Crusty veteran of the Indy 500

Went to my first in 1976 and was instantly hooked. Have attended nearly every year since. We sit in the very top row between Turns 3 & 4. Our seats since 1989. It’s terrific up there.

Essentials : cooler (must fit under your seat), sunscreen, cheap compact rain poncho (It hasn't rained at the race since 2007, but just in case).

Optionals : earplugs (cars aren’t as loud as they used to be, so I no longer use them), radio headphones to hear what’s going on in the race. The cars generally drown-out the PA announcer.

Recommendations : Take your own food. Get parked on race day butt-early to avoid traffic and park strategically to exit easily. Remember it’s 300K people all going to the same place, so heavy traffic is given. There are two races that day : the one on the track and the one to get the hell out of there when it’s over. We like to be among the leaders in that 2nd one.

If you have enough time to attend Carb Day on Friday, do so. And the Carb Night Classic at Lucas Oil Raceway on Friday night is fun as well, a great racing primer for the weekend.

The Indy 500 Festival Parade on Saturday is nice, but we haven't attended that in years.

There are a dozen goosebump moments at the Indy 500. It’s my favorite sporting event of the year, mostly because I don't care who wins. I’m there for the show and it's always a good one.