CrazyCanuck, I'm an Indianapolis native and have gone to the race many times. It can be a lot of fun, especially if the weather cooperates. However, I have to admit that I wouldn't go out too much out of my way to see it. The race just isn't what it was when I was a kid. I'll be honest, too, that the crowd the race attracts leaves a lot to be desired. I'm sorry if that offends anyone, but I feel obliged to say it. There are lots of nice people who go to the race and lots of redneck drunks. With the start time pushed back now, it just gives some people a bigger window to get wasted and stupid.

For my money, I'd go to the Formula One race in June instead. I haven't been to the race itself, but the practices are great. You can roam around and the crowd is a little better and more international. The weather is a little more predictable too. Late June in Indy can be hot, but it's usually fairly dry.

That said, I concur with the advice to sit either in turn 1 or turn 4, the higher up the better. Also, if you do decide to go to the 500, build some flexibility into your schedule. If the race gets rained out, they'll try to run it on Monday (Memorial Day in the US) instead. There are no direct flights that I'm aware of to Seattle or VC. I've flown through Denver to get to Seattle in the past.

As for places to stay, anything downtown will cost you an arm and a leg and is likely already booked anyway. I like the suggestion to stay in the western suburbs, given that the Motor Speedway is on the westside of the city. Bloomington would also be a good choice. It's about an hour south of Indianapolis and is a lovely town. You could avoid a lot of the nuttiness in Indianapolis by staying there. I don't yet know what my Memorial Day plans are this year, but I would be happy to help you out in any way that I could. I have a spare room, and air mattress and a backyard suitable for camping. As I sais, I live in Indy (about five miles from the track), and I lived in Bloomington for eight years.

Kate