Q: These are considered bad luck at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
A: Peanuts
Most people are superstitious in one way or another. Auto racing has its own line of superstitious things. Some auto racing supersitions involving auto racing that have been documented include:
- Eating peanuts in the pits
- Eating fried chicken the day of the race
- Wearing anything with the color green on it.
- Having a green car or any type of green on the car
- And of course the number 13
If you ever tried to eat peanuts in close proximity of a racecar, you most likely would be asked to quickly move away from the car. It’s a known fact that most racecar drivers are quite superstitious. So where did it all start? The legend of the peanut comes from years ago when supposedly a driver in the Modifieds was eating peanuts before he went out to race and subsequently crashed and died. The story of the peanut spread through the racing circuit like a bad case of poison ivy. Before you knew it, nobody would touch a peanut at the racetrack. Then you have the color green — I mean anything green: clothes, cars, you name it. Green cars supposedly wreck more than other color cars so no one wants to drive one. The list goes on and on but you get the picture. Racecar drivers are superstitious and they make no bones about it. So if you find yourself cruising around the garage area, take my advice — whatever you do, don’t EVER eat green peanut M&M’s or you might find yourself flying over the fence and I don’t mean in an airplane.
Peanuts have only been sold at Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 2009.
Congratulations to Tim Coots of Indianapolis who is today’s Smartest Hoosier Ever and won tickets to Kentucky Kingdom and Hurricane Bay. Listen and win each weekday at 3:10!
