The Indianapolis 500

This year's Indy 500 was one for the ages. It was the second closest race in history, ran under the green flag most of the way, and was won by a Buckeye. What more could you ask for?

Picking up on Vinny's comment on my earlier post about the race, I'd love to be able to write an article about the Indianapolis 500 that is along the lines of Hunter S. Thompson's The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved, but I can't. There are two reasons for this. First, I lack the talent, and second, my travelling companions were my brother and my 13 and 10 year old sons. While my sons are great company, it's hard to write in the Gonzo style while you're accompanied by minors. I think it's also technically illegal.

If you want something a little more edgy than what you'll get from me, check out Jalopnik's coverage of the race.

The race itself was memorable. It didn't get off to a great start, with P.J. Chesson crashing on the second lap, but that was followed by almost 60 laps without a yellow flag. The rest of the day pretty much followed an almost ideal script--lots of racing, with just enough yellow flags to keep the race intriguing and just enough crashes to keep my 10 year old (and the 10 year old in me) interested. As for the last four laps, well, they were simply insane.

As I said before, TV just doesn't give you a sense for the real speed of the race. I was able to find a video that I think gives you more of a feel for that. Check this one out, which was taken at the start of Sunday's race and posted on Youtube.



Unfortunately, there's still no way to duplicate the sound of the Indianapolis 500, short of sticking your head in a jet engine. If you're a sports fan, you owe it to yourself to see this race in person at least once--although if you go to one, you'll be be back for more.