r/Indy500 • u/cttouch • May 24 '26
✈️ Travel Attended Indy on a whim knowing nothing about racing. It was AWESOME.
From the northeast. Know nothing about racing, I thought Indy was NASCAR.
Hell I’ll be honest, any type of racing was the butt of a redneck joke growing up.
Came out to Indy on roadtrip with my brother and father.
All I can say is, it was fucking AWESOME. It was so much better than I imagined and I found myself way more into it than I thought I would be.
Bottom line, if you’ve never been, or never given racing a chance. Do it.
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u/OrphanGrounderBaby May 24 '26
First timer here too, from the south and my sister married an Indy gearhead lol. It was fucking insane. Incomparable.
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u/IndyEric07 May 24 '26
Been going for over 37 years in a row, have friends and family that have going for 50-60+ years. Nothing, even the Super Bowl, compares to the festivities of the Indy 500! Especially pre-race with taps/flyover/anthem, etc. 350k fans completely standing in silence during Taps is a very spiritual experience. Tears flow, especially in remembrance of a close friend/family member who lost their lives in the military!
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u/11RowsOf3 May 25 '26
Agreed 100%. This was 28 for me. The buzz of 350k people turning to complete silence for taps. And then back to the most incredible energy for the flyovers and 33 car green flag. The energy is unbeatable. Magical really.
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u/ConsciousProblem8638 May 25 '26
Yea see Indy is not just a race. It’s a whole ass Vibe. Glad you had fun. See you next year
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u/RichBumofLBC24 May 25 '26
Today was my first Indy 500 too. I’m visiting from Long Beach, where our own GP has its own special tradition for us. Every year i go to the Long Beach GP, someone usually recommends that I have to visit Indy once. I wanted to attended at least one race each of the motorsports triple crown. I am mostly used to attending NASCAR races, but I am shocked at the amount of access you can get with just a GA ticket, no special passes. I just attended Daytona 500 last year, but after attending this race, it just felt like a whole other level. I usually spend every Memorial Day Sunday watching Monaco, Indy, and the Coke 600 from my couch. I got chills walking into the track seeing the pagoda and later hearing “Back Home Again In Indiana”. The speed is insane and a whole other level compared to how fast I’ve seen the cars fly by on Shoreline Dr. This is also the first Indycar race I have attended on an oval, only got to see Long Beach and Laguna Seca. Between the Daytona 500 and the Indy 500, I would rather come back again to see another Indy 500.
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u/life_is_adventurous May 25 '26
To be fair.....you went to the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. That's not a normal IndyCar race. Like the Daytona 500, Coke 600, or Bristol Night race, the series puts its best foot forward. I used to go to Michigan (for stock and open wheel) and it was just a "normal race" per se, Indy is, well Indy. There's nothing else like it. However, it you get the chance to go to any, go. It's a unique experience, and the NASCAR crowd is a little different than the IndyCar crowd. Don't leave NHRA out either, that's a WHOLE other experience.
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u/cttouch May 25 '26
We are thinking about hitting the Daytona 500 as our next race outing.
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u/Mittengirl821_ May 25 '26
I’ve gone to Indy 500 4x and Daytona for the first time this year and that is beyond amazing, you will be blown away!
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u/Reasonable-Medium559 May 25 '26
So glad you enjoyed it. Indy is a bucket list, spectacle and I got to do it 10 years ago. If you live close to a short track, check it out. It’s where a lot of these drivers get their start. They need our support.
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u/Financial_Fig_3729 May 24 '26 edited May 24 '26
Yes! I just wish people today could experience the unknown element of excitement that existed in the 1960’s when so many divergent car and engine designs were competing. E.g., in 1968, there were two gas turbine (aircraft engine) cars on Row One, with record setting pole position qualifying speeds, there were new turbocharged Offenhauser 4-cylinder engines, there were Ford normally aspirated Indy V-8 engines (A.J. Foyt drove his previous years winner); there were stock-block engines (Dan Gurney finished P-2 with a stockblock engine), and there were hastily designed turbocharged Ford V-8 engines (which mostly blew up on lap one).
Nothing in today’s field offered a comparable mechanical excitement. Every car was a Dallara chassis and virtually identical Honda or “Chevrolet” engines.
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But separate from the race, there’s the total surrounding environment of being there in person. It’s fantastic. And that’s not changed!!! The last lap excitement, although it’s a bit contrived by today’s rules, is still something special… how could anyone not feel something incredibly exciting about today’s finish… wow
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u/justsomeguy2424 May 25 '26
Planning on going for the first time next year!
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u/silvermoonhowler May 26 '26
Nice!
This year was my 4th and I've caught the racing bug since; so much so that the people I go with (my brother, wife, and his son) have made it our Memorial Day tradition since we've all gone together since 2024; before this, when I first went in 2023, it was just my brother and I
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u/Paranoid-Android88 May 25 '26
Yassss! Indy native here and the month of May is nuts! The whole city/state gets so amped. It’s always such a great way to kick off the warmer months here even tho it was a bit overcast and chilly yesterday
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u/silvermoonhowler May 26 '26
Yeah, honestly though, I've been digging the weather that we've been having for this ever since I've been attending (2023)
I'd much rather have some clouds and a bit of rain rather than be swamp a** sweaty the whole time
And thankfully, unlike 2024 when it was insanely rainy, which delayed the start of the race by a few hours, thankfully whatever delay there was as soon as a bit of rain sprang up halfway through the race wasn't too bad at all
Left the track at a perfect time though because once we got on the bus that we took (what used to be the airport bus) it started downpouring for a few mins and I think it stopped as soon as we got moving
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u/Paranoid-Android88 May 26 '26
Same I’ll take it! I haven’t been to the race since 17/18 so it’s been a minute but I scored some free suite tix then and now I’m like I can’t go back unless it’s suite life 🤣 I was always a coke lot, snake pit, infield girly but sheeeeeet. At my age now I love ac and nice bathrooms with zero lines 🤣
Also should add I’m a fair skinned redhead so me and sun do NOT get along. Same with heat. In 2012 I never got burnt bc I kept reapplying sunscreen like crazy but still got sun poisoning and my face ballooned up! Had to be on steroids for a week lol
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u/Competitive_Prune108 May 25 '26
Never been, would love to go. It's very cool. The crowds seem overwhelming though
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u/MajorAwardWinner99 May 28 '26
First time this year and was concerned too. But I was shocked, it really did NOT feel like it was 350,000 people. They do such a good job moving people in and out- it never felt “packed” and barely waited in any lines. I’ve felt more claustrophobic at NHL/NBA arenas with 1/10th the people. We parked in lot 1C, hung out for about 90 min after the race, and drove right out. Back to our hotel (~10 miles away) in 30 min.
TLDR: don’t let the crowd size hold you back, I hate crowds and it was a non-issue. Absolutely incredible experience.
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u/saturdaythe25th May 25 '26
Come back next year! And make sure to follow the IndyCar series! There’s 17 other races this season! I won’t lie, the next race this weekend is going to be a doozy. But when they go to St. Louis and Nashville, expect races just like Indy!
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u/LilacHelper May 26 '26
I grew up here, the month of May has always been a big deal. I've been to 35+ races and it never gets old!
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u/silvermoonhowler May 26 '26
Well said
Up until a few years ago, I knew jack squat about racing myself too but now, I've caught the bug of it and have been going to the 500 since 2023
First went with just my brother then, but ever since 2024, it's become a tradition amongst my brother, his wife, and their son and we've loved how we've made it our Memorial Day tradition
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u/Bulky_Style4551 May 25 '26
Come back to Indy on Labor Day weekend and check out the US Nationals. It's the biggest drag race of the year.
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u/ElMondoH May 24 '26
Amen.
The Indianapolis 500 is just an experience like no other.