and decide when the conditions will be similar to Pole Day. But overall, it was a good opening day here at IMS.”
When the green flag drops for the 97th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 26, Barracuda Racing aims to add another win to the history books. The 200-lap race on the legendary 2.5-mile oval will be broadcast live on ABC, with pre-race ceremonies beginning at 11 a.m. ET.