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The Greatest Race In History - The Indy 500

The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, or the Indy 500 as it is most popularly known, is billed as “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”. It is one of the oldest automobile races in history and takes place over the Memorial Day weekend ever year. As well as attracting over 250,000 spectators annually to the event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana, many millions more watch the race on TV, with flag-to-flag coverage of the race being shown live throughout the US on ABC Sports, as well as being broadcast on radio. May 2007 marked the ninety-first running of the richest of motor sport races, which is run over 200 laps and 500 miles.

Because of the longevity of the race, it has acquired a set of unique and sometimes bizarre traditions, the most famous and instantly recognizable being the call to start the engines with the immortal words: “Gentlemen, start your engines”. Of course, 91 years ago, women didn’t compete in the race, but now they most certainly do and if a female driver is participating the announcement is modified to: “Lady and Gentlemen…”, or if more than one female participant: “Ladies and gentlemen…”. Other traditions include the appearance of the Purdue University All-American Marching Band playing pre-race songs that include “Stars and Stripes forever”, and the setting off of explosives to signal the opening of the spectator gates, usually at 6.00 a.m. in the morning!

The Indy 500 traditionally begins on a rolling start with eleven rows of three cars accounting for the 33 qualifiers. Once started the race becomes a battle of speed, wits and endurance as the cars compete over 500 gruelling miles. A popular after-race tradition occurs when the winner drinks a bottle of milk immediately after the race, a custom that started inadvertently in 1936 after that year’s winner Victor Louis Meyer asked for buttermilk! In the modern era, the American Dairy Association offers a $10,000 sponsorship to the winning driver providing the milk is drunk in the victory lane!

Moreover, the Indy 500 is not called the richest motor sport race for nothing, as winning the race makes the driver an instant millionaire. The prize draw amounts to $10million divided amongst the 33 drivers, with no qualifying driver earning less than $140,000. For the winner, there is prize money in the region of $1.3million, as well all the numerous sponsorships and endorsements that the Indy 500 champ inevitably attracts. Spectators pay between $40 and $150 for a ticket - not a bad price to see the World’s greatest race!

However, if you are planning on travelling to watch the race, getting a hotel in Indianapolis on Memorial Day race weekend can be quite a challenge! Be prepared to book some time in advance - maybe even more than a year! But the effort will be worth it - the Indy 500 will be an experience that spectators will never forget!

Article Source: http://www.a1-articledirectory.com

Elisha Burberry is a freelance online journalist.

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