Morning update from Pocono

Good morning from Long Pond, PA. It's a few minutes before noon, and a cloud cover has moved in over Pocono Raceway. However, the clouds should soon pass, as the current forecast shows there is zero chance of rain for today's ABC Supply Co. 500.

One thing you constantly here about The Tricky Triangle is how different turns 1 and 3 are. Since the series returned to the track in 2013, drivers have constantly said that while they may be able to get one corner or the other correct, getting one corner AND the other correct is near impossible.

This morning, I experienced the difference between the two turns for myself, albeit on not the same scale as an IndyCar driver. Courtesy of the good people of Chevrolet as I took a ride in the Chevy SS pace car. Turn 1 is a long, 14 degrees, seemingly unending sweeper, where you feel the G-loads going through the turn. Three on the other hand is quicker turn with 6 degrees, where the key is to get the car under you headed onto the long main stretch.

Speaking of manufacturers, Honda's contract with INDYCAR expires in mid-September. While it has been rumored for some time that Honda will resign, pen has yet to be put to paper.

The #83 NovoLog FlexPen team was unable to rebuild Charlie Kimball's Chevrolet after yesterday's qualifying accident. The team has swapped Kimball's engine to a backup car, which so happens to be the same tub as the one damaged last year at Fontana in the crash Kimball had with Mikhail Aleshin.

We'll have more later.

Brian C. reporting for AutoRacing1