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The majestetic, the magical, the phenomenal race is here once again! It's the month of May, the month of Indianapolis 500!


Please treat yourself by listening the famous Delta Force theme while you go through the introduction with the lead of Paul Page for the greatest spectacle in auto racing!


Every year petrol heads around the world gather together and in front of their screens to see the biggest single day sporting event of the planet. Since 1911 this event has grown to be the one to see, no matter what's your most beloved form of racing. The glorified race has always offered people more than a fair share of sensations and drama. This track has been the place where every great racing driver of every generation wants to triumph. It is part of the triple crown of motorsports, the unofficial trio which is winning the Monaco Grand Prix, Le Mans 24 Hours and The Indianapolis 500. So far only the late Graham Hill has achieved this crown but Juan Pablo Montoya, the Indy winner of 2000 and 2015 might made it on the list this year already.

Last year Fernando Alonso skipped the Monaco Grand Prix as he decided to go for the crown. Retiring from his first Indianapolis 500 was as painstaking as it gets when his Honda power unit failed on him, something Alonso and McLaren had gone through too many times in Formula One for the past seasons. Make no mistake, 2017 edition of Indianapolis 500 with a record breaking crowd and speeds was only the overture for what's coming. Alonso will return to the speedway sooner or later as will the McLaren in Papaya Orange scheme.

For 2018 it's yet again a brand new game with the introduction of the new unified aero kits. All manufacturers this season will have sleek, mean, racing machines which has already demonstrated spectacular racing for the regular IndyCar Series season. And the firsts tests at the hallowed racing grounds have been promising. Cars are as fast as they are good looking. It is going to be yet another incredible event this year, which also marks change of an era as much as the last years race did. This years race is the last one for the great lady racer Danica Patrick in her career. Her final breakthrough in open wheel racing happened right here at the Indianapolis in 2005, when she finished 4th. In 2008 she finished 3rd, the best performance by any woman in the race history. Now ten years later, can Danica pull out a miracle in her green number 13 machine in her very final effort?

Another interesting name to follow is Helio Castroneves, who will run only this event of the IndyCar Series this year. Can the Amazing Spiderman finally take his fourth victory here at Indianapolis and join the legendary group of A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr. and Rick Mears? Will this be his final race here at the speedway? Last year Helio was the first runner up after Takuma Sato, who pulled a daring manouver to take the lead and the checkered flag, becoming the first ever Japanese winner of the race. It would not be a surprise to see the great Brazilian in the lead when the last final stint is on. But as the history has showed to us, there's only a handful of multiple winners. Will we see a new winner this year or a familiar face sipping the milk after the race and have a new sterling silver face on the Borg-Warner trophy? Who will cross the yard of bricks first after 800 left turns?

This year was marked to be the return of the names Andretti, Rahal and Fittipaldi racing against each others once again. Unfortunately Pietro Fittipaldi, the son of Emerson, the two time winner, was badly injured in World Endurance Series event at 6 Hours of Spa qualifying, when he suffered a mechanical failure in the famous Eau Rouge corner. Fittipaldi will be sidelined this year, the clash of the three clans will wait for another year.

The drama is already on and this year's edition is not going to be "just a drive by" train, these DW12 rocket ships will once again deliver spectacular racing.

A.J. Foyt once said, "There just isn't anything in the world like the Indianapolis 500." and boy was he right. Ladies and gentlemen, racing fans around the world, welcome for the hundred and second Indianapolis 500!

Jim Cornelison and 'Back Home Again in Indiana'


2018 Official Pace Car.


The Schedule:


Highlights and History:

101st Indianapolis 500


100th Indianapolis 500


99th Indianapolis 500


98th Indianapolis 500


97th Indianapolis 500


Youtube list of the Delta Force Intros







Entries:

1   Josef Newgarden           Team Penske   Chevrolet
3   Hélio Castroneves  (W)    Team Penske   Chevrolet
4   Matheus Leist  (R)         A. J. Foyt Enterprises   Chevrolet
5   James Hinchcliffe          Schmidt Peterson Motorsports   Honda
6   Robert Wickens  (R)       Schmidt Peterson Motorsports   Honda
7   Jay Howard                  Schmidt Peterson Motorsports   Honda
9   Scott Dixon  (W)            Chip Ganassi Racing   Honda
10   Ed Jones                      Chip Ganassi Racing   Honda
12   Will Power                     Team Penske   Chevrolet
13   Danica Patrick               Ed Carpenter Racing   Chevrolet
14   Tony Kanaan  (W)         A. J. Foyt Enterprises   Chevrolet
15   Graham Rahal               Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing   Honda
17   Conor Daly                   Dale Coyne Racing dba Thom Burns Racing   Honda
18   Sébastien Bourdais         Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan   Honda
19   TBA                              Dale Coyne Racing   Honda
20   Ed Carpenter                 Ed Carpenter Racing   Chevrolet
21   Spencer Pigot               Ed Carpenter Racing   Chevrolet
22   Simon Pagenaud           Team Penske   Chevrolet
23   Charlie Kimball              Carlin   Chevrolet
24   Sage Karam                  Dreyer & Reinbold Racing   Chevrolet
25   Stefan Wilson                Andretti Autosport   Honda
26   Zach Veach                      Andretti Autosport   Honda
27   Alexander Rossi  (W)     Andretti Autosport   Honda
28   Ryan Hunter-Reay  (W)    Andretti Autosport   Honda
29   Carlos Muñoz                 Andretti Autosport   Honda
30   Takuma Sato  (W)         Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing   Honda
32   Kyle Kaiser  (R)             Juncos Racing   Chevrolet
33   James Davison              A. J. Foyt Enterprises with Byrd-Hollinger-Belardi   Chevrolet
59   Max Chilton                  Carlin   Chevrolet
60   Jack Harvey                  Meyer Shank Racing with Schmidt Peterson   Honda
63   Pippa Mann                   Dale Coyne Racing   Honda
64   Oriol Servia                    Scuderia Corsa with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing   Honda
66   J. R. Hildebrand            Dreyer & Reinbold Racing   Chevrolet
88   Gabby Chaves                 Harding Racing   Chevrolet
98   Marco Andretti              Andretti Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian   Honda
TBA Buddy Lazier TBA TBA

The total entry list is already 35 cars at the moment. Pietro Fittipaldi replacement will be announced later on. Buddy Lazier might make it to 36, don't count him out just yet.

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"Indy doesn't give you a second chance. You have to earn it."

ah the month of May

back home again in Indiana, unfortunately without Jim Nabors since he's gone but forever in our memories

just thank you

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Motorsports trend for 2024: everything is a bad taste joke now

Indycar posted the 1968 race on their channel recently too!

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"An idea whose time has come cannot be stopped by any army or any government"


3x TBKL rFactor Hillclimb champion

This is truly the greatest race in the world and the best time of the year. Great opening post, Niko.

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-Joe.
Atlanta United FC | Cincinnati Reds | Atlanta Falcons | Tennessee Titans

The late Dan Wheldon called it the Greatest Race in the World. I reckon he wasn't wrong.

And so begins the best month and a half of Motorsports of the year... Bring it on.

Ahhh the fortnight and a bit of May is about to dawn

Welp, we have a brand new aero kit hitting the high speeds of the Indy 500 for the first time
Expect shenanigans in practice as they get the kinks worked out....
(Just hopefully not as many as the last time a new aero kit debuted here. Well, it's still my most upvoted post, so I did well out of it, but I don't want drivers to start flying through the air just for a couple more thumbs up )

I also predict the Danica effect will be about as good for Viewing figures as the alonso effect was
IE the viewership will be up, but by a minuscule amount

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RIP Birmingham Wheels: here's some of the crash videos I recorded when it was there:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIaKIE ... 5t9d5PvoHA

Twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/paulhadsley

and he won one of the greatest of the greatest right in the centennial. After the flag they went to interview Bryan Herta and he just said "I knew we had a shot since we got the best driver there"

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Motorsports trend for 2024: everything is a bad taste joke now

I love May

Yup, nothing in the world compares to this event. Seeing that 1968 race, and given how exciting Alonso's involvement last year has been, I think the Indy 500 could do with more F1 teams and/or drivers involvement.

I heard that Lazier might not be able to make it this year as his tub is damaged from last year's crash. They'd have to buy another one, with a high risk to be bumped out this year given the size of the field so it may not be worth the investment.

One of my favorite times of the year to say the least.

Really hope I can get up to Indy someday for the 500 & all of the satellite races around the state during race week, so many awesome open wheel races that week.

-

Speaking of those satellite & support races, here's some information on all of them in the spoiler below.

I was on such a hype last year, making my own cast of the races, talking over the stream, with all culminating in doing a very special one for the Indy 500. Then a power outtage 1 hour before the race that lasted for about 4 hours. On a sunny day. Only time in 30 years here that this ever happens during the day.

Still was able to just watch and enjoy a torrent download. Managed to avoid spoilers about the crash, but somehow got spoiled about possibly Sato winning. Still forgot mostly about it as it was probably the best Indy 500 ever, specially if you count ALL the 200 laps.

Damn, THAT's a nightmare!

This year, the "Big Sunday" will be a great reward to me. The day before this combo Monaco/Indy, I will do my first dental implant posing, a big step for my dentist career. I just hope my reward won't vanish like this!
I even prepared a barbecue for a pal who will assist to his first Indy500 with me! Please God, spare me!

I wonder how many cars will be entered for the Lights race.

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Follow me on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/135625678@N06/

at least 10 cars with 8 of the full time competitors + Chris Windom & Davey Hamilton Jr. being confirmed as one-offs so far

Back in 2016, I only managed to go to the Carb Day Classic.

If I return to Indy (Which I will someday), I'll probably go on my own. The girl and the brother weren't interested in much, they hold me back.

My two biggest regrets from that trip, were not being able to attend some dirt race, and not going to the IMS museum.

Schmidt Peterson has revealed their garage setup for 2018


Katherine Legge rumored to sub for Fittipaldi at Coyne
https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news ... i-1034785/

Never ever take a traveling company to a motorsports related trip that is not interested of motorsports. It's always the same. "A car museum? Phffft, why to go museum of cars when we're going to see an actual race? Isn't that enough, right? Let's go shopping or find a fancy restaurant from the other side of the town that TripAdvisor has rated high in this city!" No! Always take at least one pure petrol head with you. He'll back you up and say "Screw shopping, you can do it any other place in the world, but you ain't gonna get to see this awesome display of vintage racing cars anywhere else. Let's hit the museum." That's team effort, just like motorsports.

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"Indy doesn't give you a second chance. You have to earn it."

imagine if you travel with your wife to Germany to take a lap at the Nurburgring

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Motorsports trend for 2024: everything is a bad taste joke now

The girlfriend is a lot into motorsport (since she's with me, she enjoys watching races, knows all of the F1 drivers and teams, most of the rules, and knows a lot of IndyCar drivers, huge Montoya's fan -she cried when JPM lost the championship in 2015-), and my brother is a motorsport nut himself (not as much as me, though).

They were just too lazy. They were "too tired". They completely forgot that I was the only one with a driving licence and had to drive all the way from NYC to Indianapolis by myself. And back, obviously.

So, the drive to any dirt oval in the state of Indiana, was a no-no. And the only moment we had available to go to the museum, was after the race. "Too crowded".

I feel you. I was at Indy with my dad in 2015, and he's, well, old. We had only planned to go to the World of Outlaw's event in Lawrenceburg on the Monday, but that rained out. Next time, I will want to go to much more!