We did spend a good chunk of the race life-chatting as well, which I thought was hilariously wonderful – how often do you get to catch up with friends like that at the Indianapolis 500, of all places! – but of course, I had my eye on the race too. And of course, there was another race fan in our little group of people, so the big questions I just bounced back-and-forth with him.
Beyond that, I will echo the cliché of so many people before me and say that you can’t really explain the experience of physically being at the Indianapolis 500. All I’ll say is that with the weather as good as it often is there, and the friends that will doubtless surround you, it is absolutely unforgettable!
Once we got towards the business end of things, conversations between the two IndyCar fans in the group got heavier as the fuel drama played out in front of it. It almost became a battle of who could report to everyone around us what IndyCar Radio had just said on air first! We were constantly asking questions, trying to figure out who was in the best position.
I think we only figured out that it was Alexander Rossi with about two laps to go. When he took the white flag, I made the unfortunate judgment call based off of a screen waaaaaaay on the other side of Turn 3 that Rossi had run out (he was running that slow, to be fair!), and I proceeded to yell that to everyone around me – and then look like an idiot when he made it around one more time and actually won the thing. So for the second time in this article, I owe you an apology, Alex!
Me, being the loyalist to the sport that I am, stuck around (as did our whole crew) to see everything up to the parade lap Rossi got post-race. Of course we cheered our heads off for him – call it lucky pit strategy if you want, but it does take a driver of immense talent in order to actually execute what Bryan Herta drew up!
It was only in my two-mile return trip to my car that I began to take it all in and understand what I had just seen. Never mind the fact that I thought the actual racing was great too – I know Jacob would say that I’m placing too much value on the entertainment and not enough on the racing if I love the fact that this current technical package makes it nearly impossible to hang on to the lead at Indianapolis, but I love the racing that this package provides, and I have a good feeling that I am going to be really sad when they retire the DW12.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that every Indy 500 since its inception has been the best race of the “Big Three” held each Memorial Day weekend. But I had seen one of the greatest races in a long time at IMS, and my reward upon my return to my sleeping quarters for the weekend was dinner with another very dear friend of mine, a big burger, and pitcher of Budweiser (which I, in the spirit of the day, affectionately called a pint of America!)
But all of that isn’t to say that the Indianapolis 500 was the only big event that stands out to me that took place at Indianapolis. The Brickyard 400 is there too!
The feeling on the front end of that one, however, was much different. With the 500, it was about finally seeing that race in person and experiencing it firsthand. With the 400, it was about paying homage to a certain native Hoosier on home soil one final time.
The experience ended up being much different during the race too, since I had no one to meet up with. I made sure to stop by the live Q&A at the Chevrolet tent when Smoke rose up on stage, but beyond that, it was just me, a headset, a bottle of Powerade, and an inexplicably hot July afternoon.
