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Chicago Tribune
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Indianapolis 500 fans double up with split loyalties to Indiana Pacers, race day traditions
INDIANAPOLIS — Dean Heaviland has attended more than three dozen Indianapolis 500s and has been working gamedays with the NBA's Indiana Pacers for three decades. So in Heaviland's world, it doesn't get any better than Sunday. He again made the short jaunt from his home in Speedway, Indiana, to the nearby racetrack for the race, then scurried across town to help supervise the entertainment for the Eastern Conference finals to complete the rare race-day double yet again. Only this one started a little differently. 'The amount of Pacers jerseys, the different T-shirts at the track today was no like other,' said Heaviland, who has completed all four racers and Pacers doubles. 'I've never seen it out there like that. The ovation when the priest said the prayer and said 'God bless our Pacers' was great. It was awesome.' Those who showed up to the nightcap, Game 3 between the Pacers and rival New York Knicks, went home with more gear they could wear if it happens again next May, blue-and-gold T-shirts with the words Vroom Baby. It was that kind of day in and around Indianapolis, which became the center of the sports universe this weekend with multiple megastars participating in three major sporting events televised on three different networks. And everyone, including Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, took notice even though the rain-delayed race ended just 3 1/2 hours before his game was supposed to start. 'Congratulations to Alex Palou, the Indianapolis 500 winner and first Spaniard to win,' he said to open his pregame remarks. 'Amazing race. I got to watch the end of the race.' The crossover was every bit as noticeable at the track, too. Before leaving his home in central Indiana, 32-year-old Austin Pettijohn made sure he came in the proper dress code — checkered flag shorts and an Indiana Pacers jersey. The sentiment meshed with so many others in the colorful, estimated crowd of 350,000 for the largest single-day sporting event in the world. With more than a dozen planes carrying advertising banners above Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Goodyear blimp also there, the sounds and smells of the track wafted through an infield full of Pacers jerseys and other regalia that seemed every bit as popular as the driver T-shirts that typically dot Pagoda Plaza. And why not? This is May and this is Indiana where auto racing and basketball aren't just popular. They're a way of life. 'It's so ingrained in this town, this state since 1909, 1911,' Pettijohn said, rattling off the dates of the 2.5-mile oval Brickyard completion and the first IndyCar race was held there. 'I was born into the month of May and racing, and it holds a very near and dear place in my heart with me and my family. Basketball, too. It's just an emotional, special time.' Sports fans in Indiana understand because race day is a kind of pilgrimage that binds the generations together. Many families spend dozens of years sitting or standing in the same location and dress for the occasion in racing garb, a vastly scaled-down version of the colorful hats and fancy dresses and suits found at the Kentucky Derby each May. Those who can't attend usually listen to the radio broadcast because the network telecast is normally blacked out and re-aired in full race night, allowing those who went in person to get back home and watch it all over again. It's a tradition so revered that when fans weren't allowed to attend in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, speedway president Doug Boles offered a special dispensation to keep their streaks of consecutive races intact — if they watched or listened to the race. This time, though, race organizers announced they were lifting the blackout because the grandstand was sold out for the first time since 2016. The fact that some viewers may be more prone to see if the Pacers could take a 3-0 lead may have played a part, too. Regardless, excited locals were thrilled with the decision to telecast the race live since most couldn't afford two tickets to both events, nearing $4,000 on secondary markets entering the weekend, or they couldn't successfully navigate traffic from Speedway to downtown Indianapolis in time for tip-off. 'The good news is (the Pacers game) is at 8 p.m. so the 500 will be done by then, and you don't have to worry about going home and watching the race,' said Indy resident Nick Bustamante, who came to the race in a jersey of two-time NBA All-Star Tyrese Haliburton. 'I'll watch it here and then I'll watch the game at home.' Haliburton might be the best-known Pacers player after making two game-winning shots during Indiana's playoff run and a buzzer-beater to force overtime in Game 1 against the Knicks on Wednesday. Others were represented, though. Some wore the jerseys of forwards Pascal Siakam and Obi Toppin, who attended college at the University of Dayton. Others preferred throwback jerseys — Reggie Miller and Detlef Schrempf — and still others, showed up in some iteration of Caitlin Clark jerseys, either the WNBA's Indiana Fever version or her college choice, Iowa. The Fever lost 90-88 on Saturday to defending league champ New York when Clark had the ball stripped on the game's final possession. By Sunday, that loss seemed a distant memory, though, and for good reason. After Palou's victory, everyone was tuning up for the grand finale. 'It's the best (day) in the world,' Heaviland said. 'You know the 500 is, it's like Christmas morning when you wake up and it's race day. But then when you have a Pacers game, Eastern Conference finals, playoff game the same, there's no other place I'd rather be.'
San Francisco Chronicle
26-05-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Pacers fans roar for new Indy 500 champ Alex Palou at Game 3 against Knicks
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis 500 winner Alex Palou received a rousing standing ovation when he was introduced Sunday during the second quarter of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals. Palou brought the winner's wreath and wore the jersey of Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, a two-time All-Star, as the video of his celebration on the track was played on the stadium's video screen. Palou made the short trek from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he won the race in the afternoon, to Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where the Pacers were hosting their longtime rival New York Knicks. It marked only the fourth time in the 109 Indianapolis 500s the Pacers hosted a playoff game on race day and Indiana lost all three of the previous games — in 1999, 2004 and 2013. ___
Fox Sports
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Pacers fans roar for new Indy 500 champ Alex Palou at Game 3 against Knicks
Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis 500 winner Alex Palou received a rousing standing ovation when he was introduced Sunday during the second quarter of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals. Palou brought the winner's wreath and wore the jersey of Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, a two-time All-Star, as the video of his celebration on the track was played on the stadium's video screen. Palou made the short trek from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he won the race in the afternoon, to Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where the Pacers were hosting their longtime rival New York Knicks. It marked only the fourth time in the 109 Indianapolis 500s the Pacers hosted a playoff game on race day and Indiana lost all three of the previous games — in 1999, 2004 and 2013. Indiana coach Rick Carlisle opened his pregame news conference by congratulating Palou, noting he was the first Spaniard to win while calling it a 'great race.' Indiana took a 2-0 series lead by winning the first two games in New York. ___ AP NBA: recommended in this topic
Hamilton Spectator
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Pacers fans roar for new Indy 500 champ Alex Palou at Game 3 against Knicks
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis 500 winner Alex Palou received a rousing standing ovation when he was introduced Sunday during the second quarter of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals. Palou brought the winner's wreath and wore the jersey of Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, a two-time All-Star, as the video of his celebration on the track was played on the stadium's video screen. Palou made the short trek from Indianapolis Motor Speedway , where he won the race in the afternoon, to Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where the Pacers were hosting their longtime rival New York Knicks. It marked only the fourth time in the 109 Indianapolis 500s the Pacers hosted a playoff game on race day and Indiana lost all three of the previous games — in 1999, 2004 and 2013. Indiana coach Rick Carlisle opened his pregame news conference by congratulating Palou, noting he was the first Spaniard to win while calling it a 'great race.' Indiana took a 2-0 series lead by winning the first two games in New York. ___ AP NBA:
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Pacers fans roar for new Indy 500 champ Alex Palou at Game 3 against Knicks
Alex Palou, left, of Spain, has his winner's ring kissed by his daughter Lucia on the Yard of Bricks on the start/finish line after winning the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/AJ Mast) Alex Palou, of Spain, waves to fans after winning the Indianapolis 500 auto race during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks Sunday, May 25, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast) Alex Palou, of Spain, waves to fans after winning the Indianapolis 500 auto race during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks Sunday, May 25, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) Alex Palou, of Spain, waves to fans after winning the Indianapolis 500 auto race during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks Sunday, May 25, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) Alex Palou, left, of Spain, has his winner's ring kissed by his daughter Lucia on the Yard of Bricks on the start/finish line after winning the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/AJ Mast) Alex Palou, of Spain, waves to fans after winning the Indianapolis 500 auto race during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks Sunday, May 25, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast) Alex Palou, of Spain, waves to fans after winning the Indianapolis 500 auto race during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks Sunday, May 25, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis 500 winner Alex Palou received a rousing standing ovation when he was introduced Sunday during the second quarter of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals. Palou brought the winner's wreath and wore the jersey of Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, a two-time All-Star, as the video of his celebration on the track was played on the stadium's video screen. Advertisement Palou made the short trek from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he won the race in the afternoon, to Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where the Pacers were hosting their longtime rival New York Knicks. It marked only the fourth time in the 109 Indianapolis 500s the Pacers hosted a playoff game on race day and Indiana lost all three of the previous games — in 1999, 2004 and 2013. Indiana coach Rick Carlisle opened his pregame news conference by congratulating Palou, noting he was the first Spaniard to win while calling it a 'great race.' Indiana took a 2-0 series lead by winning the first two games in New York. ___ AP NBA:
