The Rundown: 5 Things To Know About The Indy 500

One of the biggest highlights of every Memorial Day weekend isn’t the famous baked beans at Uncle John’s BBQ, it’s the Indianapolis "Indy" 500 race. Don’t worry today’s Rundown has all you need to know to carry on a conversation with anyone at said BBQ.

Hot dog or hamburger?

The Last Night’s Game Team

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Five Things To Know About The Indy 500

1. The Indy 500, called “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” takes place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway aka the Brickyard. It’s called the Brickyard because the track used to be made of bricks, which are still exposed under the asphalt at the start-finish line. It’s a tradition to kiss these bricks. We can confirm that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention did not come up with that idea.
2. Scott Dixon set the pole (see Coaches’ Corner) for this year’s Indy 500. He was going so fast in qualifying, a mere 232 MPH, that he thought his dashboard was broken. Later that same day, Dixon and another driver were robbed at gunpoint at a local Taco Bell. The cherry on top of the day.
3. Actor Jake Gyllenhaal and Boston Marathon bombing survivor Jeff Bauman will serve as honorary starters for the race. Gyllenhall is set to play Bauman in an upcoming movie. This is the first time two people will wave the green start flag. The anthem will be sung by singer Bebe Rexha.
4. Pippa Mann is the lone female driver in the race. For the fourth straight year, she'll use this spotlight to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research and prevention. 
5. Not into racing? Don’t worry. Within the race track is the “The Snake Pit,” which hosts EDM (Electronic Dance Music) concerts during the race. It's no Preakness port-a-potty races, but close. 

Overtime

• The Dancing With The Stars finale came down to two athletes, former Chicago Cubs catcher David Ross and NFL (National Football League) player Rashad Jennings. The judges and America voted and the athlete with the best moves is Rashad Jennings. While it’s no Super Bowl ring, the current free agent (he’s looking for a job) took home the famed mirror ball trophy.

Sideline Stat

• The crowd at this year’s Indy race is expected to be over 300,000 people. That’s slightly behind the 350,000 at last year’s 100th anniversary race. For perspective, the second largest sporting venue in the U.S., behind the Brickyard, is the University of Michigan’s football stadium and that holds 107,601 fans.

Coaches’ Corner

• What is pole position in auto racing? The pole position is the number one position to start the race. Drivers have to qualify beforehand by driving the track. Typically, the driver with the fastest time from qualifying is slotted into the pole position. In this case, that's Scott Dixon. 

The Rundown: Monday Motivation

It’s Monday again but hang in there. It’s almost a three-day weekend!

You can do it,

The Last Night’s Game team

PS - Need a little extra motivation this morning? Leave it to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to kick-start your day. 

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Horse Racing 

• It’s in the cloud. The quest for the Triple Crown came to an end on Saturday. Cloud Computing, who was fresh after not racing in the Kentucky Derby, won The Preakness. Derby winner, Always Dreaming, came in eighth in a field of 10.
• Hold my beer. The other race at The Preakness isn’t on the track; it’s the famed port-a-potty races. Yes, racing atop port-a-potties while onlookers try to knock you off by throwing beer cans. What could go wrong?

NBA (National Basketball Association)

• Unstoppable. The Golden State Warriors make things look easy. Saturday, they beat the overpowered San Antonio Spurs to take a 3-0 series lead in the playoffs. The Warriors remain undefeated in the playoffs.
• Detained. Oklahoma City Thunder’s Enes Kanter, a Turkish citizen, was traveling abroad on behalf of his charity. Kanter has long been an outspoken critic of the Turkish president and upon arriving in Romania, he was detained because his passport had been cancelled by the Turkish government. The NBA called the U.S. State Department for help and he was later released.

Overtime

• The Dancing With The Stars season 24 finale begins tonight and it features two athletes. Former Chicago Cubs catcher David Ross (MLB – Major League Baseball) and NFL (National Football League) running back Rashad Jennings will battle it out with pop star Normani Kordei for the mirrorball trophy.  

Sideline stat

• In last night’s NBA playoff game, Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James scored zero points in the fourth quarter. This is the second time in his career that he played the entire fourth quarter in the playoffs and failed to score. The Cavs eventually lost the game to the Boston Celtics.

Coaches’ corner

• Former NFL player Myron Rolle has accomplished more than most by age 30. He's not only a Rhodes Scholar who played professional football but a medical school graduate who will start his neurosurgeon residency at Harvard next month. Guess you’d say he’s accomplished.  

The Rundown: Working For The Weekend

Serving up bite-size pieces of sports for your weekend.

Bigger isn’t always better,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS – While part of the U.S. is enjoying a snow day today, did you know that the Winter Olympics in South Korea are only 37 weeks away?

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NFL (National Football League)

• Blame it on the rain. The construction of the joint stadium for the Rams and the Chargers, who moved to Los Angeles to play in the $2.6 billion stadium, has been delayed. Excessive rain has pushed back the opening date by a year. Even NFL teams can’t get their home improvement project done on time.  

NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing)

• Seeing stars. It’s the All-Star Race this weekend. Keep your eyes on Kevin Harvick in the Busch car. If he wins, one lucky fan will win $1 million through the Busch loyalty contest. That sounds easy but the format of the race itself is pretty complicated. Here's a great explanation of how drivers can take home the checkered flag.

Overtime

• Baltimore is buzzing this weekend - it’s time for The Preakness. Always Dreaming, the horse that won the Kentucky Derby, is the favorite to win as he takes the next step toward the ultimate horse racing title, the Triple Crown. (The Triple Crown is when a horse wins the Kentucky Derby, The Preakness and The Belmont Stakes).

It’s a tough race for the Derby winner because it’s a two-week turnaround, as opposed to the usual month. Only five of the 10 horses racing participated in Derby, which means the other horses in the race are fresh.

Sideline stat

• The WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) inked a deal with Twitter to live stream their games. The first game on opening weekend drew 1.1 million viewers. Also a product of the partnership, a WNBA emoji when fans tweet #WNBA or #WNBALive.

Coaches’ corner

• Earlier this week playoff hockey brought us Keith Urban signing the national anthem which led to a victory for Mr. Carrie Underwood, Mike Fisher, and his Nashville Predators. Last night Kelly Clarkson sang but the Anaheim Ducks beat the Predators in overtime to tie the series. While you may not be the biggest hockey fan, this series will get you excited to watch. The next game is Saturday night.