Fourteen years of the 500, sixteen years of qualifications and practice, binders and binders of autographs and seemingly endless knowledge of this 2.5 mile oval they call the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
This place has always meant something to me, from the time I was two months old, to now, I was up here, watching Indy cars. There is nothing like the month of May at Indianapolis, especially spending it with the ones who mean the most to you.
Indy to me is so much more than a few miles of pavement and some bleachers. It’s memories, thoughts, and sadly reminders of what can go so good, and so wrong inside a machine going nearly 230 miles an hour. Indy is a part of me. It’s where every May and now where more than a year of my life I have thoughts of speed demons flying around the circle city and the smell of lemonade and smoked turkey legs in the air. It’s better than the Super Bowl, Masters and the NBA Finals combined in both crowd, and in awe.
But now it’s a different point of view for a 15 year old kid from the cornfields of Indiana. I’ve grown up at Indy, and now it’s time to start walking.
It was May 10th when I did my first interview with friend and driver for the legend and four time winner AJ Foyt, Martin Plowman. I had never really interviewed an athlete in that format before. It didn’t take much getting used to.
The next weekend on Pole Day, dressed like a true media member, I was sticking microphones in drivers’ faces while the rain passed, interviewing fans, having a great time in my backyard at IMS. It felt so natural interviewing drivers. Being at Indy for 14 races in 16 years really helped give me some great questions to a varying degree of drivers and even an owner.
Roger Penske allowed me in his garage for an interview. It was an absolute honor being able to do that, plus have point leader Will Power just steps away to Rogers’ right. But there is a little story behind it.
So I’m standing around the Penske garage, when Roger pulls up in a golf cart. “Roger ,do you have a moment?” I forgot something, I’ll be right back and I’ll get you then. Alright, I have a chance at interviewing the captain, Mr. Roger Penske, so as I’m thinking of questions and talking to fans and standing around and waiting for him to come back when Jamie Little and her ESPN crew come around and go under the ropes waiting for an interview with Mr. Penske. I’m thinking to myself, there’s no way I’m getting that interview now, oh well.
Well a few minutes later Roger rolls back around and sees me and says “Come with me” and so as it’s Mr. Penske and myself walking into the Penske garage, and as a Penske worker shut the door the thoughts in Jamie’s head were probably something like, “Who the hell is that kid?”
I also had the honor of being able to interview a 19 year old speedster from Nazareth, Pennsylvania named Sage Karam. A guy with a largely influenced karting, road car, along with the Mazda Road to Indy Series he is now finally in an Indycar for Dreyer and Reinbold racing. He provided me with great hospitality through the month along with a bit of insider access to the life of a rookie at Indy.
Six days later on Carb day and the final practice day before the big one, I was back at it doing interviews with drivers. I was once again able to chat with Sage after he had the incident in turn-4 in final practice.
I also had at the time the experience of my career to that point. I was somehow able to get in the pits and was waiting for interviews when the officials put up the fences to keep the crowd from crossing when Ryan Hunter-Reay came across and I was able to get him to do a short interview with me.
With Vince Welch interviewing James Hinchcliffe, I was walking down gasoline alley at Indianapolis interviewing the future Indy 500 champion with thousands of people stacked up taking pictures and cheering as the cars, as the Indy 500 champion beside a 15-year old journalist strolled down the most famous part of Open Wheel Racing.
It’s race day. I wake up at 5 AM and I am in the car by 5:30. Pulling into our parking lot, then quickly ditching my brother and grandfather to try and get a few interviews before the nearly half a million people settled into their seats. I was able to get a few quick interviews with different drivers, talk to a few sports directors who I had asked about shadowing one day this summer. “It looks like you don’t need it the way you’re rolling around this place, you’re a natural kid, keep it up” told me RTV 6 director Dave Furst as we joked around in the trailer area.
I managed to get myself into the garage area about three hours before race time which was at noon. I right away went down to Sages’ garage and talked to him for a bit. He allowed me, along with sponsors including Brantley Gilbert, to go inside his garage and have a pre race discussion including former winner Gil De Ferran.
As we’re coming out of Sage’s garage there stands Chip Ganassi. Chip says to our group, let’s go inside, so Sage turns to me and says “you wanna go?” what do you expect me to say, no? Haha. So as we’re standing inside the main Ganassi garage with Tony Kanaan and Scott Dixon while I’m just standing in amazement. I’m standing by a country superstar in Brantley Gilbert, and am feet away from racing legends.
After Chip concludes the teams’ final prayers, the main Ganassi drivers head out and now it is just our group comprised of family, sponsors, and this 15 year old kid. A few minutes later after heading across to Sage’s garage, we head out to take Sage to the starting grid and driver intros. I could not begin to understand how I managed to be walking down gasoline alley towards the starting pylon with Sage Karam on race day. My throat was shaking and there are still tears in my eye as I’m typing this. Being through so much at Indianapolis through the years with family and different drivers this moment really meant something to me.
I finally peeled off from Sage’s group as I should have. Talking with him saying good luck and telling the kid to drive the wheels off that thing. That he did. He started 31st and finished 9th. I couldn’t have been prouder to know a guy and a racer like Sage. I was clapping and screaming and pumping my arms all 200 laps that he was able to run
After leaving Sage to do his part, I’m walking down a garage aisle when the Andretti guys are starting to head out. I’m standing feet in front of Marco Andretti, Carlos Munoz, Kurt Busch, Michael Andretti, and James Hinchcliffe. I was trying to snap as many pictures as my little phone could handle at the time. I wasn’t expecting that, but man was it special.
As I was finally able to head back to my seats, my throat was shaky, tears were in my eyes, and my head was in a spin. I had never, nor will I probably ever again, experience a moment like that.
So as I sit here after experiencing all of what seemed like a few hours I still cannot believe what has happened to me over these past two weekends. I cannot begin to thank enough Barry from Speedway Media who gave me this opportunity to write, to my family, and my grandfather Randy for taking me all of these years. For buying me the garage passes and helping me get autographs, teaching me lessons about this place called Indianapolis, and allowing me to grow up in such a special place, and under such special circumstances.
I can’t wait for next May to roll around already, I know the drivers are going 230 MPH, but I say my month went so much quicker.
This is Indianapolis, a place where legends are born, Foyt, Unser, Andretti, and it is an honor to have my name as a part of the Indianapolis 500, and everything associated with it.
-Ryan Kent Jr
@RyanKent47
