Racing Legends Unite at Indy’s Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational
Superstar drivers and incredible machinery will battle it out at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend.
Hundreds of the finest vintage race cars in the world will converge at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend for the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association's (SVRA) Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational.
The action will take place on the 14-turn, 2.43-mile road course found within the 2.0-mile banked oval where the iconic Indy 500 is contested every year. A total of 12 different car classes will put these exquisite vintage machines to the test, especially given the nearly 100-degree weather that's expected in Indianapolis this weekend, as well as the stamina of the racing drivers, which feature an eclectic mix of cream of the crop and weekend-only amateurs.
The action begins on Friday with qualifying, followed by racing on Saturday and Sunday. The headlining event for this weekend is the Indy Legends Charity Pro-Am, which will see 1963 to 1972 vintage Corvettes, Camaros, and Mustangs race against each other. Other legendary machines that will be invading the track include vintage and modern Indy 500 cars from throughout the decades and even vintage motorcycles.
“The Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational is so special because it features nearly the entire history of our sport – in motion – on one weekend,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “There’s such an incredible variety of more than 300 machines from nearly 100 years of competition, and they’re all crossing the hallowed Yard of Bricks at speed."
Of course, we can't forget about the drivers who will be getting behind the wheel of these beauties, and boy is it quite a lineup. More than 20 Indianapolis 500 veterans will be competing, including two-time 500 winner Al Unser Jr., Paul Tracy, Willy T. Ribbs, and Jimmy Vasser. Female racing pioneers Lyn St. James and Sarah Fisher are also racing in the Pro-Am, with Fisher joining multiple Le Mans podium finisher Max Papis as defending champions in their respective classes.
"Fans can get up close to see the cars in Gasoline Alley and talk with the drivers. Combine that with kids 15 and under get in free with an adult, and the Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational is a fantastic way to spend Father’s Day weekend.”
Indy 500 legends Johnny Rutherford and Bobby Unser will serve as the grand marshal and honorary chief steward of the event, which will also see a pre-1920 exhibition race and even a car show on the grounds.
