The Month Of May

When I was a kid, May meant Indy. My pops and I would pack our favorite racing paraphernalia, hop on a plane, and head to the speedway. We went every year from my 5th birthday up until the year CART split from Indy. The experiences we lived are priceless. And you know I am not gonna let you go without telling ya about at least one of our adventures, so here goes…

I was around eight or nine years old. My dad and I were staying at the Speedway Inn located right on the track grounds and I can remember being really excited about the potential to meet a lot of drivers. My pops went out drinking with the VDS team the night before qualifying and was out late. He was home by 1am and we were both out like candles when I heard a rather loud banging noise coming from the parking lot below. I looked out the window and noticed a group of guys huddled around the ass end of one of Al Unser Jr.’s support trailers. I woke up my pops and he called security.

As it turns out, it was a group of hoodlums looking to do “lord knows what” to the Al Unser’s backup car. They were arrested and the Valvoline team pronounce me as their hero for the week. “Awesome!” I thought, “I’m gonna meet Al Unser for sure!”

The next day at the track, I walked up the steps leading to Unser’s trailer door and knocked – fully prepared to meet a legend in the making. I was greeted by a crew member who took the hat off my head and disappeared. When he came back, my hat was signed by Jr. and the crew man handed it over as he expressed his gratitude. Meanwhile, I was crushed – there would be no meeting.

Looking back, I realize now that my dad was furious but helpless. We walked together through the pits on the way back to our observation deck and as we did so, we saw Michael and Mario Andretti holding a track side press conference. Just as we passed Mario’s line of sight he held up his hand and yelled out my name.

“Excuse me guys, but I need to hang out with an old pal. This press conference is over.”

And then just like that, I was hanging out with the man I consider the best driver of our time. He signed his name over Unser’s on my Budweiser hat, gave me a ton of shirts, and patiently listened to and answered all of my questions. To this day, I’m not sure how the Andrettis knew my name… I don’t know if my dad set it up or if VDS got the word out or what… All I knew was that Mario Andretti was my pal.

For the record – Sullivan spun, recovered, and won… Mario finished second with his son a few spots behind.

And just to keep this post on topic, check out the latest vintage Indy shots from the AHRF.