Indy 500 Bingo - Things You See on the Trek to the Track

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.

It is race day and you’re about to begin the famous “Trek to the Track” at your first Indianapolis 500. Let me just forewarn you: you will see some CRAZY things on that walk to the Speedway. However, it can be quite fun! It’s like “Indy 500 Bingo” as you check off what you’ll see en route to the Speedway. So fill out your Bingo cards, ladies and gentlemen, because here is the Field of 33 Things You’ll See on the Trek to the Track!

Row 11

33. Checkered Flag Decorations. This should be an easy check mark on your Bingo card. So make it a bit more difficult…maybe like finding a full size flag or finding three consecutive houses with checkered décor.

32. “Ultimate” Race Fan. See if you can find that ONE fan who has more checkered flag decorations on his body than anybody else’s front yard has altogether! How can you tell the “Ultimate” fan? It’s quite easy. You’ll know him when you see him.

31. Red Wagon. Watch for a group using an old kiddie red wagon that you used to ride in as a child. No, there aren’t kids (or even adults) in the wagon, but coolers full of beer to be taken to the track. Efficiency!

Row 10

30. Garage Parties. As you pass by houses in the town of Speedway, find one that is holding a full out garage party. Speakers blaring party music and a smorgasbord of food is a requirement to get the check mark on your Bingo card!

29. Drunk Fan.  Conditions: Must be before 11:00 AM and slurred speech / stumbling is a requirement.

28. Vendors. This is a guaranteed mark on your card. The question is just how close you are to the track before you find your first vendor.

Row 9

27. Cornhole. It has become a tailgate favorite across the country, but believe it or not, cornhole isn’t exactly the most common thing you’ll see on the way to the 500. Keep your eyes peeled, as this one won’t be as easy as it seems.

26. Scalpers. Bonus points goes out to the person who finds the scalper selling a ticket for highest above face value.

25. Camp Fires. You get a bonus mark on your card if they’re roasting marshmallows before 10 AM as well!

Row 8

24. Empty Beer Cans. Don’t kill yourself looking for this one…maybe a better spot for your Bingo card is to find a stretch of 100 yards WITHOUT an empty beer can on the street.

23. Satellite Dish. A dish system at somebody’s house DOES NOT count! You are looking for somebody with a DirecTV or DISH Network satellite dish on their car/truck/UHaul/Motorhome in the Coke Lot (or other similar lot).

22. Full Beer Spilled. Amongst all of the empty cans is bound to be one that was tossed and still full. You can tell by the huge puddle and pungent smell as you walk by the cans.

Row 7

21. Overflowing Garbage Can. And naturally this can is overflowing just from the empty beer cans that Coke Lot residents have consumed over three nights of partying.

20. Smoke. …In the distance…from something…but you cannot tell where…and you’re somewhat scared to know…

19. Broken Beer Bottles. Glass bottles are not permitted in the Speedway. You’ll understand why that is so as you walk to the track. I would advise against flip flops, just in case.

Row 6

18. Full Speaker System. We’re looking for that tailgate party / Motorhome that has a speaker system that could rival the hottest DJ in Indiana.

17. The Rat. The dead, mechanical rat makes another appearance in our field of 33. It will be thrashing around the streets along the Coke Lot. Go find it! (Hint: listen for screeching fans followed by howling laughter)

16. Bike Taxis. It’s a bit of a hike for some people to make it to the track. Young Speedway residents make a few extra bucks by giving rides to 500 attendees.  

Row 5

15. “Free Mammograms.” Some hilarious college guys thought they would help out the female population in the Coke Lot by offering free mammograms. Isn’t that sweet? …WATCH OUT! We will also accept “I’ll show you mine…” signs as well.

14. Porter Potty. This shouldn’t be too hard to find, right? Okay then let’s make it more challenging: find one that is unoccupied when you approach it.

13. VIP Busses. How do you know if it’s a VIP? There’s a siren going off on the motorcycle cop leading it towards the track.

Row 4

12. Bowling for Race Fans. You have to see it to believe it! The title speaks for itself!

11. Varying Parking Prices. As you get closer to the Speedway, naturally you will see parking prices increase at houses along the street. $5. $10. $20. $50. It is fun to see parking costs of $20 $20 $20 and then a random $10 thrown in there. That’s what you’re looking for here: a house that is priced lower than the one before it as you walk to the track.

10. Planes and Blimps. My personal favorites are the planes that have various messages trailing behind them. First person to find one of these messages that is either religious in nature or is a marriage proposal gets to check off their Bingo card!

Row 3 – Coolers Row

9. Walking Back with an Oversized Cooler. Somebody gets to the track and is turned away because their cooler is too big. They cannot consolidate into smaller coolers or really like the cooler they have. So somebody has the great honor of carrying the oversized cooler back to their car, making the long trek even longer.

8. Abandoned Cooler. The cooler is too big to enter the track. This race fan doesn’t care about the cooler, though. He had his group do their best to consolidate into other coolers (or just quickly get rid of the beverages in that oversized cooler) and leave the cooler abandoned on the side of the road. You would be surprised the quality of coolers you see on the side of the road at Indy!

7. Broken Coolers. For the longest time, Styrofoam coolers were the weapon of choice for race attendees. They were affordable and did the job. Plus, you could just throw them away after the race. However, they weren’t exactly known for their longevity. Broken Styrofoam coolers would be seen all around the Speedway. The trick though is to reinforce those Styrofoam coolers with Racing Tape (that’s duct tape to you newbie race fans). A little support from Racing Tape can turn a cheap, easily-broken cooler into a perfectly sound beer holder!

Row 2

6. Fully Furnished U-Haul .  Nothing says tailgating like pulling up in a U-Haul that is fully furnished with couches, chairs, speakers, and a big screen TV! Pull into your spot, open the back hatch, and plop down in front of the TV! This is a tough one to find, but there is at least one in the Coke Lot every year.

5. Traffic Jam. This goes for both people and for automobiles. Hopefully you never see this on race day. If you don’t, that means that you’ve picked a good track route for your trek to the track!

4. Cops.  This might as well be your FREE space on the Bingo card!

Row 1

3. Front Yard Parking Lots. Make it a challenge to see which house has the most cars jam-packed into the front and back yards! You could pay off your house in Speedway just from two years of selling your yard for parking for the IMS events.

2. Police Motorcade. Find the police-escorted convoy of cars and busses flying down the streets towards the track. You only get the Bingo square if there are at least five cop cars/motorcycles in the motorcade…and yes, it’s not that hard to find.

1. The Perimeter of the Track. To end your Indy Bingo, you are walking towards the track when you finally see it in the distance: the Speedway. It’s at that moment that you finally realize that you’re going Back Home Again…back to Indiana, back to the track, back to the 500.

The Field of 33 – Things You See on the Trek to the Track

Row 1	1. Perimeter of the Track	2. Police Motorcade	3. Front Yard Parking Lots
Row 2	4. Cops	5. Traffic Jam	6. Fully Furnished U-Hauls
Row 3	7. Broken Coolers	8. Abandoned Coolers	9. Oversized Coolers
Row 4	10. Planes and Blimps	11. Varying Parking Prices	12. Bowling for Race Fans
Row 5	13. VIP Busses	14. Porter Potty	15. “Free Mammograms”
Row 6	16. Bike Taxis	17. The Rat	18. Full Speaker System
Row 7	19. Broken Beer Bottles	20. Smoke	21. Garbage Can Overflow
Row 8	22. Spilled Beer Can	23. Satellite Dish	24. Empty Beer Cans
Row 9	25. Camp Fires	26. Scalpers	27. Cornhole
Row 10	28. Vendors	29. The Drunk	30. Garage Parties
Row 11	31. Little Red Wagon	32. “Ultimate” Race Fan	33. Checkered Flags