Live Indy 500 fun report: Relive the rainy — and rad — 108th running

Welcome to our annual Indy 500 fun report — basically, coverage of everything but the actual race. If race updates are what you're looking for, you can find all that and more over at IndyStar Sports.

It happened!

Both the race and Josef Newgarden's repeat win.

After a four-hour delay due to a severe thunderstorm, the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 ran 200 laps around the big oval. And we were here for all of it: the drinking the debauchery, the footraces in the rain.

Take a look back at all the fun with these updates from IndyStar's Domenica Bongiovanni, Kayla Dwyer, Bradley Hohulin, Nadia Scharf and Jade Thomas, with commentary from yours truly.

And then rest and refuel so we can be back at it next year.

Live Indy 500 coverage from IMS

Josef Newgarden wins the Indianapolis 500 for the second year in a row

Answers to your Indy 500 FAQs

Are you, like me, unfamiliar with the intricacies of the race? Or are you just curious what's going on because it's been a long day and you've reached capacity on your brain space? We've got you covered.

More: One day a year, many people in Indy have questions about auto racing. These are the answers.

You know what, yes

By 6:30 p.m., a flag waves over the lines of cars and tents. But not an American flag or a team flag, not even an Indianapolis Motor Speedway flag. This flag is green and black, and says three words: "Kyle's a d--k."

Zach Guntle, 30, sits underneath the flag. He doesn't have a Kyle in mind, but "you know someone named Kyle? Exactly."

Rose Dombrow, Guntle's friend, agrees: it could be ANY Kyle. (Editor's note: @ every Kyle who's ever been in my X/Twitter mentions mansplaining sports to me.)

He's on aux, asking what his friends want to hear. A girl runs up and requests a song; Guntle tells her it's a "GREAT choice."

As race fans walk by the tent, some stop to dance to the music. They wave to people heading out for the day as they move to the beat.

Dombrow is exhausted. The 31-year-old Detroit native has been on the move for several days with her husband and friends, trying to make the most of pre-race day festivities.

When the group went to Carb Day, she said they all went to bed at 9 p.m. and slept for over 12 hours. All the activities are tiring, but she said it’s worth the effort.

As the race gets underway, she’s not rooting for any specific driver, but said Pato O’Ward stood out to her when she watched "100 Days to Indy" on Netflix. At the parade yesterday, Dombrow found herself looking for familiar favorites.

“I was like, ‘Is that the one on Netflix?’” Dombrow said. “‘Is *that* the one from Netflix?’"

It’s even more difficult to recognize drivers as they pass by on track. Dombrow said she had to rely on technology to sleuth out racer identities.“The crazy thing is you can’t even see the cars,” she said. “It’s like, vroom, vroom, vroom. I had to put my phone in slow-mo!”

If you see a robot crawling around, that's just DroneDog

IndyStar's Shari Rudavsky ran into a robot dog on a recent walkabout. No, really. Here's what she learned about that:

DroneDog, a security robot with rather canine-like moves, paid his first visit to the Indy 500 this year, eliciting stares and, yes, a few pats from curious onlookers.

The Asylon Robotics device, along with a friend, was in Indianapolis to assist the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department with bomb surveillance, said Brent McLaughlin, chief operating officer of Asylon, based outside of Philadelphia. In addition, high-visibility appearances like this one at the Indy 500 help acclimate humans to the concept of a robotic canine helping with law enforcement.

OK, it's me again, and I just have to say: I am the target audience they're talking about who needs to get more comfortable with this concept. Personally, while I'm glad DroneDog is meant to help keep us safe, is anyone else also deeply disturbed by this technology???????? Like I'm uncomfortable looking at it, I'm uncomfortable with how it moves, I'm just generally upset by it. Technology is simply Too Smart. But then again I unlock my iPhone using facial recognition, so I really have no room.

It's a vibe

Social media reacts: Honda engines are struggling today

I don't pretend to know anything about cars, and especially not IndyCars, but the fact that all these Hondas are out because of various problems seems..... not good? Social media had thoughts on that and, per usual, commercial breaks:

More: Smoking Hondas and TV commercials. That's who's not winning the Indy 500

Ope, check your scheduled messages, brands

From our executive editor, Eric Larsen: An auto-send fail from United Airlines, sent at 6:05 p.m., with the race less than half over: "The checkered flag has waved, but the airport is still buzzing with Indy 500 travelers! Dodge traffic jams and arrive early as security wait times may be extended." It appears to have been sent to folks like me who have a scheduled flight out of Indy today/tomorrow.

From Holly: Listen, as someone who was scheduling X posts this week and remembered last-second that "ooh, better not schedule anything mentioning the specific start time" because rain was coming, I get it. Still, yikes.

Indy 500 fashion is often........ a choice

We've seen some real ~~lewks~~ from race fans today. And a lot of tattoos.

Fashion? Sure: People wore oversized cowboy hats and Halloween masks, among other things, at 108th Indy 500

Jordin Sparks sings Indy 500 national anthem: Social media reacts

Can confirm: the crowd here at Indianapolis Motor Speedway loved it.

One fan gave her 100/10: How did Jordin Sparks do singing the national anthem at Indy 500?

His ankle was just..... dangling??? Two days ago? And now he's Snake Pitting?

Turns out, you really can’t stop the beat.

Nearly four hours after storms forced an evacuation, crowds flooded back into the Snake Pit, now coated in rainfall and crushed aluminum cans.

The adverse conditions were no match for Griffin McKinzie, a 29-year-old Los Angeles transplant who lives in Columbus, Ohio. McKinzie has attended four of the last five Snake Pits, but this year’s visit met some resistance two days ago when McKinzie tore his Achilles tendon playing volleyball.

“It was just dangling,” McKinzie said of his ankle. (Editor's note: UHM YIKES?????)

But being unable to walk was no excuse. So McKinzie wheeled into the Pit on a knee scooter, not stopping until he was right in the center of the swarm. He even brought a garbage bag to wrap around his cast in the event of rain. Anything for the Snake Pit.

“It’s the crowd and the environment in general,” he said. “I’ve never had a bad time here. I could not miss today.”

See celebrities hit the Indy 500 red carpet

They came prepared for rain — and the skies delivered

SPLASH! Beau Watson slides through the flooded grass.

Beau, 9, and his brother Doc, 6, are playing soccer in a muddy puddle with another boy, named Aidan...although there's a fair bit more mudsliding than you might see in the World Cup.

They came prepared: the boys brought their swimsuits to the race.

"We told them 'dress for water'," mom Beth Watson, 40, said. "We knew it was going to rain, so we said 'Be prepared.'"

Beau is splashing dirt everywhere, droplets flying all around. He's the new Snake Pit, Beth joked. He gets up from the mud with a huge smile on his face.

"They'll never forget this," dad Zeb Watson, 39, said.

Local Indy 500 blackout lifted

IMS President Doug Boles just announced that the local blackout has been lifted, so if you left the track or you're throwing your own Indy 500 party at home, you'll be able to watch live on WTHR-13. However, Central Indiana residents that are in the typical blackout zone will not be able to watch on Peacock.

More: IMS lifts local live Indy 500 blackout after Sunday storms, weather delays

IMS weather advisory cleared

The skies may not be perfectly clear yet, but the weather advisory has been lifted, and fans can return to the grandstands. From where I'm sitting in the media center, it's looking like the lights are back on in the Snake Pit, which likely means folks are gonna have a very muddy afternoon.

More: Indy 500 start time, TV blackout lifted, pre-race activities

Racing at IMS — just not the kind we were hoping for

As the rain lightened outside the Pagoda, Steven Hittle, Travis Long and Tyler Amaro were itching to see some kind of race.

So they raced one another on foot, about 50 yards out and back.

“We’re standing around in the rain, there’s nothing else, what are we doing,” Amaro explained.

It caught on. A few people started taking video, cheering, asking to be next. Slowly a crowd started building. And building.

Amaro, appropriately clad in the checkered shirt, became the referee, eventually finding himself a little green flag to wave as he saw off waves of kids, teens, and adults — all ages. An hour had passed, and the crowd lining the unofficial race numbered in the hundreds.

Nearby, 4-year-old Molly Walker was jumping in puddles with her mom, Jordan — “I love muddy puddles!” Molly says — when they heard the cheering.

Molly, checkered head to toe, was literally born with a love of racing — the sound of race cars on the TV was the only sound that could lull her to sleep, Jordan said. They’ve been traveling from Buffalo to the Indy 500 since she was a baby.

Though Molly came in second behind a boy not much older than her, the crowd was ecstatic. She galloped across the finish line with a sheepish grin.

Afterward, a safety patrol worker gave her a 3D-printed toy race car. Perfect for her Hot Wheels race track at home.

Indy 500 celebrities: Catching up with Austin Butler, Flavor Flav, Ken Griffey Jr. and more

In addition to people-watching, there's a lot of good celeb-watching opportunities at the Indianapolis 500. Before the rain started, Domenica caught up with a few of them on the red carpet.

She asked as many celebs as possible the same question: If you could only drive one car for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? Here are some of the best answers:

• Flavor Flav, speaking for all of humanity: “It would be a flying car. The reason why is because I hate stopping for lights."

• Ken Griffey Jr., whose logic we can’t argue with: “You know, you got friends — you’ve got to take them to the golf course. I just couldn’t put four guys in a two-door car.”

• Singer-songwriter Phillip Phillips, who takes inspiration from the movie “Gone in 60 Seconds” with his answer: the Shelby Mustang GT500 with two black stripes. “I loved the movie, but the car was beautiful."

• Kansas City Chiefs safety Justin Reid said he'd need a Rolls-Royce Ghost: “You can go fast, but I really like to ride smooth."

• Snake Pit performer Timmy Trumpet would go with a Dodge Charger: “You don’t have them in Australia, but it’s my favorite car."

• Actor Drew Powell said "This is like a head and a heart question." He explained he'd want a Ford F-150 and a Dodge Challenger: “And I would just do doughnuts all the time."

Fans in no rush to evacuate despite storm warning

Despite requests from Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials to evacuate the grandstands due to the coming storm, some fans opted to stay in their seats until the weather came closer.

“It’s packed down there (under the grandstands) and we’re going to wait until it starts raining to move down there,” said Jeff Nelson, 44, of Westfield, who has attended well over 20 races.

Added his friend Jerrald Fox, who's visiting from Atlanta: “I came to see the race, and I’m not leaving until I see it.”

'We're not leaving': Indy 500 fans wait out storm after IMS issues evacuation order

More: What if the Indy 500 is delayed? Will it start on Monday? Tuesday?

Flavor Flav and Mario Andretti walk into IMS...

...and Flav asks for an autograph. It's not even the setup to a joke. That just happened.

Read more: 'Yo, somebody give me a Sharpie!' Flavor Flav meets hero Mario Andretti at Indy 500

Indy 500 fans asked to leave grandstands, Snake Pit

As expected, the storm system has stayed on track, and fans have been asked to leave the grandstands and Snake Pit. Fans who decide to go to their cars to wait out the rain will be allowed back in the speedway.

Is the Indy 500 delayed due to rain?

More than likely. IMS President Doug Boles just gave us an update here in the media center. Here's what you need to know: If the storm continues its current trajectory, officials will ask fans in the grandstands and concertgoers in the Snake Pit to evacuate and seek shelter until the storm passes. Once the rain stops, they'll begin the process of drying the track, when takes over an hour.

So, sit tight, and we'll let you know what we know as soon as we know it.

Indy 500 fans might need to evacuate: What to know about staying safe at the speedway

See photos of the 2024 Indy 500 Snake Pit

I have heartburn just looking at these photos. And I'm still in my 20s.

Hope you had flexible bookings, folks

If the Houtens and the Gibbs were back in Auckland, New Zealand, a little rain wouldn’t be a big deal at all.

Kelvin Houten and Andrew Gibb, friends for 40-plus years, usually camp out at racing events around New Zealand and Australia for up to a week at a time, in the rain and mud. There, drivers put on special tires and drive through the rain.

“This one’s got seats — that’s a novelty for us,” Houten laughed.

Three Kiwis are racing today, one of whom, Scott McLaughlin, is the pole-sitter.

Attending the 500 has always been a bucket-list item for Houten, who turned 60 this year.

Their families made a whole two weeks out of it: LA and Las Vegas for the Gibbs, New York and Maine for the Houtens. Next stop: Chicago.

Even if rain does delay the race, they have no qualms about staying an extra day or two in Indianapolis.

“We didn’t come halfway around the world just to go home,” Houten said.

Cracking open the ceremonial first beer

Kathy Hoppenrath, 71, cracked open a cold Miller Lite nestled into a bright blue sleeve and declared, “Ceremonial first sip, everyone!”

Kathy and her friends arrived at their usual parking spot at a home behind Lot 2 around 9 a.m. Kathy’s husband, Bill, and his brother, Jim, have been coming to the 500 for 48 years.

Kathy passed around the can of Miller Lite and smiled as each person took a swig. FaceTime calls rang out as people who were at home partook in the tradition from behind their phone screens.

“It’s kind of a mini reunion,” Kathy said.

Kathy's first 500 was in 1983, right after she began dating Bill.

Her fondest memory is when she met Paul Newman. Kathy spotted him near his trailer and unlike the gaggle of fans around him clamoring for an autograph, she played it cool.

“Good luck today, Mr. Newman,” she said to him before shaking his hand.

“She about floated all the way up the stands after that,” Bill said.

Ginny Mende, 46, is a family friend of the Hoppenraths. She's been coming to the 500 off and on since she was 17.

After the ceremonial first beer, Mende mentioned another tradition. Each person in the group picks racers names out of a hat and puts them in their lanyard, alongside their ticket. Whoever wins uses the pot to buy pizza for the group.

Race day is sort of a spiritual experience...

...so does today count as a worship service? In Speedway, Indiana, it just might.

At Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 'everyone is like immediate family'

It’s not Pacers blue and gold Ludvig Mellberg, Alice Stridbeck and Matilda Mellberg are wearing but the colors of the flag of their home country, Sweden.

Complete with little propeller hats, the three Swedes in their young 20s staked out their hilltop spot overlooking Turn 4 around 6 am, ready to cheer on Indycar’s Swedish drivers — particularly Marcus Ericsson.

They’ve got an even more personal local connection in 32-year-old Clay Warner of Avon, sitting behind them. Ludvig Mellberg and Warner both work in the racing auto parts industry — Mellberg a mechanic, Warner on the design side. Their friendship solidified when Mellberg came to town for a Performance Racing Industry trade show two years ago. Mellberg caught the bug: he wanted to come to a 500 and this year, his sister and a friend joined him.

“It’s a party, it’s racing, it’s huge, and so many nice people,” Mellberg said.

Swedes are known for being more reserved, Stridbeck explained. But here, they’ve been greeted enthusiastically by other race-goers, all just looking for a good time.

“Here, everyone is like immediate family,” she said.

Name recognition goes a long way in elections AND racing, apparently

One of the greatest jackets at the Speedway belongs to Susan Burch, 62. She's been coming for 30 years, and she adds a pin every race day.

Burch and friend Dianna Napariu, 64, don't have strong feelings about who wins this year — "Sting Ray Robb," Napariu joked, "because I like his name" — but they used to. They knew the pit crew when they first started coming, so they had some favorite drivers: Al Junior and Danny Sullivan in particular.

Burch lives in Montana now, but she's come the past few years to spend the day with Napariu and other friends. Her jacket stays in Indiana, though — "it's too heavy!"

Traveling 4,000 miles for the 500-mile race

How far would you travel in the search for great racing? Three friends from the Netherlands said their over-4,000-mile journey to IMS is worth every second.

Hans Hulsebos, 60, decked out in Rinus Veekay merch, prefers IndyCar racing over the predominantly European series, Formula 1. He started coming to Indy with his friend, Ed van den Ham, 71, around 2010 and another friend, Charly Corjanus, 35, joined in four years ago.

For Corjanus, the 500 “is not just about the race.” It’s about the relationships folks make with each other.

“It’s more human,” she said. “You can meet the drivers and see them.”

As for the weather, this group is completely unbothered. If the race is moved to Monday, they’ll still be here, camping in a trailer.

“I’m not worried,” Hulsebos said. “I’m Dutch.”

Snake Pit update: Borgs are back!!!

And the names are GOOD this year, too!

It’s 8:30 a.m., and Australian DJ Timmy Trumpet is serving up “drum and bass for breakfast.” But there’s plenty more on the menu in the Snake Pit.

Remember how borgs were a thing? Some Indy 500 fans are carrying jugs of liquid. What's in them?

Charred chunks of chicken and pork line the grills of Ardy’s Kabobs, delivering a quick hit of protein via skewer. Instead of toast or bagels, spectators take their grains fermented courtesy of Miller-Coors and Yuengling. There’s also plenty of morning tea, so long as you take it Twisted. And if you’re trying to get in your vitamins, don’t worry — fruit juice is a popular ingredient in several pastel-colored borgs (black-out rage gallons) carried by spectators throughout the pit. The mobile, boozy juice bar features such selections as “Borgaritaville,” “Borgering on alcoholism” and “The Battle of Gettysborg.”

Doug Boles on IndyStar Pit Pass Live: 'No good answer' to weather concerns

IMS President Doug Boles says on the "Pit Pass Live" preview show that biggest challenge facing race fans will be lightning.

"It's a challenge and there's no good answer," he said.

Boles said that in a break from a usual race day, IMS officials will allow fans to leave the track and re-enter should weather delay or interrupt the race.

The National Weather Service is still estimating the rain will arrive between noon and 1 p.m.

Good morning from the IMS Media Center

I don't know if this says more about my resting heart rate or my caffeine tolerance, given that I had a homemade cold brew at 4 a.m. and have since had three cans of Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew on top of it, but my Apple Watch only just asked me if I'm ready to start my day because it seems like I'm awake. Unless I'm dreaming and I slept through all three of my alarms, I've been here since 5:50 a.m.

My colleagues on IndyStar Sports are going live with their annual pre-race show at 8:30. As a non-race-watcher, I always learn what I need to know before the race from our motor sports insider, Nathan Brown.

Watch now: Pit Pass Live show previews Indy 500 from Gasoline Alley with stars of racing

They're smoking meat in a trash can in Turn 4

Here’s an economical way to smoke pork ribs and chicken for an early morning tailgate in Turn 4: some smoking chips and a giant metal trash can.

That’s what a group of high school friends from Northern Indiana have been doing since 2011, give or take a few years as they’ve moved away to start jobs and families. They’ve had tailgates as large as 125 people. This year, just 30 to 35.

“Which will be nice for me,” says 39-year-old Tony Chapman, the cook, “because it’s less work.”

“And I’m the sous chef,” Joe Gramelspacher chimed in, pulling ribs from a marinade.

The Snake Pit is already Snake Pitting

Jorts. Borgs. Mosh pits. You won’t find any of these words in the Bible, but they’re as good as scripture in the Snake Pit.

Hundreds of people are already swarmed in front of the stage at 7:30 a.m.

“Raise your hands if you’ve got a cold drink already and you don’t give a f—!” DJ Maestro implores the pre-concert crowd from his turntable.

At least a dozen different Coors Light logos adorn the stage’s towering screens, a reassuring reminder that even in this hive of debauchery, brand synergy remains strong. Seemingly every square inch of the Speedway is dedicated to advertising. Even the sky isn’t off-limits — a plane overhead pulls a massive banner, urging those below to call now and rent the precious airborne signage.

The air is cool, the sky is pale blue. Rain may be on its way, but the Snake Pit doesn’t seem to care. Maestro begins spinning a bass-throbbing remix of Sean Paul’s “Temperature.” The 500 festivities are underway.

Are race delays possible?

Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles gave a media update during the 6 a.m. hour, and here's the TL;DR: They're going to keep watching the forecast, and they'll let us know.

More: What IMS President Doug Boles says about Indy 500 weather, start time, safety

Indy 500 race day weather

(You can't see it, but I'm making this face while writing this part.) We've been holding our breath all week, and chances of rain today are... good. Well, they're not good for us, but they're good in the sense that rain is more likely to happen than not.

As of Saturday evening, the National Weather Service's forecast calls for an 80% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 4 p.m., with a high near 80 degrees and south-southeast winds gusting as high as 25 mph.

If there's moisture on the track, the race will be put on pause until conditions are safe enough for the cars to return. It could be a long day, so prepare accordingly and bring an umbrella (but only those small enough to avoid obscuring others' views). Speaking of...

Good to know: Why they don't run the Indy 500 in the rain

Get IMS and IndyStar alerts: How to stay informed in case of severe weather during Indy 500 weekend

What can I bring to Indianapolis Motor Speedway?

If you're still packing for race day, know that you generally can bring bags and coolers, alcohol (as long as it's not in glass containers), strollers, wheelchairs, lawn chairs and service animals. Do not bring weapons of any kind, carts and wagons or aerosol cans (except sunscreen).

For a full list of what you can and can't bring, read this article or check the permitted item list on the IMS website.

Procrastinator's guide to the Indy 500: When is it, what to bring, how to watch at home

What to know about the 2024 Indy 500

If you're bright-eyed and bushy-tailed already this morning (or you've been drinking in the Coke Lot since last night) and you're looking to fill time, here's a little pre-race reading:

About the race:

33 things to know about Indy 500: Drivers to watch, history on the line, Larson's 'Double'

Get to know the grid: A complete guide to the starting lineup for the 2024 Indianapolis 500

Who's on the pole? Get to know Scott McLaughlin, the 2024 Indianapolis 500 pole-sitter

What radio station is Indy 500 on? How to listen to race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

About the vibes:

'It's pretty much chaos': How a Speedway bar prepares for the Indianapolis 500

IMS museum renovations: A very early look inside the speedway's museum

Flying high: For these big spenders, there's only one way to really beat Indy 500 traffic

Snake Pit, Carb Day and Legends Day: Looking back at the good, the bad and the bizarre of Indianapolis 500 concerts

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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 2024 Indy 500 live updates from Snake Pit, Coke Lot, infield and more