This is so hard to believe it just seems like a very, very bad dream.   I have been a racing fan as far back as I can remember.   I have seen the triumph and celebration of this sport we so dearly love, but once again have witnessed the tragedy that also looms over every turn the drivers dive into at every race.  The one thing that draws us to the sport…the daring and that element of danger that makes Indy Car racing so incredibly exciting has once again taken a great driver and truly good person from us. We just get so use to the drivers getting it right every time and never really think about what could happen if something does go so terribly wrong and an accident occurs. These guys and gals are very special people…really modern day gladiators….who every race cheat death. I have seen some of the most ferocious accidents over the years and was a little boy in 1973 and vividly remember the pain of losing my favorite driver Swede Savage. I never again had a favorite driver.  

Legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway announcer Tom Carnegie has died.  Carnegie passed away at the age of 91.  He served as the voice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for more than 60 years, taking the job in 1946. He was hired by track owner Tony Hulman to announce the first race under Hulman’s ownership.  Something not known by many was that he was born Carl Kenagy on September 25, 1919. A manager at the Fort Wayne radio station where he worked changed his on-air name to Tom Carnegie. His Indianapolis sports history extended beyond the Brickyard.  He was the announcer at Hinkle Fieldhouse when Milan High School won the 1954 state basketball championship on Bobby Plump’s infamous shot, which became the basis for the movie “Hoosiers.”  His voice will always resonate throughout the rafters of Hinkle Field House where he was PA for many classic hardwood basketball state finals.  SHARE YOUR MOST MEMORABLE TOM CARNEGIE MOMENTS AND MEMORIES WITH “500 LEGENDS”.  GOD SPEED TOM CARNEGIE!

Tell us what your all time favorite Indy Car design is and why you like that car. Send me a picture and I will post it to your blog. My favorite car was the 1981 #25 black beauty Interscope Batmobile driven by the “Flyin’ Hawaiian” Danny Ongais. This car was originally built to be raced in the 1980 Indianapolis 500 and was to be powered by a Porsche engine. Preseason testing in an older Parnelli chassis at Ontario proved that the engine was very powerful and very fast even in an older car and shattered previous track record speeds. So fast that other CART teams protested the engine and Cart made a last minute rules change that rendered the engine obsolete and Porsche withdrew its entry. The chassis was put on ice until 1981 when it was fitted with a Cosworth engine. Ongais was fast and was leading the race on lap 63 when he when in for a pit stop. Getting ready to exit his pit he stalled the engine and it turned into a 46 second pit stop. It was said that when the crew got his car restarted when Ongais lit up his tires leaving his pit he may have tweaked his right rear half shaft. Entering turn 3 on his out lap Ongais’ car snapped to the right almost head on ito the wall. The car burst into flames as black smoke, wheels and body panels shower the air. Ongais suffered major injuries, but recover to once again race at the famed oval. This car was so ahead of its time. Interesting enough the back end of the car looks a lot like a number of the new car designs being considered by the IRL for the 2012 chassis.  *PHOTO COURTESY OF WESLEY WINTERINK*

Hey Indy Car fans and racing memorabilia collectors tell “500 LEGENDS” what you would like to see done in 1/18 scale Indy Cars. There are a lot of different cars out there from Carousel 1, UT Minichamps, Greenlight, Ertl and Masito. All these cars can be redesigned into many diferent cars that were never produced. Tell us what you would like to see done and we will do our best to get the job done for you. From artwork development of the decals to figuring out how to redesign the chassis of the model car is a painstaking project, but we want to give you what you want. A hand built one of a kind “ART IN MOTION” masterpiece. GIVE US SOME FEEDBACK ON SOME OF YOUR IDEAS. Cars that appear to be the most popular will be given the greatest amount of consideration. Of the suggestions with the most interest that may be picked, everyone who may have given us the suggestion of that particular car and we pick it for development you will recieve a 10% discount on that car when you purchase it from “500 LEGENDS”. Gift Certificates will be issued at the end of July. SO TELL US WHAT YOU WANT!!

Every fan of the Indianapolis 500 mile race has a favorite story…a special memory…something they remember about the race or an event out side the race itself. Tell us about drivers or celebrities you may have met, how you decorate your house and the parties you may have or a race room you have built to display your racing memorabilia. Tell us about things you have seen at the track, a crash you may have seen, a yellow shirt story or about meeting someone who was associated with the racing comunity. We are looking for special memories you would like to share about the “GREATEST SPECTACLE IN RACING” with the “500 LEGENDS” community. Send me pictures of whatever pertains to your special memory and I will attach them to your story. By the end of the summer we will be sending out an email for you to vote for what story you feel is the best memory of all. Once all the votes have been tallied and the favorite memory story has been selected the winner will recieve a $50 gift certificate courtesy of “500 Legends”.

Tell me what Indy Car drivers helmet is your all time favorite.  There have been so many beautiful helmets over the years, but whose helmet is the most popular.  I tend to like the older vintage helmets.  They were much simplier and many of the drivers had the same helmet year after year making subtle changes depending on the sponsor of their car.   Today’s helmets, though very artistic, have too much design work going on for me personally.  My all time favorite helmets came from none other than the living “500 LEGEND”  “LONESTAR JR” Johnny Rutherford.  Probably the most recognizable helmet in Indy Car history.  Tell “500 LEGENDS” what you think.  Email me a picture of your favorite helmet and I will post it to your blog.