1. Dixon's car takes on Coca-Cola livery for Barber race2. Allison Transmission sponsoring Ed Carpenter Racing entries in May 3. Roger Penske to pace field for start of 100th Indianapolis 5004. Legends Day at IMS will honor 'Champions of the 500'5. Massive Borg-Warner Trophy graphic will honor 100th running6. Goldsmith, Patrick to be inducted into IMS Auto Racing Hall of Fame7. Festival on Main returning to Speedway in May
1. Dixon's car takes on Coca-Cola livery for Barber race: Scott Dixon has finished on the podium in all six previous Verizon IndyCar Series races at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, but never on the top step reserved for the race winner.
The Chip Ganassi Racing driver is hoping his car's livery for this weekend's Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama will bring a Coke and a smile. Dixon will drive the No. 9 Coca-Cola Chevrolet in the April 22-24 race weekend, the fourth of 16 events on the 2016 schedule.
Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama entry list
Coca-Cola unveiled today the music-themed paint scheme it will run on the car as part of a wider campaign. The soft-drink company is bringing back its "Share a Coke" marketing campaign, which the last two years focused on putting names on packaging and this year will transition to running lyrics from around 70 approved songs.
Dixon's car will feature the classic red Coca-Cola logo alongside a volume dial to the left of one of the mirrors, a mock turntable on the rear wing, earbuds by the cockpit and black and red "flowing bands" running horizontally along the length of the car.
Dixon finished second in each of the first four Barber races (2010-13) and third in the past two. While winless, he enjoys the scenic 2.3-mile, 17-turn permanent road course.
"Barber is demanding," Dixon said. "It's like a little bullring almost. It's very fast and very high-grip. There are both fast and blind corners and it can get narrow in some places as well.
"We also run well here and I'm looking forward to doing that again this weekend in the Coca-Cola car."
Opening practice at Barber on April 22 will be telecast live on NBCSN (noon ET), as well as Verizon P1 Award qualifying on April 23 (4 p.m. ET) and the 90-lap Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on April 24 (3 p.m. ET). All practice sessions except the first will stream live at RaceControl.IndyCar.com.
2. Allison Transmission sponsoring Ed Carpenter Racing entries in May: Allison Transmission Holdings Inc., whose history traces to the founding of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, today announced a sponsorship with Ed Carpenter Racing for the two Verizon IndyCar Series events at IMS in May, the Angie's List Grand Prix of Indianapolis on May 14 and the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil on May 29.
Allison will appear on the No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet driven by Josef Newgarden for the grand prix on the IMS road course and on the No. 20 Chevy driven by two-time Indianapolis 500 pole winner and team owner Ed Carpenter for the Indianapolis 500.
Allison's corporate lineage goes back to the founding of the Indianapolis Speedway Team Co. on Sept. 14, 1915. As a co-founder of IMS and part owner of several racing teams, James A. Allison, a prominent entrepreneur, innovator and businessman, established a precision machine shop and experimental firm near the fabled racetrack on Main Street in Speedway, Ind., called the Allison Experimental Co. to support his racing endeavors. As a race team owner, Allison won the 1919 Indianapolis 500 with driver Howdy Wilcox.
"We're thrilled to be involved with Ed Carpenter Racing and the historic 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500," said Lou Gilbert, director of North American marketing and global brand development for Allison Transmission. "In celebration of our shared heritage with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and both of our recent centennial milestones, we're proud to support our hometown race team for a second consecutive year."
3. Roger Penske to pace field for start of 100th Indianapolis 500: The winningest car owner in Indy car and Indianapolis 500 Mile Race history, Roger Penske will be the honorary pace car driver in a unique version of the new 2017 Camaro SS 50th Anniversary Edition for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil next month.
The pairing is perfect because Penske Racing is also celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Team Penske has won 16 Indianapolis 500s dating to 1972 and collected its 179th Indy car win April 17 at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, with Simon Pagenaud driving to victory using a Chevrolet 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 engine and aero kit.
"Chevrolet and Roger Penske are inextricably linked to the heritage of the Indianapolis 500," said J. Douglas Boles, president of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "When he leads the pack on May 29, behind the wheel of the Camaro SS, he will drive the race into its next 100 years and strengthen the bond Chevrolet and Indianapolis forged a century ago."
Four identically prepared Camaro SS pace cars will support the race, all with exclusive abalone white exteriors featuring "100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil" graphics on the doors and the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway wing-and-wheel logo on the quarter panels. They also incorporate the exterior cues and graphics that are unique to the Camaro 50th anniversary package that goes on sale this summer.
With 455 horsepower under the hood, the Camaro SS pace cars require no performance modifications to lead the racing field. It will mark the ninth time a Camaro has served as the Indy 500 pace car and the 27th time for Chevrolet, dating to 1948.
Tickets are on sale for the Angie's List Grand Prix of Indianapolis on the IMS road course May 14 and the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 29. Visit www.ims.com/tickets, call (800) 822-INDY or visit the IMS ticket office at 4790 W. 16th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46222, weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. ET for more information.
4. Legends Day at IMS will honor 'Champions of the 500': The Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Firestone will honor all winners of the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" at Legends Day Honoring Champions of the 500 presented by Firestone on May 28 - the day prior to the highly anticipated 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil.
A total of 69 men, from Ray Harroun in 1911 to Juan Pablo Montoya in 2015, have won the Indianapolis 500. Twenty-eight are still alive, from 82-year-old Parnelli Jones to 35-year-old Ryan Hunter-Reay.
Living legends A.J. Foyt, Arie Luyendyk, Danny Sullivan, Al Unser, Al Unser Jr. and Bobby Unser are among those scheduled to appear as part of Legends Day activities. Other featured events on Legends Day include the annual public drivers' meeting on pit road adjacent to the Tower Terrace grandstand, autograph sessions with the 2016 Indianapolis 500 starting field of 33 drivers and former Indy 500 drivers, plus an Indianapolis 500 memorabilia show.
The day is capped by the third annual Legends Day presented by Firestone concert featuring Blake Shelton.
Leading up to Legends Day, IMS.com is hosting a "Champions of the 500 Bracket" where fans can vote for their favorite Indy 500 legends. Sixteen Indianapolis 500 winners are featured, with two at a time facing off over a five-week period. Voting began April 18 at IMS.com/Champsofthe500 for two of the first-round matchups pitting four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Foyt against two-time winner Montoya and back-to-back winner Bill Vukovich paired against three-time victor Wilbur Shaw.
Admission to IMS on Legends Day presented by Firestone will be $10 for adults, with children 12 and under free when accompanied by an adult. The $10 ticket does not include concert admission.
5. Massive Borg-Warner Trophy graphic will honor 100th running: The historic 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil deserves an epic reminder for everyone to see. It is getting one.
Visitors looking to the downtown Indianapolis sky will be greeted by a massive rendering of the iconic Borg-Warner Trophy throughout the epic month of May. The 100th Running Host Committee has commissioned a 74,538-square-foot graphic celebrating the 100th Running of the Indy 500 that will adorn the exterior of the JW Marriott Indianapolis, greeting guests from across the globe traveling to Indianapolis for this year's legendary race.
The full graphic features the Borg-Warner Trophy, the iconic sterling silver prize adorned with the likeness of every past Indianapolis 500 winner, as well as an Indy car, racing stripes and the phrase "Epic Race. Epic Place." It also includes the host committee logo lockup, composed of the 100th running logo and the 500 Festival logo. It will be installed by local company Sport Graphics.
In total, the graphic will be 246 feet wide by 303 feet tall. If all panels were laid end to end, they would cover 13,200 feet, the 2.5-mile length of the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval where the 100th running will take place. The 501 panels that compose the project will be installed by hand beginning today, with full installation complete for most of the month of May.
Sport Graphics has adorned the JW Marriott twice before with high-profile graphics celebrating other marquee events, first for the 2012 Super Bowl and also for the 2015 NCAA men's basketball Final Four. The 100th Running graphic is more than twice the imprint of the Super Bowl image and a third larger than the imprint of the Final Four bracket.
6. Goldsmith, Patrick to be inducted into IMS Auto Racing Hall of Fame: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation announced that legendary motorcycle racer and stock car driver Paul Goldsmith and U.E. "Pat" Patrick, who entered three winning cars in the Indianapolis 500, will be inducted this year into the Auto Racing Hall of Fame.
Selected by a distinguished panel of more than 100 experts in auto racing, Goldsmith and Patrick bring to 152 the number of individuals recognized for their outstanding contributions to the sport of racing and to the development of the automotive industry. The Auto Racing Hall of Fame, founded in 1952, is located at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.
Goldsmith and Patrick will be honored May 26 at the annual Hall of Fame Banquet presented by Pennzoil and held in collaboration with the International Association of Indianapolis 500 Oldtimers.
7. Festival on Main returning to Speedway in May: The Indy Family Foundation is revving up for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil by reviving the popular "Festival on Main" in Speedway, Ind., with support from the 100th Running Host Committee and the Speedway Chamber of Commerce.
This year's family-friendly street festival on May 13 (5-11 p.m. ET) will feature a free live concert, celebrity dunk tank, appearances by popular Angie's List Grand Prix of Indianapolis and Indianapolis 500 drivers, food trucks, a classic car show, craft beer gardens and other exciting entertainment, including a BMX performance by Wonder Wheels of Indianapolis. The free concert features nationally known acts including Indiana natives Josh Kaufman and Jon McLaughlin. General admission to the event is free of charge.
Festival on Main benefits the Indy Family Foundation, who most recently helped to facilitate the Justin Wilson Children's Fund. The Festival on Main is also teaming with Indy's Best Party with a Purpose, Pub Theology, who will work with Feeding Children Everywhere to pack 100,000 meals during the event. Assembly lines will be formed to pack 100,000 meals for children in need across Indiana.
For more information about the Festival on Main, visit www.indyfamilyfoundation.com.
