HAMMOND, IN: It’s been said that the single greatest moment in sports is the start of the Indianapolis 500. From our perspective on the top row of the Grandstand “B” Penthouse in Turn One, the truth of that statement was never more true than on Sunday. After fifty-four consecutive Races, it just doesn’t seem gets old…
With the pre-race ceremonies proceeding like clockwork, it was becoming more and more apparent that it was going to be a very muggy day. Little did we know that we were about to survive the hottest “500” ever run.
Even with the muggy conditions, traditional celebs Florance Henderson and Jim Nabors performed their rolls flawlessly. Finally, with the legendary Jack Nicholson positioned in the starters “crows nest” and actor Mark Wahlberg seated behind Michael Andretti in the special two-passenger Indy Car, Speedway leader Mary Hulman George did her best Wilber Shaw impression, giving the traditional command: “Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!”
No, “Boogity-Boogity-Boogity” needed here….
As the thirty-three car field, led by pole winner Helio Castroneves, roared down the main straightaway to accept Nicholson’s well-waved green flag, another 500 miles of memories began to unfold. The events and results of the Race have already been thoroughly covered, so it might be better to recall some of the impressions we made high on the outside of steamy Turn One as the big show rolled on.
1. Damn…Dario Franchitti is really one hell of a racer. The way he set up and passed Castroneves on the backstretch to lead the first lap was as good as it gets. The way he saved the necessary fuel at the end wasn’t bad, either. It was immediately apparent that the other 32 drivers were in for a long day…
2. Double-damn…I’d LOVE to see Tomas Scheckter in a sprint car! If it ever happens, it probably won’t be at Terre Haute, since Davey Hamilton is one of the promoters there. Davey was less-than-impressed with (“He’s an Idiot”) Scheckter’s aggressive outside move at the start, but I loved it. Davey should know that follow-the-leader won’t work at Indy for 500 miles…
3. Chief Steward Brian Barnhardt’s enthustic use of the black flag was possibly justified in some cases, but totally ruined the outstanding run of Townsend Bell for no apparent reason. Barnhardt is a sincere guy who really loves the Indy 500, but he might want to think about having a former driver by his side to help make those calls. What he did to Bell and his team was not very nice…
4. Graham Rahal finally ran a good oval race. His black flag for blocking was probably justified, and gave us a chance to see him holding off leader Franchitti for many laps as he tried to avoid being lapped. Sure would be great if Dave (Letterman) & Bob (Daddy) could find a way to build a season-long relationship with him. Racers should race…
5. The way Tony Kanaan ran makes it even harder to believe he actually trashed two cars before the Race. I guess if you’re gonna get it right, Race Day is the time to do it. Based on his scintillating performance, “The Rudder” certainly deserved a better finish…
6. Too bad all the Indy Car races aren’t run at Indy. If they were, Danica would definitely hit the win column frequently. Qualifying problems may “not be her fault”, but on Race Day Miss Patrick always finds a way to get the job done at Indy. NASCAR? Forget about it…
7. Same story for Tony George’s stepson, Ed Carpenter. Following last year’s great result, Carpenter was doing it again, running strongly in the top five for much of the day, before pit problems caught him out. It would be great if Panther Racing could run Ed for the newly announced Indy Car Oval Track Championship. Without having to worry about road courses, Carpenter would be a threat. Damn weak economy…
8. Bruno Junqueira is a great racer but, without a reasonable amount of pre-race practice, no one will ever know it. Double-damn weak economy…
9. Sarah Fisher is a wonderful person but, if she wants to be considered a serious racer, she need to stop crying so much. How can she ever “out-brave” other drivers if they know her helmet is full of tears? Come on, Sarah, just pretend you’re back at Winchester…
10. Vitor Meira; two consecutive years of crashing at the Indy 500 driving for A.J. Foyt. If Foyt can fire his own grandson for poor performance, how long do you think Meira can last? Poor little fella…
With other noteworthy performances too numerous to mention, we will now close our sweat-stained Indy 500 notebook for another year. 2011 will be our fifty-fifth consecutive 500 mile Party at the Brickyard. As always, it can’t come soon enough.
Now begins the rest of the year, which we always consider to be the “32nd of May”. For me, it’s the longest day…
IndyCar SeriesJohn AtlasThe Dirt Guy