Indianapolis Diary

Day Five

By Susan Wade
9/2/03

CLERMONT, IN -- Several hundred Hoosiers spent Tuesday, Sept. 2 sitting in emergency shelters or bailing out soggy homes because of a record rainfall and surging floodwaters throughout the Indianapolis area. Meanwhile, the staff at Indianapolis Raceway Park had its hands full with clean-up from Monday's monsoon and preparation for this weekend's return of the NHRA's 49th annual U.S. Nationals.

The NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series' marquee event, as well as the Funny Car class' Budweiser Shootout, was rained out and rescheduled for the following Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

IRP maintenance crews pumped water from the pits, caterers pitched food prepped in anticipation of the crowds, and General Manager Ron Anderson developed a revised plan for ticketing and parking. The storm, which dumped 7.2 inches of rain in one day to break a 108-year-old record, socked NHRA and IRP with what some estimate could be a six- figure loss or more.

Scott Smith, track communications manager, said tickets from last Friday will be honored this Friday, last Sunday's tickets are good for Saturday, and those from Labor Day's final eliminations will be accepted for Sunday. He said ticket-holders who cannot return this weekend need to hold onto their tickets and will be given face-value credit when they reorder their 2004 event tickets.

Parking on IRP property, which normally costs $5, will be free this weekend. Fields that serve as parking lots have been flooded, and Smith said management is trying to arrange a shuttle system for this weekend. Some of the floodwater has receded in those fields, but huge "lakes" remain. Even if those waters evaporate or run off by Friday, the ground would be far too muddy to use as parking lots.

Crews are contemplating bringing in truckloads of gravel to fill in around the bases of some grandstands.

Just how dramatic the flooding was is evident immediately inside the main gate. Inside an RV/motorhome lot, many vehicles were submerged. Those whose vehicles are stranded there will be allowed to park there again for no charge in 2004. No more vehicles will be allowed to park in that lot this weekend.

A walk-through tunnel that leads to the infield at the adjacent circle-track -- where the Budweiser Clydesdale horses are housed -- was flooded. Smith said the space between

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the top of the standing water and tunnel ceiling was three inches. He said the horses have been in no danger as they "camp out" for the extra week, waiting to haul the Shootout champion up the return road.

Smith said NHRA and IRP financial officers haven't calculated their losses and might not do so until three or four weeks after the event. Part of the crunch will have come from having to pay safety, fire, medical and ticketing personnel for last weekend, which generated little revenue except for Saturday's program. In addition, those same workers will have to be paid for their work this weekend, too.

"We can't control Mother Nature," Smith said, noting that in the first four hours of Sept. 1, the track received as much rain as it averages in the entire month of September. "As a facility, we certainly wanted to see racing. To have Mother Nature spoil it is awful for the fans and for us."

The revised television coverage, originally set for 13 hours, is uncertain.

One thing is certain: IRP is working hard to prepare for the rescheduled race . . . come hot rods or high water.