POSTCARD FROM America

While controversy reigns in the run up to this year's Indy 500, JOHN OREOVICZ heads to Talladega to see some gnarly NASCAR action

- JOHN OREOVICZ

I'm writing this on May 20, which means it's a festive time in my neighbourhood. You see, I live four blocks from Turn 1 of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the city of Indianapolis celebrates the Indianapolis 500 and the month of May like no other community in the world supports a marquee sporting event. In Indianapolis, May isa state of mind, a month-long holiday when skipping work to spend afternoons drinking beer and watching practice at the track is considered an excused absence.

I've lived in the state of Indiana for most of my life and started attending the Indy 500 in 1978. Fifteen years ago, I moved to the Town of Speedway, within earshot of IMS, because I wanted to truly enjoy the whole Indy 500 experience again after so many years of rushing to the track before dawn to beat the Race Day traffic. Living within walking distance, I can once more enjoy a few beers with my friends and soak in the festive 'Night Before the 500' atmosphere, get a decent night of sleep, then step on over to the media centre (or Honda hospitality for breakfast) in just a few minutes.

The Speedway announced this year's race was the first since the historically significant 100th running in 2016 to achieve a full sell-out of the 240,000-strong grandstands. Factor in a packed infield, and the total attendance isa reality around 350,000. But as so often happens for IndyCar, the feel-good factor of the sell-out was squandered on qualifying weekend when Team Penske was caught in its second high-profile cheating scandal in the past 14 months.