Super Dario

I had a hot pass for the Indy Car race and was able to watch the whole thing from pit road. I documented the day in a series of real time posts (!) which for your viewing pleasure can all be seen here.

I wasn't allowed in Victory Lane

But Dario Franchitti was, after winning the SunTrust Indy Challenge with a track record speed of 133.408 mph. His wife Ashley Judd (in purple) joined him as he raised the trophy.

Marco Andretti makes a pit stop

And they're off!

The green flag drops!

Look! Up in the sky!

The flag is parachuted in

Pre-race introductions

Milka Duno, Vitor Meira, and Tony Kanaan in the bullpen

A.J. Foyt IV (obscured), Tony Kanaan (7-Eleven suit), Kosuke Matsuura, Marco Andretti, and Danica Patrick

Helio Castroneves is introduced

Pole sitter Dario Franchitti

1:41 until this becomes the ultimate goal

Victory Lane is a gated community, closed to all but those who master the track and achieve dominance over the field.

You have to be ready with 1:53 to go

The guy in the white is an inspector, and he has a laptop hooked right in to the car. The car is running, and almost everything that can be measured, from RPMs to fuel intake, is restricted. P.S. You haven't lived until you've breathed in race car exhaust from five feet away.

2:54 until the green flag drops

It's race day, I'm at the track, and since no Indy Car event would be complete without a picture of Danica Patrick, here you go.

5:13 until these cars will be going 180 mph

Pre-race activity in the garage as the crews prepare Milka Duno's (#23) and Marco Andretti's (#26) cars.

5:29 until race time!

It's Indy Car day at RIR, and in the spirit of live blogging I am going to attempt to document the day's events in real time. Not the turn-by-turn results on the track -- for god's sake, just turn on the TV -- but activity in the pits and on the infield. We'll see how this goes. For now, the first quiet moments before everything heats up.