Left behind at IMS: Weird trash from the Indy 500

In the infield the day after the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500, the smell of beer wafts over the mangled aluminum skeletons that were tents just the day before.

Smashed beer cans, trampled-on bags of chips, squashed coolers and half-eaten hot dogs stretch out across the soggy grass as far as the eye can see.

The infield was deserted Monday morning, but the trash from the previous day's party remained.

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Much of the garbage was what you would expect to see: food, beer, coolers and umbrellas.

But here are some of the weirder trash items that were sprinkled across the infield — a reminder that everyone's race tailgate is a little different.

A couch

Lawn chairs just weren't going to cut it for this group, which apparently lugged a plush couch into the infield.

Why not watch the race from the infield, but feel as if you are sitting in your own living room?

A kite

The rain held off until after the race, resulting in a sunny, breezy race day.

If you wanted a break from watching the cars zip across the track — or a diversion until the race began — the day was just blustery enough to fly a kite.

Clementines

This group gets props for leaving behind evidence of a healthy race snack.

Amid the half-empty bags of Cheetos, boxes of chocolate chip cookies and greasy bratwursts, this large box of Halo clementines stood out.

Getting some vitamin C on race day sounds like an excellent idea.

A rug

We understand why no one wanted to bring this rug home.

It surely offered solid protection from the mud and grass while watching the race, but now the rain-soaked rug likely is covered with a variety of substances that no cleaning product will satisfactorily handle.

A grill

This grill has seen better days.

It likely did its job on race day, grilling burgers and hot dogs for the masses before it somehow became a mangled mess.

Too bad, since it looks like a nice grill.

Shoes

It begs the question: What did the owner of these sneakers wear home?

Besides being caked in mud, someone left behind a decent pair of gym shoes.

Hopefully, they packed a second pair.

Call IndyStar reporter Madeline Buckley at (317) 444-6083 or email her at madeline.buckley@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.