OUR FANHOUSE TOOLBAR INTEGRATES THE LATEST SPORTS NEWS INTO YOUR WEB BROWSER AND INSTALLS IN SECONDS.
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE TOOLBAR HERE.

Nascar and Racing

Take That, NASCAR: Indy Is Back

Posted May 24, 2009 7:49PM By Terence Moore (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IRL

Text SizeAAA
Helio Castroneves
INDIANAPOLIS -- We needed this. Actually, I needed this. Otherwise, a question would continue to linger for the ages: Has the race that made the Indianapolis Motor Speedway famous sprinted past its NASCAR counterparts to regain the lead after blowing a few cylinders for more than a decade?

Yes, and Helio Castroneves had the tears to show it.

The man couldn't stop crying. In fact, soon after Castroneves completed his improbable journey during the last two months from an acquittal for income-tax evasion to a third championship at the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, he screamed between tears during his victory lap, "Thank you. Thank you, God. Thank you."

Well, thank you, Helio, along with everybody else involved in making this place magical again. There was Danica Patrick, still soaring past her five minutes of fame toward more races of torturing her peers after she rushed to finish third. There were the spectacular crashes, the ones that keep folks gasping and coming, but not the ones that send drivers to retirement and morgues. There also were the packed stands of 400,000 fans or so, which was about the number of those downtown Saturday for the city's annual Memorial Day weekend parade.

It was enough to make a local radio interviewer suggest to Indiana governor Mitch Daniels that the lost electricity is back for what they like to call around here "The Greatest Spectacle In Racing."

Daniels responded, "The electricity and the cash."

It took a while -- like more than a decade. That's because Indianapolis Motor Speedway boss Tony George blew it during the mid-1990s. His arrogance triggered a split from CART and its star drivers, and he formed the silly Indy Racing League that did three things in a hurry: It killed the mystique of the Indianapolis 500, it made NASCAR surge from its niche Southern audience to national consciousness, and it kept me from my nearly annual May trip back home.

Indianapolis 500 Photos

    INDIANAPOLIS - MAY 24: Dario Franchitti, driver of the # 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara Honda, Ryan Briscoe, driver of the # 6 Team Penske Dallara Honda, and Helio Castroneves, driver of the # 3 Team Penske Dallara Honda, greet the fans during driver introductions during the IRL Indy Car Series 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 24, 2009 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by: Rick Dole/Getty Images). *** Local Caption *** Dario Franchitt;Ryan Briscoe;Helio Castroneves

    Getty Images

    INDIANAPOLIS - MAY 24: Helio Castroneves, driver of the #3 Team Penske Dallara Honda, leads the field during the IRL Indy Car Series 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 24, 2009 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by: Rick Dole/Getty Images). (Photo by Rick Dole/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Helio Castroneves

    Getty Images

    INDIANAPOLIS - MAY 24: Helio Castroneves, driver of the #3 Team Penske Dallara Honda, takes the green flag and leads the field during the IRL Indy Car Series 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 24, 2009 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by: Rick Dole/Getty Images). *** Local Caption *** Helio Castroneves

    Getty Images

    INDIANAPOLIS - MAY 24: Helio Castroneves, driver of the # 3 Team Penske Dallara Honda, celebrates his victory during the IRL Indy Car Series 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 24, 2009 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by: Rick Dole/Getty Images). *** Local Caption *** Helio Castroneves

    Getty Images

    INDIANAPOLIS - MAY 24: The pre race grid as seen during the IRL Indy Car Series 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 24, 2009 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by: Rick Dole/Getty Images).

    Getty Images

    INDIANAPOLIS - MAY 24: Helio Castroneves, driver of the #3 Team Penske Dallara Honda, celebrates winning the Indianapolis 500 by climbing the fence on May 24, 2009 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Darrell Ingham/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Helio Castroneves

    Getty Images

    Helio Castroneves of Brazil climbs the fence after he won the 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500 auto race in Indianapolis, Indiana, May 24, 2009. REUTERS/Geoff Miller (UNITED STATES SPORT MOTOR RACING)

    Reuters

    INDIANAPOLIS - MAY 24: (R-L) Team owner Roger Penske, president of Penske Racing, Tim Cimdric, Helio Castroneves, driver of the #3 Team Penske Dallara Honda, engineer Ron Ruzewski, crew chief Rick Rinaman, celebrate in victory lane after winning the IRL IndyCar Series 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 24, 2009 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Darrell Ingham/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Helio Castroneves;Roger Penske;Tim Cimdric

    Getty Images

    INDIANAPOLIS - MAY 24: Scott Dixon (left) driver of the #9 Target Chip Ganassi Dallara Honda and his teamate Dario Franchitti come out of the pits ahead of Helio Castroneves during the IRL IndyCar Series 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 24, 2009 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Scott Dixon;Dario Franchitti

    Getty Images

    INDIANAPOLIS - MAY 24: Helio Castroneves driver of the #3 Team Penske Dallara Honda leads the field in the pits during the IRL IndyCar Series 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 24, 2009 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Helio Castroneves

    Getty Images


I was born and raised up the road in South Bend, Ind., so the zooms of Indy are eternally in my soul. Not only that, I covered around a half-dozen Indianapolis 500 races through the mid-90s, but then came the split. I had no desire to return. That changed this spring, since it became clear that George and his former CART foes were serious about their reconciliation. This is their second year back together.

Even so, during the early part of a pleasantly warm afternoon at the old Brickyard (with an emphasis on the word "old" since the place just turned a century), this wasn't the Indianapolis 500 that I remembered.

They took away the Snake Pit, where all sorts of interesting things used to happen, and some were even legal.

Where's that little creek that ran inside of Turn One?

What happened to the inside of Turn One, period?

"For one, a lot of people want to know about the shrubbery," said Dick Merritt, 66, shaking his head while standing at his Gate 1 security post by the south entrance to the pits. He pointed toward inside of Turn One, which now features electrical boxes instead of trees and bushes. Then he chuckled, adding, "I've had two different people tell me that they had the ashes of their father and of other relatives sprinkled over that shrubbery. So, yeah, they were really disappointed."

The following wasn't disappointing. It was just different, at least compared to the sights and sounds at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway before my 15-year hiatus. Consider: There were two Andrettis in Sunday's race, but neither was named Mario. You had three women instead of one, including Patrick, who makes Lyn St. James, for instance, resemble your grandma driving to church on Sunday. You still had A.J. Foyt in a car with a "1" and a "4." It's just that this was the grandson of the guy you're thinking about, and this Foyt ride was No. 41 instead of No. 14.

Bobby Rahal finished third back then. His son, Graham, finished on lap 57 Sunday after slamming into a wall early in the afternoon.

Indy 500 Parade Photos

    Mario Lopez attends the IPL 500 Festival Parade on May 23, 2009 in Indianapolis, Indiana. 93rd Running Of The Indianapolis 500 - IPL 500 Festival Parade Streets of Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN United States May 23, 2009 Photo by Michael Hickey/WireImage.com To license this image (57524030), contact WireImage.com

    Michael Hickey/WireImage.com

    Sportscaster Dick Vitale rides as the grand marshall in the Indianapolis 500 Festival Parade in Indianapolis on Saturday, May 23, 2009. The auto race which is scheduled to be run Sunday. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

    AP

    INDIANAPOLIS - MAY 23: Josh Duhamel attends the Indianapolis 500 IPL 500 Festival Parade in the Streets of Indianapolis on May 23, 2009 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joey Foley/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Josh Duhamel

    Getty Images

    INDIANAPOLIS - MAY 23: Josh Duhamel attends the Indianapolis 500 IPL 500 Festival Parade in the Streets of Indianapolis on May 23, 2009 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joey Foley/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Josh Duhamel

    Getty Images

    INDIANAPOLIS - MAY 23: Josh Duhamel attends the Indianapolis 500 IPL 500 Festival Parade in the Streets of Indianapolis on May 23, 2009 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joey Foley/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Josh Duhamel

    Getty Images

    INDIANAPOLIS - MAY 23: American auto racing driver Danica Patrick (R) and her husband Paul Hospenthal attend the Indianapolis 500 IPL 500 Festival Parade in the Streets of Indianapolis on May 23, 2009 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joey Foley/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Paul Hospenthal;Danica Patrick

    Getty Images

    INDIANAPOLIS - MAY 23: American actress Melora Hardin attends the Indianapolis 500 IPL 500 Festival Parade in the Streets of Indianapolis on May 23, 2009 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joey Foley/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Melora Hardin

    Getty Images

    INDIANAPOLIS - MAY 23: Florence Henderson attends the Indianapolis 500 IPL 500 Festival Parade in the Streets of Indianapolis on May 23, 2009 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joey Foley/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Florence Henderson

    Getty Images

    Driver Scott Dixon and his wife, Emma, ride in the Indianapolis 500 Festival Parade in Indianapolis on Saturday, May 23, 2009. Dixon, last year's winner, will start in the second row in the auto race which is scheduled to be run Sunday. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

    AP

    A race car driver balloon is moved down the street as part of the Indianapolis 500 Festival Parade in Indianapolis on Saturday, May 23, 2009. The auto race is scheduled to be run Sunday. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

    AP


That said, when those bag-pipers did their usual thing before the race by marching through Gasoline Alley, the pixie dust began to return to the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street. Then the Purdue University Band played On the Banks of the Wabash sort of God Bless America for us Indiana natives.

Speaking of God Bless America, Florence Henderson continued to sing it as well as anybody not named Kate Smith. Then Jim Nabors belted out the state's anthem of Back Home Again In Indiana better than ever. Then Mari Hulman George, the daughter of Tony Hulman, who took the track to its previous glory, sent chills through the warm air with, "Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines."

They did. Then Castroneves impressed, sobbed and climbed. He was the first driver ever to scramble up a debris fence after winning a race. This time, he kept climbing higher and higher.

The Indianapolis 500 will do the same.

That is, if George doesn't lose his mind again.

Terence Moore is a national columnist and commentator for FanHouse. He is a frequent panelist on "Rome Is Burning," an ESPN show hosted by Jim Rome, that is seen Monday through Friday at 4:30 PM ET. Moore spent more than three decades working for major newspapers, including 26 years as an award-winning sports columnist for the San Francisco Examiner and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He resides in Atlanta.

Related Articles

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)