The Greatest Spectacle in Racing

One of the unexpected benefits of living in the Hoosier state is the hoopla surrounding the Indy 500. I don't consider myself a racing fan by any means, but it's impossible to live in Indianapolis and not get sucked into the race and its accompanying festivities. Whether it's the annual parade, celebrity sightings, concerts downtown and at the speedway, qualifiers at the track, or the race itself, you'd be crazy not to partake in something race-related during the month of May.

I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't the most open-minded person when it came to auto racing. When I found out I was covering the race two years ago, my mind instantly jumped to beer bellies, American flag shirts, mullets, and get 'er done. Admittedly, race day does consist a little bit of those stereotypes, but the experience was honestly one of the coolest things I've ever done.

For those of you with a similar level of knowledge about IndyCar racing, here are a couple surprising facts:

- Most of the drivers aren't American. This caught me completely off guard at media day. Drivers from all over the world make up the IndyCar Series. A Brazilian (Tony Kanaan) won it my first year in attendance and a Colombian (Juan Pablo Montoya) won it this year.

- The cars are small and very low to the ground. Apparently, my entire perception of racing was based on NASCAR because when I first saw the Indy cars, I was shocked. I can't even begin to imagine whipping around the track at 230 mph in one those. The sound they make when they first speed away gives me chills.

- The race has many unique traditions. Before the race, someone performs "Back Home Again in Indiana" (Jim Nabors did it for many years until retiring last year) while hundreds of helium balloons are released. The winner drinks milk in celebration of the victory and kisses the famous bricks at the finish line. The massive Borg-Warner Trophy has the faces of every past winner sculpted on it in sterling silver. You get the picture.

This year, Wheat and I decided at the last minute to attend the 99th running of the race. Rather than fight against the gridlocked traffic, we opted to take a shuttle to and from the speedway. I would absolutely recommend this, especially to first-time visitors. The shuttle was allowed to drive on roads closed to other cars and we arrived at the track in less than 20 minutes. Plus, the pick-up point was a block from our apartment.

Once we arrived at the track, we made our way to the infield to stake out a spot for the race. We settled on the back of a viewing hill near Turn 4, which easily allowed us to see the track and a massive video board at the same time. We were also right across from the Snakepit, the massive EDM concert that goes on before and throughout the race, in Turn 3. This year, the concert featured Steve Aoki and Kaskade and I enjoyed watching the stage theatrics and fireworks from a distance.

This year, Straight No Chaser sang "Back Home Again in Indiana," Florence Henderson (aka Carol Brady) sang "God Bless America," Danielle Bradbery (season 4 winner of The Voice) sang "America, the Beautiful," and Jordin Sparks sang the national anthem. Other celebrity appearances included David Letterman (who is a partial owner of some cars), Patrick Dempsey, Andrew Luck, Florida Georgia Line, Jane's Addiction, Nastia Liukin (Grand Marshall of the 500), Scott Borschetta, and Jeff Gordon (the pace car driver). Paul George and Colts punter Pat McAfee showed up in a helicopter to deliver the green flag. All in all, I was in my little paparazzo heaven.

Believe it or not, the race was also really interesting for me. I was pulling for Kanaan, who did really well until he wrecked into the wall late in the race. There were tons of lead changes, several crashes (including one that happened right behind us), and an exciting finish when Montoya passed Scott Dixon, the driver who had led most of the way.

My only complaint of the day, besides the heat and some minor sunburn, was the long wait for the shuttle home (still totally worth it). Oh, and that I didn't get to kiss the bricks again...

Maybe next year...