Race Day

Matt & I at the Indy 500
Today was race day! All (okay, I'm exaggerating slightly) I heard/saw/read today was in relation to The Indianapolis 500  or the Coca-Cola 600 . Of course I'm a NASCAR girl myself, so I understand the excitement of a big race weekend. I've attended several closed-wheel races but I've never been a huge fan of Open-wheel  racing. I did have the pleasure of attending the Indy 500 back in 2008 and will admit that it was pretty impressive.

The Indianapolis 500 (open-wheel race) is held every year on Memorial Day Weekend in Speedway, Indiana. The event is considered to be one of the top three most prestigious motorsport events in the world. The Indy 500 draws in between 250,000 to 400,000 spectators (combining seating and infield "capacity") each year. It has been named "The Greatest Spectical in Racing", and I think that statement should say "The Greatest Spectical in Motor Racing" because The Kentucky Derby is - in my opinion - the greatest "race" of all time. ANYWAY, the Indianapolis 500 is a pretty big deal and it's definitely an American Icon.

The Coca-Cola 600 (closed-wheel race) is also held every year on Memorial Day weekend in Concord, North Carolina. It's been running since 1960, and it is the longest race sanctioned by NASCAR at 600 miles. The event was started as an attempt by NASCAR to hold a Memorial Day weekend event that would rival the Indy 500. It was not until 1974 that both races "competed" on the same day. Before 1974, the two races were held on different days of the week, and a few times, some drivers drove in both races (this even continued even after the races were moved to the same day - i.e.Tony Stewart ). The 2009 Coca-Cola 600 was actually the first race to have run on Memorial Day itself (because the race was postponed from its original date).

So, if you're a race fan - today was a good day! I only caught the last 5 laps of the Indy 500 (it was too pretty outside) but as I'm typing this - I'm pulling for the #48 in the Coca-Cola 600.

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