The Month of May

#27
#27
doozer said:
my bad. i don't what i was saying here.

finey, last year's 500 pole speed was in the 226 area compared to 186.2 by the NASCAR boys. that is the track record for NASCAR set by Casey Mears.

the difference is that the IndyCar is built to run flat out with no lift at any point. the stock car, being heavier and with less aerodynamics, requires you to roll through the turns.
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WOW I never realized what a huge open wheel fan you were. Those are interestong track speeds.
 
#28
#28
Comments below

doozer said:
certainly, Rahal's win is memorable. especially since you consider they ran it the following Saturday because of rain.

Missed it - I was there for the rain-out though :realmad:

it was also the last real shot Kevin Cogan had at changing his career. he holds on to win and there's no telling where he goes from there. instead, he becomes a back marker.

Cogan had a horrendous wreck one year hitting the wall that divides the front straight from the pit area.

also, Danny Sullivan's spin-and-win was amazing in 85.

Saw it live! Unbelievable.

as was the late race duel between Little Al and Emo in 89. the all Penske front row in 88 deserves some consideration as well.

Saw it live! Unbelievable - Unser was a great sport about it.

biggest disappointments:

5. Roberto Guererro spins and hits the wall on the parade lap. the year was 1992 and it was maybe 50 degrees on race day. there were many wrecks that day and many drivers went to the hospital. little did we know we'd see on of the most amazing finishes because...

Missed it but RG was one of my favorites - he came close many times before but that really messed with his mind.

4. Michael Andretti had led the '92 race all day. practically had the field whipped. with 15 to go his car slows on the back straight continuing the Andretti heartbreak at Indy.

Story of Michael's live at Indy.

3. Sccott Goodyear was a guy i really had a respect for. especially since he came so close to winning in 92 after coming from the 33 starting spot. with a few laps left in the 95 race while leading, he passed the pace car on a restart. i think it was pretty bunk deal he got, but he broke the rule.

I saw him do it live - we were in the short shute between 3 and 4 and he passed the PC going through Turn 4. We couldn't believe it. Villeneuve actually made up 2 laps to win.

i saw an interview once where he said he's come to grips with his Indy heartbreak. i feel for him still. i consider him the Mark Martin of IndyCar racing in the fact they're always the bride's maid and never the bride. Jaques Villeneuve got the win when they stopped scoring Goodyear after he ignored the black flag.

2. in 1996, i wasn't allowed to go the race because my dad felt that my performance in school my freshman year wasn't ideal. it was better for me to stay home and study for finals than attend the race. the only race i've missed since 1991.


Can't comment about your school performance...:p

1. Scott Brayton was killed at the track in 1996. first time i can remeber specifically a driver being killed at the track. sad part was he had won the pole a few days earlier and he and Smoke (before he became Smoke) were favorites to win the race driving for Menard using the Buick power plant. he was an amazing person (i met him) and i wish he was still around today.

Brayton was pure Indy - a guy that came up the old way and who lived for the 500. One of the last of his breed.

i'll get to memorable moments after dinner.
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#32
#32
top 5 memorable moments have actually been harder for me to come up with, simply because my number 1 is so ahead of all the others. plus, i think you remember the tragedy and heartbreak more than the joy. i know i probably do.

i feel as it may be important to tell where my seats are. we have had essentially the same spot since 1958. they moved us down the front straight a few sections toward the flag stand a few years ago when they re-did the stands. before, we used sit in the middle of a row and after the move we got isle seats. we also have the pits of all the major players right in front of us. couldn't give you the exact section off the top off my head, but it's Grandstand A.

5. Eddie Cheever wins the 500 in 97. this wasn't a particularly memorable race outside of the fact that Eddie Cheever came to the Speedway without sponsorship or with limited sponsorship (don't recall) and was also the car owner. the thing i was always take from this race was something he said in Victory Lane. in telling a story about winning the race, he had a quote from his father. he said to Cheever, "son, if you're only ever going to win one race, the Indy 500 is the one." i agree.

4. 2006 was actually a great year. i remember telling my dad in the car that Sam Hornish was going to win. in fact, i had called it early in the month. this was also the first time i actually camped in the Coke Lot for the race instead. while it wasn't the the actual large field we were in, it's close. great times.

i remember watching the race unfold and out of nowhere with just a few laps to go sat Michael Andretti in the lead on the restart. as laps wound down, Michael lost his tires and the fight to the Yard of Bricks came down to Sam and Marco Andretti, Michael's son. on the last lap, Sam looked like he had him in the south end of the track but scrubbed off speed instead. i remember as i watched him fall back how disappointed i was. as we look for the leaders out of the turn 4 i see Sammy shoot to inside of Marco and beat him by the blink of eye. i'm a huge Hornish fan so i assume i probably made a fool of myself in celebration.

3. as i was saying before, 1992 will always be a memorable year. first, the crash of Roberto Guerrero on the parade lap. followed by the accidents from the likes of Rick Mears, Emo, Mario, Jeff Andretti, and many more. it was so cold that day that everybody had trouble getting tires up to temp and drivers were really getting beat up in accidents. somebody said, i forget who, that going to the hospital after the race was like visiting a hall of fame. i suppose the ultimate omen to the whole month was Nelson Piquet butchering his legs in a horrible practice wreck.

anyway, with the dominant Michael out of the race with 15 laps to go, it set up an amazing finish. maybe it's because it became a commercial played 43739869328756289 times, but i can still hear Bob Jenkins calling the finish: "Little Al by just a few hundredths of a second!!". i remember a teary-eye Al Jr saying in the interview something to the effect of "you just don' know what this means to my family. to me." yeah Al, i do.

this was also the last 500 raced in by Rick Mears. following major crashes in back-to-back years, including one that put him on his head, he retired. i always respected him for getting out at the top of his game before the game caught him.

2. 1994 was memorable for several reasons. first, it was the begging of the end of a unified open wheel series. in true Captain fashion, Roger Penske took advantage of an archaic rule in the book and absolutely slaughtered the field. basically, he brought a Mercedes push rod engine to the Speedway that year and was given 15 extra pounds of boost. even more impressive, the engine was only used one time and he kept the whole project so well hidden that by the time he unveiled it, nobody stood a chance. of course when you own your own tracks like Penske does, you can test whenever you want. i remember reading a story where Paul Tracy, a Penske test driver at the time, said the team was testing the engine at Nazareth in November, with snow on the ground.

Emo had the whole field lapped and was cruising to a victory until he hit the wall. Little Al picked up the lead a drove it home for the Victory.

1. 2002 was the first year i was able to take beer into the track without having to try and drink it covertly away from the family during the race. couldn't tell you who won.

just kidding.

1991 was the first year i ever got to go to the 500. i can still see in my head Michael Andretti passing my racing hero Rick Mears around the outside in turn 1 on a restart with about 15 to go. as my heart sank, i was sure Michael was on his way to the win when the very next lap, Rick pulls the exact same move and goes on to win his 4th and final Indy 500. i'll never forget nagging my uncle for the interval every time they came by as the race wound down.

Rick didn't have a particularly dominant race car that day, but in true Rick Mears fashion, he took care of his car over the 500 miles and won it in the end. even better, his pit lane was right in front of us and i still have the pictures (somewhere) i took of the team celebrating.

my first, his fourth. it doesn't get any better than that.
 
#34
#34
doozer said:
how is that? did you know him or his wife?
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His wife is my best friend from college. I did however, get to know Dan fairly well as I was the best friend so he wanted to make a good impression on me and I on him b/c we had Susie between us. I had never seen him race until a week or so ago and when I made that little announcement the entire wedding party dropped their jaws, including Dan. But I honestly just wanted to meet him like I would meet any of Susie's (his wife) boyfriends so I thought he made like $2 or 300,000 a yr maybe... I had no idea, holy crap. So that's my long story. I hope they can make a game this year and hoepfully make to a meet and greet! As Susie (who is Canadian) gets around me, has a few drinks, adopts a southern accent and a passion for the Vols, it's pretty funny!
 
#35
#35
doozer thanks for sharing your memories, I would have a hard time coming up with a better list. Very well stated. Your passion for Indy is very strong.
 
#36
#36
Volnissniss said:
His wife is my best friend from college. I did however, get to know Dan fairly well as I was the best friend so he wanted to make a good impression on me. I had never seen him race until a week or so ago and when I made that little announcement the entire wedding party dropped their jaws, including Dan. But I honestly just wanted to meet him like I would meet any of Susie's (his wife) boyfriends so I thought he made like $2 or 300,000 a yr maybe... I had no idea, holy crap. So that's my long story. I hope they can make a game this year and hoepfully make to a meet and greet! As Susie (who is Canadian) gets around me, has a few drinks, adopts a southern accent and a passion for the Vols, it's pretty funny!
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that's awesome! if they do make it, i'd like to meet him. i'm not a fan of on the track Weldon, but can't speak to his off the track personality. i'd like to find out.

he can probably walk around Knoxville and not have anybody know who he is.
 
#37
#37
doozer said:
that's awesome! if they do make it, i'd like to meet him. i'm not a fan of on the track Weldon, but can't speak to his off the track personality. i'd like to find out.

he can probably walk around Knoxville and not have anybody know who he is.
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So true. I honestly had no idea who he was either, but he really is a sweet guy and very popular with Indy folks. And this is from the very very little time I had with him. So I guess I would say I know him a little but we did talk a lot and he was nothing but a gentleman. But I do know Susie through and through and I know she picked a good one.

I will start talking to her about it next time we talk.
 
#39
#39
Even though I've only been to Indy twice, I have watched every one that has been televised since the days it was only on closed circuit TV, and I saw two of those at the Bijou Theatre in Knoxville. My favorite races are:

1. 1986 - Already explained circumstances behind Bobby Rahal winning being personally meaningful

2. 1972 - First 500 I attended won by Mark Donahue, one of the most talented drivers ever. Roger Penske's first win.

3. 1992 - First win for Al Unser, Jr., his comments in victory circle as listed by doozer will be quoted as long as Indy lasts.

4. 1989 - The late race duel between Emmerson Fittapaldi and Al Jr. was one of, if not the most intensive side by side battles ever in open wheel. After Al Jr. was punted into the wall violently by Emmo, he stood by the track and gave Emmo a double thumbs up.

5. 1987 - Al Unser, Sr. was a late entry by Penske driving a hastily converted show car that qualified well back. He steadily moved up, and after both his teamates, Mears and Sullivan fell out, came from a lap down to win his fourth Indy 500.
 
#41
#41
Broyles, excellent races as well. The 87 Al Sr. car was in a downtown Indy hotel. I forget the events that led up to Al Sr. getting that ride. Al Jr. and Emo are probably two of the classiest drivers. I was sad to hear Al Jr. has to fight those demons. He seems to be doing well though.
 
#42
#42
One more note from the 91 race. Mears was the pole sitter on a front row made up of him, Mario, and AJ in that order. Pretty good company there.
 
#43
#43
doozer said:
Broyles, excellent races as well. The 87 Al Sr. car was in a downtown Indy hotel. I forget the events that led up to Al Sr. getting that ride. Al Jr. and Emo are probably two of the classiest drivers. I was sad to hear Al Jr. has to fight those demons. He seems to be doing well though.
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Best I remember Al Sr. was there looking for a ride. It had been about 5 or 6 years since his last win. I think The Captain out of respect and friendship decided to enter a third car, and yes it was on display somewhere, not sure if a hotel or not. It was the previous year car, and was qualified the 2nd weekend. Believe it or not I read somewhere that Al Jr. is looking for a ride this year. Very sad story. I met both of them at Mid-Ohio plus Bobby, but Bobby is a jerk.
 
#44
#44
Dooz, way to steal that VBS series I sent you. Jerk! :shaking2:

Al Sr. car was on display in the downtown Indy Marriott when Penske pulled it out & dusted it off.

'92 was my 1st race and I started going with my grandparents. Only Indy I've missed since then was 1997.

It's always interesting to hear what the drivers/teams are really like away from the cameras. I haven't heard anything about Dan, but I know the entire Andretti Green Team hates each other. That was a reason Dario jumped from there last year and Chip decided he should try NASCAR instead. A friend of mine used to be a massage therapist & worked on a few of the guys. We were laughing about how Scheckter was texting her during the rain delay last year.

I'm just so happy it May again!
 
#47
#47
rbroyles said:
1989 - The late race duel between Emmerson Fittapaldi and Al Jr. was one of, if not the most intensive side by side battles ever in open wheel. After Al Jr. was punted into the wall violently by Emmo, he stood by the track and gave Emmo a double thumbs up.
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I was in the infield that year and his car came to rest very close to us. He kinda shrugged off the safety crew to step out where Emo could see him. We weren't sure if he was going to throw something at him or what but his 2 thumbs up was pure class and showed the respect he has for racing.

Speaking of Emo, my least favorite Indy moment was when he pushed aside the milk for orange juice since he was in the OJ business. Bad form from Emo and I seemed to recall him saying he regretted doing that.
 
#48
#48
Volnissniss said:
His wife is my best friend from college. I did however, get to know Dan fairly well as I was the best friend so he wanted to make a good impression on me and I on him b/c we had Susie between us. I had never seen him race until a week or so ago and when I made that little announcement the entire wedding party dropped their jaws, including Dan. But I honestly just wanted to meet him like I would meet any of Susie's (his wife) boyfriends so I thought he made like $2 or 300,000 a yr maybe... I had no idea, holy crap. So that's my long story. I hope they can make a game this year and hoepfully make to a meet and greet! As Susie (who is Canadian) gets around me, has a few drinks, adopts a southern accent and a passion for the Vols, it's pretty funny!
Click to expand...


Good story. Did Dan have his new teeth for the wedding? They look a little big to me :p
 
#49
#49
volinbham said:
I was in the infield that year and his car came to rest very close to us. He kinda shrugged off the safety crew to step out where Emo could see him. We weren't sure if he was going to throw something at him or what but his 2 thumbs up was pure class and showed the respect he has for racing.

Speaking of Emo, my least favorite Indy moment was when he pushed aside the milk for orange juice since he was in the OJ business. Bad form from Emo and I seemed to recall him saying he regretted doing that.
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I remember him saying something to the affect he had made a mistake. There was a fair amount of criticizm for drinking the o.j.
 
#50
#50
volinbham said:
Good story. Did Dan have his new teeth for the wedding? They look a little big to me :p
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Ya, he had his teeth for the wedding. I saw a pic of him and they did look a bit big and actually at the reception is manager was giving a toast and he gave Susie cute little bride toothbrush and then he pulls out this enormous toothbrush for Dan, it was hilarious! I can't believe you know about his teeth, Hahahaha! In real life they look great, you wouldn't be able to tell if you didn't know.
 
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