With the 100th anniversary of the very first Indianapolis 500 coming up next May, this week saw a very special photoshoot take place at the famed circuit.
Thirty-three previously victorious cars were lined-up on the starting grid, with Speedway historian Donald Davidson in tow. Fronted by a trio of winners, including Ray Harroun’s 1911 Marmon Wasp, the machines gathered silently, while all around celebrations for next year’s event gather pace.
Alongside Harroun’s winner were Dario Franchitti’s 2010 Ganassi Racing machine, as well as the AJ Foyt piloted Trevis-Offenhauser. All of the cars lined-up were the originals, bar Mario Andretti’s 1969 Ford-powered Brawner Hawk machine.
Of the 33 machines, twenty-seven of them belong to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with the rest belonging to Chip Ganassi, Roger Penske and various other owners.
The field, as the lined-up were:
Row 1 – 1911 (Ray Harroun); 2010 (Dario Franchitti); 1961 (A.J. Foyt)
Row 2 – 1979 (Rick Mears); 1939-40 (Wilbur Shaw); 1970 (Al Unser)
Row 3 – 1963 (Parnelli Jones); 1990 (Arie Luyendyk); 1947-48 (Mauri Rose)
Row 4 – 1980 (Johnny Rutherford); 1953-54 (Bill Vukovich); 1968 (Bobby Unser)
Row 5 – 1964 (A.J. Foyt); 1965 (Jimmy Clark); 1922 (Jimmy Murphy)
Row 6 – 1969 (Mario Andretti); 1957-58 (Sam Hanks, Jimmy Bryan); 1983 (Tom Sneva)
Row 7 – 1912 (Joe Dawson); 1982 (Gordon Johncock); 1952 (Troy Ruttman)
Row 8 – 1972 (Mark Donohue); 1962 (Rodger Ward); 2000 (Juan-Pablo Montoya)
Row 9 – 1928 (Louis Meyer); 1995 (Jacques Villeneuve); 1950 (Johnnie Parsons)
Row 10 – 1977 (A.J. Foyt); 1951 (Lee Wallard); 1992 (Al Unser Jr.)
Row 11 – 1946 (George Robson); 1978 (Al Unser); 1932 (Fred Frame)
That is an expensive collection they have there. I had not thought of it being the Indy centenary. I wonder what kind of special events they will put on.
There’s no confirmation as of yet as to what celebrations they will hold, but it should be something big. It will be the final year of the three year celebration after all.