Brownsburg, IN — As the countdown continues to the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500, students at Crossroads Elementary School in Brownsburg put on their racing shoes and revved up their engines for the second annual Kindy 500.
“The month of May is so important in Indiana. So at a young age, I try to teach them about kind of their hometown, working together, being a team, and just having fun” said Reagan O'Gara.
When O’Gara became a teacher at Crossroads she knew she wanted bring the Kindy 500 to her school.
“I remember it being really special between me and my dad, kind of making the car together,” she shared.
O'Gara’s connection to racing runs deep. Her father, Mike O’Gara, is the Director of Operations for Chip Ganassi Racing. She remembers a special moment her family shared at the Indy 500 that continues to fuel her love for the sport. Her dad was part of Marcus Ericsson’s 2022 Indy 500 win.
“Being able to watch my dad be on the car that won the Indy 500 was just a day that I will never recover from,” she shared.
She hopes the Kindy 500 will spark the next generation of kids to love the sport and the Indy 500 the way she does.
“It’s not just race day, it's not just Carb day, it's not just qualifying, it's the whole month of May. “It just feels so special. There's so much tradition all throughout everything from the beginning to the end of May,” O’Gara said.
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