INDIANAPOLIS — Hoosiers know that the entire month of May revolves around one event - the Indianapolis 500.
And while the Indianapolis Motor Speedway can pack in a lot of fans, not every Hoosier is drawn to the track or to racing.
WRTV reporter Phil Ponce set out to talk to people around central Indiana who opted to do other things on May 28, 1982.
Ponce found a man who said one trip to the track was enough.
“[I] was in the Snake Pit and that’s enough for me.”
When pressed for a reason the man was one and done, he replied, “It’s a mess out there in the Snake Pit. Have you ever been to the Snake Pit?"
Ponce asked another man if it was unpatriotic to live in central Indiana and not be at the track for the 500.
“Yes, and you’ve caught me and embarrassed me by saying that," said the man. “You’re right. It is unpatriotic. I should be there! ”
Perhaps the most disrespectful person Ponce spoke to was a man who was quite familiar with getting no respect.
Comedian Rodney Dangerfield was in town for a performance at the Hilton U. Brown Theater. Ponce asked Dangerfield why he wasn’t at the speedway.
“I’m not looking to get busy really, thanks very much,” replied Dangerfield.
He followed up with “See how boring comedians can be?”
Boring or not, some people just have no respect for The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
