I sat in about the exact sams spot on my only trip to the 500, in 2013 when Kanaan won. Fantastic view!
If they're going to do "side-by-side" (a good idea) for some commercial breaks, they should do it for ALL commercial breaks! (Except for yellow or red-flag situations)
Excellent idea. Hey, that Chevy Cruze is now part of racing history, look for a Reserve Not Met on BAT with a high bid of $187,000
Happy to see Newgarden win, albeit under somewhat...ummm... unusual circumstances... but whatever... Indycars dodged an enormous, 16", nuclear bullet when that ballistic 35 pound wheel and tire (plus extras) doing 100mph, jumped the fence and missed that packed grandstand by 15' or so... Wowz...
Given the carnage of all the shunts and the miracle of that separated wheel not entering the stands ( I was winching thinking of Mercedes @ Le Mans in 1955) might there be an entire review of the race? BTW I was watching it with my wife when that woman driver did the worse pit out ever and I said oh look ... proof positive women shouldn't be allowed to drive. My only thought on the Monaco race are that there are too many entrants with cars that are just too big for that track. The pit crew skills are far superior to those of Indy.
I'm curious what your seat number was. I found my (framed) ticket from 2013, and I was in E Penthouse, Box 17, Row C, Seat 8. Here are a few of the photos that I took. In the last photo, Tony Kanaan has made the move that would win him the race. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
One more of my photos from back in 2013. The soon-to-be victorious Tony Kanaan negotiating turn 1. At those speeds, it's hard to get the car centered in the frame! Image Unavailable, Please Login
I've been to Indianapolis more than a dozen times and I can tell you without a doubt, the most challenging traffic and parking situation was when Fernando Alonso was in the field. Hands down. My Waze destination is always Earls Indy Service Shop on Gasoline Alley. From the back roads on Holt Road, I can maneuver to easy parking in the tailgating fields next to Eagle Creek somewhere. Yesterday, I was convinced Waze was "off" and didn't figure out the road closings. Nope. From the outer belt, I was parked in 12 minutes. When Alonso was there, 50+ minutes in standstill traffic on Rockville Avenue alone. Yesterday was a breeze.
F1 has the pit stops to nearly an astronomical science, but there are still problems with that many people involved. The F1 pits are also larger, better organized, with more space and garages for the teams right on pit lane. Indy 500 pits are basically a 1960's SCCA pit box next to a wall, with refueling.
Same general area, hence a very similar view. I think the best place to watch the race. And I actually bought the ticket from a fellow FChatter who couldn't use the ticket!
When I went in 2013, I parked at the airport and took a shuttle bus, and it worked out well. My car was in a covered parking deck and getting in and out at the speedway was fairly quick.
They use the term "Penthouse" rather loosely here since you basically climb an exposed fire escape two stories and walk across a corrugated roof to sit in a school chair mounted to a bleacher.
IndyCar says the tether didn’t fail, yet in the pic you can see the hub (which the tether is attached to) is still on the wheel…so apparently the anchor point on the chassis sheared off. https://www.wrtv.com/sports/indianapolis-500/indycar-says-tether-did-not-fail-in-crash-that-sent-tire-flying-over-grandstands-at-indy-500?_amp=true Image Unavailable, Please Login
tether system was upgraded for this year: https://racer.com/2022/12/21/indycar-set-to-introduce-stronger-rear-wheel-tethers/ Image Unavailable, Please Login in this pic you can see the tethers holding the front wheel on the tub, rear wheel gone Image Unavailable, Please Login
Next year, I may have some guests coming from Europe to watch the 500, need to brief them on Indiana luxury boxes vs. F1 paddock club luxury. If I remember from the replay, wasn’t it tire to tire contact? The trailing car basically put that tire into reverse at 200mph and then “slingshot mode engaged.”
