We love hearing from first-time race attendees about their experience! This time we have a fan experience from the Brickyward 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Meet our follower, Fred Oltz, who shared his time at Indy with us.
Meet Fred, Friends, and Family
Tiffany Faw: To start, share a bit about yourself and who went to the race with you.
Fred Oltz: Our group consisted of myself and my son John, my college roommate Jake and his son Fletcher. John and I are from Liverpool, New York. Jake and Fletcher are from Shelton, Connecticut.
My dad got me into racing when I was very young. He was on the crew for a local dirt track driver and we would spend every Friday and Saturday at the track. The interest in racing was more than just dirt. I can remember spending time with family in Elmira, NY in the days leading up to the (Watkins) Glen and seeing the show cars and getting autographs from Harry Gant, Rusty Wallace, Richard Petty, and more.
The interest in racing has continued throughout my life, now 40 some odd years later, and I get to share my enjoyment for racing with my own son. It is fantastic.
As far as Jake, growing up in Connecticut, he would frequent Stafford Motor Speedway with his dad. College comes around and through random conversations, we learned that we both enjoyed racing. Every Sunday during the season, there we were, sitting on a couch watching the race. This transitioned into trips to see races at Lancaster Speedway, Stafford, Pocono, and The Glen.
Fast forward many years, we both enjoy racing and are sharing it with our own children. Things are tougher to navigate with a family and career, but still being good friends and spending time with someone you met nearly 20 years ago is a feat in itself. It is enjoyable to call and chat about life, F1, SRX, NASCAR, and every now and then the World of Outlaws/High Limit races.
I don’t really have a favorite driver anymore. I think my last favorite was Kyle Petty. There are ones that I hope do well like (Ryan) Blaney and (Bubba) Wallace. There is no clear-cut favorite, I just enjoy the race.
A Trip to Indy
Faw: What made you choose to go to Indy?
Oltz: My son (John) and I have been trying to go to a different track each year. We have been to Watkins Glen, Bristol, and Pocono. This year, The Glen was the only weekend that would fit into our schedule. My wife knew that I had always wanted to see the [Indianapolis], so she decided to kill two birds with one stone and get tickets and VRBO as a Father’s Day present. It was awesome.
As I got looking into some of the race day add on’s, I saw that kids under 15 were free with a paying adult. I called the track, and they confirmed it. Having an extra ticket meant I was able to bring a friend to enjoy the day. I asked a good friend if he could make the trip with his son, and it turned out to be a great father/son, boys weekend.
First Impressions
Faw: What was your first impression of the racetrack?
Oltz: Overall, first impression was, “Wow, this place is massive!” We started trying to think just what would be comparable to Indy. With arriving on Friday, we were able to spend some time in the frontstretch grandstand and experience just how fast the cars were really going. It was incredible. I’ve been to other tracks, but they didn’t reach the speeds like at Indy. It was neat experience to see and feel the cars running about 180.
Faw: How would you rate the facility overall and what did you think about the food options?
Oltz: The facility was immaculate! I was impressed on how clean the grounds were. Parking was a little slow getting in, but that was expected. Getting out however was a totally different experience. It was very well organized and flowed well. I was surprised how fast we were able to get out of the facility. We brought our own snacks and drinks, but when it came time to eat, we decided on chicken fingers, fries, and some dippin dots. Pretty good selections were also available.
Extra Experiences
Faw: How was your fan experience?
Oltz: We had a general admission ticket. This allowed us the freedom to move around and see the race from different places on the track. As a fan it was great! Seeing cars entering the turns from the backstretch, mid corner, and exiting the corner onto the front stretch gave a different perspective and appreciation of the track itself. The staff were fantastic, offering shuttle rides, conversations, and just being good humans. The same can be said for all of the other fans that we encountered. Most were happy, excited, and enjoying the day. Overall, it was a much better fan experience than at some other tracks that I’ve been to.
Faw: Did you do the Pre-Race Experience or stick to the fan zone?
Oltz: We did the fan zone and merch area on Friday. Figuring there would be less of a crowd compared to Sunday. The kids had fun with the different vendors and participating in the different challenges that some vendors offered. Sunday, we did the fan zone again, but, with the long lines and crowd we stayed near the NASCAR kids’ area. As we were waiting and watching the kids play, we noticed a tent being set up. Just so happened that some of the drivers from ’94 were there signing posters. I was able to jump in line and snag some autographs of the drivers I grew up watching.Â
Highlights
Faw: Were you able to meet any drivers?
Oltz: Friday afternoon, we were walking by the Pagoda and saw Ryan Blaney drive by on his cart. John loved it! Blaney is his favorite driver, so it was nice to get a smile and a wave from him.
Shortly after seeing Blaney, Joey Logano was walking in front of us. We didn’t get a chance to say hi. Sunday, we saw Blaney again heading to pit road. Again, John was all smiles seeing him again.
Faw: What were the highlights of your trip?
Oltz: There were a lot of great things along our trip. Seeing a Sheetz gas station and stopping for slushies is always a hit. The trip as a whole was fantastic, not too much traffic between NY and IN. Our stop in Columbus OH was nice, the kids played in the hotel pool after a long day of travel. Crossing under the track as we made our way to practice was eye-opening on just the sheer size of the track. Hearing the cars as they sped by, seeing Blaney, Logano, Sheppard, Irvan, Rudd, and Mast were a great addition.
Then, we went fishing at our rental. The trip was fantastic all around. What has brought me the most joy is getting to share my passion for racing with my son. It is a way to connect John with his grandfather (my dad) who passed away four years ago. I’m looking forward to our trip next year. Not sure where yet, but one day we will return to Indy.
Away From the (Big) Track
Faw: Did you do anything away from the racetrack in Indy?
Oltz: After being at the track Friday for practice, we went to our VRBO and checked in. We had been planning on catching a dirt track race either Friday or Saturday and saw that Circle City was having an event, so we decided to head there.
It was similar but different than the dirt tracks in the Northeast. Loved watching the sprints, late models and the micro’s. We do not get to see them too often in upstate NY. The figure 8 and grub getter were definitely one of the favorite events that we saw at Circle City. Our host at our VRBO recommended the Franklin Aquatic Center. We spent Saturday there with the kids playing in the water and having a relaxing day.
Closing Thoughts
Faw: Did you have any complaints from your weekend?
Oltz: The weekend was great! Nothing comes to mind that could be a complaint in any way.
Faw: Would you go back or was this a one-and-done experience?
Oltz: I would love to go back again. Hopeful to get to the Indy 500 one day. The race was great and would definitely want to return for the cup race one day.
Faw: Thoughts on the race itself?
Oltz: Overall, I thought the race was good. It is hard to pass with this generation of car at any track. I felt bad for Kyle Busch, running fairly well then crashed. He just has had a tough season. The ending of the race was wild. Brad running out of gas and Larson moving to the inside front row – wasn’t really a fan of that. Blaney kind of got hosed. In my opinion, wave off the green, choose again and then restart.
Then, not throwing the caution until Larson took the white flag seemed kind of suspect. I feel the caution should have been thrown after the spin as the car was stopped on the track. But I’m not an official and I don’t know the rules on cars stopped/rolling and overall safety to warrant a caution.
Faw: Do you have any tips you would give other fans going to Indy?
Oltz: Enjoy and have fun! There is a lot to do at the track and in the surrounding area.
