Field of 33 - Things You'll Say at Your First Indy 500

In this year’s “Month of May” series, on each day leading up to the Indianapolis 500 on May 26, a different topic about the race or about Indianapolis will be discussed. Each of these topics will be ranked to create special “fields of 33” regarding the Indy 500. I hope you enjoy, and I hope you learn something about Indianapolis and the Indy 500, the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

Today we will focus on the rookies. No, not the rookie drivers, but the rookie race attendees. I’ve now gone to the race 20 times in my life, so I’ve seen many 'newbie' fans walk into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on race day. Each year, I hear very similar comments from those attending the race for the first time. Here is the “Field of 33 Things You’ll Say at Your First Indy 500.”

Row 11

33. “HOW FAST!?!?” The cars will average over 220 mph each lap. They qualified aroud 225 mph. That means that when they enter turns 1 and 3, they were likely going over 230 mph. That's traveling the length of a football field in less than a second. They go 2 1/2 miles in about 40 seconds. They will travel 500 miles in about three hours. It's fast. Wait until you see it!

32. “Wait, there’s a golf course inside the track?” Yes. The track is THAT big. Four holes are on the inside of the track, the rest on the other side of the backstretch. No, you should NOT have brought your clubs, because the course is closed today.

28. “I didn’t just sit for three hours!” No, you didn’t! Didn’t I tell you so? You have plenty of opportunities to walk around, grab something to eat, use the restroom, find some souvenirs, walk around the infield, AND still see 180 of the 200 laps. If you time it right, those twenty laps will all be under caution as well and you won't miss a beat of the action!

Row 10

30. “What is the ‘Snake Pit’?” You will hear about it, you will hear stories that will make your head spin. The current snake pit is much different than the one with all of the stories, though it is still quite the wild party.

29. “That doesn’t sound good…” In our seats in the NW Vista in turn 4, many times the driver downshifts entering the corner to enter the pits. It sounds very wrong and low-pitched. It just doesn't sound healthy. It's typical in our seats because of the downshifting into the pits. However, sometimes the engine just isn't healthy and the car is dying. It doesn't bode well for the driver in question.

28. “My heart is pounding!” You'll say it in anticipation. You'll say it during the anthem. You'll say it during the fly by. You'll say it when they start the engines. You'll say it on the pace lap. You'll say it when the green flag drops. You'll say it on the first crash you see. You'll say it on the first close call. You'll say it as the laps tick down. You'll say it at the white flag. You'll say it when the checkered flag flies. And you'll say it again next year.

Row 9

27. “Hey James, is that guy any good?” A new guy is in the front. Or maybe you just want to know about who you drew in the pool. But you ask the expert in your group about the racer in question. Know who your group expert is and don't be afraid to quiz him on the quality of your driver. Likely, he/she will enjoy explaining a situation or describing a driver's capabilities and chances to win.

26. “Where was the tornado?” In 2004, the race was stoped at lap 160 due to heavy rain. As the track began to slowly empty, the jumbotron put up the radar picture and messages about tornado warnings in the area. A tornado touched down within ten miles of the speedway, with other funnel clouds much closer and reported as near as a few streets away. It was scary with sirens blaring in areas and pouring rain with high winds, but for the most part everybody stayed calm and made it back to their cars.

25. “Why did he do that?” Why did he pit? Why did he make that move? Why did he slow up? Why did he think he could go four wide? I don't know. But you'll ask the question countless times. Some questions just don't have answers.

Row 8

24. “The smell!” When those engines fire, the aroma of ethanol can be smelled all around the 2 1/2 mile oval. Don't think fuel has a good aroma? Think again!

23. “Who do I have in the pool?” One of the cool things you can do at a race is enter a raffle pool. All 33 drivers are pulled out of a hat by members of your party. If your driver finishes in the top three, you get money. Sometimes you can do other funny pools (finishes last, leads most laps, pits the most, etc.) to win money. What's nice is that everybody in your party gets a racer to follow. For rookie fans, it gives you someone specific you can root for. For veteran fans who already have a favorite, it gives a second driver you can keep your eye on and cheer on. You should have heard the excitement from one of my family members when his racer, Bertrand Baguette, or "French Bread" as he called him, was leading with just two laps left in 2011.

22. “What happened to my racer?” All of a sudden your driver isn't on the track any more. He's fallen back, he's a lap down, he's in the pits…likely you'll see him again circling slowly at the back of the pack. It might take a few laps to find him, but you will. If not, you'll see an update on the jumbotron and your trusty radio man will hopefully inform you (in other words, rub it in) that your driver is out of the race.

Row 7

21. “Oh Florence…” The race hasn't started yet, why do I need my earplugs in now? Oh, that's why….

20. “What place is TK in?” Veteran fans will all root for one person in particular: Tony Kanaan. Rookie fans will quickly see that he is liked and why he is liked, hear his story of close finishes and disappointing results, and they too will be cheering on TK. When going through the field looking for your racer, you'll also find yourself asking where Tony Kanaan is in the running. Hopefully it's up near the front!

19. “I can’t wait to watch the replay tonight.” As in any sporting event, watching live at the event itself means that you'll miss a few things. TV coverage these days is so great that hardly a thing goes unnoticed by some camera, and the reporters are right on it with the injury report or whatever. You'll miss something. You'll see that your driver is no longer in the race with no explanation given. You'll see a leader pit way earlier than he was supposed to. Why? You're frustrated because you don't know and the PA announcer won't say. Or maybe you just missed a great pass or crash and want to see it again. Well, the local Indianapolis ABC affiliate replays the race that evening prime time, so you can see everything you missed and get your questions answered.

Row 6

18. “Who is who?” Friendly advice: get a program. It's a great keepsake for you to have forever. With the keepsake is a copy of the Indianapolis Star newspaper, which has a list of the 33 starters and their cars. Keep this available, because unless you are an avid fan who watches each race, you'll likely forget who has a specific paint scheme or whose car is a certain number.

17. “Who’s in the lead?” It's a darn good question! Especially when pit stops begin and lapped traffic becomes an issue, it's tough to tell who the leader is. Know where the nearest scoring pylon is and how to read it. Also have that spotter's guide available so that you know who car #73 is.

16. “There’s a window over Terra Haute!” Even on a 95 degree day with 0 percent chance of rain, you will know about the "window over Terra Haute" and will be quoting it yourself before the race's end.

Row 5

15. “Where should I be looking?” Immediately upon sitting in your seats at your first 500, your first thought is one of a bit of shock. The track is so big, and these cars are going to be flying by at over 220 mph. Where do I look? Where is the most action? Ask a seasoned veteran. They'll gladly show you the ropes!

14. “Who do I have in the pool again?” Yes I forgot. I'm anxious to win money, but my racer is doing so poorly that I don't even remember his name!

13. “That car looks awesome!” Each year there is at least one car that just has an awesome livery. That paint scheme sticks out, looks slick, and makes identifying the driver easy.  Last year, it was Sebastian Bourdais's black and silver livery that was unique and fun to see. Sponsors like GoDaddy, Dr. Pepper, Motorola, and even Indiana Jones have created awesome liveries. And don't forget the classic Pennzoil yellow that sadly is defunct.

Row 4

12. “The race is easier to watch in person.” Having the cameras focus on the same car for an extended time honestly makes racing difficult to watch on TV. Being able to see all 33 cars each and every lap (plus using the jumbotron to catch some action on the other side of the track) makes the race much easier to watch and to understand. You see much more passing this way too.

11. “Gomer Pyle?”  Yes, that IS Gomer Pyle. And yes, he CAN sing. Hopefully Jim Nabors will be healthy enough to join us to sing Back Home Again in Indiana this year.

10. “The trek to the track is worse than the return trip.” Isn't it obvious? You take all of your food and beverages (lots of beverages) to the track, and there's much less to carry back! The trek to the track isn't that bad though because of the anticipation you have! It's race day, man!

Row 3

9. “Get me another drink, please?” …and another, and another, actually make it two. No don’t give me the cooler, I don’t want to pass out the drinks!

8. “Who crashed?” Every group of fans going to the race has at least one person who has a track scanner or a standard radio to listen to the PA announcers. As soon as a crash happens, everybody screams at the radio guy asking who crashed. Even if the crash happens right in front of you, debris and the high speed make it difficult to identify the car.

7. “Look how big the track is!” In about 99% of the seats at Indianapolis (including the infield, which aren't really "seats"), you cannot see the entire track. It's fun to point out to newcomers that you can see the grandstands way on the other side of the grounds (for us, looking across to turns 1 and 2) but you can't see the track. Then I show them my favorite image in sports and they begin to fully grasp just how big the Speedway is.

Row 2

6. “What are you looking…oh WOW!”  I love our seats in the NW Vista at the entrance of turn 4. The fly-by each year comes directly from behind us. I turn and look up, as do many regulars from our section. But the newbies, they seem a bit confused until the roar of a stealth bomber or a tandem of F-18's go zooming by. One year we were so awe-struck by the stealth that, even though we knew it was coming and had cameras ready, NOBODY got a picture of it.

5. “What a beautiful sound!” Hearing the roar of the engine (or for returning fans, how the roar has changed over the years) is unbelievable. To hear 33 engines roaring past you at the green flag is indescribable.

4. “Wait, who do I have again?” There's ten laps left, you've asked me 20 times already, but yes I'll let you know again! Oh by the way your driver crashed about 60 laps ago.

Row 1

3. “I’m glad I came.” With all of the festivities, even a boring, rain-shortened race does not put a downer on the weekend. Everybody comes and has a good time.

2. “It’s so much more exciting in person!”  It's not just watching cars go around in circles. Until you get to Indy, hear the noise, see the sights, smell the ethanol…you just don't know what Indy means.

1. “I can’t wait until next year!”  Unless it was a rain-shortened year (and usually even if it was), I haven't talked to somebody who didn't want to come back again if they could.

The Field of 33 – Things You’ll Say at Your First 500

Row 1	1. “I can’t wait until next year!”	2. “It’s so much more exciting in person!”	3. “I’m glad I came.”
Row 2	4. “Wait, who do I have again?”	5. “What a beautiful sound!”	6. “What are you looking…oh WOW!”
Row 3	7. “Look how big the track is!”	8. “Who crashed?	9. “Get me another drink, please?”
Row 4	10. “The trek to the track is worse than the return trip.”	11. “Gomer Pyle?”	12. “The race is easier to watch in person.”
Row 5	13. “That car looks awesome!”	14. “Who do I have in the pool again?”	15. “Where should I be looking?”
Row 6	16. “There’s a window over Terra Haute!”	17. “Who’s in the lead?”	18. “Who is who?”
Row 7	19. “I can’t wait to watch the replay tonight.”	20. “What place is TK in?”	21. “Oh Florence…”
Row 8	22. “What happened to my racer?”	23. “Who do I have in the pool?”	24. “The smell!”
Row 9	25. “Why did he do that?”	26. “Where was the tornado?”	27. Hey James, is that guy any good?”
Row 10	28. “My heart is pounding!”	29. “That doesn’t sound good…”	30. “What’s the Snake Pit?”
Row 11	31. “I didn’t just sit here for three hours!”	32. “Wait, there’s a golf course inside the track?”	33. “HOW FAST!?!?”