(all times local):
8 a.m. Garages open11 a.m.-noon IndyCar Series practice12:15 p.m. Firestone Freedom 100 pre-race12:30 p.m. Firestone Freedom 100 (40 laps/100 miles)1:30-3 p.m. Indianapolis 500 Pit Stop Challenge
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INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY CENTENNIAL ERA FACT OF THE DAY: On May 22, 1909, track co-founder Carl Fisher becomes the first person to leave the grounds in a balloon, one day after driving the first "official" lap in a passenger car. Postponed until later in the day because of strong winds, Fisher and Capt. George Bumbaugh make the ascent in Bumbaugh's Kathleen, named for his young daughter. They make three landings during the late afternoon, putting down west of the track in the village of Bridgeport, then some five miles to the south of Bridgeport, and finally at Valley Mills. Fisher is still going through the process of "qualifying" for his Aero Club of America pilot's license with Bumbaugh as his instructor. Fisher needs to successfully complete a total of 10 ascensions in order to be eligible for the rapidly-approaching June 5 championships.
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Indianapolis Motor Speedway Executive Vice President, Communications Fred Nation announced in the Media Center today the creation of a scholarship in the name of retiring Associated Press auto racing writer Mike Harris. The scholarship will be available to college students attending the Indiana University School of Journalism's new National Sports Journalism Center, location of the Associated Press Sports Editors headquarters, and the winner of the annual scholarship will also have the option to serve as an intern with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway or Indy Racing League.
Indy Racing League Vice President, Public Relations John Griffin and IMS Director, Public Relations Ron Green also presented Harris with a helmet signed by all 33 starting drivers for the 2009 Indianapolis 500.
Contributions to the Mike Harris Scholarship can be made to:
Indiana University Foundation
Mike Harris Scholarshipc/o Fred NationIndianapolis Motor Speedway4790 W. 16th St.Indianapolis, IN 46222
MIKE HARRIS: "The scholarship is certainly one of the greatest things that's ever happened to me, I think that's wonderful. I like the idea of giving back to journalism in some way and I think I'll probably do a little contributing myself to that one. Thanks, everybody, for all the things that have been going on recently. It's kind of embarrassing to have this many people saying nice things about me."
Facts about the bands participating in the IPL 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23 in downtown Indianapolis:
•7 - number of states from which bands are coming
•16 - number of marching bands
•25 - number of support vehicles used to carry equipment
•45 - number of volunteer band committee members (including attorneys, a doctor and a superior court judge)
•69 - number of buses carrying the marching band students, directors and chaperones
•1,025 - number of students attending the Band Party Luau at the Children's Museum on Saturday night, May 23
•2,526 - number of marching band students
•$3,192,864 - Economic impact generated by the marching bands visiting Indianapolis
•13,640,400 - Number of steps these marching bands will take on the parade route
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Anna Chatten, from Peoria, Ill., will operate the jack on Race Day for the No. 23 CITGO Dreyer & Reinbold Racing entry driven by Milka Duno. She is one of the few women ever to work in an "over the wall" role during Race Day at the Indianapolis 500. Chatten's daily role with the team is a gearbox specialist.
The first woman believed to work over the wall was Anita Millican, who held the vent hose for driver Larry Dickson in the 1981 and 1982 Indianapolis 500 Mile Races.
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She never went over the wall as part of a pit crew, but Eloisa Garza was the "point person" on one of the biggest changes ever in the building of Indy cars.
Garza was hired by Jim Hall when the veteran Indy car owner wanted to bring the building of his machines in-house. Today, she owns EG Composites, an Indianapolis firm that employs eight people to do carbon fiber and composite work on all kinds of projects.
Garza resided in Midland, Texas, at the time, where Hall had his shop.
"I didn't know anything about a race car because there's not a lot of racing down there," she said. "When I saw his car, it was a real eye opener. I was very young. I told him I'd never worked on a race car before, and he said fine; he'd never hired a woman before."
Garza stayed with the Hall team until Hall retired, then joined VDS, which took a year-old Penske chassis and won the Michigan 500.
"A lot of the teams were talking to me, and I moved here in '85," Garza said. "It has gone so many directions. We've worked with so many teams from skid-plate materials to sports cars, dragsters, drag bikes ... we made some pieces for NASA … we did a bobsled, it must've been '88, for the U.S. bobsledding team, both two-man and four-man."
For a long time, a crash at the Speedway meant a trip to Eloisa's place for a race car.
"We don't do very much of the repairs any more because the teams are doing more of it themselves," she said.
Unlike others, she was in the pits but never over the wall. "I worked in the pits. I held the fuel line," she said. "It's exciting. I love it. But that part of my life is complete. But as far as being around it, I love it. Once you're involved, you pretty much stay involved.
"We do some restoration work, too, and we had Mario Andretti's Formula One car. I was underneath it and saw all those beautiful tunnels, and it brought back a lot of memories.
"I'm proud of Anita (Millican) and Anna (Chatten), and proud that young women are becoming a part of our sport."
