Luyendyk Jr.

It's been a while since I've raced in the Infiniti Pro Series. After the last race at Phoenix, I went to Europe for 10 days to see my grandparents and family, went snowboarding for a week in Vail, and hung out at home and relaxed for this weekend's race. It's a rough life.

I've also been trying to keep up with my fitness. I've slacked off a little bit, but I had to get back at it to get in shape for the 500 Festival Mini Marathon here in Indy at the beginning of the month. I caught the flu a couple of days before the race, so I was a little out of shape, but I completed the whole thing in an hour and 52 minutes. I was disappointed, but considering I was sick, I was still happy with it.

This week is the inaugural Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and I think it's a great step up for the Infiniti Pro Series to race at the Speedway. Most of us want to be in the IRL IndyCar Series and want to drive in the Indianapolis 500, and there's no better place to hone your skills. It's only logical to have a race there, and we really want to win it. We're all honored to drive at the Speedway.

As for my preparations for the Freedom 100, we tested at Indy at the end of April. We had a motor let go, so we didn't get much track time, but we learned a lot from the track. It's a different perspective in the driver's seat. The track is narrow, and all four corners are very different. I have new respect for all the IndyCar Series drivers after testing there.

I'm very pleased to have a new sponsor for the Freedom 100. Smith & Wesson has joined us for this race. They have been a safety and security company for over 150 years, and I'm proud to bring their heritage to the Speedway. It would be great to get our first win there and combine Smith & Wesson's heritage with the tradition of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In addition, our sponsor for the whole year, Grill 2 Go, has stepped up to be our primary sponsor for this event. I'm happy they did that. Without them, we wouldn't even be here.

	Arie Luyendyk, left, and Arie Luyendyk Jr. are both in action at Indy during May.

Although our race isn't until May 17, I've been at the track all month watching my dad. I've actually been spotting for him in practice, since he's my spotter for our series. I have a lot more respect for my dad after spotting. I was more stressed-out spotting than I ever have been in the race car.

I've been going to Indy with my dad since as far back as I can remember. This is his 17th race. I'm 21, so I've been going to the track since I was four, but I've never witnessed him win the race. The first time I was nine or 10 years old and I was in day care in the infield, so I watched it on TV in the day care center.

The second time he won, there was a long rain delay, and the race ended up being run on a Tuesday. My dad was in fourth place, so I thought, 'He's going to finish fourth'. I had to be somewhere, so I went to the airport. Of course, in the airport I watched him go from fourth to first, so I went back to the track. Both times that he's won, I've never been there to witness it.

As for me, I'm still looking for my first win in the Infiniti Pro Series, and it would be an added bonus if it was in the inaugural Freedom 100. Last year, I finished second four out of seven times, but that first win eluded us. I'd like to change my luck, and it would be great to get my first win at Indy.

We're fifth in points, so I'd really take anything in the top three. I know what it takes to win a championship, and that's finishing up front. But if there's one race I want to win this year, it's the Freedom 100. Everyone wants to win at Indy.

Infiniti Pro Series driver Arie Luyendyk Jr. will be providing a diary to ESPN.com throughout the 2003 season. Luyendyk's Web site can be found at www.arieluyendyk.com. The official Infiniti Pro Series Web site is www.indyproseries.com. The Freedom 100 marks the first time in Speedway history that another automobile race will share the famous 2½-mile oval in the month of May with the Indianapolis 500. It will be a 40-lap, 100-mile race for up-and-coming drivers in the Indy Racing League's official development series. The event will be broadcast live at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN2.