Month of May

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.

The last time Chevrolet showcased Corvettes at the Indy 500, in 2008, the emphasis was on alternative energy, with an ethanol-fueled Z06, and history, with a special 30th-anniversary edition car. Yawn.

Imagine if you will: It’s Friday, and you’ve just finished lunch. You step outside; the sun is shining, and a gentle breeze tousles your hair. You don’t want to go back to the office, so you decide to play hooky and while away the rest of the afternoon at the track. It’s a May tradition as true as Mother’s Day.

Since I ran the inaugural Indiana University Mini-Marathon on my 25th birthday in 2006, I have been slightly obsessed with half-marathons, and road races of all distances. I have now run three Indy Minis, as well as innumerable 5-milers and 5Ks, including the 2007 Indy Mini Day’s 5K, that just three and a half months after I was in a fairly serious car wreck.

Sadly, Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced today that Indy 500 mainstay Jim Nabors will not be available to sing “(Back Home Again in) Indiana” before the race this year. The conflict: a scheduled surgery for heart-valve replacement.

As you might have heard, another big May race, the Kentucky Derby, is coming up this Saturday. For the first time ever, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Churchill Downs have partnered to offer a special “Horsepower vs. Horsepower” (get it?) ticket promotion to race fans and revelers hearty enough to attempt trips to the Derby and the 500 in the same year.