Fast Friday revs up fan excitement as the Indy 500 approaches

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indy 500 is officially a little more than a week away.

As the big day approaches, Fast Friday marks the start of the greatest week in racing for many 500 fans. Crowds poured into Indianapolis Motor Speedway eager to watch some of the top speeds and ready to start their racing celebration.

As the engines rev and roar, it can be hard to hold back the emotion and excitement.

“I get cold chills just talking about it,” said race fan Eric Barnes.

“It’s the greatest thing in the world, honestly,” Indy 500 fan Chris Parker said.

Many diehard Indy 500 still recall their very first time at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. They remember their first race like it was yesterday.

“1969,” recalled race fan Jay Russell, as he looked back on his very first Indy 500.

“My first race was 1980,” Barnes answered.

“The first year that my husband and I were engaged in 1989 was my first actual race,” Indy 500 fan Dawn Parker said.

And year after year, those same diehard fans keep coming back.

“I missed 1989 because I had a broken ankle,” Russell reminisced. “Obviously I missed 2020 because the world was shut down. And I haven’t missed one since.”

But perhaps one of the most thrilling spectacles is watching that passion and love for racing cross over from one generation to the next.

“It’s just amazing,” Dawn Parker said, as she held her 9-month-old granddaughter Felicity. “To pass down all these memories and the love of the racetrack and the sounds of the cars. The boys always loved it, and now we’re raising her to love it.”

Fast Friday gives fans a one-of-a-kind look at racing. They get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what it takes to race. It gives their enthusiasm even more momentum.

“You get to see how hard these crews work and they work so hard on these cars whether they’re back in the garage or whether they’re out here,” Barnes described. “They come in. They make the changes they go back out.”

As the checkered flag brings Fast Friday to an end, it just reminds fans they are one day closer to the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

“There’s nothing like 15 minutes before the green flag,” Russell said. “That’s the best thing, just being in your seat, hearing the flyover. It’s just fabulous.”

“It’s what I look forward to every year,” Chris Parker said. “We kind of joke around in our family and say this is our Christmas.”

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