May Madness

Racing teams aren’t the only ones who have to think about fuel conservation at the track. Fans logging marathon days at the Speedway should pace themselves, too. One way to save energy is by taking advantage of free pedicab rides from infield parking spots to the stands. Dozens of bike-pulled chariots line up on Hulman Drive—they’re off today, but will return Wednesday and stay through the 500. The IMS has contracted Circle City Pedicabs to provide lifts on the house for the last few years, and owner Tony Ostler now brings in help from Lone Star BikeCAB in Texas (the company is owned by a Hoosier) to keep up with demand. “It’s constant, nonstop,” Ostler says. “But our drivers love riding bikes. They’re cyclists. They take vacations on their bikes.” Make sure to get your driver’s card if you want to call ahead and arrange a return ride back to your car. And don’t forget to tip. 

Over the weekend, IMS announced that Howie Mandel will take on honorary PA duties at the Indy 500, which entails calling “all cars to the grid” before the race, a job once performed by the dearly departed Tom Carnegie.

Earlier this week, May Madness reported that tickets to the Andretti Wine Dinner at Mo’s A Place for Steaks (47 S. Pennsylvania St., 624-0720) were going for $125 a pop. But evidently price was no object for the more than 150 diners who turned out last night to meet Mario Andretti and sit down to a four-course meal paired with wine from the racing legend’s own winery and vineyard in Napa Valley, California.

For us, as for working stiffs around the city, Fast Friday Practice at IMS (May 18, 8 a.m.–6 p.m., $10) means playing afternoon hooky at the track. But first we fuel up at one of our favorite westside lunch spots:

Fresh-faced IndyCar star JR Hildebrand—a rookie no more, and not yet a veteran—takes the wheel in Indy Monthly’s May issue. The 24-year-old suffered a series of maladies, both physical and personal, in 2011. “These things happen in auto racing,” says a member of Hildebrand’s team. “But everything happened to JR, and I mean everything, in one year.”

“Let’s Get Cylindrical”? “Speed is the word”? Whatever the theme could be, word came over this past weekend that multi-slash performer Olivia Newton-John—the actress/singer/activist/ survivor/author—will serve as the grand marshal of the Indianapolis 500 parade on May 26 in the city’s downtown. The event, which had grand marshal Anderson Cooper last year, draws as many as 300,000 parade-goers.

Speedway big-timers Johnny Rutherford, Helio Castrovenes, and Arie Luyendyk, Sr. came out last night for the 13th-annual Racing to Recovery Gala at the Dallara IndyCar Factory in Speedway, to help raise money for the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation. If we’re honest, the term “gala” seems a little too fancy—it felt more like a friendly family reunion, as smiling Indy drivers (including Will Power, Ryan Briscoe, and Davey Hamilton) mingled easily with the avid racing fans and foundation supporters in attendance.

The three best moments of my career came at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

May Madness just learned this evening that a handful of tickets are still available to the exclusive Andretti Wine Dinner, to be held this Thursday (May 17, 7:30 p.m.) at Mo’s A Place for Steaks.

The tickets run $125 apiece. You get a four-course meal, pairings from the Andretti Winery in Napa Valley, and a photo-op meet-and-greet with racing legend Mario Andretti.

While supplies last.

Mo’s A Place for Steaks: 47 S. Pennsylvania St., 624-0720

Last week May Madness reported that celeb chef Guy Fieri was rumored to be leading the pack of potential pace-car drivers for this year’s Indy 500, and IMS officials confirmed it with an announcement today.

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.

May Madness wants YOUR 500 photos for the new Fast Crowd photo gallery!

One sure sign that May is underway in Indianapolis—dazzling, one-of-a-kind cars, often in bunches, making appearances around town.

Country-music siren Martina McBride will sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” during pre-race ceremonies at the Indianapolis 500 on May 27. Most likely she will belt out the performance, much like we expected Kelly Clarkson to do at the Super Bowl here instead of offering this rather restrained take.

The 500 Festival Mini-Marathon came and went (quickly!) this past Saturday, May 5. Runners, walkers, and wheelchair racers took to the city’s downtown and near-westside streets, pounding the ground for competition, for personal health, for charity, and with the intent, for some, of clocking personal-best times.