Indy 500 Commentary: 32 is Just a Number

I’m trying to be angry that it appears there won’t be a full 33-car field for this year’s Indianapolis 500.

I’m trying to be frustrated while comprehending the math that shows that three times as many engine manufacturers than last year actually means fewer engines.

I want to seethe, rant and shout.

Instead, I shrug, sigh and groan.

This is what happens when you’re kicked in the stomach too many times. You reach a point where it doesn’t hurt anymore.

I’m not interested in who the villains are behind all this nonsense or who’s to blame for ending up at a point where people would rather not compete in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. That winning the Indianapolis 500 is devalued to the point that it makes more sense – business or otherwise – to not try.

And that’s sad. From a practical standpoint, the Indianapolis 500 has survived two world wars, economic upheaval, disputes, changing tastes and everything else for the past 100 years. Having 32 starters this year matters little in the grand scheme of things. Yes, that last row, with only two cars, will look strange on the parade and pace laps. But 10-15 laps into the race – if not sooner – that missing starter will be forgotten as the drama of the day starts to unfold. Hey, it’s not as if 33 cars finish the race anyway.

So, no big deal, right?

Wrong. It’s the latest example of 500 traditions – like multiple weeks of practice, two weekends of qualifying - that have steadily eroded in the name of … progress? Reality? Necessity? Survival?

By the time you read this, maybe everything will be resolved and by race day there will be a full field. In any event, I’m eagerly anticipating  taking my 9-year-old son to the track next Saturday for opening day, watching him run down to the fence in the infield of Turn 2 to get a better look at the cars roaring by or eagerly pursuing drivers around Gasoline Alley or the motorhomes in search of autographs.

And I’ll wonder if someday he’ll have to explain to his son why there are only 28 cars in the Indianapolis 500. Or 26. Or …