Motorsports Venues - True Grit Award To Highlight Indianapolis 500 Bump Day

INDIANAPOLIS, May 20, 2011: Officials from the International Motorsports Industry Show (IMIS) and C&R Racing Inc., announced today that the “Rally In The Alley,” a reception for all INDYCAR team members participating in the Indianapolis 500, will take place Sunday in Gasoline Alley at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway immediately following the conclusion of on-track Bump Day activities.

During the reception, the C&R Racing / IMIS “True Grit” Award will be bestowed upon a member of the INDYCAR community. The $5,000 award is given to a veteran INDYCAR team member who has achieved success, overcome adversity, excelled in preparation and has exemplified dedication to the highly skilled trade of building and maintaining IZOD IndyCar Series cars.

“Many years ago, Joe Ball and all the guys at DieHard Batteries used to conduct a big party in Gasoline Alley when the track closed on Bump Day,” said Paulsen, owner of C&R Racing and co-founder of IMIS. “It was something all the mechanics and crews looked forward to after a long month of working toward the Indianapolis 500. It gave them a chance to relax a little bit after qualifying and before the race preparation began. Unfortunately, we haven’t had an event like that at the Speedway in a few years, so we wanted to do something to give back to the crews who work so hard during the month.

“The Hulman-George family (owners of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway) and Randy Bernard (CEO of INDYCAR) really liked the idea of bringing an event like this back and we really appreciate their support and involvement.”

C&R Racing manufactures and distributes complete cooling systems, chassis and drivetrain components, wind-tunnel models and an assortment of other parts and pieces to INDYCAR and NASCAR teams, as well several other racing series throughout the world. With more than 20 years of history, C&R Racing is considered one of the most important motorsports businesses in the world.

The third annual IMIS event is scheduled for Dec. 8-10, 2011 at the Indiana Convention Center. The hardcore racing trade show was founded in 2009 by Paulsen, Tom Weisenbach, executive director of the Indiana Motorsports Association (IMA), Jeff Stoops, president of Stoops Freightliner, and two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart.

“At both C&R Racing and IMIS, we work for the hardcore racer,” Paulsen said. “The ‘Rally in the Alley’ and the ‘True Grit’ Award give us a chance to give back to the people who put so much into the world of motorsports with their hard work.”

Paulsen and C&R established the “True Grit” Award in 1998 for crew members in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400.

Past Indianapolis 500 “True Grit” winners include: Kyle Moyer (Andretti Green Racing), Mitch Davis (Target Chip Ganassi Racing), Rick Long (Speedway Engines), Clive Howell (Penske Racing), Rick Rinaman (Penske Racing), Owen Snyder Jr., (Eddie Cheever Racing), Dennis Lacava (Hemelgarn Racing), John O’Gara (A.J. Foyt Enterprises), Craig Baranouski (A.J. Foyt Enterprises), John King (A.J. Foyt Enterprises) Tim Coffeen (Newman/Haas/Lanigan), Tim Homberg (Newman/Haas/Lanigan), John Tzouanakis (Newman/Haas/Lanigan) and the late Davey Evans (Newman/Haas/Lanigan). Note: Team that winner was affiliated with at time of award is in parenthesis.