Dario Franchitti

The stars aligned for the 500 Festival parade, which promised a fairly high celebrity quotient and did not disappoint. Floats and cars, bands and marchers—they all moved swimmingly along the route that started on Pennsylvania Street downtown, wounded around Washington Street and Monument Circle, and then proceeded up Meridian Street.

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.

Earlier this spring, listeners of NPR’s weekly Car Talk radio program got a surprise glimpse into the married lives of actress Ashley Judd and two-time Indy 500 champ Dario Franchitti.