Indy 500 drivers make special visit to Porch Party winners
Three Speedway-area homeowners are getting national attention tonight after IndyCar drivers surprised them at home for winning this year’s Indianapolis 500 Porch Party competition. During the month of May, the Indy 500 may be the main event, but in Speedway, many say the porch parties are where the celebration really begins. This year, 100 homeowners signed up to compete.
Organizers say the tradition is growing far beyond Indiana, with race fans decorating homes from California to Massachusetts. But three Speedway-area homes stood out above the rest. You can spot Michael and Jenny Hannowsky's house from down the block.
The couple moved to Speedway to be closer to the track, and racing has always been part of their story. Michael’s great-grandfather worked for the Indy 500 as a riding mechanic in the 1930s, and the couple said they even met through racing. The Hannowskys said their decorations get bigger every year, but they never expected to take first place.
"This is the first year we entered the porch party, and we didn't know if we were really going to, because people like to go all out in Speedway, so I complained a little bit because we were doing so much, but it paid off in the end," Michael said. Ryan Hunter-Reay, who won the 500 in 2014 and is making his 18th start in the race this year, stopped by to celebrate with the winners. "I mean, this is what Indy's about, you know.
Every year, coming around, you know, through Speedway, and just seeing the different garages, patios, houses decorated, it's like Christmas in May. It's unreal, and that's that's the passion that drives this event," Hunter-Reay said. Second place went to John Hancock, whose garage filled with racing memorabilia caught the attention of neighbors and judges alike.