My favorite month of the year
What’s your favorite month of the year?
Mine has nothing to do with weather but everything to do with auto racing and Memorial Day weekend. For me, the month of May is my favorite. I have been a fan of the Indianapolis 500 my entire life and have gone to the race in person every year except two since 2001 – one for starting a new job and the other due to COVID preventing fans from attending.
Indy car fans like to ask, “Is it May yet?”
This year is especially exciting because we finally get to head to Indy early to watch qualifying for the event. I’ve always wanted to attend what old-school fans called “time trials” in addition to the race itself, and now retirement has finally afforded me enough time to do it.
My dad and his group of buddies from Washington used to go to the Indy 500 every year as long as I can remember. Many years when they were young, they would pile in the car and drive five hours to Indy then back on consecutive weekends for qualifying, and a third weekend for the race.
The field has historically been 33 cars and, for decades, it was exciting to watch drama unfold as dozens of teams tried to make their way into the field by running four laps faster than the other guy – in effect “bumping” the last place driver out of the field.
Back in the 1970s, this happened over two weekends and four days with the excitement going down to the last minute when a driver would pull out of the entry line and onto the track for one final attempt just as the closing gun fired ending the qualifying. It truly was the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.
Today, soaring costs and other factors have spoiled some of the fun. Back in 1984, a record 117 entries tried to make the Indy 500. This year, the series struggled to find even 33 entries. To be fair, 25 full-time cars run the series all season and for other, “one-off” teams to spend millions of dollars, obtain an engine, chassis, pit crew, race engineers and sponsorship all just for one race -then run the chance of being “bumped” out of the field – really does seem a bit ridiculous. We may never again see the drama of the good old “bump days.”
Despite the lack of “bumping” excitement, I’ll still love going to my first qualifying and the race itself this Memorial Day weekend and watching four-time winner Helio Castroneves in his “Drive For Five” – especially since he won the first time I went to the Indy 500 – and I’ve been there for all four of his wins.
The weekend is full of pageantry, patriotism, a salute to service and lots of families and friends enjoying the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” I can’t wait!
Kristin Emery can be reached at kristinemery1@yahoo.com.