As a resident of Indianapolis, you are required to know a few things about racing. After a collective two years of Indy living, I can tell you for sure that you were not watching the Indy 500, you were watching the Daytona 500.
There are a couple differences that maybe you overlooked. The Daytona 500 is the first race of NASCAR. It also takes place in a state called Florida, which is located in the southeastern corner of the country. The Indy 500 takes place in a state called Indiana, which, if it wasn't for the invention of racing, wouldn't even exist.
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Mediocrity at its most average.