Homestead-Miami Test, Day 3

The drivers of the IndyCar - at least, those that have their contracts for 2009 already in place - took to the 1.5 mile Homstead-Miami Speedway oval for the second of their two scheduled test days on Wednesday. As was the case on Tuesday, this was a session that ran from late afternoon until 10pm, giving the squads more practice with running under the lights.

For the rookies to the series, the the past two days have been all about learning a new (for them) car &, in some cases, what driving at speed on an oval entails. "It's all about learning each time I go out - learning about running with traffic, how the tires come in, just things with setup like aero changes, mechanical changes," Dryer & Reinbold driver Mike Conway told reporters. "They all feel quite different. I've really got a feel as to what the car is doing and how it's reacting to each change. I've been learning how to run in different lines and how to react in traffic...Each day was another positive step. It was a good test overall."

While the veteran drivers were not necessarily concerned with simply achieving the fastest speed, their familiarity with the cars & track did show through, as they tended to find themselves at the top of the speed charts. Team Penske driver Ryan Briscoe notched the top mark of the day with a lap at just over 212 mph. Scott Dixon and Marco Andretti both topped the 211 mph mark.

For those drivers who have not yet secured a ride for 2009, but are still trying to, the past two days were a chance to wander the paddock & keep networking. Oriol Servia, Tomas Scheckter, Ryan Hunter-Reay, AJ Foyt IV & Bruno Junqueira were among the hopefuls doing just that. "It's tough for the drivers, and it's tough for the teams," Servia mused. "It makes you wonder what we have to do. I'm here because I want to do this. I haven't looked at any other series, because this is what I believe, and I believe in the product." 

There still may be a seat or two in the offing: Dryer & Reinbold, Rahal-Letterman, HVM & KV Racing Technologies all have cars at the ready if suitable sponsorship funding can be found. Also, the former Roth Racing organization is still on the market. At one point, the rumor mill had former CCWS driver Nelson Philippe looking into purchasing it, but I haven't heard anything further on that for about a month now.