Indy 500 Champions To Drive Winning Cars Before Race May 29
April 13, 2011 | By Paul Kelly
Eleven legendary Indianapolis 500 champions each will each drive a winning car from “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” around the fabled Brickyard oval during pre-race ceremonies at the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 29.
•Mario Andretti (1969): The Boyle Maserati that won in 1939 and 1940 with Wilbur Shaw.
•Kenny Brack (1999): The No. 9 Target G Force/Oldsmobile that won in 2000 with Juan Pablo Montoya.
•Gil de Ferran (2003): The No. 66 Sunoco McLaren that won in 1972 with Mark Donohue. It was the first of a record 15 victories for legendary team owner Roger Penske.
•Parnelli Jones (1963): The No. 32 Marmon “Wasp” that won in 1911 with Ray Harroun.
•Arie Luyendyk (1990, 1997): The No. 30 Domino’s Pizza Lola/Chevrolet Indy in which Luyendyk won in 1990. Luyendyk averaged 185.981 mph, which stands as the race record.
•Bobby Rahal (1986): The No. 14 Miller that won in 1928 with Louis Meyer.
•Johnny Rutherford (1974, 1976, 1980): The No. 4 Pennzoil Chaparral/Cosworth in which Rutherford won in 1980. The car is affectionately nicknamed “The Yellow Submarine.”
•Tom Sneva (1983): The Belond Salih/Offy that won in 1957 with Sam Hanks and 1958 with Jimmy Bryan.
•Al Unser (1970, 1971, 1978, 1987): The No. 82 Lotus-Ford that won in 1965 with Jim Clark. This is the first rear-engine car to win the “500.”
•Al Unser Jr. (1992, 1994): The Blue Crown Spark Plug Diedt/Offy that won in 1947 and 1948 with Mauri Rose.
•Bobby Unser (1968, 1975, 1981): The No. 8 National that won in 1912 with Joe Dawson. The car features a second seat for a riding mechanic, which will be filled by Unser’s wife, Lisa, on Race Day.
1963 Indianapolis 500 winner Jones will provide one of the highlights of the day when he drives the No. 32 Marmon “Wasp” that won the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911 with Ray Harroun. It will be only the third time the car has been driven on the famed IMS oval on Race Day since Harroun crossed the finish line in 1911.
“When I was a rookie in 1961, I remember Ray Harroun driving around the track on Race Day,” Jones said. “Looking at the car then, it represented so much history at the track. Now that the track is 100 years old, the Wasp has even more special meaning for me.
“I was in Indy a month ago and I went to the Hall of Fame Museum to get a good look at the Wasp – I wanted to really look at it. It will be very, very special to drive it on Race Day. I want to thank the Speedway for that. Maybe I need to start to get into shape and work out! I really look forward to driving the car and seeing the 2011 Indy 500 – the 100th anniversary for the race and the 50th anniversary of me driving in my first ‘500.’”
***
2011 Indianapolis 500 tickets: Tickets are on sale for the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500, “The Most Important Race in History,” on Sunday, May 29, 2011 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Race Day ticket prices start at just $30. Fans can buy tickets online at www.imstix.com, by calling the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700, or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area, or by visiting the ticket office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday-Friday.
Children 12 and under will be receive free general admission to any IMS event in 2011 when accompanied by an adult general admission ticket holder.
Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are on sale. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information.