View Photos of the 2023 Indy 500 and 24 Hours of Le Mans

The 3 a.m. die-hards at Le Mans. Even though thousands of race fans are there all night, the track offers so many viewing spots that finding a quiet corner is always possible.

Porsche runs a tight ship with clean rooms for midrace rebuilds, but even the strictest of race teams ends up with the occasional pop of personality. The candy box holds a bracket. "It just fit well inside," said the mechanic.

In the Porsche garage, the driver cubbies not only organize water bottles and supplies but also heat helmets to dry sweat between stints. Nothing worse than putting on a damp lid.

You might assume that this is an Indy photo, but it's American fans representing at Le Mans. We did not notice the equivalent French fans at Indy, but they could have been there.

Chip Ganassi holds court on pit lane before the race start. This photo could be from either Le Mans or Indy, as Ganassi runs teams in both, but it's Le Mans.

NASCAR fielded the Garage 56 stock car at Le Mans this year, but it wasn't the first time a stock car roared past the French grandstands. Hershel McGriff drove a Dodge Charger in the race in 1976. Here McGriff, now in his 90s, supervises the Garage 56 team.

Cadillac didn't have the same organization as Porsche, with work done willy-nilly in the garage wherever there was room. While Porsche had a dismal year, Cadillac finished in third and fourth place, so perhaps they are onto something.

Keeping the pit crew limber with morning, evening, and midnight Jazzercise.

Is it even a motorsports event without a flyover?

Over in Indianapolis, the paint schemes are simpler, but you can get right up to the cars on the grid.

While Italian mechanics have espresso and cigarettes for lunch, our American teams go for a nice pit-wall sandwich.

Indy is not without its own sexy Italian. Mario Andretti never misses the 500.

Stripped down to the basics.

Indy always feels more crowded than Le Mans, with everyone in the infield.

Takuma Sato shows off the benefits of winning the Indy 500. He didn't claim more jewelry in 2023, but he's done it twice.

Happy to report that the 2023 Indy 500 passes the Bechdel test.