American Speed
One of my bucket list items is to go to every major championship before I die. This includes events like the Super Bowl, World Series, and Wimbledon, just to name a few. I have been lucky enough to attend some of these, and a few weeks ago I was able to check another off my list. My close friend had his bachelor party at the Indy 500 and we made sure to do it right: camping, patriotism, and infield views.
I discovered I actually knew nothing about the race, thinking it was Nascar while explaining to everyone my weekend plans. It is actually Formula 1 drivers, and that particular weekend happened to be Danica Patrick's final race. Living in Chicago, many of my co-workers, friends, and patients had been to the event prior. They filled me in on the do's, dont's, and how to prepare. Below are my thoughts on this American Speed.
Camping is not my thing. Never has been, never will. But since it was not my party I obliged to the festivities. It was 95degrees the Saturday we got to our campsite, and the race was not until Sunday. We spent our days drinking, playing games, and catching up on old times. I must say, being at the grounds I was expecting much more debauchery and mayhem. I didn't see much. It wasn't tame by any means, but remained under control. A few things I took away from camping. One, the porta-potties are fairly clean. Every few hours someone comes around and maintains them. Two, there are few to no trash cans, so you will see garbage literally everywhere. Apparently the day after the event, a machine grooms the entire place. Three, if a rainstorm comes (like one did my weekend) there is no place for shelter so come prepared.
The Indy 500 itself is awesome. The speed at which the cars are driving is truly impressive, and the the sound is an adrenaline rush. Although I brought earplugs, I did not feel they were necessary. There is not a bad seat in the house, but from my experience the infield was quite fun. You can get right up on the fence, and there is a giant party close by at the Snake Pit (ticket required to enter) should you want to hear some music. It was heavily EDM (electronic dance music) based the day I was there. Finally, the entire stadium is BYOB. Only glass is off limits, so feel free to bring as much alcohol you want.
Recommendations: Get an Air bnb on Saturday night. Go to the festivities the night before and enjoy the ambiance surrounding this American tradition. Infield tickets are $40, and I feel it is a good deal for a championship of this caliber. The track opens at 6am on race day and the event doesn't start until 1pm. Feel free to have a good breakfast, then head over with your food/drink to tailgate the day away. Make sure to BRING SUNSCREEN as here is no shade you will be re-applying every few hours. Once the race ends, stick around and enjoy the closing ceremonies while everyone leaves and the traffic clears. After that, go home and recover while you get your hearing back.
Vroom! Vroom!
Rating: 4/5
Location:
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
4790 W 16th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46222
I discovered I actually knew nothing about the race, thinking it was Nascar while explaining to everyone my weekend plans. It is actually Formula 1 drivers, and that particular weekend happened to be Danica Patrick's final race. Living in Chicago, many of my co-workers, friends, and patients had been to the event prior. They filled me in on the do's, dont's, and how to prepare. Below are my thoughts on this American Speed.
Camping is not my thing. Never has been, never will. But since it was not my party I obliged to the festivities. It was 95degrees the Saturday we got to our campsite, and the race was not until Sunday. We spent our days drinking, playing games, and catching up on old times. I must say, being at the grounds I was expecting much more debauchery and mayhem. I didn't see much. It wasn't tame by any means, but remained under control. A few things I took away from camping. One, the porta-potties are fairly clean. Every few hours someone comes around and maintains them. Two, there are few to no trash cans, so you will see garbage literally everywhere. Apparently the day after the event, a machine grooms the entire place. Three, if a rainstorm comes (like one did my weekend) there is no place for shelter so come prepared.
The Indy 500 itself is awesome. The speed at which the cars are driving is truly impressive, and the the sound is an adrenaline rush. Although I brought earplugs, I did not feel they were necessary. There is not a bad seat in the house, but from my experience the infield was quite fun. You can get right up on the fence, and there is a giant party close by at the Snake Pit (ticket required to enter) should you want to hear some music. It was heavily EDM (electronic dance music) based the day I was there. Finally, the entire stadium is BYOB. Only glass is off limits, so feel free to bring as much alcohol you want.
Recommendations: Get an Air bnb on Saturday night. Go to the festivities the night before and enjoy the ambiance surrounding this American tradition. Infield tickets are $40, and I feel it is a good deal for a championship of this caliber. The track opens at 6am on race day and the event doesn't start until 1pm. Feel free to have a good breakfast, then head over with your food/drink to tailgate the day away. Make sure to BRING SUNSCREEN as here is no shade you will be re-applying every few hours. Once the race ends, stick around and enjoy the closing ceremonies while everyone leaves and the traffic clears. After that, go home and recover while you get your hearing back.
Vroom! Vroom!
Rating: 4/5
Location:
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
4790 W 16th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46222
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