INDY 500: Coors Carb Day is perfect mix or racing, rock and roll
Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
May 23, 2001INDIANAPOLIS, Tuesday, May 22, 2001 - Racing and rock-and-roll fans will enjoy a full day of entertainment at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's Coors Carb Day on May 24. The event marks the final day of track activity leading up to the 85th running of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race on May 27.
Coors Carb Day will feature the final, two-hour practice for the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing's" elite 33-car field, the Coors Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge and a free concert by the hit rock music group Collective Soul.
Final practice gets underway at 11 a.m. (EST). The Coors Carb Day session is the most crucial practice of the entire month for the drivers and teams competing in the 85th running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing because it's the final opportunity to find the most competitive setup for the grueling 500-mile race.
At 1:30 p.m., 12 Indy Racing Northern Light Series teams will compete for the $42,500 winner's share of the $80,000 Coors Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge purse. A donation of $5,000 will be made to the American Red Cross of Greater Indianapolis in the name of the winning team.
In each round of the Challenge, teams will change all four tires on the car while making a simulated fuel hose connection to the fuel tank for a minimum of five seconds. The fastest team in each pairing will advance until the top two teams meet in the final round. Pairings will be determined by a blind draw.
Popular Atlantic Records recording artist Collective Soul will play the Coors Concert at 3:30 p.m. in the Pagoda Plaza, located directly behind the Speedway's 13-story Pagoda control tower.
Five albums and seven years after their national debut, Collective Soul remains one of the top album rock bands in the world, having sold more than 7 million albums on the strength of No. 1 hit singles such as "Shine," "The World I Know" and "Precious Declaration."
Tickets for Coors Carburetion Day are $10 at the gate, with children age 5 and younger admitted free. All activities for the day are included in the ticket price, including the concert. The Speedway's gates open to the public at 8 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. Contact the Speedway ticket office at (317) 484-6700, or toll free at (800) 822-INDY, for information.
Text provided by Paul Kelly
Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit
The Racing Photo Museum and the
Visions of Speed Art Gallery.