A lifelong dream came true this past weekend. I got to attend the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 as a credentialed media person and photograph all the activities during race weekend. All 250,000 grandstand seats were sold out for the first time since 2008 and the Speedway expected another 100,000 plus general admission tickets to be sold.
I arrived in Indianapolis on a cloudy, cold Thursday afternoon in time to pick up my credentials for the weekend at the IMS Administration Building. A very chilly Friday morning began early with a mandatory meeting spelling out all the specifics for the next few days. Friday was Carb Day which featured the final practice session for the teams before the race. The day also included the annual pit stop contest along with practice flyovers by US Air Force F-16s and US Army Blackhawk helicopters. Another highlight of the day was the first annual “Weenie 500” which featured all six Oscar Meyer Wienermobiles racing around the track for two laps. Slaw Dog, representing the Southeast US edged out Chi Dog, representing the Midwest for the win. The finals of the pit stop contest came down to a couple of Penske Racing teams, Josef Newgarden and Will Power, with Newgarden’s team securing the victory. According to several sources it was a record day for attendance. The large crowds resulted in some good people watching.
A trip to Indianapolis during race weekend is not complete without a night at Indianapolis Raceway Park to watch Silver Crown sprint cars and USAC midget cars. Saturday night also featured a race for the USF2000 series. Family friend Sarah Fisher O’Gara, who still manages several race teams, stopped by to say hello before heading to the rooftop to be the team spotter for the evening.
Saturday started chilly again, but it was a quiet day on the track. Nevertheless, a large crowd came for three autograph sessions featuring the 2025 field and many prominent veteran drivers. The only activity on the track was people getting ride-alongs in Corvette pace cars and 2-seat Indy cars. There were also a few teams making last-minute adjustments to their cars. That gave me the opportunity to walk the grounds and build a game plan for race day. I also used the down time to visit the recently renovated Speedway Museum. With my credentials, the staff at the museum gave me special media access to tour the facility. The renovations are amazing and well worth a visit. Once again, the IMS staff was incredibly gracious and accommodating.
Race day once again started cold with temperatures in the low 50s. It turned out to be the fourth coldest Indy 500 ever with a high temperature of just 63 degrees. I got to the track at 5:15 am. Thankfully my credentials included a parking pass which allowed me to park right across the street from the track. After I walked across the street, golf carts were waiting to take us inside to the Media Center. I later learned the media lot was full by 6:00 am!
The Indianapolis 500 is all about tradition. The schedule is followed to the minute. Gates open for the fans at 6:00 am. The opening is celebrated with fireworks and a cannon blast letting all the campers know that the gates are open. For me that meant positioning myself in the main grandstands across from the famous Pagoda to capture the fireworks and the sunrise.
After getting those shots I headed back out to catch a shuttle to the Media Center for some breakfast and final preparations for the morning. Earlier I mentioned the wonderful amenities that the Speedway provided. Every day we were treated to breakfast and lunch along with water and fountain drinks. On race day they even provided dinner because we were unable to leave the track due to traffic. While enjoying breakfast on race day several of us got together and discussed where we wanted to be for the drop of the green flag. There was also another photo meeting conducted by the IMS staff. We were given instructions on where we were allowed to go and the places that were reserved for the large media organizations.
After deciding which locations we wanted to shoot at the start of the race, we headed out to pit lane for some shots of the stands while we waited for the teams to roll out the cars. Around 9:00 am the cars were taken to their respective pit boxes. I had a chance to catch up with my nephew Danny, who was a member of the pit crew for Helio Castroneves. Then I moved over two pit boxes to chat with Danny’s best friend, Nick Allen who is pit crew chief for Colton Herta. It was fun to be among the crew members from several teams as they wished each other good luck. You can tell it’s a close fraternity.
At around 10:30 am the cars were moved from the pits out on to the track for all the pre-race festivities. The grid, as it’s called, was absolutely packed with people who had special access. During this time there was also a parade of former race champions down pit lane. There are so many traditions at Indianapolis, and they never fail to celebrate those traditions.
A few minutes after 11:00 am we were all instructed to leave the grid, so we headed back to the Media Center for lunch and then on to our spots for the start. I made it to my place for the end of driver introductions. After that came the singing of “America the Beautiful” by Ephraim Owens. He was followed by the invocation and “Taps”. Next was “God Bless the USA” sung by Arturo Chacon-Cruz and the National Anthem sung by Natalie Grant. During the Anthem was the flyover by the F-16 fighter jets from the 114th Fighter Wing. At 12:31 pm the command was given for the drivers to their cars to the roar of the crowd. Then came Jim Cornelison singing “Back Home Again in Indiana” to an even bigger roar as the F-16s came back for another fly by. As all this was going on, it began to sprinkle! By the end of the song, the sprinkles were getting heavier, and the festivities were put on hold for about 45 minutes. Thankfully the rain passed, the track was quickly dried, and Roger Penske delivered the command “Drivers Start Your Engines”. It was finally time to start to “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”.
The start of the race was eventful. On the second parade lap, one of the race favorites, Scott McLaughlin lost control of his car and smacked the pit wall right in front of me while he was trying to warm up his tires. I was looking toward the start / finish line as the rest of the field was approaching and missed it. As the other cars tried to make their way through the debris another favorite, Scott Dixon hit a piece, and it became lodged in his rear brake. He eventually had to come into the pits to make repairs, and it essentially ended any chances he had for the win. The cleanup of the crash caused the race to start under the caution flag. Just a couple of laps after the race restarted, Marco Andretti lost control of his car right in front of me and crashed into the turn 1 outside wall.
Once the race settled down, I moved on to another location on the outside of the track. I headed up to the top of the main grandstands and worked my way across from the Helio Castroneves pit to get some shots of one of their stops. When the next round of pit stops began, Colton Herta came in too fast and missed his pit then had to go all the way around the track to try again. To make matters worse, he was penalized for speeding on pit road which effectively ended his chances for victory. After capturing some shots of their pit stops, I headed up to the north end of the track to get some clear shots of the cars coming through turn 4.
While I was at turn 4, more calamity happened in the pits. The Alexander Rossi car caught fire during a pit stop injuring a crew member and ending Rossi’s day. Just a few laps later, another scary moment happened when Rinus Veekay crashed on the pit lane after experiencing total brake failure. During the caution period for Veekay’s crash, Robert Shwartzman, the rookie driver who started on the pole, slid into his pits and pinned four of the crew members against the inside wall. Thankfully nobody was seriously injured but the mishap damaged his car and knocked him out of the race. When the race restarted, the chaos continued. Kyle Larson, who was attempting to complete the Indy 500 and the NASCAR Coca Cola 600 in Charlotte on the same day lost control of his car in turn 1 and collected Kyffin Simpson and Sting Ray Robb. Then on lap 135, 2-time defending champion, Josef Newgarden suffered mechanical issues that ended his race.
One of the great things about the Indy 500 is the crowd in the infield. It becomes one gigantic party. There is a huge stage located in the Snake Pit in turn 3. Over 100,000 fans pay for general admission to just be a part of the event. Every mound around the track is completely full of fans and every inch of fence along the infield is lined with people trying to get a view of the cars as they speed by at over 220 miles per hour. It is an epic event.
With about 50 laps remaining I made my way through the infield crowd back to the main straight for the finish. The end of the race was an exciting battle between 4 cars. With just 13 laps remaining, Alex Palou passed Marcus Ericsson to take the lead. Ericsson and David Malukas chased Palou to the end but couldn’t overtake him and Palou took the checked flag for his first Indy 500 win. His car eventually made it to Victory Lane where he donned the customary wreath and drank the traditional bottle of milk.
After everything was wrapped up, we all headed back to the Media Center to pack up our gear and eat dinner. After saying our goodbyes, I headed back down to the garage area to see Danny again as they were breaking down their car. Then I snagged a ride back out to the parking lot and waited until about 6:30 pm to take my chances in traffic. The 25-minute ride to my niece’s house only took two hours.
The number of people to thank for this adventure are many, starting with my wife Pam who was my biggest supporter. My niece Valerie provided the accommodations which made the trip possible. My nephew’s best friend Nick Allen, who is the crew chief for Andretti Global driver Colton Herta, made the initial contact with the media team at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The person who made it all possible is Chris Owens, who manages the photography staff for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and added me to his team for the weekend. Chris was extremely generous and helpful. My fellow photographers like Steve Scaglione were instrumental in pointing me to the key spots to go for the best shots. And finally, to the staff at Indianapolis Motor Speedway who provided incredible amenities and treated us with amazing graciousness.
I’m writing this post while on a Southwest Airlines flight back to Sarasota. Tomorrow I’ll start going through all the pictures. Keep checking back as I add more photos to the new Indy 500 gallery.
Here are the final race results.
https://indymotorspeedway.com/files/2025-05-25-indycar-indy500-race-results.pdf
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