And so the moment has arrived. In the 1950s, when he needed a tag to inform affiliate stations that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network was taking an advertisement break, chief announcer Sid Collins took a suggestion from a WIBC staffer named Alice Green and coined a term that would perfectly sum up the 500-Mile Race:
"Now, stay tuned for the Greatest Spectacle In Racing."
To someone who has never been to Indianapolis, especially in a day that NASCAR runs several 500-milers and even a 600-mile race, it may seem like some sort of folly to call this the "Greatest Spectacle In Racing". After all, on TV it looks like just another big car race.
But it's not until you set foot on the most famous 320 acres in Indianapolis on Memorial Day weekend that you realize just how spectacular the event actually is. You drive down Crawfordsville Road to its intersection with Georgetown Road and 16th St. and you see a small office building of glass and dark red tile that, by itself, would look like any other suburban office building. But you look beyond the building and you see the grandstands; they stretch off for a quarter mile to the east and about half a mile to the north, seemingly endless, like a modern day Great Wall of China that hides some sort of great, spectacular riches behind it. You catch a brief glimpse of the new pagoda, looming beyond the wall of stands. As you go down either 16th Street or Georgetown Road, you'll come to a small break in the stands: a brief glimpse inside this great fortress of motor sport -- just enough to get your heart racing a little bit. Then you go inside and see the crowd, 300,000-strong, and the marching bands, the military parade, the eleven rows of three cars lined up on the track, and then, one of the most spectacular moments of this Greatest Spectacle, Jim Nabors and the Purdue Band performing "Back Home Again In Indiana" against a background of hundreds of balloons flying into the air in a rolling mass of spectacular color.
Oh, and did I mention the race itself? Another term coined by Sid Collins was a perfectly exciting phrase to sum up a perfectly exciting moment: "The World's Fastest Flying Start." The pace car pulls off the track, the green flag flies, the army of 300,000 fans roars its approval and thirty-three cars roar by as a pack, flashing across the most famous 3 x 50-foot strip of bricks in the world. The race itself, though usually around three hours long, never leaves the fans wanting. There is always some sort of drama as the 500 miles unfold to keep the fans entertained. There is always hardship and struggle as the drivers attempt to navigate 200 circuits of one of the most treacherous racetracks in the world. Finally, there is always some sort of drama towards the end that sends the fans crazy and leaves them with a euphoric feeling at having seen to its end one of the most famous events in all of sport.
Now, there isn't nearly enough time or space on this page to really sum up the history of the event and how spectacular it has been. So, because he is one of the three greatest orators to hold a microphone at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and because I love the theme from Delta Force (especially in a day where Fox ruined the world of theme music for televised sports with their NFL music), I give you Paul Page's TV introduction to the 79th 500-Mile Race, a race that holds a special place in my memory as the first that I ever had the honor of attending.
Even the topical matters of that video help sum up the drama and emotion of the 500-Mile Race. 1995 featured one of the few moments that the most successful team in the race's long history, Team Penske, actually made a mistake, with neither of their cars qualifying for the race. The race started with one of the more spectacular accidents in the race's history (which also happened to be my first live experience with Indy Cars at speed) and it ended with Jacques Villeneuve, who would be Formula One World Champion in two years' time, driving 505 miles to win the race after being penalized for passing the pace car early on and making up the two-lap penalty.
So, we come to the present. The 93rd Month of May at Indianapolis has been thoroughly dominated by the team that has thoroughly dominated the record books since the mid-70's: Team Penske. Ryan Briscoe sat atop the time sheets many times this month, and Helio Castroneves was generally right behind him. In fact, the two times that Helio was clearly faster than Briscoe were Pole Day qualifying and yesterday's final practice. Helio, though, has endeared himself as even more of a fan favorite than he was before after surviving a tax evasion charge from the Federal Government. Plus, Helio is looking to join one of the more exclusive clubs at the Speedway: the three-time winners' club. It would certainly be one of the more emotional stories in sports history should Helio land his car in victory lane.
My picks:
Winner: In spite of all of the momentum on Helio's side, I just can't discount how strong Ryan Briscoe has been this month. Like the kid living in the shadow of his charismatic, loud-talking big brother (kinda like Al Unser), Ryan has been quietly successful behind the back of his attention-grabbing teammate. He easily has the ability to win the race and, as long as the ghosts of Indianapolis don't jump out and bite him, he should be at the front when it comes down to the end.
Dark Horse: It has been rather difficult to peg down who exactly can be considered a dark horse in this race. Coming into the month, it was easy to call anyone other than a Penske or Ganassi driver a dark horse. However, it has become clear that some new contenders have shown up, led by Graham Rahal. The way I see it, Rahal is just too good at this point to even be considered a dark horse -- in fact, he's at the point where he can be on the list of favorites for the win tomorrow. As that is the case, I give the dark horse nomination to Mario Moraes for KV Racing: he was over-matched last year in Dale Coyne's car, but he has been extremely strong this year.
Ninja-Dark Horse: Dream situation: Helio Castroneves is leading at the white flag. Going down the back stretch into Turn 3, Paul Tracy passes him on the outside and wins the race. Come on, that would just be fantastic. Plus, Paul is a good driver in need of a full-time ride and he's with a team that, even though they're not the best, is more than competent enough to win the race.
Danica Watch: Probably somewhere in the top ten, assuming she doesn't have contact with another driver. She hasn't been a real challenger for the race win since 2005, which is mostly the fault of the cars that she has been stuck with. Assuming Andretti/Green gives her a halfway-decent car, she'll hang around in the top ten and make some moves here and there -- nothing spectacular, though.
Along with the many traditions associated with this weekend, there is one that is known about, but not talked about very much: parties. I've been watching old 500s all day, and now it's time to hang out, drink a little, eat some good food, and rest up for the greatest day of racing in the entire year.
Oh, and give a cheer for Indiana in the Big Ten Baseball Tournament. Go Hoosiers!
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