Indianapolis 500
Show And Tell Us Your Special Indy 500 Memories And Moments
  Show And Tell Us Your Special Indy 500 Memories And Moments |
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#41 
04-21-2008 03:33 PM |
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 Indy Memories I have been coming to Indy for Pole Day, Carb Day, or Race Day since 1976. My Papaw & Dad started bringing me when I was only 5. I have not missed coming to the track since. My Papaw had a love for Indy Racing that he passed on to me. (Dad always came as the driver, but was really never into it). I remember sitting through rainy days at Pole Day & Race Day, but it never bothered me because I was at the track with my Papaw. Papaw & Dad brought me every year until I was able to drive and then Dad stopped coming. Papaw always liked Pole Days more, but he knew I liked race days so he would get tickets for the race as well. Papaw & I cheered for the Unsers and rooted against the Andrettis, especially since my sister liked the Andrettis. I have so many memories there with my Papaw its hard to name one. He last went in 1989 because of heart problems but he kept up with it through me going, and TV & newspaper. He passed away 5 years ago. Every time that I have walked into the Speedway the past 5 years I cherish the memories that we had and it feels like he is there right there with me. I always walk down to where we sit for Pole Day in the Paddock across from the start - finish line, I don't stay long as tears always appear. I will pass the tradition on to my 4 year old little girl, once loud noises no longer bother her ears so much. I am taking my nephew for the 1st time this year as he just recently this past year got into Indy racing (it wasn't easy because he also likes Tony Stewart). The Indy 500 is my first love when it comes to sports even above Kentucky Basketball. My most fondest memory came 7 years ago, the 1st year that I got a garage pass. I met Al Unser Sr. I talked with him and got his autograph. As he was signing the autograph, tears appeared because it was my childhood hero I was talking with. I told him how much it meant to me and he was very gracious and took time for me. I will always be at the Indy 500 to honor my Papaw. |
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#42
04-24-2008 05:27 PM |
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Special memories of the Indy 500 Fascination with the Indianapolis 500 began with summers with my father. Dad liked to go to car, motorcycle midget and micromidget races in the local area. Every Sunday afternoon you could almost count on a trip to one of the local tracks to see one form of racing or another, but on Memorial Day we always had the radio on to listed to the Grand Daddy of them all, The Indianapolis 500. We would usually go fishing and the old car would be next to the bank with the radio on and Dad and I fishing. While we did not catch much, we sure enjoyed the racing and Sid Collins. Dad's favorite drivers were Bill Vukovich early on and AJ Foyt later. Dad never made it to the hallowed ground of racing but the first time that I was able to go to the race was 1989, a warmish day with sunshine and my son with me. We talked about what this day would mean but little did we know the impact on us. As we walked into the grounds the sheer enormity of the track just overwhelmed us. The spectacle was something to behold, we just got surrounded and drawn into it and it was like being a kid again. The color and pagentry of the build up to the race. We got there at about 8:30 AM and there was always something going on and it built to a fever pitch right up to race time. While to many folks from Kentucky, there is only one race in May and it is at the beginning. To our family now, there is only one race in May and it is at the end of the month of May and lasts about 3 and half hours rather than 2 minutes. Since that time in 1989, our family has made our pilgrimage to Indianapolis at least once during the month of May to participate in the THE GREATEST SPECTACLE IN RACING!!!!!!! My daughter, youngest son and I have continued this tradition each year. We have enlarged our weekend by visiting the Night Before the 500 at "O'Reilly Raceway Park (IRP). It makes for a great weekend of racing. Our family thanks the visionaries who built the speedway and those kept it going over the years and those who will preserve it for years to come. Look forward to coming to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for years to come with my children and grandchildren. |
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#43
05-04-2008 10:41 PM |
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Alone with the Brickyard My greatest experience by far though was having the Brickyard all to myself. I worked as a manager for one of the Catering companies and had started my 500 at 2:00 AM. Around 3:00 AM, I took a break and walked up into the Paddock Seats across from the Pagoda. The scoring pylon was lit with the starting positions of each driver, and the Pagoda was bathed in a purple blue light. In just a few hours these same seats would be packed with hundreds of thousands, and the roar from the cars would be deafening. But for now, it was just me, and the Brickyard. In the peace of that moment, it was as if the Brickyard itself had opened it's arms and embrased me. I could feel the history, celebrate the triumph, suffer though the tradgedy, taste the milk, and kiss the bricks of this incredible facility. Alone with the Brickyard. |
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#44
05-07-2008 04:04 PM |
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That Special Place IMS. 23 years ago I ran through a gate next to hundreds of Harleys and fans after the cannon went off. It was dark, exciting and a very long run to turn 4! I remember coolers falling off the motorcycles and they just kept going. Looking for the hallowed spot to park and party for the day. To some the race was secondary, to others it meant everything. I have a group of 30 or so friends that make the trek to Inianapolis every year since from all over the country. Yes there's the world's Greatest Race, but it's a reunion for us all to get back home in Indiana. None of us are from Indiana but we all shed a tear when Jim Neighbors sings with US on race morning! I've seen the snake pitfirst hand, holes in the old bathrooms for a quick peek if you didn't get your eye poked out. Plenty of laughs, tears, fights and racing have been witnessed at those hallowed grounds as well. My favorite day of the year is my wedding anniversary, but oh so close second is race day at the Indianapolis 500 Motor Sppedway. I still try to get out of the car on the way into the infield, to run as best I can down the tunnel yelling at the top of my lungs like the kid I used to be. I truly can't put into words what the shrine means to me, but it has my heart, always has and always will. God Speed and have a safe race gentlemen and ladies. |
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#45
05-09-2008 12:04 PM |
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Growing up within earshot of the track. Oh where to begin? Having been raised practically in the shadow of the track; there are so many memeories. From the times my parents would load all us kids up into the car and head to the track for practice & qualifications, back in the '50's, until today; the Speedway has been a part of my life. Like many households in the early '60's, we had mechanics and crew members living in our basement. What heady stuff for a 11-12 yr old boy. Then the nights, yes nights before the 500, when people parked and lined up for the race on 16th St. My friends and I used to sell ice to the "campers". Although living out your car doesn't sound much like camping. We would be amazed at the distances these people would travel for this once a year event.Ohio,Michigan,Pennsylvania.Far away places to a young boy living on Holmes Ave. Finally I got to see my first race; 1963. My Dad took me and we stood inside the south chute between turns 1&2. It was a magical year. Drivers were flirting with the 150mph speed barrier. All the legendary drivers were racing; Foyt, Ward, Sachs, Rathman, Marshman, Parnelli, Sutton, etc. There were Novi's,Watson Roadster's, and maybe a couple funny looking rear-engined cars. But Parnelli was king that day. And I remember seeing him work that wheel, back & forth as he drove. Since then I have seen the whole gamut of emotions at the track. From the glory of winning, to the tragedy of death. I've watched AJ get his 2nd, 3rd and 4th wins. And I saw Sachs, MacDonald, Savage, killed chasing that golden dream. I've seen fantastic finishes and heartbreaking losses(Parnelli and the turbine). I guess I can't say which is my most memorable moment. Every memory has had an effect and made a lasting impression. I've never missed a race since I hounded my father to take me to my first 500 in '63. From the days laying on the blanket in backstretch in the '50. To the wildest things I'd seen in the Snakepit in the '60's. And through the terrible month of May in '73. The Speedway is a part of my life. Part of my history. These memories I will take with me to the end of days. But new memories are on the horizon. I eagerly anticipate the future 500's and wonder what memories they hold for me and my children, and grandchildren. |
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#46
05-19-2008 01:16 PM |
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92 is not too old This weekend, I will be attending my second Indy 500 with my 92 year old father. Ironic that this is the 92nd running of the race. My Dad grew up in San Francisco and has been a lifelong fan of open wheel racing. His passion was fueled by having a best friend named George Bignotti, a member of the Indy Hall of Fame. My brothers in law and I brought Dad to Indy 15 years ago thinking it was a once in a lifetime occurence. My Dad, in excellent health will take time away from his snow skiing and bicycle riding to be that this year's race. We are excited to be there this year and will be coming from Northern California to witness "the greatest spectacle". |
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#47
05-22-2008 12:15 AM |
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More than half This year is the 92nd running of the 500. It is my 53rd. My dad took me to my first one on May 30, 1954 on my 11th birthday, and it kinda got in my blood. I have only missed 2 since then, and that was due to being overseas in the Navy. I was fortunate enough to work as an official for over 10 years for USAC when we were the governing body of the race. How do you even attempt to write down your feelings about this place when you go back so far, and have seen so much, and seen all the changes that have taken place the last 54 years. The memories are abound, and on practice days when it is quiet with no one on the track, if you shut your eyes, they come back. The roadsters, Novis, turbines, and all the great names who drove them. Each year when the race is over, I glance at the track on the way out, and just ask for the time to see one more. Just one more. Then I go home and start thinking about next year, and how I will be there for all the days of practice and time trials, while staying in a motel rathere than drive it every day from Bedford. Hopefully, I will still be here in 2011 for the 100th anniversary of the track, and that will be my 56th race. Time....................... Please, just one more. I love it so.---Larry |
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#48
05-25-2008 12:26 PM |
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Memories of I have been to ten races so far in my short thirty years that I have lived. There are tons of memories that I have made here that I will cherish forever. There will never be one, I doubt, any better than the first one when I was about twelve years old. Arie Luyendyk won that year, in the Domino's Pizza sponsored car I believe. I was very young then, but growing up my mother had always been a huge Mario Andretti fan and wanted to go to a race. So that year, my father surprised her with two tickets to the race. My dad said he would drive her to and from the track, but that he didnt want to attend the race itself for personal reasons. My mother knew that I was really getting into racing and made me a deal. We have a huge family and the dishes had been piling up, so she told me that if I did all of those dishes, I could go with her. I couldn't hardly believe what I was hearing. I had been to the track itself for the first time that year already, thanks to a class field trip, and now a chance to be there in the stands, I was full of excitement. It took me almost four hours, until probably midnight or so the eve of the race, but I finished those dishes off, which was a lot for a twelve year old at the time. I'll never forget coming from Crawfordsville, IN, into Speedway, on Crawfordsville Road, and getting dropped off at the gates and walking in to my first race. I was in total awe of everything, the crowds, the smells, the atmosphere, everything to that young man was so surreal. I will never forget spending that fine day at the track, and developing a tradition that I still enjoy to this day!! Thanks Indy for reuniting with CART!!!! |
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#49
05-25-2008 12:27 PM |
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Memories of I have been to ten races so far in my short thirty years that I have lived. There are tons of memories that I have made here that I will cherish forever. There will never be one, I doubt, any better than the first one when I was about twelve years old. Arie Luyendyk won that year, in the Domino's Pizza sponsored car I believe. I was very young then, but growing up my mother had always been a huge Mario Andretti fan and wanted to go to a race. So that year, my father surprised her with two tickets to the race. My dad said he would drive her to and from the track, but that he didnt want to attend the race itself for personal reasons. My mother knew that I was really getting into racing and made me a deal. We have a huge family and the dishes had been piling up, so she told me that if I did all of those dishes, I could go with her. I couldn't hardly believe what I was hearing. I had been to the track itself for the first time that year already, thanks to a class field trip, and now a chance to be there in the stands, I was full of excitement. It took me almost four hours, until probably midnight or so the eve of the race, but I finished those dishes off, which was a lot for a twelve year old at the time. I'll never forget coming from Crawfordsville, IN, into Speedway, on Crawfordsville Road, and getting dropped off at the gates and walking in to my first race. I was in total awe of everything, the crowds, the smells, the atmosphere, everything to that young man was so surreal. I will never forget spending that fine day at the track, and developing a tradition that I still enjoy to this day!! Thanks Indy for reuniting with CART!!!! |
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#50
07-24-2008 02:26 AM |
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re: Walking In The Footprints of My Heroes Quote: Originally Posted by Steve Snoddy I was blessed to be born in Indianapolis. I am sure that in May of 1949 I heard the sounds of the race cars while I was in my mother's womb. She and my father never missed a qualifying or weekend practice day at the Speedway. I was born in September of that year. My earliest memories of the Speedway come from 1952 sitting with my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles on a practice day in early May in the old wooden stands along the pits just south of the old pagoda. I distinctly remember the #99 Belanger Special that day. It was so sleek in its dark blue livery. In a harbinger of things to come, I asked My Uncle Charlie if I could use his binoculars to take a picture. At the age of two I had no clue it was not a camera. My parents continued to take me to practice and qualifying each May and finally in 1956, at age six, they took me to see my first Indianapolis 500. We had seats in the old wooden stand in the south short chute which is now the South Vista stand. I have not missed one since, not even the ones delayed for days by rain. That 1956 race was very special to me as I used an old Brownie Hawkeye camera to make some black and white photos. My most vivid memory of that first race was hearing a tire blow on Paul Russo's Novi and seeing cars spinning everywhere in Turn One. At about age nine, I recall sitting high above the first turn in the upper deck of Grandstand E and watching all the photographers go down into the first turn to make images of the cars as they were about to go out for practice. I thought that it must be really cool to be a photographer and to be able get close to the race cars. Throughout high school I made sure that I spent as much time at the Speedway as I possibly could. I carried a Kodak Instamatic with me and took lots of photos. When I entered Indiana University in 1967, the race was still on May 30 at that time. When registering for my spring semester classes in January of each year, I would look at the final exam schedule for the end of the semester. If any class had a final scheduled for May 30, I would wait to take that class another year. In 1970, I recieved a gift that would change my life at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway forever. It was a Pentax 35mm camera and it included a 200mm lens. I was so hooked on the race and making photos of it, that I spent every penny I had buying film and getting it developed. In 1972 I was able to photograph the race with race day credentials for the first time. That helped me decide to become a professional auto racing photographer. I have been lucky enough to have photographed every Indianapolis 500 since that 1972 race. By 1981, I was blessed to be invited to join the Indianapolis Motor Speedway photography department by Ron McQueeney. Ron is still my boss to this day. My work now includes shooting a portion of the Indianapolis 500 in front of the South Vista stand in the same area I saw my first race in 1956. Interesting how life takes you in full circles. While my cameras have changed throughout the years, my passion for the Speedway has not. I cannot imagine my life without the Speedway in the month of May. All of my heroes in racing from my father and my Uncle Charlie, to Tom Carnegie, Tony George, and Helio Castroneves have left their footprints at the Speedway and in my life. I am truly honored and blessed to be able to walk in the footprints all my racing heroes have made there. Hello, I enjoyed reading your story. My husbands father and grandfather were the engine builders for the Vel Parnelli team in 70 and 71. Charlie Tabucchi built engines for many years at INDY. We have dedicated a web page to the Tabucchi racing history. My son is now racing Karts and hopefully will be at INDY one day. Would love to see some of your work. |
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#51
04-15-2009 04:21 PM |
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re: Show And Tell Us Your Special Indy 500 Memories And Moments Quote: Originally Posted by IMS PR The Indianapolis 500 has created countless memories for generations of race fans, whether it was side-by-side action among Indy legends, a family reunion in the grandstands or being awed by the pageantry of pre-race ceremonies. And we want to hear about your favorite or most memorable experience at "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" in this thread. Photos also can be posted to accompany written submissions, and fans also are encouraged to post comments about their shared experiences, providing fun interaction among the IMS online community. A selection of written submissions and photos from fans will be published in the 2008 Indianapolis 500 Official Program that will be sold at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the Month of May and also available at the Brickyard Authentics Retail Store at the Indianapolis International Airport, online at the IMS Online Store at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com or by calling (800) 955-INDY. I know! The Indianapolis 500 is an educational race to! Think about it teachers! If you go on a field trip there, like my class did, ask exactly how mant feet the track is and turn it into a math problem! Give your students a challenge! |
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#52
04-24-2009 08:36 PM |
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My first day at the track... ...Second weekend of quals, 1993. I had always wanted to go to indy, ever since my dad got me hooked on listening to the time trials and the race on the radio(in 1980). Took my wife with me, got in the track on the thursday before the second weekend, parked in turn 1. Of course like any newbie I was stunned at the sheer size of the place. My wife said, is that the main straightaway? NO honey, that is the south chute. At that moment, Roberto Guerrero, in the Pagen Racing Interstate Batteries Special came roaring out of turn one, screamed thru the south end and dove thru turn 2. I was frozen with awe! I will never forget it. Awesome. Two years later, I was able to provide my dad with his first trip to indy. He had been a fan since the 1955 race, and it was a special moment for me to finally get him to the Speedway...... |
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#53
05-04-2009 09:28 PM |
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My last race with my father 2006 The most memorable moments spent at the track have always been those feelings you have in the weeks before that Indy 500 race day. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been rooted in tradition since the beginning of its creation. In 2006, we saw one of the closet race finishes, and I beleive it was second closest of the Indy 500 history. This year I would spend my last race with my father, for he passed away in January 2007. This would be the most memorable time of my life, as the young Marco Andretti would almost become a winner. And the bittersweet excitement I felt as Sam Hornish took the checkered flag, I remember when my father took my brother and me to our first race in 1996, the year that Buddy Lazier won, I am still trying to get the ringing out of my ears. The excitement of this great spectacle has lived with me throughout the years, and the memory of my father shouting, "lets go mario" for the famous Andretti drivers still makes me smile. I have been to the Indianapolis 500 from 1996-2008, and missed only 1997. My father started in the 70s, and had 30 plus years under his belt when he left this world. So I have to say in memory of my father, "let's go mario." |
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#54
05-08-2009 01:22 PM |
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re: Show And Tell Us Your Special Indy 500 Memories And Moments Quote: Originally Posted by IMS PR The Indianapolis 500 has created countless memories for generations of race fans, whether it was side-by-side action among Indy legends, a family reunion in the grandstands or being awed by the pageantry of pre-race ceremonies. And we want to hear about your favorite or most memorable experience at "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" in this thread. Photos also can be posted to accompany written submissions, and fans also are encouraged to post comments about their shared experiences, providing fun interaction among the IMS online community. A selection of written submissions and photos from fans will be published in the 2008 Indianapolis 500 Official Program that will be sold at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the Month of May and also available at the Brickyard Authentics Retail Store at the Indianapolis International Airport, online at the IMS Online Store at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com or by calling (800) 955-INDY. |
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#55
05-09-2009 05:04 PM |
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Racers Racers. I have considered myself one at heart and soul since that magical moment in 1962 when as an eleven year old I stood beside my father and pressed my nose against the chain link fence in Indy’s turn two as Parnelli Jones screamed my father’s beloved blue and white number 98 Agajanian Offy past us, billowing gray-blue smoke in a plume sharply delineated by the high pale prairie sky. My father shook his head and flared the nostrils of his Roman nose as Jim Clark growled his tiny green Lotus impossibly fast through the turn in a perfect arc, an impeccable surgical incision over the last millimeter of the white curb and slingshotted onto the backstraight within an inch of the steel barrier in chase of the pawing sliding American roadster. The stupid bastards are going to kill somebody, I distinctly heard him say, can’t they see the oil? The bastards are going to kill somebody. Racers. My father never raced, but he was one. You don’t have to, to be one. You can’t grow to be one. You are one, from the first time your tricycle gets ahead of your little legs and you pick up speed down a hill. If you are laughing, with your eyes blazing as the blast of speed provoked norepinephrine hits your little body for the first time, ever; if that jolt of speed is a rush, a wannagain wannagain wannagain poppa moment, then the world has another racer, welcome to the club. And by the way, if it’s your kid, don’t turn your back on the little bleep for at least the next twenty years or so. Racers. My first hero was the chaser on that Memorial Day 1962, Jim Clark. And it was the day that I found out he had died, that he had driven a fragile little F2 Lotus into the forest at Hockenheim, that jolted me for the first time to the full realization of the other part of being a racer. For while the risks taken by the racer are for far different and less noble reasons and rewards than those taken by the warriors, the risk is the same. And for both, the deaths seem to occur regardless of and in spite of skill or strength, random; despite their frequency, despite knowing their inevitability, the deaths still shock. Racers. I raced on two wheels, and watched my son do the same, neither of us ever more than mid-pack at the club level, but always with a smile on our faces, always reveling in the rush. And many times, ineveitably, that rush turned into horror, unequivocal horror. The friends and foes we’ve lost, the stars and the fellow mid-packers, the horror is the same, the angry black emptiness. Racers. Embrace the rush, use the fear to appreciate and enforce the deadly seriousness of the race, and I will never discourage you from being the racer you are, grandson... but be careful, be very careful. Racers. |
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#56
05-12-2009 01:30 AM |
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before the roar my favorite memory began in 1991. a friend of mine at work asked me if i would like to buy his tickets and i said yes because i always thought about going but i never did pull the trigger untill 1991.we went to indy from chicago the afternoon before. my brother in laws best friend lived on georgetown road .so with the partying and such the night before we didnt get much sleep until we actualy got to our stand B box seats at about seven am . at that time my dad my brother in law and myself had never seen a race of any kind . what a way to start a tradition and i have only missed the race in 1996 since. as for the great people that work at IMS they get nicer every year .my brother has the missfortune of being in a wheelchair and the people that work the stands could not be more accomidating . they do everything in their power to make your day as pleasant as possible.ive introduced the race to numerous family and friends and they all have joined in the following of this great event . one last item . i took my niece and her husband in 2007 and she actualy got garage passes from a friend of hers so they came in handy durring the rain delay .while in the garrages we ran into paul page and he stood there for at least twenty minnuts telling stories and generaly having just a great time greeting fans and talking indy.when you think about it he is basicaly just a fan at heart and that will not change i think. |
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#57
06-15-2009 12:16 AM |
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Wilber Shaw Plane Crash I think I'm one of the last persons to see Wilber Shaw as he departed Indianapolis Oct. 30, 1954. I was a line boy at Sky Harbor Airport and Ray Grimes was the pilot who flew Wilber that faitfull day. Ray asked me to stand fire guard as they fired up a Cessna 190. Standing fire guard simply meant holding a fire extinguisier and watching as he fired up the airplane. The Cessna had a bad habit of back fireing through the carberater and could cause a fire. They had no problems, cranked up, then taxied out to take off. I went on about my dutys parking planes and helping other people get their aircraft out of hangers and launcing them off. Later that day I went into the operations building and started to ask Blanch, the receptionest what was on tap for me to do...I could not believe the look on her face. big tears streaming down and she blerted out "Ray has crashed and they are all dead" It took a few seconds to register what she was saying. It was the first time anyone had crashed that I knew....I stood in total shock. Ray was an instructer there at the airport...on occasion he would take me along on a flight to Wier Cook if there were parts to pick up or some such thing. The story we got was a farmer heard the plane and saw it come roaring out of the clouds only to disinagrate just before impact. The plane was gray with green trim and had been for sale. I was rather suprised they took it for a flight. I became a pilot later on and replayed the incident in my mind. Knowing what I know now I'm reasonably sure Ray flew into icing conditions and the plane iced up. Probably lost some of the vital instruments needed to maintain IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) and lost control. It is a pilots worst fear to become disorientated and get vertigo...then spirial into the ground. There was a low overcast in the area where they crashed and what the farmar saw was an attempt to recover visually after popping out of clouds, to low to recover. Ray simply pulled the wings off the aircraft trying to recover before hitting the ground. I flew for years as an Air Force Fighter Pilot...in fact in 1966 I flew an F4 to Grissem AFB at Kokomo Ind. In route, I got permission from Indinapolis Center to make a low pass at Sky Harbor, and brought that big beast right down to almost landing. I sucked up the gear put it in after burner and climed vertically for about 10 seconds to 20,000 feet on my way to Grissom. My parents lived in Lawarence just North of Sky Harbor, and they would meet me and we all returned home to visit over the weekend. I stopped at Sky Harbor the next day to see old friends. Blanch, was still working there, as well as a mechanic Louie Ludlow, and the restraunt owner...The were awstruck that I was flying the Phatom II that shocked the entine area yesterday....it was rewarding...they still remembered me as the 18 year old kid that gassed planes. You could tell by the look on theri faces it was hard to grasp the idea I was flying that Jet....I had just returned from Vietnam and was an instructer at Davis Monthan AFB, Tuscon..... |
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#58
07-11-2009 08:54 PM |
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The Loudest Cheer I practically grew up at the track. When I wa a kid in Terre Haute, we were neighbors with the George's. In fact, Tony George taught me how to ride and shift a motorcycle when I was about 10. Once in 1977 (when I was 12) we made one of our 6 or 7 trips in May to see time trials. Joe Cloteir had given Dad some tickets for seats in the main grandstand right on the finish line. We were late arriving to the track and took our seats just to see young Tom Sneva take the track. The guy sitting next to us leaned in and said "Watch this guy, he really moves". When Tom came around Turn 4, you could actually see the change in the grandstands as a hundred thousand fans came to their feet!!! As Tom crossed the finish line, you could just tell that he had done it!! When the track announcer called the speed of 200.535. The entire place went berzerk!!! I have only heard the track that loud on one other occaison and I will tell that story in another post sometime. The rest of the drivers may as well have been invisible the rest of that day. The talk was only of Sneva and the 200mph barrier and how fast could cars really go at Indy. Although, I do not think anyone would have believed they would be nearing 230 in just a few short years. |
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