Indy 500: The Lead-up To The Race

Opening ceremonies at the Indianapolis 500. [Russ Lake Photo]

by Paul Gohde

Though the Indianapolis 500 receives the majority of attention during the now “Two Weeks of May”, there are certainly other races, events and news to hold the interest of both fans and the media at the Speedway.

• The Freedom 100: They may not race for 500 miles, but the 14 drivers who will compete on Friday, May 26, represent, in many cases, the next generation of Indy Car drivers. Learning their craft on the 2.5-mile IMS oval in high-speed Indy Lights competition has led many current Verizon Series drivers into the Indy 500. The likes of Josef Newgarden, Sage Karam, Ed Carpenter and Gabby Chaves have moved from Freedom 100 success to 500-mile fame. The 100 began in 2003 and has preceded the 500 each year since; running on Friday, after final Carb Day practice. Colton Herta recorded a lap at 200.070 mph during Monday’s practice, with Wisconsin youngster Aaron Telitz just behind at 199.610. The Freedom 100 gets the green flag at 12:30 pm on Friday.
• Good news came today when injured Indy Car driver Sebastien Bourdais was released from IU Health Methodist Hospital after pelvis and hip injuries were treated following his qualifying crash last Saturday. “It’s going to be a long road ahead,” he said. “I still have six weeks before I can put weight on my right leg and put my foot on the ground…looking forward to the day I can get back in the car. Hopefully that will be before the end of the season.” Good news for anyone who saw his horrific crash.
• The “A.J. Foyt-A Legendary Exhibition” now showing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum has been drawing large crowds since it opened. The display highlights the career of the 500’s first four-time winner and is presented by ABC Supply Co., Beloit, WI, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2017. The exhibit also commemorates the 40th anniversary of Foyt’s fourth win in 1977. If you’re coming, it’s something to make some time for.
• Friday at the track also brings the final Indy Car practice; Carb Day at 11:00 am.
• The annual Indianapolis 500 Memorabilia show for collectors will be held at the track on Saturday, May 27th. The event brings dealers from around the country who buy, sell and trade Indy 500 items dating back to 1911. It is located on the Pagoda Plaza behind the and runs from 8:00 am-3:00 pm. Also taking place that day are a Full Field autograph session on the Plaza at 10:00 am, a Public Drivers Meeting at 10:30 at the North Pit Lane and two Legends Autograph sessions at the North Chalet from 12-2:30 pm. Certainly a full day’s worth of activity.
• Just remember that there is more going on at the Indianapolis Speedway in May than just the running of the 500.

Paul Gohde

Paul Gohde heard the sound of race cars early in his life.

Growing up in suburban Milwaukee, just north of Wisconsin State Fair Park in the 1950’s, Paul had no idea what “that noise” was all about that he heard several times a year. Finally, through prodding by friends of his parents, he was taken to several Thursday night modified stock car races on the old quarter-mile dirt track that was in the infield of the one-mile oval -and he was hooked.

The first Milwaukee Mile event that he attended was the 1959 Rex Mays Classic won by Johnny Thomson in the pink Racing Associates lay-down Offy built by the legendary Lujie Lesovsky. After the 100-miler Gohde got the winner’s autograph in the pits, something he couldn’t do when he saw Hank Aaron hit a home run at County Stadium, and, again, he was hooked.

Paul began attending the Indianapolis 500 in 1961, and saw A. J. Foyt’s first Indy win. He began covering races in 1965 for Racing Wheels newspaper in Vancouver, WA as a reporter/photographer and his first credentialed race was Jim Clark’s historic Indy win.Paul has also done reporting, columns and photography for Midwest Racing News since the mid-sixties, with the 1967 Hoosier 100 being his first big race to report for them.

He is a retired middle-grade teacher, an avid collector of vintage racing memorabilia, and a tour guide at Miller Park. Paul loves to explore abandoned race tracks both here and in Europe, with the Brooklands track in Weybridge England being his favorite. Married to Paula, they have three adult children and two cats.

Paul loves the diversity of all types of racing, “a factor that got me hooked in the first place.”

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