Michiana friends carry on Indy 500 tradition

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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -

The 101st running of the Indy 500 will get going in less than 24 hours and for a group of friends from Michiana, this weekend has some special meaning to it.

Starting in 1972, a group of men began attending the Indy 500 as a way to reconnect once a year and from there, a tradition was born

“They say what happens at the Indy 500, stays at the Indy 500.”

Parting words to Joey Moroz from his father, carrying on a tradition more than four decades in the making.

“Parents all went to college together, grew up together at Indiana State,” said Moroz.

And it continues to be passed on to the next generation.

“For our generation it was a coming-of-age kind of movement, so it’s a time that you come down, hang out with your father, and instead of father-son hanging out, it’s more like friends.” Said Mitch Zultanski, 26th year at Indy.

No matter where they are, finding a way to see each other is a lesson passed down from the generation before.

“One guy flew in from Boston, I drove in from Cincinnati, we got people from Bloomington, we got people from Chicago,” explains Matthew Heston, attendee of the race since 2004. “He impressed upon me the importance of seeing your friends and having a good time and kind of being able to let loose for a weekend.”

The stories and memories continue to pile up but the originals seem to last forever.

“My favorite stories were what my father did when he was my age.” Zultanski reminisced.

They’re continuing a tradition and they don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

“I already told my wife that every Memorial Day is shot, that’s my time for my friends and so we plan around it, I’m already thinking about buying next year’s tickets, it’s definitely circled on the calendar, it’s something that happens every year and something I look forward to doing,” said Heston.

One of the cool traditions this group does is the night before every race they take a long walk down the west side of the track and just reminisce, looking forward to the 45th race the collective group has attended.

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