| DAN'S PHOTO JOURNALS |
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| INDY 500 Sunday, May 24, 2026 |
E.T. took Thursday off work and showed up early for a change from Michigan. We
hit the grocery for some track food and booze. Sadly, they were out of fried chicken.
FRIDAY
IndyCar was able to get their last practice in on Friday, before rain brought a halt to
the Pit Stop Competition. The rain did not stop the Carb Day Concert, with the Black
Crows, afterwards.
SATURDAY
On Saturday afternoon, we went downtown to the IMAX theater to see the new Star
Wars movie. It is the largest movie screen in Indiana. The theater is attached to the
Indiana State Museum and is surrounded by many things to do - an American Indian
Art Museum, a baseball field, an outdoor concert venue, gardens, zoo, park, a canal
walk, bike rentals and trails, the NCAA Hall of Champions museum, etc.
I wanted to eat downtown, but E.T. didn't want to "waste money" when we had food
at my house. We fried up some seeasoned pork steak and they were good.
We hit the sack that night about 2 a.m.
SUNDAY - RACE DAY!
I got up at 9 a.m. We hit the road at 11:30 a.m., which was later than I had hoped
for. But, I didn't rush and just ignored the clock all morning. I even left the radio and
TV news off as I didn't want to hear weather or traffic reports which might make me
stress. If E.T. still stresses about my casual track morning routine, he keeps it to
himself.
The ride in was uneventful and free of traffic jams.
MAPPING MY COURSE TO IMS
I went north on Meridian St to Hanna Ave, then cut over west to Harding.
Took that north to Raymond and headed west to Holt Rd.
I had planned to take that to 10th St, but cops blocked me before I could get there,
and sent me west on Michigan St. which wound over to 10th.
I then headed back east to Polco St.
I had a pass hanging on my rearview mirror, so they let me turn on Polco and drive
to a parking spot I'd reserved beside some railroad tracks.
It was a short walk to the speedway. Along the way, I spoke to a couple of ticket
scalpers. One guy had Deck seats and was still asking full face value ($250 each)
a half-hour before race time. Neither guy had penthouse tickets.
hit the grocery for some track food and booze. Sadly, they were out of fried chicken.
FRIDAY
IndyCar was able to get their last practice in on Friday, before rain brought a halt to
the Pit Stop Competition. The rain did not stop the Carb Day Concert, with the Black
Crows, afterwards.
SATURDAY
On Saturday afternoon, we went downtown to the IMAX theater to see the new Star
Wars movie. It is the largest movie screen in Indiana. The theater is attached to the
Indiana State Museum and is surrounded by many things to do - an American Indian
Art Museum, a baseball field, an outdoor concert venue, gardens, zoo, park, a canal
walk, bike rentals and trails, the NCAA Hall of Champions museum, etc.
I wanted to eat downtown, but E.T. didn't want to "waste money" when we had food
at my house. We fried up some seeasoned pork steak and they were good.
We hit the sack that night about 2 a.m.
SUNDAY - RACE DAY!
I got up at 9 a.m. We hit the road at 11:30 a.m., which was later than I had hoped
for. But, I didn't rush and just ignored the clock all morning. I even left the radio and
TV news off as I didn't want to hear weather or traffic reports which might make me
stress. If E.T. still stresses about my casual track morning routine, he keeps it to
himself.
The ride in was uneventful and free of traffic jams.
MAPPING MY COURSE TO IMS
I went north on Meridian St to Hanna Ave, then cut over west to Harding.
Took that north to Raymond and headed west to Holt Rd.
I had planned to take that to 10th St, but cops blocked me before I could get there,
and sent me west on Michigan St. which wound over to 10th.
I then headed back east to Polco St.
I had a pass hanging on my rearview mirror, so they let me turn on Polco and drive
to a parking spot I'd reserved beside some railroad tracks.
It was a short walk to the speedway. Along the way, I spoke to a couple of ticket
scalpers. One guy had Deck seats and was still asking full face value ($250 each)
a half-hour before race time. Neither guy had penthouse tickets.
9-second video of IndyCars going through Turn 1 and into short chute.
Our Turn 1 tickets were at the end of the South West Vista, where it butts up against
E Stand. The seats were on the 2nd row at the bottom. I usually sit as high as
possible, but this year I thought I'd try low. I really appreciated not having to trudge
up and down a million stairs.
Our seats were 3&4, near the aisle. The people who had seats 1&2 never showed
up, so I could come and go as I pleased without making anyone stand up to let me
by.
These stands are benches and don't have backrests, so I brought my stadium chair.
I also brought a cooler of beer and food. The beer was all 7.5% alcohol and it was
affecting me enough at the end where I switched to a coke.
I didn't bring a phone, camera, camcorder or scanner, nor use a spotters guide or
my noise-cancelling FM headphones. The only thing my hands had to do all day
was hold a beer. I liked that!
(All the photos and video on this page were made by E.T. with his phone.)
Being 20' away from the track, I expected it to be super loud, but it was not. In fact,
I didn't even need ear plugs! Whether it was the wall blocking the noise, or the
absence of stands across the track to bounce noise back to me, I don't know. I
wondered if the cars are quieter since they made them hybrid.
On the flip side, the P.A. system was pretty loud; I suppose so people way up in the
stands could hear it. I liked it though when there was a caution and they played rock
and roll music. However, I became annoyed when they began airing commercials
over the P.A. instead.
The pre-race festivities seemed even grander than ever. We had two fly-bys from
four fighter jets. There was a vertical American flag made out of colored smoke that
appeared suddenly, and was soon blown away by wind. I've never seen anything
like it and I don't know how they did it. The super huge American flag in the first turn
was in front of me. Tons of people hold it by the edges and at one point, they began
moving their arms up and down to make it look like it was waving.
E Stand. The seats were on the 2nd row at the bottom. I usually sit as high as
possible, but this year I thought I'd try low. I really appreciated not having to trudge
up and down a million stairs.
Our seats were 3&4, near the aisle. The people who had seats 1&2 never showed
up, so I could come and go as I pleased without making anyone stand up to let me
by.
These stands are benches and don't have backrests, so I brought my stadium chair.
I also brought a cooler of beer and food. The beer was all 7.5% alcohol and it was
affecting me enough at the end where I switched to a coke.
I didn't bring a phone, camera, camcorder or scanner, nor use a spotters guide or
my noise-cancelling FM headphones. The only thing my hands had to do all day
was hold a beer. I liked that!
(All the photos and video on this page were made by E.T. with his phone.)
Being 20' away from the track, I expected it to be super loud, but it was not. In fact,
I didn't even need ear plugs! Whether it was the wall blocking the noise, or the
absence of stands across the track to bounce noise back to me, I don't know. I
wondered if the cars are quieter since they made them hybrid.
On the flip side, the P.A. system was pretty loud; I suppose so people way up in the
stands could hear it. I liked it though when there was a caution and they played rock
and roll music. However, I became annoyed when they began airing commercials
over the P.A. instead.
The pre-race festivities seemed even grander than ever. We had two fly-bys from
four fighter jets. There was a vertical American flag made out of colored smoke that
appeared suddenly, and was soon blown away by wind. I've never seen anything
like it and I don't know how they did it. The super huge American flag in the first turn
was in front of me. Tons of people hold it by the edges and at one point, they began
moving their arms up and down to make it look like it was waving.
| Walking up Polco Street at Noon with the Other Stragglers |
There was a huge amount of checkered-flag clothing and other race-related
apparel. It seemed much more than in years gone by. One could spend the day just
crowd watching at the speedway and, of course, there were more than just a few
pretty girls!
I was happy that I could see the cars go by - I wasn't sure if the wall would block my
view when the cars were in front of me, but it wasn't an issue. They all run low in the
turn and not up by the wall.
I could see all of Turn 1, the south short chute and turn 2. While I couldn't see the
main straight, I liked the seats.
It was cloudy and I didn't have the sun beating down on me, but it was humid. I
wasn't getting any breeze either. I found that behind or under the stands, there
was a breeze and it felt cooler there.
I wandered out several times. There were always people hanging out, such as in the
grass area behind the stands, or going to the snack bar or souvenir stand (I noticed
that baseball caps cost $45. Yikes.) I'm not shy about talking to strangers and I
approached and talked to a lot of people out there. Everyone was happy and
friendly.
The first time I left the stands, I ran into a girl named G-Red, who showed me she
had a General Admission ticket and wondered where she was supposed to go. I
told her she had to go back out and go through the tunnel and go sit on a hill in the
infield. She then asked if she could sit on my lap! Ha! It then occurred to me she
could sit beside me until the people showed up, so she came back and sat by me.
There were no yellow shirts checking tickets at the stand. Apparently she was on
her own and drove down from Chicago. She said she loves fast cars. She stayed
until the half-way point of the race, then headed off to explore.
Another time, I met a guy from New England who has been attending the race for a
long time. He loved the Peyton Manning/Tom Brady football era. He thought the
Brickyard 400 should be a night race and he thought the 500 party had become too
tame, i.e. he had not seen any bare breasts for a few years! Ha!
Throughout the day, I could see a little drone moving back and forth inside the first
turn. I couldn't spot who was controlling it.
There was one crash that happened by us. Ed Carpenter hit the wall during a restart.
He was ok, but angry. He pointed at some car (Sato) as the cars circled around under
yellow. Some pieces from his wreck flew over the fence and this lady in front of me
caught one!
apparel. It seemed much more than in years gone by. One could spend the day just
crowd watching at the speedway and, of course, there were more than just a few
pretty girls!
I was happy that I could see the cars go by - I wasn't sure if the wall would block my
view when the cars were in front of me, but it wasn't an issue. They all run low in the
turn and not up by the wall.
I could see all of Turn 1, the south short chute and turn 2. While I couldn't see the
main straight, I liked the seats.
It was cloudy and I didn't have the sun beating down on me, but it was humid. I
wasn't getting any breeze either. I found that behind or under the stands, there
was a breeze and it felt cooler there.
I wandered out several times. There were always people hanging out, such as in the
grass area behind the stands, or going to the snack bar or souvenir stand (I noticed
that baseball caps cost $45. Yikes.) I'm not shy about talking to strangers and I
approached and talked to a lot of people out there. Everyone was happy and
friendly.
The first time I left the stands, I ran into a girl named G-Red, who showed me she
had a General Admission ticket and wondered where she was supposed to go. I
told her she had to go back out and go through the tunnel and go sit on a hill in the
infield. She then asked if she could sit on my lap! Ha! It then occurred to me she
could sit beside me until the people showed up, so she came back and sat by me.
There were no yellow shirts checking tickets at the stand. Apparently she was on
her own and drove down from Chicago. She said she loves fast cars. She stayed
until the half-way point of the race, then headed off to explore.
Another time, I met a guy from New England who has been attending the race for a
long time. He loved the Peyton Manning/Tom Brady football era. He thought the
Brickyard 400 should be a night race and he thought the 500 party had become too
tame, i.e. he had not seen any bare breasts for a few years! Ha!
Throughout the day, I could see a little drone moving back and forth inside the first
turn. I couldn't spot who was controlling it.
There was one crash that happened by us. Ed Carpenter hit the wall during a restart.
He was ok, but angry. He pointed at some car (Sato) as the cars circled around under
yellow. Some pieces from his wreck flew over the fence and this lady in front of me
caught one!
| The American Flag Made of Smoke Dissipitated quickly |
| Like last year, two Blackhawk helicopters escorted the cars around the track before the race. |
| The Corvette ZR1X is the fastest pace car of all time. |
Later in the race, I had to put on a hat to shield my eyes from glare.
There is a deck all along the top of the South and SW Vistas. For some reason, the
one behind me was empty except for a few people. I cannot imagine why.
The race was fantastic and I was able to follow it pretty well. The jumbotron was far
away, but I could see it for the most part. I wish it had been a lot closer though. But
boy, I could see it good enough at the finish to tell Rosenqvist just beat Malukas to
the line by a nose. Wow was that an exciting finish! Everyone lost their mind and
loved the race. I'm glad I was there.
I, and probably many people, had been concerned that it would rain during the race,
but it never did. That was a blessing.
Instead of hanging out for hours after the race ended, I was so close to the exit and
my car was so close, I decided to leave. I had hardly any traffic to worry about
getting out! I took 10th to Holt Rd. and once I passed I-70, it was clear sailing and
no cars ahead. With the windows down, I hit the gas and got her up to 100 mph. I
can't remember the last time I got to do that, coming home from the race.
We were home by 5 p.m. and then it began to rain.
At 6 p.m. we watched the race on Fox One. It lets you fast-forward past
commercials, which I love. The aerial video looked like even the infield sold out
today. I heard 330,000 fans showed up.
There is a deck all along the top of the South and SW Vistas. For some reason, the
one behind me was empty except for a few people. I cannot imagine why.
The race was fantastic and I was able to follow it pretty well. The jumbotron was far
away, but I could see it for the most part. I wish it had been a lot closer though. But
boy, I could see it good enough at the finish to tell Rosenqvist just beat Malukas to
the line by a nose. Wow was that an exciting finish! Everyone lost their mind and
loved the race. I'm glad I was there.
I, and probably many people, had been concerned that it would rain during the race,
but it never did. That was a blessing.
Instead of hanging out for hours after the race ended, I was so close to the exit and
my car was so close, I decided to leave. I had hardly any traffic to worry about
getting out! I took 10th to Holt Rd. and once I passed I-70, it was clear sailing and
no cars ahead. With the windows down, I hit the gas and got her up to 100 mph. I
can't remember the last time I got to do that, coming home from the race.
We were home by 5 p.m. and then it began to rain.
At 6 p.m. we watched the race on Fox One. It lets you fast-forward past
commercials, which I love. The aerial video looked like even the infield sold out
today. I heard 330,000 fans showed up.
The photo above shows Carpenter's
skid marks.
It is a zoomed in area from the photo
on the left.
skid marks.
It is a zoomed in area from the photo
on the left.
That orange strip flew off of Ed Carpenter's race car after he wrecked.
| The wrecked car of Josef Newgarden goes past. He was running in 4th place on Lap 124 when he crashed in Turn 4. |
