Indy 500 2016 Race Plus Snakepit Party Review & Photos

Rookie Alexander Rossi Wins While People Party In The Infield

Alexander Rossi is at the center of the Indy 500 2016 Victory Circle celebration. Photo: Jack Fleming

By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Blogger

Photos by Jack Fleming For PubClub.com

The celebration may have been going on for the rookie driver Alexander Rossie and crew for the Bryan Herta-led winning team in Victory Circle, but the party was going on all day in the Snakepit at the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500.

The infield started to come alive just as the Holman family together said “start your engines” and continued thru the checkered flag that saw Rossi win a wild one after a duel the last 50 laps that included polesitter James Hinchcliff plus Josef Newgarden and Carlos Munoz.

Then the rookie came of seemingly nowhere to win it.

Indy officials announced the race as “sold out” on Friday – including the infield GA tickets, tho considering you could put a football stadium in the infield, that was more likely a PR move than one related to capacity.

indy 500 Infield Snakepit — She may be wearing a shirt that says under, but she’s all over the Indy 500 Snakepit. Photo: Jack Fleming

Alexander Rossi wins Indy 500 — Rookie Alexander Rossi gets the checkered flag to win the 100th Indy 500. Photo: Jack Fleming

Still, you can’t scoff at 350,000 people, all of whom had different experiences based on their vantage points.

Fans in the stands got to stand up and fight off chills running down their spine those last 50 laps.

Those in the infield sat back emptying kegs or coolers full of beers on a hot Indiana afternoon.

Those in the Snakepit in another part of the infield were at the equivalent of an outdoor music/DJ festival with little knowledge or interest of what was happening on the track.

Of course, that’s when you know you’ve got an event, when the actual prime activity is only part of the show. And at Indy, the show was on both the track and in the infield, making it a memorable Memorial Day Sunday for those who were there to enjoy it.