FUMES

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May232011

Monday, May 23, 2011 at 06:57PM

May 25, 2011

There's simply nothing else like it.

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

Detroit. Dawn on race day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway comes eerily quiet, with the humid, almost chewable Indiana air hanging over everything like a silent cloak. But with the first searing glint from the sun, and once the gate-opening 6:00 a.m. aerial bomb is exploded, the world's greatest shrine to speed comes alive. As the crowd streams in and the traffic builds at the corner of 16th and Georgetown, the thrum of anticipation is palpable, because one of the greatest sporting events on earth is about to unfold.

And juxtaposed against the anticipation of the race is the nuanced cadence of the other events leading up to the race itself, an orchestrated ballet of tradition and patriotism as everyone in attendance is reminded why it's called the Memorial Day Classic. First comes "America the Beautiful" then "God Bless America" followed by the National Anthem, the traditional military flyover, the invocation, a rifle volley, all culminating in an absolutely heart-wrenching rendition of "Taps" as the pre-race festivities reach their climax. And believe me, when those haunting notes of "Taps" echo throughout The Speedway, the teeming throng of 300,000 plus goes instantly silent, and the only other sounds you hear are the sadness and the collective thanks being given.

By the time Jim Nabors finishes singing "Back Home in Indiana," the thousands of balloons are released, and Mari Hulman George gives the call for "Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines" - with those 33 racing engines firing-up - the tension and unbridled anticipation are excruciating.

For those who have been to see the race in person you know exactly what I'm talking about. I always say to people who have never been that they should go because "it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience." But then again that's not really true, because once someone goes and witnesses the Indy 500 personally they always want to go back again, because it's mesmerizing and it's pure magic. And there's nothing else like it in all of sport.

That the Indianapolis 500 has survived for 100 years through the turmoil and tumult of World Wars, the warring political strife between open-wheel factions that almost brought the sport to its knees, and the harsh economic realities of the global economy that's dominating the world today is a minor miracle. But I'm glad it has. Because the anticipation, the drama, the gut-wrenching emotions and the collective experience of the Indianapolis 500 make it not just the greatest single motor race in the world, but one of the greatest single sporting events in the world as well.

There's simply nothing else like it.

(Jim Haines/IndyCar)
The front row of the 2011 Indianapolis 500 with pole-sitter Alex Tagliani (far right, 227.472 mph), Scott Dixon (227.340 mph) and Oriol Servia (far left, 227.168 mph). The full list of starters is below.

1. (77) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 02:38.2613 (227.472)
2. (9) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 02:38.3528 (227.340)
3. (2) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Honda, 02:38.4727 (227.168)
4. (99) Townsend Bell, Dallara-Honda, 02:38.6696 (226.887)
5. (12) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 02:38.7493 (226.773)
6. (98) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 02:38.9477 (226.171)
7. (44) Buddy Rice, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.4431 (225.786)
8. (67) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.9137 (225.121)
9. (10) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.0253 (226.379)
10. (5) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.4785 (225.736)
11. (14) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.5814 (225.590)
12. (4) JR Hildebrand, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.5895 (225.579)
13. (06) James Hinchcliffe, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.5942 (225.572)
14. (30) Bertrand Baguette, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.7973 (225.285)
15. (11) Davey Hamilton, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.8223 (225.250)
16. (3) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 02:39.8464 (225.216)
17. (43) John Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 02:40.0133 (224.981)
18. (59) EJ Viso, Dallara-Honda, 02:40.1907 (224.732)
19. (41) Bruno Junqueira, Dallara-Honda, 02:40.2203 (224.691)
20. (22) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 02:40.3488 (224.511)
21. (88) Jay Howard, Dallara-Honda, 02:40.3685 (224.483)
22. (07) Tomas Scheckter, Dallara-Honda, 02:40.4040 (224.433)
23. (82) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 02:40.4156 (224.417)
24. (78T) Simona de Silvestro, Dallara-Honda, 02:40.4335 (224.392)
25. (23) Paul Tracy, Dallara-Honda, 02:40.0433 (224.939)
26. (7) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 02:40.0987 (224.861)
27. (6T) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 02:40.2572 (224.639)
28. (26) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 02:40.2648 (224.628)
29. (83) Charlie Kimball, Dallara-Honda, 02:40.3574 (224.499)
30. (38) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 02:40.4424 (224.380)
31. (19) Alex Lloyd, Dallara-Honda, 02:40.7451 (223.957)
32. (36) Pippa Mann, Dallara-Honda, 02:40.7600 (223.936)
33. (24) Ana Beatriz, Dallara-Honda, 02:40.8012 (223.879)

Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD

(Courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives)
Indianapolis, Indiana, 1965. The great Jim Clark confers with Colin Chapman and a Goodyear tire engineer during practice for that year's Indy 500. Clark would go on to dominate the race in his Lotus-Ford for his first and only win in the Memorial Day Classic.

Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD

See another live episode of "Autoline After Hours" with hosts John McElroy, from Autoline Detroit, and Peter De Lorenzo, The Autoextremist, and guests this Thursday evening, at 7:00PM EDT at www.autolinedetroit.tv.