Just back from my first Indy 500. All I can say is Wow. People can say what they want about going around in circles and how they hate the new cars but this was the best race I've ever attended in my 50 yrs on this earth. Luckily I had covered seats and we only parked about two blocks from the speedway. Yes, it was a huge crowd but the speedway has been doing this for over a century and know how to move this many people in and around the facility. The opening ceremony was awesome. When they played Taps and you saw soldiers in Kuwait watching and the silence and respect that a crowd this size could give, lets just say there were a lot of teary eyed race fans at that moment. The racing was great and the race went really quick. The digital scoreboard on the side of the cars is very cool. It really helped at the end of the race trying to figure out who was in what place. I plan to go back every year if possible and make this a tradition with my family from here on out. The United States can screw things up from time to time and this current election has most of us a little down, but the Indy 500 is one of our shining stars and really makes you proud to be an American. If anyone has thoughts of going, just do it, you won't be disappointed.
Great review, someone gets it! I couldn't have said it better myself. There was a guy there they celebrated his 90th consecutive race attendance. That is amazing.
Being from Indiana originally and still just 95 miles from Indianapolis over here in the great state of OHIO, me and my buddies went for about 10 yrs straight in late 80's/'90's. At the time, we went for the party...the infield bash...looking thru peepholes in the girls bathrooms and stuff. We'd camp out for 3 days. Come race day, we were too wore out from drinking/partying for 2 days straight and usually were passed out in the grass when the race started. Id wake up long enough to see a blur of colors go screaming by. Good times. I should go again, but now to actually watch the racing and stuff. How was the new look on the outside of the track at the front straight?
Next time go a bit early and catch the other racing going on. There is the Silver Crown cars on the mile, the "Carb Night Classis" Silver Crown at Lucas Oil Raceway (IRP), The Tony Hulman Classic sprint car race at Terra Haute, The "Little 500" Sprint race in Anderson (This one is nuts, 3 wide start on a 1/4 mile high bank paved oval complete with pit stops). It is truly a race lovers dream month. Most of those races are within a week of the 500. And if you have never seen Champ Dirt Cars on a mile you have never seen cool racing. Right up there with GNC flattrack for the cool factor.
Indiana Sprint Week and Indiana Midget Week, pretty good racing. Kyle Larson came out and won 2 nights in a row at different tracks in his midget.
The new seats are larger and have cup holders. The big difference is at 16th and Georgetown Rd. There's a roundabout there now, and a huge spectator sidewalk area, much easier to get in, plus a bunch more entrances.
I've been to about 30 Indy 500's, and I have to say this was the best one I've ever been to. I couldn't believe all the lead changes, and a safe race. My friend drove the 1912 race winning car on the legends parade laps. The car was a National. He said it's hard to imagine driving that car on the rough gravel track they had.
