Alex Tagliani, who joined wife Bronte in welcoming their first child April 16, has a special tribute to Eva-Rose on his helmet at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“She’s beautiful and special. It definitely makes you realize and appreciate what it takes to raise a child,” said Tagliani, who turned his first laps May 12 on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in the No. 48 Alfe Heat Treating Special for AJ Foyt Racing.
“It’s the biggest accomplishment you can have in my thinking. The best description of fatherhood will never be the way it is until you live it.”
Tagliani, 41, will seek to make his seventh Indianapolis 500 Mile Race start May 24.
“My wife says you have to be in it to win it,” said Tagliani, the 2009 race Rookie of the Year who earned the pole for the 2011 race and has a best finish of 10th after starting fifth in 2010. “I was able to live all the emotions of qualifying and Bump Day and rookie of the year, and in 2011 I got the pole. It’s the elusive win that you’re searching for. Being here means all of that and I’m thankful to Alfe and for Larry (Foyt) and A.J. to have selected me and giving me the chance.”
The car number for the third AJ Foyt Racing entry is a tribute to racing veteran and longtime friend Dan Gurney, who co-drove with Foyt to victory in the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Ford GT 40 Mk IV. Gurney then went on to take his No. 48 car to second-place finishes in both the 1968 and 1969 Indianapolis 500.
“I drove for Roger (Penske) and Chip (Ganassi), and driving for A.J. at the Speedway is very special because of the legacy, the name and the family,” Tagliani said. “The last time that Dan Gurney was here was in 2011 when I had a pole driving a black and white car. Now I’m with the black and white car, so hopefully it will bring us luck.”
Dan Gurney's wife's name is Eva.
Fans can win if Graham Rahal does
If Graham Rahal wins the Indianapolis 500, fans can win, too – a free reserved ticket to the MAVTV 500 on June 27 at Auto Club Speedway, that is.
Fans purchasing a full-price reserved ticket to the Verizon IndyCar Series race at the 2-mile oval in Fontana, Calif., by noon (ET) May 24 will have the ticket cost refunded if Rahal, driver of the No. 15 Steak ‘n Shake Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, wins the 99th Indy 500. Reserved seats for the MAVTV 500, the 11th race on the 2015 schedule, start at $55.
“Honestly, the way Graham’s been running lately (second-place finishes in the past two races) and knowing his lineage, I was a little nervous signing off on this promotion at first,” said Dave Allen, president of Auto Club Speedway. “But now, how cool would it be for fans attending the MAVTV 500 to get money back in their pockets if he wins the Indianapolis 500? I know he’s stoked about the month of May in Indianapolis and this gives our fans a reason to be stoked as well.”
To purchase tickets, visit www.autoclubspeedway.com/grahamwins or call (800) 944-7223.
Spotted among the spotters
Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Jr. is serving as a spotter for Townsend Bell (Dreyer & Reinbold-Kingdom Racing).
He joins four-time winner Rick Mears (Team Penske) and 2004 winner Buddy Rice (CFH Racing) as former winners on the spotter stand. Former Indy car driver is a spotter for Takuma Sato (AJ Foyt Racing).
Streets of distinction
The three members of the Indianapolis 500’s most exclusive club are newly honored on streets inside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval.
Drive around the infield now and you might find yourself on Foyt Drive, Unser Lane or Mears Way, named of course for four-time “500” winners A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears.
Of note
Chip Ganassi Racing Teams’ fifth entry for the Indianapolis 500 -- the No. 17 AFS Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet driven by Sebastian Saavedra -- will have Mike O’Gara as its race strategist. O’Gara, team manager of Ganassi’s sports car program, formerly was with Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. … The No. 41 AJ Foyt Racing Honda driven by Jack Hawksworth and No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing Teams Chevrolet driven by Sage Karam reached the 2,500-mile engine change-out threshold in practice May 12. Engine 2 will be installed for May 13 practice.