Written By Kirby Arnold, Longtime Indy 500 Writer and Enthusiast

One of my great joys is watching people experience the Indianapolis 500 for the first time. The wide eyes and an expressions of disbelief at the speed and sound of the Indy cars, and the size of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, take me back to my first time in 1974. My son, nephews and son-in-law all have flashed that priceless first-timer smile over the years.

None of them reacted like my grandson Eli, who saw his first Indy 500 as a 9-year-old in 2022 and hasn’t missed a race weekend since. Marcus Ericsson had barely finished his cooldown lap after that race when Eli looked me in the eye and asked, “Can we do this every year?” Talk about leaving a lump in my throat.

This kid is hooked, but his passion goes beyond the speed, sound and size of the event. Because of the kindness of so many people, especially Indianapolis 500 Oldtimers and veteran Indy 500 participants, he wants to be part of this sport forever.

Eli has always loved cars – he would assemble complicated Lego cars and barely look at the instructions – and helps me with an old truck I’m rebuilding from the ground up. He learned to use a mig welder before I did. He’s 12 now, but his interest in racing hasn’t waned. He wants to be an engineer, and the encouragement he has received from many in the sport tells me everything about what good people there are in this profession.

It’s one thing for someone to stop for a photo with a kid; it’s another when they ask how many Indy 500s he has attended, what he wants to become when he grows up, and share a few words of advice.

The late, great Gil de Ferran encouraged Eli to get involved with karting, to get connected with a team and learn the basics of race prep. Mike Hull, president of Chip Ganassi Racing, explained the need for engineers in racing and, more important, workers with an engineering background who also know how to handle a wrench. He then took Eli behind the ropes for a tour of the Ganassi garages. Johnny Parsons told the story of his first Indy 500 car in 1974, the old “Fleagle” chassis (a Bill Finley design based on the 1972 Eagle) that was built in a garage just a few blocks from IMS.

Numerous others – Johnny Rutherford, Mario Andretti, Al Unser Jr., Davey Hamilton, Roger Yasukawa, Sarah Fisher, Bobby Rahal, Merle Bettenhausen, Doug Boles, Derek Daly, Tom Bigelow, Andy Hillenburg, Tom Sneva, Kenny Brack, Ryan Briscoe, Vitor Meira, Josele Garza, Willy T. Ribbs – have given their time and encouragement.

These heroes of the sport have given a kid a vision for what he wants to become and a sense of what racing was like decades ago. It reminds me of the basic goal of the Indianapolis 500 Oldtimers when the organization began: To provide guidance for the younger generation, bringing about recognition of persons outstanding at the Indianapolis 500, promote fellowship among its members and to further the interests of automobile racing generally.

Thank you, Oldtimers, for not only keeping alive the history that is so important, but also instilling your passion into the next generation that hopefully will do the same for years to come.