It’s Memorial Day weekend, time for remembrance, family and very fast cars.
Ryan Briscoe has pole position for the May 27 Indianapolis 500. His four-lap time was 2-minutes, 38.9514 seconds. That averages out to 226.484 mph. Briscoe bested rival James Hinchcliffe by but a hair.
“This is unbelievable,” said Briscoe just after qualifying. Given its storied history, the 96th running of this historic race itself could be precisely that. Saturday May 26 promises to be pretty good too. That’s when vintage Indy 500 cars take to the Brickyard for Legend’s Day. Race cars ranging from 1911 to the 1990s will grace the track from 9:20 till 10:20 a.m., conjuring up a bit of nostalgia and whetting fans’ appetite for Sunday’s main event.
Among the machines on parade Saturday: the 1955 Kurtis Kraft Bardahl Special, the 1959 Epperley Bowes Seal Fast Special, and a car entered by the fabled Granatelli brothers back in 1949. Look quick and breathe deep of ancient fumes. The Speedway will be suffused by exotic Watsons, Eagles, Kuzamas, Penskes, Lolas and Marches. Sunday, it will be chockablock with fans.
With a capacity of a quarter-of-a-million-plus, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is flat-out the planet’s largest spectator sporting facility. Churchill Downs, Yankee Stadium, the Rose Bowl, the Roman Coliseum, and Vatican City can all fit inside the capacious 253-acre oval. No hype, Indy is colossal.
If you’re headed to the track on Sunday, know that the public gates open at 5:33 a.m. It’s time for the Military Tribute Lap at 11:10. Twenty minutes later, drivers get introduced.
One more thing: the weather forecast. The National Weather Service is looking for mostly clear skies and a high of 91.
Travelers, start your engines.
By Jerry Chandler
(Image: Fifth World Art)
