INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis was flooded with racers and Pacers fans this Memorial Day weekend, and they wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
"From the 50s to the 70s to the 90s, we've brought so many people down here. We love this place," said one race fan.
This year the Indianapolis 500 is celebrating 108 years, and many fans are celebrating decades of traditions of their own.
One racer from Illinois has been attending the Indy 500 for 27 years, but he said the Saturday before the big race is his favorite day of the year.
"It's always so much fun we bring our wives and kids. It's just a great tradition of the story we've told throughout the years. Our kids pass it on," said the fan.
It's so much fun, these fans never want to leave.
"We love it so much we all joked we are spreading our ashes here when we die," said the fan.
"We will die someday and we are going to have our ashes spread in turn 4," said another fan.
The excitement continued downtown at Gainbridge Fieldhouse as Pacers fans watched the team take on the Celtics.
"I've been so proud of them," said fan Hannah Richards. "I feel like they worked so hard, and the games haven't been easy. They've been tough. They come so far as a team. Each and every one of them has been able to pull their own weight and get us to where we are."
The excitement surrounding the team flowed through the city like electricity.
"It's the community. It's the city," said fan Liz Richards. "It's everyone coming together for one common purpose, one common goal. It's the hype. It's the energy. It's the love. It's the community."