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Indianapolis 500 Notes

Some Indianapolis 500 Notes – Actor-entertainer Jim Nabors will not attend the 91st Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 27 and sing “Back Home Again in Indiana” during pre-race ceremonies due to illness. Nabors will address the Race Day crowd on the video boards at IMS from his home in Hawaii and then ask the fans to sing the beloved song together in his place. “It’s a shame that my good friend Jim Nabors is not going to be here on Race Day, and everyone here at the event will miss him tremendously,” said Mari Hulman George, Indianapolis Motor Speedway chairman of the board. “We hope that the fans’ rendition of ‘Back Home Again in Indiana’ serves as a get-well card to Jim from hundreds of thousands of his close friends here at the track.” Nabors has become a legendary figure in Indianapolis 500 lore since he began his stirring rendition of “Back Home Again in Indiana” during pre-race ceremonies in 1972. He has sung the tune before 29 Indianapolis 500-Mile Races since 1972, including every year since 1987.

The sights, sounds and smells of past Indianapolis 500-Mile Races will be on display and in motion on Miller Lite Carb Day, Friday, May 25 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. At 3:30 p.m. ? the same time the Miller Lite Carb Day concert featuring Kid Rock begins ? fans seeking more traditional entertainment will enjoy an incredible parade of vintage Indianapolis 500 cars, a rolling museum spanning the race?s illustrious history from the 1930s into the 1970s.

The list of cars tentatively scheduled to turn laps on the legendary 2.5-mile oval:

?Two cars driven to victory in the Indianapolis 500 by the legendary A.J. Foyt, who is celebrating his 50th consecutive year of competition at Indy this year, will lead the parade. Indianapolis 500 veteran George Snider will drive Foyt?s 1964-winning Sheraton-Thompson Watson-Offy roadster, and Foyt?s son Larry Foyt will drive the 1967-winning Sheraton- Thompson Coyote-Ford.

?The Jackson Special, an Offy-powered Miller chassis driven to a second-place finish in 1946 by Jimmy Jackson. It was previously a Boyle Special, straight-eight Miller driven by Bill Cummings, Chet Miller and Ted Horn.

?1961 Autolite Dealers Association Special, driven in the 1961 ?500? by Lloyd Ruby. It was an Epperly/Offy built in 1960 and also driven by Tony Bettenhausen, Parnelli Jones, Don Branson and Bobby Marshman.

?1953 Pat Clancy Special Kurtis/Offy painted as it was when it finished third as the Bardahl Special with Jimmy Davies in 1955.

?1954 Merz Engineering Special Kurtis/Offy, which finished sixth with Fred Agabashian in 1954 and fifth with Walt Faulkner in 1955.

?1957 Chapman Special Kurtis/Offy driven by Eddie Johnson.

?1951 Hinkle Special championship dirt track car driven to fifth in the 1953 “500” by Jack McGrath.

?1960 Joe Hunt Magneto Special Ewing/Offy driven by Al Herman in 1960.

?1951 Blakely Oil Special that finished fifth with Bobby Ball; also driven by Jimmy Bryan in 1953.

?1949/50 Bowes Seal Fast Special, known as the ?Baby Bowes? and driven in the 1950 ?500? by Troy Ruttman.

?1950 Sampson Special driven by Walt Ader. It is a Johnnie Rae chassis restored by A.J. Watson.

?1958 City of Daytona Beach Special Kurtis/Offy that was owned by Smokey Yunick and driven by Paul Goldsmith. It finished fifth in 1957 as the McNamara-Veedol Special when owned by Lee Elkins and driven by Andy Linden.

?1933/34 Martz Special, Hudson-engined car driven in 1933 and 1934 by Gene Haustein.

?1935 Ford V8 Miller Special, driven in the 1935 Indianapolis 500 by Johnny Seymour.

?1970 Sunoco No. 66 Penske Lola/Offy driven to second place by Mark Donohue.

?1963 Leader Card Watson/Offy driven to fourth place by Rodger Ward. Now restored in 1965 livery as Leader Card No. 95 with a Ford double overhead camshaft engine replacing the Offy, the only occasion on which a Ford was placed in a front-engine car. The car did not qualify in 1965.

?1961 San Diego Steel Auto Parts Special No. 18, built by Chuck Chenoweth, powered by a stock-block Chevrolet and driven by Mike Magill. The car did not qualify for the ?500.?

These cars and others will be on display throughout Indianapolis 500 weekend in a tent located in the east parking lot of the Speedway?s Hall of Fame Museum. For more information on the car display and the Hall of Fame Museum, call (317) 492-6784 or visit www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com.

Rock sensation Daughtry will kick the huge crowd gathered for the 91st Indianapolis 500 into overdrive with a Race Day performance Sunday, May 27 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 19/RCA recording artist Daughtry will play starting at noon – one hour before the start of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” – on the Coca-Cola Stage in the Pagoda Plaza, located directly behind the Bombardier Learjet Pagoda control tower. XM Satellite Radio is presenting the concert. Anointed as the quickest-selling rock debut in Soundscan history, “DAUGHTRY” became the No. 1, top-selling album in the country twice since its release in November 2006. “DAUGHTRY” has sold more than 2 million copies, had a No. 1 single with “It’s Not Over” and still tops the charts and radio airwaves with the addition of new hits “Home” and “What I Want.” The members of Daughtry are Chris Daughtry (vocals), Brian Craddock (guitar), Josh Steely (guitar), Josh Paul (bass) and Joey Barnes (drums).

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