Through the years there have been changes at the track. The snake pit is gone, the streakers are gone, the hippies are gone but the vastness of it all still remains. Today was Fast Friday as all the drivers would be preparing for Pole Day tomorrow. Intended to pull the little guy out of school to spend the day at the track but, wouldn't you know it, the school was having a program the boy did not want to miss! And quite frankly the weather turned rather chilly and damp after a couple of days of rain. Will have to hit it next week!
I have photos here of me and Johnny Rutherford, Bobby Unser and AJ Foyt. I actually worked for my local newspaper in the 80s and 90s as a freelance photographer so it put me in some very interesting places! You got any idea how HARD it was to get AJ's autograph?
I took a nice close up of AJ the next to last year he raced and had him sign a 11X14 the next year. He mellowed over time but was still a commanding personality at the Speedway and still remains so today.
I have a tremendous amount of memories from the track through the years and, like Vegas, what happens at the track stays at the track.
And of course, years ago, there was NOT much more going on in Indiana so the month of May was our Hoosier Xmas!!! Only it was almost 30 days long!
When I was younger the definition of having a good time at Indy was described like this.
"If you wake up in the middle of 17th street wearing a Marion County Sheriffs Deputy's shirt you had a good time!"
Now Old Dan, I think the boy MUST have seen Danica on TV or a magazine or something? She ain't no bigger than a minute but boy is it a good lookin' minute!!!
