Greatest Spectacle in Disappointment

This Sunday Indianapolis hosts the famed Indy 500 IRL race. But sadly, the excitement is not there. I've been to my share of 500s and the events surrounding this year's race have been nothing less than lackluster. I remember in years gone by the crowds of people at the track during practice, people skipping work on a regular Wed. to watch cars circle the track, and people so drunk off their asses you couldn't help but wonder what would happen next. But viewing the brief clips on the news over the past few weeks, I'm hard up to spot more than a handful of spectators at any event, including qualifying.

While I'm by no means a race fan, there's something disappointing about the fall of this event. Because that's exactly what it was. An event. My dad had over 20 years of races under his belt when he decided not to buy tickets for this year. In years past he would return from the race and immediately order tickets for next year because they were sold out the next day. Now you can walk up to the gate the day of the race and purchase a ticket.

And now, thanks to the IRL/CART split, it's just a race. There's no buildup, no anticipation, and they can hardly fill the field. "Bump day" used to be exciting to watch as drivers who were bumped out of the race scurried to get together a new car to try to get back in. The lines to qualify would be backed up to the point that drivers didn't know if they would even make it onto the track before qualifications closed. This year they could go at any time they wanted because chances were they were the only ones even thinking about entering the track.

Thankfully I'll be out of the country and won't get to see the race this year. But I don't really much care. There's no one I can get behind as the underdog or the established driver still fighting for that first Indy win. In sum, it's just not what it used to be.