GREENFIELD — Lined up in the hot May sun outside of a gift shop at the most popular track in the world, Dave Willard began to scheme.
Standing with his older brothers, Don and Dwight, a question surfaced that seemed nearly unfathomable.
“If he (Dwight) can name all the winners of the (Indianapolis) 500, will you give me a free T-shirt,” Dave asked the man working at the souvenir shop approximately 16 years ago.
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After reassuring the siblings that it was downright impossible, the worker picked four random years of the race, which began in 1911.
Dwight named all four winners.
“He knows them all,” Dave said.
But then what would one expect from someone who has seen 59 consecutive Indy 500s?
On Sunday for the 100th running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, Dwight will get up before 3 a.m. — part of his yearly routine — and journey to the track for his 60th-straight race. He has attended every single running since 1957.
And like in most cases, Dwight, 73, was introduced to the race by family — specifically his father Jess. The two went together for the first time when Dwight was just 13 years old. Although not the biggest sports fan, Dwight, who graduated from Greenfield High School, took a liking to fast cars furiously racing round and round in circles.
“It was the speed,” he said.
A Family Routine
Five years later in 1962, Don, who will see his 55th consecutive Indy 500 on Sunday, joined the family fun. Then came Dave, who is on his 53rd race, two years later.
A family routine was born.
Because of this passion, the Willard brothers have become creatures of habit. Each morning, the trio meets with around a dozen retired men, like themselves, for coffee at the local McDonald’s between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.
And recently, those talks have been centered around the biggest Sunday of their year — the Indy 500.
Dwight worked at Chrysler for 36 years as a machine operator before settling down for good while Don (Knightstown) and Dave (Greenfield-Central) are both retired teachers with 42 and 39 years of experience, respectively. The Willard brothers do everything full throttle — or for a very long time.
After rolling out of bed and across U.S. 40 to the track Sunday morning, the brothers and their families will venture to the same parking lot for breakfast before scattering to their seats. A hearty breakfast of sausage, eggs and biscuits and gravy holds them over until it’s time to enter the track.
Dwight will be with Don in Turn 4 at the race Sunday, the same spot they’ve sat for the past 25 years, while Dave is planning for his usual Turn 3 seats.
“There’s a lot of us that keep coming back,” Dwight said, who has two daughters. “After, we go back and have a picnic and talk about the race.”
Then after eventually making it back to Greenfield later that night, the brothers will try and catch the replay on television.
“We try to stay awake for it,” Dave joked.
And then the anticipation begins to build for next season.
Then and now
Although thousands of fans consistently visit the track each year, few have had the opportunity to see the Indy 500 evolve like Dwight.
In his first year at the track, the race was called the International 500-Mile Sweepstakes. Sam Hanks, who won that year, was the first driver to take home a purse of more than $100,000, according to crash.net.
It wasn’t until 1981 that the “International Sweepstakes” name was dropped and just called the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race.
All the fine details, even the popular flyover, have been altered and finely tuned. And Dwight has seen it all. However, his favorite flyover included seeing a B-2 Spirit, also known as the stealth bomber, for the first time, although, surprisingly, he could not remember the exact year.
“That was a good memory for us,” he said.
This year’s winner — which Dwight could really care less about — should take home more than $2 million. The race also is sold out for the first time in recent years and will be televised live.
“I like them all anymore,” Dwight said, admitting it’s become hard to keep up with every team and driver over six decades of racing.
Juan Pablo Montoya is the defending champion while James Hinchcliffe, after an injury last season during qualifications, took the pole for this year’s race.
Magical Memories
Thousands of memories accumulate during 60 years at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but for Dwight, a few years stick out above the rest.
He remembers the 1960 Indy 500 well and said it was one of the best, in terms of racing, as Jim Rathmann and Rodger Ward dueled it out to the finish. The race also featured a then-record 29 lead changes, which stood firm until 2012.
He also remembers the 1985 race, when Danny Sullivan did a complete 360 and kept driving, only to eventually take first.
The 76th running of the Indy 500 in 1992 was thrilling, too, in Dwight’s mind as winner Al Unser Jr. edged second-place Scott Goodyear at the finish line. It still stands as the closest finish (.043 seconds) in the race’s history.
And although the cars have developed through the years as well, Dwight always will find himself taking a liking to what was familiar in the beginning.
“They are pretty awesome now,” he said. “But I was always a roadster fan.”
But how long his impressive streak will continue, only Dwight and his health can guess. One thing is certain, though. He’ll be back again next year.
And so will his brothers — even if a free T-shirt isn’t in the picture.
“We just keep it going,” Dwight said.
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The Indy 500 Winners List
Year;Driver;Start;Chassis/Engine;Avg. MPH
2015;Juan Pablo Montoya;15;Dallara/Chevrolet;161.341
2014;Ryan Hunter-Reay;19;Dallara/Honda;186.563
2013;Tony Kanaan;12;Dallara/Chevrolet;187.433
2012;Dario Franchitti;16;Dallara/Honda;167.734
2011;Dan Wheldon;6;Dallara/Honda;170.265
2010;Dario Franchitti;3;Dallara/Honda;161.623
2009;Helio Castroneves;1;Dallara/Honda;150.318
2008;Scott Dixon;1;Dallara/Honda;143.567
2007;Dario Franchitti;3;Dallara/Honda;151.774
2006;Sam Hornish;Jr.;1;Dallara/Honda;157.085
2005;Dan Wheldon;16;Dallara/Honda;157.603
2004;Buddy Rice;1;G;Force/Honda;138.518
2003;Gil de Ferran;10;G;Force/Toyota;156.291
2002;Helio Castroneves;13;Dallara/Chevrolet;166.499
2001;Helio Castroneves;11;Dallara/Oldsmobile;141.574
2000;Juan Pablo;Montoya;2;Dallara/Oldsmobile;167.607
1999;Kenny Brack;8;Dallara/Aurora;153.176
1998;Eddie Cheever;Jr.;17;Dallara/Aurora;145.155
1997;Arie Luyendyk;1;G;Force/Aurora;145.827
1996;Buddy Lazier;5;Reynard/Ford;147.956
1995;Jacques Villeneuve;5;Reynard/Ford;153.616
1994;Al Unser Jr.;1;Penske/Mercedes;160.872
1993;Emerson Fittipaldi;9;Penske/Chevrolet;157.207
1992;Al Unser Jr.;12;Galmer/Chevrolet;134.477
1991;Rick Mears;1;Penske/Chevrolet;176.457
1990;Arie Luyendyk;3;Lola/Chevrolet;185.981
1989;Emerson Fittipaldi;3;Penske/Chevrolet;167.581
1988;Rick Mears;1;Penske/Chevrolet;144.809
1987;Al Unser;20;March/Cosworth;162.175
1986;Bobby Rahal;4;March/Cosworth;170.722
1985;Danny Sullivan;8;March/Cosworth;152.982
1984;Rick Mears;3;March/Cosworth;163.612
1983;Tom Sneva;4;March/Cosworth;162.117
1982;Gordon Johncock;5;Wildcat/Cosworth;162.029
1981;Bobby Unser;1;Penske/Cosworth;139.084
1980;Johnny Rutherford;1;Chaparral/Cosworth;142.862
1979;Rick Mears;1;Penske/Cosworth;158.899
1978;Al Unser;5;Lola/Cosworth;161.363
1977;A.J. Foyt;Jr.;4;Coyote/Foyt;161.331
1976;Johnny Rutherford;1;McLaren/Offy;148.725
1975;Bobby Unser;3;Eagle/Offy;149.213
1974;Johnny Rutherford;25;McLaren/Offy;158.589
1973;Gordon Johncock;11;Eagle/Offy;159.036
1972;Mark Donohue;3;McLaren/Offy;162.962
1971;Al Unser;5;Colt/Ford;157.735
1970;Al Unser;1;Colt/Ford;155.749
1969;Mario Andretti;2;Hawk/Ford;156.867
1968;Bobby Unser;1;Eagle/Offy;152.882
1967;A.J. Foyt;4;Coyote/Ford;151.207
1966;Graham Hill;15;Lola/Ford;144.317
1965;Jim Clark;2;Lotus/Ford;150.686
1964;A.J. Foyt;Jr.;5;Watson/Offy;147.35
1963;Parnelli Jones;1;Watson/Offy;143.137
1962;Rodger Ward;2;Watson/Offy;140.293
1961;A.J. Foyt;7;Trevis/Offy;139.13
1960;Jim Rathman;2;Watson/Offy;138.767
1959;Rodger Ward;6;Watson/Offy;135.857
1958;Jimmy Bryan;7;Salih/Offy;133.791
1957;Sam Hanks;13;Salih/Offy;135.601
1956;Pat Flaherty;1;Watson/Offy;128.49
1955;Bob Sweikert;14;KK500C/Offy;128.213
1954;Bill Vukovich;19;KK500A/Offy;130.84
1953;Bill Vukovich;1;KK500A/Offy;128.74
1952;Troy Ruttman;7;Kuzma/Offy;128.922
1951;Lee Wallard;2;Kurtis/Offy;126.244
1950;Johnnie Parsons;5;Kurtis/Offy;124.002
1949;Bill Holland;4;Deidt/Offy;121.327
1948;Mauri Rose;3;Deidt/Offy;119.814
1947;Mauri Rose;3;Deidt/Offy;116.338
1946;George Robson;15;Adams/Sparks;114.82
1945;Not Held;(WWII)
1944;Not Held;(WWII)
1943;Not Held;(WWII)
1942;Not Held;(WWII)
1941;Floyd Davis/Mauri;Rose;17;Wetteroth/Offy;115.117
1940;Wilbur Shaw;2;Maserati/Maserati;114.277
1939;Wilbur Shaw;3;Maserati/Maserati;115.035
1938;Floyd Roberts;1;Wetteroth/Miller;117.2
1937;Wilbur Shaw;2;Shaw/Offy;113.58
1936;Louis Meyer;28;Stevens/Miller;109.069
1935;Kelly Petillo;22;Wetteroth/Offy;106.24
1934;Bill Cummings;10;Miller/Miller;104.863
1933;Louis Meyer;6;Miller/Miller;104.162
1932;Fred Frame;27;Wetteroth/Miller;104.144
1931;Louis Schneider;13;Stevens/Miller;96.629
1930;Billy Arnold;1;Summers/Miller;100.448
1929;Ray Keech;6;Miller/Miller;97.585
1928;Louis Meyer;13;Miller/Miller;99.482
1927;George Souders;22;Duesenberg/Duesenberg;97.545
1926;Frank Lockhart;20;Miller/Miller;95.904
1925;Peter DePaolo;2;Duesenberg/Duesenberg;101.127
1924;Joe Boyer/L.L.;Corum;21;Duesenberg/Duesenberg;98.234
1923;Tommy Milton;1;Miller/Miller;90.954
1922;Jimmy Murphy;1;Duesenberg/Miller;94.484
1921;Tommy Milton;20;Frontenac/Frontenac;89.621
1920;Gaston Chevrolet;6;Frontenac/Frontenac;88.618
1919;Howdy Wilcox;2;Peugeot/Peugeot;88.05
1918;Not;Held;(WWI)
1917;Not;Held;(WWI)
1916;Dario Resta;4;Peugeot/Peugeot;84.001
1915;Ralph DePalma;2;Mercedes/Mercedes;89.84
1914;Rene Thomas;15;Delage/Delage;82.474
1913;Jules Goux;7;Peugeot/Peugeot;75.933
1912;Joe Dawson;7;National/National;78.719
1911;Ray Harroun;28;Marmon/Marmon;74.602
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