My first Indy race

Not only was this my first race out at the speedway it was my first circle track race! It was a lot of fun. I had gotten free tickets to the race as one of the Marlboro promotions. They teamed up with the Penske Racing Team and gave away a bunch of seats and a bag full of stuff. This is the second Marlboro promotion I have been to. The first was also out at the track but it wasn't during race day. We were able to go ride in a nascar vehicle around the track at high speeds. Then we got to ride along in a drift course. But that is a topic for another post.

Kristen's brother and I both got the promotions for the ride-along but he didn't receive tickets to the race. So I took him this time. We got out to the track and found the ticket redemption tent. We walked in and they gave us both bags full of stuff. Things like a disposable camera, Penske hats, binoculars and a voucher for a free headset so we can listen to the drivers during the race. We were too late though to get headsets. They ran out as we were walking up to the booth.

I never realized how loud the races really were. It wasn't that any one car was too loud but when they started grouping up together it got pretty loud. And the high pitched noise didn't help! Overall we spent about 3 or 4 hours at the track. That was plenty for me. I don't think I will be a die-hard race fan but it was a great experience to get to go at least once. Danika Patrick (sp?) was racing but didn't finish due to vehicle issues. Also the rocket man was there. He flew the start flag from the pit to the starting booth using his jet pack. Pretty impressive for a 30 second flight!