Congratulations Tony Kanaan! You Did It!

Memories of the 2013 Indy 500:
1)  The Weather:  63 degrees all day long.  I wore three shirts, but took off my sweatshirt mid-race so son K could sit on it for padding.

2)  The Record-Breaking 68 Lead Changes:  Ed Carpenter would lead, then Marco would jump in front....then Ryan Hunter-Reay made a sneaky pass ala 'it's my turn now', then Marco would pass Ryan again on the next lap.  Very exciting!

3)  Only 5 Cautions:  Every single crash only involved one car.  No driver was severely injured, and most of the engine failures or other car issues made it into the pits and were pushed back to Gasoline Alley.  Ed Carpenter at one point drove into the grass, but was able to get back onto the track without causing any 'traffic' issues.

4)  The Safety Crew:  Graham Rahal crashed at Lap 195, with Ryan Hunter-Reay in the lead.  But by Lap 197, the green flag waved.  Tony Kanaan grabbed the lead:)  But Lap 198, Dario Franchitti crashed, bringing out the yellow Caution flag, ensuring Tony Kanaan's win at last!

Mom and I laughed that Dario heard Tony was in the lead and decided to kiss the wall to ensure his friend's win!

Here we are, L-R:  Ben (half of him, anyway!); Mom is behind Ben; Ann (Ben's mom); Shobin; Rob (Friend of Ann and Ben's); Guabin; me; Sam (Shobin and Guabin's son); Kyle; Dad (standing).  The Chinese family are friends of my parents.  Ann's husband Bob was supposed to be there, but he'd chosen to try to jump a curb while riding his bike and broke his femur.  So he's in a cast and undergoing physical therapy!  Maybe we'll see him next year:)

Tony Kanaan, red hat.  They introduce the drivers as part of the Opening Ceremony.

I was talking with a girl two rows behind us before the race, and she insisted I try this Straw-Beer-Rita (strawberry margarita infused with Bud Lite).  I didn't really care for it, but managed to drink maybe a fourth of it.

Our seats were directly in front of Dario's pit.  Here he is, getting gas and tires.

TK's pit was also within viewing distance.  Here he is, getting the same.

Sandi Patti (blue dress) sang the National Anthem.  So good to hear her sing this again!  No one sings it like Sandi:)

Since Ben Schruben was cut out of the group photo, here he is with his mom, Ann Mead.  We've been friends with them for well over 25-30 years.

After the race.  Mom and Dad have handicapped parking, and it took us an hour to get out of the parking lot.  Here are Sam, Shobin, Guabin, and my mother, just hanging out and waiting for signs of cars to begin moving out of the lot.

The people parked next to us had a Hibachi set up and were grilling brats and burgers:)  When we left, some other people had set up a corn-hole tossing game.  Dad sent Kyle ahead to direct him out of the parking spot and to make sure we weren't going to run over or hit anyone's grills/coolers/games.  The race ended at 3pm; we were at the bar by 3:30; we didn't get out onto the main road until nearly 5:30.  Made it back to Lafayette around 7, just in time to watch the recap on TV.  Mom and Dad took the Chinese family home while I unloaded the coolers.  When the parents arrived back, Sandi Patti was about to sing again.  I began uploading my photos and we had a nice relaxing evening.

My uncle called from Florida; he and my cousin are going to try to make it up for next year's race:)  Also received alarming news my aunt has a malignant mass on one kidney and her consultation is tomorrow.  She's already in remission from Melanoma, so we're keeping her in our prayers.

Not sure if I'll participate in Hump Day Hook tomorrow or not.  I'll post my daughter's graduation pics tomorrow or Thursday.  So have a great day!