Indy 500: The Month of May

That phrase is the most famous in all of automobile racing. It is with that phrase that start's the big race. The Indy 500. There are preparations that go on during the month before the big race. It's ran on the last weekend in May, during the Memorial Day Weekend. And Indianapolis and the track are alive with activity from May 1 till the race is over. People from all the country, and from around the world, they drive in, fly in. They come in droves, any way they can it seems.

Practice starts the first week of May, which is about 2 to 3 weeks. Then on the last day of qualifying, also known as 'bump-day', drivers begin to out-drive each other in an effort to be the best in the field. Slower cars are then bumped out of the starting field and do not run on Race Day. There can only be 33 cars in starting of the race.

Carburetion Day is recognized as the Friday before the race. The name came known when the drivers teams would fine-tune the carburetors for the conditions of the track, the name stuck even thought the last race car to use a carburetor was in 1963. There is other stuff going on, like a pit stop competition, rock concert and the Indy Pro Series Freedom 100.

A 'Last Row Party' is also held on the Friday before the race. This has become an honor of sorts among the drivers... it 'honors' the last 3 drivers to qualify, and who make up the last row in the field of 11 rows, 33 cars.

Race Day opens at 6 am with a bang! Traditionally, there is an explosive set off at 6 in the morning to signal the start of Race Day, NOT the race itself. Fans start piling in for the best seat on the track.

The Purdue University All-American Band play some pre-race songs, like 'On the Banks of the Wabash and Taps, since it is on Memorial Day Weekend. The songs: God Bless America and Back Home Again in Indiana have traditionally been sung by famous native Hoosiers, since 1946. It's become a tradition in itself to have Florence Henderson and Jim Nabors sing the last 2 songs, right before the race get's under way. As Jim Nabors sing, multi-colored balloons are set loose, signaling, the race is about to start.