Summary See the Indy 500 Snake Pit Red Carpet IMS

Summary: See the Indy 500 Snake Pit, Red Carpet, IMS Infield and more – IndyStar

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Summary See the Indy 500 Snake Pit Red Carpet IMSplay

Watch More Than a Race, our mini documentary about the Indy 500

Indianapolis is the 500. AJ Foyt once said, “If it weren’t for the Indianapolis 500, none of you would have heard of me.” The same could be said of Indianapolis.

Jenna Watson, Indianapolis star

This is IndyStar’s annual fun report – here you’ll find coverage of everything but the actual race. If you’re looking for racing updates, you’ll find all that and more at IndyStar Sports.

The Indianapolis 500 2023 is already over? Say it’s not so!

Don’t worry: you can relive the party with all of us. IndyStar spent all day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway watching the people in the snake pit, infield, on the coke lot, on the red carpet, at the pagoda and wherever else we were welcomed.

Read updates from IndyStar Claire Raford, Domenica Bongiovanni, Rory Appleton And Elissa Maudlinall compiled by Holly Hays.

What surprised you the most? For us bees. But enjoy the memories of partying around the greatest spectacle in racing.

We look forward to doing it again next year.

Best moments from the 2023 Indy 500: Drivers, fans and celebrities spend the Sunday at the track

Live coverage of the Indy 500 from IMS

4:45pm – “I just couldn’t believe that last lap.”

Fourteen-year-old Jack Bohde picked out his Josef Newgarden shirt in the gift shop at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum this morning – because he liked Will Power, Newgarden’s teammate.

At his first Indy 500, the New Jersey teenager was the winner. He was so excited to see how he made it.

Ann Swearingen also wore a Newgarden shirt. The Swearingens are from Nashville, so they had to represent Newgarden, whom they called “our hometown boy.”

Though Tim Swearingen said he supports Santino Ferrucci, he said he was glad his hometown hero was taking it home.

Michele Lewis of Seymour has held the same seats for “years and years and years.” With several red flags appearing towards the end of the race, she said she had never seen anything like it and was grateful it gave other riders a chance at the finish than when it was yellow.

“It was very close,” she said. “I just couldn’t believe it and I don’t even know how to describe it.”

Corey Schwartz from Oklahoma City was in the front of the bleachers. Schwartz said the 500 was important to him because it was important to his father, who passed away several years ago.

“It was phenomenal, it was incredible,” he said.

4:30pm – How about this conclusion?

While the first half of the race flew by, the second half of the race was literally littered with crashes, warnings and red flags. But in a one-lap sprint, Josef Newgarden defeated Marcus Ericsson with a maneuver called “Dragon,” the very maneuver Ericsson used last year to secure his win.

Newgarden broke through the fence, jumped over the wall and launched himself into the crowd to celebrate his victory.

4:00 p.m. – Accident throws tire over fence (and crowd) and into parking lot

We’ve said we cover everything but the race, but it’s impossible not to mention the accident that we all witnessed a few minutes ago that could have been disastrous for viewers.

From my IndyStar Sports colleague Matt Glenesk: Less than 20 laps from the end of the race, Felix Rosenqvist and Kyle Kirkwood collided, with Kirkwood’s left rear tire bouncing off the track and heading for the crowd at Turn 2 – but over it.

‘It’s a miracle’: Fans react after tire flies off Indy 500 car and flies over spectators

“I was in this round”: Author John Green tweets about the Indianapolis 500 hoop flying over the crowd

Hoosier author John Green tweeted that he was in turn 2 at the time of the accident: “I am very relieved that everyone is doing well. Watching a bike fly over my friends at 150mph is not an experience I’m keen on repeating.”

3:40pm – Summary: No Shaq? No problem for Snake Pit party guests

Turn 3 of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval is once again full of bass, booze and bare skin for Indy’s biggest EDM party, the Indy 500 Snake Pit.

Headlining Kaskade led a spirited set capped off by seamless transitions from original tracks to sing-along classics “Sweet Caroline” and “Livin’ on a Prayer.”

When Kaskade took the stage just after 12:30 p.m. Sunday at the 107th round of the Indianapolis 500, there was standing room only. Inflatable animals and tens of thousands of hands filled the air while cannon fire shot across the floor and roof of a huge stage.

A last minute cancellation by the year’s biggest snake pit star, DJ Diesel, aka retired NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal, didn’t seem to affect attendance. If it upset anyone, people would leave that vibe at the front gate.

Indy 500 Snake Pit Concert Summary: No Shaq in the snake pit? No problem. Indy 500 Turn 3 rumbles with alcohol and bass

3pm – IMS on race day is “Disneyland for adults”

The race is in full swing, but fans are still enjoying the thrill of the greatest spectacle in racing.

Kirk Gibson, 29, from Carmel, enjoys what he calls “adult Disneyland.”

The experience of growing up in central Indiana made him a racing fan for life.

“It’s a magical place,” said Gibson, wearing a black and white plaid shirt. “And then you go back, and then you want to be there for the rest of the year.”

It’s Gibson’s 23rd Indy 500 – he’s been racing since he was a child.

“I haven’t missed a single one since then,” he said. “And I’ll never miss another one.”

Gibson made a lot of memories at the speedway. His favorite? Aside from the early hours in the Coke Lot, he won the pot with a win from Tony Kanaan.

While Gibson would love to see Alex Palou or Helio Castroneves win, for him it’s all about safe racing and good spirits.

“You just want to have a good time,” he said, “and that’s what we’re here for.”

On the steep hill just past Turn 2, Andrew O’Neill, 26, is guarding what appears to be a mountain of beer cans.

“I’m just a troll in charge of the garbage,” he said while sitting on the sunny hilltop as the cars sped by.

He said he’s been racing with friends for three or four years but grew up watching the 500 on TV as a kid.

“It’s May,” he said, pointing to the bottles and cans.

2:30pm – OK, we really didn’t have BEES on the bingo card for race day

Some of us at IndyStar joked earlier that the cars speeding by sounded like a swarm of bees. But now we have REAL bees?

But really, I don’t even know what to do about it. How………????

More: Swarm of bees attacking Indianapolis 500 race fans near the start/finish line

1:30pm – Cascade has fallen… over the snake pit

Yes, it’s bad. I know it’s bad. But here we are. Anyway, the race is a little over a quarter of the way through and at Turn 3 Headliner Kaskade is playing in the snake pit and there’s quite a large crowd.

From what I can see even from the media center I can confirm that it is an impressive gathering.

1:15 p.m. – “It’s such a vibe”

When Olivia King, 22, goes to IMS, she has only one work of art on her mind: the 2006 Pixar animated classic Cars.

When asked by Cars enthusiast Claire Rafford when someone would play the theme from the Life is a Highway soundtrack, King had an apt response.

“I’ll play it if they don’t!” said King.

The girl group also includes King’s mother Melissa and her friend Abby Faust. Olivia and Faust are functional newbies – well, at the actual race (Olivia was in the snake pit).

For her first Indy 500, Faust brought white wine and glittery sunglasses, complete with “milk” and trophy tags: “It’s such a vibe!”

12:30pm – Music to our ears before the race

Opera singer Angela Brown sang “God Bless America,” including some lyrics most people don’t remember. Jewel then sang the national anthem – and made it a little longer than usual. Jim Cornelison followed with the traditional “Back Home Again in Indiana”.

Jewel at the Indy 500: Reactions to the national anthem range from ‘mangled’ to ‘the best thing I’ve ever seen’

12:15 p.m. – A life size Mario Kart at IMS

Among the powerful Indy 500 cars from this year’s race, viewers spotted a familiar red and yellow go-kart driven by Mario, our favorite video game plumber.

For goodness sake, someone is telling Alex Palou, who has the fastest pole position speed in the history of the race, to beware of spiked blue tortoise shells. Also beware of Wario – he cheats.

More: Watch out for banana peels! Life-size Mario Kart spotted at the Indy 500

12:10 p.m. – A pre-race PSA

We are now only minutes away from the invocation and you can feel the electricity in the air. Now is a good time to remind you to stay safe and drink plenty of water throughout the afternoon, especially after you’ve had a drink or two.

For many fans, it’s the happiest part of the year and it’s tempting to overindulge in your favorite drinks. Don’t forget to party for sure.

Don’t let drinking become dangerous: How to celebrate safely at the Indianapolis 500

11:15 am – Adam Driver sighting!

That’s it, that’s literally the tweet.

10:45 am – To party or not to party?

Editor’s Note: As a huge fan of the Bard and his work, particularly Hamlet, I, Holly Hays, am ashamed of this subtitle. I also feel like I could have worked harder and done better, but I’ve been up a really long time.

America, flags, William Shakespeare?

John Stamus (sounds like the actor) immediately caught the eye with his – er, literary – choice of outerwear.

“Me and Billy have a long history,” Stamus said, gesturing toward his William Shakespeare sweatshirt.

Stamus from St. Louis is here for his first Indy 500. He arrived in Indy at 3 a.m

The reason for his clothes? Training for race participants.

“In all the great, great poetry he’s written,” Stamus said, “you’ll feel inspired to celebrate even more.”

American flag jumpsuits are perhaps a more classic 500s fashion choice.

Matching jumpsuits were a given for Griffin Widmann, 26, and Nate Young, 24.

Amazon has prevailed for this.

10:30 am – The snake pit is snake pit

I didn’t know Borgs were anything like that but apparently they are big enough to coordinate with your friends and give the bottles funny names? And also be committed to creating a pair of jorts (denim shorts) for your borg? How incredibly appropriate for the snake pit.

Elsewhere, Domenica Bongiovanni spoke to a group of concert fans who came in with their own dress code.

Taylor Hobbs, 25, had no trouble convincing her crew to wear psychedelic-style plaid button-down shirts with bright floral patterns.

Rex Buckley, her fiancé, held up her left hand to show off her engagement ring.

“I lost my election there,” he said, laughing.

A quick virtual shopping spree at Shein delivered this year’s uniform for the party of four, who made their way to the Snake Pit’s VIP area.

Zayhn Enfield, 28, Ashley Smith, 26, Hobbs and Buckley are self-confessed EDM fans and named Kaskade and Subtronics as artists they’re looking forward to. They were also excited for Shaquille O’Neal – known as DJ Diesel – and didn’t like his cancellation. DJ Valentino Khan replaced him.

“They didn’t even swap him out for the same genre,” Hobbs said.

10:15 a.m. – That speaks for itself

It’s Kellen Julian’s fourth Indy 500 – but his first with a very special addition that shows his love for the sport: an Indianapolis Motor Speedway tattoo on his lower back. For the Hoosier native, it was a given.

“It’s prime real estate, you know,” Julian, 24, of Indianapolis, told IndyStar. “But I thought it must be something special.”

Julian came to the race for his Hoosier pride, but it has blossomed into something more.

“I just started coming because it was like if you live in Indiana you have to go to the 500,” he said. “I started following the series and now it’s like I absolutely have to go.” What he loves about the race is the variety of destinations – people are there for the party, for the vibe, for the culture here.

But Julian? He’s here for the main event.

“I’m a die-hard race fan,” Julian told IndyStar.

9:50 a.m. – This just arrived: The editor-in-chief of IndyStar is old

This is nothing new to me, Young Millennial™ Holly Hays, but it might be news to some of you. My boss, Bro Krift, took to Twitter to boldly share his experience of bringing his dad’s energy into the snake pit. He later told me that his head even shook a little when he listened to the music.

Thinking further, Old Man Krift said, “I think at one point my hand slammed my leg almost in rhythm. It was amazing.”

But was that it?

9:20 am – As in the drink, not the trophy

IndyStar reporters have noticed that some race fans were drinking jugs of colorful liquids early in the day. This could be “borgs,” a new trend on campus.

More: Indy 500 runners spotted with jugs full of liquid. What’s in them?

9:05 am – Rain, rain, stay away!

If you’re out on the track, don’t worry about the clouds hanging over you.

Meteorologist Earl Breon said there is currently a low chance of a rain shower in Indianapolis. But you shouldn’t feel more than a mist. He said although it’s wet now, the rain isn’t expected to accumulate.

He said he expects the light chance of rain to ease between noon and 1 p.m

9 a.m. – 500 fashion sure is one thing

To quote Queer Eye’s style guru, Tan France, “Style is not fashion. Fashion is no longer trendy after one season. I don’t care about fashion at all.”

Well, Tan, you’ve probably never been to the Indianapolis 500. (Next year? There you go?)

A yellow bolt will flash near the race entrance. It’s a banana.

The banana’s name is Alex Chebillot – a 19-year-old racing fan who comes to events dressed up as a banana. This is his first Indy 500 appearance and he has traveled all the way from Tampa, Fla. to be here. After work on Friday, he and his father were on their way to Indianapolis.

“Growing up, I did a lot of dirt racing and I’ve always been a race fan,” said Chebillot. “I love Formula 1, I love NASCAR, I love IndyCar.”

Kailly Stanich has been competing in the Indy 500 for nearly a decade, so she’s savvy about fashion—and knows how to stand out.

An example of this is the humorous t-shirt Stanich made especially for today: “I just hope both teams are having fun.”

And her fanny pack with a hairy belly sticking out? That was a mainstay on race day. “The double takes people give you are hilarious,” Stanich said.

And that’s not even the wildest stuff we’re going to see today. Stay tuned!

9am – Too early for a Snake Pit singalong?

8:40 am – Beer and chocolate chip cookies? For breakfast? Why not

It’s the first 500 for this Hoosier — and there’s nowhere else he’d rather be.

“Now that I’m 21, it just feels uncultured not to be here,” Zionsville resident Noah Jenkins told IndyStar.

Despite Jenkins’ Corona shirt, it’s not the drink of choice for these gentlemen: “Today is a big Miller day,” he said.

And of course, most importantly, pop tarts with brown sugar and cinnamon for race nutrition.

Spotted in the sea of ​​cars, three friends bring their impeccable fashion sense to this year’s 500.

The Indy 500 style is already in full swing with matching Hawaiian print shirts from Caden Andrews, Cade Kiselica and Lucas Ninman. Fashion is part of a tradition. The friends – from Denver and New Mexico – have been coming to the race since 2019.

They cheer on Will Power – Andrews in particular has been a fan of his for years.

“We always have a good time in Indy,” said Kiselica.

The fashionable crew’s drinks included a variety of seltzer and beers – and most importantly, Chips Ahoy! Biscuits that have already been eaten for breakfast.

Lunch and dinner probably too.

8:15 am – Sure, but it’s a good day for people watchers

8 a.m. – Get up and shine! Breakfast is almost ready

On the outskirts near Turn 4, Alva Leisure is making omelettes with hash browns on a medium sized grill. He said he always cooks in that area of ​​the IMS and has been coming to racing since he was five.

“My grandmother and father got me going,” Leisure said. “I think my grandma had tickets in the ’40s and then it just grew into 2023.”

Leisure is cheering on Scott Dixon in today’s race. Like his father, he was a fan of Rick Mears, and he said his father sided with Mears’ nemesis, AJ Foyt.

Leisure’s father, who died two years ago, is now honored with a memorial stone near Gasoline Alley.

Elsewhere, Mark McFatridge and his family cook breakfast burritos in a van that features not only a checkered race flag but also an Indy 500-themed cartoon family portrait.

There will also be a coffee bar in their van, milk, prosecco and there will be “the traditional schnapps drinking of a beer,” McFatridge said.

This is McFatridge’s 17th race and the fourth and third consecutive years for his son Ryan. While Butler graduates from college, Mark and his family are devoted to Ed Carpenter.

7:30am – Wake up at the Coke Lot

The sun is rising over Lot 1A and so are the race fans.

Hans Hulsebos is coming to Indianapolis with his friend for nine Indy 500 races. Since Friday they have been camping at what Hulsebos calls the “party site” and sleeping in a minivan. Hulsebos and his friend have formed a community with the race fans in the Coca-Cola parking lot.

“Everyone knows everyone,” he said.

When asked who he’s looking forward to, Hulsebos is all about national pride.

“What do you think?” he said. “I’m Dutch!”

He is a big Rinus VeeKay fan. What he likes about IndyCar is the excitement of knowing that anyone can be crowned a winner.

“There’s probably 15 people who can win,” he said, “and that’s great.”

Some last minute packing reminders

It looks set to be a great race day – the National Weather Service is forecasting mostly cloudy weather with highs in the upper 70’s. Despite the cloud cover, be sure to pack sunscreen and drink plenty of fluids.

Speaking of packing, take a second or two to go through the list of things you can and can’t take to the circuit (if you’ve brought carts and wagons so far this month, leave them at home – they are) . allowed every day except race day. However, strollers are fine in most places.

Indy 500 Bag Rules: Here’s what fans can bring to the Indy 500 and what they can leave at home

When packing your cooler, make sure it meets IMS size restrictions — it can’t exceed 18 x 14 x 15 inches — and make sure you’re not packing glass containers.

You can bring beer, wine, and even liquor (this isn’t specifically mentioned in the list of prohibited items provided by IMS), but make sure these aren’t kept in glasses.

Can we suggest some pre-race reading for you?

For us here at IndyStar, the 500-mile race is more than a single event, weekend or month. For a full guide to our Indy 500 coverage, click here. If you’re looking for some light reading while you wait for the pre-race ceremonies, check out:

For stories about the race

For stories about people

For stories about tradition

Stay tuned! More updates will follow throughout the day. For more coverage of the race and party, follow IndyStar on Instagram.