HALF THE INDY WINS FROM HALF A CENTURY. STORY BY: John Oreovicz PHOTOS BY: Shawn Gritzmacher & John Cote 2013 INDIANAPOLIS 500 OFFICIAL PROGRAM

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20 INDIANAPOLIS 500 OFFICIAL PROGRAM HALF THE INDY WINS FROM HALF A CENTURY STORY BY: John Oreovicz PHOTOS BY: Shawn Gritzmacher & John Cote Pause for a moment, and go back and take a close look at

1 20 INDIANAPOLIS 500 OFFICIAL PROGRAM HALF THE INDY WINS FROM HALF A CENTURY STORY BY: John Oreovicz PHOTOS BY: Shawn Gritzmacher & John Cote Pause for a moment, and go back and take a close look at the cover of the Official Program you hold in your hands. Open the gatefold, and think about the magic Indianapolis 500 moments that any or all of the seven depicted men created in your lifetime. There are many moments to choose from, because those seven men claimed 24 victories in The Greatest Spectacle in Racing over the last 52 years. That s nearly half the wins in half a century. Remember A.J. Foyt taking a victory lap around the Speedway in the Oldsmobile Pace Car after his historic fourth Indianapolis 500 win back in 1977, accompanied by track owner Tony Hulman? What about 1991, when Rick Mears passed Michael Andretti around the outside in Turn 1 with 12 laps remaining to seal his fourth win? Or just last year, when three-time winner Dario Franchitti masterfully kept his sliding car off the Turn 1 wall after light contact from Takuma Sato as Sato tried to pass for the win on the last lap? The Unsers are synonymous with Indianapolis; brothers Bobby and Al combined for seven Indy wins. Bobby was the better quote, but Al did his talking with four Indy wins to Bobby s three. He also raised a son who added two more. Memories of Johnny Rutherford are dominated by the bright colors of the groovy era in which he won his three 500s, McLaren orange; the Yellow Sub. And of course Helio Castroneves climbed the fence. Seven champions, synonymous with success at Indianapolis. Seven men who truly define Indy s modern era. But how do you encompass all of those personalities and memories in a painting or illustration the traditional format for the Indianapolis 500 program cover? You start a new tradition. For the first time in the 104-year history of the program, a photographic image of drivers was used on the cover of the program. Or rather, images. For logistical reasons, all seven drivers were not photographed together. Instead, the three four-time winners participated in a photo session at A.J. Foyt Enterprises near Houston, while the four three-time champions met in Indianapolis at IMS Productions, right across 16th Street from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. IMSP features state-of-the-art photographic studios, but rental lighting and backdrop equipment had to be trucked into Foyt s shop. While photographers Shawn Gritzmacher and John Cote and their crew set up a background in the midst of the bustling hub of activity, the four-time winners set to reminiscing. When I got the call and they asked if I could make it to Texas, I was more than happy to, Mears said. I d never been to A.J. s place, so that was fun. It was great to see that. A.J. and Al are a hoot when they re together. They have a lot of fuel to throw back and forth at each other. It was just an honor to stand there with them. I never feel like we fit in their category, even though we

On The Cover won four times. I feel like the only way I could fit in their category is if I would have won five. They re my heroes, and you never feel like you can catch up to your heroes.

2 On The Cover won four times. I feel like the only way I could fit in their category is if I would have won five. They re my heroes, and you never feel like you can catch up to your heroes. At least Mears can say that he raced his heroes. Remarkably, even though his Indy car career did not start until the late 1970s, years later than Foyt and Al Unser, he retired from the sport earlier than either of the other four-time Indy winners. Castroneves and Franchitti didn t arrive on the Indy car scene until the late 1990s and therefore never raced against any of the other three- and four-time winners. That generation gap was more apparent at the Indianapolis photo session where the three-time winners were gathered. The night before, I was checking in at the hotel, and here comes JR and Uncle Bobby, checking in at the same time, Franchitti» (main) A behind-the-scenes view of the three-time Indianapolis 500 winner photo shoot at the IMS Productions studios last November. 83

20 INDIANAPOLIS 500 OFFICIAL PROGRAM said. So I got to see them the night before, and that was a treat. Whenever you can get in the company of legends like JR and Bobby, it s fun.

it s amazing to be friends with guys like them, and other great champions like Mario Andretti and Parnelli Jones.

I was really surprised at seeing» (top) Capturing the character of three racing how loose and comfortable Dario icons; Foyt, Mears and Unser. (opposite page) was, Gritzmacher said.

3 20 INDIANAPOLIS 500 OFFICIAL PROGRAM said. So I got to see them the night before, and that was a treat. Whenever you can get in the company of legends like JR and Bobby, it s fun. I love to ask them questions about the old cars and the old times. I certainly feel they are really nice to me, and I have a really good relationship with those guys Al Senior, Rick, A.J. it s amazing to be friends with guys like them, and other great champions like Mario Andretti and Parnelli Jones. Gritzmacher observed that the presence of the elder legends seemed to put Franchitti at ease. I was really surprised at seeing» (top) Capturing the character of three racing how loose and comfortable Dario icons; Foyt, Mears and Unser. (opposite page) was, Gritzmacher said. I m The four-time winner photo shoot crew on the used to seeing him at the track in set in Houston (l to r): photographer Shawn race mode, when he is this very Gritzmacher, Al Unser, IMS Creative Director focused and intense individual. Dawn DeBellis, Rick Mears, photographer You could tell there is a lot of John Cote and the legendary A.J. Foyt. rapport between those guys. The best part of the Texas shoot was to sit there at the end and hear A.J. and Unser and Mears tell stories. I was sad we had to get back on a plane. Castroneves believes the vibe was much the same at the Indianapolis session. We were joking around, and that really brought out the characters in those guys, Helio said. Bobby is very interactive and very funny. I can only imagine how he was 30 years ago when he was younger! John Rutherford is still active with the series. He was very nicely dressed, very dapper. Sometimes I see a little bit of myself in him, because we both always make sure to look good. I hope I look that good 30 years from now! Rutherford said the photo shoot prompted him to reflect that Indianapolis and the Speedway had been part of his life for half a century. My first dream was to go run the Indianapolis 500, and I came up through sprint cars and midgets and stock cars to get there, Rutherford said. I had a great opportunity to stay in NASCAR with Smokey Yunick when I raced stock cars in 1963, but my passion was to go to Indianapolis, and that s where I went and have been a part of it ever since. The three victories at the Indianapolis 500 were obviously the highlight of my career. Being one of ten drivers to have won it three times or more is very special, and it was a privilege to be featured in the photograph with the other guys. If there was a common theme between the two photo sessions, it was discussion and comparison of the different eras of racing in which the drivers participated. Foyt is the only driver in the group who won at Indianapolis in a classic front-engine roadster; his 35-year career spanned roadsters, the rear-engine revolution, and the introduction of turbochargers, wings, slick tires, ground effects and carbon-composite chassis construction. By contrast, Franchitti and Castroneves compete in an era of spec car racing, when innovation and modification is limited by the rules. So while the record book indicates he has the same number of Indianapolis wins as Rutherford and Bobby Unser, Castroneves believes the older generation of racers had a tougher time getting to that number.

On The Cover I m glad Dario was there to help defend our generation! Helio joked. Sometimes I imagine what it must have been like 30 or 40 years ago, and it blows your mind away.

I respect them because back $3 million when he won the 2009 Indianapolis 500, Castroneves made more in one day than Foyt, Rutherford and Bobby Unser made in their long Indianapolis careers.

4 On The Cover I m glad Dario was there to help defend our generation! Helio joked. Sometimes I imagine what it must have been like 30 or 40 years ago, and it blows your mind away. If they look at us and think we re not as tough as they were in the past, they have the right to do that. I respect them because back $3 million when he won the 2009 Indianapolis 500, Castroneves made more in one day than Foyt, Rutherford and Bobby Unser made in their long Indianapolis careers. Castroneves smallest career Indy payday of $277,805 (for finishing ninth in 2005) was more than the biggest check Foyt OFFICE OF A RACING ICON BEING ONE OF TEN DRIVERS TO HAVE WON IT THREE TIMES OR MORE IS VERY SPECIAL, AND IT WAS A PRIVILEGE TO BE FEATURED IN THE PHOTOGRAPH WITH THE OTHER GUYS. - JOHNNY RUTHERFORD then it was more about who was going to survive than who was going to win. They didn t have SAFER walls; they didn t have cars that could survive big impacts. Guys like John and Bobby were driving cars that weren t much slower than ours. I drove one of those cars, and I was amazed. You felt like you were on ice all the time. The money is better for today s drivers, too. By earning just over ever cashed $259,791 after winning his fourth 500 in Today s drivers are soft and the conditions are waaay too easy, but that s just an old has-been talking! Bobby Unser said with a laugh. That s not to say these young guys don t have talent and aren t trying hard or driving hard. Franchitti and Castroneves, if they had to run sprint cars or midgets, they d have run them. And they Rick and Al arrived at the Foyt Racing shop in Waller, Texas, late morning on November 30th, It was actually the first time either of them had ever visited Foyt s shop, so it was a big treat for them. It had been quite a while since the four-time winners had spent any time together, and they took the opportunity to catch up on lost time in A.J. s office before the shoot. Stories and laughs were shared over a proper Texas barbecue lunch (of course!) ordered in from Carl s BBQ, the race shop s local favorite (luckily, no one spilled any barbecue sauce). A couple of hours later, the three legends moved to the set, which was situated in the middle of the race shop while the team went about their business preparing their cars for the 20 season. By 3 pm, the historic shoot was complete, the set was torn down, and everyone departed for the airport. It was a day to remember for all those involved. 85

5 20 INDIANAPOLIS 500 OFFICIAL PROGRAM 3 & 4 TIME WINNER STATS CAREER STATS A.J. A.J. FOYT STARTS STARTS WINS WINS 2ND PLACE FINISHES 2ND PLACE FINISHES LAPS LED IN WINS LAPS LEDLAPS IN WINS TOTAL LED TOTAL LAPS LED TOTAL RACES LED TOTALCOMPLETED RACES LED LAPS LAPS COMPLETED COMPLETED MILES MILESWIN-START COMPLETED FIRST # FIRST WIN-START ## 2ND WIN-START 23ND WIN-START ## RD WIN-START WIN-START ## 34RD TH WIN-START 4TH WIN-START # FOYT ,845 4,845 12, , AL AL UNSER UNSER ,356 4,356 10, , RICK RICK MEARS MEARS ,342 2,342 5,855 25, HELIO HELIO DARIO DARIO CASTRONEVES FRANCHITTI CASTRONEVES ,254 2,254 5,635 15, FRANCHITTI ,743 1,743 4, , BOBBY BOBBY JOHNNY JOHNNY UNSER RUTHERFORD UNSER ,611 2,611 6, , RUTHERFORD ,792 2,792 6, , CAREER EARNINGS $2,640,960 $259,791 $2,640,960 $2,969 $259,791 $2,969 $3,379,176 $526,763 $3,379,176 $10,120 $526,763 $10,120 $4,299,400 $1,219,704 $4,299,400 $22,396 $1,219,704 $22,396 $9,848,458 $3,048,005 $9,848,458 $277,805 $3,048,005 $277,805 $8,653,833 $2,752,055 $153,565 $8,653,833 $2,752,055 $1,169,837 $153,565 $299,124 $6,250 $1,169,837 $299,124 $1,689,371 $6,250 $318,820 $5,400 $1,689,371 $318,820 $5,400 Career Total Biggest Earning Smallest Earning Career Total Biggest Earning Smallest Earning $3,000 $3,000 $10,000,000 $10,000,000

On The Cover» (main) The scene in Foyt s shop shortly after Rick and Al arrived; Rick chats with Jack Starne, general manager of Foyt Racing and A.J. s long-time chief mechanic and crew chief.

I just wish some of these younger guys could have seen Foyt when he was young seen how bad he wanted to win races, and therefore set our bar a lot higher. Foyt doesn t disagree.

6 On The Cover» (main) The scene in Foyt s shop shortly after Rick and Al arrived; Rick chats with Jack Starne, general manager of Foyt Racing and A.J. s long-time chief mechanic and crew chief. would have liked it and they would have run really good. I just wish some of these younger guys could have seen Foyt when he was young seen how bad he wanted to win races, and therefore set our bar a lot higher. Foyt doesn t disagree. He knows Castroneves and Franchitti desperately want to join him, Mears and Al Unser in the four-time winners club. And he s not going to begrudge them the honor if they manage to achieve it even though he recognizes the sport has changed drastically from his 35 years as a driver. It would make no difference to me, Foyt said. I ve always said records are meant to be broken. It wouldn t surprise me to see a six- or eight-time winner with the equipment they have. These days, it s not just you and your mechanic; it s the factory you have behind you. It takes a lot of the racing away from you and your crew because they step in and do a lot of work that normally you would do. In the old days, you would qualify and then overhaul your own motor, and then practice on Carburetion Day and then race it. Nowadays you have motors that have been run on the dyno, so it s different. I don t say it s any better, but you do have a lot more cars that don t blow up. It takes a lot away from the driver. All he has to do is just push the button and turn the wheel now. Contrary to his gruff public persona, Foyt was delighted to host the four-time winner shoot. It fun as I did getting together. We just talked about the way things have changed in racing from when we all started. We all started with cars that are nothing like they are today just how much safer they are and all the changes. We kind of jabbed each other here and there and cut up about our ages and things like that. How these kids don t know how easy it is compared to when we started. Mears certainly recognizes AFTER THE RACE LAST YEAR, THE FIRST THREE DRIVERS I SAW WERE HELIO, JR AND UNCLE BOBBY THE OTHER SURVIVING THREE-TIME WINNERS. - DARIO FRANCHITTI was an informal affair; once Mears and Unser arrived, the champion drivers tucked into a lunch of take-out barbecue in Foyt s office while the production crew made final adjustments to the set. I really enjoyed it because it was sort of private and we could just sit there and talk amongst ourselves where everybody s not listening, Foyt said. I think they had as much the level of talent and commitment in today s champion drivers, even if the danger factor is less than it used to be. Those guys are good, Mears noted of Castroneves and Franchitti. They re both racers, and they both run pretty similar in what I call running smart. They use their heads. They know when to push and when not to, and that s 87

20 INDIANAPOLIS 500 OFFICIAL PROGRAM how you win races like Indianapolis. You don t win them unless you get to the end, and they both know how to do that. They re a lot alike in that respect.

Reigning winner Franchitti, with three Indy 500 triumphs in the last six years, is the main target for the rest of the field of 33.

7 20 INDIANAPOLIS 500 OFFICIAL PROGRAM how you win races like Indianapolis. You don t win them unless you get to the end, and they both know how to do that. They re a lot alike in that respect. And they ll both be challenging for Indianapolis win No. 4 on May 26. Reigning winner Franchitti, with three Indy 500 triumphs in the last six years, is the main target for the rest of the field of 33. Said Castroneves: I m sure it s the same for Dario as it is for me we want to keep going for it to try to get in the next picture with the four-time winners. Then we ll see what s next Here s a funny thing, Franchitti said. After the race last year, the first three drivers I saw were Helio, JR and Uncle Bobby the other surviving three-time winners. I saw all three of them within an hour, and that was really special. Really cool. Hopefully this year I ll be getting a visit from A.J., Rick and Big Al. That s a photo op I d really look forward to. LEGENDS THROUGH THE LENS. The concept of photographing the surviving three-and four-time winners of the Indianapolis 500 for the cover of this year s souvenir program originated with Indianapolis Motor Speedway Creative Director Dawn DeBellis, with assistance from longtime motorsports publicist Steve Shunck. The original idea was to gather the seven Indy greats together at the Speedway for a series of photos. But that plan was deemed too impractical in terms of logistics and luck with the weather. The decision was taken to shoot the three- and four-time winners at separate times and merge the images into a gatefold. Once it was determined to execute the four-time winner s session at A.J. Foyt s race shop in Texas, photographers Shawn Gritzmacher and John Cote flew in from Minneapolis and Indianapolis, respectively, for the remote shoot.» (left) More than a thousand photos Props were kept to a minimum; were taken in different combinations and keen-eyed observers might notice configurations in order to get the perfect that the green folding chairs used shots that the creative team would use to in the shoot were taken from the assemble the cover image. grandstands at the Speedway. For Gritzmacher, an Indy car racing fan for much of his life, it was a rare opportunity to work closely with the most legendary heroes of the sport. One of the things that got me into photography was going to Road America and shooting race cars there, Gritzmacher said. Even though I ve been shooting racing for a number of years, I had butterflies about this whole event and working more intimately with those guys. But they were great. For the three-time winner s session at IMS Productions in Indianapolis, the photographers had clinical conditions and everything technical they needed at their disposal. For the four-timers shoot in Texas, all of that lighting and backdrop equipment needed to be sourced locally and temporarily erected at Foyt s

We actually ended up using the back of the transporter to create some shade and some things in the background.

8 On The Cover shop all while the Foyt Racing crew went about their daily business working on Takuma Sato s Indy cars. It was a little bit more challenging than just having the comfort zone of an existing studio, Gritzmacher noted. A lot of credit really goes to John Cote for troubleshooting that. We actually ended up using the back of the transporter to create some shade and some things in the background. The guys in the shop were great, moving cars around and whatever we needed to create the space.» (right) One or two props were considered The photographers job was that ended up on the cutting room floor; here made easier by the fact that all the three-time winners contemplate how to of the drivers involved were total use a vintage stop watch borrowed from the professionals even notorious IMS Hall of Fame Museum. (below) After the practical jokers Dario Franchitti November 15th shoot in Indianapolis and Helio Castroneves. (l to r): photographers John Cote and Shawn We all pretty much did what we Gritzmacher, Helio Castronves, IMS Creative were told, which is quite surprising, Director Dawn DeBellis, Dario Franchitti, Franchitti said. We had a list IMS creative team members Brad Walters, of things to do, and in between Joel Wittman and Jonny Vessely stand telling stories and goofing off, behind Bobby Unser and Johnny Rutherford. we just did what we were told. Al Unser has a reputation for being quiet, but in the presence of fellow four-time Indianapolis 500 winners Foyt and Rick Mears, he was animated and expressive. He summed the project up nicely. This is really a neat thing the Speedway has done, getting us all together and putting us on the cover of the program, Unser said. Indianapolis has been good to every one of us, and it s an honor to be a part of its history. 89

MILLER: Mario Andretti at 75. Thursday, 26 February 2015 Robin Miller / Images: Steve Shunck, Dan Boyd, IMS archives, Robin Miller Racer.

MILLER: Mario Andretti at 75. Thursday, 26 February 2015 Robin Miller / Images: Steve Shunck, Dan Boyd, IMS archives, Robin Miller Racer. MILLER: Mario Andretti at 75 Thursday, 26 February 2015 Robin Miller / Images: Steve Shunck, Dan Boyd, IMS archives, Robin Miller Racer.com That wild kid they used to send Christmas cards in July because