racing celebrities

An all-around busy day—and month—for TK, who will host IndyCar’s media dinner tonight at Fogo de Chao, then prepare for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and the Indianapolis 500, his 299th and 300th career IndyCar starts.

“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.”

Actors aplenty—Michael Peña, Tim Daly, Mike Epps (an Indy native)—plus gymnastics greats Shawn Johnson and Jordyn Wieber, Olympic gold medalist Tyler Clary, Colts punter Pat McAfee, fan favorite Jim Nabors, members of bands Foreigner and Live, and more

Q: Have you ever been star-struck at your own party? A: When President Clinton was at my house, that was the greatest impression anyone has ever made on me. He was amazing—gobs of charisma. But I really don’t get star-struck anymore at my age.

The stars on hand picked favorites in Sunday’s running of the Indy 500, told stories, and shared laughs, all in high spirits the night before the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

No word yet on possible Indy appearances by any of the movie’s other marquee stars, including Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Maya Rudolph, and Snoop Dogg.

This year welcomed the inaugural Fashion in the Fast Lane event, hosted by the Indy Family Foundation. The show replaced the popular, long-running CARA Charities fashion soiree, previously held the Thursday before the Indianapolis 500. (CARA ceased operations earlier this year.)

Anderson-based Sandi Patty—who will sing the national anthem before the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday—confides that you should “try to push out of your mind that you wish you were singing God Bless America.”

Michael Peña, who will wave the green flag to start the 97th running of the 500, has appeared in the Oscar-winning films Million Dollar Baby and Crash and the hit television crime drama The Shield.

[View the story “Tweets of the Week: July 29-August 3” on Storify]

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).

A: TV’s Gomer Pyle owes his pre-race role to an incident in 1972, when legendary Speedway boss Anton “Tony” Hulman asked him to participate in the opening ceremonies. But Tony didn’t approach him months in advance like regular folks would. Instead he walked up to Nabors (who was attending the ’72 race as a spectator) and asked him if he’d like to “sing the song.” Nabors, figuring it was “The Star-Spangled Banner,” said yes. It wasn’t until moments before his performance that he learned it was “Back Home Again in Indiana.” Ever the trouper, he wrote the lyrics on his hand and delivered a bang-up performance, earning a gig he’s honored for the better part of four decades. [Editor’s Note: Nabors won’t make it to the 2012 Indy 500 due to medical reasons.]