Kyle Larson, left, 2021 NASCAR Cup champion, and Tony Kanaan, 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner, relax at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Thursday before Larson embarked on his “500” rookie test.
​(PENSKE ENTERTAINMENT CORP PHOTO BY CHRIS OWENS)

By Al Stilley
Editor

Multi-talented racecar driver Kyle Larson had heard the same advice many times during his racing career before he took to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Thursday for his Indianapolis 500 rookie test.

Larson, 31, had sat through a briefing with the Arrow McLaren team, including team sporting director and 2013 “500” winner Tony Kanaan. Larson was preparing to pilot the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet for his first laps ever in an IndyCar. The amount of info at that meeting was mind-boggling with all the intricacies of driving an IndyCar at more than 200 miles per hour.

As Kanaan explained, the driver has a steering wheel with two dozen buttons on it, a weight-jacker, front bar and rear bar adjustments, and telemetry info.

Larson, a throwback to the barnstorming open-wheel drivers of the ‘50s, has driven practically every type of racecar with four wheels but nothing like an IndyCar.

After the team briefing, Kanaan and Larson were together in the team’s driver lounge when Kanaan told him they were trying to give him too much information.

“Don’t worry about that, just enjoy the racetrack,” Kanaan told the 2021 NASCAR Cup champion who won the NASCAR Cup race Sunday at Las Vegas to qualify for the Final Four in this year’s title chase.

Larson is attempting to become the fifth driver in motorsports history to do “The Double” on May 26, 2024, by racing in the Indianapolis 500 and the NASCAR Cup Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He is backed in his attempt by legendary team owner Rick Hendrick, who hired Larson in 2021 after serving a one-year NASCAR suspension. All Larson did then was win 10 Cup races and the NASCAR Cup championship.

In 2020, Larson barnstormed while serving a one-year NASCAR suspension and won more than 40 races, including the Chili Bowl, Indiana Midget Week and Pennsylvania Speedweek championships. He also has won the BC 39 midget car race on the quarter-mile IMS dirt track, and the Knoxville Nationals.

His rookie test Thursday would be a challenge in a vastly different racecar. His NASCAR Cup Chevrolet No. 5 is powered by a normally aspirated 358-cubic inch V-8 that produces 670 horsepower and weighs 3,200 pounds; the IndyCar is powered by twin-turbocharged 134.25-cubic inch V6 that produces 700 horsepower and weighs 1,655 pounds.

Kanaan, Rick Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon, and Hendrick had great confidence in Larson, who proved them right. The rookie test consists of 10 laps, 205-210 mph; 15 laps, 21-215; and 15 laps, 215 or above. Larson covered 72 laps with a fast lap of 217.898 mph.

“It was fun, and mostly what I anticipated, in a way,” Larson said later with Hendrick, Gordon, and Kanaan in an IMS press conference. “The speed and the grip thankfully didn’t feel scarier than I thought it might.”

Larson revealed that the car pulled to the left on the straights more than he expected.

He later had difficulty on his pit stops by accidentally hitting the pitlane speed limiter that was next to the first-gear shifter in the cockpit. A quick-fix for Larson will be to move the limiter button to the front of the steering wheel.

Pointing out the challenge of the slower speeds, Larson acknowledged, “Maximizing the apron, braking for pit road, stuff like that, is stuff I’ll have to really focus on and work on, maximizing potential. Overall, it was a great day.”

Expressing confidence, Larson said, ”I think me even just feeing the car today, like it feels so stuck. I can tell where your confidence could get too high, then you’re back into the wall the next corner. I’m sure I’m going to be able to soak in more and more information now that I got to drive the car once.”

Indeed, this is a unique team with the experience that Gordon, Kanaan, and team owner Hendrick have enjoyed at the Speedway. Doing “The Double” is something Gordon missed during his NASCAR career with Hendrick.

“My dreams came true in the inaugural Brickyard 400, racing here in a stock car,” Gordon said. “When Kyle came onboard, he made it clear this is something he’d like to do. I got excited about that … I’m equally excited to be a part of it in the capacity that I am, see it, hear about it through Kyle’s eyes and experience.”
Kanaan fully realizes Larson’s multiple driving talents.

“Out of his generation, it’s the best I’ve seen,” said Kanaan, who is retired as a driver. “He’s a complete driver. He’s just one of the best race car drivers in the world right now.”
And Hendrick, who has been reluctant to see his drivers race outside of NASCAR, has changed his mind with Larson.

“This is a big deal for us and the company, everyone involved,” Hendrick said. “We want to do it right. We don’t want to come up here and stub our toe. We know how hard it is. This is very, very important to us.”

NTT IndyCar Series regulars Tom Blomqvist of Meyer Shank Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Marcus Armstrong and Linus Lundqvist also completed their Indy 500 rookie tests last week.

John Andretti, Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon, and Kurt Busch are the previous drivers who completed “The Double” in the “500” and Coca-Cola 600. Stewart had the best finishes of sixth in the “500” and third at Charlotte. Andretti’s double was partially backed by sponsor Jonathan Byrd of Greenwood in 1994. Andretti was 10th at Indy but encountered engine failure after 220 laps at Charlotte.
​
Larson expects to return for the open test in April at IMS before practice and qualifying in May. And then, he expects to race 1,100 miles on the same day at IMS and into the night at Charlotte.

Kyle Larson climbs into the cockpit of an Arrow McLaren Dallara/Chevrolet at the Speedway. Larson is attempting to become the fifth driver to race in the Indianapolis 500 and Charlotte NASCAR Cup race on the same date next year.
​(PENSKE ENTERTAINMENT CORP PHOTO BY CHRIS OWENS)

By Al Stilley
Editor

Kenny St. John, 75, who passed away Sept. 13, brought modern-day Figure-8 racing into a new and exciting era at the Indianapolis Speedrome.

Mentored by the late Sonny Thompson, St. John became the king of the new high-horsepowered Figure-8 with two track championships and the World Championship Figure-8 endurance race five consecutive times from 1978 through 1982, including a record 512 laps completed in 1981 that still stands.

St. John also raced and won several Outlaw Figure-8s at the Speedrome against winged late models built by Whiteland’s C.J. Rayburn and Michigan’s Ed Howe among others in Outlaw Figure-8s at the Speedrome. He also competed in a few American Speed Association races during his illustrious racing career.

His Figure-8 duels with the late Wayne Arnold at the Speedrome are legendary for their fervor and sportsmanship. They were racing for a 50-lap Figure-8 in their heyday one night when St. John spun Arnold for the lead with less than two laps remaining. St.John slowed, waited for Arnold to recover, and they raced for the coveted win.

No matter where he raced, St. John respected each of his competitors and always acknowledged the crowd after winning races. He was inducted into of the Indianapolis Speedrome Hall of Fame following his retirement.

St. John also served as the chief steward of the national General Tire Figure-8 series following his retirement. During that three-year series, St. John fittingly had the drivers’ interests at heart.

For several decades, he served as an ambassador of modern-day Figure-8 racing.

St. John was born July 9, 1948 to the late Marvin and Ramona (Hargraves) St. John. He attended Manual High School and married Mary “Lou” Carrico who died Aug. 4, 2017.

He was the owner of a body shop in Indianapolis and the Benton County Speedway. He is survived by daughter Shannon who is married to World Figure-8 winner Doug Greig, and two more children and two grandchildren, two brothers and a sister and two great-grandchildren. His brothers Tommy and Mike St. John also were Figure-8 competitors. He also was preceded in death by three sisters.
​
Funeral services were held Sept. 20 at Shirley Brothers Washington Memorial Chapel, 9606 E. Washington Street. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to the Indiana Organ Donor Network.

Austin Tunny, middle, celebrates his second triumph Saturday night in the World Championship Figure-8 three-hour endurance race at the Indianapolis Speedrome. Austin is with Ben Tunny, left, who led for 70 laps, and runner-up Jesse Tunny. Austin led 213 of 390 laps and captured the $20,000 winner’s prize. Ben started second and placed 17th. Mark Tunny, who led for 45 laps, finished third for a 1-2-3 Tunny finish for the first time. The top-five that included John Conner Jr. and Mike Hadley Jr. were all on the lead lap at the checkered. The Tunny family has won 14 World Figure-8s with patriarch’s Bruce (3) and the late Bill Jr. (1) plus Ben (4), Mark (3), Austin (2), and Jesse (1). Austin also has claimed major Figure-8 races in California and Colorado.

​(PHOTO COURTESY OF KYLIE ANNE PHOTOGRAPHY)

Beech Grove native Kyle O’Gara poses with checkered flag and winner’s trophy after capturing a 50-lap 500 Sprint Car Tour race Saturday in Ohio to remain in series championship contention.

(DAVID SISK PHOTO)

By Al Stilley
Editor

Southsider Kyle O’Gara did exactly what the talented open wheel competitor needed to do Saturday night by winning a 500 Sprint Car Tour race in Ohio.

Driving the familiar No. 67 Speedway Indoor Karting non-wing sprint car,  O’Gara started on the front row and led from start to finish for his much-needed second win of the season worth $4,000.

O’Gara went into the race at Lorain Raceway Park in third place and trailing by 66 points in the championship chase. He emerged still in third place but 50 points behind leader and fast qualifier Tyler Roahrig.

He finished in front of runner-up Billy Wease who challenged O’Gara after the halfway point (25 laps), third-place Tyler Roahrig, and fourth-place Kody Swanson – all open wheel pavement veterans.

“I saw his (Wease) nose once in traffic when we were on top two-wide,” O’Gara told the series publicist. “I knew the pressure was on at that point. We did our best to get settled in after we cleared traffic.”

O’Gara continued, “There was a yellow that came out. It made us focus on that restart and nailing it. This place is super hard to drive and easy to over drive. I focused on hitting my marks all night and we ended up decent.”

The two races that will determine the 2023 championship are locally Oct. 7 at Anderson Speedway for the Tony Elliott Classic and Oct. 14 at Lucas Oil Raceway Park in Brownsburg.

O’Gara’s strategy?

“Race for the checkered; that’s all I can do,” the Roncalli High School product said Sunday after returning to his home on the Southside. “It’s a tight chase, for sure.”

O’Gara has enjoyed an outstanding campaign in only the second year of the series developed by promoters at Anderson Speedway. O’Gara won his second consecutive Glen Neibel Memorial race in April at Anderson Speedway, He has two wins, two runner-up finishes and a trio of top-three finishes this season.

His season helps validate a move from a few dirt track races several years ago to all-pavement competition with the United States Auto Club midget, sprint, and Silver Crown series and the highly competitive 500 Sprint Car Tour.

“We had been running only five or six dirt track races each year and the midget series was getting so expensive because of the engine cost,” O’Gara explained. “It was a good move when we decided to race on pavement tracks only.”
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O’Gara had a rare day off Sunday from his managerial duties at an ever-expanding Whiteland Raceway Park. The fleet of open wheel racecars is prepared and maintained at Speedway Indoor Karting. The two facilities are owned and operated by O’Gara’s older brother Andy O’Gara and wife Sarah Fisher.

Jesse Tunny seeks his second World Championship three-hour Figure-8 trophy Saturday night at the Indianapolis Speedrome. Tunny recently claimed his fifth Speedrome late model track championship.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF KYLIE ANNE PHOTOGRAPHY)
Dana Tunny, the 2023 Bobby Ellett Memorial Rookie of the Year, finished eighth in overall late model track championship points. Dana’s father, Bruce Tunny, was the top rookie in 1983 and Dana’s brother, Mark Tunny, was the top rookie in 2003.

Speedrome track owner Kevin Garrigus, left, congratulates John Aldridge on fronttretch after the Beech Grove native was inducted into the track’s hall of fame.
(PHOTOS COURTESY OF KYLIE ANNE PHOTOGRAPHY)

By Al Stilley
​Editor

Beech Grove’s John Aldridge has seen it all at the Indianapolis Speedrome.

Aldridge, a former Stock class monthly champion, has helped outside the racer’s seat in a wrecker truck and as a track worker, flagman, and chief steward. The near-westside auto service center owner was inducted into the Indianapolis Speedrome Hall of Fame on Aug. 26.

He’s had little time to bask in the award because of his official track duties and the track’s all-time signature event – the 47th annual World Championship Three-Hour Endurance race – Saturday night. The three-hour thriller attracts Figure-8 drivers from Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, Washington, and Florida.

“Every three-hour race takes on its own personality – no two races are alike,” Aldridge said. “Those who have never seen it think it’s a demo derby, but they have no idea of the finesse and bravery that these drivers have. They are driving race cars powered by 350- to 405-cubic inch V8 motors. It’s high powered and an adrenaline rush for fans. There’s so much going on, you never know where to look.”

The Figure-8 classic begins at 8 p.m. Saturday after final-round qualifying Saturday afternoon. The same drivers and cars are in action in Figure-8 heat races Friday night.

As a flagman and chief steward for numerous three-hour Figure-8s, Aldridge has seen all sorts of oddities with leading cars stacked up in accidents to close races decided on the last lap. Last year’s winner Mark Tunny completed 471 laps. In a warm-up to Saturday’s race, one-hour Figure-8 winner Jeffrey Shackelford completed 191 laps last week.

The Speedrome Hall of Fame plaque honored Aldridge for “flagging hundreds of races from preliminary heats all the way to the World Figure-8 Championship finish … rising to chief steward, he was overseer of all on-track activities and staff. His dedication to his position is unrivaled with fair competition, everyone’s safety, and a great entertaining show as the priority.

Aldridge served as flagman and chief steward under previous track owner John Stiles, a Greenwood business owner, and returned when current owner Kevin Garrigus bought the track seven years ago and made numerous improvements that have brought new competitors and fans to the track at Kitley Avenue and Brookville Road.

“As flagman, basically I made sure on the oval that the starts and restarts were clean and that track and driver safety was number one,” Aldridge said. “With the Figure-8, it’s the same except you always have one eye peeled on the crossover for a wreck or a stalled car.”

Aldridge listed his additional flagging highlights as the two indoor Figure-8 and Legends oval races on the flat surface inside the Hoosier Dome and the three-year General Tire Figure-8 national series that raced on tracks in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Ilinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Florida.

He also flagged several of the USAC Regional Midget Series races on the Speedrome oval on Thursday nights that included midget drivers Tony Stewart, John Andretti, Jeff Gordon, Rich Vogler, and Kenny Schrader.

His sojourn to the Speedrome began as a Beech Grove teenager who wanted to race. He won his first Stock novice heat in 1975 as a 15-year-old, a year younger than the age rule. He lied about his age, but his dad found out about his first win while listening to the Saturday night radio broadcasts on WIRE 1410.

Aldridge later worked on Indy Towing trucks at the track. The racing bug struck again and he became a monthly Stock class tri-champion. He then went to work under Stiles’ ownership in 1987 and became the chief starter (flagman) in 1988 after a heart attack sidelined mentor and flagman Carl Hall. He and wife Rhonda were married that same year. The couple has four grown daughters, seven grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

Aldridge worked until Stiles sold the track about 10 years later and did not return until new owner Garrigus called.

He was employed by Indy Towing for several years until opening his own towing business on West Michigan Street. A self-made business owner, Aldridge expanded his business to the A and A Service Center, a full-service auto repair and tire sales facility on Lafayette Road on the city’s westside in 2001.

Aldridge has high praise for track owner Garrigus who improved and expanded amenities for weekend racing participants and fans. The Speedrome has stadium seats in the main grandstand, a new south and family grandstand seating, a backstretch spectator entrance, expanded pit area, improved restrooms and concessions.

Aldridge was asked what really makes the Speedrome one of the nation’s best short tracks.
​
“It’s the family involvement,” the lifelong Beech Grove resident said. “It’s the number of generations that have come through these gates. The kids that were always in the grandstands become racers – that’s the tradition.”

​Beech Grove’s John Aldridge was joined by family members during recent Speedrome Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

By Al Stilley
Editor

Whiteland’s Randi Lyn (Shipp) Butner grew up about 20 miles from Lucas Oil Raceway, home of the 69th Dodge Power Brokers U.S. Nationals during the Labor Day weekend in Brownsburg.

She competed as a youth in the National Hot Rod Association’s Junior Dragster program, winning her very first drag racing trophies. She returned several consecutive years with the Shipp family to the nation’s most prominent drag strip to compete in class eliminator competitions in the grand-daddy of all NHRA drag races.

Along the way, Randi Lyn won seven national events in Stock Eliminator and the 2021 NHRA Division 3 championship driving a 1967 Pontiac owned by husband Bo Butner of Floyds Knobs.

This was her second U.S. Nationals class win. It came in her very first attempt driving the Bo Butner / Jim Butner Auto Group Cobra Jet Mustang to Super Stock (FSS/L) class win, her first triumph in Super Stock. Bo won the inaugural Factory Stock Showdown in 2012 at the U.S. Nationals.

“Indy is the class win that matters the most,” Randi Lyn said in a press release. ‘It’s the one race everybody watches and everybody looks to be very fast. It’s a big deal here.”

Randi Lyn’s first-ever two trips in the Cobra Jet came during qualifications for the class eliminations. She admitted it was a trying experience.

“It’s been very nerve-wracking and I’m definitely still out of my comfort zone,” she admitted. “That (eliminations) was my very first run where I almost hit all my shifts. Everything came together, and it felt good.”

She recorded a remarkable .005-second reaction time and raced to a 9.702-second pass at 139.52 miles per to capture the coveted “Wally” trophy at this year’s U.S. Nationals.

“No matter if it’s a class win, a divisional, or a national – all of the Indy wins are front and center,” Randi Lyn said.

Husband Bo reached the Pro Stock finals Monday but bowed out in the first round.

Greenwood’s Wesley Wells missed making the top 16 qualifiers in Pro Stock Motorcycle Sunday. Wells missed by 0.392-second. His best time was 7.226 seconds, 185.10 mph.
​
(Note: Bo Butner Racing contributed to this article)

Randi Lyn (Shipp) Butner is in line for eliminations run in Super Stock class with Bo Butner Racing’s Cobra Jet Mustang at U.S. Nationals. Husband Bo won his second consecutive U.S. Nationals Super Gas championship Sunday.

Drew Brown of successful Trackhouse Racing in NASCAR is a product of the Southside and a graduate of Perry Meridian High School. He has been involved as media relations director for several NASCAR teams for several years. Trackhouse Racing’s NASCAR Cup drivers include two-time race winner Ross Chastain, Daniel Suarez, and Chicago street race winner Shane van Gisbergen.
​(SOUTHSIDER VOICE FILE PHOTO)

By Al Stilley
Editor

Former Southsider Drew Brown recently relived NASCAR’s longest day into night, the aftermath of the stock car group’s first-ever street race in downtown Chicago.

Brown, a Perry Meridian High School graduate, is the senior media relations director for Trackhouse Racing, the team that won the historic street race July 2 with New Zealand three-time Supercar champion Shane van Gisbergen who stunned all NASCAR Cup drivers with his street course talent.

“You don’t get to enjoy these victories for very long,” observed Brown on July 5 at Trackhouse Racing, co-owned by Justin Marks of Nashville and international star Pitbull. “We’re preparing for the next race at Atlanta (Sunday). This is two weeks in a row of winning races, so we are on a good pace.”

Van Gisbergen was part of the team’s Project91, an extension of Marks’ efforts to attract international drivers to Cup racing.

Brown took time to review the lead-up to the street race and the weekend that featured a lightning-shortened but official Xfinity race July 1 and the 75-lap NASCAR Cup race July 2 on the 2.2-mile street course.

“We were surprised at how easy it was to get back and forth; how smooth it went,” Brown said. “We got in our full allotment of practice and qualifying for the Cup race. The weather had no impact on us until Sunday. I’ve never seen so much rain in one day in my life, and it was a cold rain, not a warm summer rain.”

Brown and Trackhouse team members arrived June 30 via team charter flights from Statesville, N.C. to Gary, and then bused into downtown Chicago. Teams stayed in downtown hotels, all within a mile of the course that featured Lake Shore Drive, Michigan Avenue, and scenic Buckingham Fountain.

The official National Weather Service count was a record 3.35 inches of rain, but many Chicago areas had up to nine inches that caused streets to flood. Downtown on the streets used for the Cup race, standing water and nearly daylong deluge wreaked havoc with nearby concerts, forcing three concert cancellations and drenching fans who ventured outdoors.

Cut by 25 laps due to pending darkness, Brown said team members left downtown Chicago, boarded buses for Gary and arrived back in North Carolina at 3 a.m. on July 3.

The Chicago event was a big risk for NASCAR at an estimated cost of $500 million to put on the race, set up protective barriers, block some streets several weeks ahead to construct grandstand seats, with an estimated $100 million economic impact. Some downtown streets will remain blocked until July 15 as the post-race teardown continues. The rain affected projected crowd estimates. And most drivers who expressed pre-event apprehension had mostly favorable comments about the course.

According to NASCAR’s Julie Giese, 80 percent of the tickets sold were to new NASCAR fans.

NASCAR officials created a massive event, the first year of a three-year agreement that will be evaluated by NASCAR and elected Chicago officials, including a new mayor. The positives included enthusiastic spectators, the most-watched race on the NBC network since the 2017 Indianapolis 500 and redeveloping post-Covid tourism in downtown Chicago. The final evaluation will measure the financial impact versus inconvenience and aggravation to Chicagoans.

Brown’s only recommendation, other than dry weather, was for a second walkover bridge for easier access for participants and spectators.

“We (Trackhouse Entertainment Group) were able to entertain a lot of people and also sponsor-wise,” Brown observed. “This was a new and exciting opportunity. It’s not tough to sell Chicago with nice hotels, shops, restaurants, theaters and museums.”

Brown is a product of Perry Township schools, Burkhart and MacArthur elementaries and Perry Meridian. He is a Ball State University graduate. Brown and his wife Karyn have three children. He is the son of Emerson and Sandra Brown.

The team took in a Chicago Cubs-Philadelphia Phillies game where the ceremonial first pitch and seventh-inning rendition of “Take me out to the Ball Game” involved NASCAR drivers Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Harrison Burton, and John Hunter Nemechek at Wrigley Field.
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Following the street race, Chastain had two wins and was third in points with teammate Daniel Suarez 17th and needing a win to qualify for The Chase. The next Cup race is Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The Cup series returns to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course Sunday, Aug. 13.

Line of NASCAR Cup cars turns with eventual winner Sean van Ginsberger, No. 91 entered by Trackhouse Racing, at end of this line before his remarkable charge to the front to win the rain-shortened Grant Park 220 street race in downtown Chicago. The iconic Museum of Science and Industry is in the background.
​(Getty Photo by Sean Gardner for NASCAR)

Dreyer Reinbold Racing driver Ryan Hunter-Reay, the 1914 “500” winner, is interviewed last month after the open test day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
​(SOUTHSIDER VOICE PHOTO BY AL STILLEY)

By Al Stilley
Editor

When 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay took his first fast laps in two years around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway last month, he felt like a kid again.

“It was great,” the 2014 “500” winner said. “The first proper run out, felt like a kid going down a ramp – that feeling of just pure excitement. I absolutely couldn’t wait to do it.”

At 42, Hunter-Reay deserves to feel young again after the past two years. He is back at the Speedway as a driver after serving as an advisor in for Juncos Hollinger Racing, raced in Tony Stewart’s SRX series, and raced for Chip Ganassi in the IMSA series with a top finish of fifth in the Petit Le Mans.

When practice begins for the 107th “500,” Hunter-Reay will be in the No.  23 Dreyer & Reinbold Chevrolet-powered entry, His teammate is British driver Stefan Wilson, brother of Justin Wilson who was fatally injured in 2015 at Pocono.

Hunter-Reay was pleased with the April 20 team test day at IMS by doing 59 laps. He has raced for the multiple-car Andretti team, so being part of a two-car one-off Dreyer & Reinbold program is something new.
“I had been here many times with a powerhouse team like Andretti,” Hunter-Reay recalled. “We had times when we had the best car out there and times when the car was horrendous.

He considers team owner Dennis Reinbold, who owns an auto dealership in Greenwood, as a “throwback” owner because of his love for the Indy 500 and desire to win the world’s most famous race.

Aside from not being in a car for the past two races, Hunter-Reay said he learned a lot.

“I actually enjoyed it (because) I had been with one team for 12 years and had blinders on,” he observed. “It was nice to see the 500 from the outside looking in, consulting (Callum Ilott). It was good to see the approach of a different team and a driver who was here for the first time. I came back now really charged up, energized, and focused.”

Teammate Wilson also expressed his admiration for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing that just does Indy only.
“I think every single person on the team lives and breathes for the Indy 500,” Wilson said. “Just like Ryan, myself, we’re all laser focused on the 500.”

Teams are using a new package with enhanced downforce with Penske driver Josef Newgarden on top of the chart at 227.686 miles per hour.

“We’ve not explored everything,” Newgarden said. “It remains to be seen exactly how this new package will race. It’s so difficult to predict this stuff until you get into the meat of the month of May.”

Hunter-Reay won the 500 in 2014 with the second-closest finish of 0.0600 seconds ahead of Helio Castroneves, becoming the first American driver to win since 2006. The Floridian driver has raced in 14 Indianapolis 500s.

Hunter-Reay and his wife Beccy live in Fort Lauderdale. They have three sons. During his time away from full-time racing, he found time to coach two of the three sons’ youth football team and also groom the trio in go-karts.

Hunter-Reay is among nine “500” winners entered for the 107th “500,” including 2022 winner Marcus Ericsson, Helio Castroneves, Alexander Rossi, Scott Dixon, Takuma Sato, Will Power, Simon Pagenaud, and Tony Kanaan.

Wilson seeks his fifth “500” start in the No. 24 Dreyer & Reinbold / Cusak Motorsports entry. His best finish was 15th in 2018 with Andretti.
​
Most teams return to IMS for the GMR Grand Prix on the road course, Saturday, May 13; “500” practice begins, Tuesday, May 16; qualifications, Saturday-Sunday, May 20-21; Carb Day, Friday, May 26; and 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, Sunday, May 28.

(SOUTHSIDER VOICE PHOTOS BY AL STILLEY)
Various cars and teams were on hand Saturday for the third day of registration and practice.

By Al Stilley
Editor

The Indianapolis Speedrome opens for its 80th season Saturday night with the Wayne Arnold Memorial Fast Start 75-lap Late Model Figure-8.
Racing begins at 7 p.m. with Factory FWDs, Faskarts, and Legends cars in 25-lap features on the one-fifth-mile paved oval. The track is at Brookville Road and Kitley Avenue.
Interest is high for the new season, especially after a year of health restrictions due to the Covid pandemic. Health protocols will be followed by fans and participants Saturday night. 
“We will continue our rise from 2019 and what was anticipated for 2020 before Covid,” track president Jonathan Byrd II added. “Our fans, like everyone, have been pent-up and are ready for the excitement of the Figure-8.”

Last year, owner Kevin Garrigus added amenities to the historic short track and this season the Speedrome expands its reach. The Speed Sport Network has a five-year marketing agreement with with the Speedrome for production, technology, business services, equipment support, and marketing for the full schedule. The pact also includes non-national touring series events at the expanded Circle City Raceway dirt track at the Marion County Fairgrounds.

“This is a great beginning, a partnership with media, podcasts, website and what we can do together to bring Figure-8 racing to the world,” Byrd said Saturday. “They (Speed Sport) are excited about Figure-8 racing and we are among ‘favorite nation’ status with them. That’s the really big thing coming this season.”
Byrd said that more details of broadcasts will be announced later. 
The second-generation motorsports enthusiast also pointed out that interest is growing among all divisions. 
Byrd emphasized that the Speedrome has great entertainment value for all sports fans throughout central Indiana.

“You can’t have better pricing for any event in the city,” Byrd said. “Our ticket prices are the lowest for any event  in town, children are free, and parking is free.”
Racing is on Saturday nights with many special events: Demolition derbies; school-bus and trailer Figure-8s; winged 410 sprints; and $5,000 “Rumble for the Track Record,” an Indiana shootout to set a track record on the oval; fireworks extravaganza; and World Figure-8 three-hour endurance race. 
The Speedrome has been open for registration and practice for three consecutive Saturdays. The interest and turnout for all divisions has been impressive.
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Southside drivers on hand for the third practice included Figure-8 drivers Mark Tunny and Mike Riddle Jr. of the Southside and Southport alum Larry Hahn, one of the track’s top Stock class competitors.
“I have a new car and a new outlook,” said Riddle, who began Figure-8 racing in 2012. “We didn’t have a good year last year, so we need to get back to making the racing fun again.”
Tickets on opening night Saturday are $10, ages 13-64 years; $8 for seniors, military, and first responders. Kids 12-and-under free with an adult. There is special pricing for special events.
Info: call 317-353-8206 or online at www.speedrome.com.

​Greenwood’s Mike Riddle Jr. tested new No. 12 Figure-8 car Saturday.

​Popular Legends Cars driven by Ashton Murello and Drew and Austin Evans are aligned side-by-side in pit area.

​Southport’s Larry Hahn (24) is ready and lined up for practice laps Saturday.