I wish someone could invent a time machine so we could all take our kids back to a first weekend of time trials and experience it the old-fashioned way with Tom Carnegie, Jim Phillippe and John Totten. Those were the days.

In reply to an earlier post, I would include Donald Davidson among the most important non-drivers at the Speedway as well.

This was also the days before the jumbotrons (or whatever the current name is for the big screens TVs in the infield) were installed. Tom Carnegie did some of his finest work keeping you informed of the events going on in areas away from where you were sitting. In some ways it was better than watching the jumbotron.

I was at the race when Eddie Sachs and Dave MacDonals died. We were parked in the infield next to the backstretch fence. Huge clouds of black smoke arose from the grandstand area and the crowd everywhere on the track became very quiet. Later Tom Carnegie confirmed what we all feared and announced to the crowd what had happened as only he could . The entire crowd fell silent. Some fans immediately began to leave.

Like you, I returned to the 500 in 1992 after a long absence. My daughter and I were guests of my uncle Charlie Campbell who had attended 33 races in a row at that point. The night before it rained so hard that there was enough water flowing down my uncle’s Broadripple street for me to float a canoe on. The rain washed the rubber off the track and the next moring was very cold. Many fans from perhaps warmer places were unprepared for the cold and were shivering. Then, exactly as you remember, Tom Carnigie came on the loudspeaker and welcomed the crowd. Soon, everyone’s adrenalin began flowing and we ignored the cold weather.

Later, Roberto Guerraro the pole sitter spun out of the race on the pace lap while trying to warm up his tires. I don’t recall what Tom reported about that. Perhaps you do.