Sports

Last night, music-industry icons, Indianapolis 500 stars, and other big-name notables put their well-heeled feet forward at the Indy 500 Soiree to help raise money for Riley Children’s Hospital at IU Health. In attendance were country-music star Garth Brooks and Motown legend (and Dancing with the Stars contestant) Gladys Knight, as well as two-time Indy 500 champion Dario Franchitti, 2008 winner Scott Dixon, and popular former Indianapolis Colt Dallas Clark. Lucas Oil owner Forrest Lucas and wife, Charlotte, graciously hosted the event at their 35-acre Hamilton County estate.

Editor’s Note: We must be sadists. IM intern Myrydd Wells had never been to a Carb Day concert. So today, without mercy, we sent her—alone—to the Lynyrd Skynyrd concert at IMS. When we cautioned that it might get rowdy, and asked if she was sure she wanted to go, she reassured us. “I went to IU,” she said. “I’ve seen it all.” This is what she brought back.

Who: Rick Spingfield. Gig: Rock star/Soap hunk. Age: 62. Show-stopper: The ‘80s heartthrob (“Jessie’s Girl,” General Hospital) is back on TV and he’s working on a new album, Love Songs for the End of the World. Tomorrow, he joins the 500 Festival Parade and headlines the annual Snakepit Ball. Today, he broke one his own song’s rules: He talked to a stranger (IM).

“We are reminded of those who gave their young lives so that liberty might grow old.”

—Daniel Wheeler, national adjutant of The American Legion

Dan Wheldon was going to save IndyCar. That was the premise with which I set out to write an early-season profile of the Brit in the spring of 2005. He was 26, dapper, handsome, and quotable in a sneering, “like-it-or-lump-it” attitude that seemed about as sincere as his insistence that he only drank Red Bull and Jim Beam, his sponsor. He was coming off his first full season, having won three races and finished second in points, and sitting at a table in the back of his trailer for an interview the night before the first race in Homestead, hair spiked stiff, slacks immaculately pressed. He flashed a snaggle-toothed grin and agreed that, “Yeah, a good piece is exactly what the sport needs,” to get fans on board.

Those in attendance at Saturday’s IPL 500 Festival Parade might experience Rydell High School flashbacks when grand marshal Olivia Newton-John makes her appearance on the parade route. “I’m going to need two flags to wave, and a ’50’s outfit, right?” jokes the pop legend best known—perhaps indelibly—for her role opposite John Travolta in 1978’s blockbuster musical Grease. “It’s been 35 years, and that movie is still popular,” Newton-John remarked in a telephone interview earlier this week. “People love it. I don’t know why, but I think it’s got a great energy in it. It’s fun, and the music is timeless.”

Nearly a year ago, Susie Wheldon was celebrating her husband’s unlikely final-turn victory at the Indianapolis 500. Today, she thanked her departed mate’s fans and friends.

The weather folks are forecasting sweltering temps throughout race weekend, with predictions of highs in the mid to upper 90s on Sunday. Sadly, you won’t be cooling off with a Bloody Mary from Indy-based Hoosier Momma—unless you’re lucky enough to land in the cushy confines of an IMS suite.

If you haven’t caught the documentary For Gold and Glory on WFYI 1 Public Television, you might be unfamiliar with the story of Charlie Wiggins, the mechanic whom Indy 500 champ Bill Cummings credited for his 1934 win. In the early 20th century, Wiggins, an Indianapolis resident, came to be known as the “Negro Speed King” in African-American newspapers for his prowess on racetracks, and he was widely considered the nation’s best African-American racecar driver of the early 20th century. (He might have been the best overall, though he was barred from competing in segregated events, including the Indianapolis 500, because of his race.)

This past  winter was a tragic one for IndyCar. The loss of my friend Dan Wheldon pushed race officials to place a renewed emphasis on improving safety in IndyCar, and as we approach the high-speed Indianapolis 500 with an all-new Dallara chassis, the need for those improvements to be effective becomes more urgent than ever.

SEE: Winning (1969). Stars Paul Newman and is based on the “Indy Five-Hunnerd.” Some actual 500 footage, and racing notables Bobby Unser, Tony Hulman, Dan Gurney, and Roger McCluskey all make appearances.

Wow, the last three weeks have been a whirlwind. I’ve put so many hours into practicing, qualifying, and traveling for media obligations, I’ve barely had time to do my laundry! I had no idea what I was in for with time commitments out of the car, and I have a new level of appreciation for the other guys who have competed in the Indianapolis 500 for multiple years.

Members of the racing and dairy communities came together today for the Fastest Rookie of the Year Award Luncheon to celebrate the eight rookie drivers starting in Sunday’s Indianapolis 500.

The Indy 500 celebrity announcements are coming fast and furious now. The 500 Festival just released a complete roster of notables set to attend Saturday’s IPL 500 Festival Parade (May 26, noon, downtown).