103rd Indianapolis 500

May 26, 2019

 

 

Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

103^rd Indianapolis 500

There was a great deal of uncertainty about whether or not the 103^rd running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing would even happen on its scheduled day, as the forecast on the morning of the race was calling for somewhere between a 50 and 75 percent chance of showers and almost every prognosticator was doubtful that the race would happen or at least the certainty that it would not make it to completion. It has been a nice long run of Indy 500s without a rain postponement so I guess we were due, but one thing you can never count on is an Indiana forecast and not a drop of rain fell the entire day.

 

For the first time in ages, I did not have an entourage to escort to the race, with Kathy not here, no guests from Key West and my tickets given out to very self-sufficient friends, it was only my sister Michele and myself who made our way out to the Speedway. As always, I was able to get in with very little hassle or traffic and park in my spot that guarantees easy exit as well and we made our way into the track with no problems at all.

 

We were able to wonder around in the infield near the pits prior to the race, as usual it was a mad scene with thousands of fans swarming the place. Things were somewhat calmer in the garage and on the grid where celebrities were out taking in the spectacle. Among those on hand this year were David Letterman, Matt Damon, Christain Bale, former NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and former Formula One driver Damon Hill.

Marco and Mario Andretti

Damon Hill and Simon Pagenaud

Graham Rahal an Mike Turico

NBC sports was broadcasting the race for the first time ever after it having been on ABC for many, many years. They pulled out all the stops bringing in their A-team of broadcaThe rsters led by Mike Turico. They even did a lot of cross promotion with their coverage of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs by having the actual Stanley Cup on hand and even given a ride around the famed oval in the two-seater driven by Mario Andretti.

 

Matt Damon

Chuckie

Tony Kanaan and David Letterman

As always the prerace ceremonies were among the greatest half hour that I experience every year. From the invocation, the playing of taps in honor of Memorial Day, the tribute to our armed forces, the singing of “God Bless America”, the National Anthem (sung this year wonderfully by Kelly Clarkson), the flyover by military jets, the singing of “Back Home Again In Indiana”, the release of the balloons, and finally the command “Lady and Gentlemen Start Your Engines” given this year by Tony George, it is among the most magical experiences that I have every year and I know there are a few hundred thousand fans who agree.

 

It was all spot on and terrific this year and it was probably the best flyover ever in that the participating aircraft did not simply fly over as usual but turned and buzzed the track, screaming around through the turns and performing tricks usually reserved for an airshow. It was spectacular.

The overcast weather was actually a benefit as the cloud cover that lasted almost to the end of the race kept the sun from creating the sweltering oven that we experienced at last year’s race. The expected rain never materialized, in fact by the end of the day, the sun had broken through and it turned out to be a beautiful day. The racing was somewhat better than last year, when passing was very tough.

Simon Pagenaud took off from the Pole Position and dominated much of the early portion of the race, he would ultimately led 116 of the 200 laps en route to a popular and well deserved victory, his first Indianapolis 500 win. It did not come easy, after cruising much of the early part of the race, a late yellow for a five car crash instigated when Graham Rahal and Sebastian Bourdais collided collecting other cars right in front of us, entering turn three.

IndyCar wisely called a red flag, stopping the race and creating an incredible shootout between Pagenaud and Alexander Rossi as they swapped places multiple times before Pagenaud was able to make the final pass for the lead on the final lap to grab the win. Takuma Sato was a close third. It was an amazing and incredible final fifteen laps and moved the race from the very good to a true classic. Pagenaud was a popular and gracious victor, giving Roger Penske his 18^th victory in the World’s Greatest Race.