May 27, 2007
Hot Dogs, Popcorn, and a Skybox
The 91st. annual Indianapolis 500. Today history is in
the making. For the first time, three women will compete among
the field of thirty-three drivers. Fisher, Patrick, and Duno, each
with their own unique set of credentials, experience, and abilities.
A superficial look at the odds of a woman winning this years race
would be a one in eleven chance, but this is not true. We know from
past races that about a third of the contestants will not finish due
to mechanical problems, or mishaps. Of the remaining two-thirds
of the field, only about half of those will finish on the final lap. And
so it goes. A race of endurance, speed, and most of all, courage.
As we watch the festivities this holiday weekend, we are called upon
to remember our soldiers. At war on at least two fronts, we must be
mindful that in years past we were forced to forgo so many of the
luxuries that we enjoyed in times of peace. The rationing of food,
gasoline, and holiday festivities such as this race. We could not be
more grateful to our nations soldiers, who have risked everything to
fight for freedom, in the past and today. Mindful that energy is so
vital to society today, it is with a great deal of pleasure that I call
your attention to this years use of Ethanol in not just this race, but
the entire season. The speedway and the entire league has undergone
a great deal of effort to convert these automobiles to Ethanol and they
must be recognized for their efforts. Rightfully, we must ask ourselves;
if these high-speed race cars can use Ethanol, then why are we not using
Ethanol in our cars today. Is it because we did not recognize the need,
or, is it because we have become lazy and complacent, content to fill up
at the pumps without questioning ourselves and the industry itself. I can
not answer for you, though Mr. George and the Indy Racing League has
answered for themselves and have risen to the call. So then, perhaps we
owe a debt of gratitude not just to our nations soldiers, for their efforts
to defend freedom; but a debt of gratitude to Mr. George and the Indy Racing
League for showing us that there is an alternative to our nations oil dependency.
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Robert Frost
1874-1963
Speedway. Two straightaway's five-eights of a mile each,
two short chutes one-eight of a mile each, and four turns
each a quarter of a mile in length. In aggregate, a total of two and
one half miles. Most Americans, on a average day travel about
twenty-five miles. Each Indy driver today will do their best to travel
the entire 500 miles in just a couple of hours. That's twenty days worth
of an average American's driving, in a couple of hours. Multiply the stress
and problems you encounter each day in your family automobile by the
speed and the risk involved in driving these race cars the entire 500 miles
in one afternoon and you begin to appreciate the abilities of these
capable and dedicated professionals. From the first driver to the
thirty-third, each has spent years practicing their craft, working
to be the best, the quickest, and most importantly, the Winner
of today's race. This year I will be watching two drivers, Roth
and Manning. Roth; a privateer, bringing his own car to the race
without major sponsorship and standing alone as a owner/driver.
Manning; returning after an absence, to race for the most
experienced driver at the speedway today, Mr. Foyt. If experience
pays at today's race, and everyone there will tell you-it does-
then Mr. Foyt, in his fiftieth year at Speedway holds an
unparalleled advantage to his nearest competitor.
W. Marshall Moseley
2007 All Rights Reserved
Frost, Robert. "Stopped by Woods on a Snowy Evening"
Heath Anthology of American Literature Ed. Paul Lauter
fourth edition Boston: Houghton Mifflin 2002. pg. 1136
authors note: I encourage all who read my website to visit
the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. To enjoy the races, the
world class golf course, and the Museum, located at 4790
west 16th. Street, open 364 days a year. A modest fee
allows you to enjoy one hundred years of automotive history.
Additionally, Roger McCluskey honored us with his skill and
his presence at Speedway. To my knowledge, he was
never a 'Desperate Housewife'.
May 25, 2008
Hot Dogs, Popcorn, and a Skybox
The 92nd. annual Indianapolis 500.
April 2017
The late Dan Wheldon's car, whom was killed later in an unjustified accident at Las Vegas.
The absolute stupidest thing I have ever seen in open wheel racing - a camouflaged race car.
The largest part of the impetus to discontinue interest in the Indy Racing league. The essay
continue as part of the Columbine legacy, although it appears groupthink leaves us no more safe
in a IndyCar than in the classroom.
May 30, 2010
Hot Dogs, Popcorn, and a Skybox
Colloquial Terms
Chicane: Webster's defines it as chicanery - trickery or
deception. Used in Motor Sports with inferior
track design, a device to impede traffic.
Booing: Uncouth behavior perpetrated by unruly and
uninitiatded fans who have yet to witness a
bona fide Racing Incident.
Racing Incident: A term used as a polite substitute for an
ugly motor sports accident.
Vitor Meira: Veteran driver who attempted to test the
Catch Fence during last years race.
A.J. Foyt: Congenial owner who has allowed his
driver a second attempt.
Catch Fence: A barrier designed to protect spectators
from drivers who recieve a subjective
lesson in Aerodynamics as a result of
a Racing Incident.
General Admission: A subjective lesson in seating choice
and Aerodynamics.
The 94th Annual Indianapolis 500. Here's an idea,
let's open the IRL Season in a Brazilian rainforest
during a monsoon, at the height of summer.
To make it interesting, let's grind the concrete in the
front stretch the night before the race, leaving a layer
of concrete dust on the track. Then wait until the rain
has left just enough moisture to provide a huge cloud of
liquid concrete before starting the race. And if blinding
and choking the drivers, engines, and spectators isn't
enough excitement, let's funnel all the drivers into an
undersized chicane at the end of the frontstretch.
photo credit Laberge/Getty
Welcome to the First Annual Randy Bernard All Star Road Show.
"Oh my god, this is unbelievable...I never knew how much danger..."
Quoting IRL CEO Randy Bernard during a Versus interview May
23 on his impressions of the Race at San Paulo and Indy Cars.
There are exactly 33 people more important than Randy Bernard
at today's race. More important in promotion of the sport, drawing
fans, and ensuring the success of the series and the IRL. That's the
drivers; Scott Dixon, Helio Castroneves, and all the way through
the field to our last place starter Tony Kanaan. That's why debacles
like San Paulo should be recognized and prevented. And when drivers
lives are needlessly placed in jeopardy for the sake of promotion of
the sport there is a need to examine the actions of the racing league.
This is a sport that does not enjoy promotion, but rather suffers it.
Formula 1's leading team - Red Bull Racing - is a team originally
created by Sir Jackie Steward, a former Indy Commentator who speaks
about safety in the book Driven to Win discusses these issues in this video.
A single point in the Nelson Ratings is not an equitable
arrangement for a drivers life. It is not an excuse.
It is not an excuse for poor planning, and clueless
promotion by a sanctioning body in search of popularity.
The responsibility for ensuring the safety of the driver
and the spectator rests with everyone involved, including
the governing board or sanctioning body. Everything
must be done to assure that the responsibility of an accident
if any, rests in the hands of the drivers, and only the drivers.
Copyright 2010
W. Marshall Moseley
2011
The 95th Indianapolis 500
This years essay is dedicated to the memory of
Tom Carnegie
September 25, 1919 - February 11, 2011
Authors forward:
It is worthwhile to note, the first essay, written with a certain
amount of zeal contained exactly 309 words, excluding the title.
Having spent the last two years explaining the title to my viewers,
you would think I take this essay seriously. No, not really.
PLEASE
DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE
Hot Dogs, Popcorn, and a Skybox
The 95th annual Indianapolis 500. A look at the past 100 years of
racing at IMS courtesy of their websites, a survey of today's race,
and a glimpse of the possibilities and probabilities of the next 100 years.
An infant not yet old enough to walk, a stranger would come into our
house. When he spoke - conversations were halted mid-sentence or
dropped, guests dare not speak, whatever was at hand was ignored,
inconviencences and animosities forgotten; the ear of every family
member and houseguest were held in absolute perfect attention for
the words " And they're on it ". Then it was on radio - later in
broadcast, but as I look back no other person on earth held my
family's attention the way Tom Carnegie did. People were born,
people died, and the talking continued; Tom Carnegie spoke and there
was silence, or else. Born in 1900, my grandfather would tell me
stories of Indy as a child growing up, and I would wait patiently each
year for Tom's voice to once again fill our home. Born in Chicago, my
mother, like my grandfather, rarely -if ever- missed an Indianapolis
500; they moved from Chicago to Rantoul, and from there to Indiana,
if they were not in attendence they listened to it on the radio. I can't
think of a time that I have ever missed a race; in all of the three
generations, my family has missed less than a handful of the 95
races. Tom Carnegie started announcing in '46, so I never knew any
other announcer until ABC began their broadcast, and then we still
listened to Tom on the radio. He was to us, family.
Tradition. This race is a tradition as important to my family as it is to
Indianapolis and the State of Indiana. For Hoosiers, it really is not
about the money it draws - it's about the race, the tradition; Hoosiers
would demand it be held even if it lost money. Honor. Tom Carnegie
gave 60 years to this track, often without compensation, always
without complaint. If you were to look up Honor in Websters, it
should have a picture of Tom Carnegie. The honor today at the
Speedway goes beyond that. It is found on the track. This is not
some 'bump and run slugfest'. Racers compete side by side, within
inches of each other at speeds over 200 miles per hour, in a
gentlemanly manner. That is the honor that sets Open-Wheel racing
above the lesser motorsports. Honor is found in the Speedway
management, who have graciously provided a venue over the last
100 years to honor our nations soldiers. It's found in the attendees,
who return year after year, irregardless of the previous years
outcome. It is the tradition and honor that make this race
'America's Greatest Race'.
Throughout the Speedways two websites; Indycar.com and
Indianapolismotorspeedway.com are a vast and entertaining vault of
archives. The history is open to anyone wishing to view them. I
cannot compliment their exhaustive presentation in this essay, so I
invite you to peruse them at your leisure. Donald Davidson, the
Museum's curator is a excellent steward of the vast collection, and a
trip to the Speedway museum is -in and of itself- worthy of your time.
32. That was the number Ray Harroun carried to victory in the first
500 mile race. It is not difficult to see the Marmon as a rolling brick
compared to today's Dellara. Yet I cannot say that today's race will
be more interesting than the 1911 race. Despite the advances, the
increased speed, the drama, tension, and crowds; the very first 500
was just as interesting as this one will be. One hundred years has
changed the cars, the drivers and the crowds, but it has not changed
this race - not in the least, nor do I expect that it ever will.
The Driver mistakes made last year not yet forgotten, this years field
will encounter dramas identical to last year. Can I finish without a
mechanical breakdown, can I finish with the fuel I have, can I pass
the car ahead, can I keep it off the fence, can I make a perfect pit
stop, can I pass on the outside, can I make my marks in turn four,
can I trim the wing down enough to win. These are the dramas that
make the race five hundred miles of agony for most, and four
hundred ninety-nine miles of agony for the winner.
This race marks a pivotal point in the development of the sport.
Beginning next year, teams will have an opportunity to purchase any
of several Aerodynamic packages specially prepared for each race
by outside development companies. This brings a new level of parity
to the sport. The dominance seen over the last decade of the major
teams such as Penske and Ganassi will likely be eroded. Smaller
teams, with little or no funding for wind tunnel testing will be afforded
the expertise of high-end Aerodymanic testing. This will bring the
anticipated change of better competition, and it will be bring about other
changes as well. For those of you, like myself, who have tired of the
mid two-twenties we have seen over the last several years, better
Aerodynamics will bring increased speed. Depending on testing and
advances, we could easily see speeds back in the low two-thirties
next year. A single rule change is now responsible for the creation of
a new and exciting industry, Automotive Aerodynamic Design. The
last two decades of the sport have been difficult, to say the least; I
welcome this change, and thank IndyCar for showing unprecedented
foresight in the development of the sport and helping to bring about
the creation of new jobs and a new industry. Thank you IndyCar.
Magneto. During his formative years, Albert Einstein studied
Magnetos, it was his introduction into physics. The magnetos used
on Ray Harroun's Marmon are relics, replaced with modern day
buss harnesses and high powered batteries. What technological
advances will the next hundred years bring ? What speeds ? I can
only look back upon the last one hundred years of racing for those
answers; believing that -today's ultra-sophisticated cars will
look like a rolling brick compared to the winner of the 2111 race.
Copyright 2011
W. Marshall Moseley
May 27, 2012
Hot Dogs, Popcorn, and a Skybox.
The 96th annual Indianapolis 500.
August 23rd., 2020
Hot Dogs, Popcorn, and a Skybox
The 104th. annual Indianapolis 500.
Free form. The order of the day, the race this year, humanity in general, and this essay. I have always
believed the term 'free thinking' as synonymous with 'eclectic'. But here is the entire human race, in
a free thinking mode, fighting to survive. Gone are the rote traditions that we cling to as a reassurance
to our mundane daily routine. And here were are, attending one of America's most enduring traditions.
I cannot recall ever having missed a race, so my streak is at 59. Not attending in person, but on the
shortwave radio, or on AM radio, or a network broadcast. One way or another, attending live, every year.
A tradition that holds me to my faded youth, my parents, grandparents and extended family. Just a tradition.
This year will mark the closest Detroit has ever come to having a defined foothold on the Speedway.
With new ownership by whatshisname, with a long history of ties with Detroit, they inch closer to
securing ridiculously repetitive and free advertising. So, as the Andretti's thank Honda, so should you.
Like the networks, the 'BIG THREE' brings a very different meaning to competition.
Please, enjoy the race. Hope to see you next year.
There is, by design, a little 'Back home in Indiana' in this picture.
August Twentieth
Phi Theta Kappa
May, Two Thousand Eight
