As part of the festivities surrounding this year’s Indianapolis 500, Oscar Mayer sponsored the first running of the Wienie 500. And it was simply incredible.
Move over Miracle on Ice, forget about any Super Bowl you may remember, go ahead and cancel the World Series. Even Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest may have some serious competition for the sporting event that best represents American exceptionalism.
Fox Sports aired the first running of the Wienie 500, and their top IndyCar broadcast team of Will Buxton, Townsend Bell, and James Hinchcliffe gave it all the grace and gravitas of the greatest spectacle in racing itself. Just listen to this commentary as six Wienermobiles made two laps around Indianapolis Motor Speedway. And it was a late pass on the front stretch from Slaw Dog that earned the dramatic victory.
Of course, there was plenty of double entendre in the race. Townsend Bell dropped this gem at the white flag: ” There is no greater feeling in the world than firing your wienie across the yard of bricks.” He also said, “Those wienies are massive,” when talking about the air displacement and aerodynamics of the Wienermobile.
And then Will Buxton had maybe the line of the day when he said, “The last thing someone needs is a slippery wiener.”
Truthfully, we had no idea what to expect when a giant Oscar Mayer Wienermobile Race was announced for the weekend of the Indy 500. But this exceeded all reasonable expectations for just how fun it truly was. And the thrilling finish was fantastic. Who knew a race of giant wieners could produce such a powerful climax?
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