Did you know?

...that the 3.5-liter, methanol-powered engines of IRL IndyCar Series cars produce more than 675 horsepower, more than four times that of the average street car?

...that each of the eight pistons in an IRL IndyCar Series engine travels nearly 1 mile up and down in the cylinder every minute?

...that each of the eight pistons in an IRL IndyCar Series engine is subjected to a maximum acceleration of 70,000 times the force of gravity?

...that the fuel mileage of an IRL IndyCar Series car is less than two miles per gallon? A car burns approximately 1.3 gallons of fuel per lap at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

...that an IRL IndyCar Series car accelerates from 0 to 100 mph in less than three seconds, more than nine seconds quicker than it takes a production Porsche 911 Turbo street car to reach the same speed?

...that the 1,525-pound IRL IndyCar Series cars generate 5,000 pounds of downforce at 220 mph, enough to allow the car to run upside down if that speed is maintained?

...the tread depth of an IRL IndyCar Series tire is 3/32nds of an inch - slightly thicker than a credit card?

...a front tire for the IRL IndyCar Series series weighs in at approximately 18 pounds - slightly less than the average weight of a 1-year-old child?

...at speed, the tread area of the racing tires approaches the temperature of boiling water (212 degrees Fahrenheit)? At those levels, the tread area actually becomes tar-like in consistency to help the tires and car adhere to the track.

...at any given moment on the racetrack, the total area of all four tires that is in contact with the track surface is equal to about 1 square foot? That means that an area not much bigger than a sheet of notebook paper is responsible for transferring all the technology and power generated by IRL IndyCar Series cars into speeds exceeding 220 mph.

...at speeds of 220 mph, the front tires of an IRL IndyCar Series car rotate at a rate of 43 times per second. That means, over the course of a single lap at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the front tire will experience approximately 1,955 revolutions, and the rear tires will experience 1,800 revolutions. Considering a normal fuel stint is 30 laps or more at Indianapolis, each tire could experience more than 60,000 revolutions before it is changed for a fresh set.

...that the draft (or the "hole" in the air) created by an IRL IndyCar Series car extends 25 feet behind the car?

...that while traveling approximately 220 mph, IRL IndyCar Series cars travel slightly more than the length of a football field in about one second?

...IRL IndyCar Series drivers endure G-forces equal to nearly four times the weight of gravity while going through turns? The space shuttle leaves the launching pad at Cape Canaveral with approximately the same force.