The focus over the last few days have been completely towards finding more sponsors, and working on our amazing race car. I have spent a lot of time with the team working with them on the car, doing all we can to find more speed. There are a few things that I can help with and so I have tried to do that. Most of it relates to aerodynamic things on the car. This is not the most important aspect right now.. it is our set-up that is. It sure has been an up and down week and half. One minute we are pretty fast, and the next there is no extra speed. Most of all it has to do with changes in the car that are in the wrong direction or something that has just not been changed just as we had expected. Regardless, we have learned a lot in the last few days on the set-up and how to improve it.

Changing our geometry and starting from scratch again on Thursday has been frustrating. Keeping focussed and not getting frustrated at the wrong time and keeping your cool on the track is the most important and we were able to do that very well this week as a team. Today had its moments. We know we have good direction to go, but sometimes we are just taking the wrong turns and this sets us back. We made a lot of changes today and went for a late qualifying run. We knew that the weather is tough and wind was strong, so the goal was to make a good run and learn what we could, to make proper decisions for qualifying on Sunday.

All the hard work, the hope and desire to make the Indy 500 will come down to just one more day on the track. Only 14 cars still need to qualify into the final 11 spots and some basically locked themselves in today. But tomorrow the speeds are going to be higher, the track will be faster and more risks will be taken. The speed has been there this week at 219.4, so, it can come again plus more. We are only behind the other two cars in front of me by just .045 mph, which is such a small, small margin.

I am excited to get the opportunity to try again tomorrow, but the reality of what is at risk is something that is in the back of everyones mind. Being too comfortable with where you are, or with the speed you post could be something that can bite you tomorrow. I know that you can not just build a great team overnight, there is so much to this sport. Knowing this from history of motor sports, we have to keep working on the entire package from myself as a driver learning the car, to the crew making it the best car they can, and learning about the best possible set-up on these cars. Not to mention adding a few more full time employees so the few we have don't pass-out from a lack of sleep! Our crew has really worked so hard and committed so much to this program. I hope all our hard work will pay off tomorrow and believe it will.

Stanton

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