race should be opened up to various engines, as they used to be. makes for much more excitement, even though the race is still exciting

I hate the IRL, but CART is gone. I loved the Indy 500 in the 80's and early 90's. Multiple engine makes, multiple chassis, much more power and better drivers. Go back even further, when I was a kid, I used to have to watch the Indy 500 in tape delay starting at 10:00 PM in the 70's and would fall asleep before it ended and would have to read about it in the newspaper the following morning. Danica, to me is just another driver. She seems to be very high maitenance as far as pleading her case as a lady race car driver. Her 4th place in her rookie race was exciting. However, Marco's rookie race the year after was absolutely thrilling! To me, the Indy 500 has lost it's mystique. However, I will still watch it.

I will watch because I love open wheel racing and the tradition of Indy, but I will also watch the Monaco GP this weekend. The IRL series has one engine and two chassis choices, except for this race, the number of teams competing in the series is pretty small. I remember when the 33 drivers on the starting grid would represent a lot of the racing world--American oval and road racers, Europeans, NASCAR greats would all show up trying to win. The IRL has its share of international drivers of course, but a lot of the interest is gone. They have kept a couple of road courses, but it is a lot harder for me to get excited about any of it. Oh, and go Marco, break the family curse.

I'll watch it but not with the same enthusiasm as years back. They should have gone with the better CART cars and Cosworth turbo engines. The IRL package is second rate in that aspect. And they run on too many boring ovals. Hopefully they will get more money into the series. Open wheel racing is still a better race than most NASCAR Sprint Cup events. I don't understand America's infatuation with NASCAR and Dale Jr in particular, who is second rate as well. Give me Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Mark Martin, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon any day.

Who cares about a bunch of hicks and wannbe hillbillys in NC? IndyCar is the only series worth watching - the races are close and interesting. And - whatever you hear from NASCAR and F1 - the Indianapolis 500 is not only the Greatest Spectacle in Racing... It is the ONE race that you can't really have a successful career without winning!

I'll watch on TV, but for me, ever since the IRL took over, watching the race on TV doesn't quite hold the same mystique as it did in the past.

In person though, that's different. I went to the race several times in the 80's, and hope to go back some day. Lately, the speeds seem to be rising, getting close to what they were back then.

If being at the track now is anything like it was back in the 80's, Holy Moly, what an experience! I'd venture that it is not only the greatest spectacle in racing, but one of the greatest spectacles on the planet. The first time that all 33 of those ground-bound missiles come flying around the turns in one big angry pack, it's jaw dropping! It's difficult for the mind to reconcile what you're seeing at first, cause the darn things are so fast and so close together.  I'd contend that TV doesn't give you the slightest idea of what is really happening on the track. Every race fan should try to go at least once, I can't recommend it enough!  

Indy is like the 500 mile NASCAR races. I will watch the first 15 laps and the last 15 laps.

Turn left, turn left, turn left, turn left, turn left for 500 miles is not that exciting.

Give me a road course any day or F1 racing.

I forgot that my mother-in-law is here, so unless I want to sneak off and watch it in the bedroom (instead of on my huge flatscreen in my living room) I probably won't get to watch either the Indy 500 or the World 600.

There's always the DVR, though...

Absolutely! The Indianapolis 500 is the greatest, most exciting and thrilling race in ALL of automobile racing. Formula 1 is the fastest action in all of sports!