Outside Main Entrance Gate for Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 16th and Crawfordsville Road

I don’t know if there is any place that can claim a whole month’s activity like Indianapolis and its repeated year after year since 1911. We are talking about “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing – The Indianapolis 500”.

For me the family tradition goes back to my Grandfather’s Brother, Anthony Christian Mecklenburg (or AC as they called him). He started the South Bend Motor Works, but when Studebaker started up he went to Indianapolis and teamed up with the Stutz Motor Car Company as their Chief Engineer. He designed and built the Stutz Race Car that was in the 1st Indy 500 in 1911. Unlike all the other cars his Stutz had no mechanical problems. The Stutz finished 11th in the 33 car field driven by Gil Hodges (from France) the only foreign driver in the race.

Grandfathers brother driving his South Bend Motorworks Car before he began as Chief Engineer for Stutz in Indianapolis.

From here we jump to 1957, I was 10 years old when my dad took me to my 1st race. Haven’t missed 1 race and this year will be my 66th straight race. There were no fans in 2020 due to Covid Pandemic, but they still had the race.

I’m writing this on May 6th. May 7th we will attend the Mini Marathon, 16.1 miles that includes one lap around the 2.5 mile Speedway track. I still have strong connections to the Speedway. My daughter-in-law, Cassie interviews the drivers.

Helio Castroneves (4 time Indy 500 Champion, going for only driver ever to win 5th time this year) Being interviewed by my Daughter-in-law (Cassie, Martin Mecklenburg) 

My neighbors build and drive cars for racing.

Pancho Carter in drivers uniform in his First Sprint Car that was built by another neighbor Steve Stapp.

On May 14th the Indy Grand Prix will be held on the Road Course that runs through the middle of the

oval track using turn 1 and Main front stretch running the opposite direction of the 500, or clockwise.

Weekend of May 21 brings Qualifying over 2 days to set the field.

Weekend of May 27 sees Hundreds of Thousands people roll into the City for race weekend. The 27th has Carb Day practice, 100 mile Indy Lights race, pit stop competition followed by top entertainment bands from Country and Rock and Roll right into the evening darkness.

May 28th is the Nations 5th

largest Parade through downtown Indianapolis that will have 500,000 people lining the the 3 mile long streets. All of the drivers with family members ride in Chevy Camaro convertibles interacting with all the people, dignitaries such as Roger Penske, owner of the Indy 500 race facility.

May 28th “RACE DAY”. Exceptionally great Military Recognition (2nd to none) for all

Services Members. “Back Home Again in Indiana”, Memorial Taps for Service Members Lost, and “National Anthem” with high Performance Military Aircraft Flyover highly anticipated.

Followed by: “Gentlemen Start Your Engines” and 500 Miles of 235 miles per hour Racing that no other race anywhere can compete with.

If you can’t come, watch it on TV this year.

Hopefully I’ve instilled a little more excitement that you can watch. Look 👀 for me in “Turn One” with the 500,000 other fans attending😊🇺🇸🏎 HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!

Submitted by Paul Mecklenburg – Penn High School Class of 1965