The Written Word
Still Photos
Gate 2 at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 
The IMS Museum. 
The newly remodeled interior of the IMS Museum. 
A collection of Indy 500 pins in the Museum Gift Shop. 
One of the original bricks is displayed in the Museum Gift Shop. 
Coming or going, there was a crush of people moving through the tunnels. 
IndyCar legend A. J. Foyt has a street named after him in the infield. 
Helena and I snapped an ussie with the famous IMS Pagoda in the background. 
Turns out Marco didn’t need this pit spot for too long:-( 
Members of the Purdue Marching band guard their drum. 
Friend Evan Jewson is a member of the Foyt Racing Team. He’s an engineer on Santino Ferrucci’s car. 
A look jup at the Tower Terrace section we sat in. 
There were actually two pre-race flyovers. 
A look toward the Start/Finish line from our seats. 
A look back toward Turn 4 from our seats. 
This video monitor across from us proved invaluable for keeping up with the race. 
During the pace lap, cars were bunched three across. 
This fan was excited to see some racing. 
Santino Ferrucci’s No. 14. 
The view from our seats. 
Jack Harvey’s No. 24 in for a pit stop. 
Another ussie, this time down near the pit wall. 
The IMS Pagoda with the final results. 
A car caught mid zoom by. 
2025 Indy 500 winner Alex Palou took a victory lap in the bed of a F-150.
Video
Audio
Fun Facts
- Traveling Party – Doug and his daughter, Helena
- Last Time Visited – Doug had been to IMS as a child for a time trial and has been to the track during a non-race day one other time. Helena had never visited.
- Bring it On, er In – As long as it wasn’t glass, an aerosol can, and was smaller than an adult pool float, it seemed as though just about anything could be brought through security into Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Perhaps that’s a gross exaggeration, but it didn’t seem that far from the truth. Beer? Bring it in. Wine? As as it was in a can, box, or bag, bring it in. Flags? Sure. The full list of permitted and not permitted items is found at this link. We took advantage and brought in some food and drink in a small cooler to cut our food cost. We did see a family of five get stopped at the security checkpoint because they were rolling in one of those massive coolers. Part of me wanted to stop and see what became of it … the other part of me won that internal struggle;-)
- In the Event of a Next Time – I’d probably rethink my seat location if I were to attend again. While it was nice to see the cars at top speed heading down the main straight as well the entrance to pit lane, I think a better spot would be to get closer to the Start/Finish line or to move into a turn where there’s perhaps, a bit more racing action occurring.
- Funny Shuttle Bus Moment – On our way to the track aboard the shuttle, our driver was airing an Indianapolis sports radio station that was breaking down all things Indy 500. As occurs during broadcast radio, there were commericials. The first commercial we heard (and one that was repeated no fewer than three more times during our 35-minute ride, was for vasectomies. The fella seated next to mean leaned over and cracked, “Well, at least they know their audience.”
- Running List of States Traveled To/Through – Alabama, California, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, & West Virginia
- Running List of Countries Traveled To/Through – Canada (Ontario & Quebec), England, Japan, Korea, Scotland, United States, & Wales
- Distance Traveled – 644 miles roundtrip.
- Cumulative Distance Traveled After 18 Events – 43,608 miles
- Up Next: The Men’s College World Series in Omaha, NE; a visit to “The Field of Dreams” movie site in Dyersville, IA; the 120th Midnight Sun Game in Fairbanks, AK; and rodeo at Frontier Days in Cheyenne, WY