Photo Credit: Chris Owens/IndyCar
IndyCar is preparing for the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 little by little each and every single day.
On April 13, 2016, IndyCar awarded some of the sports greatest Legend awards in Long Beach. The #IndyCarLegends presentation was held at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, and was loaded with racing, remembering rivalries, and loads of memories.
The special event bought together four of the top-five race winners in all of IndyCar history. The drivers included Mario Andretti (52 wins). Michael Andretti (42), Al Unser (39) and Scott Dixon (39). A.J. Foyt, who was unable to attend the special event because he was battling the flu, leads them all with (67 wins) which makes him the all-time leading winner. Foyt was still apart of the event via a video taped interview.
Four of Foyt’s wins was the Indianapolis 500. This year Foyt will be attending the 100th running of the Indy 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil on May 29th to watch his team with drivers Takumo Sato and Jack Hawksworth race in the event.
“I never thought I’d live this long to see it, I hope I make it,” Foyt said. “The way my life has been last two or three years, it’s been kinda shaky. I came down with the flu 2-3 days ago. … I’m getting better every day and stronger.”
He thinks it is an honor to be named amongst some of the greatest drivers.
“There’s a lot of great champions and drivers,” Foyt said. “I always say I’m glad to be named amongst them. Not that I was any better, but glad to be mentioned along with the greats.”
Michael Andretti paid a nice tribute to Foyt, however he did get a slight little dig into his tribute to start it off by mentioning his Father (Mario) Andretti and Foyts longtime on-track rivalry.
“He was the enemy,” Michael Andretti said. “Growing up, I wasn’t allowed to say anything good about A.J. But as I got older, I got to know A.J. and I really liked him. I have a ton of respect for him. He just loves the sport and has been a part of it for a long time. … He’s a unique guy.”
Both Mario Andretti and Unser both have suggestions on how IndyCar racing can improve its reach and to attract new fans to the fans.
“I think series is going in the right direction,” Mario said. “There have been some missteps in recent years that took us down and we were overtaken by NASCAR and they’ve taken advantage of that situation. “But I think the biggest thing that made the biggest value we have is the product and it’s to be able to showcase and brag about what we have. It’s not just Indianapolis, it’s the series itself. … I think we have a lot to brag about and it’s time to start screaming about it.”
“The younger generation today asks a lot of questions about racing,” Unser said. “In (the Unser) museum in Albuquerque, we have 10,000 to 15,000 kids that come through every year and they ask how do they get involved in racing. Education of kids is very important in the automotive world.”
Also during the event, Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman &CO., the founder of IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, presented trophies to commemorate the evening as well as the accomplishments of the four drivers. Miles also announced that more than likely the Indianapolis 500 should be sold out for the first time since 1985. Also, the four drivers visited legendary driver Dan Gurney prior to the event to help him celebrate his 85th birthday.
