Went to the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 with Cuzzin Ricky on Sunday. We parked at the airport and took a shuttle bus to the track. We got there just before all the festivities began and then met up with another cousin of ours to watch the race. The racing was good, weather was good, but boy was the place crowded. We headed out after the race to catch the shuttle bus and the line for the bus was about a half mile long it seemed.
As we were fighting the crowd to get to the end of the line, our cousin from out of state trips on a barricade and goes down face first onto 16th Street. He gets up with some help from myself and others in the crowd and when we get to the end of the line he pulls up his pant leg to check his leg and he's got a big gash on his shin. He and Rick get out of line to get him into the shade and seek medical help and he goes down again when he trips over the curb. Rick finds a State Trooper who calls for medical help, the EMTs take one look at the gash and say he needs stitches, so we all go for an ambulance ride. He got about a dozen staples in his shin bone and a good looking over. Nothing broken, however, just beat up a bit. So after about a 4 hour visit at the hospital, we catch a cab back to the airport and come on home. Long day.
That's going to be it for me and the 500. I might go down for practice days or qualifications again but not the race. Too many people and too much of a hassle (even without a side trip to the hospital). That's why I quit going to the Brickyard. For years I'd listen to the 500 on the radio while working in the shop on a bike project. Before I moved to the country, I had a little black and white television in the garage I'd turn on with the sound off. I'd listen to the radio and if something big happened, I'd check out the TV for the replay. No crowds, no weather worries and only a short walk into the house to use the bathroom or get a cold beer. I'm a big race fan but I think I'll stick to attending the open wheel races on the small tracks and work in a bike race once in a while - just too old for the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing". It was a damn fine race and a really exciting finish, however.
2 comments:
HEY BOB, I WENT A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WITH DREW, THAT WILL BE THE LAST TIME I ATTEND ALSO. YOU GET TO SEE 10-15 SECONDS OF RACING ON EVERY LAP. I'M WITH YOU ON THE SMALLER OPEN WHEEL TRACKS BECAUSE YOU ACTUALLY GET TO SEE THEM RACE. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE FOUR CROWN IN SEPTEMBER, 5/8 0F A MILE, HIGH BANKS, AND HARDLY A BAD SEAT IN THE PLACE. HOPEFULLY IF BOB GOES THERE WILL BE NO SIDE TRIPS TO THE HOSPITAL!
TALK TO YOU SOON,
TVI
Rick and I went to Kokomo Sunday night for a USAC midget race. They also had a sprint car race on the card. You could watch the cars all away around the track and sit close enough to the track to get pelted with chunks of clay from the tires! Lots of action and only $20 to get in. Hard to beat that.
Post a Comment