A few days is enough time to reflect on the experience of attending an IndyCar Race – in this case, the OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland. I’ve been attending Indy-class races here since the 1990s when Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) sanctioned Indy car events. A lot has changed since those days, but the fundamental reasons to be here have remained the same.
At any IndyCar race, you’ll see top-tier drivers competing in some of the fastest and most sophisticated machinery in the world. For a brief period in the mid-1990s, Tony George and his new Indycar Racing League tried to bring the sport back to oval racing and almost exclusively American drivers, but the fact is that international talent and a mix of oval, road, and street courses deliver the best show. Today, IndyCar operates as a meritocracy – a showcase of the best tracks in North America and drivers from every part of the world.
By attending a race in person, you’ll get access to the series that is simply impossible when you’re watching at home. You’re likely to run into Chip Ganassi or Roger Penske in the paddock, and there are set times when you can speak to the drivers and get an autograph. Every person involved in IndyCar understands the importance of access for the fans who made the effort to be there. Got a question for Will Power or Scott Dixon? They’re right there at the track.
There’s also the full sensory experience of IndyCar – the howling sound of the engines, the heat of a summer day, the press of the crowd, the smell of hot tires and kettle popcorn, and the feeling of participation in something unique. You’re watching history being made, and it gets into your blood.
Portland is my home track, so attending IndyCar racing here is personal for me. Going to a major event like the Long Beach Grand Prix is a once-in-a-lifetime event for many people, but Portland International Raceway is part of my home. Here I can appreciate what IndyCar brings to my normally local racing facility where open track days and amateur sports car racing form the daily rhythm. Watching the top drivers of the era compete teaches me new ideas about how to drive the track, and gives me a feeling of belonging to the larger community of racing drivers.
I also love how IndyCar showcases my home city – which is so often portrayed wrongly in national media. There’s civic pride in hosting an IndyCar event, and maybe seeing a team or just a couple drivers out enjoying the restaurants and parks I too often take for granted. If you live near an IndyCar race venue, watching the series visit your town can be a source of pride as well.
After more than 30 years of attending IndyCar races here in Portland, I can recall meeting three-time winner Al Unser, Jr., unexpectedly finding myself face to face with Paul Newman, and meeting countless drivers who are all striving to win one of the toughest championship series in the world. That’s what keeps me coming back – the human dimension of an aspirational sport that carries legendary history and world-class excellence into the future.
I’ll see you at the track.
