Yesterday was day one of rookie orientation. Will Power was not only the first on the track, but also ended the day with a top speed of 220.694 mph. By comparison, last year Michael Andretti ran fastest on the first day with a speed of 219.871 mph. Not to bad for a guy new to ovals.

So, 10 of the 13 drivers passed the 4 phase test of skill and determination. And all of them lived. But it did take its toll on each driver. Lets examine exactly what horrors await an IndyCar rookie…

Test 1 (Test of Loyalty): Each driver is placed in a tiny room with no lighting. A series of questions are directed at the driver via a loud speaker. At some point in time, Gene Simmons will enter the room. Drivers tell us that everything gets hazy at this point, so no one is quite sure what happens.

Test 2 (Test of Strength and Speed): Each driver is forced to push AJ Foyt and his golf cart up a large hill. Upon arrival at the top, AJ will grab a wrench in a whiskey induced rage and chase the driver back down the hill.

Test 3: (Test of Courage): Each driver must stand several feet from Marty Roth’s pit stall while blindfolded. Any movement or soiling of oneself results in a failing grade.

Test 4: (The Final Test): This test is make it or break it for many of the rookies. Each rookie must complete 20 laps at full speed while blind folded. They can rely only on the instructions of their spotter, which is none other than Milka Duno.

Our hats off to the Rookies. We hope that one day, you will be able to forget the horrible memories.

Let the qualifications begin. It sounds like the weather will be nice today, hopefully a drastic change from the last week. Predictions are running wild and the rumor mill is churning.

The latest rumor is regarding none other than Paul Tracy. Not surprising since his name seems to come up on every instance of Ask The Expert these days. So rumor has it that if Penske can successfully qualify both drivers this weekend, he will make his spare car available to Walker Racing. Should this happen, PT could have a second weekend shot at qualifying. And with a Penske prepared car I think he would have a reasonable shot at a top 10 finish. But alas.. one must remind oneself that it is only a rumor.

In other cool news, I received my Indy 500 guest guide in the mail the other day. It also included a letter from Joie Chitwood. He said that he looks forward to having me there. And he even called me by name. That’s just how cool I am.

So here we go. I wish I could watch the coverage all day today, but I have to miss some of it. Luckily… I have a DVR.