IT'S RACE DAY!!! Watching the Indianapolis 500? Check in here!

[A HERETIC I AM]

Last edited Sun May 24, 2015, 01:11 PM - Edit history (1)

I love..LOVE this race.

Was a credentialed participant 1990, 91, 92, 93, 94 (winning team ring) & 95. With the exception of 1995, the company I worked for won the race each year as an engine manufacturer, so I should have 5 rings, but only was invited to buy the 1994 issue (Al Unser JR.)

Here's the truck I drove in those days, which was parked about 200 yards from the finish line, outside the garage area;

1990 & 91


Edit to add this pic; The above truck on Monday Morning, after the race - load out day. "Gasoline Alley" sign in the background. Back then it was home to the shop for a day or so and then straight over to Milwaukee for the next weekend.


92, 93 & 94;


!995;


LET'S GO RACING!!

[brooklynite]

1. I was planning to watch some paint dry...

If I feel the need to watch cars make left turns for two hours, I can go down to the corner.

[A HERETIC I AM]

2. Thanks for checking in!

[RoccoR5955]

39. Uh huh. Apparently you have never seen real racing competition

Otherwise you might say something different
At more than 200 mph, it takes great athletic ability to withstand the g-forces around the turns.
Then there are the real places where races are won and lost. That is in the pits. The pit crews carry on a routine that would rival any dance troupe, as coordinated as they are.
And there is much strategy in figuring out, toward the end of the race, how to to conserve fuel and maintain speed.

It's not just cars turning left. It is so much more.

[brooklynite]

44. Rally cars, maybe...

...Track cars don't do anything for me.

[A HERETIC I AM]

45. I just saw this.....

and thanks.

The first response to my thread....moments after the initial OP, was the one you responded to.

I really didn't have anything else to say at that moment than what I did.

I appreciate you typing what I didn't

This event holds a special place in my life and I could wax on ad nauseum as to its significance, the difficulties, the engineering exercise it is, the strategy, etc.

Thanks.



Thanks.

[AgingAmerican]

3. Thanks for the reminder

Would have forgotten it's on today. Just in time!

[A HERETIC I AM]

4. Glad to help. n/t

[OKNancy]

5. watching... can't believe that dumb wreck in the first lap

[A HERETIC I AM]

6. 1st lap was/is always a nail biter.

As has been said many times, you can't win the race on lap 1, but you sure as hell can lose it.

[dhill926]

52. went to the race many times...

when we lived in Indy. Still remember sitting in Turn 1 the year Mario and Michael Andretti pinched Cheever off on the first lap. Place went friggin' nuts...

[spanone]

7. grew up in indy....always take a peek.

as a kid, i sold newspapers at the track on race day.....

after an accident, they would put a new headline & story on the front page and people would buy another copy of basically the same paper....

that was early-mid sixties.

[A HERETIC I AM]

9. Seems to me the Indianapolis Star was still doing that in the early 90's.

Lots of cool stuff like that about this race from back then.

It is a real shame to see so many open seats now. When I was there, it was always a sellout.

[spanone]

12. they may have been, i moved away in the 70's.

in '64 i was selling papers when eddie sachs & dave macdonald crashed and died in a fireball in the fourth turn....where i was working.

this was back when they were still using gasoline in the cars....it was horrific

[A HERETIC I AM]

14. The advent of alcohol as a fuel was a serious step forward for safety, that's for sure. n/t

[spanone]

17. true, but then they couldn't SEE the fire! another real danger.

[A HERETIC I AM]

18. It certainly was a trade off.

Not to tell you what you already know, so for the benefit of others;

Alcohol fumes, unlike gasoline fumes are lighter than air. BIG safety feature.

The fires can be put OUT with water. Water tends to spread a gas fire.

Much safer all around as far as flash point, volatility, etc.

The CART (the sanctioning body back then for all the other races on the circuit) safety guys used to give demonstrations to local fire department fire fighters that were assigned to the races. One of them had a sick sense of humor and was a smoker. The lead guy would be giving his talk, next to a 5 gallon bucket full of the Methanol. Mr. Card would smoke his smoke down to the end and at the right moment, toss his lit butt into the bucket. Experienced fire fighters would see how quick they could jump backward! The butt goes out instantly, of course and that is the big lesson and point.

There is famous footage of Rick Mears in pit lane, with alcohol flames under his helmet, jumping up and down, trying to get help.. You're right.....it did present new issues, but overall, it saved lives, of that I have no doubt.

[SCVDem]

8. Tough luck.

To crash or catch fire even before the green is tough.

I miss Jim Nabors.

[A HERETIC I AM]

11. Honestly, I think "Straight, No Chaser" killed "Back Home in Indiana"

They honored the song, and Mr. Nabors.

But true, Ol' Jim was an icon and a fixture at the Speedway for years.

Edit...yes...crashing out early totally sucks! back when the teams were there for the whole month for the one race, it was completely hearbreaking. All that money and time and effort.......ziiip. gone.

[rocktivity]

10. You're a bunch of

Race-ists!


rocktivity

[A HERETIC I AM]

16. Guilty! n/t

[hunter]

13. I'm waiting for it to be electric...

... recharging okay, battery swaps not.

Fuel engines are so 20th century.

(But exciting too.)

[A HERETIC I AM]

15. Twin turbo, 2.2 liter V6's.

Pretty advanced, I would think.

[ileus]

19. Recording the 500....may get to catch some of the last laps at Charlotte.

One of the best racing days of the year.

We're about to hit the pool and who knows what until 5. Then we're heading to the neighbors cabin for some fishing, fire, and cookout.

If the CMS race is still on when we get home around 11 or so we'll watch the final laps.

[A HERETIC I AM]

38. Yes it is!

If you're up early enough, you get the Monaco GP live.

Then Indy.

Then Charlotte.


Yup....Summer's here!

[SCVDem]

20. Lap 65

Bring out the sweepers again.

Close call in the pits. NEVER turn your back on any race car!

[A HERETIC I AM]

23. I have ABSOLUTE personal experience in that admonition!

Practice session, pit lane at Indy, back in the day.....

OK...not going to drop names or situations, but yes, you are absolutely correct.

NEVER turn your back on a running race car.

Ever.

[NuclearDem]

21. Parents are at the track, but I'm in that local Indianapolis media market.

So, no watching yet for me.

[A HERETIC I AM]

25. My sympathies!

They broadcast it locally tomorrow, correct?

[NuclearDem]

27. They broadcast it usually right after the race itself is over.

I have the DVR set to record.

[A HERETIC I AM]

29. Got ya.

Well...I can't promise no spoilers on this thread...so...take that for what you will!

[cherokeeprogressive]

22. Just walked in. A tad under 200 miles. C'mon, from one professional driver to another...

That's not too far to go in order to hang out in the Stadium Club and sit 100 feet from The Plate.

[A HERETIC I AM]

24. Depends on whether or not it makes you late for the race, numbnuts!

Glad you made it home safe! Would have loved to have been there to share a beer and the 7th inning stretch!

[cherokeeprogressive]

26. Dude... yer never late for a race when ya got a DVR.

I was going to watch from the beginning but saw info upthread that made it unnecessary LOL.

Yeah it WILL be nice when we finally get to share an experience like that.

[A HERETIC I AM]

28. Like I said "elsewhere"....I was within just a few miles of you 40 hours ago.

So...there is that.

I have to find a gig that isn't timed like an airline!

[pangaia]

30. How come they only turn left?

[A HERETIC I AM]

31. Because if they go right, they'll bump into the people.

LOL...sorry.....

Plenty of street/road circuits as well, so you just have to watch the other races during the season to see them turn the steering wheel the other way!

[pangaia]

32. Ah, just pullin' your chain.

I'm rooting for the green car. I like the color.
That's how I choose football teams.. the uniforms I like ...

Baseball, now that's another matter.. a serious matter..


I don't know how in the heck they change tires so fast..
When I switch out my summer and snow tires it takes me an hour and a half..

Enjoy...

[A HERETIC I AM]

34. The tire changey thingy is actually quite interesting, but I won't bore you.

The green color however.....

In years past, AJ Foyt refused to pit next to a green painted car.

No shit.

Superstitions, and all.

[pangaia]

36. I can see why.

The green car just crashed.

Wait, that was a different geen car. I'm still in it....

[A HERETIC I AM]

37. There ya go!

The superstition goes to "British Racing Green", if I remember what I was told correctly. Tales would be told differently by different sorts, I suppose.

The year after I first started in the biz, Porsche showed up with a Green car.

Old AJ wanted nothing to do with them!

[pangaia]

40. I'm in first place !!!!!

GO GREEN !!!!

[A HERETIC I AM]

41. YAY!

STILL? LOL

I stepped out.

[pangaia]

42. Nah, back in # 6.

I knew he couldn't hold it.. His car doesn't go fast enough. The leader was topping out at 230. green car--Kimball at about 226.

What do I know?

[A HERETIC I AM]

43. Lots of racing left.

27 laps to go as I type.

[AngryOldDem]

33. It's blacked out here in Indy.

Will be shown tonight.

I'm keeping up with it through the radio -- I'm checking in every so often. There's no point in trying not to find out who wins before tonight, unless you go hide in a cave, since local media is ALL over this all day. Actually, I like listening to it on the radio, especially the last few laps. The announcers make it quite exciting.

Go Tony Kanaan.

(And Straight No Chaser is a fitting follow to Jim Nabors. They did a spectacular job.)

[A HERETIC I AM]

35. Always had the radio AND the TV going in the garage.

They do a great job on the radio, no doubt.

Could not agree more on the S-N-C reference. Those guys killed it.

[A HERETIC I AM]

46. EXCELLENT!

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA.

Nicely done.

Penske 1-2

[AngryOldDem]

50. Really looking forward to watching it.

As usual, I heard the last 10 laps via the radio. Coverage starts at 7 p.m. here.

[ileus]

47. Congrats to JPM

[AnnieBW]

48. It's the Hoosier High Holy Day

My husband is from Indianapolis. When I met him 30 years ago, I didn't realize that people from Indianapolis were as obsessed with car racing as Pittsburghers were with football. So, I put up with his race fanaticism one day a year, and he puts up with my football fanaticism from September to February.

[Elwood P Dowd]

49. Thank your luckey stars the Rooney family owns the Steelers.

Imagine being a fan of Jerry Jones and Dan Snyder teams.

[AnnieBW]

63. I Live in The DC Area

I grew up in Pittsburgh, but I live in the DC area now. The Washington football team, and its owner, are an embarrassment.

[A HERETIC I AM]

53. Ahhhhh....the poor uninformed.....

Last edited Sun May 24, 2015, 07:33 PM - Edit history (1)

Who have no appreciation for the Brickyard......






LOL...

It is an interesting phenomena, but alas, I see it's twilight.

The increasingly vacant seats at Indy, year over year, is testament to a post above mentioning waning interest in automobile racing.

I could write an essay as to why I think the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race is an important institution. Stating the mere fact that it is simply a car race in May, or even further that it is basically an annual engineering exercise in the middle of this country, does not do justice to what has become an honorable history, that ensures this exercise takes place in such a fashion, that the worldwide attention of the automotive industry as a whole, is grasped by it.

[chillfactor]

51. not a racing fan.....

watched the 500 in person a few years back.....that was enough racing for me....

[odd_duck]

54. I love the race...

But the IMS needs to be more equitable and fair when it comes to the Pace Cars. You know, ....a Dodge next year, a Chevy a year after that, then a Ford after that. Not just Chevy, year after year after year after year after year after year after year after year after year..................................................................

[MerryBlooms]

55. Great race- my husband and I enjoyed watching. Congrats to Montoya!

(he's pretty much always our pick)

[Brother Buzz]

56. It was Chevrolet's day

[AwakeAtLast]

57. I live near Indy

So I don't watch. And with the weather we had today, I didn't care to, which is not normal for me.

I have been to the track many times, enjoyed it, but I have kind of lost interest. I don't know the drivers any more.

Love the pics, they are really cool!

[Blue_Tires]

58. Holy damn...You never told me you were a team participant...

[A HERETIC I AM]

60. Engine manufacturer.

I was never on a racing team pit crew or anything like that. I drove that truck, looked after it and took care of the engineers that worked off it - food, drinks, etc.

Here's Rick Mears in the center section of the trailer. A computer room is behind him, equipped with static dissipative laminate countertops and an uninterruptible power supply;


Worked for Lola Cars in 1996 on essentially the same sort of trailer, albeit a class "6" as opposed to a class 8 like in the OP.

Here's the Lola truck in front of some familiar scenery:

[Logical]

59. Maybe the most boring sport ever. Maybe golf is worse. nt

[SCVDem]

61. NASCAR success may have eluded Juan

I was really hoping he could do it, and he did.

Great race and one other thjing,

Being a gearhead Sunday, why am I watching softball on espn2? NHRA is now an hour overdue.

Softball or 20,000 horsepower.

Duh

UPDATE: ESPN2 is showing basketball. It's an hour 5. No crawl.

[Elwood P Dowd]

62. He won a couple of road coarses. Ganassi racing hasn't done much with any of their drivers

in NASCAR.