Month of May

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).

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.