KEY POINTS:
The Indianapolis 500 at the Motor Speedway makes up part of the Triple Crown of motorsport along with the 24 Hour Le Mans and the Monaco Grand Prix. To some purists, it's the most coveted of the three.
Just making the grid takes a month of practice and
qualifying to be one of the privileged 33 to take part in the greatest motor racing spectacle in the greatest stadium in motorsport.
And best of all it's a Kiwi, Scott Dixon, who will have a clear track in front of him come Monday morning (NZT). This is the first time a Kiwi has sat on pole in the 92 runnings of this iconic race and it's Dixon's third pole in five races of the IRL series so far. A superb start to the season.
"Pole means a lot to the driver as you have to push so hard for the speed on pole day," says Dixon. "But as far as preparing you for the race, pole doesn't mean that much. As long as you start on the first three rows it's probably enough to win the race. But pole does give you the bragging rights for a couple of weeks."
Dixon's car has shown scintillating pace over the run-up to race day and has been consistently setting the fastest speeds. And despite Dixon playing down the significance of the No 1 slot, history shows there have been 18 winners from grid one, more than any other starting position.
"The car's been decent. We had some bad early parts of the day but we always managed to work our way through it and get the speed back and make the car more driveable and be quickest at the end of the day," says the 27-year-old.
There's unfinished business for Dixon. His 2007 season was one of narrow disappointment when he and the team came up just short in both the championship and the big one - the Indy500 - in part to fuel miscalculations and plain bad luck. Finishing close seconds in both title attempts may have entertained the crowd but not Dixon and his Target Chip Ganassi Racing team.
After being denied victory last year due to rain delays, the 2003 IRL champion is on a mission to get his first, elusive Indy500.
"Last year's 500 was a funny one," says Dixon. "It was still a win but it didn't come from racing. Taking nothing away from Dario [Franchitti, last year's winner], although I came second I didn't really do anything. The weather really controlled that race but it looks like it's going to be fine for the weekend so let's hope we have a dry race."
Experience helps at Indy a lot. If you don't give the track respect, that's when it's going to come back and bite you hard. Cars get up to around 390km/h and the smallest of mistakes will result in the biggest of messes.
"From year to year the conditions change," says Dixon. "Each time the drivers turn up at the speedway there's something new and the drivers are constantly learning. It's a hard track to chase and you can have a pretty crap day pretty quickly."
Weather plays a big part in how fast the teams go, says Dixon. "The temperature of the track surface affects how well the tyres work. If the wind gets up, it'll buffet the cars around, upsetting their balance. You can get all four seasons in a day here. On light downforce, any bit of wind affects the car."
The Ganassi team has had their eye on winning this race right from the start of the season and this could explain the speed of Dixon's car and his early dominance over the other drivers at Indy.
"You've got to be careful to hold what's been going on pre-season close to your chest," says Dixon. "Indy's a funny one too. As soon as you put new parts on the car everyone else is out there trying to copy them. The team has been doing a lot aerodynamically over the winter for Indy. Normally they don't start until January but they were into it back in November."
The amount of information being processed at any one time by these drivers at such enormous speeds beggars belief. Not only are conversations happening back and forth between drivers and the pits, these guys have to be aware of other cars around them, avoid hitting the wall, work out how to pass the guy in front and concentrate on the balance of the car and fuel consumption. It's a constant flow of delicate calculations, hurried communications and narrowly avoided collisions.
"Indy's an easy place to get into an over-confident situation," says Dixon. "The car's really good and everything's going to plan and we'll just cruise around, and the next thing is the car's facing backwards heading to the wall and you're going so fast it's going to bloody hurt."
On his chances of adding his name to the illustrious list already on the Borg Warner trophy, Dixon says: "To win a race at the 500 you'd take it anyway, but for a driver you'd far prefer it ran through the normal length of the race and have all your strategies work out.
"My biggest threat will be my teammate, Dan [Wheldon], as he's got the same equipment and he's won here before. Penske are always quick but they've been a little off this year and haven't really challenged. Helio [Castroneves] may be leading the championship but he's been lucky to gain the points he has."
Trying to pick a winner is difficult. Luck plays a huge part in this 200-lap race and as long as a driver is in the hunt and among the top dozen towards the latter stages, they're in with a chance. Ladies and gentlemen, get that couch organised, sit back and enjoy.
* The Indy 500 will broadcast on ESPN on Monday at 5:30am.
* They've been racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 1911 - it's a curious old track with some curious traditions:
THE TRACK
The Indy circuit was opened in 1909 as a test and competition facility. After the first series of races cut up the original crushed-stone and tar surface, it was decided to pave the 2.5-mile (4km) rack with 3.5 million bricks - hence its name, "the Brickyard". The only ones visible now are at the start-finish line, where the winner traditionally kneels and kisses the ground.
DISTANCE
The distance, 500 miles, was decided in 1911 when Speedway leader Carl Fisher decreed the event would last approximately seven hours.
VISION
The rear vision mirror was invented for the first Indy500 in 1911 when winner, Ray Narroun, used one for the first time as he was the only driver in the race not to have a riding mechanic to check oil pressure and let the driver know when another car was approaching.
BREAKING FOR THE WAR
Since the first race in 1911, the only years that the Indy500 hasn't run were 1917, 1918, 1942, 1943, 1944, and 1945.
BALLOONS
It is believed that 1947 was the first year Mary French Hulman released multi-coloured balloons on race morning, and by 1950 the release had been timed to coincide with the start, as it does to this day.
MILK
Not only do winners kiss the ground, they are expected to drink a bottle of milk after the race. Three-time winner Louis Meyer regularly drank buttermilk, which he did in Victory Lane after his third win in 1936.
GASOLINE ALLEY
Gasoline Alley originally referred to the corner where the fuel was located and, over a number of years, was applied to the entire complex. It is now the nickname for the garage area where the racecars are kept.
BORG-WARNER TROPHY
The Borg-Warner Trophy, awarded to the winner of every Indy500 since 1936, is crafted out of sterling silver. And for 68 years the winner has had their face embossed on the trophy.
BUMP DAY
Bump Day refers to the final day of qualifying. It's theoretically the day on which it is possible to post a speed fast enough to eliminate - or "bump" - the slowest car currently still in the fastest 33.
CARB DAY
Refers to the last day of practice when teams could tune their carburettors for the atmospheric conditions before the race. The name remains despite 1963 being the last time cars used carbs.
FLAGS
Green flag: Start of practice, qualification and all restarts.
White flag: Shown when race leader starts the final lap or a driver has started the final lap of qualifying.
Solid blue or with diagonal orange stripe: Move over and let the fast guy past.
Red flag: Race stops immediately.
Black flag: Driver whose number is displayed next to board must pull in to the pits and speak to a track official.
Black flag with white cross: The car has ceased to be scored until further notice.
Yellow flag: Signals hazardous conditions and cars must slow and maintain position. During qualification the attempt is halted.