The drivers zoom through 200 laps while attenders scream to encourage them.
“I have been going to the track since I was a very little boy. My dad worked for the track. On the local radio station in Shelbyville WSVL, he was one of the two radio guys for the 500 for them. He would do driver interviews and things like that. It was kind of cool because growing up not only did we get to go to the track, but we got to meet a lot of drivers and different people of pretty famous backgrounds,” Mr. Andrew Bass, math teacher, said.
The Indy 500 is a popular tradition for families.
“My family goes every year because my dad loves it. My whole family likes to go because there are so many exciting moments during the race. There are so many things to look at, and I always get a shirt with a driver on it. The atmosphere of the race is so exciting. When the green flag is first dropped, the roar of the crowd is like no other,” senior Jackson Frahm said.
Indiana is known for the Indy 500 for a reason. The event is full of tradition.
“My father took a bunch of his pictures to AP, showed them and got hired. He eventually became a crash photographer on Turn 4. He was fortunate enough back in 1997, and one of his photos was used by Sports Illustrated so his claim to fame is his name is in Sports Illustrated in the May 1997 issue so that was kind of cool. But because he was working the track, they got to go in really early so everybody waits for the cannon to go off at 6 a.m. the morning of the race to get in. We got to go in with him, and we would sleep in his truck or the backseat. We sit outside Turn 2, and I have been going for 40 plus years looking back on it, and now it’s passed on to my son Sam who loves it and TJ goes sometimes. Sam really likes the track and so hopefully one day, he will take his son and keep the tradition,” Mr. Bass said.
Most people do not know that GHS has connections to the Indy 500 as well.
“ I park cars on race day to help with my child’s band account. On race day, we get about $130 per person, and there are usually four of us there. I think it is super easy. The $130 per person that we earn goes into my child’s band account. We owe $550 a year so the parking lot is a no-brainer because it is money that helps my child that is not coming out of my pocket. It is really cool because we get to see all of the pre-race events like the flyover and we get to hear the cars warming up and of course the start of the race,” Mrs. Lanna Smith, math teacher, said.
The Indy 500 is so exciting for Indiana residents that high school students are convincing their families to go, too.
“I am excited just to be there and get a chance to see it in person. It’s not really something I would see myself going to every year; I just think it would be a really fun experience to have at least once. Once my mom heard more details about it, she instantly bought tickets when they went on sale. I will be attending with my parents and sister,” freshman Ella Brawley said.
Memorial Day is a special day to honor the troops who have served, and the Indy 500 is just the cherry on top for the weekend.
“On Memorial Day, they salute all the troops and then bring out former winners in the parade of celebrities. My absolute favorite event each year is to fly over. I always tell people that the first 10 laps are great because everybody’s getting going, and the last 10 are great because everyone is fighting to win, but that 180 in the middle kind of gets old. But, it is still a good time. I keep going back just for the tradition and the fun of just excitement of knowing how long I have been doing it now,” Mr. Bass said.
