February 2018 SpeedwayTownTalk Thinking outside the oval GOING TO EVERY POSTAL CUSTOMER IN OUR TOWN Jay Frye, Henio Arcangeli Jr., Mario Andretti, Josef Newgarden, Mark Reuss, Roger Penske and Mark Miles on stage during the 2018 INDYCAR unveil at the North America International Auto Show in Detroit -- Photo by: Joe Skibinski We want a car with: The 2018 Indy Car 1. Bold Design 2. That’s Safer 3. More Thrilling to Race 4. and Versatile See page 4-7 Photo by: Joe Skibinski 2 February 2018 SPEEDWAY TOWNTALK 5051 W Pike Plaza Road • Indianapolis 46254 — 317-293-8060 4 New Car Brands. 1000’s of Used Cars to choose from. Hi! I’m Jeff Polley, General Manager of Ray Sales Hours: Collision Center Hours: Skillman Hyandai West. I, with the rest of my team, Mon - Fri 9 AM - 9 PM Mon - Fri 7 AM - 6 PM are here to help with all of your automotive needs. Sat 9 AM - 7 PM Sat - Sun CLOSED Sun CLOSED I have lived in Speedway for 16 years and love Main: 317-293-8060 the small town feel, where you can go to local Service and Parts Hours: Sales: 317-293-8060 establishments and know everyone. My first Indy 500 Mon - Fri 7 AM - 6 PM was 1973, and we haven’t missed one since. In our Service: 317-293-8060 Sat 7:30 AM - 2:30 PM spare time, my wife and I enjoy concerts, sporting Español: 317-297-0673 Sun CLOSED events, and riding my Harley. Parts: 317-293-8060 Ray Skillman Westside Auto We Finance Full-Service Collision Center Customers Love Our Cookies Mall has proudly served the We work with many financial We have a body shop that can We pride ourselves on a Speedway area since 2004. institutions, from national take care of everything from no-pressure environment. banks to credit unions. We paintless dent removal to major We make our customers even offer “Buy Here Pay collision repairs. as comfortable as possible. Here” as an option. Fresh brewed coffee and fresh baked cookies make you feel right at home. www.rayskillmanautomall.com We have 6 customer lounges, a business center, and, of course, fresh-baked cookies! Enjoy our complimentary Wi-Fi while you shop or have your vehicle serviced. Whatever your needs are, don’t hesitate to call or text us at 317-293-8060. SPEEDWAY TOWNTALK February 2018 3 Published 11 times a year (not January) by Brockton Corporation, LLC; SpeedwayTownTalk Speedway TownTalk PO Box 241056 A communication tool designed to shape the future of our town An amethyst, the February birthstone, Speedway, IN 46224 by working together with you. provides the colors used this month. Brock Brown, publisher and advertising manager Where is Speedway TownTalk Delivered? Grant Mabie, managing editor In This Issue and staff writer Karen Jenks-Scrougham, executive assistant, Indy Car 2018 . 4-7 accountant, photographer Dick Luchtman, cherry top IT The Dry Run Creek Saga . 8 John Judd, distribution director Lyn Young, graphic artist One Fan’s Memories . .10 Max Beaver, Rod Smith, and Tim Taggart, contributing writers Speedway Businesses . 12-13 Dr. Mary E. Chalmers and Dr. SPEEDWAY Olive Soriero, editors Main Street Parking Map . 14. Frank Van Overmeiren, Ken Think 5 . 15 Feeley, and John Thomas, advisors Max Beaver’s Motor Tales . 17 The Speedway TownTalk team is Speedway Library . 18 committed to producing a newspaper that ● Celebrates residents, Boy Scouts . .19 ● Builds businesses, and ● Partners with organizations Speedway Parks . 19 in and around the Town of Speedway. Speedway Leader: Our promises: 1. We will publish compelling, Gary Raikes . 20 relevant, and distinctive content that highlights the Speedway Arts . 21 unique, rich, and colorful Speedway culture. Speedway Churches . 22 2. We will publish positive and meaningful stories about Speedway Phone Numbers 22. people, businesses, and organizations in the Town of Good Stories . 23 Speedway. 3. We will advertise products and How to Build Community . 24 services. 4. We will follow the Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists. Speedway TownTalk has contracted with the US Postal Service to deliver the paper to every postal customer in the carrier routes shown. We will also leave bundles at the Speedway Library, the A proud advocate of Speedway TownTalk Town Hall, a few restaurants, advertisers, and other locations. Arts Council of Speedway, USPS Distribution Configured November 28, 2017 Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, Join our 6-month research project on our Speedway postal system. ([email protected]) Compendium Inc. Publishing, Zip = 46224 1. We will enter your name, address, phone, and email address Rte res bus total Humane Society of Indianapolis, into our “Constant Contact” program. 02 805 3 808 Indianapolis Speedway Museum, 2. We will email you when the Speedway TownTalk is at the 03 647 5 652 Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Speedway PO. 06 472 1 473 08 834 48 882 and Newfields. 3. When the paper is delivered by your carrier, you email us. 09 888 56 944 4. We will share with you and our Postmaster the research results. 10 533 63 596 Your contact information will not be shared with anyone except 13 474 31 505 the Postmaster, and that’s only if you do not receive our paper. 14 1,173 4 1,177 21 710 20 730 5. The process will be completed in December, February, March, 33 480 3 483 2018 April, May and June. 35 638 14 652 37 649 13 662 40 294 167 461 News Deadline for March, 2018: Friday, February 16 47 764 5 769 51 490 28 518 Information should be submitted digitally to Grant Mabie Total: 9,851 461 10,312 at [email protected]. Be sure to attach photos in jpg format. Zip = 46222 Rte res bus tot Call 317-487-6868 for more information. 28 465 117 582 Grand Total: 10,894 Advertising Deadline for March, 2018: Wednesday, February 14 To advertise or insert, contact Brock Brown at 317-457-6868 (m) or [email protected]. 4 February 2018 SPEEDWAY TOWNTALK OAK A Short History of Ground Effect STREET HEALTH Design in Indy Cars Doctors for Adults 1980 on Medicare. The first Indy car designed to take advantage of ground effects was the 2K Chaparral. Johnny Rutherford drove this car in 1980, won pole position, led for 118 laps, and won comfortably by almost 30 seconds. Al Unser used a 2K Chaparral to qualify third in the ‘79 Indy 500. “When they came down to take the green flag,” Jim Hall (Chaparral’s founder) said, “everyone backed off for Turn #1 except Al. It was the most amazing thing you ever saw. He stretched 100 yards in the first turn, 100 [more] yards in the second.” The race (or the 2K) ended with a gearbox failure, but the next year (1980) Rutherford won. Two years later, the rest of the grid had caught up. The Chaparral car was un- competitive [in future races], but the tide (for ground controlled cars in Indy) had turned. Every From an article by Sam Smith in the May 2016 Issue of Road & Track. visit 1995 1995 winner in a bold, with our “classic” Indy car design. doctors is more than 20 minutes.* Call us to learn more. The 2015 Honda Indy car had wide rear wings and a tall engine cover. Those design elements 317-653-2730 created a lot of downforce, and also created a lot of wind turbulence and a large wind wake which Speedway: disrupted the option for close, thrilling racing. 5926 Crawfordsville Rd., B oakstreethealth.com * Statistics are based on Oak Street Health’s internal admissions, appointments, and patient data; and on patient satisfaction surveys in 2016. 2015 Join us every Wednesday, 10-11 am SilverSneakers® Senior Stretch & Balance 2018 Indy Car — Indianapolis 500 Configuration There’s no cost to participate. Complimentary coffee and tea always available. SPEEDWAY TOWNTALK February 2018 5 INDY CAR 2018: Bold, Safe, Thrilling, and Versatile 2018 In 2015, INDYCAR introduced Jay Frye, INDYCAR’s president more aggressive appearance • It’s designed for thrilling racing the idea of aero “kits” — the of competition and operations, (note the shape, lower en- 1. Sleekness means less wake, “clothing” of the race cars — and dubbed it “a reverse engineering gine cover, trimmer wings). less turbulence and more gave manufacturers (Chevrolet exercise.” Aesthetics became the 2. Almost unanimously, fans natural passing. and Honda) freedom to custom- first priority with the performance see this design as a classic 2. Recent tests have shown the ize their own aero designs to package designed to fit the aes- Indy car from the 90s. trailing distance has been cut give their brands and cars visual thetics. It had always been “perfor- 3. As Andretti driver, Alexander in half. differentiation. mance” first before 2018. Rossi, said, “It looks like a 3. With fewer topside pieces, However, because the sci- Early 2018 designs made real race car.” more downforce is generated ence of aerodynamics is so well their public debut in January from the bottom of the car. • It’s safer understood, the customized aero 2017 at the North American 4. The car’s weight is shifted for- 1. New side impact structures designs each manufacturer came International Auto Show in Detroit, ward, improving the balance. are 8-10 inches wider at the up with were very similar. A large and the reception was unanimous- driver’s hips. The oil and amount of time and resources ly positive. The car made its track • Its versatility remains water radiators have been were spent on designs that didn’t debut in July. 1. The car is easily adaptable to moved forward to provide make the racing experience any INDYCAR wanted to be sure a variety of circuits: additional cushioning.