This year marked my third trip across the pond to watch the greatest spectacle in racing, the Indianapolis 500. I’d attended the race in 2017 and 2018 and remember being blown away by the speeds, the quality of the racing and the whole experience for the fans.
For 2019 I wanted to sample street racing (and IMSA) so travelled to the Detroit Grand Prix. Long Beach was booked in 2020, but then COVID struck, so it wasn’t until 2022 that I ventured back stateside to the Detroit Grand Prix again. Indy gets under your skin though and I got the itch to see the 500 again.
I want to document what the Indy 500 is like to attend as a spectator and pull out some snippets on why I think this is the greatest motorsport event in the world. So, in no particular order:
Lucky escape at turn two – we were sat in the turn two grandstand, section 20, when late in the race Felix Rosenqvist touched the wall and with broken suspension spun right in front of us. He was narrowly missed by Santino Ferrucci, but was clipped by Kyle Kirkwood, a loud thump followed, as Kirkwood’s left rear wheel shot into the air and cleared the safety fence. We all gasped as the wheel started a seemingly inevitable arc towards the spectators at far end of the grandstand. All my brain could compute in those few seconds was this was all very wrong.
Expecting to see a tragedy occur right in front of me, fear turned to relief as the wheel cleared the ducking fans by a matter of feet. I then turned back to the circuit and saw a car on its side, cockpit first against the wall before inverting into the middle of the circuit, sliding along upside down in a huge shower of sparks. When it all came to a stop there was genuine concern that someone had been seriously hurt, either the driver in the car on track (Kirkwood) or someone by the side of the grandstand.
I had been messaging a friend in the UK throughout the race and asked if the TV coverage had shown where the wheel had landed (it turns out it hit a parked car), as I was doing this I noticed my fingers were shaking as I was typing. An older couple behind me left the grandstand, the lady was visibly upset, I think everyone was clear how close the Speedway had come to a major tragedy. This race is so on the edge, everyone in the grandstand lives it with the drivers. Okay, it’s a lot safer than spectating at the Isle of Man TT, but it’s more dangerous than watching an F1 race, and I think that’s part of the appeal. Nobody wants to see anyone get hurt, but we do like to see something which gets your heart racing.
The build up – As a Brit, I like a bit of pomp and ceremony, but the way it’s done at Indianapolis really builds the tension and emotion. I understand Jewel’s rendition of the national anthem received mixed feedback (I quite liked it), but for me, Taps is where the emotion really builds. I dare anyone to listen to that in a silent stadium of 330,000 people and not get a lump in your throat. Then when Jim Cornelison blasts out Back Home Again in Indiana, followed by a fighter jet flying over on full afterburners, that’s when you know show time is right around the corner.
Pagenaud, Foyt, Mario and more – We paid extra for bronze badges, which essentially gave you access to the paddock area. This had obvious perks in that you could watch the cars being warmed up in the garages (I love the rough, growl of these engines), but also access to drivers. Graham Rahal and Santino Ferrucci seemed to pop up everywhere, Callum Ilott was buzzing about on his scooter, a serious looking Josef Newgarden drove past in a golf cart, followed by a high-fiving Conor Daly. ‘Little Dave’ Malukas strolled past looking like he belonged on Wall Street and over in the corner was Simon Pagenaud. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to ask Simon for a selfie, he obliged of course, couldn’t have been nicer and actually thanked me!
I then noticed a gathering of the Foyt team who were doing a photo with the cars. There were lots of cheers as the legend, AJ Foyt emerged. I’ve been lucky enough to see and meet some great drivers in the past, but every time I see Foyt, the reaction of the crowd is the same. It’s similar to how Sir Stirling Moss used to be treated at Goodwood, with utmost respect. The reception Mario Andretti receives is similar. In fact Mario was hanging out in the Firestone garage, he’s more approachable than Foyt, in fact I’ve been told in the past to expect a frosty reception if I ever meet Foyt. He’s not a fan of Brits, which I believe stems from know-it-all British engineers that he encountered in years gone by. Although I’m told he was a big fan of Jim Clark’s, who couldn’t not like Clark. Just being in the presence of Super Tex is enough for me.
Cars on the edge – There is a common misconception, mainly from some European F1 fans, that Indy is all flat out and turning left. In other words, it’s not that hard. I’ve always known this is to be nonsense and it was really evident on the exit of turn two. Early in the stints all the drivers were fuel saving, were fairly close and holding good lines. It was towards the end of the stints that things started getting interesting, with drivers spreading out, fighting worn tyres, whilst simultaneously trying to push on in laps.
Getting back on the power, the cars started wandering to the exit of turn two. Will Power touched the wall there, whereas his team mate and eventual race winner, Josef Newgarden was impressively precise lap after lap. The Andretti cars of Colton Herta and Romain Grosjean looked loose. Herta had a big moment, a beautiful drift at 210mph, and Grosjean got a wiggle on the exit on two consecutive laps, until the third time it let go and he hit the wall. There was a loud thump and in that moment, the whole month of May, the hundreds of laps, were all for nothing. That’s the fine line these drivers are walking every corner of every lap.
One thing that was really noticeable at turn two was those drivers who were pushing on the exit of the warm up lane following their pit stops. Some took it very gingerly indeed (Katherine Legge springs to mind), but others were clearly pushing. Santino Ferrucci really impressed me through there, he was carrying a lot more speed than the others. It’s these little details that gets you to the front.
Amazing fans and Moonshine – during the final red flag a chap in front turned around and in a brilliant southern drawl asked “whereabouts are you boys from”? After replying “London” and adding “England” due to him asking if I meant “London, Ohio”, we talked all manner of topics. His love for Eldora Speedway, Sprint cars and Rico Abreu. I asked what he thought of Ross Chastain, “I only follow Indycar and Sprint cars now, I don’t like these new boys in NASCAR, give me Earnhardt or Gordon any day.” He then offered me some of his moonshine, as all his beer had run out. I took a swig and it was surprisingly nice, if a little potent. “Yeah that’s pretty mild, only 80% alcohol.” I’m sure it could’ve propelled Abreu’s Sprint car to pole at Eldora.
Two women then also asked where we were from. They were genuinely delighted that we had travelled 4,000 miles to see this race, but wanted to know my opinion on all things F1, even the English Premier League (football/ soccer). They clearly knew their stuff. They also offered me refreshments, a can of gin and tonic or a home made sandwich was on offer. This Hoosier hospitality is very endearing and the fans knowledge of all things motorsport is the best I’ve come across.
Dawsons on Main – the night before the race we headed to Dawsons on Main, which is a bar on Main Street in Speedway. Someone once told me they went in there and saw Roger Penske and Helio Castroneves sat at a table and Bobby Rahal sat at the bar. If it’s ok for those guys, it’s ok for me. All the famous people must have been tucked up in bed that night, but there were some amazing vehicles cruising past. I nearly spat out my Miller Lite when a Plymouth Roadrunner, complete with big wing emerged. We saw wheel spinning Harley’s, the best custom bikes I have ever seen and even a monster truck with neon lights underneath. The whole experience reminded me of Detroit on a Saturday night, if a little less edgy. The whole town of Speedway comes alive when the race is on.
Another hot spot is the Chequered Flag bar. We went there the night before carb day and sat at the table that was surrounded by photos and autographs of past heroes, Vukovich, Brack, the Unsers, everywhere you looked there was 500 history. We took a trip to Charlie Browns one morning, mainly because Robin Miller used to talk about it at lot and I just wanted to experience it. It was full of racers, mainly men in their 50’s, most of which had probably been going to the speedway for decades. We popped into AJ Foyt’s winery, which made me chuckle as I can never imagine AJ with a glass of Rose.
The speed – The best thing about this race and this circuit is the speed of the cars. Let me throw some numbers at you. We were sat almost at ground level at turn one during Carb day, which is the final two hour practice session. The top speed achieved into that corner in that session was 237mph. In qualifying they’re touching 242mph there (without a slipstream) and turning in without lifting the throttle. When you’re sat perhaps 20 feet away from cars going at that speed it gets your attention, believe me.
They have a slightly odd sound as they turn into the corner, they almost emit a whooshing sound, which I’m yet to fully understand. It could be the engine, the tyre noise or literally the air being pushed out of the way. If there is a group of cars, you smell a sweet odour as they pass by. When you’re close to the track you feel the grandstand shake as the cars thunder by. The only other form of motorsport that I’ve experienced where you physically feel the ground shaking, is when a top fuel dragster runs, it’s really intoxicating. Indy is the same.
Memorabilia and merch – I’ve got a pretty decent memorabilia collection at home, but I have to rely on UK collectors, of which there aren’t that many, to acquire items. I therefore couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make some purchases at Indy 500 memorabilia show at the Embassy Suites Event Centre. The event is huge, in fact we have nothing of this ilk in the UK, even for Formula One. I walked away with some gems including a Mauri Rose autograph, three programmes from 1952, 1959 and 1965 and even a programme from the 1957 ‘Monzapolis’. There were race suits and team clothing in abundance.
There is merchandise in abundance at the speedway too. Official team caps are $35, around half of what you would pay at an F1 race. The main thing though is that it’s affordable, each fan can come away with a little bit of the Speedway.
Museum – I’d been to the museum in my earlier trips, but it’s always a must at the speedway. In the main hall, all of the cars were original race winners. The only exception that I saw was Mario’s 1969 winner being a replica. I was transfixed by Foyt’s 1964 winner, resplendent with pock marks still evident from the race. It’s a special car in that it was the last roadster to win the race, and the race itself was tragic due to the fatalities of Eddie Sachs and Dave MacDonald. Speaking of Eddie Sachs, his 1961 pole car was on display, the model of which sits on my book case at home. It was a work of art. The only motorsport museum which comes close to this was the Donington Grand Prix Collection, but that was broken up a few years ago. A visit is a must.
The last lap – All of that effort in the month of May, hours of practice, hundreds of laps and it all came down to a one lap shoot out for the ultimate prize. As Marcus Ericsson led the field through turn two, we could see Josef Newgarden gaining, then attacking down the back straight. The cars then disappeared from vision and we all watched on screen as they battled it out across the line. There was much whooping and hollering from the crowd, it was all good natured, but it was electric!
I thought there would be more cheering for Newgarden given he is an American. Perhaps it’s because he’s a Penske driver, but I suspect a lot of the crowd wanted Santino Ferrucci to win, and importantly a win for AJ Foyt Racing. I think US fans are a bit like the Brits, they like an underdog. I was happy Newgarden won and I was happy to have experienced this race again.
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