With the running of the 100th Indianapolis 500 approaching fast, we asked several of our anchors and reporters to take a walk down memory lane and share with us their favorite Indy 500 memories.
Dave Calabro
My first Indianapolis 500 that I can remember would probably be 1969. I grew up a mile and a half from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I used to hear tire testing in the spring from my elementary classroom. When my dad was a Yellow Shirt, my first-grade class took a field trip to the old Hall of Fame Museum. I will always remember walking out the back side of the oval to see Art Pollard go by. (That's me in the plaid shorts!)
I was instantly hooked.
Mario Andretti’s 1969 win was my first Indy 500 experience in person from the grandstands along the main straightaway. I remember feeling like my eyes were going to pop out of my head. This was the year that lit my fire for the “500.”
Since growing up around IMS and continuing my profession in sports broadcasting, I have made many friendships and continued the race tradition with my family. My sons, parents and wife still sit in the same seats and follow the same routines every year, for every Indianapolis 500.
One of my favorite memories of the track was back in 1982. We were visiting Indiana from Texas as my father was considering a faculty position at Anderson University. We spent an entire afternoon at the IMS Museum because my parents were fans of the 500 and my mother especially loved Mario Andretti. Who knew that I would join the staff of WTHR 17 years later and be honored to broadcast live from the track every Memorial Day weekend?
The photo is one of my favorite pictures of actor Josh Duhamel – he hugged me so tight I needed to put a little “hand barrier” between the two of us.
In the decades I’ve covered the Indianapolis 500, I’ve watched one race. I watched from the north terrace (north end of the pits). Still in college, I cheered, seeing Johnny Rutherford speed toward the checkered flag.
In 1981, I was working in the pits with a photographer, gathering sound and pictures. We were way too close to Rick Mears' car when it caught fire. Invisible flames filled the air. Gasping for breath, we ran from the near disaster. Only then did I appreciate the danger that drivers, their crews and fans face on every lap. It was scary and humbling.
A couple of years later Tom Sneva won. There was no news conference and parade past the cameras back then. We chased and trapped the winner where ever we could. I caught up with the "Gas Man" as he was sitting on a work bench, in the old Gasoline Alley garages. What an opportunity for a kid who grew up on the east coast watching the 500 on a black and white TV.
My best memories though are in the infield. I am grateful for all the colorful yet wonderful people who welcome me to their tables, their tents and their families every year. I’ve never missed a good breakfast, or great and funny story.
Nicole Misencik
My earliest memories of the Indy 500 involve sitting outside with my dad on the porch in Prescott, Arizona Memorial Day weekends, and watching the race. My Dad is a big race fan, and no one was to touch the remote during the Indy 500. It wasn’t until I moved to Indianapolis, that I got to experience the thrill of what the race is all about. My Dad flew in, and we were off to the track. The sea of people amazed me, the ceremonies leading up to the race were incredible, and once it was time for “ladies and gentleman, start your engines,” I knew something was about to happen that I would never forget.
The green flag dropped and the feel and sounds of the cars are something I will never forget. It is not something you can describe. It’s one of those, “you have to be there” moments when you’re talking to someone. It was so fun to see my dad soaking it all in. All of the years of us watching the race together, and there we were sitting in the stands at the famous oval! I don’t think you can forget ever the first time you see a race at IMS. One of my other favorite memories is meeting and interviewing Jim Nabors. He is genuine, funny, and you can’t help by smile when you talk to him! It was an honor to talk to him.
My best Indy 500 memory comes from my first race in 1982.
If you were there, you already know how exciting it was. Here’s what I remember: it was the first time any driver qualified at over 200 MPH, with Rick Mears winning the pole at 207+ mph. (Full Disclosure: I was then, and continue to be, a Rick Mears fan).
Mears had a great month and survived a pre-race crash that took out Kevin Cogan, Mario Andretti, and A.J. Foyt. He was in a position to win, and ended up in an epic battle from the last pit stop to the end of the race with Gordon Johncock.
The last 10 laps were the best. Mears was down by about 10 seconds, and made up a second per lap until he was right on Johncock’s tail coming out of the last turn toward the checkered flag. Johncock held him off to win by .16 second – the closest finish up to that time.
Although my guy did not win that day, you had to feel good for Johncock: a good driver and a good guy, whose only previous win was the snake bitten 1973 race. He drove a great race that day and deserved the win.
But more importantly, on that day, I got it – I understood the appeal. At the Indy 500, there is no way to anticipate what is going to happen at any time. I have been to Super Bowls, World Series games, and NBA Finals – but there is nothing in sports like the Indy 500!
I grew up watching the Indy 500 on television from my home in southern California. When I was hired by an Indianapolis TV station in 1996, one of my first stories was the IRL-CART split. I remember Scott Brayton’s fatal crash in 1996 and the sadness that gripped Indianapolis and the racing community.
My brother-in-law brought me to my first Indy 500 in 1996. We sat in turn 3 and ate box lunches. I have spent the better part of two decades covering the Indy 500. I have attended a handful of races in person, bringing my wife and children to the track.
Race day coverage begins early in the morning for me. I usually arrive at 5am and spend several hours interviewing fans and doing live reports from inside the famed race track. By the time they drop the green flag, I’m exhausted.
I usually watch a handful of laps and then drive home where I listen to the radio coverage in my swimming pool. I always watch the tape-delayed broadcast and then enjoy interviewing the drivers and celebrities the following day at the Indy 500 Victory Banquet. The Indy 500 is an event that transcends auto racing. It is an Indiana treasure. Covering the month of May at IMS is an annual highlight for me.
Kelly Greene 
I have wonderful memories of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I grew up in Fort Wayne and every May, our family of six would pile in the car and drive down to the Speedway for qualifications. My dad was, and still is, a huge IndyCar race fan. We would get to the track at 6am to be the first ones in the gate. My dad wanted the coveted Penthouse B seats. From that location, you can see the straightaway, the 1st turn the 2nd turn and the 4th turn. We would sit in a row with a metal bar divider, so he would have a place to hang his binoculars.
As kids, we loved to go because we would get to have pop and treats all day. Doritos, Fritos, Cheetos, peanuts, pretzels, you name it, we had it! We had a huge cooler for our big family and my dad created the first cooler on wheels. He took an old stroller we had in the garage, took off the bassinet, and put the cooler on the axle and wheels. Viola! The first cooler on wheels. He would then lug the cooler up the endless stairs to those coveted seats.
On the weekends of rain at the speedway, we would watch the forecast. If there was a low chance of rain, we would take a chance and drive down to Indy. Back in those days, the first day of qualifications was Pole Day. Dad always wanted to go that day, to see all the action and who won the Pole. If it was a rain out for Pole day, we would cross our fingers that it would be a rainy Sunday too. Mom wouldn't let us go on Sunday, due to the long day and school the next day.
So, if we had a rainy Pole day, we would go back the next Saturday and do it all over again. We watched some incredible speeds at the track, clocking more than 200 mph. I can still hear Tom Carnagie yelling “It’s a new track record!”
I am so glad that my dad shared his love of racing with the rest of our family. It was a lot of fun watching the qualifications and seeing the drama play out if someone would be bumped from the Pole. Occasionally, my dad and I get to actually go to the race. I love any chance I get to spend time with my dad.
Mimi Pearce
As a girl growing up in Indiana, I knew the Indy 500 was a big thing, but was more into fashion and riding my four-wheeler. It wasn't until high school that I was ask out on a date to attend my first Indy 500.
Little did I know that my date had bigger dreams when we went to that race in 1979. He also told me the tickets were from his friends Todd and Carey Bettenhaus. Growing up in Indiana I did know that name and the famous racing family.
While that was my one and only time to attend the Indy 500, it was not my date's first. My date was Kyle Moyer, who chased his dreams and is now Team Manager and race strategist for Team Penske. So while I'll be keeping an eye on traffic outside the track for the 100th running, he'll be keeping a close eye on the traffic on the track. Congrats Kyle Moyer!
Kris Kirschner
To me, the Indy 500 came alive through the magic of radio. As a kid, I remember my Dad packing up the fishing gear and taking us to a nearby pond or lake. We'd pack a lunch, cast out our lines and listen to the race. Hearing the names "Mario Andretti, Johnny Rutherford, Al Unser" still takes me back to that time. Although I grew up in Indianapolis, it wasn't until I worked in broadcasting that I ever spent race day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. To this day, I love to fish; and I prefer to listen to the glory and excitement of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing on my radio. Thanks, Dad!
