The Weatherman Fooled Us Again

Thursday dawned with promise that we would be able to get in a full eight hours of running with no interruptions for rain. The blue skies this morning assured me of that.

I was so certain of a dry day, I sent out the following Tweet, when I arrived at the track at 9:30 this morning.

I guess I jinxed the day to some extent, at least enough to prove me wrong. Cars took to the track at 10:00 am, but after about thirty minutes of running, only twelve cars had turned laps. The top speed of the day we set early, by Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’ Ward, who turned a lap at 228.861 mph. The fastest “No-Tow” speed was set by Colton Herta, with a speed of 224.182 mph.

Today saw two crashes – both by Swedish drivers. Around 11:30, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Linus Lundqvist lost the rear of the car and smacked the SAFER Barrier exiting Turn Two. Then around 3:45, Andretti Global’s Marcus Ericsson, the 2022 Indianapolis 500 champion, lost it coming out of Turn Four. He hit the outside wall, then shot across the track to hit the inside wall just before the pit entrance. Fortunately both drivers walked away. I was able to get a photo of the damaged Ericsson car, as it was taken back to the garage area.

By the time the track was cleaned up, there was moisture in Turn Three. It was green for three minutes before a light shower hit The Speedway. The yellow lasted for about an hour and ten minutes, before the track went green at 5:35 pm. The track went yellow with a few minutes remaining, when Conor Daly had a mechanical issue and was slowed on the track. By the time he coasted in, there were more sprinkles. So, technically – another day finished prematurely due to rain.

I was hoping since so much time has been lost, and the forecast for Friday afternoon is looking a little iffy – that they would start Fast Friday early at 10:00 am. But as I write this a little after 7:00 pm on Thursday, they have not announced anything.

A Noon start time will suit us fine anyway. Susan was to arrive tonight at 9:20, but weather has delayed it to a 1:07 am arrival. It’s going to be a late night. I just hope they don’t cancel it.

That’ll do it for me for tonight. I’m not even sure where I am going to eat tonight, as I am about to leave the track, but I will probably take a nap before I have to go to the airport. Thanks for following along today and please go back and read my review on the Aramark concessions at the track. Also, don’t forget to send in your Trivia answers. They are due on Tuesday May 21. Once again, I’ll close with a few photos of the day.

George Phillips

Did Aramark Hit the Mark?

You may or may not be aware that there is a new concession vendor at IMS. Levy Restaurant’s took over the concessions in 2014. I’m assuming it was a ten-year deal, because there is a new vendor for 2024. Aramark is now responsible for feeding us, at least in The Pagoda Plaza.

When I reviewed the awful Breaded Pork Tenderloin ten years ago, it was what was served at the main L-shaped concession stand behind The Pagoda (I believe it’s called Alley Cafe, but I can’t swear to it).. What I later found out is that some of the stands across the track under The Paddock and A-Stand, were still selling the delicious Classic Jumbo Tenderloin we have all grown to know over the years.

That may still be the case, because I have not yet sampled the few stands over there that are open for practice. But I did go and sample the main stand for lunch today. It was a mixed bag.

The Good: They have added a Grab & Go store, just east of the main concession stand, called Refreshments Express. Not only do they have a refrigerated section with drinks and cold sandwiches, but they also have a nice selection of hot items.

The prices aren’t cheap. Keep in mind, you are at a major sporting event. But I have heard the offerings there are quite good. I talked to someone yesterday who had a bratwurst that was very tasty. I trust his judgment when it comes to food, so I’ll go with that.

Once you get what you want, there are multiple self-service kiosks. While some people are turned off by the kiosks, I prefer it. I am not going to make a mistake, and I will not crush my chips by putting my drink bottle on top of it.

The main concession stand has seen a redesign of the line, which is a big improvement. They now have several zig-zag lines similar to what you will see at an amusement park ride. The line moves very quickly. The only problem is that the customers don’t seem to know to watch for the next station to open up. While in line, I saw no less than five people stand there staring into space, while the Aramark employee was waving their arms yelling “I’ll serve the next in line”.

I will also give a tip of the hat to the training of the staff. In an era where customer service is dead, all of the employees that I witnessed went overboard in killing the customers with smiles and kindness. It was as if they were taking their cues from Chick-fil-A. It was very refreshing.

The Bad: The prices in the main concession area were painful to look at. I had to Google what an Al Pastor Burger was, but it didn’t matter. There was no way I was going to pay $16 for any type of burger.

Miller Lite was $8.95 and if you wanted a Pepsi product (I’m a Coca-Cola man myself), you had to buy the souvenir cup to go along with it. And $5.00 for water? Please.

The Ugly: I ordered the Pork Tenderloin, just because that’s what I eat when I go to Indiana. This was a big mistake. First of all, it was not a true tenderloin. It was a fritter. The F-word. For the uninitiated, a true tenderloin is a thick slice of pork tenderloin that is pounded flat, before it is battered and fried. A fritter is a blob of ground pork that is shaped into a disk before it is fried. The texture is disgusting and it is a general insult to one’s intelligence to have this preformed disk, passed off as a tenderloin. It’s the same as trying to pass off a ground beef patty as a filet.

What made it worse is that this was not even a good fritter. I don’t care for real tenderloins that have cornmeal breading on them. The Aramark fritter was coated in cornmeal batter. If there is a way to make a fritter even worse, use cornmeal.

If you are a longtime fan of Breaded Pork Tenderloin sandwiches, you know that the ultimate insult to a tenderloin is to compare it to Pete’s Pride.

What I ate today was enough to make Pete send it back. It even had a bad flavor, that I have been tasting more than two hours after I ate it. I may have to go to the gift shop to seek out some Tums, if this taste doesn’t go away. I can honestly say that what I had for lunch today was the worst excuse for a tenderloin I have ever had. I would take the Levy tenderloin over this. At least it wasn’t a fritter, and it was not coated in cornmeal.

I’ve obviously not sampled anything else, and I probably won’t. I saw a friend eating a chicken-finger basket yesterday. He said it was good, and it actually looked good. But after spending $12.50 for afternoon indigestion, I think if Aramark gets any more business from me this month, it’ll be from the Refreshment Express store.

George Phillips

Fond Memories of Rain Delays

As I spent most of yesterday watching raindrops hit the pavement of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, I was taken back to my childhood. Beginning in 1967, my father decided to add to our Month of May ritual by attending Pole Day each year. It was him, my two brothers and me. I don’t ever recall my mother going to qualifying, but I could be wrong on that.

We would get up and leave at 3:00 Saturday morning, and be at the track in our Race Day seats in Stand A, before the first morning practice. We would watch qualifying, or Time Trials as many referred to it back then, until the gun went off. Then we would pile into the car and drive back. My father considered hotels a luxury, not a necessity.

More times than not, Pole Day was affected by rain. There was one year in there, and I can’t remember which, where we sat in our Stand A seats under the overhang all day long and never saw a race car. Not one. Not only did it rain all day, but it was cold. Very cold. I remember wearing heavy coats and being wrapped up in a blanket – and it was still cold.

Did I complain? Not one bit. I look back on those days as some of my favorite childhood memories. OK, maybe the day we saw no cars was not so great; but those rain-delay days stand out as very special times – not only for me, but my entire family.

My family was very close, but with the difference in ages between me and my two brothers – we had different things on our mind. 1969 is a perfect example. We saw practice, but not a single car qualified – not even Jigger Sirois. We actually got to see Mario Andretti drive the ill-fated Lotus 64 that morning. He would destroy tit the next Wednesday. We sat through those hours watching trucks go around and around. I was ten, but my two brothers were sixteen and nineteen respectively. To say that the three of us had different interests at those ages would be an understatement.

But one thing we all had in common on those days was that we wanted to see race cars on-track. I was the only real sports fan in my family. We were all fans of the Tennesse Vols, but no one but me really cared that much about football. Most of my family was really into music, except me. I have no musical talent, and I’m not really interested in it either – except for listening to it. But the one thing my family all had in common, we all loved the Indianapolis 500 – and that meant we even loved those days of sitting in anticipation watching the raindrops fall and hearing about that mythical window over Terre Haute.

If the emergency vehicles started turning laps, that meant track officials thought there was a chance to get some running in. If the sky got brighter, even better. There was no better feeling than sitting there for hours and suddenly seeing the sun come out.

And then there was that magical sound. From our seats, we could see Gasoline Alley and almost see the old white garages that ran east and west. You knew things were getting close when you would hear that distinctive sound of an Offenhauser being revved up, followed by that familiar backfire. When youo heard that, you knew things were about to get real.

As I’ve grown older, I have experienced more downtime for rain at IMS as an adult. The 2004 and 2007 races come to mind. Since I was first credentialed in 2010, there have been many practice and qualifying days spent waiting for the track to dry, but being inside a dry media center makes it a lot more bearable.

But there was something to be said about those cold days in the 60s and early 70s, that somehow create a racing bond between me and my brothers and my father. I have a lot of great memories growing up and attending the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race each year with my family. Oddly enough, those days of watching raindrops fall are just as precious to me.

George Phillips

Now, That Was More Like It

The weatherman pulled a fast one on us. When Tuesday’s practice was called around 2:30, the general consensus was that Wednesday was going to be a beautiful day. It wasn’t.

Thirty Years Ago–The Secret

This May marks thirty years since one of the more controversial Months of May. If you have read the book Beast, by Jade Gurss, you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it.

A Little Running, and a Lot of Rain

Well, things don’t always go as planned. But come to think of it – this went about as most expected. Unlike last year, Opening Day for Indianapolis 500 practice actually saw cars on-track – for a total of 26 minutes.

Guess Where I’m Headed Today

As you read this I am heading back to Indianapolis after a very quick turnaround. For the second year in a row, and for the third time since 2019; I will be attending every day of practice (except for the final session next Monday) for the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. Also for the second year in a row, rain is in the forecast for today – the first day of the oval practice. Last year, I got up early and arrived in time to see trucks going around the track to dry it. According to today’s forecast, they might not even get that far before they decided to cancel it.