As I write this in early May, 2016, the 100^th Anniversary of the Indy 500 is a couple of weeks in the future. As racing goes, there is not another race that even comes close to Indy’s century of racing. Think about that, an entire century of automobile racing! The first race was actually run in 1911, but the Speedway has also sat idle for six years – lapses in 1917 and 1918 for WWI and 1942 through 1945 for WWII. In other words, only the insanity of two world wars could stop the running of the Indy 500.

I’m not really sure what year I first learned about this race. I remember listening to the race on the radio with my grandfather probably in 1964 when I was ten years old. This to me was an amazing time for Indy, not because I was a youngster infatuated with anything about race cars, but because of the romance of the whole idea of racing. It seemed almost surreal to me that someone would willingly climb behind the wheel of a screaming machine and challenge the forces of mechanical mayhem.

The first rear-engine car ran at Indy in 1961, but the concept of a super lightweight design by Colin Chapman for Formula 1 in Europe was horribly under-powered when pitted against America’s brickyard behemoths. But by 1964, the rear-engine cars swept the front row and induced total turmoil. Not long after, the 50’s style roadsters had been pushed aside. From a purely nostalgic standpoint, these cars exude cool perhaps because they signal a time when driving an Indy car was a task only for the stout of heart and muscle. It was from that crucible pool that an amazing breed of drivers evolved. Men like Britain’s Jimmy Clark, and Graham Hill, a talented Texan like A.J. Foyt, and the Andretti family from Pennsylvania. It was a magical time listening to the commentary on the radio and wishing I could see the cars rather than just listen to the scream amidst the cackle of AM radio. Yes, I’m that old!

I had to look it up, but the first televised live race was by ABC Sports in 1965 and I know I was glued to the television for the entire race. Sadly, they tape-delayed the race until later in the day, which seems archaic now but back then that was far superior to all other options. It has become a 50-year tradition at my household that the Sunday of Memorial Day we watch the Indy 500.

Matt and Debbie Hay.

Recently I was reading something about Indy that triggered a question about the last traditional stock-block, small-block Chevy to ever race at Indy. My buddy Matt Hay and his wonderful wife Debbie built some of the most amazing Pro Street cars back in the day. It might seem a reach from Pro Street to Indy, but Matt is now heavily enmeshed in the nostalgia of automobilia – which includes all things Indy. I was astounded to learn that a few years ago he bought and restored one of the two turbine cars built by Carroll Shelby for the 1968 Indy 500. The cars were pulled and never raced yet they survived. Matt dug up one of the cars and restored it. I’ve seen a photo of him with Carroll Shelby next to the car. How cool is that?

Along with the Shelby car (which he regrettably later sold), Matt has bought and sold dozens of Indy racers and he has an amazing collection of Indycar parts. My first thought was how cool it would be to find the last car to race a small-block Chevy at Indy. Matt quickly informed me of how expensive that would be – he says the chassis was probably a Gurney Eagle that would cost $80,000 or more – yikes! He does have, he told me, a Lola chassis complete with a transaxle but sans an engine for $30,000. “That could easily take a small-block Chevy”, he said. He also offered to go in as partners in the deal. Those closer I get to race day, the more that seems like a good idea. I’d love to build a normally-aspirated, methanol-fed, mechanically fuel injected small-block around 300 inches. With 180-degree headers, it just seems like it would drill down into all of my adolescent fantasies of laying hands on a screaming race car that had once been at the Brickyard.

All of this enthusiasm will probably blow over once the 100^th anniversary of the 500 has passed. I can’t say it’s really a bucket list since every day presents a new idea that I quickly decide I have to jump into. Still, all I have to do is go back to those days of listening to those engines screaming at full song on the radio and then Matt’s Indy car idea doesn’t seem so crazy. But not to worry, one of my friends (or my Power & Performance News editor) will likely slap some sense into me sooner or later – but only after the last echoes from the race have faded. When it comes to Indy, decisions should only be made from the heart.