Richmond International Raceway has come alive with the first afternoon practice for the Silver Crown cars—the series that will have a preliminary event before the Suntrust Indy Challenge tonight. Always great to hear the roar of race cars—or in the case of the Indy cars, the high-pitched scream.

The big question hanging over the race tonight is: How big will the crowd be?

Past Indy car events have done quite well. Not the 110,000 sellout crowds that NASCAR boasts, but 60,000-plus. Track officials had hoped for more, what with Danica Patrick winning earlier this season and the merger of opposing Indy car factions guaranteeing a bigger field. But the rising price of gas and a generally lousy economy—and this week’s searing hot weather—have organizers wondering how big tonight’s crowd will be. If they get anywhere close to last year’s numbers, I think they can declare victory.