Indy 500 help

I was over last Friday. No pit/garage passes for race day. Right south of the green Pagoda is Gasoline Alley entrance to pit lane. Infield party is everywhere, but inside turn 1 is the snakepit. The party for years. New roadcourse cut through it, but I'm sure they will survive. Downtown will be way cool Fri. Sat. night but packed. South of the Monument to anything around City Center. Conrad Hotel, Omni Hotel. Eat at Oceanaire, St. Elmo''s, Capital at the Conrad. Slippery Noodle is just 2 blocks south of the Omni. Never been, heard it's cool. Best strip joint would be where the pro sports guys hang, the Rio. You will need a cab and there are always a lot of spouses/girlfriends in the crowd. Never been there, just what I've been told. Ask for Cookie.

Someone from Indy can refine this.

 

If your tickets are for a grandstand on a straightaway swap them with a street ticket seller for seats in a curve: unless you are exactly across from the pits of drivers you care about it gets old to just see them go by like on a highway: trust me I have seen hundreds of races: 92 I was sat like that hummm boring only the Al Jr Scott Goodyear photo finish made it worthwile. The fencing restricts your view at an angle.

93 I sat bet turn 3 and 4 and enjoyed it 10 times more simply because I could see and therefore understand the race, the patterns, who was gaining losing etc.

Your wife will enjoy it a lot more that way too.

Also: use the raceday buses: they have special lanes of traffic blocked off: traffic getting to the track is really bad.

Watch out for some rowwdy behavior the night before the race.
The bathroom situation is a third world joke: there arent any and they arrest any man who releives himself behind a bush! I hope it has improved.
The evening before the 500 there are the sprint car races at IRP, Indianapolis Raceway park about 8 miles away: that is a lot of fun to watch, that is the monkeys in a cage version of motorsport: even Montoya said those guys are nuts!

If you find yourself downtown the day after the race (some American holiday memorial day I think) you will be certain that a neutron bomb took everybody out: after being around a gigantic crowd the day before it is very very eerie...

Hope this helps, bear in mind it is 15 year old info but the race has ben going on for so long that some patterns don't change much.

Marc

 

Best viewing is Turn 1 where you can see the front straight, the turn and the south chute. Snakepit is a shadow of its former self. It was moved from turn 4 to turn 1 many years ago and subject to strict law enforcement.

I was there for Pole Day and the motorcycle track has eliminated 90% of the new, milder Snakepit.

Best restauraunt in Indy is Mo's followed closley by Mortons. They are a block apart in downtown.

Daltons on Main St in Speedway (immediatly south of the track) is also very good and reasonably priced. Union Jack on Crawfordville Road is worthwhile to check out the memorabila as well as decent food.

There is a Silver Crown race at the Fairgrounds on 38th st Friday Night, Midgets and other classes at IRP near Brownsburg. Also a Memorabilia show Fri and Sat at the Fairgrounds.

 

I have a phone number for parking right in the neighborhood by the track, PM me for the owner's name and address a real sweet lady...

Definately walkabout the infield, if not during the race after or before, that's where the Museum is located and there are some important Ferraris in the collection as well as European racing memorabilia..

I just eat at the street vendors and camp on the ground in the backyard of this house, she probably still has my gear in the garage where I left it.....

There's just the tunnels into the infield, no additional ticket required......

 

They have rebuilt the track bathrooms and I agree the law enforcement environment frowns on misbehavior, remember that as you walk across the street from the track it's basically a residential neighborhood...

Other than that have a great time!

My tickets were on the front row at Start Finish, but the NASCAR wall messed that up I think maybe Penthouse above is the hot set up now???

The year of the three day Rain Delay I sat in a new spot everyday! LOL!
But I had a lovely Yellow Hat on my arm, by that time......THAT helped.....

 

I'd not recommend down low in Turn 4, as that's where the debris and fuel gets thrown, even thru the catch fence... as the race moves on and track gets slippery, I think there was even a Fatal one year there from a tire..

I have sat there. but not lately.....read the back of the Ticket....LOL!

 

High up in turn 3 or 4 is the best part. You can see them coming down the back stretch, then dking it out through the turns onto the front stretch.