Arriving to the track I park my car and walk the steps through the gate that introduces us all to the concrete garages that stands as firmly as our commitment to offer our best. As I walk each step, the busy people, workers and fans both alike moving among what was empty space while we all slept. Step-by-step leads me to the garage marked for Team 3G #98, driver Stanton Barrett INTERUSH/Curb/Candlewood Suites Indy Car team. It is good sign that this is the place I am suppose to be!

My committed crew are working diligently when I walk through the door, as they have for the last three off days. Each one paying attention to the details with new intent, details that are now so important, massaging and tuning every aspect of our race car. Tremendous attention to detail, examining and uncovering ever ingredient that can potentially allow us the speed and the success we seek by days end. I start working on the car as well, covering areas of the suspension with special tape, cutting and molding artistically to reduce drag from the wind that kisses our car. Things I really enjoy, working on race cars, mechanics and aerodynamics is somewhat of an art form to me. Being a part of working on the machine that takes care of me on the race track is just something that seems like the right thing to do. This brings my mind back to the long days in the single car garage, building my own race car, hours on end, to the early morning, then finding myself waking from underneath the metal machine and the unique smells we know as a race car.

Looking forward to the moment today that we make our first laps on the track, high noon arrives, this moment comes before I know it. The shifting of gears as the red lights on my dash move swiftly while shifting up to speed. My excitement ends quickly as the reality sets in, this is not working so well. A new attitude different from last week takes hold as the crew keeps the tone positive and forward thinking to solutions. Belief in what we do, the goals we have set out for since last October has taken the lead for the day. This is what a team is made of and team work is defined as. Nothing came easy today on the track to where the heat blew in creating a slick surface, slowing speeds of the best teams. By the end of the day, we simply found with continued focus and efforts led to finding the way that closed the gaps to our competitors. Now that the night has come full circle, bringing closer to the day we must lay it all on the line, for the four laps that will define our efforts, and that will identify who will be among the 33 drivers that will start on the grid of the 2009 Indy 500.

Stanton

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