Every year, in late May, I go with my buddy, Carl, to see the Indianapolis 500 mile race. Here in Lafayette, we are about 60 miles from the speedway. The race is always held on the Sunday just before Memorial Day. I've gone with Carl to every race since 1989 (I went to the race many times in my younger day but, then I got away from it for a long while). Carl started purchasing a block of five tickets about the time he finished his tour of duty with the U.S. Navy. Over time, he has improved his seating assignment to the point that he now has seats to die for - I kid you not. His tickets are all together on the top row (that's about 50 rows high) of the Northwest Vista which is on the outboard side of turn 4 of the speedway. Carl's brother and a son and daughter use the other tickets.
The track itself is a monster oval (it's actually a long rectangle with rounded corners) - it's 2.5 miles around and there is no vantage point anywhere where you can see the track in its entirety. Here is a web site for those who might want to see a formal schematic of the layout:
Indy 500 Track LayoutFrom our seats, we can see most of turn 3, the short "chute" between 3 and 4, all of turn 4, and about a third of the way down the main straightaway. The track was originally built in 1909 and was designed to accommodate machines of that era. Consequently, the turns are only banked at about 9° of arc which is very shallow compared to most other tracks. Today's Indy cars actually have front and rear wings (canards) which are designed to act in the reverse fashion of airplane wings. That is, they provide "down force" (as opposed to "lift") which enables the cars to stick to the track in the turns. It is mainly this feature which enables these cars to go at speeds in excess of 225 mph (362 kph) - that is the average speed for the entire circuit. Straightaway speeds are over 250 mph (402 kph).
We park about 2 miles north of the track and then walk the rest of the way (good exercise, huh?!). The Indy race is one of those things with no middle ground - you either love it or hate it. Some people, after seeing their first Indy 500, say it's the dumbest thing they've ever seen and vow never to go back. Lots of people (like me!) DO like it however and would go even if it snowed that day. Estimates of the attendance on race day vary from 300,000 to 400,000 people - the speedway management never releases official attendance figures. However, in terms of attendance, it's easily the biggest single day sporting event anywhere in the world. The starting field consists of 33 cars, all of which have qualified by going four laps at an average speed between about 220 and 225 mph.
Tradition reigns at an event like this and there are lots of ceremonial events that lead up to the start of the race. In the few hours prior to the start of the race, various celebrities and dignitaries ride around the track in special copies of the official pace car. The Purdue University marching band and several special motorcycle units of the Indianapolis Metro Police Department put on a special show for the spectators. About 20 minutes before the start of the race, there is a formal invocation which is followed by a moment of silence and the playing of "Taps" for those who died in the service of their country - remember, it IS Memorial Day Weekend!. And of course, because of the events of 9/11 in 2001, this has taken on added significance. Then, there is a flyover by an Air Force or Navy squadron. One year, it was four F-14 Tomcats; another year, it was four F-16 Falcons. And, sometimes, the B-2 Bomber comes whizzing overhead. Florence Henderson usually sings "God Bless America" and some celbrity then sings the National Anthem.
This all leads up to Jim Nabors' singing, "Back Home Again in Indiana." Most people will remember Nabors as the dim witted Gomer Pyle from the old TV series - it comes as quite a shock to some when they hear his beautiful, rich, baritone singing voice. And, then immediately following that, Mary Hulman George (owner of the speedway and daughter of the late Tony Hulman) gives the command, "Gentlemen, start your engines!" (Sometimes, the starting command has to be modified to accommodate any ladies who might be in the starting field.)
Unlike Formula One racing where the drivers stand next to their cars at the start, the Indy cars make what is known as a "flying start." The cars are lined up in eleven rows of three and they make two or three parade laps behind a pace car. Then, the pace car exits into the pits as they come off the fourth turn and the field comes down toward the start line at well over 200 mph. When those 33 cars come screaming through turn 4 just prior to the start of the race - well, let me just say that you can feel the electricity in the air - it's a charged moment unlike anything I have ever felt before. I can't begin to imagine what those 33 drivers must be feeling. I get a shiver and goose bumps just thinking about it.
"I love the smell of methanol in May!"
- Indy 500 Fan
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tfisher@ceris.purdue.eduCopyright © 2008 - Thomas R. Fisher, All Rights Reserved.
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