1996 Indianapolis 500 Winner to Compete in Big Vintage Race at IMS
The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) today announced another Indianapolis 500 Mile Race winner will compete in the “Indy Legends Pro-Am,” a special feature to its June 6 – 8 “Brickyard Invitational” vintage race weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS).
Buddy Lazier, whose mastery of the Speedway oval is undisputed with an exceptional record of finishes, will join fellow Indianapolis 500 Mile Race winner Al Unser Jr. in a field loaded with great names of Brickyard lore. The SVRA, America’s premier vintage racing organization, is creating an intriguing competition for veterans of the Indianapolis 500 with a 40 minute race of American muscle cars on the Speedway’s 2.43-mile Grand Prix road course on Sunday, June 8.
“I am looking forward to trying out the IMS road course particularly with these muscle cars,” said Lazier, who not only won the 1996 Indianapolis 500 but also the Indy car championship in 2000. “The fans at Indy are always so great and just watching and hearing these special vintage race cars is going to be as much fun for me as for them.”
The cars for the Pro-Am will be 1967 to 1972 vintage Corvettes, Camaros and Mustangs of “Group 6,” with an engine displacement limit of 355 cubic inches. The Indianapolis 500 veterans will be paired with amateur drivers, each taking a 20-minute stint. Five minutes will be allotted for driver change.
Unlike any other competitor in the Pro-Am Lazier is entered in this year’s Indianapolis 500 with his Lazier Partners Racing Dallara Chevrolet sponsored by the Wynn Institute for Vision Research at the University of Iowa. His career record in the race is exceptional. This year will be his 18th Indianapolis 500 and he has not only won the race but also has amassed six top-ten finishes, securing the runner-up spot twice. Lazier is an accomplished road racer as well, having competed in SCCA Can-Am, IMSA GT and winning the American IndyCar Series championship in 1988. He was a two-time representative of the Indy car series to the International Race of Champions (IROC), winning the 2002 Chicagoland Speedway race and finishing second in the championship.
Lazier joins brother Jaques who announced his entry in the Pro-Am earlier this week. In addition to the Laziers and Unser 19 other drivers have entered over the past month. These include former Indianapolis Rookies-of-the-Year Lyn St. James and Robby McGehee as well as Willy T. Ribbs, Mark Dismore, Geoff Brabham, Alex Lloyd, Johnny Parsons Jr., Davey Hamilton, Robby Unser, Pete Halsmer, Rocky Moran, Eliseo Salazar, Dick Simon, Scott Harrington, Jack Miller, Rick Treadway, Spike Gehlhausen, Billy Roe and John Hollansworth. Parnelli Jones, who won the 1963 Indianapolis 500, will pace the field as part of his duties as Brickyard Invitational Grand Marshal. Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Unser will lead the Brickyard Invitational high-speed oval experience.
“We are so proud to have such an accomplished driver of Buddy’s stature racing with us,” said SVRA President and CEO Tony Parella. “It’s really exciting that he will be running in this year’s Indianapolis 500 as well, everyone at SVRA wishes him the best.”
The “Brickyard Invitational” weekend will be the largest gathering of race cars ever assembled for competition in America. The SVRA has 11 groups of cars spanning 100 years of vintage machines and all will be in action at IMS. The exciting array of entries include exquisite examples of select pre-war machines, classic sports cars, Formula One and endurance prototypes as current as 2009. The storied 2.5-mile oval will be utilized as well with exhibition runs by a wide variety of cars including several of the crowd-favorite 1950’s-vintage Indianapolis 500 “roadsters.” Race fans can enjoy every minute of the action by taking advantage of overnight camping inside the Speedway.
The Pro-Am cars and drivers will also participate in a Fan Walk through the starting grid prior to the opening ceremonies allowing fans to see the cars up close, take photos and chat with the drivers. Driver pairings and starting positions will be determined by a lottery. Entries to this event will be limited and all entry fees will be donated to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum Foundation.
Brickyard Invitational ticket information: A three-day general admission pass including Friday, June 6 through Sunday, June 8 costs $40. Single day general admission tickets are $15 on Friday, June 6, $20 on Saturday, June 7 and $25 on Sunday, June 8. Children 12 and under are admitted free each day when accompanied by an adult. Existing ticket customers to any 2014 IMS event are eligible to receive discounted general admission three-day passes for $30 until May 1 (save $10). Tent camping passes in Turn 3 of the IMS infield are available beginning Thursday afternoon, June 5 for $30, with RV camping available in the Northwest gravel lot for $60. Fans can order Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational tickets at www.ims.com/tickets, by calling 800-822-INDY or 317-492-6700 between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday or by visiting the IMS Ticket Office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday. Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are available. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information.