It May Not Matter To You, But The Indianapolis 500 Still Matters To Me
For years when I was working in sports radio in Chicago, I hosted a Sunday morning show for two hours and more often than not we talked about the Bears, or who’s bullpen is better between the Cubs and Sox. Maybe even the Blackhawks! (Okay, that’s enough hockey.)
One Sunday every year, I looked forward to more than any other. Memorial Day Sunday. I would spent my show talking about the Indianapolis 500. I was at ease. It was familiar. It was passion for the race but not exactly about the race.
The rest of Chicago’s reaction?
Zzzzzzzzz.
My boss at the station was and is still brilliant to this day. He would say “Play the hits.” That meant more football and no racing talk. He was right. He will always be right, but every year on that one Sunday, he relented. I always appreciated it.
The Indianapolis 500 does not carry the same national cachet that it once did. The Greatest Spectacle in Racing wasn’t the same after the open wheel racing split 25 years ago. But don’t tell that to folks in the Midwest who still plan to make the trek to the hallowed ground of American motor sports every May.
I still love “The 500.” Everything about it. I love the pomp and circumstance. The balloons. Honoring fallen soldiers. “Taps” gives me chills. It’s even more emotional in person. “Back Home Again in Indiana!” It’s the only time this Indiana graduate enjoys the Purdue Marching Band.
The race is still great. The build up to the start. The restarts are nerve-wracking. I love the drama. I love the pit strategy. Like many, I love that it reminds me of my grandfather, the Indianapolis newspaper editor who was in the stands for more races than most. It reminds me of tradition. It reminds me of the past and innovation for the future. It connects me with family.
I haven’t been to the race in a decade because of that Sunday show. However, I knew people were making the drive down I-65 and I wanted to talk to them. Maybe they were going for the race. Maybe they were going for the party. Maybe they were hoping to score a ticket at the last minute in Turn 3. At times, the Indy coverage was very Central Indiana focused as it should be. Yet, with nearly a half million people attending every year, they have to come from somewhere other than the Circle City. I never forgot that. There’s a web of connection to the race and to spending the month of May at the track. I’ve always wanted to make sure I could help people be a part of that.
This year, 135,000 fans will be at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on a chilly Sunday morning with a reduced capacity thanks to the pandemic. Folks in Indy that can’t get in will get to watch it live on TV for just the 2nd time ever! Think about that! It’s a fact that’s stunning in today’s modern world.
Yet, even the TV blackout is a tradition. Why? The radio broadcast is poetry in motion. If you’ve been to the race and want to follow along, you listen to “The Show.” Countless folks from Marion County and places nearby have grown up listening to the race, only to watch it on tape delay later that night after a family dinner.
The pandemic’s early stages brought families closer together. Like it or not, it reminded many of us about the good things and the nostalgia of the little traditions we all have and share. COVID became a polarizing subject at some point and we’ve all started to get back to “normalcy” in some sense. Hopefully now people will realize that Indy isn’t just a good thing, it’s still a great thing. We long for the nostalgia of the Unser’s and Foyt’s of the world, but there’s an Andretti in the race. Marco might do it, you never know! There’s a 3-time champion in Helio Castroneves in the race, can he get his fourth after all these years?
It all starts with 33 cars screaming south down a front straight that looks like a tunnel of people to a dead end all in the hopes of surviving the first corner at 230 MPH. I’ve been to sporting events all over the country and for my money, there’s nothing like the thrill and sheer nerves from a fan perspective like “Lap 1, Turn 1” at Indy. But I get it. Play the hits. Talk football. Enjoy your weekend. I’ll be up early to watch the race.
It still matters to me.
