Bob Kravitz

@brookshepp Many thanks.

@bkravitz Incredible, Bob. This story brought a tear to the eye

This is why I've learned to love the Indianapolis 500. open.substack.com/pub/bobkravitz…

‘Another piece from the old days as the race restarts: ‘One more lap! One more lap!’: An oral history of Mario Andretti’s historic Indy 500 win 50 years ago nytimes.com/athletic/98449… via @NYTimes

@Rynflorida I’m glad you did. Thanks for sharing what it means to you.

Just wanted to share a little of what this weekend means to my family. As a young boy in the early 1980s, year after year my dad would wake my brother and me up around 4:00 a.m. to make the two-and-a-half-hour drive south to Indianapolis for Indy 500 time trials. We would sit in line for hours waiting to get into the track, drinking chocolate milk and eating some of the most famous donuts around from Long’s Bakery — donuts that, in my opinion, put Krispy Kreme to shame. We never had the money to attend the actual race, but we would spend the entire day watching these incredible machines fly around the track, battling to earn their coveted spots in one of the most historic races in the world. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway itself is hard to comprehend in size — a 2.5-mile oval with an infield large enough to fit Yankee Stadium, the Vatican, the White House, Churchill Downs, the Taj Mahal, and Liberty Island. Then race day would arrive. Across Indiana, grills would fire up, pools would open, coolers would be packed, and televisions would turn to the race. Roads and neighborhoods were covered in checkered flags and red, white, and blue as far as the eye could see. Every year, the race pauses to honor what Memorial Day weekend truly represents: the ultimate sacrifice made so the rest of us can enjoy weekends like this in freedom. The 21-gun salute followed by Taps was always emotional, but it never truly hit home for me until December 21, 2010, when my little brother was killed in action in Afghanistan. Now, whenever I hear Taps, something inside me breaks apart all over again. Because of that, this weekend carries a meaning far beyond racing for my family. In 2016, one year before we moved to Florida nearly a decade ago, I finally attended my first Indy 500 — the historic 100th running of the race. More than 350,000 people packed into the Speedway that day, making it one of the largest sporting events on Earth. I remember walking into the track after years away and seeing all those cars lined up together. Tears filled my eyes. Not because I’m some die-hard racing fanatic — honestly, none of us in our house really are. But the Indy 500 is more than a race. It’s history. It’s tradition. It’s patriotism on a level that’s hard to describe unless you’ve experienced it in person. Some of the red, white, and blue outfits people wear are absolutely ridiculous — and I love every bit of it. Hearing Taps played live that day shook me to my core. After that first race, I told my wife, “You have to experience this for yourself.” So in 2020 we started a tradition. Since then, we have attended the Indy 500 every year, sitting in the Northeast Vista. Experiencing this race with my wife and now my own kids has become something incredibly special to me. Every year we make the drive back to Indiana, spend time with my wife’s parents, visit old friends, and stop at my brother’s gravesite. Those trips became about far more than the race itself. They became about family, memory, healing, and home. This year, with America celebrating its 250th year, I know the Indy 500 will be bigger than ever. Unfortunately, because of circumstances, we won’t be there like we normally are. And honestly, it hurts more than I can explain. Usually this time of year I have this excitement building from the anticipation of the trip — the farms, the slower pace of life, the lack of humidity, floating down the river without worrying about gators. But I know someday we’ll make it back again. So if you happen to tune into the Indianapolis 500 this year, I hope this gives you a little understanding of what it means to my family — and to so many Hoosiers who, once a year, open their state and their hearts to the world for a weekend of remembrance, gratitude, tradition, and celebration. I know this was long, but I wanted to share it. ❤️🏎️🏁

Awesome.

If Rossi wins it this year from the two-hole, expect a very different reaction. From my time at The Athletic. Kravitz: With culture shock behind him, Alexander Rossi rewrites his narrative nytimes.com/athletic/17144… via @NYTimes

May 21st 2025 our worlds shifted in a way we didn’t know how to accept. It’s an understatement to say God holds us in the darkest moments, Matthew 14:18, “Bring them to me.” “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” I love you dad 💙 I can’t wait to see you again 🙏🏼

@les_viking56654 Well done Leslie.

Congrats, fellas. Let the adulting begin.

@TimBontemps Any of Tyrese Haliburton’s heroics from last year’s playoff run. The Knicks game comes immediately to mind. But I’m an Indy guy, so there’s some bias there.

This has made me start thinking about games I'll remember this vividly. A short list: - last night - Thunder-Warriors Game 6 - Thunder-Warriors Steph game - Cavs-Warriors Game 7 - Kawhi shot - Bucks-Nets Game 7 What others do people have on their list?

Pretty soft goal against UPL. Might have been a flyby screen, but you’ve gotta stop that one.

Let me try a link that works: als.org/GolfIndianapol…

@GlobeBobRyan @BBGreatMoments You’re right about Shea, Bob, but to a 7-year-old kid going to his first Major League Baseball game, it was the Taj Mahal.

@BBGreatMoments Shea Stadium was a blah place. No personality. Bring back the Polo Grounds.

Shea Stadium, did you ever catch a game there before it was gone?

@CliffBruntOG Sorry, Cliff. It’s a tough business these days.

I was the reporter let go in Oklahoma. It was only surprising because the Thunder are in the playoffs and the Women's CWS is coming up. I have great memories of my time here and of my colleagues. Thank you all for following me. As for media, if you're looking for help, hit me up.

Our 15th annual ALS Golf Classic is July 20 at Country Club of Indianapolis. If you’d like to play or be a sponsor (or both), check out this link. 2026 ALS Golf Classic Indianapolis | The ALS Association als.org/GolfIndianapol…

@The_DJ_Show @JMV1070 That’s awesome.

Preach it @bkravitz I know @JMV1070 also had to get new clothes. I’ve went from a 46 waist and now down to a 33-32 waist now. 325 down to 180 in the last 2 years almost now.

The Colts early season schedule is quite challenging, especially for the pass rush. Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes and Jayden Daniels in three of the first four game. Looks like the sked eases in the middle of the season. Ultimately it all depends on the qb. Can he stay healthy?

@les_viking56654 I’ll give it a read.

Thoughts and musings on Anthony Richardson, the Fever opener and (sigh) the NBA Lottery. open.substack.com/pub/bobkravitz…

@deedub75 @1075thefan That’s awesome, my friend.

@bkravitz @1075thefan I have those donations ready for you.

Please support Bob as he has been on a mission to help find a cure for the terrible disease that is ALS. I think this Please sponsor, donate, and/or play! Bob, I developed golfers elbow from the @1075thefan Golf Outing on Thursday, but I think I have enough time to heal. 😅

@GreggDurha91885 @PacersKev Did you miss the ECF Finals and the Finals in two of the last seasons. You make it sound like they’re the Wizards.

@PacersKev @bkravitz And the season ticket holders deserve a competitive team which you didn’t put on the floor this year. no more hall passes

I'm really sorry to all our fans. I own taking this risk. Surprised it came up 5th after this year. I thought we were due some luck. But please remember - this team deserved a starting center to compete with the best teams next year. We have always been resilient.

@KLTHOMPSON Stop. Just stop. Everything isn’t a conspiracy. Jeez.

@bkravitz This was a fix, just like David Stern and the Ewing lottery. Your former bosses once challenged Stern about rigging the lottery and he did a Charles Durning song and dance about how that's illegal and he would never do anything illegal. When billions at stake, Pacers are SOL.