When Excitement Turns to Apprehension

"Are you excited?"

It's an innocent question that I was asked today at work. I suspect it will not be the last time I'm asked that this week. After all, we are less than 6 days now from the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500, and I make no secret in my daily life of my love for that race and this sport. I can't imagine my friends see it as anything but quixotic, but other than occasionally getting it confused with NASCAR, they tolerate it.

The problem of course is that the events of this week make the "Are you excited?" question difficult and complicated to answer. Normally I'm almost giddy at this point, and becoming giddier the more into Race Week we get. This year though that sense just isn't there. It's been replaced with apprehension at best, nerves in the middle, and flat out dread at worst.

The reason is simple: three cars have gotten airborne this week, and there is still no indication that anyone at IndyCar knows why or how to fix it (or they can't fix it now because it's the undertray). James Hinchcliffe's crash today (#GetWellSoonHinch) was more straightforward in that a suspension broke, but even then the car ended up on its side before landing on its wheels.

The decreased boost and increased downforce got qualifying out of the way without major incident. However, on Sunday it will be 33 cars on the track at once, and if today's practice is any indication, the racing will be a lot like the last three years. What if a car gets airborne in the middle of a pack of cars? What if debris gets into the crowd? What if more than just debris gets into the crowd? The consequnces are unthinkable. What's happened so far puts these possibilities in the foreground instead of the back of the mind where they should be. "I'm glad my seats are not in a turn" is a thought I've had, and it's disconcerting.

Look, I'm not trying to be overly negative about the race. The Indy 500 is the one thing in my life I try very hard not to be negative about. I also fully understand that racing will always have risk. At the start of every 500, my heart is in my throat, both in exhilaration and in nervousness wondering if they all can make it through turn 1 without wadding it up. That will never change no matter how safe they make these cars. However, the risk could be above acceptable levels right now, and IndyCar has yet to show they can get it right in time. You put it all together and it's hard to be excited for the race.

Personally, here's hoping that I can get that anticipatory thrill back by the time I arrive at the Speedway Sunday morning. Above all else, let's hope for a safe, exciting race where all 33 drivers come back at the end of the day. We'll all be winners if that happens regardless of who takes the checkered flag. That's all I want out of this anymore.