The Indy 500

May 30th - I'm convinced that someone is looking out for me and making sure this trip is the best possible. That is certainly evidenced by my being able to visit all my family and friends, but also how things seem to happen in a positive manner while I've been traveling. - - - What makes me say this?...Well, while I had NO thoughts of attending the Indianapolis 500 car race during this trip, my Sister is talking to me and my Brother (about 2 days before the race) that my Nephew (Jon - That I went to the Sweet 16 Basketball Championship with) and my Niece (Jen - the sexy looking lady in my car during my 1st visit to Indianapolis) have extra tickets available. So, since my Brother nor I have ever attended the race, we sort of looked at each other and said, let's go. - - - We traveled to Indy on Saturday; stayed with my Nephew (Matt - That went to the Final 4 with me); met up with my Brother-in-Law from Virginia (the "Don't Mess with the Vette" blog); played some cards; then went to the race on Sunday. - - - Now not only did my Niece and Nephew have extra tickets, they had parking passes that let us travel to the race track on the police routes...so there was no traffic to contend with. We got there early...tailgated for awhile...then went to the track. - - - Here's some pictures and videos from the event.

(Left picture) My Brother Dave and I. Sure glad I'm the better looking one! LOL - - - (Right picture, from left to right) My Nephew Jon and Jen, then Bill, then Dave.

While I was just trying to get any sort of picture of a car passing by during the race, it just so happened that one of the few that turned out (not blurry from the speed) was the car/driver that won the race.

As one would imagine, an event like the Indy 500 is loaded with tradition. This year was no different other than I had to attend the year where an all-time high temperature was set. Not sure what the final reading was, but I felt like it was somewhere around 250 degrees. - - - This 1st video was of Jim Nabors (alias Gomer Pyle for those of you old enough to remember) and he and the crowd sang "My Indiana Home." While I didn't include the whole video, you'll get the idea of participation.

Another tribute that made me have goose bumps on goose bumps, was the fact that they had dozens upon dozens of vehicles loaded up with military men and women representating all departments of the military. The tribute was given as a memorial to all those presently serving, and all the veterans. I was SO touched by the great support and cheering by the fans! - - - Note - While I did take a video, it did no justice to the actual cheering, so I chose not to include it. - - - This next video, as with many races, is the command to "Start Your Engines." I apologize for the movement in the video. We were on Turn 1 and the main tower was some distance away...and I tried to zoom in. It "sort of" worked.

This next video shows the "Parade Lap" where the Pace Car leads the Pole Position leader, then all other cars in the race. The cheering from the crowd virtually drownded out the engine noise. However, not to worry, I have a video or two that will give you some of those feelings.

This next video is of the start of the race, as the cars exited Turn 1. As I said earlier, there'd be a video or two to show the speed and sound.

This next video looks similar to the original start of the race, but it was actually after an early "Caution" was issued when a car crashed in turn 3. Again, the sound and speed were amazing.

These next two videos give you the full effect of the speed and sound. The first shows the cars passing by our seats and there's a larger field of view, but the 2nd video is zoomed in to give you the real effect of the speed.

The following are pictures of one of the more minor accidents (after it occurred), then our trip into the garage area after the race was completed.

Gasoline alley leads to where the pits are located for all the cars (on the track), and also leads from the track to the indivual garages for each of the cars/crews. We had hoped to see a few of the cars, but had no thought of seeing any of the drivers. (Boy were we wrong!)

Now the surprise. Danica Patrick is a well-known female race driver and posters (like the 1st picture below) were posted everywhere. But little did we know, just as we walked up to her garage...she comes walking out to sign autographs and pose for pictures. Well, you know me...I HAD to have a picture for the blog...and my Brother-in-Law (Bill) gets the award for Best Uncle of the Year. - - - He not only took a picture of me, but he handed his ticket to my Niece so that Danica could autograph that too. How lucky was all this timing?!!!!

Bill and I with the Pace Car.

Chevrolet also had a booth for Corvettes so I decided we needed to head over and see what was up. As it turned out, they not only had a 2011 Vette on display, but they had 1 of the 2 C6.Rs that will race in LeManns in France (in June).

Well...that's it for this post. I hope you enjoyed them even a fraction of the enjoyment I got from the event. Thanks again Jon and Jen!!!!