Brack

Race week is finally here. Since I spoke with you last, we have been preparing the car for race conditions. The car should be pretty good for the race on Sunday. We ran with full tanks and used tires to see how the car would handle in race trim. I feel that we have as good a chance as anybody out there to win the 500.

On Sunday, Bump day, we were out at the speedway and had our backup car ready to qualify in case we were bumped. Some people thought we were crazy to do that. When qualifying began, the conditions were perfect. The speeds were very fast and guys were qualifying faster than me. Michael (Andretti) even withdrew his qualified car and pulled out his backup car. He went over 228 mph and I started to think that we might have to qualify our backup car. Micheal was only two spots behind us and if the rain did not come, who knows what could have happened. I'm glad that the Target team was prepared us to run that day if we needed to.

This year's field is the fastest in the history of the speedway. How things have changed over the last few years. Can you believe that the whole field is separated by less than five mph?

It has the potential to be the most competitive Indy 500 ever. You look up and down the field of 33 cars and almost every car has a real shot to win this race. I think that this year is going to come down to pit stops and who is on the lead lap with 20 laps to go. We'll have some work ahead of us Sunday to get the Target car to the front, but I think that we'll be there at the end to challenge for the victory.

Some things have changed and others have stayed the same since I was here in 1999. The new pagoda tower is amazing! They have also added the Formula One garages with new luxury suites above them. I look forward to the day when I can come here and enjoy this race as a fan. I'm glad to see that they have kept most of the traditions alive, including the public drivers meeting and the Carb Day activities. It's great to keep that fans involved.

We are going to be a part of the pit stop competition this year. The Target guys are pretty pumped up about that. It is a chance for them to really shine and get some recognition, as well as some money! Our qualifying pit stop time was more than a half-second faster than the next team. I'm going to try hard to get that win for the guys -- they really deserve it.

We haven't had any on-track activities so far this week and I'm looking forward to getting back out on the track Thursday. That will be our last chance to make any adjustments to the car before Sunday's race. If you're going to be Indy this week, come on out to the Speedway and check out the festivities. It's a great day for the fans.

I'm taking a little time relaxing this week as we have seven races in the next eight weeks. Once Thursday comes, I won't have much time to take it easy from there on out. It's been an honor to be a part of the 86th running of the Indianapolis 500. It's the fastest field in history and will most likely be the most challenging as well. The winner of this year's race will have a lot of great cars to beat out there on the track and I hope that I'm leading the way on lap 200.

Hopefully, I'll be talking to you next week as the winner of the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing." Cheer me on this Sunday as I go for my second Indianapolis 500 victory. I could use a glass of milk ...

Kenny.

Kenny Brack, the driver of the No. 12 Lola for Target/Chip Ganassi Racing, is providing a diary to ESPN.com throughout the CART season.