#alunser

As a small boy in May of 1971 my godfather, James Scott, took me to watch a closed circuit, live broadcast of the Indianapolis 500. I had already loved cars since I was just a baby. Yet sitting in the huge darkened auditorium, I fell in love with motor racing; specifically with these 4-wheeled missiles that screamed around the track in this spectacle they called ‘The Indy 500’. Al Unser won that race in the Johnny Lightning Special. Every year since then, no matter where I was in the world, I’ve made a point to watch this amazing race.

 This past winter, while I was on assignment in the city, in a moment way too many years in coming, I finally made it to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. When the morning finally came to visit the track, I was first in the first bus for the track tour. Heading out onto the track on that crisp clear morning I felt a rush of emotion that I have seldom encountered. It was indescribably exciting to be actually on the famous track, seeing first hand what I had watched on television in places all over the world, as an audio recording of iconic former track president Tony Hulman said the famous words ‘gentlemen start your engines’.