By John Goolsby, For the Tribune
INDIANAPOLIS – “To win this race is indescribable. I think being at this event is almost indescribable,” said 2023 Indy 500 champion and Nashville native Josef Newgarden shortly after his exciting win at the fabled Brickyard. “Someone has to come and see it and be a part of it to understand what it is all about.”
Two days earlier I pulled out of Birmingham at 5 AM and headed north to see exactly what the Indy 500 was all about.
A view from the stands at the Indy 500.
Photo by: John Goolsby
The plan was to make it to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in time for the pitstop challenge on Carb Day. Although modern Indy cars do not use carburetors, the name has stuck for the final day of practice.
The drive to Indianapolis was relatively easy. All on I-65, it took three hours to get to Nashville, two hours to Louisville, and then two hours to Indy.
There were plenty of opportunities to sight see on the way: the Corvette National Museum, Mammoth Cave National Park and the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park to name a few.
However, there was no time to stop for me and my son Drew. He, as my photographer, had pictures to take and I had interview to attend to and stories to write.
We had our own history to make at the 107th Running of the Indy 500 and Ol’ Abe’s birthplace would just have to wait.
What strikes you when you first see the Speedway from the outside is its size and its location. The glistening metal structure rises from a neighborhood in the middle of Speedway, Indiana.
Getting our media badges and finding the media parking lot was quick and easy, partly because the 75,000 people on hand had already been inside for hours.
We entered the Speedway and walked through the tunnel under the track. Emerging from the dark, we were met with arguably the most recognizable structure at IMS, the futuristic and shiny Pagoda.
As we made the turn into the heart of the Speedway, I was amazed. The place was new to me, but it felt strangely familiar after watching the race on TV for nearly forty years. I recalled having the same feeling once before. It was as a ten-year-old when I first saw Bear Bryant leaning against the goalpost at Legion Field. New but somehow familiar.
I attempted to control my excitement as I took in the vast canyon of bleachers along the front stretch as we made our way to pit lane to watch the pit stop challenge. The pit stop challenge, first contested in 1977, is a single-elimination competition among the NTT IndyCar teams held two days before the Indy 500.
To say there is much to take in at IMS would be an understatement. Rows and rows of merchandise and food vendors line the Pagoda Plaza. The most famous and popular food item is the generically named “tenderloin.”
Long a staple of the Indy 500, the tenderloin is, well, a pork tenderloin that has been pounded flat, breaded and fried. The giant tenderloin is served between two buns with little to no condiments.
For race fans looking to get the most bang for their buck, they should look into getting Silver or Bronze badges. While these badges are not cheap, are extremely limited, and are greatly sought after, they will provide fans with excellent access to the famed Gasoline Alley (garages), pit lane, and the front stretch of the track itself.
On a side note, do not, I repeat, do not, under any circumstances, attempt to enter any area that you are not authorized to enter less you desire to receive the swift wrath of the “yellow shirts.” These yellow-top-clad volunteers of the Speedway take their job very seriously. If you find yourself arguing with the wrong one about the wrong thing, you may find yourself standing outside the Speedway on the corner of 16th and Georgetown.
Of all the amazing things within the speedway to photograph, one of the most popular ones is getting a photo of yourself (or friends or family) kissing the bricks. Since 1961, a yard-wide strip of bricks has remained as the start/finish line from the original “brickyard” built in 1909.
Most traditions of the speedway are associated with the Indy 500. However, the kissing of the bricks is a relatively new addition and began when NASCAR driver Dale Jarred puckered up and kissed them after his Brickyard 400 victory in 1996.
After spending the day taking in the sights and sounds of the Speedway and getting settled in at the DEX Media Center, we headed to the car listening to 80s rock star Bryan Adams pay tribute to Tina Turner by singing their duet “It’s Only Love.” A concert usually caps off Carb Day. This year Soul Asylum opened for Bryan Adams.
We headed to our Airbnb located five miles from the track. If you are considering making the trip next year, I would highly encourage Airbnb as an option. Indianapolis has many hotels, but rooms tend to book quickly, and rates can be higher than normal. Location is critical to getting to the track early and beating the traffic. Book early to avoid staying an hour away in Kokomo or Bloomington.
Later that evening we attended Rockin’ On Main In Speedway. The block party, just across from Gate 1 of the Speedway on 16th and Main, was hoping with live music, food trucks, kid-friendly activities, libations and restaurant specials.
For those that were unable to shake the racing bug from the day’s earlier activities, Speedway Indoor Karting is located right on Main Street. The facility boasts a multi-level road course and, naturally, an oval track. It tends to be booked, so make sure to make reservations well ahead of time. My photographer was disappointed to learn this the hard way.
Saturday provided us with the opportunity to take in the Speedway in relative peace before the crush of Sunday’s crowd. A large crowd did attend the public driver’s meeting and autograph session. There were also long lines for the two autograph sessions for Indy Legends.
Saturday is an also a good day to tour the IMS museum on the property. The museum houses over 300 cars, 30 500-winning cars, and thousands of racing artifacts. Admission is $15 but expect long lines on race weekends.
After the scheduled activities at the track concluded, all 33 drivers and a large portion of the crowd headed downtown for the Indy Festival Parade. The parade, which started in 1957, usually draws 200,000 spectators and has earned national acclaim alongside the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Later in the afternoon, we took a short drive to see some interesting Indy memorabilia. The Ripley Auctions show in nearby Plainfield showcased almost 200 booths, had autograph sessions and silent auctions for charities such as IndyCar Ministry.
While we didn’t attend any additional races, there were numerous options for the hard-core race fans wanting more action over the weekend. The US F2000 series raced at Lucas Oil Raceway on Friday night, and sprint car racing took place Wednesday through Saturday at nearby Anderson Speedway. Saturday night’s Little 500 began in 1949 and draws massive fields of cars and crowds. Be prepared to be there well after midnight, though.
Options for food are plenty in and around IMS. From a burger and fries at the 50-year-old Mug-n-Bun to a 28 oz. Porterhouse at St. Elmo’s Steakhouse, you are sure to find something for everyone and their budget.
The media center opened at 4 am on race morning so we made sure to beat the crowd and be in place when the traditional “bomb” went off to signal the opening of the Speedway to the public. A Howitzer and fireworks now take the place of the old “bomb.”
Jordan-Hare crowds are big. Bryant-Denny crowds are big. Talladega crowds are big. Nothing compares to Indy 500 big though. This year’s crowd exceeded 330,000 and the Pagoda Plaza was packed from 6 am until well after the race.
While most fans had a ticket to one of the almost 300,000 seats in the Speedway, 25,000 packed into the infamous Snake Pit for a day of partying.
“It’s 100% crazy,” said IMS President Doug Boles. “You’ve got 325,000 people in the venue, 25,000 of them are in the Snake Pit, listening to music, and don’t know a race is happening.”
The Speedway also crams another 20,000 into other areas of the infield and on man-made viewing mounds.
As big as the crowd is, the traditions are just as big at the 500. Celebrities drive the pace car at the start of the race: Tyrese Haliburton of the Pacers. Celebrities sing the national anthem: Jewel. Celebrities wave the starter flag: actor Adam Driver.
The 500 has always done and amazing job of honoring those that have given their all defending our nation. There were a lot of lumps in throats and not a lot of dry eyes after the jet fighter flyover, the 21-gun salute, and the playing of Taps.
The energy built to a fever pitch by the time “Back Home Again in Indiana” was sung. Alabama native Jim Nabors sang the classic for 36 years. Jim Cornelison has since taken over and by the time he finished, I felt like I was Hoosier.
When IMS owner Roger Penske stepped to the mic and spoke the most famous words in racing, “drivers, start your engines,” the place erupted. The crowd was so loud you almost couldn’t hear the second surprise low-level jet fighter flyover.
On the track, this year’s race was a classic. A last-lap shootout, somewhat controversial, provided the fourth closest finish in history and the first American winner since 2016.
Long after the celebrations ended, the crowd had left, and the last interviews had been given, I walked out into the silence of the empty cavernous Speedway. The quietness of the place was in stark contrast to the roaring crowd and engines that had echoed across all 1,000 acres hours earlier.
I thought about the history of the place, the winners, the losers, the highs and lows the place had seen over the years since 1911.
I had come to see what it was all about and left knowing what I already knew, the Indy 500 is truly The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
