Final practice, air demonstrations and music acts round out schedule Friday, May 24 at IMS. Read More>
Two departure times provide more flexibility for fans who want to commute to the track on their bike on Race Day. Read More>
This partnership represents the first time a major athlete's sponsorship has been decided by a vote using blockchain technology. Read More>
View images from the shortened first day of the Indianapolis 500 Open test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. View Photos>
View images from the once-in-a-lifetime Total Solar Eclipse event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. View Photos>
Josef Newgarden unveils the 2024 Indianapolis 500 Ticket View Photos>
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway prides itself on its fire rescue and medical response teams that arrive to the scene of an accident within seconds. But how do they get that good? On Behind the Bricks, IMS President Doug Boles takes you through the annual Motorsports Safety Training at IMS, which features specific training scenarios for INDYCAR, NASCAR, IMSA and more to make sure every driver at IMS is safe. Watch Video>
On this episode of Doug and Drivers, 2022 Indy 500 winner Marcus Ericsson sits down with Doug Boles to talk about the pain of coming so close to scoring back-to-back wins, how he wanted to compete on ovals after his Formula 1 career and the transition to Andretti Global. Watch Video>
Why does Scott McLaughlin move his hands around so much in the car? What "button" is he pushing? What's the pressure of the iconic Yellow Submarine like? We cover that and so much more with Scott McLaughlin on the latest Doug and Drivers. Watch Video>
June 16, 2018 | By Phillip B. Wilson, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
As Indianapolis Motor Speedway thermometers ascended toward the 90s, a long line of autograph-seeking fans ignored the elements to get up close and personal with a pair of racing legends on a humid late Saturday morning. Three-time Indianapolis 500 winners Johnny Rutherford and Bobby Unser always are eager to return to this famous track, which played such an integral part in creating their legacies. These 80-something racers are always at IMS in May. This visit, for the Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational, was a bonus. Nobody looked and sounded more content than Rutherford, grand marshal for the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) event. “This is home,” said Rutherford, the 80-year-old Texan from Fort Worth. “‘Back Home Again in Indiana.’ I know all the words and I can sing it all the way through. This is my second home.” It’s the second time “Lone Star JR” has been an SVRA grand marshal, the other appearance in November for the U.S. Vintage Racing National Championships at Circuit of Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. But this couldn’t be more special because it’s Indianapolis, site of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” “I’ve been here for a long time and have truly enjoyed being here,” he said. “This place has done a lot for me, you know? I met my wife (Betty) here in 1963, when I was a rookie. We were married in July of 1963, so it was a hurried romance. We had to find a weekend when I wasn’t racing sprint cars somewhere.” Rutherford recalled how they met. Betty was a registered nurse working at an infield first aid station. He spotted her when his car was being wheeled out for the final phase of his rookie orientation test. The second time he walked by, he gave her a wink. He recalled her winking back, but she always corrected him to say she waved. “I met my wife here, the victories and the camaraderie in racing, it’s just been such a highlight every year of my life,” Rutherford said. “It’s something you look forward to every year, to come back and be a part of and see what it has to offer each time. It’s good.” He appreciates how SVRA gives car enthusiasts the opportunity to restore old classics and race them. Unser served as honorary race steward Saturday for the Indy Legends Charity Pro-Am Presented by RACER Magazine. Twenty former Indy 500 racers, as well as NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott and road racing legend Ron Fellows, were in the field. Considering the competitive contingent also includes 84-year-old Dick Simon in what he says will be the final race of his career, it’s not too much to suggest that Rutherford could still drive, too. “Yeah, I think I could,” he said with a hearty laugh, “but I’ve been here and done that.” Old-school racers from a different era are always confident. “We all think so, I guarantee you,” Rutherford said. JR is just happy to be back in any capacity. He jokes about how the drivers are going “the wrong way” clockwise on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile IMS road course as opposed to clockwise on the 2.5-mile oval. But it's no joke how he sees this place. “This is hallowed ground. This is the top of the mountain,” Rutherford said. “And it’s a grew view.” Visit IMS.com to buy tickets, see the complete weekend schedule and for more information about the Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational. All kids 15 and under are admitted free Sunday when accompanied by an adult ticket holder.