It’s Race Morning for the Indianapolis 500!
Welcome to a still dark Indianapolis Motor Speedway. My goal is always to be inside the gates before the opening bomb goes off at 6:00 am. It has been a few years since that didn’t happen and I met the goal again this morning. I was at the Media Center at 5:40 am.
A lot has happened since my last post. If you read Friday’s post, you know that my wife, Susan, was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday. After a barrage of tests, scans, x-rays, antibiotics, steroids, electrolytes and a blood transfusion; it was determined she could leave the hospital on Friday. She was discharged at 2:00 pm. At 3:00 pm, while at Walgreen’s getting her prescriptions filled – her doctor called to tell her they had determined she had an abscess in her liver. She was told she had to return to the hospital to get readmitted, because an abscess needed to be watched closely. The first thing she said was for me to go on to Indianapolis without her.
After getting my luggage and repacking her bad at home, we returned to the hospital to do the whole readmission thing over again. As we sat there waiting, I began feeling guilty about leaving her. But when I mentioned to her that maybe I should stay – she snapped at me and said “I’ll be (ticked) if you don’t go”. After she got settled into her room, I hit the road to Indianapolis and arrived at my hotel right at midnight Friday night.
This will be the first Indianapolis 500 I have been to without her by my side since 2003. It doesn’t seem the same without her. I miss her terribly, but I appreciate her being so forceful about me going without her. I’m glad I came, because I would have been miserable watching from her hospital room and she knows that. She is a wonderful wife, and I will make it up to her in two weeks when we go to Road America.
Although the skies are still mostly dark as the sun is beginning to show itself in the east, this place is buzzing. You can feel the anticipation in the air. After allowing no fans in 2020, and only 40% capacity last year – this place feels like the Indianapolis 500 again. And there is nothing like Race Morning for the 500!
My oldest brother is here with me and we wandered through the garage area yesterday, before going to the IMS Museum. We watched the Dale Coyne garage rebuild the car of David Malukas after his Carb Day crash. We also watched the crew of Colton Herta prepare his backup car, after he destroyed his car on Carb Day in a horrifying flip in Turn One, ending with the car upside down. Both drivers were OK, but Herta was not officially cleared to drive until early Saturday evening.
That’s going to do it for me for now. My brother and I are going to go to the garage area to watch all of the hustle and bustle of Race Morning of the Indianapolis 500. It’s a sight to behold. Please check back later.
Susan, I love you and miss you!
George Phillips
Oilpressure 
Leave a Reply