Joe Wagle held a Jack and Coke — “I already had a couple of beers” — close to his bare chest on Friday, just another shirtless fan sporting US-flag overalls getting ready for the return of the party at the Indianapolis 500.
Wagle is from Terre Haute, an hour’s drive west of Indianapolis, and said he has been to more than 10 Indy 500s.
Like so many others, he came to the race as a kid with his dad and has since camped out in the sprawling infield of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) and partied in the rowdy Snake Pit for the race.
Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY
“It’s hundreds of thousands of people getting together to celebrate freedom and to have a great time,” he said. “The race is awesome. It’s just good old Midwestern fun.”
The traditional trappings of Carb Day — a sentimental part of Indianapolis 500 lore — were absent because of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
Concerts were canceled. Autograph sessions were scrapped. Indy slammed the brakes on the pit crew competition. The Snake Pit remains in hibernation.
Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY
Few fans cared.
They are back at “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
Banned from the speedway last year, race fans have packed their ice boxes and rolled into Indy ready to cut loose.
Photo: AP
Speedway had crowds for qualifying last weekend that rivaled the ones last seen in 2016 for the 100th running of the race, and when the Indy 500 drops the green flag with a reduced-capacity sellout crowd of 135,000 today, it will be the biggest sports event in the world since the pandemic hit 18 months ago.
Everyone asked said that they felt safe at the track and the usual precautions were in place all over IMS.
IndyCar had a sign asking for proof of vaccination before anyone entered the garage or pits.
Through vaccinations — including more than 90,000 done at the speedway itself — speedway and IndyCar owner Roger Penske got the clearance for IMS to allow 40 percent attendance.
Masks on fans went the way of the carburetors — there has not been a carburetor on an Indy car since 1963 — although a three-pack of IMS covers sold for US$25 at the merchandise store.
Also for sale, a US$28 hat with the slogan “Where tradition never stops.”
Not quite.
Spectators were not permitted in August last year for the delayed 500 because of the pandemic, so all the booze and whistles were stripped from the event, and many fans instead threw parties at home.
“Last year was the worst year ever,” 1969 Indy 500 winner Mario Andretti said. “It was eerie on race morning. Cars were on the grid, not a soul anywhere. I had an interview on the sixth floor and I’m looking down thinking: ‘Oh my goodness, it can’t get any wore than that.’”
IMS ambassadors walked around holding tennis-racket sized signs imploring fans to “wear face covering.”
The signs were largely ignored.
Fans appeared more at ease than those who tried to party at the Daytona 500 in February, or even the more reserved celebrations at the Kentucky Derby.
Some came in costume.
Steve Willard of Boulder, Colorado — who is attending his 26th Indy 500 — and his friend Kevin Messick dressed in their Shake ’n Bake firesuits because they lost a bet on a Denver Broncos-Indianapolis Colts game.
“Go large or go home,” Willard said.
He would leave the costume at home today when he watches the race from the paddock penthouse, Willard said.
Joe Schnieders and his friend Jenny Shorter served as architects for a beer-can umbrella and tinkered on the correct construct well into Friday afternoon.
“We missed the opportunity to make it drinkable,” Schnieders said.
“It’s the first time I used anything practical with beer cans,” he said.
SSC Napoli’s Italian Serie A title hopes suffered a late setback on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Genoa, setting up a thrilling season finale with closest rivals Inter just one point behind. The hosts remain top with 78 points, holding a slim lead over Inter, who won 2-0 at Torino earlier on Sunday, with two rounds remaining. To make matters worse for Napoli, midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, struggling with an ankle injury, was forced off just minutes after the match began. Scott McTominay delivered a perfect pass into the box where Romelu Lukaku got
Harry Kane opened the scoring ahead of lifting his first career silverware as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-0, with veteran Thomas Mueller playing his last home game for the club. Bayern officially won the title on May 4 when defending champions Bayer Leverkusen were held to a 2-2 draw at Freiburg, but were presented with the Bundesliga shield in front of their home fans at full-time. Dripping wet after being showered with beer by teammates, Kane said the title win was “an incredible feeling,” and hoped it would be “the first of many.” “It’s been lot of hard work, a lot of
A stunning Lamine Yamal strike on Thursday helped crown Barcelona La Liga champions with a 2-0 win over local rivals RCD Espanyol, with victory ensuring Real Madrid cannot catch them at the top of the table. Yamal’s effort and Fermin Lopez’s goal took Hansi Flick’s side seven points clear of Los Blancos with two matches remaining, to clinch Barcelona’s 28th title and complete a superb domestic treble. Only the UEFA Champions League title escaped an exciting young Barca side this season, as they won the league for the second time in six years, at Espanyol’s ground again just as in 2022-2023. Back then,
Jannik Sinner on Thursday marched into the semi-finals of the Italian Open after destroying Casper Ruud in straight sets 6-0, 6-1, while Coco Gauff won a marathon three-set battle with China’s Zheng Qinwen to advance to the women’s singles final. American Gauff is to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in today’s title match after pulling through 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a match that lasted over three-and-a-half hours. Ruud was supposed to be Sinner’s toughest test in Rome since he came back from his three-month doping ban, as the Norwegian came into the match in hot form on clay after winning in
RSS