The drivers prepped the car…
…and today was the day, reigning Indy 500 champion, Dario Franchitti gave it away! The lucky winner was Bruce Barhydt from Apex, N.C. who has been coming to the Indianapolis 500 for 43 years now! Barhydt won the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS Indianapolis 500 Pace Car No. 1 in a random drawing among fans who reordered or applied for 2011 Indianapolis 500 tickets at www.imstix.com between May 31 and June 14.
Winner Bruce Barhydt with Dario Franchitti
We got to ask Bruce and his wife Barbara a few questions about their experiences at the track and what it felt like to be the new owners of this great car–Here is what they had to say:
How long have you been coming to the track?
Bruce and Barbara Barhydt have been coming to the track since 1967. “We sit in the same seats every year, right across from the pole.” In fact, the first year they came to the Indianapolis 500 their trip involved a camaro- “The first year we drove down in a 1967 Camaro…butternut yellow…it was the first year they made them!” Such a coincidence considering today they would be leaving with one!
What are you going to do with your new camaro? Daily driver?
“It will be a lot of things but not a daily driver!” In fact, the Barhydt’s had recently purchased a new car 3 weeks prior to finding out they won the sweepstakes- “We couldn’t believe it!”
How will you celebrate next year’s 100th Anniversary?
The Barhydt’s already had a plan in mind: “We are going to drive the car back for the race! We also want to go to the 500 Festival Parade, we’ve never been before.”
Are you excited to drive the car home now?
“Yes, we are stopping in Auburn, IN, [where they used to live] to visit our friends. I think we are getting interviewed by the news too.”
And finally, do you think Dario will become the IZOD IndyCar Series Champion?
Bruce was unsure. “I stayed up to watch Motegi [Indy Japan 300] live and I thought Dario would have done better! I think Will Power will have to seriously mess up now for him [Dario] to win.”
Either way, they wanted Dario to sign the dashboard of their new car (which he gladly did!) and enjoyed posing for pictures on the Yard of Bricks. See more pictures of today’s action here. And get your tickets for the 2011 Indianapolis 500, the 100th anniversary of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” to be held on Sunday, May 29, 2011. Order here: imstix.com
[...] and his wife, Barbara, visited the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to pick up the keys to their 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS Indianapolis 500 Pace Car that they won in the Indy 500 Pace Car [...]