Last one was '04 at Milwaukee for me. Dario Franchitti won. We actually went to see the USAC Silver Crown and Midget races the day before and went back for the IndyCars. I really do not wish to spend the $$$ on going anymore. The local dirt scene is more than good enough for me.

However.... I do remember my first IndyCar race very well. Having followed NASCAR for decades (let me finish before you go berserk) and religiously going to the MIS races in the infield, my friend and I decided to go check out the CART race one year. 1994. It was about 95⁰F out. We took a big cooler of beer with us, parked, and started walking towards the tunnel. We were told time after time, "You can't take that huge cooler in there."

Our repeated response was, "We are going in the infield," followed by many confused looks from fans.

Well, we walk into the infield, plop down in Turn 2, and unlike a NASCAR race, the infield is barren. Only a few fans around the perimeter from Turn 2 to Turn 3. No wonder the majority had no idea about the infield cooler policy. No one was in it.

The race starts and the cars come through Turn 2 for the first lap. MAN were they fast! I take a sip, look around, and in what seemed a blink of an eye, ZOOOOOM..... they were going past us again! Took about HALF the time the stock cars took to come around.

The true sense of speed was an incredible rush. And the lack of noise (turbo era).

It is one thing zipping down a straightaway to 200+ mph. Seeing it through a high banked corner like MIS was another level of rush. Alex Zanardi took honors that day in a Ganassi car.

Sure do miss MIS on the schedule. If they came back, I could probably be talked back in to going again. Until then..... T.V.

Good topic, Rich. Thanks for starting it.

But you can pronounce Boespflug, Schuerenberg, Rutherford, Abreu, Blaney, Meseraull, Stambaugh, Saldana and Haudenschild just fine, right?

I agree with you and outside Indiana, it's a more common view than some posting would like to admit to. After the IRL era, it just became less appealing. It's funny how some argue how awesome the product is and just can't understand why there isn't a broader appeal. IMHO, the reason they don't get the numbers they once did is because this series has morphed to be more attractive to the demographic that likes road/street racing and enjoy wine & cheese(ultra rich). In reality they don't seem like they even belong at Indy at all anymore. No longer is there any discernable link connecting Indiana to Indy.

I went to all the Richmond races. Good stuff. say what you want, the old IRL style pack racing was just plain exciting. Even though I grew up watching with my dad in the 80's, the pack racing hooked me. Those guys had 50 pound balls between their legs. I still never miss a race, but these days its on tv. My kids would love to see them on an oval, but St. Pete is all we get here in FL. IMO until they just open the gates at ovals for free, crowds will be small. They could add an extra $.50 to all the concessions and make more money than they do now.

I know I was super ecstatic the day we traded in Andretti, Villeneuve, Sullivan, Rahal, Vasser, Fittipaldi, and Unser, Jr for such greats as Racin Gardner and Dr. Jack The Teeth Miller. I had a huge Crest toothpaste flag signed by the great Dr. Miller that I would take to the races and fly over my tailgating camp.

I always thought that whole 33 fastest thing was a little outdated as well. I nearly tripped over my Johnson when the 25 and 8 rule was announced. Those Lolas and Reynards with their sinister Buicks, Ford Cosworths, Hondas, and Illmor-Mercedes? I mean seriously? What kind of American institution allows a bunch of Nazis badge a British engine? It was such a relief when they got rid of all those un-American chassis and engines for companies with strong American ideals and unwavering devotion to God, country, and family.....Dallara and Infiniti....

Here's how much I know about modern Indy racing: A couple of years ago I followed Franchitti's hauler from near Knoxville, Iowa most of the way across Nebraska, & had to Google him to find out who he was...
Haven't followed it since the 1960s, but don't let me rain on your parade. If I was in Indiana & someone gave me a ticket, I would definitely go

Brickyard still trolling away. For someone who professes to be an expert on this particular topic you add so little of value. Bellicosity roll on. I suggest you head over to Racer Mag along with Road & Track and cancel your lifetime subscription to Sprint Car & Midget!

I know that the 500 is the biggest race in the world! BC was our man as an open wheeler and there is NO replacement for him! Love the biggest race in the world or hate it! I lost my voice yelling for him last year and miss him like a man that put one one him in the Blair Lyster race at camden! What a race that was Tim and I came from 18th place to win! Most of you guys don'thave the passion that BC did!

I was thinking the same thing, captrat. All that warm and fuzzy speculatory rhetoric that ol' Dan and his buddies conjured up back in the day certainly has stayed with this guy a long time.

Bitterness like that can only be sustained from having a plum position and a corner office with CART that faded like a dry wine fart in a whirlwind back in '08. LOL!

https://twitter.com/m_glendenning/st...42353669980161

Yep, obviously no one is interested in a foreigner....there were over 80K on the YouTube stream during a period of no track action when I took a look at lunch. https://twitter.com/m_glendenning/st...42353669980161

Has it ever occurred to those few of you beating the dead horse, dismissing facts, and making accusations of trolling and CART employment that it's in the shape it's in because:

1. Competition level was lowered.
2. Tradition was destroyed by coming up with a rule that would ensure certain folks got in?
3. Tobacco money was lost.
4. It ended up going the route of spec with lower powered higher downforce machines that while manufacturing close comp it did create some outright dangerous and stupid racing?
5. A horrible TV deal that's taken them out of the eyes of the public?
6. A strong fanbase was fractured to the point that some aren't ever coming back? Fans that would have turned on a younger generation?

I was at Road America last summer, a place that some claim has no business in American racing....a place that shouldn't be popular with Americans....because it's all oval, all the time. Strong crowd. I also ran into more than a few folks who felt like it was the first time since this whole mess began that an apology of sorts from both sides was being made. Due to the resistance to sit down and compromise they are having to rebuild from the ground up and it's probably not going to get done in the manner you want. So I ask again, if this was all about preserving ovals and hardcore dirt under the fingernails American racers, why aren't we there 22 years later? I think you know the answer, you just refuse to admit it.

We have a world class race that we should proud of and shouldn't shut it off just so we can see who we want in it. I think I can speak for many people, judging by what I'm seeing online....what we are seeing happen this month is what a lot of use feel like got robbed from us. Never did I think after 1996 I would get to see a driver of this caliber still in their prime take a risk by changing discipline and coming over to compete against the best our form of this sport has to offer. This is the kind of stuff that place is about, what this series should be about. If were are going to pump this up as a world class race then this is the stuff that should be happening.