| LIVE UPDATES Sunday, May 25 - RACE DAY |
NOTES: Updates are listed with most recent post at the top. If you have any specific questions that I can
answer regarding activities at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, please e-mail them to me HERE and I'll do
my best to post a response below.
Sunday, May 25 INDY 500 RACE DAY PHOTOS
UPDATES:
9:30 am
Just took a quick walk through the garages. It's still pretty quiet. Teams are just waiting around until they can
wheel their qualified cars out to the pits (10:30 am), then the grid. Many are getting their liquids (on a hot day like
today, being hydrated - for both teams and drivers - may mean the difference between winning...and not), eating
a quick breakfast, or chatting with family and friends before their hectic day begins. Soon they'll get into their
firesuits and "race mode," where they'll be totally focused on their upcoming tasks.
The only driver I saw was Ed Carpenter, who was about ready to do an interview. I've done PR for many drivers
in the Indy 500, and they all handle race morning a bit differently. Some are easygoing and are up early just
hanging around their garage. Some are a bit more intense, even that early, and don't want to be bothered at all
for anything. Most will allow a period of time (about 2 hours) to fit in any media obligations - and there are quite a
few with every worldwide media outlet in attendance. After that, they need to start to focus on the race. After a
month of heavy scheduling, obligations to media, sponsors, fans, family, team, etc., I always let them deal with this
day the way that will allow them to do their job the best.
Early morning of race day is filled with a lot of neat sounds, one being the Spectacle of (Marching) Bands, as they
circle the massive 2.5-mile oval, culminating at 11:15 am with "On The Banks of the Wabash," performed by the
legendary Purdue University All American Marching Band - yes, the one with the big drum.
In anticipation of the upcoming debut of the MotoGP motorcycle race here at IMS in September, there will be a
demonstration lap by 2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden that will surely be exciting for the fans.
Fans are already lined up for the red carpet walk of the "celebrities" in attendance in the Pagoda Plaza,
scheduled for 10:00 am, hosted by "Extra!" I use the word "celebrity" loosely because there are few real ones
included on the list I posted yesterday. It's always been frustrating to me that events like the Kentucky Derby,
Daytona 500 or even the Long Beach Grand Prix can attract A-listers, but the world's biggest single-day sporting
event can't. There will be a few big names here, but for some reason, I don't count Ruth Buzzi as one of them.
7:00 am
Welcome to RACE DAY at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway!!! Finally!
Arrived at the track at around 5:15 am in order to beat the public traffic that they let in when the bomb goes off at
6:00 am, but there was a HUGE line of traffic already getting in, and it wasn't all team personnel, either. Not sure
what happened, but nevertheless, I got in and was safely in a parking spot when 6:00 arrived. At that time of the
morning, it's magical here at IMS, as the sun is just starting to come up and the Pagoda is all lit up and there's
genuine excitement in the air everywhere you go.
The weather could not be more perfect for an Indy 500. It's sunny, and expected to be in the mid-70s by race
time - NO chance of rain!
Although the whole month of May revolves around this day and leads up to this race, the race is the star today,
and if you're reading this, you'll probably be watching the race on ABC this afternoon. For me, and for many
people, today is also a day of impressions, smells, sights, sounds, and above all, emotions. Because that
describes me perfectly, I will be concentrating mostly on capturing the day in pictures - not so much notes (plus,
with everything going on pre-race, then the grid, then the start of the race, there's little time to run back to my
computer to tell you what you probably already know).
answer regarding activities at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, please e-mail them to me HERE and I'll do
my best to post a response below.
Sunday, May 25 INDY 500 RACE DAY PHOTOS
UPDATES:
9:30 am
Just took a quick walk through the garages. It's still pretty quiet. Teams are just waiting around until they can
wheel their qualified cars out to the pits (10:30 am), then the grid. Many are getting their liquids (on a hot day like
today, being hydrated - for both teams and drivers - may mean the difference between winning...and not), eating
a quick breakfast, or chatting with family and friends before their hectic day begins. Soon they'll get into their
firesuits and "race mode," where they'll be totally focused on their upcoming tasks.
The only driver I saw was Ed Carpenter, who was about ready to do an interview. I've done PR for many drivers
in the Indy 500, and they all handle race morning a bit differently. Some are easygoing and are up early just
hanging around their garage. Some are a bit more intense, even that early, and don't want to be bothered at all
for anything. Most will allow a period of time (about 2 hours) to fit in any media obligations - and there are quite a
few with every worldwide media outlet in attendance. After that, they need to start to focus on the race. After a
month of heavy scheduling, obligations to media, sponsors, fans, family, team, etc., I always let them deal with this
day the way that will allow them to do their job the best.
Early morning of race day is filled with a lot of neat sounds, one being the Spectacle of (Marching) Bands, as they
circle the massive 2.5-mile oval, culminating at 11:15 am with "On The Banks of the Wabash," performed by the
legendary Purdue University All American Marching Band - yes, the one with the big drum.
In anticipation of the upcoming debut of the MotoGP motorcycle race here at IMS in September, there will be a
demonstration lap by 2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden that will surely be exciting for the fans.
Fans are already lined up for the red carpet walk of the "celebrities" in attendance in the Pagoda Plaza,
scheduled for 10:00 am, hosted by "Extra!" I use the word "celebrity" loosely because there are few real ones
included on the list I posted yesterday. It's always been frustrating to me that events like the Kentucky Derby,
Daytona 500 or even the Long Beach Grand Prix can attract A-listers, but the world's biggest single-day sporting
event can't. There will be a few big names here, but for some reason, I don't count Ruth Buzzi as one of them.
7:00 am
Welcome to RACE DAY at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway!!! Finally!
Arrived at the track at around 5:15 am in order to beat the public traffic that they let in when the bomb goes off at
6:00 am, but there was a HUGE line of traffic already getting in, and it wasn't all team personnel, either. Not sure
what happened, but nevertheless, I got in and was safely in a parking spot when 6:00 arrived. At that time of the
morning, it's magical here at IMS, as the sun is just starting to come up and the Pagoda is all lit up and there's
genuine excitement in the air everywhere you go.
The weather could not be more perfect for an Indy 500. It's sunny, and expected to be in the mid-70s by race
time - NO chance of rain!
Although the whole month of May revolves around this day and leads up to this race, the race is the star today,
and if you're reading this, you'll probably be watching the race on ABC this afternoon. For me, and for many
people, today is also a day of impressions, smells, sights, sounds, and above all, emotions. Because that
describes me perfectly, I will be concentrating mostly on capturing the day in pictures - not so much notes (plus,
with everything going on pre-race, then the grid, then the start of the race, there's little time to run back to my
computer to tell you what you probably already know).
