INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- I've been rooting for Sam Hornish Jr. since we raced around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway together. He was driving a Mercedes AMG-prepared E550; I was tossed deeper into the leather upholstery with each whip-snap chicane and 110 mph straightaway.

	Betsa Marsh photos Sam Hornish Jr., in car No. 6, overtakes rookie Marco Andretti on the final corner of the 2006 Indianapolis 500 to win the race by 0.0635 seconds -- the second-closest finish in Indy history. Click photo for larger image.

Touting the first U.S. Grand Prix at the Indy track, he was a quiet, clean-cut kid -- the pride of Defiance, Ohio.

The next time I see Sam in person, he's pumping his fist in the air after a blistering finale to the 2006 Indianapolis 500. He roars up onto leader Marco Andretti, overtakes him by 15 feet and wins the race in 0.0635 seconds -- the second-closest finish in Indy history.

"I kinda looked at it as, I was going to drive over him if I had to," Hornish told reporters.

What an introduction to my first Indy 500 -- its 90th running, and me with a personal stake in the checkered flag! Hornish, of course, is positioned to be one of the favorites for this year's 91st running, set for 1 p.m. next Sunday.

Surrounded by gearheads all my life, I've been to motorcycle, open-wheel and stock car races, but had assiduously avoided the Indianapolis 500 -- too big, too hot, too noisy, too raunchy in the infield. And, I found at my first race, all that's true. But it's manageable mayhem, with a bit of planning and luck. And who knows, maybe you can take home bragging rights when your driver wins.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum, on the speedway grounds, is a natural stop on race day. Click photo for larger image.

And where else will I brush elbows with race driver Danica Patrick and Indy winner Bobby Rahal in my hotel lobby? Or Gene Simmons, minus his KISS makeup, on a late-night sidewalk? Indianapolis is the place to be during 500 Fever.

Beyond the track, there is so much to do in this supercharged Midwestern capital. The Speedway Hall of Fame is right next to the track, with more than 30 winning Indy 500 cars, back to the first Indy 500 winner from 1911, Ray Harroun and his Marmon "Wasp." Both the museum and track are National Historic Landmarks.

Five miles south in downtown, it's possible to park once and walk to a week's worth of museums, sporting venues, hotels and restaurants. The White River State Park is Indiana's only urban state park, with a cluster of attractions linked by a River Promenade and the historic Central Canal. Some call this Indianapolis' Washington Mall.

At the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, the world's largest, kids can hop into an Indy 500 car and imagine they're crossing the finish line first.

Much of the city gears up for a tourist deluge before and after the Indy 500 itself.

	Sometime's a nap's the best way to pass a long afternoon of 500 miles. Click photo for larger image.

An estimated 400,000 people converge on the Speedway during the spectacle on Memorial Day weekend, so there may be 400,000 different race-day plans, although the people passed out on the lawns didn't look like long-range planning types to me.

But here are some neophyte tips, along with suggestions from Indy 500 veterans, that might make the experience run as smoothly as an eight-second pit stop:

Too Big?

Well, there's no denying the scope of the race, continuously touted as the largest one-day spectacle in sport. In 2006, as many as 400,000 fans packed the Speedway; the track won't release numbers but acknowledges more than 250,000 permanent seats and room for another 100,000-plus in the infield.

And the size of the Speedway itself, the largest spectator sporting facility in the world? Try to imagine Churchill Downs, Yankee Stadium, Rose Bowl, Wimbledon Campus, Vatican City and the Roman Coliseum all fitting inside its 2 1/2-mile oval.

More than 400,000 ran faces arrive at the Speedway for the Indianapolis 500. Click photo for larger image.

Most people are planted in their seats, seeing just their fraction of the track. But you can roam around a bit, popping up to see the day's action from another angle now and then.

Heading to the track, some people consider crawling inch by inch toward the Speedway in steamy gridlock part of the experience; they're glad to pay homeowners $10 to $20 to park on their front lawns. Others would rather have oral surgery, and so take the bus in from lots around Indianapolis. There are three park-and-ride options downtown and two at the airport, available at (317) 635-2100 or www.indygo.net.

Too Hot?

The 2006 race day hit 89 degrees, the fourth-hottest on record. And still it felt hotter, surrounded by all those people and all that asphalt. Spare a thought, too, for poor Sam and the other drivers. The track reached 130 degrees several times during the race -- and Brazilian Vitor Meira ran the entire three hours and 10 minutes without one drop of water when his water bottle system failed.

Emergency workers treated more than 400 people in the first two hours of the race, most for heat exhaustion.

	The fountain at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum is just too tempting on a scorching race day. Click photo for larger image.

So, the moral is to stay hydrated and take and find as much sun protection as you can. Sunscreen and a hat are musts.

Some of the more expensive reserved seats have backs and cover from the midday Hoosier sun. Those with $20 general admission can pop beneath the sprinklers under the straightaway grandstands or stand in front of the misting fans in the infield. Some people bring their own small battery-powered fans, others spritz themselves with water from plastic bottles with fan tops.

By the end of the day, it's not unusual to see people loading their hats with ice and squashing them back on their heads.

Too Noisy?

No question, an Indy car hitting 230 mph is going to let you know it's coming. And going. Is it the shrill buzz of a demented hornet as the cars take a curve? The roar of a furious lion on the straightaways? There aren't enough animals in the zoo to describe the din.

Fans react to the roar. Click photo for larger image.

So, time for earplugs, at the very least. Lots of fans rent radio headsets to block the track noise while letting them eavesdrop on drivers, their spotters and team members.

Too Raunchy in the Infield?

Absolutely. Like Jim Nabors singing "Back Home Again in Indiana" and the victor swilling icy milk from a bottle, the loose, lewd infield is Indy tradition.

Generations of women have heard that same chant, "Show us your ----" from generations of intoxicated men. Inexplicably, some women oblige.

But it's possible to spend the entire day at the track and never see the infield up close. For most of us, walking back to our cars or bus stops is enough of a revelation, passing couples in the grass and drinkers passed out in the heat.

Some of the extracurricular activity is just playful, too, like the teenagers splashing in the fountain near the Speedway Hall of Fame. Some of them never see one lap of the race, but they're sunburned and happy all the same.

	Many spectators rent radio headsets to eavesdrop on the drivers, their spotters and team members. Click photo for larger image.

What Now?

Wait, don't race away from Indy -- it's spent decades and billions improving its visitor experience and is one of the brightest spots in American downtown revival.

The White River State Park downtown is a great mix of old and new, indoor and outdoor. Designers saved the 1871 pumping station and the 1833 Old Washington Street Bridge, once part of the National Road. Now it's a pedestrian link to Sculpture in the Park and the River Promenade. This is one of the few places where all the sculpture is for sale; just write a check and ship it home.

Indoors at the park, you can spend hours admiring the canvases and sculpture at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, one of the best in the Eastern half of the country. Brush up on Hoosier history, including a room dedicated to native son Cole Porter, at the Indiana State Museum.

Then, pet sharks and check out eels, clownfish and penguins at the new Oceans exhibit of the Indianapolis Zoo, also part of White River State Park. Butterflies will be fluttering at the Hilbert Conservatory at White River Gardens throughout the summer.

To savor a warm afternoon, how about a gentle ride in a rented four-wheel surrey bike or a two-seater? Or maybe a gondola ride along the Central Canal? Take the power into your own hands -- and feet -- with a pedal boat or kayak.

Beyond racing, sports fans can duck into the NCAA Hall of Champions or buy a ticket at Victory Field, home of the Indianapolis Indians. From May 28-31, they'll take their home field, named "Best Minor League Ballpark in America" by Sports Illustrated, against the Buffalo Bison. Baseball, like all the other rituals of summer, can begin to unfold now that The Race has been run in this speed-crazy town.

After all this, if you still need more information, call 1-800-323-4639 or visit www.indy.org.