| DAN'S PHOTO JOURNALS |
Copyright © 2025 IndySpeedway.com All Rights Reserved
| INDY 500 Sunday, May 25, 2025 |
All 250,000 reserved seats sold out for the race this year.
Two weeks before race day, I was able to buy a pair of tickets on-line from a
lady who lived in Bloomington, which is about 60 miles south of me.
The seats were near the top of the NW Vista in section 19 and came with a
parking pass in Lot 8. She sold them to me for face value.
The post office mishandled them and I didn't receive them. The lady was
prepared to drive up to Indy and get the tickets reprinted at the Speedway for
me. Fortunately, the tickets were waiting for me in my mailbox when I got
home from Carb Day.
I got up at 10 a.m. on race morning and packed a collapsible cooler with food,
a couple beers and stuff. E.T. filled his cooler with 9 pints of beer.
Temperature was in the 50s, so I wore two shirts. Later it warmed up to 63
degrees. It looked like rain, so I brought a small umbrella. We did encounter
some sprinkles when driving to the speedway.
I brought my camcorder instead of my good camera. I had a problem with it
and got few usable screen shots. Some photos on this page were taken by
E.T. with his iPhone 12.
We left my house at 11 a.m.
For the first time in 30 years, E.T. wanted to navigate. He used his phone and
I was surprised how well it worked. We took a new route. Once in
Speedway, we turned north on High School Rd from 10th street. We turned
east at some point and made our way toward LOT 8 We spent most of the
time on side roads or neighborhood streets. Amazingly we encountered little
traffic. I could not have hoped for a easier trip in to park. I was impressed
with his phone navigation program until the trip home, where it failed miserably.
Lot 8 is a small grassy field along Georgetown Rd, across the street from
J Stand. It stretches between 24th Street and McCray St. The lot holds
about 100 cars and provides 6 portalets.
Two weeks before race day, I was able to buy a pair of tickets on-line from a
lady who lived in Bloomington, which is about 60 miles south of me.
The seats were near the top of the NW Vista in section 19 and came with a
parking pass in Lot 8. She sold them to me for face value.
The post office mishandled them and I didn't receive them. The lady was
prepared to drive up to Indy and get the tickets reprinted at the Speedway for
me. Fortunately, the tickets were waiting for me in my mailbox when I got
home from Carb Day.
I got up at 10 a.m. on race morning and packed a collapsible cooler with food,
a couple beers and stuff. E.T. filled his cooler with 9 pints of beer.
Temperature was in the 50s, so I wore two shirts. Later it warmed up to 63
degrees. It looked like rain, so I brought a small umbrella. We did encounter
some sprinkles when driving to the speedway.
I brought my camcorder instead of my good camera. I had a problem with it
and got few usable screen shots. Some photos on this page were taken by
E.T. with his iPhone 12.
We left my house at 11 a.m.
For the first time in 30 years, E.T. wanted to navigate. He used his phone and
I was surprised how well it worked. We took a new route. Once in
Speedway, we turned north on High School Rd from 10th street. We turned
east at some point and made our way toward LOT 8 We spent most of the
time on side roads or neighborhood streets. Amazingly we encountered little
traffic. I could not have hoped for a easier trip in to park. I was impressed
with his phone navigation program until the trip home, where it failed miserably.
Lot 8 is a small grassy field along Georgetown Rd, across the street from
J Stand. It stretches between 24th Street and McCray St. The lot holds
about 100 cars and provides 6 portalets.
There was a line to get into the stands and it was moving slow.
We trudged up a lot of stairs to row MM, which is about the 5th row from the
top. There was a deck above and a large spotters platform to the east,
where I saw only one person using it.
After I got to my seat, some old guy was coming up the stairs and fell over
backward! Some people helped him up and he seemed unhurt and continued
on up the stairs to his seat. Wow. I couldn't see exactly what happened due
to the crowd of people coming up the stairs, perhaps he fell back onto people
behind him which may have prevented him from going all the way down.
We trudged up a lot of stairs to row MM, which is about the 5th row from the
top. There was a deck above and a large spotters platform to the east,
where I saw only one person using it.
After I got to my seat, some old guy was coming up the stairs and fell over
backward! Some people helped him up and he seemed unhurt and continued
on up the stairs to his seat. Wow. I couldn't see exactly what happened due
to the crowd of people coming up the stairs, perhaps he fell back onto people
behind him which may have prevented him from going all the way down.
The race had a good share of stupid mistakes, beginning before the green
flag even waved!
Scott McLaughlin, of Team Penske, lost control and crashed during the pace
lap! He was now out and that caused another delay.
Marco Andretti then crashed on the first lap,
Scott Dixon had a brake fire, but he stayed out and the fire went out. He
would eventually have to pit to get it fixed though.
At some point, Rinus VeeKay spun while coming down pit lane and crashed
into the wall, but didn’t hit anyone.
The rookie pole sitter – Robert Swartzman, was not so lucky - he crashed
into his pit crew slamming them into the pit wall! By sheer luck, no one was
seriously injured, but both he and VeeKay were out of the race.
Alex Rossi’s car burst into flames in the pits and his day was over.
Nascar driver Kyle Larson, who was again attempting the “Double”, spun on
his own in Turn 2, taking out Kyffin Simpson on his way to smashing his car
and bringing out another caution. He soon hopped a helicopter and headed to
Charlotte to compete in a Nascar race.
All the incidents took place out of my view, but I was able to see them on the
huge TV monitor across the track from me.
Fortunately, the last half of the race was not the mess that the first half was.
flag even waved!
Scott McLaughlin, of Team Penske, lost control and crashed during the pace
lap! He was now out and that caused another delay.
Marco Andretti then crashed on the first lap,
Scott Dixon had a brake fire, but he stayed out and the fire went out. He
would eventually have to pit to get it fixed though.
At some point, Rinus VeeKay spun while coming down pit lane and crashed
into the wall, but didn’t hit anyone.
The rookie pole sitter – Robert Swartzman, was not so lucky - he crashed
into his pit crew slamming them into the pit wall! By sheer luck, no one was
seriously injured, but both he and VeeKay were out of the race.
Alex Rossi’s car burst into flames in the pits and his day was over.
Nascar driver Kyle Larson, who was again attempting the “Double”, spun on
his own in Turn 2, taking out Kyffin Simpson on his way to smashing his car
and bringing out another caution. He soon hopped a helicopter and headed to
Charlotte to compete in a Nascar race.
All the incidents took place out of my view, but I was able to see them on the
huge TV monitor across the track from me.
Fortunately, the last half of the race was not the mess that the first half was.
WIDE ANGLE VIEW OF TURN 3 FROM MY SEAT.
ROW 9 GOES BY ME - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Jack Harvey and Colton Herta
When we got back to Lot 8, most of the cars were gone, but the exit gate
was now closed.
There were still pedestrians on Georgetown Rd and the police were not
allowing any traffic on it. I asked them when they'd open it up to traffic, but
they did not know.
While the other lots along Georgetown were allowing cars to exit out the back
and into the neighborhoods, Lot 8 was closed for no reason. I suppose the
lot was so small, there was no one in charge of it.
I dropped the top on my car just to make it nicer to sit in and relax. I knew
we were going to be there for a while. A couple guys complimented my old
Pontiac, probably to E.T.'s surprise. One guy was a Mexican who couldn't
speak English. He gushed over the car and eventually brought back a woman
who knew a couple words of English. She told me he wanted to buy my car!
Ah, a man of discerning taste! Ha ha.
Some people around me had lawn chairs and were tailgating A couple cars
sat at the exit gate waiting for permission to leave. They sat and sat and sat.
We decided to walk around. I spotted a red Ferrari across the street and we
walked over to look at it. It was their Portofino model.
Luckily, the food vendors were all staying open. I bought a couple of street
tacos at a stand for $12.
After what seemed like a couple hours, they let us out. E.T.'s phone said to
head west into the neighborhoods instead of hopping on Georgetown.
Against my better judgement, I followed his phone's directions. We slowly
made our way toward 465 and once there, found the police had blocked the
southbound ramp! Why in the world did they do that?!
was now closed.
There were still pedestrians on Georgetown Rd and the police were not
allowing any traffic on it. I asked them when they'd open it up to traffic, but
they did not know.
While the other lots along Georgetown were allowing cars to exit out the back
and into the neighborhoods, Lot 8 was closed for no reason. I suppose the
lot was so small, there was no one in charge of it.
I dropped the top on my car just to make it nicer to sit in and relax. I knew
we were going to be there for a while. A couple guys complimented my old
Pontiac, probably to E.T.'s surprise. One guy was a Mexican who couldn't
speak English. He gushed over the car and eventually brought back a woman
who knew a couple words of English. She told me he wanted to buy my car!
Ah, a man of discerning taste! Ha ha.
Some people around me had lawn chairs and were tailgating A couple cars
sat at the exit gate waiting for permission to leave. They sat and sat and sat.
We decided to walk around. I spotted a red Ferrari across the street and we
walked over to look at it. It was their Portofino model.
Luckily, the food vendors were all staying open. I bought a couple of street
tacos at a stand for $12.
After what seemed like a couple hours, they let us out. E.T.'s phone said to
head west into the neighborhoods instead of hopping on Georgetown.
Against my better judgement, I followed his phone's directions. We slowly
made our way toward 465 and once there, found the police had blocked the
southbound ramp! Why in the world did they do that?!
The Parking Lot That Time Forgot
I let E.T. continue to navigate using his phone. We headed off into Hendricks
County, driving in the wrong direction, getting further and further from my
house. We drove a long time, apparently making a huge loop as we finally
headed back toward 465. It was a big time waster, but I didn’t care. I was
in no hurry.
After I got on the long curvy entrance ramp to re-enter 465, I had a cop come
up on me and began tailgaiting me and swerving back and forth, even though I
was going the speed limit. He finally charged around me on the shoulder
illegally, shaking his fist at me. I was surprised at seeing a cop with road rage,
especially on an empty highway on a Sunday.
County, driving in the wrong direction, getting further and further from my
house. We drove a long time, apparently making a huge loop as we finally
headed back toward 465. It was a big time waster, but I didn’t care. I was
in no hurry.
After I got on the long curvy entrance ramp to re-enter 465, I had a cop come
up on me and began tailgaiting me and swerving back and forth, even though I
was going the speed limit. He finally charged around me on the shoulder
illegally, shaking his fist at me. I was surprised at seeing a cop with road rage,
especially on an empty highway on a Sunday.
Setting A Bad Example
The Race
Pre Race
Morning
THE SNAKE PIT IN TURN 3 - WHERE PEOPLE DANCE AND JAM ALL DAY
Perhaps because it was cold out, people were constantly getting up to go to
the bathroom. I was in the 3rd seat from the aisle and it seemed someone
was trying to squeeze by me every five minutes. Worse, the guy in front of
me had a cheapo stadium chair that he let slide back into my space which
prevented people from getting past. That was aggravating, but worse,
when he leaned back, he was in my lap! After I told him, "You are two
inches from my dick!" he stopped leaning back.
I limited my fluid intake because I didn't want to do the long walk to the
restroom and I made it through the afternoon without leaving my seat.
the bathroom. I was in the 3rd seat from the aisle and it seemed someone
was trying to squeeze by me every five minutes. Worse, the guy in front of
me had a cheapo stadium chair that he let slide back into my space which
prevented people from getting past. That was aggravating, but worse,
when he leaned back, he was in my lap! After I told him, "You are two
inches from my dick!" he stopped leaning back.
I limited my fluid intake because I didn't want to do the long walk to the
restroom and I made it through the afternoon without leaving my seat.
We had some difficulty following the race. One reason was because we
didn't bring a spotter's guide. I thought I knew the liveries well enough, but I
found I needed more than a split-second to name some drivers.
It was a great day for the underdog teams!
ECR, MSR, RLL and AJ Foyt Racing all had multiple drivers in the top 15.
Connor Daly even brought it home in 8th for Juncos Hollinger Racing.
Meanwhile, Team Penske had no cars finish in the Top 15.
Palou's Ganassi teammates also did not finish in the Top 15.
It looked like Andretti Global did well, but it ended up that their best finish was
14th (Herta), while 2nd place Ericsson and 6th place Kirkwood did not pass
post-race inspection and were both moved to the back!
McLaren was the only power-house team to have all 3 drivers finish in the Top
15.
I was not surprised that Alex Palou won the 109th Indy 500, even though he
had never won on an oval before.
Afterwards, I saw no one cheering. Most unusual. Everyone just got up to
leave. The late start and number of cautions resulted in the race ending late,
so maybe people were just tired.
Or, maybe no one likes Palou.
For some reason, the people in the NW Vista were having a harder time
exiting compared to the other stands around us. As soon as the race ended,
everyone stood up, grabbed their coolers and tried to get to the stairs. But
the line never moved and they all just stood around crammed together for at
least an hour!
As usual, E.T. and I hung out in our seats till long after the crowd was gone,
waiting for the traffic to lighten. At some point, a yellow shirt came over and
told us we should leave. I said, "Why? The gates don't close until 6."
He had no answer and wandered away.
I came up with a 500 motto for us - “Last In, Last Out” and high-fived ET.
didn't bring a spotter's guide. I thought I knew the liveries well enough, but I
found I needed more than a split-second to name some drivers.
It was a great day for the underdog teams!
ECR, MSR, RLL and AJ Foyt Racing all had multiple drivers in the top 15.
Connor Daly even brought it home in 8th for Juncos Hollinger Racing.
Meanwhile, Team Penske had no cars finish in the Top 15.
Palou's Ganassi teammates also did not finish in the Top 15.
It looked like Andretti Global did well, but it ended up that their best finish was
14th (Herta), while 2nd place Ericsson and 6th place Kirkwood did not pass
post-race inspection and were both moved to the back!
McLaren was the only power-house team to have all 3 drivers finish in the Top
15.
I was not surprised that Alex Palou won the 109th Indy 500, even though he
had never won on an oval before.
Afterwards, I saw no one cheering. Most unusual. Everyone just got up to
leave. The late start and number of cautions resulted in the race ending late,
so maybe people were just tired.
Or, maybe no one likes Palou.
For some reason, the people in the NW Vista were having a harder time
exiting compared to the other stands around us. As soon as the race ended,
everyone stood up, grabbed their coolers and tried to get to the stairs. But
the line never moved and they all just stood around crammed together for at
least an hour!
As usual, E.T. and I hung out in our seats till long after the crowd was gone,
waiting for the traffic to lighten. At some point, a yellow shirt came over and
told us we should leave. I said, "Why? The gates don't close until 6."
He had no answer and wandered away.
I came up with a 500 motto for us - “Last In, Last Out” and high-fived ET.
VIEW OF NORTH VISTA WHEELCHAIR PLATFORM FROM EDGE OF NW VISTA.
E.T. must have snapped this on his trip to the restroom.
E.T. must have snapped this on his trip to the restroom.
Since the NW Vista does not have back rests, I
bought a $55 Brawntide stadium chair to bring
along. (Stadium chairs are seat cushions with a
back rest for bleachers.) It worked well. The
speedway rents out small, orange stadium chairs.
I've never used those before, but after the race, I
tried one and it worked pretty well, though not as
comfy as mine.
Once at our seats, I could feel the occasional
raindrop and the skies were cloudy. As it got near
race time, the start was delayed about an hour so
that they could dry the track. It didn’t look wet
and they didn't bring out their huge jet dryers,
since the track was merely damp. Instead, they
had four Toyota pickup trucks pull small dryers
around. I’d never seen them use Toyota trucks or
those dryers before.
At the end of the National Anthem, four fighter jets
flew overhead far above the stands, flying above
the main straight as normal. Later they came in
from the east, spread far apart from each other
and still pretty high. One flew over us and it was
very loud.
Tom Brady was driven around the track in an
Indycar 2-seater by Jimmie Johnson before the
green flag, I think Tony George would have
known better, but Roger Penske did not.
Indianapolis Colt Fans hate him. He led the New
England Patriots during the Indianapolis Colt's
Peyton Manning era and prevented us from
reaching the Super Bowl time and time again.
Consequently, he received lots of boos. Ha ha!
bought a $55 Brawntide stadium chair to bring
along. (Stadium chairs are seat cushions with a
back rest for bleachers.) It worked well. The
speedway rents out small, orange stadium chairs.
I've never used those before, but after the race, I
tried one and it worked pretty well, though not as
comfy as mine.
Once at our seats, I could feel the occasional
raindrop and the skies were cloudy. As it got near
race time, the start was delayed about an hour so
that they could dry the track. It didn’t look wet
and they didn't bring out their huge jet dryers,
since the track was merely damp. Instead, they
had four Toyota pickup trucks pull small dryers
around. I’d never seen them use Toyota trucks or
those dryers before.
At the end of the National Anthem, four fighter jets
flew overhead far above the stands, flying above
the main straight as normal. Later they came in
from the east, spread far apart from each other
and still pretty high. One flew over us and it was
very loud.
Tom Brady was driven around the track in an
Indycar 2-seater by Jimmie Johnson before the
green flag, I think Tony George would have
known better, but Roger Penske did not.
Indianapolis Colt Fans hate him. He led the New
England Patriots during the Indianapolis Colt's
Peyton Manning era and prevented us from
reaching the Super Bowl time and time again.
Consequently, he received lots of boos. Ha ha!
| RENTAL STADIUM CHAIRS |
I saw many similar white cop cars on 465, all were in the fast lane and
speeding. I’ve never seen so many. None of them had their sirens or lights
on either.
We finally got home at 8:15 pm.
Since the race sold out, it had been broadcast live in Indianapolis. Usually
it is blacked-out and re-broadcast on local TV in the evening. I was happy
they showed it again at 8 p.m. and we were able to watch it when we got
home.
speeding. I’ve never seen so many. None of them had their sirens or lights
on either.
We finally got home at 8:15 pm.
Since the race sold out, it had been broadcast live in Indianapolis. Usually
it is blacked-out and re-broadcast on local TV in the evening. I was happy
they showed it again at 8 p.m. and we were able to watch it when we got
home.
Upon entry to the grounds, we walked through a metal detector. I think that's
new. Our coolers were searched, tickets scanned, ane we were in.
There were food trucks and souvenir stands along the outside of turn 4.
There was an obnoxious Red Bull van that served as a mobile DJ booth. It
was cranking out music so loud I was surprised the speedway allowed it.
Red Bull don't spend a penny sponsoring ANY racing series that competes at
IMS, yet spend half a billion a year in Formula 1. I think if they want to
advertise at the Indy 500, this needs to change.
new. Our coolers were searched, tickets scanned, ane we were in.
There were food trucks and souvenir stands along the outside of turn 4.
There was an obnoxious Red Bull van that served as a mobile DJ booth. It
was cranking out music so loud I was surprised the speedway allowed it.
Red Bull don't spend a penny sponsoring ANY racing series that competes at
IMS, yet spend half a billion a year in Formula 1. I think if they want to
advertise at the Indy 500, this needs to change.
LOT 8 (photo from Google Maps)
After the cars made a few warmup laps and formed into the 3-wide formation,
a couple of large military Blackhawk helicopters led them around. It was
VERY COOL. They went by us at eye level.
a couple of large military Blackhawk helicopters led them around. It was
VERY COOL. They went by us at eye level.
| TRACK DRYERS |