Wednesday, December 11, 2002
The Indy 500 Wall of Fame was unveiled earlier this month as a permanent display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
The new exhibit honors the history and winners of the most prestigious race in the world, the Indianapolis 500. It was opened during the Motor Press Guild's annual Dean Batchelor Awards Banquet on Dec. 3 at the Petersen Museum. Ben Stewart, Motor Press Guild president, kicked off the evening with an Indy Wall of Fame ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The night resonated with stories about cars and people. Among the significant vehicles on display were Troy Ruttman's 1952 Indianapolis 500 winner, the last of the classic "sit-up" style cars to win at Indy; Jack Brabham's 1961 Cooper-Climax, the car that started the rear-engine revolution at the Speedway; Jim Clark's 1964 Indianapolis 500 pole-winning Lotus-Ford; Al Unser's "Johnny Lightning Special" that won the 1971 Indianapolis 500; Bobby Unser's and Mario Andretti's first- and second-place cars from the 1981 Indianapolis 500; and two-time Indy Racing League champion Sam Hornish's Pennzoil Panther Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone.
The evening's symposium, co-hosted by Indianapolis Motor Speedway Historian Donald Davidson and author Tim Considine, was packed with Indy lore and living legends. One by one those legends were called to the stage, including 1963 Indianapolis 500 winner Parnelli Jones, three-time Indy winner Bobby Unser, 1983 Indy winner Tom Sneva and two-time Indy runner-up Dan Gurney.
IRL standout Jaques Lazier joined Jones, Unser, Sneva and Gurney on stage.
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