May Madness

Highlights: Susie Wheldon, a tender moment between Will Power and wife Liz, teen and future-face-of-IndyCar Sage Karam, Tony and Lauren Kanaan, and more.

Dario Franchitti, on getting his first speeding ticket: “[My father told me] going fast was for on the track and not on the road—I was told that many, many times.”

See what car number has been most victorious over the year, plus how many gallons

“It is so nice to have a virgin experience at this stage in my life,” says Michael Feinstein. “And so I will be coming with great expectations but no attachment to any particular driver.”

Whatever “it” is, every year it captures the imaginations of the 33 drivers who compete for the Borg-Warner Trophy. And they all have this in common: At one point in their lives, something drew their attention to the Indianapolis 500.

Why did Villeneuve decide to return to Indy after all these years? “That’s the question I get the most,” he says. “And, you know, why not?”

Only by winning a major (non-athletic) contest does one force Andrew Luck to play second fiddle during this parade, but Josh Kaufman did just that.

Yesterday morning, Julie Vance was visible through the front windows, piecing together the intricate wreath that Sunday’s Indy 500 winner will wear on the victory podium—as every champion has since 1960.

In the 113-year history of the Indianapolis 500, a rookie has won only eight times.

They’ll start the race behind everyone else. As an added insult (literally), they dutifully attended the Last Row Party—an annual Indy tradition that returned yesterday evening after a hiatus last year.

In attendance were Ryan Hunter-Reay’s fellow IndyCar stars also starting in this year’s Indy 500, including 2013 winner Tony Kanaan, a dapper bow-tied J.R. Hildebrand, and James Hinchcliffe, plus members of rock band Live.

“When I won my first race, I wasn’t allowed to spray champagne because I was underage. So Dave [Letterman, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing] decided to send me some.”

The ceremony was particularly close to the heart of one attendee, Indianapolis native Cammie Doyle. Her brother, U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Jeremy Doyle, died in 2005 while deployed in Iraq.

The Voice winner and Indy resident will join made-for-TV couples for the Memorial Day Weekend festivities.

Busch is attempting to join an exclusive club of drivers to complete “The Double,” the feat of racing, on the same day, in the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600.