Tony Borroz is attending the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500, scheduled for Sunday, May 28th, 2017. This series, Bricks And Bones, explores the cultural significance, endearing legacy, and the nitty-gritty phenomenon of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
The prologue of this series here.
Chapter 1: Real Wrong here.
Chapter 2: St. Elmo?s Fire here.
Chapter 3: The Quiet Racer here.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

To me, there are three high holy days on the racing calendar. The first is the Italian Grand Prix. Much like Eskimos having many words for snow, the Italians have their own singular word for racing fan: TIfosi. And Monza, the home of the Italian Grand Prix, is our cathedral where we worship. The greatest drivers in the world have raced here, and every year the grand prix is a fine Italian opera played out at over 200 miles an hour.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is next. Held close to the summer solstice every year, it started out as a twice around the clock endurance grind, but now is more like a sprint race for maniacs. This is where sports car racing was perfected. This is where, up until the late 60s, street legal two seaters from Jaguar and Ferrari and Ford and Porsche slugged it out to see who was best over public roads, come rain or shine, day or night, every year.
The last high holy day is the Indy 500. The race is held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway located in the small Midwestern town of Speedway, Indiana. It seems rather simple at ...