Photo Credit: Dale Coyne Racing
Dale Coyne Racing announced on May 26 that Lilly Diabetes of the Indianapolis- based Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) will serve as a co-primary sponsor on the No. 18 ShirtsForAmerica.com/Lilly Diabetes Honda. The car will be driven by Conor Daly, who is a diabetic himself, in the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday May 29. Lilly Diabetes is hoping that with their sponsorship in the Indy 500 will help to bring awareness to the number of military veterans living with diabetes, which in one out of four veterans.
Daly’s No. 18 car will have a special patriotic paint scheme with four stars one of them being blue to represent the one of four veterans who are living with diabetes, which is also two and half times greater than the civilian population.
At the age of 14, Daly was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. He is now 24 years of age and manages his diabetes with proper diet, exercise and medicines. While in the race car he wears a glucose monitor system in his No.18 Honda that provides readouts.
Lilly Diabetes for 93 years and going, being the leader in diabetic care and has been providing solutions and support to people that are affected with diabetes since 1923. They were also the first company to introduce the world’s first commercialized insulin. Their programs and solutions are designed around the feedback they receive from the people who live with the disease every day.
“By working with Dale Coyne Racing and Conor Daly, we hope to get people talking about with their doctor, as well as their friends and family,” Michael B. Mason, vice president, U.S., Lilly Diabetes quoted. “As an American institution with roots that go back 140 years, we are excited to sponsor the No. 18 Honda at one of America’s most iconic tracks, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, right here in our backyard. The 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 is an exciting moment for the entire racing world and an ideal opportunity for us to bring attention to the one in four U.S. veterans currently living with diabetes. We look forward to celebrating this historic moment in motorsports.”
“It’s a pretty exciting time for our race team to have Lilly Diabetes come on board for the Indy 500 this weekend. It’s personal to me and also to so many people living with andmanaging diabetes,” Daly added. “Being an Indiana native and having a company like Lilly help us bring awareness to the number of veterans living with diabetes is something really special.”
