The 500

The finish line at Indy. 5/22/2010 dwm

When we lived in Indianapolis (2005 - 2012) the tent-pole event of the year was the Indianapolis 500.

In the first race in 1911 it took the winning driver 6 hours and 42 minutes to go the distance. The winning driver these days routinely finishes in 2 hours, 30 minutes, or less, averaging close to 200 miles per hour.

A large regret of our time in Indianapolis is that I never saw the 500 in person. I was there for several qualification and practice days, attended a Formula 1 race and even did 50 miles at the Brickyard on my bike!

The stadium and infield can host a good, or not so good, 350,000 fans to dance, party, carouse, and watch cars go 'round and round.'

The local TV station didn't show the race live, which was thought to hurt attendance, but on tape-delay in the evening so people could leave the track and watch the race again from their couch.

We were frequently invited to friends' houses on race day to gather for a picnic and listen on the radio while cheering for 'our' driver to take the checkered flag (my wife finished in the money our first year).

The 94-car on a practice lap. 5/22/2010 dwm

 It's a gigantic place, able to hold multiple stadiums (Lambeau, Yankee Stadium, etc) comfortably inside the track.

 The strongest memory from riding around the track was how long it took on my bike at 16 miles an hour, compared to the approximately 45 seconds it takes in an Indy car! I was doing well to do it in less than 9-and-a-half minutes.

 One year, our youngest son went with me on a practice day. We could walk behind the pits to see the cars, drivers, and pit crew up close. It seemed like he went home with a dozen driver autographs. The prized signature was by 500 winner Mario Andretti.

 

Coming out of the 1st turn. 5/22/2010 dwm photo

At the Formula One race we attended, the crowd was as interesting as the race with a large number of European fans who brought their own style to the Crossroads of America.

 

In that race, the leader and top driver Michael Schumacher was so far ahead at one point that he came into the pits, got fuel and tires and was back on the track before the second place driver could pass him!

 

It seemed most residents had some connection to the race - they were either going, helping in some way with a race-related activity, hosting a party, or knew people in the race. 

 

One of the people I met while in Indy was a minority owner of an Indy car, so for race weekend you don't need 6-degrees to connect to A.J. Foyt's playground.

 

Turn 1. 5/22/2010 dwm photo

 The sheer size of the venue creates its own gravity. If you put more than 300,000 fans in a stadium, you need them to start arriving early.

 Each race day morning, before six, the local stations were broadcasting live showing heavy traffic and long lines of cars crawling to park inside the track or find a front yard parking place in the city of Speedway which is itself surrounded by Indianapolis.

 

 Back in Wisconsin more than 10 years now, the "Biggest Spectacle in Racing" gets our attention with a box lunch like the Indy area grocery stores prepare for the big day.

"Drivers, start your engines!"