Helio Wins

After a late night, Echo slept in until 7am. Actually we had to wake him up. He went for a relatively short walk before breakfast in the hotel. Then a return trip to the speedway for another day of racing, where Echo spent most of the day tailgating. When he tired from the excitement and attention, he would retire to his new crate.



First item on our agenda was to exchange tickets for wheelchair seating (arranged by the Public Relations staff). As we were entering the facility a member of security advised me that Echo would not be allowed in. She showed me the document stating that pets are not allowed into the speedway. I pointed out that 1)he was not a pet, 2)we had received approval from the PR staff and 3)we attended the race on the previous day. She provided me with a warning that I may not be able to enter.

This was the only instance where we were even questioned. For the most part we were treated as VIPs. They even allowed us to ride the elevator to our seats, which we used once on Friday. Strangers offered us water, ear plugs, good luck, and compliments on Echo's behavior.

After climbing the stairs up to the sixty fifth row, we were excited for the race to begin and Echo found a nice spot on his blanket to rest in the shade. He slept through most of the race, only waking to scratch out those pesky ear plugs. We spoke to a gentlemen, who is losing his sight, about getting involved with OccuPaws.



By the way, Helio Castroneves, Echo's favorite driver won the race, the second closest in IRL history (0.0033 of a second).