I’ve been to many racing events, even ones where some participant died. I’ve watched people talking about the crash, but never in a bloodthirsty manner that you write about.
But, your comment reminds me of the Gulf War, as people at the news conferences giggled as bombs blew people away.
I went to Indy maybe three times as a fill-in for a group that drove down there every year. The first year I went was Teo Fabi’s rookie year, and I see that was ‘83. I was rooting for him, but my group was having none of that.
I was also there in 1987 when a spectator was killed by a loose tire which was launched into the stands when struck by another car. I actually had a view of this from where I was sitting, but did not see it happen, although I was aware of the race track incident involving Roberto Guerrero. I only learned about it when we got back home.
It’s a huge venue, and I was very impressed by many elements of the spectacle ... and it did very much make me think of ancient Rome. Heh. I see that Dan Quayle was Grand Marshall in 1990, and I remember him being flown in over the infield by a small fleet of helicopters. That’s three years right there, so maybe I went 4 or 5 times ... but not lately!