INDIANAPOLIS, Friday, May 26, 2006 – A week long series of events is coming to a close as the fans, owners, drivers and worldwide audience gets ready for the 91st running of the Indy 500, this Sunday.
Honda Racing HI7R Indy V-8 engines will power all 33 starters in the race, which starts at 1 p.m. (ET) Sunday. Honda Performance Development became the single provider of engines for the IndyCar Series in 2006, and the last three Indianapolis 500 winners have used Honda engines.
This explains why the crew chief whose mechanical skill helps a driver win the 91st Indianapolis 500 is presented with a Honda Motorcycle Indy 500 Winning Crew Chief Award, a Honda Valkyrie Rune cruiser motorcycle.
Matt Jonsson of Team Penske won the award and a Valkyrie Rune last year for helping Sam Hornish Jr. capture a thrilling, last-lap victory.
One break from tradition, actor-entertainer Jim Nabors will not attend the 91st Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 27 and sing “Back Home Again in Indiana” during pre-race ceremonies due to illness.
Nabors will address the Race Day crowd on the video boards at IMS from his home in Hawaii and then ask the fans to sing the beloved song together in his place.
“It‚s a shame that my good friend Jim Nabors is not going to be here on Race Day, and everyone here at the event will miss him tremendously,” said Mari Hulman George, Indianapolis Motor Speedway chairman of the board. “We hope that the fans‚ rendition of “Back Home Again in Indiana‚” serves as a get-well card to Jim from hundreds of thousands of his close friends here at the track.”
Nabors has become a legendary figure in Indianapolis 500 lore since he began his stirring rendition of the song during pre-race ceremonies in 1972. He has sung the tune before 29 Indianapolis 500-Mile Races since 1972, including every year since 1987.
With its eyes on the future both on and off the racetrack, the Indy Racing League, the sanctioning body for the IndyCar Series and Indy Pro Series, is hosting a group of students and faculty from California’s Art Center School Design to help them imagine the future of the IndyCar Series and to address a real world challenge in smart and stylish ways.
They want the students and faculty of the various departments to play an active role in an IndyCar 2011 class that is being underwritten by the IndyCar Series.
The educational project will challenge students in the school’s Transportation Design, Environmental Design, Product Design and Illustration/Entertainment
In particular, students will have the opportunity to design a hallmark IndyCar Series car of the future. They will also be asked to consider a variety of facets in the world of racing, from fan experiences and entertainment at the track to real-time motion simulators and video games -- and beyond.
While the students are looking into the future the world will tune in to the 91st Indianapolis 500 which will be televised Sunday, May 27 to more than 200 countries and more than 442 million households worldwide through ESPN and its international distribution efforts.
ESPN, the exclusive worldwide television representative of the IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis 500, will televise the Indianapolis 500 live to 166 countries and territories outside the United States.
ESPN‚s international networks will televise the race throughout Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Pacific Rim. The green flag falls on the 33-car starting field of „The Greatest Spectacle in Racing‰ at 1 p.m. (ET) Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
In the United States, ABC‚s coverage starts with a pre-race show at noon (ET), followed by the race at 1 p.m. The broadcast team of host Brent Musburger, lead announcer Marty Reid, analysts Rusty Wallace and Scott Goodyear, and pit reporters Jack Arute, Jamie Little, Brienne Pedigo and Vince Welch will cover all of the stories from Indianapolis.
ESPN is also responsible for the global syndication of the Indy 500 for live broadcast in Belgium, Bosnia/Serbia, Baltic States, Canada, Cyprus, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain, and the U.K. In addition, ESPN will distribute the Indy 500 to the American Forces Network, which serves military personnel stationed in 176 countries and U.S. territories.
ESPN International will have two separate on-site teams broadcasting the race in Spanish and English. Spanish-language announcers will be veteran broadcaster Andrés Agulla and Alex Pombo; Gary Lee and Larry Rice will provide commentary in English.
Indy 500 tickets on sale: Tickets are on sale for the 2007 Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 27, the 91st running of „The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.‰
Fans can order tickets online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com, by calling the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700 or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area, or at the ticket office at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Parking and camping information also can be obtained through the ticket office.
Hours for phone orders and the ticket office are 8 a.m.-6 p.m. (ET) Monday-Sunday during May, with special hours of 6 a.m.-1 p.m. on Race Day, Sunday, May 27. Online orders can be made at any time.
Race Day ticket prices start at just $20.
Indianapolis 500 tickets on sale: Tickets are on sale for the 2007 Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 27, the 91st running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
Fans can order tickets online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com, by calling the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700 or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area, or at the ticket office at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Parking and camping information also can be obtained through the ticket office.
Hours for phone orders and the ticket office are 8 a.m.-6 p.m. (ET) Monday-Sunday during May, with special hours of 6 a.m.-1 p.m. on Race Day, Sunday, May 27. Online orders can be made at any time.
Race Day ticket prices start at just $20.
The IndyCar Series is the premier open-wheel series in the United States, competing on a challenging combination of superspeedways, short ovals, scenic road courses and temporary street circuits. In 2007 the IndyCar Series will conduct 16 events in the US and one in Japan, all available worldwide through a comprehensive, long-term agreement with ABC Sports/ ESPN. A leader in motorsports technology, the IndyCar Series is the first racing series to power its Honda engines on 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol, a renewable and environmentally-friendly fuel. The IndyCar Series continues to the be the fastest and most competitive racing series, attracting a diverse lineup of drivers including Marco Andretti, Sam Hornish Jr., and Danica Patrick.
For more information on the IndyCar Series, visit www.indycar.com.
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