My Favorite 500

My favorite 500 has to be my first in 1990. I had watched the 500 for years as a kid growing up in Iowa and finally got the chance to attend in person. I had been to the speedway before and toured the track and museum, but showing up on race weekend and seeing the throngs of people really got my attention. I took my girlfriend and we had seats in the Paddock right after the start/finish line about 3/4 of the way up. I can remember just clicking away with my camera at everything wanting to preserve the moment. The sights and sounds of everything that I had read about and seen on television was coming to life for me and I was just thunder struck. When the command to start engines was given the hair on my arms stood up. The roar of the engines, the swirls of color meshed with the smells of the speedway can never be done justice until you actually attend. I've been to many other races, seen my favorite driver claim the trophy and have great memories of each race, but that first one stands alone. The Indy 500 was everything I thought it would be and much, much more.