I went to Indy for the 500 in 1981. It was amazing how fast the cars were compared to how it looks on television. Danny Ongias had a huge crash coming out of turn 3. I was in the infield on the fence at turn 4 and could feel the force of the crash in my chest.
I remember Danny well. I used to talk to him at Lions Drag Strip and he was one of the friendliest guys around. He was really hurt in that crash. Bummer.