With the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, we re-publish this post from March 2014, enjoy!
I visited the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum just hours before Michigan State thrashed Michigan in the 2014 Big Ten Tournament Final. I used what scarce vacation time I had to take in Indy 500 history and Indy 500 culture.
It was literally 26 degrees outside, with a wind chill of 10 that afternoon, in Mid March.
Just in case you needed yet another reminder of what a BRUTAL WINTER we had in the Midwest during 2013-14.
Still I fought the elements to bring you this Indy 500 photo essay- enjoy!
Fittingly, and appropriately the first IndyCar of Danica Patrick is way behind the pack of cars at the Motor Speedway museum. *hey, hey! Tip your bartenders and remember the 7 o’clock show is totally different from the 11 o’clock show*
I mean “One Lap Downica” am I right? *rim shot*. Hey hey, “mic check. is this thing on?”
Obviously, the Indy 500 Motor Speedway museum has a dry sense of humor.
They place a Danica Patrick car next to The King Richard Petty. That’s funny, given that whole tiff they had in 2013. Or at least, I thought it was funny.
Anyway, those who stay will become champions. Or so they say.
Here’s what you clicked this Indy 500 post for: the first ever Indy 500 Champion race car; from 1911:
Be sure to check out all the other Indianapolis 500 content that we ran this week.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.