Indy 500 culture

“When I won my first race, I wasn’t allowed to spray champagne because I was underage. So Dave [Letterman, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing] decided to send me some.”

The Voice winner and Indy resident will join made-for-TV couples for the Memorial Day Weekend festivities.

Check out Shoup’s photos for up-close looks at some of IndyCar’s biggest stars—Helio Castroneves, Marco Andretti, James Hinchcliffe, Simon Pagenaud, Bronte Tagliani, and more.

No. 9: “Be open to meeting new people. We are Hoosiers with hospitality. And if you lose a flip-flop, don’t stress. You will probably find one as you’re leaving.”

Thackston is the newest member of the public-announcer crew at IMS—and only the third woman in the track’s 100-plus-year history to hold such a position.

On Indy 500 style: “Bikini tops are definitely a don’t. This year, crop tops are really in, so maybe high-waisted shorts or pants and a crop top is a classier version. “

“He’s pretty quiet on the radio. If he starts talking a lot, that usually means something has gone wrong.”

Since the first time Nabors faced an Indianapolis 500 crowd in 1972 and crooned the lyrics from notes scribbled hurriedly on his hand, we have embraced the Southern-bred baritone as one of our own.

Why race fans will spend up to $1,100 for a four-night stay in a tent.

Month of May festivities will ramp up to performances by rockers Sammy Hagar and Sublime With Rome, followed by the eardrum-shaking beats of NERVO, Dillon Francis, and Hardwell in the infield during the Indy 500 race itself.

Meet the Flockers—Indy’s urban chicken farmers—plus look back on Indy 500 Snake Pit hijinks, the State Fair food romp, and a pair of brew-drenched events.

A web- and app-based photo album of nearly everything imaginable was born, including images of glittery nails, inebriated couples smooching (Snakepit, ahoy!), and one Mike Tyson holding an “Indy 500 or Bust” sign.

As containers of liquor and beer emptied, small groups of revelers married into one loving bunch. My challenge amidst the fray: to stay starkly sober as partiers raced each other to the finish line of utmost intoxication.

This year welcomed the inaugural Fashion in the Fast Lane event, hosted by the Indy Family Foundation. The show replaced the popular, long-running CARA Charities fashion soiree, previously held the Thursday before the Indianapolis 500. (CARA ceased operations earlier this year.)

Think of it as the Gideons of IndyCar, a nondenominational operation not hell- but rather heavenbent on sharing the gospel with as many folks as possible in motorsports, including some drivers, with testimonials on its website from a few drivers to boot.