“Indianapolis is what made A.J. Foyt what he is today-the first time I qualified for the Indy 500; then to be the first man to win it four times and have Mr. (late Speedway owner Tony) Hulman ride around the track in the Pace Car with me after I won (in 1977). That was the only time he ever did that.”  A.J. Foyt

On Indy
By Deane Mercier

   May 19, Norwalk, Ct. --- There are only three races that really get me pumped up. One of them is the Indianapolis 500. I watch pole qualifying. I watch ‘bump day’. I watch the entire race. Don’t look for me at the party until after the race. Don’t call me I wont answer the phone.  

   I made my first of four visits to the famed brickyard in 1964; went out there with my cousin Jon and a buddy of his, Bill Johnson. We watched the race from the infield in turn one and saw A.J. Foyt win his second of four 500’s. The man from Texas had won in 1961 and went on to drink the milk again in 1967 and 1977. 

   One of the memories of that first trip took place in Angola, Indiana the day after the race. We were on our way to Chicago, why, I’m not exactly sure. It was about 6am and I was dozing in the passenger seat and Bill was conked out in the back seat while my cousin was driving. In a state of half-sleep I heard Jon say “oh #@&%” and then I heard a loud “thwump.” My cousin had just hit a deer with my new car. I was now wide-awake and not a happy camper. It cost something like $1,400 to make the necessary repairs for us to limp back to Connecticut. 

   It took 23 years to get to my second 500. I went out there in 1987 with my pal Ric. He had never been there before so I threw a lasso around him and off we went. We watched the race from the infield grandstand between turns three and four. If I remember correctly it cost us five bucks to get into the infield. We later found out we were in the middle of the infamous “snake pit”; a quaint little area where just about anything can and does happen.  

   We witnessed Al Unser Senior take the checkered flag for his fourth and final Indy victory. Unser also won in 1970-‘71 and ’78. 

   In 1988, again in the “snake pit”, we watched as Rick Mears collected his third Borg-Warner Trophy.  Mears had previously won in 1979 and 1984. His fourth win came in 1991. 

   For our 1989 trip we brought along Ric’s son, Ricky, who was 20 at the time. We purchased tickets from a scalper for $100.00 a pop and sat in the turn four grandstands with a great view down the front straight.  

   Doting father and “uncle” that we were, Ric and I thought it would be highly educational for Ricky to see what life was like in the infield. It kind of blew him away.

   “I’ve never seen so many people in one place at one time in my life,” he said as we worked our way to the “snake pit”. 

   Emerson Fittipaldi won that day and was back in victory lane again in 1993. 

   For this years race ABC sports has assembled a small army, over 150 staffers and 68 cameras to televise the race. Among those covering the race for ABC will be Jack Arute. This will be his 24^th consecutive Indy for the network. He has been attending the race since 1969. Last week, via e-mail, I asked him how big Danica Patrick’s recent win at Motegi was for the sport and how big it would be for the sport if she should win the 500. 

   “It was Indy Cars’ biggest moment in the last 20 years. You cannot immediately measure its impact. It has put the focus on Indy Car just as the sport is getting ready for its annual Super Bowl. When was the last time a NASCAR driver was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated?” 

   Arute also to me “it was too early to tell what the biggest pre-race story would be but if pressed I would have to say, ‘Can Danica win the Indy 500?’"  

   We will have to wait for the checkered flag to wave to see if the Sports Illustrated cover jinx does Danica in. 

   Two other women will start the race, Sarah Fisher (22^nd) and Venezuelan driver Mika Duno (27^th). 

   As for his pick to win the race, Arute is going with either Scott Dixon, starting on the pole or Ryan Briscoe, who starts from the outside of row one in the third position. 

   My pick is either Dan Weldon, starting second or Marco Andretti, starting seventh. 

   But I’m rooting for Danica. 

   Oh, the other two races that really get me pumped: The Daytona 500 and the American League East. 

   Here is the starting line up for Indianapolis 500: 

Deane Mercier worked in radio for 35 years as a DJ and talk show host. He is currently the Host Broadcaster for Stafford Motor Speedway, a Motorsports correspondent for the Hour Newspaper (CT), as well as the Editor In Chief/Senior Columnist for Long Island Motorsports News.  Deane may be contacted at DeaneMercier@aol.com.

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