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What's you best Indy experience, memory? (1 Viewer)

merc49

merc49

Nitro Member
1967, my first Big G0! Garlits won, shaved on the start line. Local Stock racer Ben Wenzel won Stock Eliminator in his new 67 Camaro. He still races that car today!

1969, My cousin Ron Ellis lost in a squeaker in Super Eliminator to Ohio George.

1994, the 40th US Nats. I drove my Merc there, parked all weekend in the oval track.

1996, took my son in law Dennis, he got his first snootful of Nitro!

2005, Was invited to display the Merc in the Concourse. Great weekend.

And so many others. What's yours?
 
It has to be McEwen winning in '78 over The Snake only weeks after losing his son Jamie.

mcewen_track.jpg
 
1967 was the first INDY for me. The Old Man defied (again) the powers and went to the starting line instead of the winners circle to shave off his "6 second beard". As for the rest of the years.....'Goose and Snake FC final was classic and somber. Was there for all of the bad stuff too. We won't go into any of that. I can hear the Thunder in the distance!!!! It won't be long!!!

Late..............................Mitch
 
1982 for me. Gary Beck ran a 5.48. Don Prudhomme runs 5.63 to to blow everyone's minds. If I remember correctly it was about 2 tenths quicker than anyone else at the time.
 
Mine would have to be the 47th U.S. Nationals when Don Garlits ran his first 4 second run and his first over 300.And of course every year its interesting to see what the Top Fool Alcohol Crew comes up with as a tribute.:)
 
My 2-9 in random order

Garlits gets the monostrut to 318
Prudhomme 5.63
Densham sweeps
Hight Win
Shirley Win
Jim Nicoll vs Snake final
Mongoo$e win over Snake
Connie Kalitta win
Big Daddy 1984 win

#1. Joe Amato "back to back in 88"

Joe had run good all day. Gene Snow has come out with a new car, and it was getting better every pass. In the semi, Snow cranked out a quickest ever 5.00 over a very strong Darrell Gwynn. Amato ran 5.11 or something close to that in his semi. In the final, Amato lifted the front end and went up in smoke before 60 feet, game over. As Snow got a couple hundred feet down track, the pipes go wet, broken throttle cable. Joe dirt tracked that car to the finish line and barely got the win.
 
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Been to many Indy's. Too many memories to list. But, 1971, the last year my dad raced in A/A there. The highlights from that year:

Watching the Mongoose pull into our motel with his Hot Wheels rig.
Tom Hoover also stayed there through the weekend.
Watching those guys wrench on the cars at night in the motel parking lot.
My dad turned our room into a shop, cleaning tranny parts in the bathtub, among other things.
Going over and seeing Big's back-motor car, he was still limping from his Lions accident.
Having my dad introduce to me to "Wild" Willy Borsch.

Hey Bob, I remember your cousin Ron Ellis' AA/A. Beautiful car. My father had the injected version, it was almost identical as it was a Logghe car and had the new, narrow chassis with the dragster type cage. My dad actually had a conversation with your cuz on the phone, if I remember right, he was thinking about buying Ron's T body because it had Al Berglar aluminum work, but the deal never happened. I think Ron was putting a FC body on his car. I know you've posted pics before, I would love to see any that you have.
 
I have many, 1982 my first Indy, walking into the track as an awe stuck 7 year old. Getting this cool pin for being at the first bud shootout then being at the first Pro stock special race a few years later.


I believe it was 87, we used to sneak down to the starting line after races(this was before you were allowed to) My brother and I are having foot races on the track when Garlits walks up. My dad grabs the camera and my little bro and I get a picture with Big right on the starting line

Taking a ride in the parade lap a few years ago with Bob and the Merc

The last few seasons its become a tradition for Pops and I to head down there together for a few days. Special memories there.

another 80's Indy we had a rain day so we head over to the speedway and check out the museum. To our shock here comes Snake walking through. So we have a picture with him standing in the Indy 500 museum in front of some old cart car.

The last few have been even better just from all the people I've come to know from here that I get to see/meet there. It's funny how so many good friendships have come from a simple internet site.
 
I really enjoyed when McCulloch drove the gold and white Miller High Life funny car back to the pits after smoking the tires.

However, the one that moved me the most was when they had a choir (Purdue Glee Club?) sing on Monday morning the weekend we lost Blaine. There wasn't a dry eye in the house when that was done. Then, Tony Shoe, scheduled to run Blaine first round has trouble on the starting line when the tree is activated. As he idles the Peek Bros. car down the track, I literally had chills (as I do right now typing this) and was cheering him louder than what I would have if he had won the whole damn race. Although we later heard that Tony had actual mechanical problems, I always wished that we never found that detail out.

To say that was an incredible moment would be a gross understatment.

Sean D
 
Since the title of the thread is Indy experience, memory.

Non NHRA event, 96 AMA Prostar race

Elmer Trett running a 6.12 then an 6.06 just mind blowing for back in 1996.

Elmer said "We just kept putting more fuel in it and it kept going quicker" If the rain didn't come at that event who knows what would have happened

R.I.P Elmer.
 
In no particular order:

Snakes 5.63 qualifier

Jimmy Kings T/F starting line wheel stand and flip (had wheel casters on the blower at the next race!)

Jim Buchers 6.09 (or was it 6.09?) qualifier with the BBC, and a good run on race day.

Back when they ran 32 car T/F fields, the last qualifying session on Sunday.

32 car fields in T/F

Shirley v Connie in the final.

Goose win, dedicated to his son.

Connie taking out the finsh line winners lights with the wedge car.

Beck winning the "light" race during the PRO Tulsa deal.

Dicko into the guard rail and breaking his leg again, after it had healed up from the Gainesville incident.

Pulde on 3 wheels in the Thompson Pinto.

Ron Mancini rolls down the guardrail.

Shirley on fire in the Mustang.

Tharp punching out Ong in the Trader Ray car, after the turnoff.

Sid Waterman at the mike for insight. Or Goose for that matter. And ya can't forget Steve Evans. RIP

Force riding down the return road on the Budwiser wagon after winning the Shootout.

The Linda Vaughn "bow" during pre-race.

Walking across the Hurst bridge behind a really great looking, scantily clad gal and watching the reactions from those walking the other way. The eye movements were always the same from the guys, and if they had a gal with them, they always got an elbow in the side. I still laugh about this.

Italian sausage sandwiches.

The McDonalds court first opened.

Tony S motoring off the line as a rookie. Blaine would have been his opponent. RIP, Blaine... And Elmer...

If you couldn't afford reserved seating, running like a herd of buffalo to get a seat after the gates opened on Monday.

36 deg temp '88

Taking my girlfriend (now wife) to her first Nats, also in '88. Now a fan for life!



Thanks for starting this thread. Lots of good (and not so good) memories.
 
My bro winning the race last year or was that the year before last. LOL

No seriously, when Matt qualified No. 1 last year and then kept going rounds I thought I was going to have a heart attack, and I don't ever get nervous. Things were just so tense and he just went up there and kept kicking their asses, one after another. After the shit we went through the year before, it was like a dream for us to win last year. We were all in tears and I hope we can do it again this year. GO MATT!!!
 
oh and I have to add to witness my buddy John's love of Ketchup :)

actually watching him enjoy the entire weekend. If you think you're the #1 fan of Indy you are sadly mistaken. I have to admit he even tops me, but only at that race
 
Registered member said:
oh and I have to add to witness my buddy John's love of Ketchup :) actually watching him enjoy the entire weekend. If you think you're the #1 fan of Indy you are sadly mistaken. I have to admit he even tops me, but only at that race
Click to expand...

:rolleyes: ummm, errr PJ does have the honor of naming me Mr. Indy....:D

My favorite memory is being in the winners circle celebration in 2005, and 2006! It was the experience of a lifetime that I hope to make a three-peat this year.

gavl8.jpg
 
1994 - 40th Anniversary race where I was able to take my dad to Indy on his only overseas trip.

Due to lifelong diabetes his eyesight was beginning to fail, making life difficult.

We fought the whole way there from Australia - he actually almost didn't get on the plane in Melbourne.

We arrived in Indy and caught a cab from the airport, arriving at the track with out luggage - we made the first ever night qualifying session with three or so Pro Stock pairs left to run, then Funny Cars and Top Fuel.

Having been there many times, I'd seen it all before but Dad, who gave me my love of drag racing, was blown away.

We were also there to see Aussie champ Graeme Cooper run in Stock, he loaned Bernie Cunningham's car, made class final and went a few rounds.

We hung with the Emmons family and Gerry won Stock - I was invited into the winner's photo (made ND). Then they took us out to dinner, incredible hospitality from people we'd only just met.

We also sank a couple of VBs - that's Victoria Bitter, a great beer that I brought a few over from Oz - with my mate, Dave Ostaszewski, and Jon Asher in the car park.

Dad was thrilled with the experience and everyone we met.

He also got to see Connie, who he was a huge, huge fan of from reading about him for so many years, win Top Fuel - Connie's only US Nationals victory.

My dad died when I was away racing in China two years ago but right up until then he cherished the photo of us at Indy standing next to Berrnie's 'Aussie' Nova.

Oh, he met Linda Vaughan too and spoke about that forever after!
 
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Pat Austin winning TAFC and then sneezing the blower in TF only to watch Bernstein go up in smoke at the hit. You could hear the whole crowd go "awwww sh*t!" when it happened. (I did go to Topeka later and watch him win both there though)
 
I have 2, both of which I was lucky enough to actually be there and be part of.
Hanging out in the pits with my Friends Della Woods, De Nichols, Dean & Bernie on the tail end of her driving career when they were running the '87 Dodge Daytona body.

A few years later, when Della's "Neighbor" - and also a buddy of mine... the late Wayne Bailey, as he inadvertently sent Lee Beard & Gary Ormsby packing in a stunning 1st round upset at the biggest race of the year, and the biggest win of his life. I wish I could explain to you folks how freaked out he was after that one!!!! LOL Good times, great memories.
 
My First Indy was '92, and seeing Kenny lay down the First 300 MPH pass there the place Went Nutz!

Seeing the Reaction Norm Wilding got after doing a 1000' Burnout in the First round in '92!

The Power outage during Friday night qualifying in '96, the Fans on Opposite sides of the Stands were Chanting "Taste great....Less Filling!"

Seeing the Dissapointment the fans had in '02 when Don Garlits was bumped out by that Japanese TF driver who drove Robert Reehl's car with a 4.76. That would be the Last time Garlits ran Indy!

Hearing Dave McClellan in the Tower demanding that if the driver of the car blocking someone behind the Tower doesn't get it moved, it will be dissasembled and sent back to Japan!!!!
 
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