A few weeks ago, I traveled up to Indianapolis, Indiana to visit with family and to attend the Indianapolis 500. The Indy 500 is a huge tradition in my family, and if you’ve ever considered attending, I highly recommend it! This past race was my second 500, and it surely won’t be my last. My grandpa (my mom’s dad), Eldon Rasmussen, was the second Canadian to race in the Indy 500. He raced in the 1975, 1977, and 1979 Indianapolis 500, and he later went on to be inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame. I’m so excited to share this tradition with all of you. I hope you enjoy reading about my Memorial Day Weekend and my Indy 500 experience.!
My weekend began on Friday morning, when I flew in to Indianapolis International Airport around 9AM. I met my cousin, Kellen, at baggage claim, and together we took an Uber to his mom’s (my mom’s sisters) house around noon. We caught up with the rest of the family for a bit (we were the last ones to arrive!) before heading to Blind Owl Brewery for some beer and appetizers. We spent the remainder of the day setting up for Saturdays party, and then a few of my cousins and I went out in Downtown Indianapolis later that night. I had never been out in downtown Indianapolis before, and I’m so glad I did! Indy is such a great city and it actually reminds me a lot of Charlotte. It’s on the smaller side, and it’s very clean. Both cities even have some of the same bars. I’m a huge fan!
On Saturday, the festivities began. My family had a ton of food catered from Whole Foods, and the food spread was the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life. We were celebrating a whole bunch of events all in one! For starters, my grandma retired this year. She is 80 years old and is one of the most hardworking people I’ve ever met. My grandpa turns 84 in July, so we figured we would also have a birthday party for him while the whole family was in town. On top of that, it was race weekend, so why not celebrate?!
Sunday is RACE DAY. Race Day begins extremely early in the morning. We were on the road by 8AM on the dot to make sure we didn’t hit horrendous traffic. For those of you who know me personally, you can imagine how panicked I was attempting to be awake, ready, and in the car by 8:00 in the morning — coolers packet, sandwiches made, and breakfast in hand. Even at 8:00 in the morning, traffic headed to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was already ridiculous.
Our seats were located in the Paddock Press Penthouse. My grandpa has had the same seats for years now, and I personally believe they’re the best seats in the house. They’re right in front of the finish line, and most importantly, they’re in the SHADE! Having shaded seats is so so so important during an event like this. The race was loud, exciting, and everything I remembered it would be. I was able to sit next to my Grandpa, which made the race extra special.
The Monday after the race, Memorial Day, is equally as important as race day. If you ever attend the Indy 500, always be sure to stay an extra day in Indy in case of rain. In the event of rain, the race is always scheduled for the next day. In the event it rains both Sunday and Monday, well, then the race is scheduled for the next weekend. That would have been awful, since we all flew up and took time off from work to attend the race. SO, again, word to the wise: make sure you plan for both Sunday and Monday if you want to attend the race!
On Tuesday night, after a day of relaxing, I flew back to Charlotte. I was so sad to be leaving my family. We rarely ever get to see one another, and I’m only in Indiana once every couple of years. I’d really love to go back up in the next few months to spend some more time with my grandparents. Living far from family is a constant struggle that I never seem to get used to. Who else can relate?!
Welp, there you go. A nice little recap of my Memorial Day Weekend spent with family in Indianapolis, Indiana and my Indy 500 experience. If you’ve ever been to the Indy 500, or if you plan to go in the future, let me know in the comments below! It’s an awesome bucket list item, and a must-see event.
xo,
Ashlen