Two-Seater Ride

Shortly before my birthday this past November, I hinted to my husband that a great gift for me would be a two-seater ride in an IndyCar. It’s something I’ve definitely thought about but between the price and the scheduling of it I never got it done. So even though I had suggested the gift I was completely shocked when I received a printout with all the two-seater options and 5 100 dollar bills. Now the ball was in my court.

The first decision was the easiest decision. I would book my ride on the oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The road course at Indy might be less terrifying and the course at Mid-Ohio or Road America might be beautiful but there is only one that has all the beauty, thrills and history all tied up in a magnificent two and a half mile oval. Definitely the easiest decision to make.

Next you have to choose the length of your ride, 2,3 or 4 laps. This should also seem like an easy decision but for me there were several factors to consider. The most obvious is price. Two laps costs $500. Three laps costs $650 and four laps is a whopping $750. Of course there are more costs to consider, gas, hotel and restaurants along the way. So I procrastinated on making that decision. If you are going through the effort of planning the ride you should just go for the max number of laps but my conservative side said I should just do the two laps. Another factor is fear. I don’t fear crashing, I fear passing out. How intense will the G-forces be. I used to love roller coasters but now at age 53, not so much. Will I be able to enjoy the ride or will it just make me feel awful and pass out? Another concern is my sleep. When I am excited for something I have a ton of trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. The trip I took to Indy in September with friends I hardly slept at all. If I was that excited to do a golf cart tour how will I ever sleep before a two-seater ride? I don’t dare take any sleeping pills because I would be too groggy the next day, but if I don’t sleep I will also feel horrible. So I continued to procrastinate so I could worry about these decisions later.

Another decision is when to book it. There are several dates in May and I plan to spend several of them at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway so that would make sense but for me those days are busy enough without the added “pressure” of the two-seater ride so May was not the answer. July was definitely not the answer. I didn’t confirm but I’m guessing it was over the NASCAR weekend so that was reason number one to not plan it in July. The heat was the second reason. I have no desire to attempt my ride in the sweltering July weather. However, they also offer dates in October and that sounds about perfect so if I can figure out the number of laps I can book in October.

So as the Christmas season neared, Facebook informed me of a deal offered by the Indy Racing Experience. Use the code Merry30 to receive 30% off your experience. Hmm. That just made the decision between 2 and 4 laps easier (or more complicated). I continued to procrastinate but put a reminder on my phone to book soon. I didn’t know how long the coupon offer went but assumed it was good through Christmas.

On Christmas morning I both received and gave several IndyCar gifts. I still had not made a decision on the two-seater ride. It wasn’t until much later that night after all the meal prep, eating and cleaning was done that I went up to the computer to finally make my decision. Randy and Sue had spent the day with us so as I began to book it Randy encouraged me to go for the 4 laps. I always knew it would be four but the fear factor has kept me from making that decision in real life. Well until Christmas night anyway. The discount brought the price down to $525.00 so I can’t go wrong there. I booked for the October date and not until 12:30 in the afternoon so hopefully I can get the sleep I need and not feel anxious about needing to fall asleep. While booking the experience, Randy decided that he wanted to do it too so we booked his for the same time as mine and that will definitely help me with my anxiety as we are getting ready for the ride.

If you’ve read this you are either laughing at how nervous I am or are wanting to reach out with advice and tell about your experience. I would greatly appreciate any tips or advice for making it an easier day for me with my anxiety. I also wonder if anyone knows which drivers do the two-seater rides at Indy. It will be quite awhile before I can let you all know how it went but a little time to get used to the idea that I’m doing it might not be a bad thing. I think I might need to plan a day at an amusement park and get myself on some roller coasters. Stay tuned!

Keeping the Memories of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum Alive

George Phillips of oilpressure.com is known for saying “change is bad”. Often I agree with him, but in one area we disagree. He is excited for the changes coming to the museum at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and I am not. It’s the one time George wants change. When it was announced that the museum was going to be getting a makeover I was hoping they would leave a lot of the old just the way it was and add on a new wing. However, that is not the case and it will be getting a complete renovation. All the things that make it special and nostalgic will be gone. I was crushed hearing the news.

I immediately made plans to get one last trip in to see the museum. When I suggested the idea to some girlfriends that had never been, they decided that would be a blast and we planned girls weekend in September. Six of us made the drive to Indy and stayed at an AirBNB within view of the Speedway. We could sit on the patio and see the Pagoda. I loved it. Saturday, we took a golf cart tour of the museum and saw areas I had never seen. We were on several floors of the Pagoda, Victory Circle and even the Media Center. We were able to go on both the oval and road course. We kissed, or pretended to kiss, the bricks and once the tour was done we went to the museum. I showed the girls my favorite cars and displays and we watched the movie in the museum theater. We sat in a car, tried on yellow shirts and danced in the Snake Pit. I pointed out the Timeline on the long wall with every winner of the Indianapolis 500 and thought that the timeline display would be what I would miss the most. I love standing at the beginning and look all the way down. Then I move up to 1970, the year I was born and sadly see how far away the current winner still is. Next I move on to 1985 and test myself by holding up a hand to block the next winner and make sure I still know the winners of each year from the first 500 I watched till the present. I love the history of the Speedway condensed down to a single wall and walk from the past to the present and look ahead and wonder about the future and who will be next on the wall and of course the Borg Warner Trophy.

I take several pictures when I am at the museum but there are only a few I take every time I am there. The Marmon Wasp, Dan Wheldon’s car, the Borg Warner Trophy and the timeline. Of all of those I’m sure the timeline pictures outnumber the others. So we made our final trip to the Museum and I took it all in one last time. Those who know me will not be surprised that I teared up as I walked out of the building the last time. The first time I walked in was with my dad. Even though I was only there with him once I still think of him every time.

Fast forward to about a week ago and I saw a post on Facebook for Earl’s Auctions in Indianapolis. I’ve seen their auctions before as they often have items from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Usually what I see are signs for concessions or the bathroom or maps of the Speedway. I clicked on the link and saw some golf carts and pictures and quickly realized I recognized them from the museum. As I scrolled through the list I saw the 10 foot by 5 foot metal signs that made up the timeline. Each section was being auctioned off individually. Current bids were quite low and I made a note to keep an eye on them but assumed they would be out of my price range within a few days.

I talked myself out of bidding several times because of the size of the boards. I have a wall large enough to hang one, even two, but transporting them would be a different story. The bids closed on a Saturday night and then pick up was the following day. Shipping wasn’t an option and failure to pick up during the pick up window would result in forfeiting the board and a permanent ban for future auctions. Then I realized the first and last boards of the timeline were only 6 feet long. The price was low on all the boards and the more I thought on it the more excited I got. Friday I put my first bids on the smaller boards and was the highest bidder. I knew that the bidding would increase as the auction drew to an end but I remained hopeful.

Saturday evening I upped my bids because now I was really excited to own them but the first board quickly went above a price I was comfortable with and eventually sold at $510.00. I quickly made the decision to bid on the larger boards and put a bid of $100.00 on the board covering 1946-1956. I still was winning the last board so I didn’t place a bid on any other boards. We were at a friends house for dinner so I could not watch as intently as I wanted. The last board also rose above my max bid, but I won the 1946 board for a mere $41.00. Several of the boards went for under $100.00 and a part of me wishes I had bid on them. Since I already had to travel to get one board it would have been easy to pick up a couple more. I don’t have room in my house but the garage wall could house them too. However, I promise you that my husband is thankful we only have one.

I never could have even considered bidding on the boards if not for my cousin, Randy. He promised he would help pick them up and provided both the truck and trailer we needed to get them. I met him at his house at 6:30 a.m. and we drove to his friends where the trailer was stored. We drove back to his house thinking we would need to unload the trailer but decided that we would be able to leave the materials in it and still have room for the board. It was a windy and drizzly day but traffic was light and we had no problems on our drive to Indy.

Pick up at Earl’s Auctions was super easy and within minutes after arriving I was the proud owner of a piece from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. So what did we do? We drove to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I had really wanted to take the board out of the trailer and stand with it by the fountain and take a picture with the museum in the back but the winds were too strong and we decided against it. I did open the trailer and attempt to get a picture but its not what I had wanted. We went into the gift shop and bought a couple things before heading to Main Street. We had planned to have a glass of wine at the Foyt Vault but it was closed for a private party so we went to Daredevil and met our friend, Lisa, there. We chatted and caught up and the decided on dinner at Big Woods. After dinner we drove home.

Once we reached home and Steve saw in person how large the board was he regretted telling me I should get it. Steve and Zach carried the board into the basement and set it against the couch. In a few days we will permanently mount in on the wall. I love it and it makes me smile every time I see it.

I had wanted the first board because of Ray Harroun. I wanted the last board because it was missing the 2023 winners and I planned to get pictures of the winners with me and Randy and fill in the board. I wanted the board with 1985 because that was my first Indy 500. However, the more I look at my board the more I love it. It has the years the Speedway was closed due to World War 2. It shows the condition the Speedway was in from the years of neglect. There is a great picture of Tony Hulman and Wilbur Shaw. The winners include back to back winners Mauri Rose and Bill Vuchovich. It was when the first museum opened and the medical center was built. It covers a lot of history and it brings up all the nostalgic feelings I have for the museum when I see it and read about that era. It’s a perfect piece for me to keep my memories of the old museum alive.

Once the board is up I hope to also put up some shelves and display some souvenirs I have collected over the years and make an IndyCar section in my basement. Steve might not agree but I’m hopeful.

Before wrapping up this post I have to thank Randy for all he did to make this possible. There is no way I could have done this without him and I am so grateful. Randy, I think this officially puts you in the “Super Fan“ category. It was a blast picking it up. Thank you so much!

A much smaller piece that I also won.