AVONDALE, La. -- A straggly line formed behind Big Chief Howard Miller as he led a brief procession near the stage during pre-race ceremonies for the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana at NOLA Motorsports Park.

He wasn't hard to miss; spectators just had to look for the individual in the 7-foot-tall red Mardi Gras-style costume. Though it wasn't a festival parade, Howard was in the moment.

“On Mardi Gras Day, if you’ve done your work, you’ll be transformed into what you’re supposed to be that day. And that’s a powerful feeling, a powerful spiritual feeling,” said Miller, representing the Creole Wild West group.

The Mardi Gras Indian Council, of which Howard has been president since 2007, seeks to preserve and advance the traditions of the Mardi Gras Indians, which are neighborhood groups that since the 19th century have paraded during festival season in individually designed, hand-sewn suits that pay tribute to Native Americans. There are more than a dozen groups that are members of the council.

Miller’s creation – a first for an event outside of the festivals – is resplendent with intricate beading. It was a request of longtime friend Ruth Chouest, wife of track owner Dr. Laney Chouest.

“When Miss Ruth told me what she had envisioned, I tried to visualize it myself and worked from there,” Miller said. “I suggested using the race logo as the centerpiece and the cars racing to it so you could see them and the checkered flag clearly. We highlighted the red (on the suit) and also used blue and (white) and green in the beading.

“We’ve been sawing on this for about six months. I had to make another suit for myself for Mardi Gras, so that took some time away from this project. It’s been about 10 to 12 hours a day recently to make this deadline.

“I think it’s fantastic. I have to give Miss Ruth credit because she came up with the concept.”

Miller said this costume is lighter than the 80 pounds he carries for Mardi Gras parades, though “you have to be in shape to carry any of them.”

Foyt wedding in November

They met at the 2013 Verizon IndyCar Series finale at Auto Club Speedway, though Foyt has known Curran’s older brother for years.

“It’s a big step for me, and I’ve waited long enough I guess,” Foyt said. “We were introduced by her brother but she was living out in LA, so to meet her I invited her to the races. She’s come to really enjoy racing so that’s good, and she understands our travel schedule, which can be tough. She’s a great person and we’re having a lot of fun.”

Curran lived in the Houston suburb of River Oaks until her family moved to Atherton, Calif., when she was 11 years old. She attended UCLA and had a successful acting career for many years (Princess Aleppa in “Argo,” “No One Will Know”) before returning to Houston. She is a real estate agent with Sotheby’s International Realty.

Room to grow

Adjacent to the 2.74-mile, 13-turn NOLA Motorsports Park main course is potential for another motorsports facility, housing and entertainment district.

"We have another 300 acres where we could build a more racing-dedicated or a more R&D-dedicated facility," track owner Dr. Laney Chouest said. "We can connect them and easily have a five- or six-mile road course. We have an incredible amount of flexibility for moving forward."

Chouest also is moving forward in developing a formal relationship with Delgado Community College (West Bank), which has a motor vehicle technology program leading to an associate's degree.

"(It would be) the only community college that has its own motorsports park," he said. "We want to move forward to a path of excellence where we certify mechanics. We’ve seen the economic development in other states; we’ve seen it in Alabama with a motorsports park. We think we have a better facility, closer to the city for such development, and we want to go full-speed ahead."