IndyCar stars hit Mardi Gras

Ahead of the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana (April 10-12 at NOLAMotorsports Park), the Verizon IndyCar Series teamed with the legendary Krewe of Bacchus for a week of festivities. IndyCar racers James Hinchcliffe, Josef Newgarden , Carlos Munoz and Sage Karam were joined by Mazda Road to Indy racers Aaron Telitz and Neil Alberico for a full-fledged schooling on all things Mardi Gras.

The following is Josef Newgarden's first-person account of the group's weekend in New Orleans.

There's a saying at Mardi Gras: "Laissez les bons temprouler," which means "Let the good times roll." Believe me, they know how to do that in the Big Easy. The people of New Orleans take fun very seriously, and the 1400+ members of the Krewe of Bacchus, our hosts for the weekend, were no exception.

I think one of the most exciting things about an event like Mardi Gras is sharing it with your friends. On Saturday, our crew got together for a stroll down Bourbon Street. The French Quarter was insane! One of the guys said it was like being in the Turn 3 Snakepit at the Indy 500, only at night. In the words of Carlos Munoz, "we saw some crazy things."

At one point, we had our own little Mardi Gras celebration on a French Quarter side street. Of all the ways to be entertained during "the greatest spectacle in partying," here were six of the world's fastest racing drivers playing catch with a light-up bouncy ball amidst carnival chaos. What can I say? We're athletes through and through…

As you might imagine, the streets get trashed during Mardi Gras. There are anywhere between two and five parades daily, each one loaded with floats, marching bands, and beads—beads, beads and more beads…

I don't know how it happens, but there are like, magical Christmas elves that turn the city around every night because in the morning as we searched for brunch, the streets were completely clean and prepped for the Krewe of Bacchus parade. And note that while the streets were tidy, the trees and homes lining it remained covered with beads, adding to the magical atmosphere.

I don't know if I can properly describe the extravagance of these Mardi Gras parades.

We were thrilled to be members of the Krewe of Bacchus—one of the original super krewes, founded in 1968. In our parade alone, there were more than 30 floats sandwiched between marching bands and rumbling drumlines.

This year's theme was "Children's Stories that Live Forever" and it included intricate, one-of-a-kind floats created specifically for the event, ranging from Harry Potter and Mother Goose to Winnie the Pooh and The Wizard of Oz. We had the honor of riding on the Officer's Float with the Captain of the Krewe and our incredible host, Clark Brennan.

After spending the morning with the full krewe as they dressed in their costumes and broke bread together, we were introduced to this year's King, the one and only John C. Reilly, who came in to address his krewe prior to our rolling out.

The atmosphere surrounding the walk to our float was reminiscent of our "gasoline alley" walk on Indy 500 race morning—bands playing and people cheering. When we boarded our ride, we were given final instructions from the Captain.

Yes, there are rules during the parade and there's definitely a fine art to the bead toss, all of which were new to us as the Rookies of Bacchus. Once settled, we sorted through the thousands of beads we were given to toss to the masses. We even had our own IndyCar beads created especially for the event, as well as a super-cool, Mardi Gras-themed two-seater that led our float.

The people's dedication to the beads (or throws, as they call them) and what they're willing to do to get them is amazing. It's about more than boobs. People literally climb over each other on both sides of the street, trying to guilt-trip you into to targeting them. Those beads are a hot commodity. Between the flying beads, screaming fans, the floats, and all the lights, it makes for an impressive scene.

To top it all off, the parade route ended in a massive convention center at a black tie affair for 10,000 people (with us still in our firesuits) in celebration of the King of Bacchus—All hail Bacchus! As we strolled home after midnight, one thing was painfully obvious: the Krewe of Bacchus knows how to party.

In addition to all the fanfare, tradition and festivities,it was great to experience firsthand the locals' excitement for IndyCar. Many of the folks who approached us said they'd already purchased tickets to the Grand Prix of Louisiana.

So to all of our new friends in NOLA, thanks for the party and the incredible welcome. We can't wait to return the favor when we're back in town in April.

That's when we'll show you how IndyCar throws a party. By Josef Newgarden for Road&Track