St. James, Hamilton, Parsons Compete Once Again at IMS
June 04, 2014 | By IMS
Former Indianapolis 500 drivers will live their youthful dreams again during the inaugural Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational, June 6-8, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Lyn St. James, Davey Hamilton and Johnny Parsons participated in a recent test in preparation for the Charity Indy Legends Pro-Am race on Sunday, June 8 on the reconfigured IMS 2.43-mile road course. The race will feature 26 Indianapolis 500 veterans paired with amateur drivers, with each taking a 20-minute stint, with five minutes allotted for a driver change. The cars used in the Pro-Am race will be 1963 to 1972 vintage Chevrolet Corvettes and Camaros, and Ford Mustangs.
“My head is kind of pounding, I’m in a race suit, I’m at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on pit lane and this is awesome,” said St. James, who competed in seven Indianapolis 500s. “It’s going to be fabulous. We’re going to go the wrong way in my mind, but I’ll figure that out pretty quick. The engines sound a little different from what we’re used to, but when they start cranking, let me tell ya, it’s going to be music to everybody’s ears, and it’s going to be exciting to watch such a variety of cars and drivers. It’s going to be an absolute kind of a potpourri of simulated noise and colors, and just such a huge variety.”
St. James, who is currently celebrating her 40th year in racing, loves returning to IMS where she often takes time to reminisce about her days when she competed in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
“I always do when I come here, even just as a spectator,” St. James said. “I’m a competitor here, so now I got my race-face already starting and I can feel it, but a lot of memories, absolutely.”
Hamilton has a great deal of experience on the IMS oval with three top-ten finishes in 11 Indianapolis 500 starts, and as he gets accustomed to the reconfigured IMS road course, he’s grateful for the opportunity the recent test provided him to learn more.
“I need laps, so I’m glad I came because I’m not practicing on Saturday and just showing up for the race on Sunday, so it’s going to be interesting,” Hamilton said. “These cars go faster than you think they go, and they’re still old cars, they’re old hot rods man, so they don’t handle like the new cars I’ve been in lately, so it’s good to get a couple laps in.”
Hamilton is happy to share the driving duties during the Charity Indy Legends Pro-Am race with Sportscar Vintage Racing Association President (SVRA) and CEO Tony Parella, the owner of the 1972 Corvette they’ll be driving.
“It takes the heat off of us guys who don’t do so well,” Hamilton said. “It’s all about having fun when you drive racecars and these hot rods of the past. It’s all about having a good time.”
Twice a top-five finisher in 12 Indianapolis 500 starts, Parsons is thrilled to have the opportunity to compete again at IMS.
“There’s nothing like the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, especially when you grew up in the neighborhood and your father won here (Johnnie Parsons, 1950) and I got to participate here, and now we’re back here years later,” Parsons said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun for everybody.
“There’s a lot of nostalgia here and the car owners take a lot of pride in their equipment, and it’s all showroom stuff. They’re all beautiful cars and these car owners who are going to come out and drive will probably be slower than the pro drivers that are going to drive them. I know I would be.”
The pace car driver for the Charity Indy Legends Pro-Am race will be 1963 Indianapolis 500 winner and racing icon Parnelli Jones, who will also serve as the grand marshal of the Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational.
The Charity Indy Legends Pro-Am is the headline event of the Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational featuring 12 different race groups ranging from early 1900s cars all the way through to relatively modern prototype cars. The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association will host this landmark three-day event featuring more than 700 racecars. This event marks the first time that a vintage racing series has ever competed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Additional information on the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association, a complete schedule for the weekend and an entry list for the Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational are available on the SVRA website, http://www.svra.com.
Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational Tickets: A three-day general admission pass including Friday, June 6 through Sunday, June 8 costs $40. Single day general admission tickets are $15 on Friday, June 6, $20 on Saturday, June 7 and $25 on Sunday, June 8. Children 12 and under are admitted free each day when accompanied by an adult.
Tent camping passes in Turn 3 of the IMS infield are available beginning Thursday afternoon, June 5 for $30, with RV camping available in the Northwest gravel lot for $60.
Fans can order Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational tickets at www.ims.com/tickets, by calling 800-822-INDY or 317-492-6700 between 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday or by visiting the IMS Ticket Office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street between 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday.
Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are available. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information.
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2014 ticket information: Ticket information is available for the remaining events in 2014 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway – the Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational, Kroger Super Weekend at the Brickyard and Red Bull Indianapolis GP.
Fans can order tickets at www.ims.com/tickets, by calling 800-822-INDY or 317-492-6700 between 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday or by visiting the Ticket Office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street between 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday.
Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are available. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information.