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Traditions of the Indianapolis 500

The Indianapolis 500 is the premier race of the IndyCar circuit and associated with it are a myriad of traditions that begin several days before the race. Some of these traditions are listed below.

-500 Festival Parade

This annual event was born from another huge racing event, the Kentucky Derby. Several columnists in the Indianapolis area wrote editorials about the pre-race celebrations that lasted for days. First held in 1957, the parade is run by a non-profit organization. The group actually organizes several civic events, but the most well known of these traditions is the 500 Festival Parade, held on the Saturday before the race. The popular event includes floats and marching bands and winds it way through downtown Indianapolis.

-The Brickyard

The Brickyard, or Yard of Bricks as some refer to it, opened in 1909 and is famous for the 3.2 million bricks that were used to re-pave the track’s original tar and gravel surface. Over time, asphalt was added to the track, covering up all but 650 yards of brick. In 1961, though, those bricks were mostly covered over as well, leaving just 3 feet of the brick, running the width of the track at the start/finish line. Since then, the track has been resurfaced many times, but when it is, a new group of the original bricks are laid down in that one spot.

-Yellow Shirts

The original long-sleeved, blue uniforms made of wool worn by the speedway’s safety patrol were uncomfortable and were replaced by 1975 with short-sleeved yellow shirts which were much more pleasurable to wear. At the same time, the old pith helmets gave way to baseball caps that are now so visible and recognizable to fans.

-11 Rows of Three

The field of 33 cars was set back in 1921 when it was decided to have one car in the race for every 400 feet of track. This has remained the constant in all but two years, 1979 and 1997.

-Bump Day

This qualifying day event refers to a driver’s last chance to get into the race. Once the field has been set and if time remains, the only way into the show is to ‘bump’ the slowest car already in the race. The slowest car is said to be ‘on the bubble’. Bump Day is no longer a one-day event since qualifying is done over multiple weeks. Now there is a bump day each weekend of qualifying.

-Carb Day

Essentially, this is a practice day when the field runs in race day trim. It’s generally on Friday before the Indy 500 is run and thus is limited to the drivers who have actually made the show. It got its name because a big part of the day was focused on the carburetor setup. Even though the last time a carburetor was actually used was in 1963, the name has stuck. Also on this day is a pit stop competition.

-Carb Day Concert

Various singers and groups have performed during Carb Day since 2000, so it’s a fairly new tradition. So far, the concert has been given by either a rock star or a rapper.

-Last Row Party

Held the Friday evening before the race, this celebration is a roast of the bottom three qualifiers. In other words, it’s usually the slowest trio in the field who are honored by being roasted. First held in 1972, the monies raised are donated to charity.

-Percussion Bomb

At 5 a.m. race day morning, a bomb is detonated to alert fans that the gates to the track are open. While other bombs used to be set off at various points during the day, this is the only tradition that continues.

-God Bless America

Five songs are traditionally sung during the pre-race ceremonies, including this one which is performed right before the national anthem. Florence Henderson is most closely associated with it. Henderson had actually started singing America the Beautiful in 1991, the number being added in a response to Operation Desert Storm. After 9/11, the song of choice was changed to God Bless America. She is expected to sing the song again in 2009 with Miss America, Katie Stam, singing America the Beautiful.

-”Back Home Again in Indiana”

This beloved song was first sung spontaneously by James Melton of the New York Metropolitan Opera Company in 1946. The crowd loved it, and he was invited back the next year. In 1948, the powers that be decided to have the song sung right before the drivers fired their engines. Many celebrities have performed the classic, but for all but a few years since 1972, Jim Nabors has sung it along with the Purdue University Band. In fact, one year after a rain delay, a recording from a prior year was used since Nabors had already left the state. He is scheduled to continue the tradition in 2009.

-Balloons Before the Start

Towards the end of Back Home Again in Indiana, thousands of balloons are released into the skies. Credit for the idea is given to Mary Fendrich Hulman, who made the suggestion.

-Military Fly-Over

Begun in consideration of Memorial Day, Taps is played before each race and a military fly-by occurs, most often in the missing man formation to honor those who have fallen in the line of duty. Originally, a preamble was spoken to honor not just those lost in combat, but those who had died in the sport of racing. During the past decade, however, the honor of the preamble has gone to government officials, including Colin Powell, who has done it twice.

-Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines

This famous phrase is spoken by a member of the Hulman family who owned the Indianapolis Speedway. Originally spoken as ‘Gentlemen, start your engines’ by Wilbur Shaw, the phrase was altered once females joined the circuit and began racing as part of the field. After Shaw’s death, the starting words have always been given by a Hulman. Since 1997, the honor has gone to Mari Hulman George.

-The Greatest Spectacle in Racing

Alice Greene, a copywriter for the radio network that aired the Indy 500 in its entirety, was the first one to coin this phrase. It was a way to cue engineers along the network that a commercial break was coming. She suggested the phrase, “Stay tuned to the Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” and so in 1955, chief announcer Sid Collins uttered the phrase on the radio for the very first time, and it’s been associated with the Indy 500 ever since.

-Pace Car

Track founder Carl Fisher is credited with the advent of the pace car back when the race was first run in 1911. He believed it would be better to have a pace car lead the large field around the track for an un-scored lap at a slow speed and then release the field via the flagman after the pace car pulled off the track. It’s been standard ever since. The race winner is traditionally given the keys to a replica of the pace car after the race or during the victory banquet. Today, the car, often driven by celebrities, leads the field around the track for two ceremonial laps and then one official lap to the green.

-Honorary Starter

In many years, a special guest has been asked to wave the green flag to officially start the race. In the last few years, it’s been a celebrity. Skater Kristi Yamaguchi was the 2008 starter.

-Winner’s Drink of Milk

The milk jug began unofficially in Victory Lane in 1936 when race winner Louis Meyer drank buttermilk in Victory Lane. It was something he did after a race to refresh himself. A dairy industry representative saw a picture of this the next day and thought it would be a great promotion for milk. It became a part of the victory routine between 1937 and 1941, was back again in 1946, and then became a permanent fixture in 1956.

-Winner’s Wreath

In 1960, a wreath of exotic dark-yellow and brown flowers was placed around winning driver Jim Rathmann’s shoulders. This was the start of the traditional wreath given to the winner of the race. During the last few decades, most of the wreaths have included 33 ivory-colored Cymbidium orchids with burgundy tips, plus 33 miniature checkered flags, intertwined with red, white and blue ribbons.

-Borg-Warner Trophy

The winner of each Indy 500 race has their image, name, average speed, and date of the victory added to this sterling-silver trophy. The trophy has had to be altered a couple of times to accommodate all the winners over the years and is insured itself for a large amount. A smaller replica referred to as ‘Baby Borg’ is given to the winning driver after the race.

-Victory Banquet

This is held on the Monday following the race and is attended by drivers, crews, and city officials, among others.

There are other elements that are considered traditional as well, such as Gasoline Alley, the Snake Pit, Fast Friday, the Purdue University All-American Marching Band, and the kissing of the bricks that was taken from NASCAR’s Dale Jarrett, who kissed the bricks following his 1996 win of that series’ Brickyard 400.

One thing is for sure. The Indianapolis 500 is knee deep in tradition, both old and new.

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