SPECIAL EVENT (INDIANAPOLIS) - PRESTIGIOUS MONTEREY CAR SHOW TO FEATURE INDY 500 ROADSTERS

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum will have eight vintage race cars, including five Indianapolis 500 winners, on display at the 34th Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races Presented by Toyota on Aug. 17-19 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif.

The cars are part of the extensive collection of motorized vehicles at the Museum, one of the most highly visible museums in the world devoted to automobiles and motor racing.

“The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum is proud to bring these pieces of history to Monterey,” said Joie Chitwood, IMS president and chief operating officer. “These cars showcase a fascinating portion of Indy 500 history, and we are excited to share these cars with our fans and enthusiasts at such a prestigious event.”

Making the trip from Indianapolis to Monterey is an impressive array of Indy 500-winning roadsters:

•The Belond Salih/Offy driven to victory in 1957 by Sam Hanks and in 1958 by Jimmy Bryan.

•The Ken-Paul Special Watson/Offy in which Jim Rathmann won in 1960.

•The Leader Card 500 Roadster Watson/Offy in which Rodger Ward earned his second Indy victory, in 1962.

•The Agajanian Willard Battery Special Watson/Offy, nicknamed “Calhoun,” driven by Parnelli Jones to victory in 1963. In 1962, Jones was the first driver to turn official laps faster than 150 mph at IMS, in this car.

•The Sheraton-Thompson Special Watson-Offy in which A.J. Foyt earned the second of his four Indianapolis victories, in 1964. This was the last front-engine car to win the “500.”

Also going to Monterey are the two roadsters that won the famous “Race of Two Worlds” events in the late 1950s at Monza, Italy.

One is a Kuzma-Offy roadster in which Bryan won the 1957 “Race of Two Worlds” 500-miler at Monza, Italy. A.J. Foyt competed in his first Indianapolis 500 in this car, in 1958.

The other is the Watson-Offy roadster that Rathmann drove to victory in 1958 at Monza. Troy Ruttman, the youngest Indy 500 winner in history, also raced the car in 1957 at Indianapolis.

The 1957 Corvette SS, the only one of its kind, from the IMS Museum collection that competed in the 1957 12 Hours of Sebring also will be on display in Monterey.

Legendary Indianapolis 500 winners Emerson Fittipaldi, Jones, Bobby Rahal, Johnny Rutherford, Al Unser and Bobby Unser will compete with other drivers in a “Race of Legends” on Saturday, Aug. 18 at Monterey. The eight-lap charity race will be contested in Scion tC sports coupes. The six drivers combined for 14 Indy 500 victories.

For those fans who can’t be at Monterey, the IMS Hall of Fame Museum is open 364 days a year for fans to view the vast collection of historic cars and motorcycles on display. The Museum is closed on Christmas Day.

Museum hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with admission $3 for adults, $1 for children ages 6-15. Children age 5 and under are free.

Call the Museum at (317) 492-6784 for additional information. *** 2008 tickets: Tickets for the three Indianapolis Motor Speedway events in 2008 -- the 92nd Indianapolis 500 on May 25, the 15th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on July 27 and inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Sept. 14 -- can be ordered or renewed securely online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com.

For more information, contact the IMS Ticket Office at (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area or (317) 492-6700 locally. Ticket Office hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday.