A Report On The Accident That Killed Bill
Vukovich In The 1955 Indianapolis 500-Mile-Race
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A Report On The Accident That Killed Bill Vukovich In The 1955 Indianapolis 500-Mile-Race
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Indy Fan Attendance Guide Updated May 11, 2008 In order to help those who have never been to an Indianapolis 500-Mile-Race and are reluctant to go because of lack of knowledge of what to expect etc., I am going to give away virtually all of my secrets to attending the Indy 500 and the Month of May. By doing this I am only hurting myself as it will only make it more difficult to get motels, rental cars and other reservations – especially if people take advantage of this especially now that there has been unification of Open Wheel Racing. I feel I have pretty much mastered going to this race and I am willing to let my secrets out in the interest of increasing interest and attendance and help to rebuild with new fans and help those who have never been to get out and go by answering many of the vexing questions that fans need answered. Since the split happened in 1996 going to Indy has been pretty much a breeze by comparison to what it used to be before that with motels and airlines not as full, more availability of rental cars and just the overall less volume of fans. Now that the split has ended all that will get much more difficult. So combined with that enormous development, this section could help to make everything more tedious but that pretty much is the name of the game out there. These instructions are very long and very detailed. It may sound like overkill but in order to get the most out of Indy you've got to be prepared in all areas Some of it you may not totally agree with and have even better ideas. (I have certainly not thought of everything). And then your general theme for the Month might be different than mine. You may want to party as opposed to treating it like a family outing or conducting yourself as an ultra serious race fan. But this is fine because that is what Indy is all about – doing your own thing whatever that may be. Many of these instructions are general and helpful to everyone to get them off the ground regardless of their ultimate approach and execution of their own Indy Experience. Going to Indy is a very daunting task if you don't live there and this will answer many of the pressing questions and break down the mental barriers and unknowns that prevent people from making that jump to actually going there and doing it – attending the greatest sporting event in the world. As one first time race goer said after attending his first race in 2007 "I can safely say I will be attending every year for the rest of my life". As you can see if you go you will not be sorry.
Race Tickets Now is the time to get your tickets. Now that the split is over things will be getting a lot more difficult. Tickets can be obtained by calling the Speedway or going online https://imstix.brickyard.com/inettix/OnlineTicketing.aspx. If at all possible obtain your own ticket. There is a certain amount of pride in having your own ticket even if it isn't the best location. You can work your way up that way and there are also some other fringe benefits that go along with it. You might stand a better chance of getting badges and Victory Celebration tickets and other perks if you are in the mix with your own ticket. If the race sells out you cannot get on the list for tickets until after the 2008 race. In the meantime you have to go to the aftermarket to obtain tickets. The big question is where is the best place to view the race? The best place is Grandstand E either upper or lower deck. But getting good seats in this grandstand would be very difficult at best on your first try. This location is something you must work up to as with other good grandstands. Here are the grandstands, in order, that provide the best seating.
The Speedway has an excellent seating chart map on their web site. Note in this satellite image you can see divisions and other indicators separating the various grandstands. From this chart you will be able to decide with a fairly high level of certainty what your seat may be like. You can project yourself into that grandstand and see what kind of view you might have. This track is a very large facility and even with the charts and photos the distances can be difficult if not impossible to completely judge and predict. Also, there are vast distances from one end of some grandstands to the other. It might help to specify on your order at least which end of a grandstand you'd like to be. When selecting your grandstand you will get three choices. Put your preferences in the order desired. Try to be realistic in your choices. Always include one medium level grandstand that has a good chance of having good seats that you'd be happy with because that is probably where you'll wind up sitting. You can shoot for the moon on one Grandstand and, who knows, you might get lucky. Height is important around this place but you can specify that you want to be high up but it may not help a bit. It is primarily just the luck of the draw. Also, the larger number of seats you request, the less chance you have of getting higher seats and good locations. You should limit your seat selections to two or three maximum. Try to think in the future. If you get lucky and get what you want you may not want to change. But if you want to add another seat to the list, you will be forced to change your location. So decide on the number of seats you will want for now and into the foreseeable suture. Two is probably the best all around number. If you order a ticket through the mail use a U.S, Postal Money Order. By doing so eliminates the possibility of something going awry with a check and prevent you from getting your ticket or any ticket at all. After you send in your order you will probably receive a post card saying your order has been received and being processed. You may not hear anything at all after that and you might just receive your tickets with no other correspondence. The tickets are usually sent out in the February/March time frame. When you get them, you will be pretty excited. You can if you prefer buy your tickets after market. You will probably pay a lot more than face value for them if you have a great location. The track will probably be sold out for the race and virtually all of the good seats already are. The prices in the after market go up on those. Bear in mind that buying a ticket after market does NOT give you the right to that ticket locaton so don’t go into the ticket office the morning after the race and expect to renew it for next year. Only the person whose name is listed on that ticket with the Speedway has that right -- hence another reason to have your own ticket. Many people who buy tickets after market fall into this trap and are very disappointed. Don’t be one of them. Also, if you do obtain an official ticket of your own from the Speedway do not sell it for an inflated price. The Speedway has ways of tracking some of this and they could revoke your ticket privileges. If you buy a ticket and can’t go to the race, it is o.k. to sell it for face either on the internet, to a broker or private party as long as the buyer knows they do not have the right to renew it and do not plan on selling it for inflated prices themselves. If all else fails and you can't sell it for some reason, give it to a friend or give it to some kid that otherwise couldn't go and make a new fan. Again, now that the split is over, expect the ticket situation to tighten up drastically.
Race Packages and Approximate Costs There are several race packages that will work and provide a well rounded visit to the "500" activities and, if handled efficiently, for a reasonable cost. Cost estimates are for one person but a second person does not raise the cost substantially. #1 The Race Package 1-7 Days. -- Arrive on Tuesday, attend Community Day, Infinity Practice, Carburetion Day, The Drivers Meeting, Parade, Nostalgia Show, The Party, The Race and Victory Banquet and all other sites as time allows. With this plan you can adjust the number of days right down to just going to the race. But it is highly recommended that you at least come in early enough to see Carburetion Day to get a feel for the cars, how they sound and look on the track, learn to identify the cars and familiarize yourself with the operation and layout of the track. It would be a very daunting task indeed to make your first visit to Indianapolis a race day. Approximately $1800.00. #2 The Bubble Day and Race Package 10 Days -- The same as the race package with the last weekend of qualifications added at the front which includes Bubble Day. Approximately $2000.00. #3 The Practice and Pole Day Qualifying Package 7 days -- Come in on the first day after Rookie Orientation, watch the Indy Cars practice during the week, attend Pole Day and Qualifications the following day with time on Monday to see some other sites. You can see a lot with this package as there will be a lot of running on the track and you'll be able to get in the garages and get up close to the teams. Approximately $1200.00. #4 The All Three Weeks Package -- Here you stay all month and attend virtually all activities from Rookie Orientation right on through the Victory Celebration. Approximately $3,000.00 With the split being over some of the prices may go up. Motels will probably start charging more for the three day weekend packages. It is going to be very volatile in the area for some time. Airlines If you are far enough away that you need to fly, make your reservations early especially if you are traveling to and from Indy close to race time. Plane flights close to the race and right after the race fill up fast. If you don’t make your reservations early you might not be able to get out for four or five days after the race. Make reservations as early as possible, probably in February or as soon as you decide your race package. Now that unification has happened, make them even earlier. Coming into Indy airport in the Month of May is a fun experience. You’ll be excited and you’ll find the people very friendly. If you sit on the right side of the plane and the wind is right and the planes are landing from the east you’ll be able to see the track on your right shortly before landing. Try to catch an early flight because you will need enough time to get to Indy, get your rental car, get the motel and room and get situated for the next day when you'll make your first trip to the track. If it isn’t your first trip, you may want to go out to the track that day. But for your first visit you should get a good nights sleep so you are fresh the next morning for your first venture out to the Brickyard. It will be an experience you will never forget.
Rental Cars It is advisable to reserve a Rental Car pretty early on – February or March. Again, with the split being on, rental cars have been fairly plentiful. With reunification this will tighten up considerably. Before the split it was imperative to reserve a car at least two months before the Month of May. Rental companies would run out and try to get other cars from out of town but sometimes were unable to do so. It is also advisable to re-check your rental car reservations before you leave to make sure your reservation didn’t fall between the cracks or worse. This falls under the "everything falls apart in Indy in May syndrome" when all the normal rules go out the window because of the crush of people. Ordinarily the cost of the rental cars do not increase during May like some of the other amenities do. If you can get a compact and not a subcompact it will just make things more fun and the radios and CD players are of higher quality. Music will play a large part in your trip so keep it in mind. Keep in mind also, that you will be excited when you arrive, want to get in the rental car and drive off immediately. Don't do this. Take some extra minutes to familiarize yourself with the operation of the car, how to work the air conditioner, the radio, CD player, windshield wipers and make sure your paperwork and seatbelts are on when you exit the facility.
Hotels/Motels There are plenty of good hotels and motels in the Indianapolis area. The big issue here is what level of accommodations you prefer and race weekend costs. Most hotels and motels raise their rates considerably for race weekend and some for qualifications. And many if not most of them require you to buy a three-day race package (Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights) even if you plan on staying only one night. The cost of the three day packages could begin to rise now that there has been unification. The more inexpensive the motel, the lower the three-day rate is. The farther you go out the lower the 3 day rate is. (But not ALWAYS true.) The location of the motel/hotel depends on your race package. If you’re going to practice and will be going back and forth to the Speedway then you will want to stay fairly close to the track. That means the West Side where there are plenty of motels in various price ranges and it is more fun out there as well. If you are only going to the race you might be better off straying far enough away from the track to get lower rates, driving in for the race in the morning and then driving back after the race. Other considerations on Motels are noise and room locations. The cheaper motels tend to have rowdier people and on race weekend can get pretty rowdy. This is part of the game and there is nothing you can do so don’t plan on complaining to the management. Even the drivers in the Brickyard Crossing Motel have to put up with the racket on the night before the race. If you plan on total peace and quiet stay farther out. The biggest noise problems are Pole Day and Race Day weekends and the closer to the track you are the more noise you will experience. Also, try to get a room which faces away from the Interstate or main streets if they are nearby. That will help. Badges If you are going to be in for practice and qualifying it is wise to obtain a bronze badge. This will get you into the track everyday, ability to pass in and out freely without charge, entrance to the garage area, entrance to Carburetion Day an other days requiring admission and sometimes can get you some parking privileges (but don't count on it.) But the badges do not get you in on Race Day! There also is a Silver Badge but unless you are directly connected to the race in some way you probably will not be able to get one. The Silver Badges let you get into most areas. But the Bronze Badge will give you just about everything you reasonably need. There isn’t much use in getting out on Pit Road because you might get in the way and you can get pretty close anyway from behind the pit road fence. There are a limited supply of the Bronze Badges so phone the Speedway in the middle of January and ask to get on the mailing list for the badges. In about March you will receive an application form and waiver to sign. Fill it out as soon possible and send it in. Use a U.S. Postal Money order as payment. Later on you will receive the badge. The cost is $100.00 but that is a bargain. One note of caution. Be very careful when entering the Garage Area. It is a lot of fun to rub elbows with the teams but keep your eyes and ears open. There are cars and golf carts everywhere and you don’t want to get in anybody’s way or be hit by a vehicle. Give all cars and teams the COMPLETE right of way. And you must dress appropriately. Those instructions and others will be given to you when you receive the badge applications and badges. Also, do not loan the badges to anybody to use. They need to be able to identify you in the event of an accident and if you are caught loaning the badge you will lose your privileges or pay a large fine to get back on the list. Once you get on the list you will remain and then get a form for next year automatically. If you are only going to be in for race week obtaining a badge is not cost effective unless you just want to collect them. They do have a good collector value. After the month is over, fill out the form which was mailed with the badge and mail it back in. And another note regarding this -- bear in mind the Speedway Personal handle three races which they gradually phase into and out of. They start phasing into the "500" about mid January. If you don’t get a form for badge renewal do not hound them as they have specific dates they send these forms out. A short call might be in order to make sure they haven’t sent the forms out but don’t bug them. They have a lot going on and they will get things done right. They are the best. What You Will Be Looking At When You Go To The 500 Primarily you will be watching drivers try to achieve fame and glory on the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Driving at Indianapolis is highly dangerous -- not as dangerous as it used to be -- but still highly dangerous and by far the most dangerous on the IRL circuit and in all other forms of racing. But the drivers are willing to risk it in going for a starting position and a victory at the Speedway because of what it means. Most if not all drivers in other circuits would never try it. Some drivers are willing to risk it more than others and have a much better chance of getting in the show. Others are not. You will be able to see which ones are and which ones are not. But never sell any driver who has competed at Indy short. If they are out there running, if they have qualified and competed in a race, they are brave. Some are braver than others, some with better skill sets and better cars to attack the challenge. Maybe a lot of these drivers are not quite as bodaciously brave as those from the 1950s. But they are still something very, very special and never forget it. The cars are safer now, but they are faster. It takes a whole lot of wild abandonment to run full throttle into turn one and not let up. The consequences are still much more than a five yard penalty. You will see careers made and broken long before the Month of May begins and during the Month of May as well. You will see drivers there for the first time who might have things happen to them that will propel them to a victory somewhere in the following years. You will see drivers for the last time who have things happen which will make it impossible for them to continue or strip their nerve to the bone. You WILL see it -- maybe more than once. All of the other activities -- the airlines, the motels, the rental cars, the crowds, the grandstands, the parties, the hamburger places, the guys looking at the girls and vice versa -- are ancillary to the main issues -- watching these drivers get the rides, practice, try to qualify for and win the Indianapolis 500 in the face of extreme danger. For some there won't be a lot of fanfare when they come in and less fanfare when they go out. Every lap a driver makes could be their last. Some of them will just disappear and never be seen around that place again. Some of them you think you have seen for the last time will then will show up out of the woodwork. And for some there will be no be announcement, no news bulletin, nothing posted on the internet when their last lap is taken. They will just be gone and it will be up to you to see it. And you may see it but not remember it. So keep your eyes open all the time. Some drivers are more serious at doing this than others. They are not going to win this race without being one of the serious ones or be with one of the serious teams, And you will see that. They won't have enough intestinal fortitude to push on the throttle enough during practice sessions, those critical four laps of qualifying and most importantly during the race when it all comes down to a wild sprint to the finish. Or maybe they won't have the equipment. Both driver and car owner must be totally committed to win and have the resources to do it. And most drivers won't even try it. Virtually all F-1 drivers have said they would not race in the 500 and same seems true for NASCAR. As Rusty Wallace once said, he would not get out of an electric chair to drive an Indy car. Some drivers are pretty brave for a while and then get scared if something happens and they retire to another less dangerous form of racing like NASCAR. To a lesser degree there are car owners who are attempting the same thing as the drivers. Most of this group are sportsmen, businessmen who do it as a hobby, businessmen who do it as business, businessmen who have no business doing it and men who have business doing it without the business means to do it. Some of them will make it and others won't. But it is all interesting. And within this group are owners who provide the equipment to those lucky drivers who work themselves into a position to get their first ride, make an impression on an owner without hurting themselves or somebody else in the process and walking that fine line that gets them a top flight ride capable of coming home first at the Indy 500. It is opportunities sometimes made months or years before the race and other opportunities which are made just minutes before the final gun on bump day. Drivers may be out there one day and never return. Sam Hornish Jr. may have never returned after 2000 when he spun in practice in Turn Four and damaged his one and only car. Fortunately, they had enough time and were able to put it back together and he kept practicing. He wound up making the race, made a respectable showing and subsequently got a ride with the Pennzoil Panther Team and we know the rest. Just remember, every time a driver goes out on that track, each lap may be his last. Or it might be the beginning of many successful laps in the future.
Preparation Before Leaving The preparation before leaving is one of the most crucial aspects of going to Indy. There are several very important things to remember and keep in mind to help guarantee a flawless trip. Probably most important is having all of your ducks in row at home before leaving. It is extremely difficult to take care of all issues at home and open a 3 week or even a 10 day window. Be prepared to spend a month doing it because you must clear the decks of all issues at home so you can stay focused on the race. Once you get back there you are going to be completely immersed in everything and you may not even think about home. The last thing you want is to have some pressing issue back home preventing you from having the best time that you can. It is pretty impossible to escape all issues and responsibilities back home but you can at least minimize them and put them on the back burner for some time. Of course, what this means is that after you get home you will be swamped with issues. But you'll just have to put that in the back of your mind until you return. There should be very few events that would prevent you from going to the race or cause you to come home. They include things like births, deaths or impending death, serious illness, marriages and graduations. But there isn't much beyond that. It is a good idea to let all of your immediate family members know where you are going and how long you're going to be gone and what it means to you and build a seven day buffer period before and a three day period after your trip to decompress. Let people know you will not be taking anything on for seven days before you leave. This helps considerably and people will steer away from you if they realize the importance of what you're doing. And it works in the subsequent years as people become used to it. But, there is always that person who might try to lay some responsibilities on you anyway so make a little time in your plan to deal with a few of these but overall limit help to the dire necessities. It is very difficult to prepare for a trip of this magnitude. The old adage the job expands to meet the deadline is so true here. Take care of the small things weeks in advance. You'll probably find yourself doing things at the last second before you leave for the airport anyway. But that is o.k. as long as everything gets done. You've got to make that extra effort the last two days to line it all up yet still stay calm and rested. Do not push yourself too hard on travel days. Be ready and have everything packed the night before you leave so you can get enough sleep. The day most likely to make a mistake is a travel day so take it slow and think. A mistake here -- losing something important you can't replace or some other type of mishap -- is mostly likely to occur on travel days and it could create a bad spin for the entire project. Dialing In Time For Problems Even after all this there are going to be problems and adjustments. Dial in some time and expect to spend some time dealing with these things after your arrival. Some examples include unexpected problems with the car rental, motel and probably most common the items you didn't think of or forgot and have to buy at the store. If that happens drive to W. 38th Street as there are stores for just about anything you need on that street -- clothing stores, drug stores, electronic stores etc. If you do have a problem you need to spend time with, deal with it right away so it doesn't weigh on your mind. Just take the extra time you've dialed in and solve it as soon as possible. Staying Informed During The Month Even though you are right in the middle of the action sometimes it is difficult to stay informed about everything. You can almost stay better informed at home. When you are at the track you're in a bit of an information vacuum. What this requires is having internet at the motel so you can check all of the web sites such as Indy Star, IRL, Indianapolis 500, Associated Press, the racing newsgroups and search AP and Reuters news databases. In addition, listening to local radio is helpful. Talk of Gasoline Alley rarely has anything on the day's Speedway activities but there are other shows on local stations discuss current open wheel issues. The key to staying really informed is to search the news databases on the Internet. Here stories from newspapers all over make their way to the database. Local papers stress their local angles and thereby shed light on certain subjects. The Indy 500 Web Site also offers Podcasts with information collected around the Speedway by their own reporter. Rumors are also important. If you hear a rumor in the grandstands, garage area, yellow shirts, track tour drivers or anywhere, experience has shown they are usually true. It is an excellent way to get the jump on information before it becomes public. IRL people are generally tight lipped but once in a while one of them reveals something. The more you look for info and ask people the more you'll know. Pretty soon you might be one of the most informed persons around there. A lot of the reporters themselves stay in the Media Center and don't go out which is fine. But if you really want to get the stories you've got to roam, ask questions. As a fan you don't have the luxury of having contacts and trust like Curt Cavin of the Indy Star or Mike Harris of AP for instance but you can still make a little progress in this department. Collecting Notes Keep a notepad and a pencil with you to write down ideas and possible adjustments to your plan that you come up with that can be applied to the following year. Write them down or otherwise you will not remember the ideas -- guaranteed. You might come up with a better place to park for your own purposes, variations in times that gates open and close -- just any little detail that could make a significant difference to smooth out the rough edges of your plan. Store the notes with all of the paperwork for the current year and then integrate the new ideas and techniques when planning for next year.
Parking This is a major, major issue. Parking conditions change depending on the situation and what day it is and what is happening at the track. Practice Days: On practice days you can park inside the track but usually only in Turn Three. It is a long walk to the garage area so it isn’t too advisable. Parking keeps changing every year. There is a small lot in turn one for public parking but it fills up fast and it may not operate some years. One nice alternative is that if the Northwest Vista is open for practice you can park in the parking lot just behind those grandstands and watch the action from the grandstands. Sometimes there is even a snack bar open there. It also gives you the ability to get to your car if it rains or if you want to leave and come back quickly. Another alternative for practice days is to park out in the North Forty and take one of the trams to the Pagoda area. This works great….until you go to leave. There just are not enough tams to handle the number of people going back at closing time and it can be very frustrating. You might wind up walking back. There are ways you can wrangle a yellow lot pass for use on practice days by calling the Speedway and giving them a sob story. Those days are close to being gone however with the F1 track taking up so much room, larger motor home areas, and expanded space for competitor parking. Don’t count on getting a pass to park in the infield on Practice Days but you are welcome to try. Weather can have a lot to do with the parking situation on practice days because if the ground is saturated that will shut down parking in some infield areas and the golf course which could be used if it remains dry. Before you make your commitment to go in you've got to size up the weather and possible golf course parking situation and go from there. If it rains, things really tighten up. One trick of the game works something like with similar derivatives. It can't really be put on paper adequately but there is a way to trick the parking lot attendants. If a lot is full they may send you back out. There might be another lot that is not full but they are only taking cars from one direction. In that case you go against the opposite way you came in by telling another yellow shirt you are going out and when you get to the attendant at the parking lot who is only taking cars from one way you tell him "the other guy told me to come this way". In that case they might put you in that lot. (One year I tried this trick all month long and it worked every time.) There are parking lots on the outside of the speedway that can be used on Practice Days – both on Georgetown and 16th but these will cost you. Again, some of these are quite a distance from the open grandstands (almost always tower terrace) and where the track entrances and tunnels are in relation to the lot, You might park in a lot right outside the main straightaway across from the Tower Terrace but have to walk a mile to reach a tunnel and then double back to the Tower Terrace area for seating. Overall, practice days can be a little frustrating on parking and getting a place where you can minimizing the walk and have a way to get back to your car conveniently. It is important to be able to reach your car if it rains, you want to leave, or if it gets hot. Qualifications: Parking changes on Qualifications as well. If you get there early, like 6:00 a.m. you should be able to park in the infield. After that, depending on the crowd, you probably going to park outside. So be prepared to not be able to return to your car. This means bringing just about everything you will need for a raceday. Race Day: The biggest challenge of all. There are numerous ways to handle this. Research indicates the best thing to do is determine which way you are going to ultimately head after you leave the race track and then get a parking space very near the track, preferably one of the lots owned by the Speedway which are situated off W/ 16th Street and Georgetown Road. After the race is over there will be millions of people making their way to their cars and blocking all the roads. If can get to your car and get out and onto a road and work your way through the crowd you can then just get out of the area. There are many, many options for parking and if you don't care how long it takes to get out, then there isn't much use in having a great plan. The most important factor is getting a space near your seat to limit walking. This is not a baseball stadium -- the track is 2 1/2 miles long and you could end up walking miles if you don't have a parking space close to your grandstand. And just plan on spending $20 or $30 for parking. That is just the name of the game there. You can park in people's yards (make sure you can get out). You can park in the parking lots of businesses. But make reservations in advance and make sure they are organized so you don't get bumped out on race morning. That would be disastrous. As can be seen this is a very complicated issue. Be prepared to spend lots of time studying the parking situation. The parking situation has never been perfected around that place. Keep in mind things change and go with the changes and keep ahead of them.
Motor Home Parking If you have a motor home and want a good place to take it, then Indy could be for you. They have plenty of motor home spaces outside the track. This differs from some other tracks where there is parking in the infield. If you need info on motor home parking contact the Speedway. There are different packages for the month and race weekend.
Having A Schedule While a comprehensive written plan is pretty important that is probably asking too much of most people. But it is pretty important to at least have a daily plan for the month of May listing all track activates, month of May activities, TV and radio shows and schedules even for the times during May you are not at the track. It cannot be stressed enough how events can get away from you during the Month of May. There is just so much to do and it is happening so fast it can get away from you. And you do have certain other things in life you need to take care of as well. A daily schedule planned in advance is helpful. Don't expect to make everything on that list. There will be times when you will miss an event. It won't make or break your month because you're so ahead of things overall. Below is a dummy daily plan as an example.
Friday, May 26, 2006 -- Collectors Show Day #1/Carb Day/Freedom 100/Pit Stop Contest/Concert 7:30: Get up 8:00: Coffee/Breakfast 8:00: Track gates open. $10.00 Admission. Parking? 11:00: Indy Car Practice Until Noon 12:30: Freedom 100 Race until 1:30 1:30: Leave Track 2:00: Collector Show 6:30: Collector Show Closes 6:00: Dinner
11:30: Sleep
Saturday, May 27, 2006 No Track Activity/Drivers Meeting 11:00 a.m./Collectors Show Day #2/Parade Day/Party Day
7:30: Get up 8:00: Track Opens (Closes at 6 p.m.) Admission Free 8:00: Coffee/Breakfast/News on I-Net 9:00: Drivers Autograph Session, Pagoda Plaza (one hour) Parking? 11:00: Drivers meeting (One Hour, Pagoda) 12:00: Parade 9:30: Memorabilia Show Opens 12:30: Indy 500 Special (ESPN -- 60 mins) 1:30: "Before They Go Green" (ESPN -- 60 mins) 4:30: Memorabilia Show Closes 6:00: Talk of Gasoline Alley (WIBC but archived on wibc.com)) 6:30: Dinner 7:00: Get needed items together for race 8:00: Relax. Watch TV shows. 10:00: Sleep Continued Maintenance and Adjustments While There Once you are there you will probably notice that having never been there before your plan is not perfect. You can and must make minor adjustments as you go. Some of these may be critical such as times you leave for the track in the morning, routes, timing issues, eateries. Always keep in mind what adjustments you should make to bring everything in line for your enjoyment. Keep all of your clothes and personal belongings in perfect order in the motel. Do not let junk build up in your car, Keep it just as you picked it up. You will also note you will not drink as much water as you would at home and with the heat at the track you may need more. When eating out always request and drink large amounts of water. You will need a drink at the motel in the evening. But always drink non caffeinated drinks at night to take medications etc. or else the drinks could keep you awake. Find a convenience store nearby that sells cold decaffeinated drinks if the motel or hotel does not sell them out of a machine. If you can't get cold drinks most motels and hotels have ice except that could get in short supply on qualification and race days..
Purchasing Gifts and Memorabilia There are several Official 500 Gift Shops located around the Speedway. Some of them have a bigger variety than others so if you want to see the full compliment of what there is to offer visit one of the Gift Shops in the Museum building. Here you will find a wide variety of gifts from t-shirts and hats on down. It is a good idea to buy a small gift for the folks back home and there are several items to choose from in the $5 to $10 range such as key chains, pins and glasses. There are books, videos of 500 history, jackets -- the whole range of memorabilia. You can also access these items on the Net at the Indy 500 web site, order them and have them shipped to your home. But it is a little more addicting to be there, You can't really come away without buying something. In addition, while most items on the shelves in May are related to the "500" you can pick up some various NASCAR items and soon motorcycle race items. The selection is small however during May. The gift shops are open the same hours of the track, including Race Day and there are great people who work there. It is best to buy your gifts before Race Day as stock gets a little picked over by the weekend throng.
Photography It is very difficult to get anything good of the race and other activities on film, video or digital. There is too much going on and the scope of the event is too large to capture it using standard techniques. There are a few things you can do which will help. One is sound. You are not going to capture the sound of the race cars successfully using standard video cameras. The camera must be one that uses high quality digital stereo sound. There are many, many different combinations of video recorders to get into here. It will take your own research. But some of the new digital video cameras will do higher bit digital sound. To make a long story short, stereo is required both in recording and playback to get the proper sound. You have two ears and therefore you hear in stereo. If you record the cars monaurally you will not get the proper depth or quality necessary to recreate the sound and it just does not work. Conversely, if you record it in stereo and play back in monaural you will get the same unsatisfactory result. The cars must be recorded and played back in stereo. In addition, the stereo recordings of the cars must be made with automatic level controls in off position. What ALC does is automatically set recording levels. But by so doing it creates a problem for totally accurate reproduction. If there is no sound while recording, the ALC device will "search" for sound by raising its sensitivity to sound. Then, when the sound does arrive it will lower that sensitivity. Therefore you will have varying degrees of sound quality and volume. You ears don't do that. They maintain one level of volume. To achieve natural sound as your ears work you must turn the ALC off -- the instructions of which will be in your instruction manual. After turning ALC off you must then adjust the volume record level manually. (Note some cameras have ALC only) To do this you should have a VU meter visible somewhere in your screen menus. When a car passes set the volume control so the VU meters go just into the red or overload area of the readout as the car reaches its loudest. You will now be recording the cars correctly. Also, if you are using a higher end video camera you should have varying levels of sound quality. You will need 16 bit or higher but you may not notice the difference above 16 bit. When you play back the tape or disc make sure your equipment is set up for stereo correctly or else you will not get the proper reproduction. If everything is set up correctly and you have either pro logic or Dolby Digital amplifier, you can experiment between straight stereo using a left and right speaker and pro logic which will give you left, center, right, surround left and right (non stereo) and bass. This can work quite well and you can then adjust the different channels to help recreate the sound even more. In addition, headphones can be excellent if you just desire left and right channels. Be careful as if you have made the recordings correctly, the sound of the engines can hurt your ears. When you are using digital cameras you have a huge advantage over film. Film cameras are almost useless at Indianapolis unless all you are taking is snapshots. If you have a higher end digital camera there are many, many things you can use that will help you get fantastic pictures. But you will really have to know your camera and be ready to put it through its paces. Everybody is talking up SLR digital camera right now but you can achieve as much with a high end non-SLR camera and for a lot less money. Digital cameras, give you high shutter speeds sometimes up to 4,000 of a second. However, you should be able to stop most everything at 2,000 of a second max. When using a film camera at 2,000 of a second you must start using higher ASA films and clarity starts to drop. With digital cameras, you can increase ASA without the same degree of loss. So you've got plenty of light sensitivity to work with. Secondly, you have the ability to increase picture size and picture quality. This means you can almost get 4x5 Speed Graphic film quality instead of the ultra small 35mm size. Shooting negatives of 4x5 size in any quality would be cost prohibitive. If you are shooting these larger size images, have at least a 256 MB card. You can get about 200 shots on a card of that type and that should be sufficient for one days work. And don't use the camera full megapixil capability. Once you get up to 3 megapixils you really don't notice much difference in quality and it takes up much more space. And then you have motor drive capabilities. If you're shooting a car in a turn, you can simply turn on the motor drive, shoot the car going by and immediately have 30 pictures to choose from. Even the worst photographer would get something great. Another trick is to do panoramas. The Speedway is too big and too wide to capture in one picture of any kind. What you do is shoot three to four overlapping pictures (either side by side, up and down or both) and then do a photomerge on your computer later on. If you do try this, make sure you take your light readings at the same place in each photo or set the camera to aperture preferred, set the aperture correctly and take all four pictures. This way all of the pictures will be the same exposure and there will be less evidence of stitching when you finish the photo merge. Another trick is to take 3-D pictures. What you do here is take two images side by side and then using a process later on the computer you can create great 3-D pictures and view them with red and green anaglyph lasses on your computer screen, TV screen and even make prints. There are also 3-D video devices that will play back 2-D video in 3-D plus a pretty large array of 3-D cameras and adapters for cameras. The sky seems to be the limit on 3-D right now. You need something special to capture Indy. Think of it like trying to photograph the Grand Canyon with an instamatic. You can't capture Indy without reverting to special photo and sound techniques.
The Track
First Visit To Track It undoubtedly is going to be more than you expect. The best thing to do is have your plan as to what you plan on doing for that first day and approach the Speedway from the logical direction you are coming from. Things will take care of themselves after that.
Practice Days On practice days track activity begins at 12:00 Noon. Arrive 60-90 minutes before the track opens. This will give you time to park, walk to a seat, possibly go through the garage area, visit a gift shop, talk to people etc. Be ready when the track opens for practice because teams will immediately begin turning in fast times because it is the same time of day they will be qualifying and the track is still cool. This will continue for about two hours when things will begin to slow down as the track gets hotter. If it is very hot there may not be much going on of importance in the early and mid afternoon. At this point you might consider leaving the facility, get some lunch or do other things around the Speedway and then return to your seat at about 3:30 when it starts to cool down. If it is Fast Friday you will not be leaving as there is intense activity all day. This is the time to learn to identify all of the cars on the track by memorizing something about the car that reminds you of the driver. Some cars are easy such as the Penske cars. But keeping track of which driver is driving which car is a little more tricky. In cases of cars being the same there is always an identifying mark that sets it apart. In the case of the Penske Cars the roll bar is white or red depending on who's car it is. A lot of other cars are easy too -- such as Tony Kanaan (7-11) and maybe the Target cars. But it pretty much stops there. You have to connect something on that car to the driver. Vision Racing is easy because you can connect it to Tony George's vision of the IRL. But these cars are difficult to tell apart. If you get the idea you can go from there. It is a pretty tough task but once you get the cars and drivers memorized it pays off in spades during practice and the race. It is recommended you move up and down the Tower Terrace grandstands area and check all the seat locations. You might want to sit in back of a favorite driver's pit, in an area that overlooks the garage area and Gasoline Alley or something else. Eventually you will hit on some favorite spots. It is also is important to sit in a seat in which you can read the video screens that flash the lap times. Every time a car hits the start finish line his lap speed is posted on the screen instantly. When the next car hits the start finish line his speed is posted at the top and the last car moves down one and the same thing happens with the third vehicle. There are only room for three cars on the board so when the fourth car goes across the line the last one is dropped from the list. Therefore, if five or six cars cross the line in a group you better be quick at reading the numbers so be in a good spot. In addition, this sign board is not on all times. Therefore it is recommended you bring a stop watch that can be set to time cars on a 2 1/2 mile track and gives the average speeds. That way you can time cars yourself when the timing boards are not operating. Even if the boards are not operating the track announcers keep you informed if anybody clocks a good speed so you won't be lost. It is fun, however, timing cars yourself and you can get extremely good at it. Just find a reference point on the track, Start the watch when the car hits that point and then click it again when the car hits it the next time around. You'll find you will be pretty much be right on the money every time. Also, lap times are not posted on any screen during the race. It is important for you as a fan to know how fast certain cars are running during the race. So bring the stopwatch to the race. That way you can time certain cars to see how they are doing. (For instance, after Sam Hornish had his penalty in 2006 and went back out on the track my watch had him doing 214 mph laps. That seemed pretty slow to me but found out later Penske was saving fuel and hoping for a yellow light. Well, he got the yellow light and then had the fuel to finish the race. It was a race saving measure.) By timing the cars it gives you further insight into what is happening. If the Speedway ever installs a Wi-Fi system you could then bring a laptop to the track so you could get live timing and scoring off the Indy 500 or IRL web sites. This feature is so complete it would be totally invaluable for keeping track of all critical information from the cars on the track both in practice and during the race. When watching practice you have to use your intuition. Do not go to the garage area unless things slow down on the track or else you may miss something. When they do slow down, that is the time to go to the garages. Try to interpret what you see there -- what are the teams doing, whose struggling? You can tell a lot by looking inside the garages and sizing up people's actions. Keep your eyes peeled for retired race drivers. They will be plentiful. Look for current day drivers looking for rides and other familiar faces. You can even start up a conversation with them. If there is a mishap on the track there is a procedure to bring the damaged car back to an inspection area which is located behind the fueling station. It is permissible to go to this area after a car makes contact with the wall and see what is happening. After IRL inspects the vehicle it is then carried back to the team garage. You can also see this unfold as well.
Car Viewing From Grandstands The first thing to remember is that during most practice days there are only a few grandstands open. These are mainly the tower terrace, maybe some stands on the inside of turn one, in the south short chute, a couple of the hills and parking in turn three. This will be the same for rookie orientation right through to fast Friday, plus all other practice days later on. Occasionally the track will open the Northwest Vista. During those times and that is an excellent place to watch cars and get away from the maddening crowd at the same time. But overall you have limited viewing during practice days from grandstands. On Pole Day more grandstands are open. On this day it is recommended you sit in Turn one either upper or lower for the morning practice and cars making their initial run for the pole. After most of the cars have run for the pole that is the time to view the cars practicing from other grandstands. You can try the Southwest Vista and then start walking on the outside of the track toward the start finish line. If you get in those grandstands you can get a good view of the pit action, tech inspection for the final runs of the day when conditions are improving and some cars may make another shot for the pole. On the next day it is best to start going to grandstands that you will not be able to visit on any other day. Start out with Turn Three and then work your way toward Turn Four until you reach the Northwest Vista where you can see all the way down the main straightaway. This accomplishes two things. One, there are incredible places to watch the cars run and you can make notes as to what grandstand best suits you so you can decide which location you want to upgrade to in coming years. On the following weekend of Qualifications there are different sets of Grandstands that are open. This is the time to visit as many grandstands as you can. there are some amazing view of the track and viewing cars and no two of them are alike. While it is a pretty good climb, it is worth going to the Penthouses at least once to see the view. Just try to visit as many grandstand locations as possible. Most of them are breathtaking. Eventually you will come up with your favorite spot and adopt it. There is one special location to watch cars that will take your breath away. At the exit to Turn Two just North of the Suites on the outside there is an IRL Officials Stand. If you walk over there (either from under the tunnel or from the Hotel area), you can stand pretty close to that location. There is a break in the concrete wall in which you can see cars through. You can't see much of the cars but you can see enough to have your breath taken away and also decide you would never be an Indy Car driver. Be careful when you do this as they are a little touchy over who gets in the area because of safety factors. Fortunately, you don't have to be real close to get the effect. Eateries, Convenience, Stores, Night Spots There are many nice places to eat in the Speedway area with all the usual fast food establishments such as McDonald's, Taco Bell, Wendy's White Castle and Pizza Joints If you want some fancier restaurants they are all over town. But some places are more racing orientated and popular during the Month of May. Here are a few of those places. Others will be added to this list as time goes on. Union Jack Pub -- A restaurant and lounge decorated with racing photos, memorabilia and even a race car. 6225 W. 25th Street -- kind of at Crawfordsville Road and High School Road a mile or two West of the Speedway . McGilvery's Pub and Eatery -- A sports bar and grill with a racing flavor. Excellent place. 3009 N. High School Road. Charlie Browns: Open only in the morning hours. There are racing related photos on the wall and racing personnel do frequent this friendly establishment which has been open for 30 years. Located at 1038 N, Main Street on the West side of the Street. Buffalo Wild Wings: With the Indianapolis Motor Speedway only minutes away, the bar offers a reminder of local racing history. Inflatable cars hang above the bar, and racing posters adorn the walls. 6135 W. 25th Street in Speedway. Burger n' Bun -- Even though Robin Miller pans it you can't go to Indy and not go to this place. They have excellent hamburgers, fries and drinks and tons of other great items. They have been there since the 50s. They also have old fashion car service and the waitresses are very cool. Located on 10th Street just East of Lynhurst Avenue. They are not open on Race Day. The best convenience stores in the area are Village Pantry and Speedway Gasoline. Both have a wide range of snacks, drinks and coffee to keep you happy during the day and have various locations around town.
Weather As everybody knows the weather in Indy in May can vary widely and is very unpredictable. First and foremost you need to be prepared for cold weather, hot weather and rain and well as the perfect days so bring the appropriate clothes and jackets for all conditions. Generally, the weather is very, very nice in May. But it might be generally wet all month as well. It could be warm all month. But usually, there is a wide variety of weather conditions to contend with. Sometimes a day can start out warm and get cold. Other times it can start out cold and get warm. If you’re undecided about how a day is going to go, dress in layers. Be aware of the Thunderstorms that can hit in the area. The Weather Bureau has things pretty well covered so you will be warned if dangerous weather is on the way . But if you have never seen it, the clouds can look vicious and the skies can get totally dark around there – almost like night so you have to have your headlights on. Do NOT walk around when there is extreme lightning activity in the area. Stay in your car. If dangerous weather is going to hit the Speedway they will tell you to take cover. There is always the possibility of tornados but no major tornado has hit the Speedway in 90 years so I would not worry too much about it. Be aware of it but don't panic. If it rains while you are in the grandstands there are places to get undercover but depending on the number of people and which grandstands are open that day, those areas might be full. Keep in mind that you MIGHT get wet. And if you do, just accept it, it can happen. But bring provisions to keep your cameras and other equipment covered. The worst thing that can happen is that after it rains they'll try to dry the track and just as they get it dry and the cars are ready to go it will start raining again. All this is very frustrating. As a rule, if the track is thoroughly soaked it is usually three hours from the time it stops raining to the time the track opens again.. Then there are days when it can get hot. If it is a practice day, it is really best to leave around 2:00 p.m. and then return about 3:30. If it is very hot the cars will not be out there anyway doing anything special so you can afford to leave and not worry about missing anything (although things can happen at anytime.) The same principle applies to windy or cold days. If the wind gets up over 25 or 30 miles per hour and temperature gets down to 50 degrees the teams are going to stay in the pits and if they do go out will not be turning big numbers. They might be trying race setups in windy conditions so if you're totally uncomfortable you might leave and come back. The winds does have a tendency to die down later in the afternoon and even the coldest days "warm" up later in the afternoon and cars can go out then and the action can heat up.. The worst days are when there is no rain but it is cold and windy. There will probably be at least one of those days during the month. If it happens on a practice day the cars will not be going on in large numbers so you might be able to just leave the facility. If it happens to be on pole day or fast Friday you will just have to tough it out so bring warm clothes and be prepared. You are not going to leave. Depending on the wind and which grandstands are open on that day, you can get to "warmer" locations. Do not torture yourself in one area if you can get into a warmer area. Think! Consider which way the wind is coming from and get to a grandstand that can block the wind. In regard to Race Day weather, be leery of any of the forecasts you see on TV or hear on radio. There are not too many TV weather people in Indianapolis that will out and out predict rain on Race Day even if there is a 100% chance of it happening. If the weather is doubt, check them all and get a consensus of what they are saying and proceed from there. But also check online weather sites like weatherunderground.com. Their forecasts will be more realistic. (Imnportant: Please read Race instructions for what to do if it is raining the morning of the race and you have not left the motel as yet or if you are at the track. Also, refer to Parking for review of what happens to parking when it rains and the ground gets saturated.) Medical Attention If you have insurance then check to see if your medical plan covers visits to local medical clinics and hospitals. If you don't have insurance there should be "Jack in the Box" type clinics in town for which you have to pay cash. If all else fails you can visit the Clarion Medical Center at the track and they can treat emergency cases and then refer you. If you are injured at the track in a racing accident the Clarion Medical Center should provide emergency treatment. Be sure to bring all of your regular prescription medications to the track and anything else you think may help you and may need as well as sunscreen if its hot. Bring headache medicine and ear protection as well. The cars are loud and might give you a headache if you do not have ear protection. Talk of Gasoline Alley An annual radio show on 1070 The Fan featuring IMS Historian Donald Davidson. The show is on at 6:00 p.m. each night in the Month of May unless there is a special event such as an Indiana Pacers Playoff game and other events. Donald takes questions over the phone and dazzles the audience with his incredibly detailed mental recall of Indy 500 History. You might want to just listen or maybe even call in with a question. You can also access this show on the Internet at 1070thefan.com and most of the shows are archived as well. It is a great show and a true Indy Tradition. WIBC recently changed their format and The Talk of Gasoline Alley will be on 1070TheFan.. The Radio Show Each year the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network puts on four or five radio shows during the Month of May originating from the Brickyard Plaza Motel on W. 16th Street near turn two of the track. Voice of the 500 Mike King hosts the one hour program and interviews drivers entered in or have made the race. Seating is very limited but you can attend this show by calling the motel and making reservations well in advance. The show is usually at 8:00 p.m. so you might want to arrive at about 6:00 and have dinner at the buffet. And you might run into some surprise people as well. The cost is around $20.00 per person for dinner plus tip. After the show is over, you can get to know people and then migrate into the lounge in the motel where you will meet other racing personalities and maybe even some drivers from the past. The lunge is fun all month long however. Qualifications It has been years getting the new qualifying format to work correctly because of weather and 2007 saw the first time it unfolded as planned. If it works correctly this is what happens. On Pole day only the fastest 11 spots are filled and the fastest car on that day gets the pole. This allows for bumping and last minute runs for the pole and makes for an interesting day. On the following day the next two 11 slots are filled under the same circumstances plus no matter how fast you run you can't start higher than 12th. The third is the same -- the next 11 slots are filled and you can't start higher than 23rd. On the following day which is Bump Day, you must bump your way into the field if it is full. There can be lot of drama on this day. On Pole Day arrive as early as you can and get a seat in Turn One either upper or lower deck. The cars will start to run very early -- usually one group for 30 minutes -- another group for 30 minutes followed by everybody for 30 minutes. It at all possible try to see this practice session as it is probably the most dangerous and fastest of the month. After the first flurry of activity, you can then try to sit in other locations trying to find a seat that fits your purposes since many grandstands are open for Qualifications and are not open during the week. Just remember, the place looks different from all angles so check out as many places as possible to get seating location ideas. Toward the end of the day it might be advantageous to sit near the tech area where they make final checks on the car and are pushed off for the four laps. You can see drivers get into their cars and then be in a position to see them when they return. If it should rain the first weekend of qualifying, then the system breaks down and the procedure reverts to three, two or one day of qualifying and that has happened several times int he last last three years.
Museum When the time is right during your stay it is a must to visit the Speedway Museum. This is a tremendous collection of past Indy 500 winning cars and other important cars in the history of the race. It is quite amazing that this number of past winners exist all in one place. And most of them run and are taken out on the track occasionally for ceremonies. What many don't know is that any given time there are just as many museum cars in the basement as are on floor display. There are even cars said to be stored in a North Forty warehouse. The cars are rotated from year to year to provide a variety and depending on which race is coming up. So you will see different cars from year to year. In addition to the cars are trophies, wall paintings of winning drivers and Speedway Hall of Fame members, old photographs, past racing engines and antique speedway equipment. The admission is nominal and allows you to enter the Tony Hulman Theater for a short video on the history of the race. Be prepared to spend considerable time in the museum. When photographing the cars please note that there are three different light sources -- tungsten, fluorescent and sunlight coming through skylights in the ceiling. This creates havoc for film cameras in getting the correct color. If you are using digital, manually white balance the camera before taking pictures That way the camera can adjust to the differing light conditions adequately. Automatic white balance will not overcome most of the lighting problems in the museum. Any deviation in color that is left can be corrected on computer photo software. Also, photo prints from film cameras can be scanned and color corrected using photo software. Track Tours The Speedway provides group track tours during the Month of May. You must notify the track and make arrangements for these tours. A Lap Around The Track You will not be able to get away not taking a lap around the track in the tour bus. The cost is $3.00 per person and the buses run during practice days before the cars get out on the track and on days there is no track activity, Community Day, the day before the race and the days after. There is a recorded program played in the tour bus which will give you an overall review of the track and its history. Any day is fine to take the bus but it is recommended you take the tour after the race is over as it will give you a little more sense of history of what happened the day before. If you can get a front seat on the opposite side of the driver you can get some good pictures out the front window. Note the windows are heavily tinted so you may have to adjust the color settings on your camera to get the correct colors. Also, take the tour when it is not raining and between the hours of 11:00 and 3:00 to get the same sun angle which would happen during the race so you get the same "vibes". Speedway Photo Shop The IMS Speedway Photo Shop has thousands and thousands and thousands of pictures of all types from past Indy 500s. Most of them can be purchased in various sizes for a reasonable price and you can use them for your research projects or just to hang on the wall. The Photo Shop is located upstairs from the museum. Just go up and tell them what you are interested in obtaining. You will then be able to look through numbered photos and thumbnails relating to that subject so you can determine which photos you desire, the size and finish. You can pay for the photos at that time and the photos will be mailed to you when prints are made. Some of the more popular photos from different eras are also available for order off the IMS web site. However, this is nowhere near the number of photos they have. That figure is astronomical. Speedway Library At last check there is also an on site library right next door for your research as well. The library is fully stocked with virtually any and all books ever written on the subject of the Indianapolis 500 and it is possible to research those books onsite and take notes for your particular research project. They do not check the books out however. Being an Exemplary Spectator If you spend enough time around the Speedway you will encounter or even wind up in the middle of some unusual circumstances. You must be ready to react to those circumstances as an exemplary spectator. Whether it be meeting a top notch driver, car owner, team manager, celebrity, track personnel or witnessing an unfortunate or even disastrous event, you must treat it with respect and react accordingly. Whatever the situation may be, always react in the most appropriate manner possible. If you find yourself face to face with a racing notable and a few words or conversation is inevitable, then carry on the proper conversation. And the most important thing to remember is if something disastrous or tragic should happen, do whatever you can to handle it -- whether it be helping the person next to you deal with it or dealing with it yourself. But try to remain quiet and calm. You've got to at least think about this subject and be as prepared as you can because it might happen and you don't want to be caught off guard if it does. This is not to say harden yourself against all emotions because they are what they are and you are going to feel them. Just don't let them overwhelm you as the events can become very powerful. There have been people who have witnessed events that never returned because they were totally overwhelmed. In the case of the Vukovich accident there are many stories of hardened racing men crying openly and behind garage doors. Try to be strong no matter what happens. This is saying a lot but you just might have to tap a reservoir of strength you didn't know you had. Music Music can be a big part of the race and activities. Bring your own favorite music -- preferably on CDs as most rental cars now have CD players -- rather than tape decks. Next year the major car rental companies are installing sound systems that can utilize ipods directly without using FM so for some that will make even CDs obsolete. Make up CDs or playlists for your players with your favorite songs on them so the activities get embedded in those songs. Also play the local country, oldies and current rock radio stations. There are certain songs from the past and a few now being released that will jump out at you. You'll know them when you hear them. When these songs are played on the radio the memories will stick. Also, memories will stick to the songs played at the track PA system. Someone there has a good idea of what the play. It might be difficult to get the titles of the songs. This might require a check with the Speedway. In 2007 they were playing lots of 70's songs commentating Throwback Day. When you get home buy these songs and/or albums for memory purposes to be played during the year, the following year and forever. The memories will never die when embedded in the songs. There really does not seem be to any particular type of music that works the best for this -- just the song. The songs that work may be an artist you never liked or even heard of before.
A Wild Time? Are you single? Are you interested in meeting a member of the opposite sex for a wild romance? This might be the place where it could happen because all the ingredients are there. The people in Indianapolis are very friendly, very Midwestern, and upbeat in the Month of May. They are a very special bunch. And depending on what part of the country you come from and with you being a stranger in town and a race fan and all excited about the race, one usually comes off pretty good to the locals. So keep your eyes peeled for members of the opposite sex who might be interested in livening up their lives (and yours) for a few days and maybe creating a once in a lifetime experience. Just be careful or course and you’ll create a memory you will never forget. If you sense something, go for it. Don’t let it slip by.
Other Indy Sites To Visit There is plenty to see in the Indianapolis area. They have a wonderful downtown, really fascinating down-to-earth areas and prosperous outlying districts with all kinds of things to do. There are huge areas outside the 465 loop that people live and it continues for miles and miles in every direction. And just the pure Midwestern flavor of it all is so beautiful and well worth seeing and feeling -- the older homes, the people, the streets, the countryside. Just going to the stores and seeing the people is interesting. If you've been fascinated by the "500" for a long time most everything you see is going to amaze you. There is a lot to that song "Back Home Again in Indiana" because visitors just automatically feel at home here. They all wish their towns were like Indy. Their towns might have been at one time but changed and got overly ostentatious and Indy didn't. And Indy holds on to the what they have year after year after year. The Mail Room This is racing memorabilia shop in the city of Speedway just West of the track on W. 16th Street. It is a must visit. The owner Frank Gilbert is a great person to talk to about the old days, current open wheel racing and a great place to see and purchase Indy racing memorabilia. If you are lucky, you might even see a racing personality or two walk in to look around. The mail Room is closed Monday but open every other day in May. This is a true Indy Tradition.
Other Race Tracks/Racing Shops – Indy Car and Drag Racing There are many, many shops for Indy Cars from both series as well as Drag Racing and headquarters for IRL and USAC. It is interesting to visit these places so you can at least see where some of all this is coming from. The racing shops are located all over Indy, particularly the West Side. Drag racing facilities such as Don Schumacher Racing and John Force Racing are located in Brownsburg near Indianapolis Raceway Park. There are also tracks at Indianapolis Raceway Park, the State Fair Grounds and a place on the east side of town called the Speedrome, a quaint little track straight out of the 1940s. All of these tracks usually have races during the Month of May. There is also a wide variety of tracks and other racing related sites located around the State of Indiana.
It's Starting to Happen -- The Coming Race Day After Bubble Day things quiet down Monday and Tuesday. Beginning about Wednesday things start to happen. Traffic increases, excitement seems to build – you can just sense something big coming on. This is the time not to be lulled into complacency. You’ve to keep ahead of the curve because things will start to accelerate and happen fast and furious until the race is over. And with the split being over this could be magnified from previous years. Streets that have been empty will all of a sudden be full. The same goes for stores and eateries. Things just start to go a little mad. So be prepared for the rush. It will come and will surprise you so try to not panic, keep ahead of the curve and always on your previously determined schedule. Community Day This is a must if you are in town in enough time before the race. Here you can get into the Garage Area (impossible the rest of the month without a badge), have the thrill of driving your own personal car around the 2 1/2 mile oval, get autographs from the drivers (there can be long lines however), walk out onto Pit Road, talk to racing personnel, meet a lot of interesting fans, kiss the yard of bricks and get your picture taken, see old race cars from the museum and from private collectors actually drive around the track and just many more activities available only on this one day. It is a tremendous event and take place on the Wednesday before the race. If you have just arrived in town is really gets you in the mood for the race and is a must for all race fans. Carburetion Day This can be a tricky day at best. There is always a larger crowd at Carb Day than The Speedway plans for. Consequently parking can be a major problem and it will be overly crowded when you finally get in so you must leave earlier than you might think. But it is recommended that you attend, especially if you just came into town and you have not seen the cars on the track. This will be final time the cars are out on the track before the race so you will need this time to practice identifying them. All 33 cars will be out on the track but don't expect any of them to be out there for more than a few laps. This is just a final leak test and to see if the cars run correctly. Nobody wants to crash or cause any engine damage so everybody will be taking it easy and there will not be any big numbers. So in this respect it will be disappointing if you're expecting more. All in all it is an event worth taking in if handled correctly and if you leave early enough to get there on time. The Pit Stop Contest which follows can also be fun so between that and the general action around the Speedway it can be a fun day. If not handled correctly it could be a disappointing day. Freedom 100 Auto Racing Nostalgia Show This is an annual event that for years was held at the convention Center downtown and was moved to the State Fair Grounds in 2005. It is the greatest collection of Indy Memorabilia to view at one time all year long with vendors selling items old and new related to the "500". You'll just about everything you could ever imagine and beyond. It is not just original items from the past such as unusual photos, magazines, newspapers, programs, badges, armbands, car parts -- it is also movies and photos from the past and the people who improve them with modern technology and bring them back for others to enjoy in the form of books, videos, and DVDs. The Fairgrounds is quite away from the Speedway and it takes about 30 minutes to get there – usually east on 38th Street from the Speedway area. The show is open for two days and also features famous drivers who sign autographs. Parking at the Fairgrounds is about $3.00 and entrance to the show is about $10.00. You must pay each day you go. Thirty Eighth Street has been being worked on as long as anybody can remember but it should be open for traffic in May
Parade The annual 500 Festival Parade is held each year in Downtown the day before the race. The event, which draws thousands and thousands of spectators, is always spectacular with plenty of floats, marching bands, movie stars and drivers. This is primarily a family affair with the party bunch usually forming up the road at the track to participate in the annual night before the 500 party extravaganza. But you don't have to be with family to enjoy it. Just seeing the families and children who help make up the backbone of this great country we live in is well worth attending. Parking downtown is plentiful being that the parade is on a Saturday afternoon. If you want preferred seating there is a charge but not exorbitant. It gives you prime seating near the judging and television stands where the parade participants strut their finest routines. There are plenty of parking structures and parking lots Downtown although you will have to pay to park and there might be a moderate walk to the parade site. One of the highlights is seeing the 33 drivers up close in their personal pace car convertibles. They usually bring their families so you get a chance to see their other half and children. The parade has good luck in the weather department -- better than the race. But follow the same weather instructions for the parade as you would for a day at the Speedway. Doing the parade does not eliminate taking part in other activities that happen that day. You could see the parade and still make it to the Collectors Show at the Fairgrounds, the Night Before the 500 at IRP and maybe even do the drivers meeting at the Speedway which is held before the parade. It would take a little running to do all of these but it can be done. The Night Before The Race Party Beginning Saturday afternoon the day before the race thousands of people begin to gather on W. 16th Street and Georgetown Road to take part in the annual Night Before The 500 Party. Maybe it won't be like it used to be even with the split over (maybe that is a good thing) but nevertheless there is still a lot of crazy stuff going on and with the split over things will pick up some. It is still possible to drive down W/ 16th Street and Georgetown up until about 4:00 p.m -- maybe later. At that time they usually shut down Georgetown for the night just because of the number of people that gather. If you want to brave it, drive down these streets and check out the craziness. It is a site to behold to see what people will do and how they behave. A person once described the trip from the Snake Pit to the Suites was like seeing the evolution of man from the caveman days to the present. That is probably an apt description here. It should be safe to drive down the streets but expect people to come up to your car windows and peer in and possibly yell statements bordering on the obscene. But that is part of the Indy 500 and you should see it once just to say you've done it. The Race The Race of course will be one of the longest days of your trip. The first thing to keep in mind is getting a good nights sleep and that means setting a sleep schedule. You will want to get at least six hours and preferably eight hours sleep the night before the race. The ideal time to sleep would be between 11:00 and 7:00 a.m.. But with all of the excitement it is quite difficult to do this. Without training, the first thing you will experience is going to bed thinking you are tired and immediately be wide awake as soon as your head hits the pillow and not be able to sleep. The other problem is waking up early and not being able to go back to sleep. There are ways around some of these problems. One solution is to ensure you are tired by deliberately not getting enough sleep the previous night by about two or more hours. That way at least you are at least guaranteed you're going to be somewhat tired. The next technique is dialing in some power down time the evening before the race. You must not be going and going and going until it is time to sleep because the adrenaline will be difficult to cut off instantly. You should have everything you need in order and ready to walk out the door the next day by 8:00 p.m. that night. Then you can start the powering down process by relaxing, watching TV, reading -- just generally letting it go and keeping in mind you will be having a big day tomorrow and you need to be rested and ready. Once you lay down you still might have a little trouble dropping off but you will eventually go to sleep. Another technique is to make sure people don't call you after 10:30 p.m. With the time differences they could call you, wake you up and upset up your entire sleep plan. Another worse case scenario is waking up early -- say about 2:00 a.m. and not being able to go back to sleep. This one is deadly, but if you follow the previous instructions this should not happen. If it does, do NOT let your mind start thinking about the race the next day. Keep your mind BLANK. That way you will have a good chance of going back to sleep. However, even with all this planning the chances are very good you are going to wake up quite early -- maybe 5:00 a.m. anyway. If you do wake up at that time and can't go back to sleep that is probably within tolerances if you've had six good hours sleep and then lay there for two hours. The next problem is what time to leave for the track. This one has been analyzed for years but a good rule of thumb is to arrive three hours before the race and leave 90 minutes before that allowing for parking and some adjustment for walking distances from your parking space. Don't worry, three hours is not early as the time before the race just flies by in an instant. And there is plenty to see with celebrities, parades, military fly bys, ceremonies. You really want to be able to see the ceremonies and still have time to get your seat, get situated, get your radio working, binoculars out and all the rest. A big problem about making the decision to leave for the track or to whatever transportation you have decided on using, is what to do if it is raining. This is one of the biggest and most critical decisions you will make all month. Make sure you have the weather on the local stations as well as the weather channel and checking the internet sites. If the weather looks good and is scheduled to remain that way, you leave at your appointed time. But if it is raining you DO NOT LEAVE THE MOTEL. There is normally a three hour delay from the time it STOPS raining to the time they can run cars on the track. So there is no need to leave if it is raining and raining AT THE TRACK. Don't forget it can be raining at your motel and not raining at the track. Just stay put because going out there on race day in the rain can be a very unpleasant experience. Keep track of the weather at the track, not at your motel. And just because it stops raining does not mean it may start not up again. This is where the radar is so important and the weather people will keep track of what is coming from the west so you can make the call. And this could be most important call of the month -- if it stops raining and it looks fairly good to the west do you leave? The answer is probably yes mainly because other people will begin to head out there and if you don't go at that time traffic may increase to the point you could miss the start of the race. But if it looks very much like there is another wave of precipitation coming in you'd want to stay. You've got to roll the dice but analyze that weather as close as you ever have without having a fortune teller to help you. Try to at least read the tea leaves because the forecasters could be all different. But make the decision on the side of it not raining anymore. The problem is that once you leave your motel it is like launching a rocket. There is just no turning back after that and you've committed to your day. Follow your predetermined route to your designated parking area taking the route you deemed the best during your research. It is highly recommended you do research on what the route is and have a few alternate routes up your sleeve. On race day the police can route cars in weird directions and totally mess up your plans. You've really got to tip toe on this one so you don't get sent off into a completely different area. It can happen and if it looks like its going to, plead with the officer to let you go where you need to go. In fact, the Police dictating where the cars go can affect you more on leaving the race than before but more on that later. Once you get to your parking space, take a few minutes to get yourself together because you'll be beginning another phase and that is leaving your car. This is pretty much stage two because you will not be returning to your car just like you're not going back to your motel. This is also a good time to look at where you are in your lot or wherever you're parked and start formulating a reasonable escape plan when the race is over -- where the exits are from the lot etc. You will not have a lot of control as to where you park in the lot so getting out is somewhat the luck of the draw. When you feel you are ready, lock the car and start the trek to the grandstand. There will be many, many people all around you. Just move with them toward your grandstand which you should have already scoped out before as to its location. You cannot get into any other grandstand except that designated on your ticket. When you arrive at your section the attendant will tear off part of your ticket and there will be people to direct you to your seat. Once you are at your seat, start organizing what you will need -- radio, binoculars, stop watch. It is absolutely recommended you eat lunch at least one hour before the race. You can either bring it or buy it at one of the many snack bars. It is not practical to eat during the race if you want to keep track of what is happening. Also, make your last rest room stop 1/2 hour before Gentlemen Start Your Engines. One fact worth mentioning here is the excitement may be so great it will set your system off so be aware of that and work on controlling it early on. You'll be o.k. after the race gets started. If you have not drank a lot of liquids, and especially if it is a warmer day (your body automatically retains water if it's hot), you should not have to make a restroom stop during the race. There are restrooms everywhere but they can be crowded and chaotic on race day. If you have small children go with them. And the women's restroom can be just as chaotic and crazy as any of the men's restroom -- maybe worse -- so don't be lulled into that one. Finally, the race will get underway. It is key to listen to the radio broadcast which will require a radio with headphones or headphones with a built in radio. The radio is broadcast on AM and FM stations. By listening to the IMS Radio Crew you'll be able to keep up on what is happening very well. Depending on where you are sometimes the PA System is difficult to hear except during yellow flags. But when you can hear the PA, listen very carefully as there is vital information someing over it. The big screen videos keep you in touch with what is happening out on the track and in some cases are different than the TV broadcast. If you have binoculars, you can use them to get a closer view of the action on the screens. As explained earlier, have a stop watch around your neck so you can time various cars to see what they are turning in relation to the leaders. If they are off the pace when they shouldn't be, well you can pretty much tell they've got problems and are not going to win the race. A large part of determining who has a good chance of winning the race is keeping track of those who have dropped out and obviously are not running up to what they should be. As amazing as this might seem, if you really get locked into the race and what is happening, you will then be able to start taking some nice pictures that won't just be random cars going around -- but an actual real time action picture of an event. Not an accident (they happen too fast to react) but an important pass, a critical move, a slowing car. Keep that in mind when shooting pictures. You'll want your general scenes of course but actually shooting action pictures that have meaning and be something nobody else got is a real possibility. When taking a picture try to project yourself in the future and speculate on whether not that shot would or could have significance later in the race. If you get something good you could post it on the Indy Star Web Site the next day. And in regards to accidents, just about regardless of where you are you should ALWAYS keep your eyes on oncoming cars especially if you in the possible trajectory of flying car parts. Think of it like being in the first row of a baseball game with no screen, You've got to keep your eye on every pitch to guard against being hit by a line drive foul ball. With Indy Racing this is magnified hundreds of times. It cannot be emphasized enough that a driver can become involved in an incident and the car can be in the wall in front of you before you can blink. Unless you've seen it happen it is difficult to comprehend. It is rare for parts to fly into the crowd with the amount of fencing around that track but it has happened occasionally. If you always keep your eyes on the cars coming at you you might be able to have enough time to react and duck behind some people before it is too late. When the race is over the winning driver will be interviewed and then ride around the track in the pace car waving to the fans. If you want to leave before that happens and you are close to your car you might have a chance of getting out without too much trouble. The longer you wait of course the longer you are going to be stuck. It might take anywhere from one to four hours to get away from the track. Remember, when you're walking back to your car you will be in the middle of thousands of people so do not run or rush or push people and avoid getting stuck in "people jams". And if you get lost from your party have a plan to meet at the car -- no place else. You might run into some crazy people outside the track but just ignore them. Try to keep your mind on what you have just seen. You want your memories to be that of the race, not something that happened afterwards. Your mind is still programmed in full memory mode so anything that happens is going to be permanently etched in your mind until you calm down back at the motel. One secret on getting out is not to take the most logical way back to your hotel. You might want to use the easiest way to get AWAY from the track from where your are and then double back to your motel on relatively untraveled routes if there is such a route you can devise quickly. Most local residents stay off the roads during the race to help with traffic so you'll find some easy going once you just get away from the track. When you get to your car turn on the radio to 1070TheFan and they will entertain you with race analysis, traffic and call in shows. When you do arrive back at your motel you will be tired. In addition, it might be difficult to get something to eat as most places will be jammed. You may want to have a plan for this one. The race is shown on local TV starting at about 7:00 p.m. but don't plan on being awake to watch it. You will probably fall asleep during the broadcast. You will wake up the next morning very refreshed Ticket Renewal If you are in town the day after the race it is best to renew your tickets personally. You can do this at the Speedway ticket office at W. 16th and Georgetown Road starting at 9:00 a.m. on the day after the race. Hopefully you can park in their parking lot but if not you can park on Main Street in Speedway and walk over. This usually is a fun time – getting to renew your seats and get it out of the way for the next year and then talking to the Speedway employees. And this is also the time to go for an upgrade if you so desire. (As I understand it, the earlier you get your application in for an upgrade, the higher that puts you in the pecking order.) We have discussed upgrades earlier in another section and which grandstands to upgrade to and which are the best viewing the race. If you are leaving and cannot be there in person, then just fill out your ticket application when you get home and mail it in or do it online. But keep in mind this must be completed in the week following the race or you will lose your seat! If you mail your ticket ALWAYS use a money order or cashiers check or do it online. Do not use a check in the unlikely event there is a problem with it. This is just an extra insurance policy against disaster. An invalid check will usually result in the immediate termination of your ticket reservation and you'' have to start from scratch again. Most transactions (badges for example) should be US Postal money orders or online using a credit card that is approved instantly. That way you KNOW it is safe and has no way of failing. There have been other types of so-called legitimate money orders besides U,S, Postal Money Orders being ruled invalid.
Victory Awards Celebration. This is one of the true highlights of the month and it is possible to attend it. This works similar to the badges. Get your name on the mailing list with the person at the Speedway in charge of the event and you will then receive a form around March to make reservations and payment. You can fax the order in with a credit card number or mail it in with a money order or check (remember the rules on checks). The earlier you get it in, the better chance you have of getting a reservation and a good seat for the awards ceremony, although many things effect this. Not too many people know about the dinner or would brave it. It would not take too many people getting interested in the ceremony to tighten the chances of getting a reservation. Seats are limited. And for 2008 this has tightened up considerably as the dinner is becoming more well known and IRL sponsors have increased in number and with the split being over that could further limit seating. There is a certain set of priorities the Speedway uses to determine who goes and the general public is last on that list. In fact, as of now, unless you were an attendee last year, the chances of getting a ticket anymore are very, very limited. Of course, there are cancellations and things can happen, but unless you are already in the fold you might be in trouble. Regardless, the one thing you don't want to do is obtain a ticket if you don't plan on going just to keep ticket privileges. This might work with race tickets but not here. This is a very limited attendance event. To buy tickets just to keep them is very unfair to those who want to go and can't get tickets. When the night arrives it will take considerable time to get ready so allow two to three hours. Dress appropriately which is business attire. Dress up but do not overdress. Arrive slightly early but not too early or too late – just about the time they open the doors. There should not be any traffic going into the Speedway. There will be a cocktail hour for people to get acquainted. You will suddenly find yourself in the middle of a lot of important people in the Indy Car Racing world and see people you didn’t plan on. Do not get rattled under any circumstances. Just act like you are part of the group because if you are there then you are. You can talk to them but have something intelligent to say because you will remember it the rest of your life. Prior to the event go over in your mind what you would like to say to particular drivers, owners etc. If you run across those persons and they are free you can then launch into your discussion but keep it short and sweet. If you are thrust into a situation where you are standing next to a driver, immediately think of something intelligent to say or else just smile and say hello. Do not speak to anybody unless you have something specific you want to say even if it you just planned on congratulating the winner or a driver or team owner. If you have more, say it. They enjoy hearing from the fans and will talk to you. Bear in mind also, that you might be talking and somebody will interrupt. That is just the way things are so when it happens slowly back away and go to the next person -- don't try to go back to your conversation. It is o.k. to get autographs but you might get further if you talk to them rather than getting an autograph or taking time to take pictures although that is appropriate. Signing the race ticket or the menu for the evening is a good idea. If you have a bronze badge for the race that year then wear it. After the Awards Ceremony everybody will gather around again. Wander through the crowd and see who you can talk to and see what happens. If you talk to the winner don’t say anything totally inane. Just remember this is the biggest moment of their life so far so don’t get them too far off the subject of winning the race. With drivers that finished further down the list they just might want to talk about something else so go for it. But just remember, beware of the unexpected and what you say to strangers because they might be somebody you don’t know who is of importance. You will come away with your mind blown for several days. If reading about all this doesn’t excite you then maybe you shouldn’t go. Debriefing After returning home it is best to go over in detail what you have just done. You need to record in words the highlights at least (you will forget them in the years ahead) and you can also collect ideas for the following year to refine your procedures for the future. Then you can proces |
