The big weekend is finally here. The Indianapolis 500, that Memorial Day weekend tradition, will take the green flag Sunday morning at 11:00 our time. I still love this event, despite it's current anemic condition under the guidance of Tony George.
I once took a well-deserved tongue lashing from Columbian Band Director Lewis Hawk for listening to the race on a transistor radio during the Memorial Day speeches on Frost Parkway. But it was worth it.
First run in 1911, the 500 is the product of the U.S. heartland. developing its traditions, hokey as they are, from the shade tree, experimental, grass roots mechanics, drivers and owners who populate the land between the coasts.
Oh sure, much of its history has been made by foreign drivers and car makers, but their status is built on the groundwork laid by those who built their cars in the backyard and drove in shirtsleeves.
Time was when entrants were not multi-millionaires with sponsorship arrangements with multi-billion dollar corporations. Heck, a Tiffin man, Dick Routh, even had a car entered and did pretty well about 30 years ago. Despite the small-time aura, it commanded international interest.
Buddy Rice will start from the pole Sunday. He drives for the Rahal-Letterman Racing team. Bobby Rahal is an Ohioan, a graduate of Denison University (Major-history) whose team headquarters are in Dublin. Of course you know who Letterman is.
Looking elsewhere through the lineup there are some interesting stops.
Robby Gordon will start 18th. He will be attempting another Memorial Day double, driving in the Indy 500, then heading to the 600 mile NASCAR race. If he finishes both races, he will have covered 11 hundred racing miles, with his final checkered flag of the day falling about 12 hours after his first green flag of the day.
Back in rows seven and eight, it's a Foyt Family Affair. A.J. Foyt, IV, grandson and namesake of the man whose name is recognizable even by those who don't follow racing will start from the 21st position, the outside spot on the seventh row.
His uncle Larry will be in row eight, but on the inside, 22nd position.
There's Al Unser, Jr., the only member of his great racing family still competing actively on the track, starting in 17th.
Another familiar name, Jones, will start from the inside of the last row, 31st. P.J. Jones is the son of Parnelli Jones, a 500 winner who may be best remembered for the race he didn't finish. driving off to a near certain win in a turbine-powered car, only to feel his car fail just a couple of laps from the end because of the failure of a $2 bearing.
Did you know that no one named "Smith" has driven in the 500?
Greg Ray, who won the pole in 2000 and this year spent the days before final qualifying on the telephone trying to raise enough money to practice and compete. He finally made the field on the last day with only 20 laps of practice.
Buddy Lazier, winner of the first IRL-only race, went to the track without a ride. He finally landed one and qualified 28th.
And I will be closely watching the fortunes of Tora Takagi, starting from 26th spot. Despite the fact that he is a native of Japan and I'm not, I'll pretend we're related, since our names are so similar. I doubt that he does the same.