Broadcaster Jack Arute first attended the Indianapolis 500 in 1969 as part of a high school graduation present from his father. He has missed only three Indy 500s since.

Arute has been an ABC pit reporter at the Indianapolis 500 since 1984. Of those 20 races, the memory that he says affects him the most involves not a driver, but a car owner.

In May 1986, Jim Trueman, owner of a car driven by Bobby Rahal, was dying of cancer. That year's Indianapolis 500 was delayed six days because of rain, and people worried that Trueman wouldn't live to see the race.

"Most conventional wisdom said that he would not be with us when the race was run on Saturday," Arute recalled in April 2004.

But Trueman did attend, and he saw Rahal win in dramatic fashion.

"That was the race where Bobby Rahal was running second to Kevin Cogan," Arute said. "On the final few laps, there was a restart. Rahal powers past him and goes and takes the car to victory lane and gave him and Trueman their first victory.

"Bobby leaned over to Jim and said, 'This one's for you, Jim.'

Arute interviewed Rahal and Trueman in victory lane.

"When we were done ... Jim Trueman turned to me -- he had held himself erect by holding on to the back of my neck -- and he just said, 'I can go now,' " Arute said. "And it was just a couple of weeks later that he passed on.

"That one has always just affected me."

Arute said he believes sporting events like the Indianapolis 500 and the Kentucky Derby -- those that place at fixed locations and have long, storied histories -- have a stature that is unmatched.

"It isn't about just the participants like it is in ... other sports," Arute said. "It's a combination -- a synergistic relationship between the place where the event is held and the people who play in the event, consummated by whatever the event is called -- the Kentucky Derby, the Indianapolis 500.

"When you get the largest single-day crowd in sports, even today, (the Indianapolis 500) stands right up there," he said. "I wouldn't say it's No. 1 in the world, but I'd say that you only need one hand to count the others."

Read what others have to say.