STEWART ACCEPTS MORE ALLSTATE 400 WINNER’S SPOILS JULY 5 AT IMS
Decade of winning cars on display at IMS Hall of Fame Museum
Hoosier hero Tony Stewart received more accolades and one-of-a-kind awards for winning the 2005 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard during a public ceremony and media event July 5 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.
Stewart, a native and resident of nearby Columbus, Ind., accepted his race winner’s ring from IMS President and Chief Operating Officer Joie Chitwood. Stewart will try to earn a repeat victory in the 13th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Sunday, Aug. 6.
Two-time NASCAR champion Stewart also helped unveil a piece of artwork by noted motorsports artist Sam Bass that Bass has donated to the Hall of Fame Museum.
The artwork on display at the museum is a one-of-a-kind color reproduction of an original painting that The Home Depot commissioned Bass to create for Stewart. The art commemorates post-race events from Stewart’s long-sought, emotional victory at the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard: Stewart kissing the famous “Yard of Bricks,” climbing the Speedway’s catch fence, his No. 20 The Home Depot Chevrolet crossing the finish line and a headshot of Stewart.
Stewart also officially opened an exhibit at the Hall of Fame Museum featuring five cars, scheduled to be on display until June 2007, which played a significant role in Stewart’s rise from Indiana short-track racer to motorsports superstar.
“It’s just a huge honor,” Stewart said. “To have visited that museum so many times and seen so many pieces of history, and to have that exhibit dedicated to me is an honor. I don’t know how else to put it.
“There have been a lot of winners (at IMS), and they’ve never had an exhibit like this, so it basically makes me speechless. It’s cool to see all these cars and see them all together again for the first time in a long time. It brings back a lot of cool memories of good times in my career. To see those cars sitting next to the cars of A.J. Foyt and so many other great winners is incredible.”
The cars driven by Stewart which are on display are:
•The 1995 USAC Midget and Sprint championship-winning cars that carried Stewart to USAC’s “Triple Crown.” In 1995, Stewart became the first driver to win USAC’s three national championships (Silver Crown, Sprint and Midget series) in the same year.
The Midget car is the No. 9 Performance Racing Industry Beast/Gaerte owned by Steve Lewis at the time, and the Sprint car is the Glen Niebel-owned No. 20 Boles Chevrolet. The Niebel Silver Crown series car will be added to the display in about a month.
•Stewart’s No. 22 The Home Depot Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone IRL IndyCar® Series car and the No. 20 The Home Depot Pontiac that he drove at the 1999 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Stewart became part of an elite group that year, becoming only the third driver after John Andretti and Robby Gordon to race “the double,” competing in both prestigious races the same day.
•The No. 20 The Home Depot Chevrolet in which Stewart won the 2005 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.
A sampling of Stewart’s driver’s suits, helmets and other memorabilia are also on display, including:
•Driver’s suit and helmet from the 1995 USAC Triple Crown season.
•Driver’s suit and helmet, promoting the motion picture “Shrek2,” which Stewart wore at the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge on May 22, 2004 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
All the cars, driver’s suits and helmets are part of Stewart’s personal collection, generously loaned by him to the Hall of Fame Museum.
Stewart will attempt to earn back-to-back Allstate 400 at the Brickyard victories when the NEXTEL Cup Series returns to IMS for the 13th running of the race at 2:30 p.m. (ET) Sunday, Aug. 6.
His 2005 win at IMS in the No. 20 The Home Depot Chevrolet was one of the most emotional moments in Indianapolis Motor Speedway history and among the highlights of the 2005 season in which he won his second NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series championship. His first season title came in 2002.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) every day of the year except Christmas, and features extended hours reflecting public gate times during the Indianapolis 500, United States Grand Prix and Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.
Approximately 75 automobiles, including numerous Indianapolis 500-winning cars, stock cars, sports cars and vintage motorcycles, are on display at all times. The Museum also houses an impressive collection of artwork, trophies and other artifacts.
For more information, contact the museum at (317) 492-6784 or log on to indianapolismotorspeedway.com.
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Tickets: Tickets are on sale for the 2006 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 6 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Fans can order tickets online at 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.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday-Friday, while online orders can be made at any time.
Reserved seats start at just $35.
