Jennie Runevitch/Eyewitness News
Speedway - Crowded under the grandstands, thousands of race fans witnessed a washout for Carb Day.
Rain, persistent all month at the track, idled final practice for the 33 drivers, cancelled the Pit Stop Challenge, and postponed the Firestone Indy Lights Freedom 100 race.
The weather has not curtailed Carb Day that much since 1996. Drivers got 23 minutes of practice in back then. This year, they ran just 11 minutes on the track before the rain washed out practice.
But fans took it all in stride.
"We're just trying to stay dry, I guess," said race fan Heather Hamilton.
Mike Rusciolelli, a 500 fan for years, took his mom for her first visit to the track.
"It's just part of racing. We're racers and we didn't get to see the motors run, the cars run today, but it's part of racing," said Rusciolelli. "A bad day at the track beats a good day at work. Remember that!"
The one event that went on as scheduled was the Carb Day concert, where a reunited Stone Temple Pilots brought rain-soaked fans to their feet.
Some in the crowd did get unruly, leading to arrests, fights and rides with police from the track to jail. But most fans were focused on the weather, the competition, and the tradition of race weekend.
Fans get an early start
Early Friday, Indy 500 fans were already camped out, roasting bratwurst and otherwise having a good time despite the rain Friday afternoon.
"A bad day at the track is better than a good day at work," said Seth Bauer.
Some people even pass up on a little sleep to get a good spot at the track.
"I get up earlier to come here than I do to go to work," said Dana Jones.
The tradition appears to be getting bigger every year. For those who can't afford the fancy seats, Carb Day has become a sweet deal.
"This is a great opportunity," said Brad Yount, a fan.
"Right here we got white collars, blue collars, purple collars, green collars. It doesn't really matter. We're all great friends." He added, "Half of these people I know and half of these people I don't, and it doesn't really matter!"
Yount's company, ON Semiconductor, holds a Carb Day party each year for clients and employees.
"We started five years ago with 20 people and now, we'll have 100-120 people here today and that is just he people I know," he said.
Saturday's IMS schedule
8:00 AM - Gates open at the track
9:00 AM - Drivers' autograph session
10:30 AM - Drivers' meeting
12:15 PM - Firestone Indy Lights Freedom 100
