If you are a race fan, then you already know that driver Scott Dixon won the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 in August. He did it with some skillful driving, but also by employing a smart fuel-saving strategy. While everyone else in the field had to make 4 pit stops, he made only three.
I have been going to Indycar races for over 40 years, primarily to the most famous event, the Indianapolis 500. I like watching stock car racing too, but there is something about the open-wheeled spaceship-like design of the Indycars that pulls me in.
I saw a tee shirt that read, “Auto racing began 5 minutes after the second car was built.” That same competitive spirit continues today. They say the first race of two vehicles took place in England on August 30, 1867.
Auto racing began 5 minutes after the second car was built.
A lot has changed over 156 years. The cars themselves have become lighter, with less steel and more lightweight fiberglass, and the engines are more sophisticated, with advanced turbochargers and electronics. Every year the rules change slightly, with required safety precautions or design requirements. But the basic thing remains the same: go faster than everyone else.
The cars at Bommarito hit speeds of over 200 miles per hour on the straightaways, with average lap speeds of over 180 mph. I have never experienced anything remotely similar to being 15 feet away from cars roaring past me at close to 200 mph. It is both thrilling and a little scary.
The sport combines ingenuity, bravery, daring, and lightning-fast reflexes with a deep-seated drive to be the best. I think part of the attraction for me is that it showcases the highest and lowest elements of humanity — striving to improve and succeed, but also self-centered egos and greed. There are mini-dramas playing out in every race.
On the drive home, there were cars passing us going well over 90 mph on the expressway. I thought, “What an idiot. They’re going to get in a wreck.” And then a little while later, “I bet our car can go faster than theirs.” Thankfully I didn’t find out.
