Indy 500 Update: Veterans Take to the Track and Clinton Visits
There is simply nothing better than being at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May. The atmosphere and excitement is something very special in sports. This year presents a noticeably heightened level of excitement. Activities for the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 are in full swing. Though rain washed out practice on Wednesday, 33 cars took to the track on Tuesday with Marco Andretti, driver of the interesting looking No. 26 Andretti Green Team Indiana Jones presented by Blockbuster car, posting the fastest speed of the day at 226.599. Tony Kanaan, Scott Dixon, Ryan Briscoe and 2005 Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon rounded out the top five. Among other notables, two-time Indy 500 winner and “Dancing With The Stars” champion Helio Castroneves was sixth on the speed chart, while Danica Patrick was ninth.
The day was highlighted by a visit from Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton. I’m not sure if the visit helped Hillary carry the state of Indiana in Tuesday’s primary, but you certainly never know who you will run into at the Speedway in May.
The recent unification of open-wheel racing, coupled with a deep, talented group of veteran and rookie drivers (deeper than I can remember in a while) has certainly added to the excitement heading into this year’s “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Thursday appears to be another washout (welcome to Indy in May!), but once the track opens for practice on Fast Friday, there will definately be a need for speed as teams prepare for the month’s first race - Saturday’s race for the Indy 500 pole.
My almost not-so-great brush with greatness: Sunday, I attended opening day with my wife and two boys. As we were pulling into the Speedway, driving past Turn 1, I was pointing out to the boys a new portion of the MotoGP course (recently constructed in preparation for the Red Bull Indianapolis GP motorcycle race in September). My wife said alertly, “Bert, why don’t you worry about watching where you’re going. And good God don’t hit that car in front of you.” The car was non other than Al Unser Junior’s 1992 Indy 500 winning car. It’s one of the more famous winning cars as the ‘92 race was the closest finish in Indy 500 history. Earlier that morning, it was featured in a tribute to the famous Unser family. It was being towed slowly down Hulman Blvd. (a road that dissects the speedway infield) and I was right on its tail. Okay, I did have some room to spare, but just the thought of rear-ending Al Jr.’s ‘92 car would not have been a good start to the month…
FYI - you can catch all practice and qualifying action via video streaming at indy500.com or indycar.com. It’s a great way to relax at work…
Tags: Danica Patrick, Helio Castroneves, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Indiana Jones, Indy 500, IndyCar, Marco Andretti, open wheel racing
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