Ladies and Gentlemen start your engines

INDIANAPOLIS -- Tightening the final bolt and hanging the last banner, workers at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway are putting the finishing touches to Victory Circle in preparation for what has been called the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing."\nThe Indianapolis 500, scheduled to start Sunday at 11 a.m., is boasting the fastest field of cars in the history of IMS this year -- the average qualifying speed is 228.648 m.p.h. -- and the race is expected to be even more exciting.\nThe action on the track has cooled down since the last day of qualifications Sunday, but teams are still working to get their cars in race condition come this Sunday.\n"We shook down our primary Marlboro Team Penske car just to be sure everything was running properly, and then we put it away until we get our race engines and run it for one final time on Carburetion Day," said reigning Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves, driver of the No. 3 Marlboro Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone, who will start in the No. 13 position.\nToday is Carburetion Day at IMS, when the teams have their last on-track practice session before the race. Teams will do a final shakedown on their cars today to make sure no problems will arise before Sunday. They will then fine-tune the cars in the garage area before the 500-mile race starts.\nGeneral practice sessions concluded Sunday before the last round of qualifications, and many teams took advantage of the cool weather.\n"We were working on our race setup, trying to figure out what we need for race day," said Sam Hornish, Jr., driver of the No. 4 Pennzoil Panther Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone car starting in the No. 7 position. "We don't know what the weather will be on race day. It could be cold like this. It could be hot. We're just trying to run in as many conditions as we can." \nRookie Laurent Redon, driver of the No. 34 Mi-Jack Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone car starting in the No. 16 position, said his team was focusing on the race.\n"It's not really important where we finish in practice," he said. "What's important now is to have a good feel for the race setup. We've got a good race setup now, but the track can change next week. We tried different things today, like driving in traffic and some other things, and we're pretty happy with our progress. \n"Hopefully, we'll have a good car for the race. What's important is that we're competitive."\nCrews and drivers have been preparing for Sunday's race most every day of May. Some have been preparing their entire lives. \n"Each day that goes by, I get more and more excited about the race," said Jeff Ward, driver of the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing G Force/Chevrolet/Firestone race car, who will start in the No. 15 position Sunday. "Then again, it's hard not to get excited about racing in the Indianapolis 500. This is the Super Bowl of racing, and with all of the great teams here, it is going one of the most competitive races ever. \n"I'm with a top-notch team and have good equipment to work with. I think that we have a great shot at winning this year."\nNew drivers to IMS have had the same sentiment. \n"My impressions of the race coming up? We'll see," said rookie Dario Franchitti, driver of the No. 27 Team Green 7-Eleven Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone race car, who qualified No. 28. "I've been told by guys that have raced here before that it's a heck of an experience to walk out here race morning. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm totally focused on getting ready for the race."\nRedon has not raced in a 500-mile event before, but said he is not worried about going the distance.\n"I'm more worried about what's happening on the track," Redon said. "It will be a busy race with 33 cars, and everyone will have their best strategy. I'm not really anxious. I'll just be trying to do my best during the race. I don't want to make any mistakes because if I do then the three weeks you've spent getting ready and preparing for the race, they're for nothing."\nDrivers will take to the track today from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the final practice. The teams will then compete in the Coors Indy 500 Pit Stop Competition at 1:30 p.m. Admission for today's events is $10 at the gate, 5 years and under are free.