America 2016: Day Four (29 May)

Back home again in Indiana,
And it seems that I can see
The gleaming candle light, still shining bright,
Through the Sycamores for me.
The new-mowed hay sends all its fragrance
From the fields I used to roam.
When I dream about the moonlight on the Wabash
Then I long for my Indiana home.

- Jim Nabors

Race Day at the 100th Indianapolis 500. Man, does that have a nice ring to it? Instead of waking up in the early hours of Monday morning to watch on TV back home in Sydney, I woke up at 4:30am in my downtown Indianapolis hotel to scoff down some breakfast before boarding a coach to the Indianapolis Motor

Speedway. I haven’t seen the city as alive and busy as it was this morning.
To be honest, I didn’t sleep too much Saturday night, for excitement. Based on twitter and conversations on the bus and at the track, I wasn’t the only one. There was a hell of a lot of anticipation inside IMS this morning! I don’t know how drivers manage to get any sleep the night before a race as big as this.

Being at the track for Carb Day and Legends Day was great, but nothing compares to race day. We arrived just after eight o’clock – taking advantage of a police escort that allowed us to skip the mammoth traffic jams that clogged the roads between downtown Indianapolis and the track – about two hours after the track opened, and still had hours to kill before the green flag. 

The green flag being delivered

That was fine with me, because it allowed plenty of time to take in all the pageantry that Indianapolis is famous for. In the four hours between our arrival and green flag, we saw marching bands, a cavalcade of military personnel, a parade of Indianapolis 500-winning cars, an F18 flyover, the green flag arriving by helicopter, driver introductions, Josh Kaufman singing “Back Home Again in Indiana”, Darius Rucker’s spine-tingling rendition of the national anthem, during which a bald eagle swooped in low over turn one.

You see so many amazing things at the speedway. We were witness to a ninety-four-year-old man who arrived in a wheelchair and was carried in said chair up the steps to his seat by his family. He has seen eighty-nine 500’s at the Speedway, and showed up for the hundredth. Whilst he left midway through the race, the effort to get there was nothing short of incredible.

You know what else is incredible? The total attendance made the Indianapolis Motor Speedway the fifty-seventh largest city in the United States. It was a mass of humanity all day, but thanks to a series of smart road closures and plenty of food and drink outlets, there were none of the mammoth queues that you often see at Australian sporting events. In fact, we could learn a thing or two from an event such as this.

Shortly after midday, Mari Hulman George gave the order to start engines – “lady and gentlemen, start your engines!” – and there was a roar like no other as the cars that had been sitting on the front straight since just after ten o’clock came spectacularly to life. I experienced goose bump-provoking moment after goose bump-provoking moment. There’s nothing like being in the stands to experience every single moment of ceremony and celebration.

FA-18 Hornet fly-over

And then, they drop the green flag on a perfect start: eleven rows of three cars, and there are thirty-three cars coming at you in turn one, somehow making it through a tight first turn, across the short chute and into two, led by pole sitter James Hinchcliffe. The start, with 400,000 on their feet and cheering, was an experience that is hard to accurately describe with words. To understand what I mean, you have to come to Indianapolis and experience it for yourself. Believe me, it’s well worth the trip.

The one hundredth running of this epic race had everything: an insane amount of passes for the lead, a couple of spectacular accidents (from which drivers walked away with no serious injury) a bizarre three-car incident in the pit lane, which put an end to the hopes of front runners Townsend Bell and Ryan Hunter-Reay, and a frantic last thirty laps.

Let’s talk about those last thirty, shall we? Madness personified. We didn’t see the expected late-race caution that many of us anticipated, and that turned the last stanza into a fuel mileage event as drivers tried to stretch their last tank to the end. Many tried, and most failed, with lots of front runners needing to pit inside the last five laps, cruelling their hopes for victory.

All except for American Alexander Rossi, who somehow stretched his last tank of fuel thirty-six laps – an almost inhuman effort – enough to ensure he crossed the famous yard of bricks first in only his second ever oval race. But, that’s only half the story for Rossi, whose car coughed as he took the white flag, and somehow managed to run on fumes for the final circuit, barely above walking pace as he came out of turn four for the final time, coaxing his #98 Honda across the line as a furious pack of gassed-up drivers, led by Carlos Munoz and Josef Newgarden, chased him down.

Rossi, driving in Formula One this time last year, spending his Memorial Day weekend in Monaco rather than Indianapolis, led a chunk of the race near the halfway mark, and became only the third rookie to win the Indianapolis 500 in the last fifty years.

Alexander Rossi, moments after he won the 100th Indianapolis 500

It’s fair to say that Rossi wasn't the guy most of us expected to win today. I personally thought Josef Newgarden or Tony Kanaan would win today, but Rossi’s drive ensured an American would win America’s biggest, and in dramatic fashion, as befitting the Indianapolis 500’s one hundredth running. All said and done, it was a popular victory – and, given the chaotic circumstances, one worthy of this race. The job he did to save fuel got him to victory lane at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and provided a finish for the ages. What an extraordinary weekend!
 
There’s nothing quite like this race. If you ever have the opportunity to go, don’t pass it up. You won’t be disappointed.

Sad that the race weekend is over, but happy about what's to come: we're off to Chicago in the morning to celebrate Memorial Day with friends.

America 2016: Day Three (28 May)

It's a French kiss, Italian ice,
Spanish moss in the moonlight
Just another American, just another American,
It’s just another American Saturday night

 
                                                        - Brad Paisley

                                                                                            

A much better sleep last night! That was a relief. Banked a solid eight hours and felt much better as a result. Even so, the 5:45am wake-up call was rough!

The downtown hotel where I’m staying – the excellent Omni Severin – is full of IndyCar fans from across America and all over the world, and the anticipation of tomorrow’s race day is really starting to take hold. Went down to breakfast this morning, and it was easier to spot the few folks who weren’t wearing some sort of attire indicating their favourite driver or team. I’m well at home, then, in my Graham Rahal gear.

Garage: Dale Coyne Racing #88 car driven by Bryan Clauson

Same goes for people on the street. The way the city of Indianapolis embraces this race is nothing short of amazing. You can’t walk half a block without some sort of race-related billboard grabbing your attention. Every hotel room is full, every restaurant and diner full to overflowing, and so many shops selling 500-related merchandise – be it officially-licenced or otherwise! – is doing a roaring trade. Walking around downtown, it’s hard not to be completely swept away in the events of today and tomorrow. The vibe is fantastic!

Legends Day is one for the fans – for all of us to celebrate and commemorate the great drivers who have raced and won at Indianapolis, names as familiar to race fans as those of their own families: Foyt, Unser, Andretti, Mears, Rutherford…and the list goes on. We had garage access and you knew it was going to be one of those days when we saw Marco Andretti just casually drive by on a buggy. Though mostly quiet, walking through the garage was a great experience. It’s where everything begins for all thirty-three cars. That time tomorrow, and it’ll be fever-pitch in there.

Driver's Meeting

Starting early at the Speedway is an autograph session featuring all thirty-three drivers who’ll take the green flag at 12:20pm tomorrow. IndyCar is a niche sport in America most days – every day, if I’m honest, other than Indianapolis 500 race day – so the drivers double as ambassadors for the sport. It shows in how gracious they are with their time at events like this one.

Of course, I made a beeline for Graham Rahal pretty much as soon as we got out of the bus, and can happily confirm that he is as friendly as those who’ve met him have suggested. Rahal, whose father, Bobby, won the race thirty years ago this year, is the future of IndyCar racing, and the way he interacts with the fans makes me very glad to be a fan. The sport is in good hands with ambassadors like Rahal and also Aussie Matt Brabham and the lone female entrant this year, England’s Pippa Man, who we were lucky to meet as well.

After the autograph session – which was madness personified – we headed out to the front straight, where dozens of vintage cars from various eras of the Indianapolis 500 were running laps alongside the Corvette that will pace this year’s 100th running. The history of the cars and their original drivers were narrated by Donald Davidson, the track’s guru historian. He’s probably forgotten more about the Indianapolis 500 than most of us are ever going to remember, and seeing the older cars on track really makes you sit back and realise how long this race has been going, and how far technology has come. It was a really interesting few minutes.

With Graham Rahal

Straight after: the Driver’s Meeting, which was fascinating. I’ve always wanted to be a fly on the wall at one of these events. What does Race Control say to the drivers? I’ve always wondered if they cautioned guys against doing anything crazy in the first lap – you know, you can’t win the Indianapolis 500 in the first turn of the first lap, but you can certainly lose it. They want a clean, well-executed start with eleven rows of three down the front straight in formation, and from what chief steward Brian Barnhardt said, it looks like Race Control won’t be afraid to wave off the start if it doesn’t look good. As well they should! I mean, it’s the 100th anniversary! The least we deserve is a good looking start.

We caught a bus back downtown after the Driver’s Meeting and watched the 500 Festival Parade. Now, if there’s one thing that Americans do exceptionally well, it’s a parade through the streets, and this one had everything: floats, giant balloons, marching bands, celebrities, vintage IndyCars, pace cars and, of course, each of the thirty-three drivers competing in tomorrow’s Indianapolis 500.

There had to have been two or three hundred thousand people downtown on a beautiful Indianapolis afternoon, crammed in along the parade route, watching and cheering. This weekend is more than a race. It’s a coming together of a community, in which racing is king. The knowledgeable reception for all the drivers as they came past told me more about how much IndyCar racing is revered and followed here in Indianapolis. It’s a rabid obsession, in the best possible way. If you come to Indy, make sure and see the parade. It’s a great part of the build-up to race day.

Pennzoil float featuring Rick Mears and Johnny Rutherford

In the afternoon, after a quick lunch, it was back to the Speedway, to the concert stage off of turn three. There, we saw country music superstar (and tabloid favourite) Blake Shelton play a hit-packed set that stretched for more than ninety-minutes. And, of course, the joint was packed with race fans on a muggy but – importantly – dry afternoon.

Heading back into downtown Indianapolis, the realisation hit me that tomorrow is race-day at the 100th Indianapolis 500. All the practice, qualifying, media appearances, race analysis and speculation is over. Tomorrow, just after midday, in front of a completely sold-out racetrack, thirty-three drivers will vie for racing immortality, and we’ll witness a slice of sporting history as they battle for the right to be known forever more as an Indianapolis 500 champion. Whoever wins tomorrow will go down in history.

Purdue Marching Band

I can’t wait to be there to see it all unfold.

America 2016: Day Two (27 May)

Made in America, nineteen fifty nine
Born down by the factories, ‘cross the Jersey City line
Raised on radio, just a jukebox kid
I was alright

Just a small town homeboy, with big dreams
Following his conscience, in a world full of extremes
Fresh outta high school, only seventeen
I was alright

- Richie Sambora

Friday 27 May

I had a pretty good sleep until about 3:30am when I woke up hot like you wouldn’t believe. The air-conditioning, set at around 72, had been on all night, and it dried me out like…well, like a very dry person. It took lowering the temperature to flood the room with cold air and a good hour or more of uncomfortable tossing and turning for me to get back to sleep. I did, eventually, and woke up to the alarm at 8:00am. That was nine hours, but it didn’t feel quite that long.

Anyway, I was energised. I mean, this was my first chance to lay eyes on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. First things first, though – we went for a nice walk down to the JW Marriott hotel, whose exterior is covered with a 100^th Indy 500 livery. Pretty amazing to look at. We came back via Starbucks for breakfast, which, for me, included a spicy chorizo and egg roll. Really good. The black coffee woke me up, too.

The amazing livery over the Marriott

Then, it was off to the Speedway. Carb Day is important, with teams running race trim, and gives us a good indication as to who has speed in the configuration that’s all-important. It’s one thing to go fast in qualifying trim but another thing entirely to be fast in race trim. After the drama of last weekend’s pole qualifying, today was the day to embed setups as everyone – drivers, crews, officials, media types and fans – look ahead to race day.

We ran into some traffic a few miles out from the track, and got lucky to find a parking spot in the middle of the aptly-named Speedway, Indiana (outside Speedway High School) which was only about a ten minute walk to the main entrance of the track. There were people everywhere, and it was later announced that this year’s Carb Day was one of the biggest in recent memory. The amazing weather helped – it was warm and sunny, about thirty degrees Celsius.

If you’ve never set foot inside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, allow me to set the scene:

You’d imagine that such a big racetrack would be out in the middle of nowhere like most permanent facilities in Australia, but IMS is only a handful of miles from downtown Indianapolis. When the track opened in 1911, it would have been in the middle of nowhere, but now is a part of the larger city. 

Let me tell you this: it’s a mammoth facility, quite unlike any other venue I’ve ever been to, including NASCAR’s equivalent, Daytona. Indy absolute dwarfs Daytona. Yes, the tracks are the same size, but Daytona seems puny in comparison, and actually holds less than half of Indianapolis’ capacity.

The famous IMS pagoda and pit lane

You don’t understand how big Indy is until you walk in. No TV vision does it justice. To stand around the start finish line, where the famous yard of bricks crosses the smooth asphalt surface, and look down towards turn one as IndyCars buzz by at well over 200mph, you realise the enormity of the place. From there, the cars seem to be driving into a wall of grandstand, rising high to the sky, two and three decks high, and right at the last minute turn hard left and head into the short chute, and turn two.

Unlike other ovals, you can’t see all of Indianapolis, no matter where you sit. Grandstands on both sides of the track (and the famous pagoda at the start/finish line) on the front straight make it impossible. I can’t even begin to imagine how it would feel on the first lap of the race, to see that mass of people in grandstands reaching for the sky.

Being trackside after so many years being an IndyCar fan is exhilarating. I felt like a kid on Christmas morning today, walking into the speedway. Grandstands sparsely populated on Carb Day will be jam-packed on Sunday. There are no grandstand seats left, and even general admission seating is going quickly. Although the track doesn’t post attendance numbers, there’ll be around 400,000 people in attendance on Sunday, making the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race the largest single-day sporting event in the world.

Since I left high school and started work, I’ve always taken the last Monday in May off work so I could get up before 2:00am to watch the 500 live. Actually going to Indianapolis has been on my Bucket List for a long time. I’ve seen some big American sporting events in my life: the 2006 Daytona 500 and 2009 Rose Bowl Game chief amongst them, but never Indy. Until now. And, after one mesmerising day, I wish I’d gotten here sooner.

There’s an energy to Indy that’s hard to explain. You walk around the place and the ghosts of 500’s past feel like they’re following. I saw parts of the track up close today that I’ve seen on TV for years and years, and they spark my own memories of early morning wake-ups and it’s quite surreal to actually be on the ground where it all happened.

The flag stand

Cars absolutely fly around this place. We watched final practice from at the entrance to turn one, and settled in for the 100-mile Indy Lights Freedom 100 race – and what an incredible race it was. Dean Stoneman won it by just two thousandths of a second. It was a finish you had to see to believe. The gap between the two cars was almost non-existent. Maybe an inch in it. If that. You felt so sorry for Jones. That’s a horrible way to lose a race. Especially at Indy.

The Pit Stop competition gives all the crews a huge chance to shine – they’re an important part of any race-winning effort, and a pit stop, good or bad, can sometimes be the difference between victory or defeat in the Indianapolis 500 – and to earn bragging rights, too. The way these guys slave so efficiently over their race cars is amazing. These guys are the unsung heroes of racing, and it was great to see them front and centre this afternoon.

I took the opportunity to buy a Graham Rahal shirt – my favourite driver – and a few other souvenirs in the infield of the speedway, which is so big it includes a road course circuit and two holes of the Brickyard Crossing golf course. There were people everywhere, but it won’t be anything compared to Sunday, so today was definitely the day to go shopping. I’m looking forward to getting Rahal to sign my program at the autograph session tomorrow. 

Tonight, we went across the road to the Pan American Plaza where a local Indianapolis radio station was doing their annual Carb Night Burger Bash. Basically, it was a live broadcast featuring many drivers, media types and IndyCar Series officials talking about the race, the sport and the history. Some of the recollections gave me goossebumps. It's hard not to be completely excited now. The crowd of probably 4000 or more were all hard-core IndyCar fans, and the vibe on such a gorgeous Indianapolis night was great. A really awesome way to end a great day!
 

And, really, things are only just starting to ramp up – looking forward to a good night’s sleep, hopefully without air-conditioning dramas. 

Great night at the Carb Night Burger Bash in downtown Indianapolis

There’s no on-track activity tomorrow on Legends Day, but we’re heading to the Driver’s Meeting at IMS in the morning, then the Indianapolis 500 Parade through downtown Indianapolis in the early afternoon, and back to the Speedway for Blake Shelton’s concert in the evening.

Then, Sunday, race day.