Indy & the Month of May

s_morrison57 · 05-18-2013, 07:56 PM

I love the 500, its one of my favorite races all year and its on my bucket list but I sure wish I'd had gone years ago, in its hayday, the decade before Tony screwed it all up with the IRL is the time I should have gone. Now the month of May is just a few days. Carpenter is on the pole but tomorrow was always one of my fave's, Bubble day and this year there's only 1 car that will miss the race. I'm disappointed, I read that they thought for a while that there wasn't going to be 33 starters, things have really started to slide.

regency · regency's Garage

I don't even think or care about it anymore.

Steve

1973 911 T MFI Coupe, Aubergine

Embraer · Embraer's Garage

it's gone down hill..i used to go every year...literally. last year was the first time in 30 years I didn't make it. im flying to indy tomorrow night to check on my house, but I figured i'll pencil in lunch at the track, while im there.

MT930 · 05-19-2013, 08:48 AM

Leaving Thursday Morning for Indy. It's not like what it used to be, but growing up in Indy lot's of fun and tradition this month. Good friends and good times, I do miss the snake pit.

BE911SC · 05-19-2013, 09:29 AM

ABC's television coverage from the '60s and '70s spoiled me. The excitement, the commentary, the vast cast of characters both in the cars and elsewhere. Now, as with NASCAR, it's just a huge corporate event. Boring. Maybe for nostalgia's sake I'll watch the pace laps and the start, do something else for two hours, then watch the finish.

wdfifteen · wdfifteen's Garage

I look forward to it.I have a tradition of listening to it on the radio in the shop while I work on my Speedster. Always the Speedster. Been doing it for 38 years and only missed a couple of times. I hardly pay attention to the race anymore though.

herr_oberst · 05-19-2013, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

I look forward to it.I have a tradition of listening to it on the radio in the shop while I work on my Speedster. Always the Speedster. Been doing it for 38 years and only missed a couple of times. I hardly pay attention to the race anymore though.

My best memories of the 500 were during the Rick Mears era when I would go out to my dad's shop and listen on the radio. Since it wasn't on TV live, I needed the instant gratification and the radio broadcast was (in hindsight) the most elegant way to enjoy the greatest spectacle in motorsports. Paul Page was actually enjoyable to listen to!

Zeke · 05-19-2013, 11:34 AM

I used to listen to it on the radio when Sam Hanks and the like were running. Loved the pass off from one turn reporter to the next. The days of that kind of reporting are gone.

BE911SC · 05-19-2013, 12:35 PM

NBC ran an interview with Parnelli Jones an hour ago. Talk about the heroic drivers. Bigger than life.

Zeke · 05-19-2013, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BE911SC

NBC ran an interview with Parnelli Jones an hour ago. Talk about the heroic drivers. Bigger than life.

He has done a masterful job of rebuilding his image. Many may never know of some of the things he did.

I felt sorry for Michel Jordain and the unsuited car they gave him. It has become obvious that Indy Car was patrolling Long Beach and Brazil for extra cars/drivers to fill out the 33 car field. Several pay-to-race drivers have come out to drive.

Buddy Lazier? Hell, if they are trying to sell tickets and get 33 drivers, they might as well put Parnelli in a car. Even Kurt Busch was faster than Jordain.

But, there WAS something wrong with that car. Actually, it is Jordain that should be said to be heroic.

BE911SC · 05-19-2013, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zeke

He has done a masterful job of rebuilding his image. Many may never know of some of the things he did.

Oh, so he did some bad things that no one knows about? "Many may never know"? Do we get to know?

Doug E · 05-19-2013, 06:04 PM

I'm looking forward to my first visit on race day next Sunday. I also grew up listening on the radio and then watching on TV. Hard to believe it has taken me this long to get there but it is one of those things that I have always wanted to do.

Zeke · 05-19-2013, 06:10 PM

I can never find anything about the incident at Riverside CA when there was a closed course off road race. It's been so many years but someone must remember. This one incident involved Parnelli driving completely across the course to t-bone another driver he was not happy with. This event allegedly happened and the Riverside Sheriff was allegedly called to investigate. I'll leave it at that.

Then there was the time he punched out Eddie Sachs in an Indianapolis bar. But 100's of drivers have probably thrown a punch in a bar. Look around on Google, his fights and temper are legendary.

Not directly connected, but his tire shop chain was investigated for many of the things that other tire shops of the day were, namely charging for work not done.
Auto Repair Complaint Settled - Los Angeles Times

I knew his kid PJ briefly. What a sniveling little prick. I just have always figured he came by that honestly.

Wilhelm · 05-19-2013, 07:33 PM

I noticed again this year that there seemed to be a very small crowd there for qualifying. Its been like that for many years now it seems. I was only watching on TV but the seats seemed to be empty for the most part.
Qualifying used to be a big deal, with big crowds as I recall.

herr_oberst · 05-19-2013, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zeke

I knew his kid PJ briefly. What a sniveling little prick. I just have always figured he came by that honestly.

PJ got hurt real bad didn't he?

Zeke · 05-19-2013, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

PJ got hurt real bad didn't he?

It was the younger brother, Page. He has never regained full function from a serious head injury. Happened in midgets. PJ actually had a pretty good career. But, he was well placed, if you know what I mean. And that is an opinion.

Bowling · 05-21-2013, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MT930

Leaving Thursday Morning for Indy. It's not like what it used to be, but growing up in Indy lot's of fun and tradition this month. Good friends and good times, I do miss the snake pit.

Was a month long event, all the teams showed up, the track was open to the public for practice. High School attendance dropped dramatically, sun, girls, beer, more girls, more beer and loud fast cars

. The night before the race across the street in the open 40 acre field owned by Coke, camping, girls, beer,

Lining up in the morning to race to the "snake pit" to stake out your race day piece of property. Yup not the same anymore.

Scott Douglas · Scott Douglas's Garage

I can remember watching the first live broadcast of the race at the Santa Monica Civic auditorium back in '64 I think it was. Black and white, Jim McKay announcing. Took a good long time to race 500 miles back then. Now it seems it's a sprint race. If it went green the whole race you'd hardly feel like you got your money's worth it'd be over so quick. I really enjoy hearing Jim Nabors sing Back Home in Indiana.

strupgolf · 05-21-2013, 08:11 AM

I'm driving the Andretti/Green team and families around Indy this Sat. First we'll go to the track and their compound there, and then to the "factory", which I don't know where that's at at all. I didn't think they were based here but maybe so. Then I have a group going to the track with a police escort, (a real treat) because of all the traffic, see the race from above the pits, then police home again. This is my schedule about the last 5 years and it's always fun for the week. Fan base is way down the last few years, lots of empty seats. They even removed about 30,000 trackside seats this year for "better viewing". Yea right. They just don't want the TV viewers seeing nobody there. The month of may in Indy just is not the same.