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May 23, 2009
Memorable Memorial Day weekend
By DAVID GREEN
This is my favorite weekend of the year, for racing and other reasons. I'm a veteran and a patriot, and so naturally I place a high value on memorializing the men and women who have given their lives in defense of my country, and that is the purpose of the holiday at the end of May.
By a happy coincidence, the holiday weekend has become one of the more significant ones in all of auto racing. This year is one of the exceptionally rich ones, with the Formula One Grand Prix of Monaco starting a full day of competition. At midday is the Indianapolis 500, and then, later in the afternoon and on into the night is the Coca-Cola 600.
Memorial Day being an American holiday, the grand prix schedule sometimes places Monaco on another weekend. Even in those years, it's an above-average day, with two of America's top races on tap. Sunday, it's a trifecta.
Monaco is considered by most fans and competitors to be the elite race on the F1 trail. It's all but anachronistic; modern racing cars hardly function on the narrow, winding streets of the city of Monte Carlo. But it has history (the first race was run in 1929) and an aura about it that make it special.
Likewise, even many fans who care only about stock car racing and wouldn't watch any other IndyCar event may be inclined to watch the Indianapolis 500. It and the track on which it has been run 92 times since 1911 are so much an integral part of what constitutes American motor sport.
One of my favorite aspects of the 500 is the pageantry of its pre-race activities that pays homage to the military, particularly the casualties of wars. The playing of "Taps" is one of the most intense and emotional moments in sport for me, with the abject silence of more than a quarter of a million people and the haunting strains of the familiar bugle tune.
Yes, the race itself and American open-wheel racing overall have been down for more than a decade. I don't consider myself a traitor to NASCAR when I enjoy IndyCar racing's resurgence. American racing has been out of balance for a long time, and it needs to regain a more even keel.
My picks: Lewis Hamilton at Monaco, Graham Rahal at Indy and Tony Stewart at Charlotte. Gut predictions from a fan, all of them; no insights or insider knowledge are claimed or implied.
It's hard to say which of the three races I am most eagerly anticipating. I can't separate them.
That's a good thing. It's a win-win-win situation for me this weekend.
May 23, 2009 | Permalink
Comments
David, good piece. I'll probably tape Monte Carlo, but I hope (to be left alone) to watch the other two, especially Indianapolis, which was the first car race of any sort I ever attended, in 1967. (I was in the Army at a little base in Indianapolis.) Parnelli Jones and the STP turbine fell out at about lap 197 while leading.
As for favorites? I don't follow F1 closely enough to root for or against anyone, although I like the fact that F1 this year is not a McLaren-Ferrari parade. I'll root for Patrick at Indy. She seems to have the respect of most of the racing community, and it would be nice to see a big win on her resume - she's had to put up with a lot to get to where she is.
At Charlotte? OK, I can get behind Stewart or Martin, or any underdog. My guy Burton again shows that he is qualifying-challenged, and I doubt he'll climb to the front from 40th or wherever he is. He started 38th at Fontana and worked his way all the way up to 33rd or something.
BUT I'll probably end up cleaning out the garage or something...
Posted by: Doug in CA | May 23, 2009 12:58:09 PM
Hey David,
Even with the technical glitch during the anthem on raceday, it was great!
A reverent delivery of the anthem, is respectful to our country. While I can appreciate our freedom of speech, many artists fall far short with their theatrics.
I salute the fallen and support Ours, here and abroad.
Posted by: Larry | May 25, 2009 9:40:29 AM
Doug -- I spent four years at that little base myself, first as a student and later as an instructor at the Defense Information School.
Larry -- Oh, man; I could go on and on about "artistic" renditions of "The Star Spangled Banner" but I'll just say this: You cannot beat a military band and a traditional, moderately quick tempo version of the Francis Scott Key tune. Anybody who takes longer than about 57 seconds to perform it ought to be yanked off the stage.
As for my predictions -- this is why I don't take part in games of chance. There's virtually no change I will win. Hamilton got lapped, Rahal crashed on the first lap and Smoke never measured up to his showing in The Winston (sorry, that's just the right name for that event). But my miserable prognosticating and the rain-caused extension of the weekend did nothing to spoil it for me.
Posted by: David Green | May 30, 2009 9:30:48 AM
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