The Brickyard 400; Part 1... Before the Race!

Today saw me travelling to Indianapolis for my 20th Brickyard 400 NASCAR race. I've been going since the 1st race, 20 years ago and haven't missed a year yet.

I was fortunate enough to recive a free ticket this year, thanks to a good friend, which makes attending much easier for this penny-poor teacher.

As usual, I made it there with plenty of time to walk about and enjoy the surroundings. Of course, I headed for the back nine of the Brickyard Crossing Golf Course, which winds its way both inside and outside the track. Be sure to click on the image for the full panorama and you can see the Turn 3 stands on the right.

I ended up at my usual spot, but I soon discovered that it's only half the fun when there's only one. I did make a fine discovery at the bridge however. If you click on the image to enlarge it, look closely downstream, you'll see a lovely Blue Heron, looking for a fine meal.

Looks like he don't like company as he took off when I got near him (I think it was a him).



On the way back to the track, I came across 2 horse power that had left Gasoline Alley.



On the way towards the Pagoda and my seats, I passed through the Mile of Merchandise. At least they're promoting recycling.

Then it was on to the Pagoda and the Yard of Brick, which runs quite a ways into the infield, it seems.

I gots me a hankering for some Crown Royal!!!

Next time, I'll show you some of the technical stuff behind NASCAR and the fun stuff kids and grownups like, including Corvettes!!!

James C. Wallace II

Royal Liaison of Oz

Twitter Wars: The Net Strikes Back!

The Empire has grown in power and Luke Skywalker has abandoned his Jedi training to save his friends from the clutches of Darth Vadar. Now, the first battle between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vadar concludes...
[Vader has just cut off Luke's right hand, which has his lightsaber]

Darth Vader: There is no escape! Don't make me destroy you. Luke, you do not yet realize your importance. You've only begun to discover your power! Join me, and I will complete your training! With our combined strength, we can end this destructive conflict, and bring order to the galaxy.

Luke Skywalker: [angrily] I'll never join you!

Vader: If only you knew the power of the Twitter. Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your Twitter.

Skywalker: He told me enough! He told me you killed it!

Vader: No, I am your Twitter.

Skywalker: [shocked] No. No! That's not true! That's impossible!

Vader: Search your feelings; you know it to be true!

Skywalker: NOOOOOOO! NOOOOOOOO!!!

Vader: Luke, you can destroy the Twitter. He has foreseen this. It is your destiny! Join me, and together, we can rule the galaxy as father and son! Come with me. It is the only way.
[Luke lets go of the projection and falls into the shaft]

And thus it was in the early days of the Twitter-verse. I know, for I was there.

In the year 2006, Twitter was born; dark and menacing, lurking in the shadows but for a few months until the Internet Machine caught wind of it and thus, the Dark Side was born.

I joined in the early days, knowing little and doing even less. The ways of the Dark Side were quaint and easy, requiring only opposable thumbs whenever possible. For you see, Twitter was the bastard child of text messaging… but alas, I have never sent a text message. Ever!

My presence was low within the folds of the Dark Side and I learned little of the ways of Twitter, owing to my lack of texting perception. Only Time and the occasional stroll down the Digital Brick Road brought me those who hunger for my Tweets!

My followers are many, though I know them not. They number in the thousands, yet they are but names on a screen, minions of the Twitter who secretly speak out loud in crowded rooms of silence. How can one befriend a faceless name?
… and then there was Oz.

For Oz, the Dark Side was not those for whom their album collection contains a special entry of pink. It was instead, the Kindle and the ways of the screen.

Soon, the old Wizard retired, paving the way for the new Magician of Oz, who embraced the ways of the screen; of swiping fingers and digital bookmarks and endless power cords.

The Twitter still grew in power and influence across the land of Net, infecting all with its Darkness and the lust for the Kindle.

Before long, the Two had become One as Kindle and Twitter embraced; and the Magician of Oz, whose Shadow Demon and Family grew larger and more profitable, watched while the One intertwined among its own kind… Even Pickleless & Blu~

If this seems like an epic tale, told by a fool, full of pomp and fury, signifying absolutely nothing, then I’d be Shakespeare and you’d be reading this on parchment… but you’re not!

I never got Twitter because Twitter never got me. It requires a mindset that harkens upon our youth. It is they for whom Twitter works best. No one cares what I had for dinner and where I am at the moment.

Kindle too, is the way of the modern mind. Endless pages that never dog-ear and grow dimmer or brighter upon demand. And it is Twitter that allows me to sell Magician of Oz to like-minded folks who appreciate a story of Oz in a digital age while I bask in the self denial; that I have not returned to the Dark Side.

As you can tell, I’m not quite right in the head, but I know when to embrace a marketing effort that has proven to sell books, even if the books are nothing but photons and magnetic fields. As it stands now, all my books, be they The Royal Magician of Oz Trilogy or The Ozian Adventure of Pickleless & Blu, in digital format, outsell the product of trees, 10 to 1, thanks to the Dark Side of Twitter… and even FaceBook.

I still won’t ever send a text message… Ever!!!

James C. Wallace II
Royal Liaison of Oz

The Indy 500 !!! What A Race~ Part III

Finaly, we find ourselves wrapping up my journey to the Indy 500 this year and as you may recall from my last posting, we had just left the Hall of Fame Museum within the grounds of the IMS track.

One of the nice things about the hours leading up to the race is the Fan Zone, which has loads of stuff, swag and Corvettes!!!

Them's some purty cars...

We also did the usual stuff, including the virtual racing games in the Chevy tent. I won this year!!!!!

Naturally, there's always at least one Indy car people get their pictures taken next to it. We were no exception.

 

I also found the little bastard that wouldn't let me ride him an hour or so before! I showed him who was 'da man!!!!

Of course, wearing an Amercian Flag outfit, which I've done now for over 20 years, everyone wants a picture with me, be it a really tall Uncle Sam or various other fans of this great country!!!

God Bless America!!!

One of the most unique things that happened this year was an episode of Serendipidy when Brion and I ran into his brother, Derek. 300,000 people and we run into his brother. What a hoot!!!

Finally, we get to our seats just in time for the opening ceremonies, including a wonderful flyby by a B-17 Bomber and some P-51 Fighters, all from World War 2.

Then, the fun really begins with the Parade Laps leading up to the start of the Indy 500. As you can see, we had really good seats.

Here's the I-Phone video I took of the start of the race, just to give you a feel for just how exciting and intense it truly is!

What a start!!! This was the most contested race we've ever seen. The weather was perfect and the Indy Brats were even better this year!!!

Next year, we hope to be in Turn 4, a place we've never seen the race from before. Till then, race on!!!

James C. Wallace II
Royal Liaison of Oz

The Indy 500 !!! What A Race~ Part II

So, when last we left our heroes, they were headed for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum several hours before the race.

Now, if you've never visited the Hall of Fame Museum located on the inside of Turn Two of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, better known as the Indy 500 track, do yourself a favor and go! At $5.00, it's a bargin and we had time to kill and neither of us had ever been in it during any of our previous sojourns to the track prior to the race.

The museum is filled with all things Indy 500, and a bit more. Here we see the first winning car from the first Indy 500, driven by Ray Harroun (with a relief driver named Cyrus Patschke); it's a Marmon Wasp.

I love the rear view mirror on this beast!



There were rows upon rows of cars, all of whom were Indy 500 winners.

Man, there sure were a lot of cars! Of particular interest for me was some of the most beautiful grill-work on the front of these vehicles.

Of course, there were some other cars, including my personal favorite, the 1957 "SS" Corvette!



And I don't believe this car ran on the track, but it did go really fast on the Bonneville Salt Flats!

They even had a display of old motorcycles, which makes sense now that they have motorcycle races at the track.

And of course, NASCAR shows up as well.

Finally, we made our way out after about an hour and headed for the pagoda, but was stopped short by crowds and the scene of our 2nd incident of madness last year.

We thought better of it and turned back to find our seats. Why tempt the racing gods this year?

When next I blog, I'll talk about the run-up to the race and the race itself. it was a magnificant day all around!!!

James C. Wallace II
Royal Liaison of Oz

The Indy 500 !!! What A Race~ Part I

So yesterday was my annual trek to the Indianapolis 500 and has been since 1988. It used to be my father that I would go with, but alas, he joined Houdini across The Shifting Sands in 1992. Greg Putman took over that role for a few years, then Brion came along. For us now, it's a 13-year tradition that ranks pretty darn high on our list of best 500's. Year 1 really set the bar high as our best ever, but this year's was nearly as good.

As always, we meet at Steak-and-Shake in Plainsfield and head to the track. This year, we met at 7:30am (uugghh!! I am not a morning person) and through our usual good planning and luck, we were parked and walking to the track by 8:05am.

After the usual routine of entry, which was thorough and speedy, we made it back to the Back Nine; part of the Brickyard Crossing Golf Course; where we caught up on the previous year's madness.

You wouldn't think just a 5 minute casual walk from here, cars will be zipping by at over 230 miles-per-hour. I found a golf ball here this year and brought it home. I'll try it out next time I play.

Getting there early was crucial, as we saw long lines once we made it to the outside of Turn Two. There were greater police presence this year than we could ever recall. As you can see, the Stye was full. Last year, we remembered only 1 car present.

Cops notwithstanding, we soon discovered easy access to the track,

 

but I behaved myself. Besides, this was pre-race and it was closed and locked when we returned after the 2nd yellow.

The scene of our madness from last year was also exposed,

just like last year when we had some fun. You can just make out my American Flag outfit to Brion's left.

This was a restart and below is the result. Amazing video!!!

Never been closer! The concusion wave from those cars is impossible to simulate. This year, the spot was manned by a yellow-shirt, which we appreciated.

We spent some time in the Fan-Zone, where I ran into some snail from a new movie called "Turbo." Little bastard wouldn't let me ride him!

 

When next I blog, perhaps tomorrow, I'll take you into the Indy 500 museum inside the Indianapolis Raceway in Part II. A fun place for all lovers of cars and things that go Vroom!

James C. Wallace II

Royal Liaison of Oz