Purdue News

April 14, 2000 Johnny Rutherford grand marshal for 43rd Purdue Grand Prix WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Johnny Rutherford, a three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, will be the featured guest and grand marshal of the 43rd Purdue Grand Prix on April 29. The 50-mile, 160-lap go-kart race is billed as "The Greatest Spectacle in College Racing." In 1976, Rutherford's car was the last four-cylinder engine to win an Indianapolis 500. Rutherford also won the Indianapolis 500 in 1974 and 1980, and he qualified for a total of 24 races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, including winning the pole position in 1973, 1976 and 1980. Rutherford was also the driver of the Indianapolis 500 Pace Car in 1997. He now serves as special projects manager for the Indy Racing League. Thomas Gray, a sophomore in the Schools of Engineering from Indianapolis, will return to defend the Grand Prix title he won in 1999. Practice began April 5 and will continue through Friday, April 21. Qualifications will be from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 22, and 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, April 24 and 25. The fastest driver on the first day of qualifications will sit on the pole. Twenty-seven of the 33 starting positions will be set during qualifications. The final six spots on the starting grid will go to the top two finishers in each of three sprint races starting about 11:30 a.m. Saturday, April 29. Race-day events will require admission to the Grand Prix track, which is north of Ross-Ade Stadium. Tickets cost $5 in advance and $6 at the gate. Shirts will be on sale for $15. Grand Prix Foundation members are selling advance tickets in Room G2, Stewart Center, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays. Tickets also will be on sale April 24-27, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., near the Stripe Shop in the Purdue Memorial Union. On race day, a parade featuring Rutherford will leave the parking lot south of Ross-Ade Stadium at 1:45 p.m. and travel north on Steven C. Beering Drive (formerly Russell Drive) to the kart track. Driver introductions are scheduled for 2:35 p.m., with the main race scheduled to start at 3 p.m. Other Grand Prix activities include Grand Prix Day, sponsored by Ford Motor Co., from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, April 28, on the Memorial Mall; a pit stop competition at 3 p.m. Friday, April 28, on Oval Drive; and a car show at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 29, near Mollenkopf Athletic Center. Also, the Grand Prix Foundation will receive a portion of the receipts from concession sales during the Black and Gold football scrimmage, which will begin at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, April 29, in Ross-Ade Stadium. Admission to the scrimmage is free. Grand Prix activities will conclude with a victory banquet May 1 at University Inn. Mark Dismore, a driver for Kelley Racing of the Indy Racing League, will be the featured speaker. Tickets are $25 and are available at the Grand Prix Foundation office. Gala Week, an annual celebration for reunion classes sponsored by the Purdue Alumni Association, also will be conducted at Purdue during the Grand Prix Weekend. Events include receptions, lunches and banquets for specific classes and at most schools. For more information about Gala Week, contact Sharon Martin, director of communications, Purdue Alumni Association, (765) 494-5182, or visit the Gala Week Web site. The Purdue Grand Prix Foundation is a student-run, nonprofit organization that conducts the kart race and related events to raise money for student scholarships. This year the foundation awarded 21 scholarships totaling $10,000. The foundation receives support from Ford Motor Co., Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola Co., Kimberly-Clark, Purdue Intercollegiate Athletics and Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Source: Marie Hernandez, Grand Prix promotions director, (765) 494-2708; mdhernan@purdue.edu Writer: J. Michael Willis, (765) 494-0371; mwillis@purdue.edu Other sources: Mai Lindstrom, director of public relations, Indy Racing League, (317) 484-6526; imspr@brickyard.com Sharon Martin, (765) 494-5182; slmartin@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page