Race fan hasn’t missed an Indy 500 in 54 years – until now

MARION COUNTY (WXIN) – When it comes to Indy 500 fans Mike Gault is one of the biggest. 

He’s seen every race since 1967.

“My brother has been there 40 some years. My son is 28 and he’s already been to 20 500s,” Gault said.

Gault remembers when his dad worked the track and when he got older, he did the same. 

His fan experience will be different this year since no fans will be allowed to attend the race due to COVID-19 concerns. 

“I was pretty angry. Then I kind of got more towards devastated and heartbroken toward the evening and then I had to come to accept it,” Gault explained.

When the race moved from May to August, Gault remained optimistic. 

“I got my seats reassigned. There was some in my family that decided not to go because of the pandemic. We had separation between seats, and they were going to do temperature checks. We had to wear a mask,” Gault said.

Now, he’ll have to enjoy his 54th race from the comfort of his home. 

“I feel for the driver that wins this year. That’s going to be in victory lane, drinking the milk with nobody there to share it with him,” Gault said.

Gault knows the experience of watching the race will be different this year, but next year you can expect him to make more family memories out on the track. 

“By any chance they want to sneak me in, I’ll be a water boy for them if they wanted me to,” Gault said.

You can catch the Indy 500 race on Sunday, August 23rd.