From: Michael Powell 
 
INDIANAPOLIS, Thursday, April 8, 2004 # Legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway
public address announcer Tom Carnegie was inducted into the Indiana Associated
Press Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame at ceremonies April 3 in
Indianapolis.
 
Carnegie has been the voice of the Speedway since 1946, coining such famous
phrases as #Heeeee#s on it!# while informing millions of fans over the years.
Carnegie, 84, was unable to attend due to illness, so Indianapolis Motor
Speedway Historian Donald Davidson accepted the award and spoke on Carnegie#s
behalf.
 
#Well, I started in Indiana in 1942 in radio in Fort Wayne, Indiana, at WOWO,
and it#s been a lifelong, love affair with Hoosiers,# Carnegie said. #This is
sort of the crowning achievement, and I really appreciate it that the fellow
broadcasters would single me out for this honor. I want to thank them
sincerely.
 
#I wasn#t able to be there due to a visit to the hospital when the ceremony
was presented, but my friend, Donald Davidson, handled the acceptance and now I
would like to do it in person sometime during the month of May at trackside. I
think that would be a lot of fun and let the fans in on the occasion, also.#
 
Carnegie is recovering from pneumonia and plans to be ready to call the action
starting on Indianapolis Star Opening Day of the 88th Indianapolis 500 on
Sunday, May 9.
 
#I received excellent care, and I#m on the road to recovery looking forward to
being out at the racetrack starting on Opening Day. It looks like everything is
going to be OK. No problems.#
 
Get-well wishes to Carnegie can be sent to:
 
Tom Carnegie
c/o IMS Public Relations
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
4790 W. 16th St.
Indianapolis, IN 46222
 
***
 
Helio on the air: Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves will
provide on-air commentary during the live ESPN2 broadcast of the Futaba Freedom
100 Menards Infiniti Pro SeriesTM race on Saturday, May 22 at the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway.
 
The broadcast starts at 2 p.m. (EDT). Marlboro Team Penske star Castroneves
also served as an on-air commentator during ESPN2#s telecast of the inaugural
Futaba Freedom 100.
 
#I#m honored that I#ve been invited to participate in this event again,#
Castroneves said. #The Infiniti Pro Series is an ideal way for drivers to gain
valuable experience before they make the step up to the IndyCar(R) Series, and
I#m just glad I get to be a part of this important race.#
 
***
 
Pauley named parade grand marshal: Well-known broadcaster Jane Pauley will
serve as grand marshal of the Flagstar Bank 500 Festival Parade on Saturday,
May 29 in Indianapolis.
 
Pauley, an Indianapolis native, is best known as the longtime morning
broadcaster for NBC#s #Today# show. She also worked as an NBC reporter and most
recently as co-host for NBC#s popular news magazine, #Dateline,# which
concluded for Pauley in May 2003 at the end of her contract.
 
She began her career at age 21, when she was hired as a daytime and weekend
newscaster for WISH-TV in Indianapolis.
 
The 2-mile parade steps off at North Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in
downtown Indianapolis, heads south on Pennsylvania to Washington Street,
travels west on Washington to Meridian Street, and proceeds north on Meridian
to 11th Street. The parade starts at noon (EST).
 
Tickets are $12.50 for reserved bleacher seats, $16 for reserved chair seats,
and $27.50 for VIP reserved seats in the TV zone. To order tickets or for more
information, call (317) 614-6400, toll-free at (800) 638-4296 or visit
www.500festival.com. Tickets also are available at Marsh Supermarkets and
Ticketmaster outlets.
 
***
 
Penske to speak at breakfast: The 2004 500 Festival Mayors Breakfast # the
traditional meeting of Hoosier mayors, community and business leaders and race
fans # will welcome motorsports legend Roger Penske as its keynote speaker
Saturday, May 22 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
 
At age 27, Penske hung up his racing suit to concentrate on the business of
the sport. Today, at age 67, he commands a vast corporate empire that embraces
more than 13,000 employees.
 
His teams have 245 major race victories and hold dozens of track records.
Penske teams have captured a record 13 Indianapolis 500 victories, including
the last three with drivers Helio Castroneves and the now retired Gil de
Ferran.
 
Corporate and community tables of 10 for the Mayors Breakfast are now
available, as well as individual tickets. For more information, or to purchase
tickets, call the 500 Festival at (317) 614-6400 or toll-free at (800)
638-4296. Information also is available at www.500festival.com.
 
***
 
St. James to speak at tournament: Indianapolis 500 veteran Lyn St. James will
serve as honorary chairperson and guest speaker for the ninth annual Mary
Fendrich Hulman Women#s Golf Tournament on May 25 at Eagle Creek Golf Course in
Indianapolis.
 
St. James was the second woman to race in the Indianapolis 500. She made seven
Indy 500 starts between 1992-2000 and was named Bank One Rookie of the Year
after finishing 11th in the 1992 Indianapolis 500.
 
The event will again benefit the USAC Benevolent Foundation, which started in
the 1950s as to provide assistance for those injured in USAC competition and
their families.
 
Call Marie Hall, tournament chairperson, at (317) 247-1519 for information
about the tournament.
 
***
 
Following Gordon: The Associated Press plans to distribute five first-person
columns by Indianapolis 500 driver Robby Gordon to its member media outlets
during May.
 
Gordon will attempt the #Daily Double# of racing in the 88th Indianapolis 500
and the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, N.C., on the same day May 30.
 
***
 
Mini-Marathon salutes soldiers: While the field for the 28th running of the
Indianapolis Life 500 Festival Mini-Marathon reached its 30,000 entry limit,
500 Festival officials recently announced that additional athletes will be
joining the field.
 
They won#t pick up race packets at the Health & Fitness Expo, start in corrals
on Washington Street in downtown Indianapolis or celebrate at the finish line
on New York Street. Instead, they will start the 13.1-mile race in fields of
Bosnia and celebrating with meals-ready-to-eat (known to the soldiers as MREs)
instead of a post-race party in downtown Indianapolis.
 
A special satellite version of the Indianapolis Life 500 Festival
Mini-Marathon, designed for troops who wanted to participate but couldn#t due
to their tour of duty in Bosnia, will take place Saturday, May 8.
 
Indianapolis# Indiana National Guard 38th Infantry Division either have been
deployed or are scheduled for deployment to Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with
additional troops from other forces that make up the Stabilization Force
(SFOR), leaving many soldiers unable to participate in the Indianapolis Life
500 Festival Mini-Marathon. Their idea was to stage a half-marathon at Eagle
Base in Bosnia and have their results posted to the Mini#s official results
roster.
 
#We took it a step further,# said Kirk Hendrix, president and CEO of the 500
Festival. #We wanted to provide them with the whole experience, from time to
the T-shirts. So we developed a complete Mini-kit, compliments of the 500
Festival corporate sponsors, so the troops can feel as much a part of it as
possible, short of being in Indianapolis.#
 
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway also contributed items to the Mini kit, and
the Speedway was one of the sponsors that provided support to allow troops to
register for the race for free.
 
The public can show their support for the troops participating in the Bosnia
Mini-Marathon by signing a banner that will be at the Mini-Marathon Health &
Fitness Expo, May 6-7 at the Indiana Convention Center. In addition, the banner
will be in the Rest & Recovery area in Military Park on Saturday, May 8. The
banner will be shipped to troops following the Indianapolis Life 500 Festival
Mini-Marathon.
 
***
 
Labonte providing grassroots opportunities: 2000 Brickyard 400 winner Bobby
Labonte, members of the North Carolina Quarter-Midget Association and officials
from Rowan County, N.C. participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for the
state-of-the-art North Carolina Quarter-Midget Association Speedway last month
in Rowan County, N.C. 
 
The track will be the first quarter-midget track in North Carolina and is set
to be completed in May 2004. The paved track will be 1/20th of a mile long, and
the 20-acre facility is designed strictly for quarter-midget racing.
 
2000 NASCAR champion Labonte, who started his career in quarter-midgets,
fields 
 
cars for his son, Tyler, age 9, and his daughter, Madison, age 6.
 
***
 
Different eras: Troy Ruttman won the 1952 Indianapolis 500 and earned a purse
of $61,743. Nearly 52 years later, his brother Joe Ruttman drove four laps and
finished 42nd in NASCAR#s NEXTEL Cup Series Food City 500 on March 28 at
Bristol, Tenn., and pocketed a check for $66,335.
 
The money value of today and then, obviously, is different, but still it
illustrates how far auto racing has come in the past half-century.
 
Joe Ruttman, 59, has driven in four races this season and won $224,816 for
completing a total of 33 laps.
 
His brother Troy, who died May 19, 1997, drove in 12 Indianapolis 500#s and
won $122,528.
 
In 1952, series champion Tim Flock and Herb Thomas won eight races in the
NASCAR series and earned $6,858.50 and $6,752.50, respectively. Flock drove in
33 races, Thomas 32. Dick Rathmann, who drove in nine Indianapolis 500#s,
earned $3,952.50 for 27 races and finished fifth in the standings.
 
Ruttman is no newcomer to NASCAR racing. He made his first start in 1963,
finishing 10th. Twice he finished third in the Daytona 500. He was USAC#s 1980
stock car champion and was a stellar driver in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series in its formative years.
 
***
 
Miller to train IMS concessionaires: In recognition of April Alcohol Awareness
Month, Miller Brewing Company and its distributor partners have implemented a
number of local and nationwide initiatives designed to increase awareness and
help aid in the prevention of drunk driving, over-consumption and illegal
underage drinking.
 
Monarch Beverage Co. will conduct TIPS(R) (Training for Intervention
Procedures) Training April 17 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Through this
program, a team will train approximately 60 concessionaires at the Speedway,
preparing them to serve responsibly during upcoming events such as the
Indianapolis 500, United States Grand Prix and Brickyard 400. TIPS is a
nationally recognized alcohol sales training program created by Health
Communications Inc. that provides servers with the information and skills
needed to responsibly serve alcohol beverages.
 
#We#re looking forward to playing host to a TIPS training session at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway,# said Joie Chitwood, senior vice president,
business affairs, Indianapolis Motor Speedway. #The IMS servers will
undoubtedly benefit from the TIPS training and as a result, ensure that our
fans have a safe, responsible experience at our major events.#
 
***
 
IMS photo chief featured on radio: Ron McQueeney, longtime Indianapolis Motor
Speedway director of photography, will be a guest on Shutterbug Magazine Radio
between 5-6 p.m. (EDT) Friday, April 9.
 
The show, which focuses on the world of photography, is available live and in
archived format at www.wsradio.com/shutterbug. Jack Warren is the host.
 
***
 
#500# legend Ward convalescing: Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rodger Ward
has entered a convalescent center in Anaheim, Calif., following a critical
health-care situation in March.
 
Ward, 83, is the last surviving Indianapolis 500 winner from the 1950s.
Driving for the Leader Card team, he won in 1959 and then again in 1962. From
1959-64, he had consecutive finishes of first, second, third, first, fourth and
second.
 
Friends and family may send Ward a card at:
 
Windsor Gardens Convalescent Center
3415 W. Ball Road
Anaheim, CA 92805
 
___ Internet Rex 2.29
 


--- GTMail 1.26