May Madness

Four tips for when your boyfriend wins the Indy 500

The fate twist was all the more poignant this afternoon, when perennial oh-so-close finisher Tony Kanaan, who had previously placed fifth or better five times, finally raised the Borg-Warner Trophy.

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.

Actors aplenty—Michael Peña, Tim Daly, Mike Epps (an Indy native)—plus gymnastics greats Shawn Johnson and Jordyn Wieber, Olympic gold medalist Tyler Clary, Colts punter Pat McAfee, fan favorite Jim Nabors, members of bands Foreigner and Live, and more

Helio. Simona. JR. Susie Wheldon. They’re all here, and Kate Shoup got up close and personal with each of them for IM’s May Madness blog.

Q: Have you ever been star-struck at your own party? A: When President Clinton was at my house, that was the greatest impression anyone has ever made on me. He was amazing—gobs of charisma. But I really don’t get star-struck anymore at my age.

The stars on hand picked favorites in Sunday’s running of the Indy 500, told stories, and shared laughs, all in high spirits the night before the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

Drivers, celebrities, and more notables kicked off Saturday with a celebratory breakfast at 10:30 a.m. Without time to spare for digestion, they settled into their designated convertibles with significant others, family, and—in Helio Castroneves’s case—buddies. Pleased, Ms. Judd?

Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee, no stranger to controversy and ever the huckster, even left his car at one point to take a photo with a fan sporting a shirt with McAfee’s “Boomstick” moniker emblazoned on it. And that was just about the biggest “incident” of the event, which was otherwise marked by periodic stop-and-go float traffic—horse droppings, you know.

Many of these stars approached fans who called out, patiently taking photos with them and signing papers, shirts, and whatever else was handed their way.

The Indianapolis 500: It’s fast! It’s exciting! It’s … well, it’s a real sausage fest.

Among more than 200 applicants, Allison Jacob was crowned this year’s 500 Festival Queen at the Breakfast at the Brickyard on May 18. The three-month process whittled down those applicants to 32 princesses and a queen who serve as ambassadors of the 500 Festival and the Indianapolis 500. The young women selected represent 21 Indiana communities and nine Indiana colleges and universities.

About two thousand onlookers attended as Pence, Ballard, and General Daniel B. Allyn—who earlier this month became the 20th commander of the U.S. Army Forces Command—addressed the fallen, surveyed the present, and glanced at the future. “I wonder how many times that scenario has played out—the last hug, the last kiss before heading off to war,” says Mayor Ballard. “Sometimes, though, it really is the last war, the last kiss. And that is why we are here today.”

No word yet on possible Indy appearances by any of the movie’s other marquee stars, including Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Maya Rudolph, and Snoop Dogg.

Speedway PD Lt. Trent Theobald has some simple advice for fist-pumping partiers: “There are plenty of options available—get a cab, take the bus, or have someone pick you up.”