A little help from 3Wide crew?  

I know that the guys on here have a wealth of information and are usually willing to share. 

For Christmas this year my girlfriend got us tickets to the Indy 500.  Starting Friday May 24, we are camping at a site a little over an hour from the Speedway.  We have heard many stories about parking for the race. 

I would like to:

1. Have some idea of what time we need to leave on race day
2. Whether we should pursue tickets in a Speedway lot, or chance parking at someone's private parking
3. What we should expect to pay. 

We did try to join a group from the Speedway, but right away those people were insulted about us asking the same question as hundreds of other people have asked in the past. 

I would appreciate any sincere advice from you guys. 

Thank you!

Tom