We were “Jesus save me”, blue jean baby
Born in the USA
Trailer park truck stop, faded little map dots
New York to LA
We were teenage dreamin’, front seat leanin’
Baby, come give me a kiss
Put me on the cover of the Rollin’ Stone
Uptown down home American kids
Growin’ up in little pink houses
Makin’ out on living room couches
Blowin’ that smoke on a Saturday night
A little messed up, but we’re all alright.
– Kenny Chesney
Thursday 25 May, 2023
Started my morning as I like to: with a long walk through the neighbourhood. It was a cooler morning than I expected after a cold change came through overnight. Thankfully, with an eye to race day on Sunday, it is not bringing any precipitation, and the mercury is expected to rise by Sunday – and it should be a perfect day for watching the greatest race in the world.
After a Starbucks breakfast we headed over to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and under the 2.5-mile oval – actually, a rectangle, with rounded corners and a short straight between turns 1 and 2 and turns 3 and 4 – to park at the museum. There, we boarded a bus that very soon after drove out onto the track, joining it in the short chute between Turns 1 and 2. Even going very slowly, on the oval’s moderate banking, you can feel the pressure on your body. What it must be like driving around at 230+mph is hard to fathom.
The bus stopped at the famous Yard of Bricks on the start/finish line. In the track’s very early days, the surface was exclusively bricks, but when track ownership changed hands for the first time, most of the bricks were removed, leaving only a yard of them across the start/finish line under the flag stand. It is part of Indianapolis tradition that the winner kisses those bricks. Of course, we did the same, near where there are ceremonial bricks laid for the four four-time Indianapolis 500 winners: Al Unser, Rick Mears, AJ Foyt and Helio Castroneves.
It’s amazing being on the track and in the facility when it’s largely empty. On Sunday, drivers will take the green flag where we stood and barrel down into Turn One with grandstands on either side, packed with an absolute sea of humanity. Today, you could probably count the people in the facility in the thousands, which is a drop in the ocean for a place that holds over 350,000 people. When it’s quiet, you can almost hear the ghosts and legends of Indianapolis 500’s past.
After the track tour, we worked our way through the museum. It’s amazing to see so many cars from so many eras of the race. The winner of the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911 sits alongside a few modern-day winners, and it’s incredible to contrast the design and technology of those days to now. It really does emphasize the importance of this 500-mile contest for vehicular safety, power and reliability.
We went downtown after leaving the track. Indianapolis is an underrated city, with some spectacular buildings, including the State Capitol and the JW Marriott, which was all decked out with a giant Indy 500 logo and the ‘This is May’ slogan. The entire city gets into the spirit of the race. In fact, you can’t go more than a house or two out in the suburbs without seeing some sort of Indianapolis 500 paraphernalia displayed. Flags, big and small, are the most popular, it seems.
Dinner with the Myrehn’s again tonight, this time at a local Mexican restaurant called El Jaripeo. We had a very funny waiter who definitely kept us guessing, and the food was amazing, whilst Ryan regaled us with stories of his time interviewing drivers at the annual Media Day.
Another fun one in the books!
kitchtrips 