by Lynne Huntting


Maybe it was an omen that I heard EDDIE RABBITT's 'I Love a Rainy Night' on the car radio as I was driving into the track Sunday morning for the 91st Indianapolis 500. It had rained Saturday morning at the track, and then cleared, and then rained again during the night.

Driving to the track, the weather had been misting out on the #465, but cleared as I got closer to the track. At 7 am the track was 'dry' and a string of pace cars had been drive drying the track for an hour. After they stopped pacing, all was well. However, it soon clouded up and rained all over. At least the temperatures are mild, in the mid-sixties. The forecast has been for isolated thundershowers. The radar doesn't look promising. Stay tuned. It ain't over until the race is run... or postponed.

Meanwhile, the F1 aficionados are all watching the sunny Monaco Grand Prix where the Monte Carlo threat of rain didn't materialize.

All the 33 cars for today's Indy 500 must go through Technical Inspection again prior to the race. The track should be all fresh and green with all vestiges of rubber washed away.

Saturday night at nearby O'Reilly Raceway Park the weather was beautiful - mild and clear, with a nice golden sunset. KEVIN SWINDELL/#79 Kasey Kahne Racing Beast/Mopar won the 62nd Toyota Night Before the 500 Classic USAC National Midget race, leading flag to flag.

Among the many events planned for the pre-race activities is a 10 am local time Red Carpet Celebrity Walk. If things don't change, we'll all get to see celebrity rain gear.