As my freshman year of college quickly came to an end, it was time to search for a summer job. After trying to come up with a job that would be more exciting than my regular hometown summer employment, I realized it was a hopeless search. A week into summer, however, I was offered a job that sent my summer racing onto a different track. That track may be better known as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, or as most may call it, the racing capital of the world. An internship with the New Media department was right up my alley. Recently declaring my journalism major at the spectacular institution of Indiana University, this internship would provide me with great experience. The requirements of the job were explained ahead of time, but the real perks were yet to be found out.
Screenshot of what I've been doing
My primary job for the media department is to enter the historical statistics that will soon be displayed on indycar.com and to tag and caption the daily photos being uploaded by IMS photographers. All past entry lists for the IZOD IndyCar Series as well as Firestone Indy Lights will be accessible when my job is completed. Starting opening day until the end of May a staff of photographers trek all around the famous 2.5 mile oval and capture the events and faces that make the Indianapolis 500 the greatest spectacle in racing. The pictures found on indycar.com, indianapolismotorspeedway.com, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway flickr account are the result of the effort of those photographers and the captioning and tagging I perform.
Daily I enter statistics at my computer located in the media center overlooking the renowned yard of bricks (who could ask for a better location?) Press conferences featuring world famous drivers, such as Graham Rahal and Marco Andretti, happen just floors below me. On one particular day Danica Patrick was hanging out in my area for a conference call. A few days ago I tagged along and captured photos of Hideki Mutoh in his garage area during an interview. As I got onto the elevator Sarah Fisher got off and as I left the elevator Mario Moraes stood at the bottom. I would definitely classify these events as the real perks of the job. A summer job spent blogging, learning more and more about a great sport, and being surrounded by celebrities may possibly be the best way to spend a summer at home. All of these experiences and it is only week 1 for me. As I continue to finish the historical statistics throughout my internship I hope to be involved in more and more experiences like those mentioned above.
I took this photo!
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway (and Ron Pitman) has provided me with a terrific learning experience and memories that will not be replaced. It’s not even race week yet and I am already excited to get to work every morning and admire all the happenings of the day. Until my next post continue reading, commenting, tweeting, and gearing up for May 30th!
[...] seem to advertise internships on their Jobs page, but I did come across a blog post titled The Diaries Of An IMS Intern from just under 2 weeks ago. Clearly there are internships available (although maybe not for the [...]
[...] every year, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (also known as the racing capital of the world). A previous intern waxed nostalgic of his experience: Daily I enter statistics at my computer located in the media [...]