Moonlighting...

I have joined on as a writer at IndyCar Mom so today's blog serves double duty. This is what I wrote for my blog over there. (But I added extra pictures of the boys for all of YOU.)

I'll admit prior to dating my husband, my time at the track was limited to hanging out in the infield with a huge group of friends and plowing through a couple cases of beer. Yep, I was That Girl. Well, I was in my twenties and it was just fine. Now, over ten years later, going to the track with just my kids seems like a far cry from those partying days in Turn 3. And --here is a secret, it is much more fun.

One of the greatest thing about the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is its accessibility. Wednesday I went to my first Community Day with just my two mini men. One stroller. Zero beer. Community Day really showcases how up close and personal you can get to the magic of the Indy 500. We arrived about an hour after the gates opened, participated in the free (but extensive) carseat safetychecks along Hulman Way, parked, and still were touring the garages by 11:15 a.m. My boys loved looking at all the cars. Everyone was so friendly! And I loved that it was not crowded.

My kids, who randomly attended my last photo shoot at SFHR, were a bit perplexed that they could not climb all over Ed Carpenter's race car, but alas, I convinced them just to take some cute pictures outside the $500,000 car (or whatever it cost!) of Will Power instead. I still marvel that these cars are right out for all of us to breathe all over! 

Yes, we did walk extra slow by TK's garage hoping to engage the Brazilian in some conversation. Turns out, he was at another kid-friendly Indy location: the Zoo for the annual Zoopolis 500 Tortoise Race.

I'm sure much will be talked about later this summer with the Dreamworks upcoming feature Turbo. But, for now, Firestone is sure making their tires a hit with having great displays featuring the little snail and pre-designed photo ops like this one with their product.

 Am I the only parent that hopes that this movie can be half as good as the original Cars? My expectations are huge. I am still perplexed why they did not have the movie released on Memorial Day weekend though. Hmmmm....

Prior to walking along the classic car display in the pit area, we had lunch. Most of the time I pack lunches for the kids when we are going to the track, always saving $6 for myself to have one of those huge (and surely calorie laden) tenderloin.  Oh well, according to the MapMyRun app on my phone, I walked over 5 miles during the course of the day! Our day

also included the KidZone, IndyCar fan arena, suite tours, shopping, walk around the museum, and a quick photo op with Josef Newgarden.

You'll notice one of the key aspects of the day, were not part of my agenda. The autograph sessions are HUGE. Throngs of people were ready with memorabilia and Sharpies in hand to meet their favorite drivers. Maybe one day that will happen, but not for awhile. My little dudes were much more enthralled with the pedal cars and bounce houses in the KidZone.

As we left the track, with my youngest (22 months) nearly asleep in the backseat, I decided to drive on the track. This has to be one of the coolest features of Community Day. I signed the waiver, and followed the lines of sportscars and convertibles around the outside of turn 3 to the do the track lap. I quickly shuffled through the available CDs in my dash to find one "worthy" of my experience --albeit slightly laughing to myself as I realize I am picking the ultimate cruising music in a place where I used to bonafide "party" and now was just rolling in my Honda with my kiddos. Times change. Luckily, the traditions of the Indy 500 don't. And I love that.

IndyCar Mom {Heather}