This year I was able to continue my tradition of attending the road course race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Mother’s Day weekend. This has become such a fun way to spend time with my boys and do exactly what I want on my special day. Unfortunately, Matthew was unable to join Zach and I. How dare these kids grow up.
I drove down to Indy on Friday morning so I could attend qualifying but Zach had a flight lesson (he is working on getting his private pilot license) so he drove up Friday evening. On Friday, I walked through the garage a couple times before finding seats up in turn one of the oval for qualifying. I saw Conor Daly and was able to get a picture. As I left the garages I made my way to the Indy NXT garages to find Scott on the HDM team. It’s always fun to catch up with him at the races.
I love sitting high in the paddock boxes for qualifying. If i could afford those seats I would attend the 500 every year. I enjoyed a snack, the beautiful day and cars on track. Alex Palou won the Pole and he is Zach’s favorite so that was fun. After qualifying I walked back to Pagoda Plaza in hopes of seeing James Hinchcliffe but no luck. I watched the start of the Indy NXT race and then left to get settled at my friend, Lisa’s for the week plus I am in town. Zach arrived around 8:00.
Race Day
I let Zach sleep in sine we had plenty of time before the 3:30 green flag. We arrived at the track and set up our chairs in our usual spot near turn 7. We watched the end of the Indy NXT race and made our way to Pagoda Plaza to grab some lunch for Zach. We checked out the gift shop and the fan village and walked by the corvette parking to take in all the sights before the race.
It was a beautiful day. The sun was warm but plenty of cloud coverage to keep you cool. Zach chose Alex Palou and I chose Will Power for the win. It wasn’t an overly exciting race but the day was still very enjoyable. Palou won and Power was second. Christian Lundgaard continues to impress on the Rahal team and finished third. I owe Zach a Starbucks for his win with Palou.
We made our way back to Pagoda Plaza in hopes of seeing Hinch but missed him again. We did see Allen Bestwick and friends, Jeff and Maggie. They love Will Power so were there to celebrate the podium finish. Zach and I made the long trek back to the car and enjoyed dinner at home while watching Survivor (something we always do together). We also took a late night drive in hopes of seeing the Northern Lights but had no luck.
Mother’s Day
I woke Zach up around 10:00 so we could go to breakfast at Charlie Brown’s in Speedway. There were open seats at the bar so we didn’t have to wait for a table. Zach asked as we sat down if any famous drivers were there. I started to respond that i didn’t see any but as I turned to tell Zach, I noticed he was sitting next to Bryan Herta. Bryan won a handful of races in Cart and IndyCar before starting his own team. He was won the Indianapolis 500 twice as an owner with drivers, Don Wheldon and Alexander Rossi. Bryan did not even make eye contact when I said his name so we did not bother him at breakfast. I couldn’t resist taking a sly picture though. Per my usual, I started a conversation with the men sitting on my side asking if they were race fans. Turns out they both work for Team Penske and offered a bit of insight in the Push to Pass drama. Of course they were very vague but did say it was a mistake and the one who made the mistake is just distraught over it. Maybe one day we will truly know the whole story but for now I am ready to move on and trust that it was the end of any wrong doing, intentional or not. As we were finishing our breakfast we saw good friends, George and Susan Phillips. I chatted with them and hope to see more of them next weekend.
Zach and I then went to IMS to get my Mother’s Day gift. The gift shop is smaller and I didn’t really need anything so I told Zach I would see what I might be able to find during the week. We ran into Bob, who often helps with my trivia contest every year and I told him how I have a piece of the museum at my house now.
One last stop across the street at the photo shop but it was closed.
Zach got on the rode for home around 2:00 and I enjoyed a quiet afternoon, talking to my sis and taking a walk. Lisa arrived home from a weekend with her family around 10:00 pm.
It was a wonderful weekend and now it’s time for practice for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing! I can’t wait!