Thursday. Standing at the baggage claim, I
really had no idea what the weekend had in
store, but a limo pickup is often an indication
of great things to come.
Watching names like Andretti, Castroneves and
Franchitti buzzing around the 2.5-mile track at
150 miles per hour is what filled the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway’s 250,000+ permanent seats,
right? Perhaps, but the actual race is just a
piece of what the Indianapolis 500 entails. The
pageantry of the weekend is akin to Pasadena’s
Rose Bowl, combined with the tradition of the
Kentucky Derby and the party atmosphere of
the Super Bowl. The Indy 500 is far from just a
race—it’s an occasion, one to which television
doesn’t do justice.
While picking up my press credentials for the
weekend, I got my first glimpse of the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The sheer size of
the venue sets the tone for the magnitude of
the event. It’s claimed that Yankee Stadium,
the Roman Colosseum, the Vatican and
Churchill Downs all fit inside the track’s oval. If
that’s not a staggering enough statistic, the
complex also has an 18-hole golf course, Hall of
Fame Museum, twenty-six bridges, six tunnels
and 220 acres of the grandstands. Had I not
seen the place with my own eyes I wouldn’t
have believed it–spectacle is right.
After the mini-marathon, parade, Breakfast at
the Brickyard, concerts, Memorial Service and
every other sort of event imaginable has
concluded, the attention of city is set on the
actual race. As the most attended sporting
event in the United States, around 300,000
people pour into the grandstands and infield.
The Indy 500 experience is different for
everyone. Veteran spectators are staunch in
their traditions. They’d rather change family
Christmas than deviate from their routine.
Those that attend for the party can be found
inside of turn three, better known as the Snake
Pitt. The debauchery that takes place there is
stuff of legends. Then there’s the VIP
experience—the one I had.
The Indy 500 experience is different for everyone. Veteran
spectators are staunch in their traditions. They’d rather
change family Christmas than deviate from their routine.
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