Note – this is an opinion piece. The views do not necessarily reflect those of the Times-Union
INDIANAPOLIS – Now that the Indy 500 is in the rearview, I'm left to wonder how this year's Memorial Day weekend tradition will be remembered. Will Sunday's race, the 98th running of the Greatest Spectacle In Racing, be remembered because Ryan Hunter-Reay took the checkered flag? Hunter-Reay, a Florida native, is the first American to win the 200-lapper since Definace, Ohio's Sam Hornish Jr. crossed the yard of bricks and added his face to the Borg-Warner Trophy in 2006. Will the race be remembered because of the Andretti family's success? Michael Andretti's passion in life is the Indy 500. He never won the race as a driver, but did so Sunday as Hunter-Reay's car owner. Marco Andretti, Michael's son, finished third. The Andretti Autosport stable also was the center of attention in that former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kurt Busch was behind the wheel of the Andretti-owned No. 26 machine. Unless you live under a rock, you're aware of the fact that Busch drove in both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR's famed Memorial Day event, on Sunday. Busch, in his first Indy 500 start, completed all 500 miles and finished sixth. Not bad for a guy who's used to having fenders on his car and whose fan base is more Pabst Blue Ribbon than it is chardonnay. Busch didn't fare as well when he got to Charlotte, however, as he capped his busy day with a 40th-place finish because of a blown motor. He completed 906 of the 1,100 miles in what the racing world calls “The Double.” Busch is just the fourth driver to attempt both races in the same day, joining John Andretti (Michael's cousin), Robby Gordon (Hunter-Reay's brother-in-law) and Indiana native Tony Stewart (Busch's car owner in NASCAR). No driver has won either leg of the double. Stewart had the best go of it, finishing sixth in the Indy 500 and third in the Coca-Cola 600 in 2001. One of the things that makes Busch's attempt this year remarkable – in my opinion – is that the three aforementioned drivers were open-wheel drivers that ended up in NASCAR. Busch is just the opposite, being a stock car veteran who found his way to Indy in May. With my media credential, I was able to get an up-close look at Busch's adventure. I wandered through the garage area and Gasoline Alley. I sat in on his press conferences. This I can tell you – everywhere Busch went he drew a crowd. My hope is that Busch will be back at Indy in May of 2015. I also hope that he brings some of his stock car friends with him, maybe his brother. How cool would that be to see Kyle Busch among the 33 drivers on the grid? I don’t know exact attendance numbers, but when I was at Carb Day on Friday, the place had an attitude it hasn’t had in years. The same can be said for race day. So, in short, the 2014 Indy 500 will be remembered as a success on so many levels. Welcome back, old friend.
