90th Indy 500 Celebration in Washington DC
The national celebration of the 90th running of one of America's most exciting and historic sporting events, the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, will kick off with a special event Tuesday, March 7 with The Smithsonian Associates in Washington.
The event starts at 7 p.m. (ET) at the U.S. Navy Memorial & Naval Heritage Center, a shift in venue from the previously announced Lisner Auditorium. The public can ask questions of some of the Indianapolis 500's most famous current and former drivers.
An all-star driver lineup includes: Dan Wheldon, defending champion of the Indianapolis 500 and 2005 IRL IndyCar® Series champion; three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Johnny Rutherford; two-time winner Helio Castroneves; Janet Guthrie, the first woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500; and the father-and-son racing duo of Michael and Marco Andretti.
Fans also will enjoy many historical Indianapolis 500 film highlights, and Wheldon will be presented with his Indianapolis 500 Champion of Champions Ring from IMS President and Chief Operating Officer Joie Chitwood. The U.S. Navy Memorial & Naval Heritage Center is located at 701 Pennsylvania Ave, N.W., Suite 123, in Washington, DC.
WHAT:
90th Indianapolis 500 Kickoff Event
WHO:
Marco Andretti, Indianapolis 500 rookie driver
Michael Andretti, Indianapolis 500 veteran driver
Helio Castroneves, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner
Janet Guthrie, first female Indianapolis 500 driver
Johnny Rutherford, three-time Indianapolis 500 winner
Dan Wheldon, 2005 Indianapolis 500 winner
WHEN:
7 p.m., Tuesday, March 7
WHERE:
U.S. Navy Memorial & Naval Heritage Center
701 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Suite 123, Washington
Rusty Wallace to Test IndyCar Series Car
To prepare for his role as an analyst for ABC Sports’ and ESPN’s coverage of the 2006 IRL IndyCar® Series season, Rusty Wallace will drive an IndyCar Series car on Thursday, March 2 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Wallace will be available for a group interview following the event. Wallace won the 1989 NASCAR championship and scored 55 NASCAR Cup Series victories in his racing career. He retired after the 2005 season and drove the past 15 years for Roger Penske, the winningest car owner in Indianapolis 500 history. The Indy Racing League kicks off its Open Test at Homestead-Miami Speedway March 2-6. The IRL returns to the Sunshine State for the IndyCar Series’ Toyota Indy 300 and Indy Pro Series’ Miami 100 at the 1.5-mile oval, both on March 26.
Bourdais-Junqueira To Run Sebring
With the start to the 2006 Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford season fast approaching, two of the championship contenders are taking every opportunity to prepare for the challenge. With Champ Car test time at a premium, two-time defending series champion Sebastien Bourdais and three-time series runner-up Bruno Junqueira will sharpen their skills by entering the Mobil 12 Hours of Sebring March 15-18. The Newman/Haas Racing teammates will join the two-car Multimatic Motorsports effort, with Bourdais partnering David Brabham and Scott Maxwell while Junqueira joins Gunnar Jeanette and Tom Milner in the team’s Panoz Esperante GTLM machines in the GT2 class.
“It is always important to get as much seat time as you can, especially at this time of the year since our Champ Car testing is so restricted,” said Bourdais, who has also competed in the Baja 1000, the Race of Champions in Paris and the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona during this offseason. “The race should be very interesting as well, and I am looking forward to it.”
The race holds even greater significance for Junqueira, who will be turning his first race laps since the season-ending injury he suffered last May while racing at the Indianapolis 500. Junqueira has been back in the Champ Car since then – testing his Newman/Haas Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone on Sebring’s short course, but the 12-hour event will be his first competition since the injury.
“I feel good, my testing has been fine and I have no pain from my injury,” Junqueira said. “But it will be great to shake off the cobwebs and do some race miles before the first race of the year.”
The Champ Car World Series season kicks off April 7-9 with the prestigious Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, an event that Bourdais won a year ago.
For Junqueira, the race will be his first in a sportscar, although he does have experience on the 3.56-mile Sebring layout, having taken the opportunity to test on the full layout with his Champ Car a year ago. His teammate Jeanette is a familiar driver to the Newman/Haas team as well, having competed on numerous occasions with team co-owner Paul Newman in sportscar competition.
“It is certainly going to be different but my father raced with a roof over his head in touring cars for about 25 years in Brazil,” Junqueira said. “I’ve always had a great relationship with all the guys at Multimatic through Newman/Haas so it is great to get to drive for them at Sebring.”
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