Gee, wonder which of these will win...

[skypigeon]

Notice this poll is NOT multiple choice.

[SLKRR]

I was going to vote ALL OF THE ABOVE, but I saw that one of the options was the "city of Indianapolis." So, I guess there's no way I can honestly vote in this poll.

[irloyal]

The one vote for the drivers was obviously a CC fan. Probably someone who can't get over Tracy not being able to win.

[jonovision_man]

Tony George isn't an option?

[Tony Johns]

The one vote for the drivers was obviously a CC fan. Probably someone who can't get over Tracy not being able to win.

I don't think it's so obvious. What about people who grew up watching the Unsers, the Andrettis, the Bettenhausens, the Dick Simons, the Foyts, and all of the other famous names race at Indy? For some, the 500 was the only race where you could see all of them race together in one event.

To reduce "the drivers" to some sort of Split-oriented category that connects to CART's ill-advised US 500 marketing scheme really shows how poisoned the open-wheel well really is.

[irloyal]

Forgot the smiley.

Lighten up Francis. You take yourself way to seriously Tony.

[Grover]

The party.

The speed.

[Tony Johns]

Forgot the smiley.

Lighten up Francis. You take yourself way to seriously Tony.

I share that fault with a few others, it appears...

You may have been joking, but there are plenty around here who buy into that kind of stuff wholeheartedly.

And if there is one thing I take more seriously than anything else in racing, it's the Indy 500.

Shoot, next thing you know you're going to tell me that Mug 'n' Bun tenderloins are disgusting and their root beer is pisswater.

[irloyal]

I...snip...
Shoot, next thing you know you're going to tell me that Mug 'n' Bun tenderloins are disgusting and their root beer is pisswater.

BLASPHEMY!!!

I think you have earned a vacation here Mr. Johns.. Calling all Mods...Calling al mods.

[Tony Johns]

BLASPHEMY!!!

I think you have earned a vacation here Mr. Johns.. Calling all Mods...Calling al mods.

We don't allow that kind of talk here, Mr. Johns...

[indyracefan]

To reduce "the drivers" to some sort of Split-oriented category that connects to CART's ill-advised US 500 marketing scheme really shows how poisoned the open-wheel well really is.

...no doubt that the 'open-wheel well' is poisoned, and it's been injested by all involved, both sides of the fence. No free passes here.


BTW - I voted 'all the explicitive above'.

[midtown]

You forgot the money, in this case the purse.

[Mack Too]

I'm sorry, you missed the most important choice 'pidge, its the venue, IMS, it has stood the test of time and has been able to accommodate 3,000 pound cars with 4 inch tires that lapped at under 100 mph and cars around 1500 pounds that produce enough downforce to run upside down on a ceiling and lap at 239 mph.

It may have looked best with narrow wooden garages but functioned best the way it is now. The original pagoda was a classic, then there virtle box thing they had afterward that was functional for a time but ugly. The one they now have serves the modern communication era well, but is no artistic beauty either. The place is no cookie cutter beauty, it has grandstands of various shapes, sizes and age, but there is no racing venue fraught with the danger and excitement of 33 cars going into turn one at the start of the race accelerating to close to 200 mph. That's because we all know of all the terrible things that can and have gone wrong.

IMS is so special that you can catch its excitement going through one of the tunnels in the dead of winter with snow on the track. My favorite time at IMS is at sunrise or sunset on a clear day, when you can see the contrails of countless jets heading for endless horizons. This is aviation's true crossroads of America, and in these quiet moments, you have time to think of all the great drivers, builders and teams that have sought to achieve their fame and fortune at the most famous race track in the world.

[skypigeon]

I did miss a lot on this one, didn't I? What I get for putting it together at work under prying eyes...

You all are right, of course. "The party," "The speed," "The purse," and "The Speedway itself" should be up there, too. I think my point still stands, based on the voting so far: You cannot narrow the legend of the Indianapolis 500 down to one thing. It's unique in motorsport in that it encompasses so many things. The loss of even one damages the legacy of the whole.

That's why some are upset over one engine company taking control of the whole thing. There's plenty of other threads to discuss that. All I'll say is, I hope it's temporary.

[irloyal]

Didn't Aj say it is the 500 that makes the driver, not the driver that makes the 500?

I still get shivvers when I walk into the place. Whether it is a trip to the museum on a Cold day in November, or on Race day in May.

Anytime I go in to that tunnel under the short chute, I feel a special presence...............I can see the ghost of Ray Harroun wiping the dust from his goggles in the first turn...... I hear Scotty Brayton's voice saying he misses being there for us, but the racing is better in heaven.........I can feel the energy of all the racers, fans, and owners..........the place is just so special.

I never feel that at TMS or Perris or Eldora or anywhere else, only INDY.