Indy 500 is one of the great sporting spectacles

Pit crew members for Vitor Meira, of Brazil, scramble to douse flames during a pit stop in the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 24, 2009. AP Photo/Chris Howell

What makes a great sporting event? Is it a great competitive spectacle; hordes of fans creating an incredible atmosphere; a setting befitting the occasion; or an event with an appreciation of its glorious past and traditions? The Indy 500 has all of the above.

Like no other sporting event I have attended, you feel the sense of occasion at the Indy 500.

The Speedway, a century old this year, maintains the feel of a classic sporting venue while having all the comforts of a modern day facility.

What makes the Indy 500 so special and differentiates itself from other sporting occasions are the traditions of the event, the yard of bricks across the start line, the pageantry, the respect and reverence of the past, the drinking of the milk, and the continuance of all this.

Despite the pressures of the economy, the Speedway hasn’t succumbed to a name change for a sponsor, advertising hoardings don’t scar the track and its glorious surrounds.

The Speedway is an unspoilt facility paying respect to its past at every corner of its grand structure.

IndyCar racing, in the grander scheme of world sport, may not be on many peoples radar. But within motorsport, it is rightly held in high regard and there are many lessons other sporting events and entities can learn from it.

As sports strive to expand and to conquer new markets, to economically rationalise their product by foregoing traditions and history, they lose their very essence and damage their product.

They need to protect their fabric, their traditions and respect their past.

The Indy 500 has survived the past century of cultural change, the peaks and troughs of interest in the racing and a devastating political split in American open wheeled racing. And it can still pull in excess of 300,000 people each year.

That is the power of tradition and meaning.

The two Australians in the race, Ryan Briscoe and Will Power, racing for the legendary Penske team, may not have claimed the race win despite strong runs and looking competitive throughout. But the pair represent Australia’s best chance of winning the race that no Australian has ever won.

They are part of a wider Australian assault on the American sporting front, and what is clear is that Australians are starting to conquer what is the final frontier for sporting success, a country notoriously introverted and difficult to crack for outsiders.

Not only do we have Briscoe and Power, but also Marcus Ambrose and his pioneering efforts in NASCAR.

Ben Graham became the first Aussie to play in the NFL Superbowl, Andrew Bogut is on the path to recovery from injury, Pat Mills is tipped to be selected in the first round of the upcoming NBA draft, while there is a long history of Australians playing in the MLB.

Despite the relative modesty of American sports in Australia, we have produced a number of world-class athletes in these codes and that speaks volumes of our depth as a sporting nation.

Long may it, and the Indy 500, continue.