bob jennings' WORLD O' RACING 05/03/2000
Nigel Mansell during the morning practice on "Indianapolis 500" Pole day - May 15, 1993
Bob Jennings
This is another one of my favorite photos. I shot this from the second row of the Grandstand E penthouse at the apex of turn one. It's the place I call the best seat in the house at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway because of shots like this one. I love this angle looking down on the cars. The only photo location I can think of that might be as good would be outside the turns and with that I'd need one of those large aperture 300 mm lenses that cost more than $2000 which I can't afford. Even with all that I think I like the Stand E penthouse location better.
I was at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on April 17 and took the time to go into the Hall of Fame museum. I hadn't been in the museum for a few years. The car in the photo on this page was on display. Seeing it brought back all kinds of memories of the first of Nigel Mansell's two appearances in the "Indianapolis 500." On the placard with information about Mansell and the Newman - Haas K Mart Havoline Lola - Ford he almost won the 1993 "500" with I discovered something new. The car Nigel drove in the 1993 "500" is the same one Al Unser tried to qualify the next year at Indianapolis immediately before he decided to retire as a driver. I didn't know that Jeff Sinden purchased this particular car from Newman - Haas for Big Al to drive in the 1994 race. Unfortunately Al couldn't get the car up to speed and decided it was time to hang it up.
This is one of my favorite racing cars. This car and the Williams FW14B -
Renault V10 that carried Mansell to the 1992 World Championship are my favorite
Nigel racers. Actually the car is somewhat plain looking in white and black
with red trim but there's something racy about the way red 5 sits on the
nose that gets me going. Yet the same car in Michael Andretti's hands wouldn't
have been nearly as attractive to me. Ain't racing a
kick?
The Indiana trees are now filled with bright fresh green leaves, the bushes
are blooming and the grass is growing. In the Village Pantry convenience
store down the street there is a cutout of Juan Montoya and Jimmy Vasser
advertising Budweiser in anticipation of their running in this year's "500."
I was in a Kroger store last weekend and there was a life-size cardboard
of Buddy Lazier in front of a display case with Coors Light. Al Unser Jr.
is coming off his first Indy Racing League win at Las Vegas. Little Al was
in town last week testing his tickets.com Galles G Force at the Speedway.
In less than two weeks practice for the "Indianapolis 500" begins. I love
this time of the year!
The 2000 "500" will be number 45 for me. I started going to the "500" in 1956 and I haven't missed one since. The first time I miss the "Indianapolis 500" will be the first year I'm dead if I can do something about it. I love the "Indianapolis 500" like nothing else in this world. If you saw the Oliver Stone film Platoon you might remember a scene where soldiers in Vietnam are talking about sex. They use a different word to refer to sex but one soldier states that there is nothing better than sex (so to speak) except for the "Indy 500." Without minimizing the other good things life has to offer I tend to agree with those sentiments.
When I look at the photo on this page I'm reminded of the 1993 "Indianapolis 500." That was one of my favorite races. Having the reigning Formula One World Champion and the most famous racing personality in the world at that time coming to the "Indianapolis 500" was exciting. Nigel Mansell brought so much attention to the Speedway from the media that it was unlike anything I'd seen before. Nigel almost pulled off a win too. If he'd had more savvy on that final restart with 16 laps to go he would've won the "500." Wouldn't that have been something?