INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — Like long-dormant giants, they awaken with a snarl.
Miller. Offenhauser. Ford. Cosworth. One by one, each of them roars to life under the watchful eyes of Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum staff.
Eleven cars will take part in the historic car lap ahead of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday morning. Nine of them are race-winning cars. The National that Joe Dawson used to win the second 500 in 1912 is here. So is the Miller Special, which Pete DePaolo used in 1925 to win with an average speed of more than 100 miles per hour for the first time. And 40 years after it became the first car to win the race in less than three hours, Bobby Rahal’s Cosworth-powered March 86C will circle the Brickyard.
Dan Rosenau, the museum’s manager of restoration services, said the museum starts preparing the cars for the 500 early in the year. He said cars are typically chosen for anniversaries. For example, many of this year’s cars won in years ending in one or six. Historically significant non-winning cars sometimes take part as well.
This year’s lap includes the 1934 Cummins Diesel Special, a diesel-powered race car. On Thursday, the drivers for this year’s lap met with museum staff to practice driving the cars ahead of this weekend’s festivities.
Rosenau said his team often has to fabricate period-correct parts for the older cars, in particular.
“They were built by the teams in a little shop somewhere, and you can’t just run down to the National dealer or the Miller dealer and get parts for your car. You have to make things,” he said.
Rosenau said working on Rahal’s winning car is particularly special because he remembers attending the race as a fan, shortly before he embarked on a long technical career with IndyCar, followed by his stint at the museum. He said the story behind that win, with terminally ill team owner Jim Trueman joining Rahal in victory lane, makes the car especially significant.
“It was a big, emotional moment for everybody involved with this car to get a win for Jim before he left us,” he said. “I remember watching this car run around the track. To actually put hands on this car, and I’ve actually driven this car during our shakedowns, it’s a pretty special moment.”
Rahal himself, who went on to win three IndyCar championships, will drive the car again on Sunday. After taking the car for a shakedown lap on Thursday, he told WRTV he’s glad he’s still able to get in the car.
“It’s just like home,” he said. “I’m real pleased I’m able to get in it every now and then, especially around the 500 weekend, and get to cruise around and relive some of the memories.”
The shakedown lap is scheduled for a little after 10:55 a.m. on race day. The cars will depart from turn 1, do one lap of the track, and come down the pit lane.
