Verizon IndyCar Series drivers will disperse across 21 different North American cities May 19 to promote the 99th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.
All 33 qualifiers will participate in the media blitz that features visits to New York, Chicago, Houston, San Francisco and Toronto.
CFH Racing driver and 2011 Indy 500 runner-up JR Hildebrand will make the longest trek of any of the drivers, returning to his hometown region of San Francisco to tie in the Indy 500 with another of the series’ premier races, the season-finale GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma at Sonoma Raceway. Helio Castroneves will spend the day with ESPN at its headquarters in Bristol, Conn., making appearances on “Mike and Mike,” "SportsCenter," ESPN Redes and more.
A.J. Foyt Racing driver Jack Hawksworth will join the Columbus Crew MLS team for a few drills in advance of the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. Graham Rahal will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Chicago White Sox game against the Cleveland Indians following a media tour in the Windy City.
Conor Daly and Marco Andretti will head to the Johnson Space Center in Houston to explore INDYCAR’s parallels with NASA technology and have the opportunity to pilot the Mars rover. Ryan Hunter-Reay, the 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner, Andretti Autosport teammate Simona de Silvestro and Townsend Bell will venture to New York, including stops at the New York Times, CNBC’s "Closing Bell" and SI Now.
James Hinchcliffe will be joined in his hometown of Toronto by Josef Newgarden and Sage Karam, who will spend time at Sportsnet, INDYCAR’s Canadian broadcast partner, and the Honda Indy Toronto team. Ed Carpenter, the 2013 and ’14 Indy 500 pole sitter, 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series champion Will Power and Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing driver Charlie Kimball will give media hot laps on the newly paved Belle Isle circuit. The Chevrolet Dual in Detroit on May 30-31 follows the Indianapolis 500 on the Verizon IndyCar Series schedule.
Other markets and drivers: Dallas (Verizon P1 Award winner Scott Dixon and Justin Wilson), Birmingham, Ala. (James Jakes), Charlotte, N.C. (Tony Kanaan), Cincinnati (Takuma Sato), Miami (Oriol Servia, Carlos Munoz, Carlos Huertas, Sebastian Saavedra), Milwaukee (Simon Pagenaud), New Orleans (Juan Pablo Montoya), Tampa, Fla. (Sebastien Bourdais), Dayton, Ohio (James Davison), Kansas City, Kan., (Pippa Mann), Fort Wayne, Ind. (Alex Tagliani), Louisville, Ky. (Gabby Chaves, Stefano Coletti), Nashville (Bryan Clauson).
Tweet for chance to win Indy 500 VIP experience
Start tweeting, millennials. Verizon Wireless will provide six winners and up to 10 guests each within 200 miles of Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a VIP experience at the Indianapolis 500.
Just tweet using the hashtag #UltimateRoadTripSweeeps to be eligible to win the package that includes luxury bus transportation to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where winners and their guests will have the best seats in the house on the 10th floor of the Panasonic Pagoda and also receive behind-the-scenes access at the historic Speedway.
Race 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.
Of note
Ali Mathena of Whiteland, Ind., was crowned the 500 Festival queen. Mathena is a junior at Purdue University, where she is studying public health. She is one of 33 women who were selected for the 2015 500 Festival Princess Program, where they serve as ambassadors for the 500 Festival.