Ladies and gentleman, start your reading.

If falling behind on your blog is cool, then consider me Miles Davis.

On Memorial Day weekend, Wheat and I braved record crowds to attend the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. By record crowds, I mean over 350,000 people. A broadcaster said one in every 1,000 Americans attended the race. It was the first ever sell-out at IMS, which also meant the Indianapolis-area TV blackout was lifted for the first time since 1950. Hoosiers everywhere rejoiced.


Like last year, we decided to forego the get-stuck-in-hours-of-traffic option and pay for the shuttle to and from the speedway. After packing some snacks, drinks, and chairs and lathering ourselves in sunscreen, we boarded the bus hours before I usually even get up for work. Upon arrival, I forced Wheat to help me find the free commemorative milk bottles they were giving away for fans to drink alongside the winner. With our 2% drinks safely in-hand, we set up shop on a hill near Turn 4.


The hours between arrival and the start of the race are people-watching gold. Drunk frat boys bedecked in American flag everything celebrate next to families with children and foreigners who traveled from overseas for the event. The video board in front of us showed live interviews with the many celebrities in attendance - Lady Gaga, Chris Pine (who waved the green flag), Ice-T, Andrew Luck, Darius Rucker (who sang the national anthem), Josh Kaufman (who sang "Back Home Again in Indiana"), David Letterman, Florence Henderson, and several Pacers players. Countless airplanes flew overhead, dragging advertisements that no one noticed. Naturally 7, an incredible a cappella group that I've seen a few times in concert, performed on stages erected in each turn.

A cautionary tale.

As the start of the race drew closer, the anticipation of the crowd became palpable. Former race champions (and cars!) returned for a pre-race parade around the track in celebration of the 100th running. Despite the heat and the intensity of the sun, the national anthem and the accompanying jet fly-by gave me chills. So did the sound of the massive crowd cheering over the iconic roar of the engines.


The race itself was exciting, featuring lots of lead changes and a few crashes. I was pulling for my favorite driver, Tony Kanaan, or the pole-sitter James Hinchcliffe, while Wheat was rooting for super underdog Takuma Sato. In the end, an American rookie, Alexander Rossi, crossed the famous bricks first after the other front-runners were forced to pit for fuel. Rossi and his team decided to push it and just barely finished. In fact, he didn't even have enough fuel to finish his victory lap and was towed back to the pit. Oh, and if you're wondering, we did drink the lukewarm milk in celebration.


Over the course of the afternoon, we met up with a friend from grad school, crushed some Lemon Chills, shielded ourselves from the sun under an umbrella, and made friends with the people near us, who happened to be from towns near me in Ohio. In full disclosure, the journey home on the shuttle bus was an absolute nightmare, complete with massive lines, overwhelming heat, long waits, and, of course, me passing out, but all in all, it was an incredible day. The kind of day that reminds me how in love I've fallen with my adopted city and the life we've chosen to build here.


Until next year, 500...

If you're interested, click here for my post from last year's race.