Editor’s note: I begin today with a poem i wrote about the happiness i felt last week in returning to IMS in May. Later i will discuss 1981, Booby Unser’s third win. Thanks for reading

The Land of the Singing Fences

Two Mays since last I stepped inside the gates,

Now a  joyous return to once again,

To the land of the singing fences,

To hear tires squeal and engines roar,

To drink in the sight of a speeding painted rainbow,

To inhale the sweet smell of ethanol,

To hear my favorite orchestra play once again,

Vibrating from the growl and the whoosh

Inside the bright white walls,

Of the sacred ground where fences sing in May.