For 70 consecutive years, Bob Skorjanc (81) has been attending the Indy 500 since 1952 when he was 9 years old. That first race was notable because Troy Ruttman won at the age of 22, the youngest winner ever of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing. Skorjanc didn’t even miss the event during the Covid-19 Pandemic. When the race was closed in 2020 to the public, Skorjanc says he “stuck his feet underneath the fence,” therefore, he technically attended it. (CNN Newsource, 18 May 2024) Bob clearly wasn’t about to ruin his streak.
Jim and I have been attending since May 28, 2008, the year we began dating, but our streak doesn’t compare to Skorjanc’s. Our race friends informed us as we took our seats in Turn 4 that we had to pick a driver, one we’d root for throughout the 200 laps. I chose Australian Will Power. I didn’t know anything about Will Power: I just liked his name. It was his first Indy 500 and mine. He started 23rd and finished 13th.
Our race attendance has continued with some hiccups along the way. On May 27, 2018, we rose early in our Indy hotel room to get ready for the race. Climbing out of the shower, I slipped, fell, and hit my head on the cabinetry below the bathroom sink. Jim helped me dress while I held pressure on my bleeding noggin. He drove us to an emergency facility just a couple buildings away. An ER doc put 7 stitches in the back of my head. He gave me a prescription for pain meds and antibiotics, and advised us to skip the Indy 500 that day. Based on how I was feeling and the fact I never lost consciousness, he didn’t think I suffered a concussion; however, sitting in the noise and heat at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway wasn’t advisable.
So back to the hotel we went, packed our belongings, let our friends know we wouldn’t be joining them in the stands, and drove home. On the way we tuned the radio to the race and listened intently. We were able to watch the last 20+ laps on TV when we reached home and were seated in our living room.
Guess who won. Will Power. My driver since 2008. He began in fourth position, endured 7 cautions for a total of 41 laps. Ed Carpenter led 62 of the 200 laps; Will led 59 of them, most importantly the final four laps. The temperature that day was just a degree below the record 92 degrees of the 1937 Indy 500. It was hot. I hated missing Will Power’s win, but I’m grateful we didn’t have to endure the heat in the Turn 4 bleachers with the sun beating down and nary a breeze.
We enjoyed the 2019 race and celebrated as Frenchman Simon Pagenaud took the checkered flag. Vive La France! Covid-19 prevented everyone from attending the race (except Mr. Skorjanc) in 2020. In 2021 we hadn’t planned to seek one of the 135,000 tickets made available; that year my breast cancer surgery occurred in May. In February 2022, I broke my right hip and didn’t feel steady enough on my feet to join Jim, but we were back in the stands in 2023 when Josef Newgarden won for the first time.
This year we were eager to take our place in the stands to see if Newgarden (starting in the pole position) would record a back-to-back win, if Castroneves (starting in the second row) would claim his record fifth Indy 500 win, or if Will Power (my driver) would advance from 12th position to take the checkered flag, drink and shower himself with the traditional milk drink, and sit in Victory Lane with his second win.
Alas, our attendance was not meant to be. We arrived at Heartland RV Resort in Greenfield Thursday afternoon to enjoy some camping before the race on Sunday. That evening we ate a yummy dinner of hotdogs, potato salad, baked beans, and fruit salad. By 7:30 Jim was in severe pain. He sat in his recliner briefly, moved outside to one of the camp chairs momentarily, then gravitated to a post on the other side of the camper bracing himself to “toss his cookies.” He didn’t, but came inside to google “hospitals nearby.”
Half an hour later we were on our way to Hancock Regional Hospital, seven minutes away (though it took longer because I was driving our behemoth of a truck and Jim was puking into a bag in the passenger seat). After a look at his urine, a CT scan, and blood work, the ER doctor determined that Jim’s kidney stone was on the move. After being discharged, we drove to CVS for meds and Arby’s for a jamocha shake and slider for Jim (and a slider for Java, our chocolate lab who’d been hanging out in our camper for more than 5 hours). On the way back to Heartland, Jim was feeling no pain but we decided to sell our tickets and enjoy the race from the comfort of our camper.
By Saturday afternoon Jim had sold the tickets and parking pass. Sunday we watched the 4-hour, rain-delayed race and saw Will Power crash on lap 146 and Josef Newgarden claim the win—a back-to-back accomplishment.
Here’s the Thing: We Spaldings are known for our camping calamities. However, when the Indy 500 is our destination, it seems it’s more like health calamities. We don’t let them stop us from enjoying life, enjoying camping. A positive attitude in any situation can make all the difference in the world.
Let’s talk.
annaspalding1956@gmail.com
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Editor’s Note: This is one of a series of articles and opinions written by a group of retired and current teachers — LaNae Abnet, Ken Ballinger, Billy Kreigh, Kathy Schwartz, and Anna Spalding. Their intent is to spur discussions at the dinner table and elsewhere. You may also voice your thoughts and reactions via The News-Banner’s letters to editor.
