My son and I attended the Indy 500 yesterday. Great seats right in front of the leaders’ pits, lots of action, great finish. Afterward I’ve been reading the race reports and can’t find any mention of a minor but interesting incident during the race. A car had exited the pits and was on the acceleration track when a wheel fell off, presumably because the pit crew tire guy screwed up. My son and I both distinctly remember seeing it on the video screens (it was out of our direct view) and the track announcer talking about it. We both joked about the driver having some choice words for the pit crew when he got back.
This is not the Buddy Lazear incident in which he lost a tire on turn four before entering the pits. That was early in the race. The one we remember was much later and happened on the exit from pit lane.
I’ve searched for any mention of this in the race recaps and even the driver by driver and lap by lap reports. It’s driving me crazy that I can’t find any mention of this. We’re sure we saw this.
I’m wondering if we saw a replay of the Lazear incident and misunderstood, thinking it was a second tire loss. But we both remember it very clearly as a second incident.
Did this happen or are we mistaken?
I watched the race on TV and the only incident I can recall with a wheel falling off was late in the race with Lazier. It happens, of course, but wheels falling off is pretty rare.
It was a great race, and while I’m disappointed that Newgarden didn’t win, I’m happy for a rookie. (Honestly, I’m in the “anyone but Castroneves” camp.)
Hmmmm. Maybe we got it mixed up. The heat was pretty intense so I can’t swear to entirely clear thinking, or memory.
You actually get a much clearer understanding of the race details on tv than in person, though there’s no beating the live experience. The three-car scrum on pit row happened right in front of us, and we could tell who was taking fuel in the last laps from watching the pit crews, long before the track announcer or the cars came in.
I saw it on TV. My wife remarked how balanced the car was without a wheel. The driver finally parked it in the grass.
I saw the telecast, and it was definitely Lazier losing a wheel just after exiting the pits.
As much as I love IndyCar (I’ve been a fan since long before The Split, and even bought stock in CART (!)), I’ve only been to one race in person: The 1999 US 500 in Michigan. Part of that is I’m the only race fan in my family, plus budget, and frankly, I fall asleep on the couch watching TV.
But you’re right – there’s nothing like seeing it live in person.
One news report said it was the first time it was a sold-out crowd, 350,000 people. they mentioned that 1 out of every 1000 Americans were there. Did you have trouble getting tickets? How long did the day last? It sounds like great seats; it looks like there are lots of not-so-great seats.
I was thrilled that a young American rookie driver won on a gambit; why not take a risk if you might win. What was the reaction in the stands? I imagine lots of people were shocked.
It could be the Always Bad Coverage network missed it.
The crowd was huge, noticeably bigger than when we attended two years ago. I bought tickets from a reseller online and it wasn’t too hard to get decent tickets if you paid around $300 for a pair. The hotel is the hard part. I made arrangements several months early and still the only room available was a Super 8 near the airport. Not a bad location, but a cheap nasty room. Next time I vow to book a hotel room waaaaaayyyy early.
The crowd was great, excited for the rookie even if our favorites didn’t win. My man Castroneves was pitching a big fit in the pits after the race, cool to see that kind of stuff up close.
The downside was after the race. The last time we attended, we went to the designated taxi stand and got back to the hotel fairly easily. This time it seems the city was so panicky about the increased numbers that they focused entirely on getting traffic headed away from the speedway. So once the first group of taxis left, no more could come in. Same with busses. Similar deal with Uber drivers but even worse because the cell towers were overwhelmed and no one could get into the Uber app. Not us, not the drivers, not the Uber managers on site. And the drivers wouldn’t take us non-uber even when I waved $80 cash at them. The Uber/taxi area looked like a refugee camp, with people exhausted, hot, and no clue what to do. My 12 yo son and I ended up hiking three miles in three hours – and it was hot, after sittin in the sun all day-- before getting to a place where we could contact an Uber driver. I was seriously worried that our phones were dying and we were going to end up on the streets of Indy all night. I tipped the driver $20 on top of the surge fare and wanted to kiss her right on the lips. Almost spoiled the day, but now it’s a story to tell. (Lesson for my son: in a crisis, act. Don’t just stand around waiting for someone to solve the problem.)
Just wanted to pop in to say that although I have gone to several NASCAR races in person, and I watch the Indy 500 every year on TV, I don’t think that I could ever pay for tickets to either the Indy 500 or the NASCAR Brickyard 400. I understand the historic nature of the track, but with the whole Pagoda/pit complex in the infield, as well as the stands in the infield, it is impossible to see action on the whole track without watching a video board. Daytona’s track is the same length, although it is oval and not rectangular like Indy, but you can see all the way around.
It is a real disadvantage at the Indy track, which is why I’d only attend if I had seats where I’m right in front of a good part of the track, like the straightaway and pits. I can’t imagine sitting on the back straightaway or turn 3. But also, the leaders come by every 30-40 seconds, so they’re in front of you quite a bit.