The Official Blog of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Robert William Unser.  Bobby Unser.  Uncle Bobby.  Whatever name Bobby Unser goes by in the world of racing, it is definitely synonymous with unparalleled success in motorsports.  As the largest part of that success, his name is one that will forever be etched in the history books at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Most certainly success was not immediate when he came to the Speedway in his early days … no, far from it.  Unser, a rookie in 1963, driving a powerful supercharged V-8 Novi for legendary owner Andy Granatelli, completed just two laps before crashing in his initial outing at IMS to finish 33rd and last.

Bobby Unser in 1963

Unser returned in 1964, only to be caught-up in the sadly historic Dave McDonald/Eddie Sachs accident. He finished only one lap and was credited with 32nd place in the race results.

In two races, Unser had completed merely three laps, and finished last and second-to-last in consecutive Indy 500s.  And by the way, long before Bobby strapped into a car at Indy, Bobby’s older brother Jerry was severely burned in a practice accident at Indianapolis and lost his life there in 1959.

Yet, Unser would push forward.  In 1965, Bobby would qualify eighth in the Novi – the best starting position in the field for a front-engine car – and would run as high as fifth before dropping out on Lap 69 with a mechanical problems. Steady improvement in 1966 and ‘67 led to eighth- and ninth-place finishes at the Brickyard.

Call 1968 his ‘breakout’ year. In practice Unser became the first driver to break the 170 mph barrier, and on race day, he started on the outside of the front row.  After an amazing duel with Joe Leonard and Lloyd Ruby AND in spite of having lost low gear, making getting up to speed after yellow-flag periods and pits tops a lengthy, agonizing process, Unser would prevail and lead 127 laps to capture his first Indianapolis 500!

With 1968 being a turning point for Unser, he would amass career statistics at the Speedway that few, if any, other drivers would match.  In 19 starts, at IMS Unser would go in the record books with three wins – 1968, ‘75 and ‘81 – and become one of only two drivers to win the “500″ in three different decades.

Bobby Unser in 1968

Bobby Unser in 1975

Bobby Unser in 1981

Unser won for three of the most iconic owners in Indy history – Ralph Wilkie, Dan Gurney and Roger Penske.  He would start on the front row nine times and capture the pole twice – 1972 and ‘81.

Bobby Unser in 1972

In 1972, he would shatter the track record in qualifying by over 17 mph to win the pole!  To put that in perspective, a driver would have to run 254+ mph today to accomplish what Uncle Bobby did!  In his 19 starts, he led 10 races and 440 laps, and completed 6,527.5 miles around the famed 2.5-mile oval.

Unser is also in the Speedway record book because he is one of a very limited number of drivers who drove both front- and rear-engine cars at the track, as the transition from front- to rear-engine cars took place in the mid-1960’s.  After his retirement in 1981, following his third Indy win, Unser went on to have a brief stint as a team manager before become a successful TV commentator.

Unser is perhaps most remembered for his always-colorful banter with booth partner Sam Posey, when both were a part of the Emmy Award-winning ABC Sports broadcast team.  The always-outspoken, never shy, opinionated Unser was a cornerstone of the broadcast team for nearly 10 years.  In 1989 and ‘92, Unser paced the Indy starting field, driving the Pace Car on race day.

Of course, following family tradition, brother Al won the Indianapolis 500 four times and nephew Al Unser Jr. won the race twice – both building on the legacy that Bobby began in 1963.

Both Al and Al Jr.’s names also comprise page after page of the record books at Indy, but it will always be Bobby who gave the family its initial success and paved the way for them at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

One last Bobby Unser record that will be very tough for anyone to match shows his never-ending perseverance and ability to climb to the top at Indy.  He is the only driver in IMS history to finish last in his first race and first in his last.  Unser is without a doubt living, breathing Indianapolis Motor Speedway history!

2011 Bobby Unser Indy 500 Winning Cars

I think it is fair to say that Tom Carnegie probably stands out as one of the most iconic personalities in the entire history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, certainly since World War II.

While one has to consider that many of those who have only ever watched the Indianapolis 500 on television or listened to the radio broadcasts conceivably might not even be aware of who he is (hard to believe!), for the legions who have attended the race or qualifications over the last seven or eight decades, that thundering voice has stirred enough memories and emotion to have long since elevated him to the status of a legend.

Ask any track-going fan to reel off a few names of people who they consider synonymous with the track, and surely “Tom Carnegie” would have to be among the first names one would hear.

We all have our favorite Carnegie stories and our memories concerning that extraordinary voice and his legendary “calls.” Personally, I well remember several times in the 1970s when I would be in the pit area at around 7:45 a.m. on the first day of Qualifications and the public address would fire up for the day. You’d hear a click and a hum, followed by Carnegie saying, “Testing, one, two, three … GOOD MORNING LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,” after which would come a huge roar from the crowd. I would think, wow, his voice creates so much excitement and evokes such a wave of nostalgia and even comfort—all is right with the world—that he even gets an ovation with a sound check!

Not surprisingly, word of his untimely passing has traveled quickly and tributes and stories about Tom have been pouring in all day. With that said, I would like to hear from you. If you have a favorite Carnegie memory or anecdote concerning a personal brush with ‘The Man,’ then please share it with me below.

Fans often list among their top reasons for joining Twitter as wanting to connect with and follow celebrities and organizations they are passionate about. Sometimes, Twitter users receive an added perk of a fun contest or cool giveaway. This was the case for followers of Denny Hamlin this past December when the #11 FedEx Toyota Camry driver declared that he was going to give away an all-expenses paid trip to anywhere in the United States (Read an article on the contest from SBNation here).

Fans can follow Denny on Twitter @DennyHamlin

The contest quickly caught a lot of buzz in the Twitterverse and Jennifer Meyering of Pennsylvania won by correctly answering that the sum of all the presents in the “12 Days of Christmas” is 364. So where did this self-professed Denny Hamlin fan decide to go? Disney World? No. California? No. Jennifer quickly (and excitedly) chose to bring her family to the 2011 Brickyard 400 race in Indianapolis.

When asked what led him to give away a vacation to a lucky fan on Twitter and his reaction to the winner choosing to attend the Brickyard, Denny shared that:

“Well, I prepared myself because you never know what they’re going to say.  But the winner was a true race fan.  That was very cool.  So she decided she wanted to go to the Brickyard, which is great that she could go anywhere and she decided she wanted to go to a NASCAR race.  For me that is very rewarding to see that happen.  I don’t know, for me, I just have moments where I look around and think about how fortunate I am and want to give back to the people that help in these stands and watch these races and buy our souvenirs.”

Keep an eye on IndianapolisMotorSpeedway.com this year as Jennifer and Denny both prepare for the July 31st running on the Brickyard 400. Below, Jennifer shares her passion for NASCAR and the reasons why she chose an all-expenses paid trip to the Brickyard.

Denny Hamlin and Mike Ford talk strategy at the 2010 Brickyard 400 (Photo by LAT)

The first NASCAR race I remember watching on TV was the 2001 Daytona 500. I’m sure this wasn’t the first race I watched, but for reasons obvious to fellow fans, it stands out in my mind. Now, I try to watch every race during the NASCAR season. My DVR gets quite a work out from February to November!

When people ask me what it is about NASCAR that I love, I can’t answer just one thing. The racing, the sound of the engines, the people- I love it all! The things that I love the most are the drivers and the personalities in the sport of racing. For me, compared to other sports, the people and drivers involved in NASCAR are some of the most “real” and fan-friendly people out there.

NASCAR drivers understand that the fans are important to their sport- without the fans, there is nothing! One of my favorite thing is following various drivers on Twitter- including Denny Hamlin. And when it comes to giving back to fans, I think Denny really gets it (of course, I may be a little biased).

On Christmas day, Denny held a Twitter contest for his fans. He asked a trivia question, and the winner would get a trip anywhere in the United States. I entered the contest never expecting to win- but I did! I was absolutely floored and in total disbelief. My son was almost more excited than I was- Denny is one of his favorite drivers (along with Joey Logano).

After I won, my husband and I immediately started discussing where we wanted to go. I knew I wanted to go to a NASCAR race. We went to the Pocono 500 last June and had a great time.

We bounced around a couple of ideas, but we wanted to really make it a special trip to remember. As soon as the thought of the Brickyard 400 crossed my mind, I knew that was where I wanted to go.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway has such an amazing racing history- I couldn’t pass up the chance to go and really experience it in person. I went to the 1995 Indy 500, but I knew nothing about racing at that time and didn’t savor the experience like I should have.  I am excited to return to the IMS and truly enjoy the full experience. This July I am going to soak it ALL in!

Denny Hamlin's #11 FedEx Toyota Camry crosses the Yard of Bricks at the 2010 Brickyard 400 (photo by LAT)

The IMS Street Team has one goal: to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 by making this year’s Snake Pit one to remember.

Preparations for May are underway, but the Street Team is on the search for former Snake Pit participants to participate in a Fan Forum at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, January 27th at 6:30 PM (EST).

Did you attend last year’s Snake Pit at the Indianapolis 500 or the Brickyard 400 Beach Bash? Are you the person in your group that always takes charge of your entire party crew at the race? Then we are looking for your feedback and input on how to make these events even more fun in 2011.

Please leave your contact information below if interested in participating in this week’s fan forum and a member of the IMS Street Team will contact you directly with more details. Not from Indianapolis? No worries, leave your suggestions below and we will make sure to discuss your ideas with the group on Thursday!

So, will you join us for the Indianapolis 500 Snake Pit and Brickyard 400 Beach Bash this year? What ideas do you have to help make these events bigger and better?!

It all started last week with a post from writer, Jeff Olson, staking claim to his picks for the Top Ten Historic Indy 500 Cars. Fans jumped in with an overwhelmingly response via Facebook, Twitter, and the IMS blog to approve, disapprove, and most importantly, share their memories of the best-looking cars to race in the Indianapolis 500.

While it became clear that picking a perfect top ten is nearly impossible, fans had fun commenting back and forth to share their picks and the IMS staff had a great time reading them! Here’s quick glance at some of the fan-submitted picks for the best-looking, historic Indy 500 cars:

1956 Novi

1972 Sunoco Special

1973 Eagle-Offy

1954 Fuel Injection Special

1981 Interscope Cosworth

1928 Miller Special

1977 Coyote-Foyt

1961 Cooper

1963 Curtis Novi

1957 Belond Special

Thanks for sharing your picks for the best-looking historic Indy 500 cars, keep an eye out on Facebook and Twitter in the coming months for an exciting announcement from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a fun, fan-driven contest where your picks and memories will decide the winner AND give you a chance at some pretty cool prizes.

In the meantime, watch for the latest article from Jeff Olson on the IMS website next week– fans of the 1982 Indy 500 will hear about A.J. Foyt’s ill-fated efforts to pull out a win. Or keep the conversation going right here, what do you think of our fan picks for the top ten historic Indy 500 cars?

Happy holidays from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway! Check out behind-the-scenes footage of Santa’s visit to the Brickyard, a video of the event, additional photos, or read on to find out more about our stop on Macy’s Santa Tour in support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation:

Macy’s Santa Claus paid a visit to a snowy, chilly Indianapolis Motor Speedway today, just two days before his busiest night of the year, as the final “pit stop” of the 26-city, national Macy’s Believe Santa Bus Tour in support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Santa visits the Hall of Fame Museum

During his visit, Santa saw a variety of IMS landmarks, including a trip to the top of the Pagoda control tower to shout “Merry Christmas, Indianapolis, ho, ho, ho” (loud enough that we’re convinced that folks walking around Monument Circle could have heard him).

Despite heavy snow covering the track, Santa also took part in the tradition of kissing the Yard of Bricks with his elves at the start-finish line before heading to the Hall of Fame Museum to share a holiday story and hear the holiday wishes of children, including nine, Indianapolis-area families representing the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Santa and his elves exclaiming "Merry Christmas" to Indianapolis

Santa and his elves kiss the bricks

Children visited the Museum with a letter for Santa, or had the opportunity to create one on the spot, and Macy’s donated $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation for every letter presented. The kids and their families also enjoyed free Museum admission, hot chocolate and cookies, and were able to hear a special holiday story from Santa.

The children took turns presenting Santa with their letters and whispering in his ear what they wanted for Christmas. Indianapolis-area resident, Amy Wilson said via Facebook that the tour stop was a “Wonderful and magical holiday memory for me and my girls… they loved it. The story was their favorite part. My middle daughter thought that it was the real santa cause when she pulled on his beard, it didn’t come off.”

A young girl presents her letter to Santa

After meeting every child in attendance, Santa presented a Centennial-era commemorative brick to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and then loaded into his tour bus where a police escort was waiting to take Santa out of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and through the streets of Indianapolis to his next stop.

Santa Presents a Commemorative Brick to the Make-A-Wish Foundation

A police escort takes Santa to his next stop

Not able to join us today? Check out a video capturing Santa’s visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway or see additional photos from the event on our Flickr page. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway would like to thank the community members who came out to the Hall of Fame Museum today in support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Macy’s Santa Tour. Happy holidays to you and yours!

An @IMS follower on Twitter recently posted the following tweet:

Within minutes, I was amazed at the number of replies that came across the Twitterverse from fans of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, including:

Let’s be realistic, not all of our fans are on Twitter (but we assume just about all of you have discovered this thing we call the internet). So I decided to post this question to our blog readers and Facebook fans as well. If a friend mentioned that they wanted to travel to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a race this year, what would you share with them? Would you say that the trip was worth it?

Is it worth the travel to see a race at one of the most historic race tracks in the world? Talk to our fans and you begin to understand that being at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway really is akin to being a part of history. Just ask my brothers who, for the first time last year traveled to Indianapolis and attended race day of the Indy 500. As college students, their only disappointment was not being brave enough to take a run down the Slip n’ Slide that they walked by in the in-field.

Particularly for the college crowd, the in-field is the place to be

I am going to get this ball rolling by sharing why I think a trip to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is worth it (particularly this year). For starters, it’s the CENTENNIAL year. That’s right, 100 years– how many other events do you know of celebrating their 100th year? Not many, that’s for sure. Every running of the Indy 500 is special, but this year is somehow even more jam-packed with events, concerts, technology and yes, racing. The entire month of May is sizing up to be spectacular. And me? Well, I never like to miss a party…

I will leave the answer to our Twitter follower’s question with the true experts, our fans. Leave your comments below, what do you think- is a trip to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway worth it?

The second annual Winter Indy Tweetup– a grassroots, IndyCar fan event co-hosted by Monica Hilton and Elizabeth Lenzi, is officially in the books. In today’s blog, the event’s creators recap highlights from the weekend. New to the Winter Indy Tweetup? Read the pre-event blog post on IndyCar.com and visit their website.

The second annual Winter Indy Tweetup is officially in the books. Finishing in P1: the fans. So now it’s time to crank up the hurdy gurdy and give you the recap.

WIT 2010 kicked off with a Welcome Party at McGilvery’s Pub in Speedway, IN. Attendees got a chance to grab some grub and mingle with one another. Martin Plowman stopped by to chat with the fans and give us his off-season updates. Don Kay of Autosport Radio was also in the house to help us with the audio and brought videos of past Indy 500s. We were also lucky to have legendary IMS historian Donald Davidson do a customized trivia contest just for WIT attendees. Paul Dalbey took home the grand prize: a rear wing flap from Dan Wheldon’s memorable 2010 Sonoma race. All of the participants took home a limited edition Indy 500 Centennial Grid poster.

We woke up Saturday morning to the first real snowfall of the season, but we didn’t let that stop us! The IndyCar Nation showed up in force, throwing a middle finger to the weather and screaming, “This better be worth it!” And worth it, it was.

First snow of the season at the Museum -Photo by Mike Nelson

The event started in the museum’s Tony Hulman Theatre with an exclusive update from Daniel Incandela , Director of Online Media at IMS. Daniel reminded everyone to keep tweeting, as both IMS and the league are listening. They love the good tweets, but also appreciate the bad, as it helps them to figure out how they can do better. Daniel also talked about the upcoming promotions for the Centennial celebration of the Indy 500. We can’t speak for everyone, but we are ridiculously excited about some of the new things in store.

Comment below and share your Twitter account if you were in the Saturday morning crowd! -Photo by Mike Nelson

Next, fans were treated to a private Q&A session with Indy Lights drivers James Hinchcliffe ,Stephan Wilson and Phillip Major , who let us know how they were doing during the off-season and kept everyone laughing the whole time. After that, Sarah Fisher Racing’s own Ed Carpenter stopped by for a chat. If you want to know what was said, you should have been there. Ahhhhh, we kid. Everyone was excited to find out about the drivers’ plans for 2011 and how they’re spending their off-season.

Ed Carpenter Greets IndyCar Fans -Photo by Mike Nelson

Due to the big pile of facepalm (snow) outside, we were unable to do the track tour, but that didn’t stop the fun. Next, attendees did a scavenger hunt – a new twist on exploring the many cool displays at the IMS Museum.

Things were rolling along, but they were about to go flat out as we headed to Fastimes Indoor Karting for the Fanimation Grand Prix. The grid was set at 16, until surprise guest, IndyCar driver Alex Tagliani added his name to the list and showed the field how it’s done. After several hours of tough competition, we crowned a winner.

Alex Tagliani Races with IndyCar Fans -Photo by Mike Nelson

Did you compete against IndyCar driver, Alex Tagliani, in the Grand Prix at FastTimes? Comment below and let us know! -Photo by Mike Nelson

We finished off the night at the Main Event Party at Broad Ripple Tavern. After some delicious food and drink, we kicked off the raffle. All weekend long, participants had gathered tickets for attending (and winning) events. We also gave out tickets for the important credentials, such as “furthest traveled” and “most Indy 500s attended.” Some of the completely incredible raffle prizes included autographed die-cast cars from Scott Dixon, Danica Patrick, and Graham Rahal, the program for TK’s very first win (catch an additional video where TK Says ‘Hello’ to Tweetup attendees), various IndyCar parts, some great Champ Car memorabilia, autographed apparel and MUCH more. Attendees had a great time and left with ARMLOADS of prizes and freebies.

Over the past few weeks, we had gathered video messages from IndyCar drivers who were unable to attend WIT. We had hoped to show the video at the Main Event Party, but didn’t have the proper AV capabilities– so watch it here.

Finally, we bid farewell to friends new and old at the grand-daddy of breakfast joints, Charlie Brown’s in Speedway. It was a great chance to unwind and say goodbye to friends new and old we’d caught up with throughout the weekend.

All weekend long, fans were able to purchase the 2011 IZOD IndyCar calendar, with proceeds benefitting the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation and Racing for Kids.

We’re SO thankful to everyone who came out to WIT 2010.  Check out additional pictures from this weekend on the Winter Indy Tweet Up Facebook page.

-Monica Hilton and Elizabeth Lenzi

The Vallandingham's

Note: Derek and Charity Vallandingham, from Smithland, Ky., earned a VIP trip to Las Vegas for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Awards Ceremony on Friday, Dec. 3 by winning the Brickyard 400 Race To Vegas Sweepstakes this fall. Anyone who reordered or applied for 2011 Brickyard 400 tickets online from July 26-Aug. 9 was eligible for the grand prize.

Derek and Charity, parents of two children, have attended the Brickyard 400 for the last eight years. Their favorite driver is two-time Brickyard 400 winner Tony Stewart, an Indiana native like Derek. The Vallandinghams and their kids are loyal Indianapolis sports fans, as they also have driven 4 1/2 hours each way to attend every Colts’ home game for the last 10 years. Derek wrote a blog of the Vegas experience he and Charity enjoyed.

***

We both had a great time while in Las Vegas.

Derek and the Sprint Cup

The first night that we arrived we stayed at the Venetian and the Palazzo hotels and played some of the games, walked around and then had a nice relaxing dinner at The Venetian. There was plenty to fill the first night just at the two hotels, between The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian and The Shoppes at The Palazzo. We had a very relaxing ride in the Grand Canal at The Venetian and followed that with dinner at the Grand Lux Café.

The second day was also non-stop from early that morning to about 3 a.m. the next morning. It started out with a quick breakfast and then it was on to the Las Vegas Strip, where we stayed until time for the NASCAR awards dinner.

Carl Edwards and his wife

We met up with everyone at the Wynn hotel at 4:30 p.m. for the start of the show. While walking the red carpet, we were able to meet several people, including Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, NASCAR President Mike Helton and famed racing artist Sam Bass, along with many others. After the red carpet walk, we were seated at our tables where we enjoyed steak, lobster and all the wine that you could drink.

After the awards dinner was over at about 10:30 p.m., we extended our night back to the Las Vegas Strip until about 3 in the morning.

Charity and Derek in Vegas

I really do not think that we could have squeezed anything else into our visit to Las Vegas; we definitely made the most of the time that we had there! It was the the first time that me or my wife had been to Vegas, and judging from the fun that we had while we were there, I doubt that it will be our last time there.

My wife and I would like to say a big thank you for everything. Everyone that we have talked to at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been great, and we have been treated with first class throughout our trip.

Maybe we will get lucky and win this trip again next year!

Here’s a slideshow of pictures from our great trip to Vegas.

It’s finally here: Red Bull Indianapolis MotoGP weekend!  As you know, for each race weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway we like to feature a “Fan of the Day.” For this race, we decided to make a special edition Fan of the Day…just cause! So we polled our video gamer fans to find the best MotoGP gamer and ultimate IMS fan. How’d we do that?

First, we polled our social network audiences and then polled the Capcom Forum to find the best gamers. Basically, we asked “Who is the best gamer for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway course and why?”…pretty straight forward, right? And you answered!  Today we feature the first installment of Fan of the Day…with a Gamer of the Day twist. Meet Jeremy from Manchester, Tennessee:

Gamer of the Day- Jeremy

When was your first experience at Indianapolis Motor Speedway? “The 2009 Red Bull Indianapolis MotoGP”

Who is your favorite Rider and why? “Ben Spies: He’s a phenomenal rider with a great attitude, and seems to be the most competitive American rider in the field.  If anybody is going to put America on the top step of the podium it will be him.”

What is your favorite Indiananpolis MotoGP memory? “The 2009 Red Bull Indianapolis GP.  We stayed all weekend and had a blast.  Beautiful weather at a great facility and the fastest bikes in the world.  What could be better?”

What would you like to see at the MotoGP next year? “There isn’t much I can think of that isn’t there already.  An American victor would be nice, for sure.”

GAMER QUESTIONS

Favorite bike game: MotoGP 08 Why: It is a very fun game with very realistic power slides.  It really feels like you’re on edge.

Favorite console: PS3 Why: It is capable of better graphics than any other console, free online, bluray player, great exclusive games, more exclusive games, built-in wi-fi.

What do you like best about racing on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in MotoGP 08: The technical nature of the circuit.  It is a very demanding layout that forces you to really be on your game to make a good lap.

Think you have what it takes to be Gamer of the Day? Tell us why!