When I began planning our getaway to Indiana, I noticed there was a racetrack there. Honestly, I couldn’t have cared less about sitting and watching some car race but I knew my husband Tom would be thrilled to see it, so I added it to our itinerary. It was the best thing I could have done for him. He loves car racing and was so excited about going to the race, more excited than any of the other events I had lined up. Early in the evening, we headed out to the race track and kept thinking we were in the wrong place or going in the back door or something else because it was so quiet and there didn’t seem to be that many people there.
Boy, were we wrong.
We parked in the lot that had been reserved for us, close to the track and began walking up to the seats. A huge, welcome to the race track sign was our first clue that this was not a small, intimate event but a big deal for the community and the entire area. The race track was begun in 1958 by Tom Binford, Frank Dickie, Roger Ward, and Howard Feiger, along with 15 Indianapolis area businessmen and racing professionals who invested money into what would become the Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis. They found and purchased a 267 acre farm about 7 miles from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and developed a multipurpose auto racing area. To make the track more user friendly, they added a drag strip in to the long road course design. The first event was held at the track in the fall of 1960 and the track eventually became the home of the NHRA’s biggest annual event.
The facility was purchased by the NHRA in 1979 and the first major improvement came in 1983 with the construction and dedication of Parks Tower, the drag strip tower and in 1998, new grandstands, suites and a tower complex on the front straightway were completed.
We checked in and got our tickets for one of the suites where our group was welcomed with food, drinks, comfy seats, and a great view of the track.
Seating at the Race
We found the stairs up to the comfy seating areas in the sitting areas in the suites which overlooked the track and headed up to the area after checking in and getting our tickets. There were plenty of very comfortable seats but we felt pretty smug to head up to our very nice suite overlooking the racetrack. There were plenty of cars on display as we walked up to where we needed to be.
Cars on display
We found the stairs and climbed up to our palatial surroundings to view the race.
Our great view of the race and the cars
With plenty of food, drinks, and lots of excellent company, we had the perfect surroundings.
One of the many different races
We spent the whole evening relaxing, eating, and just enjoying all the different races. Finally, there was a ceremony where special race car drivers were recognized and we decided to head out before the traffic got bad. I’m not a race fan of any sort, but I still enjoyed the evening and our lovely seats. Races are run all the time, so check them out. Even if you aren’t a race car fan, you will still enjoy yourself!
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