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Indianapolis 500: Brack starts whirlwind national media tour

1 June 1999

KENNY'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE:

Indianapolis 500 champion Brack takes whirlwind media tour of U.S. this week

INDIANAPOLIS - Any Indianapolis 500 champion will tell you that winning the Greatest Spectacle in Racing creates instant celebrity status.

No champion knows that better this week than 1999 winner Kenny Brack.

Brack started a cross-country tour of media appearances Monday that will take him from Indianapolis to New York to Los Angeles to Dallas - all in a span of five days. It took Brack only 500 miles to ensure immortality at Indy, but it will take thousands of miles by air and land to fulfill the many media requests in the wake of his last-lap victory in the A.J. Foyt Racing PowerTeam Racing Dallara/Aurora/Goodyear.

Here's a look at Brack's appearances this week:

MONDAY, May 31 (Indianapolis)

.Live nationwide television interview with car owner A.J. Foyt with ABC's national morning show, "Good Morning America," viewed by approximately 4 million people.

.Nationwide coverage of Indianapolis 500 Victory Celebration on ESPN2.

TUESDAY, June 1 (New York)

.Television interview with nationally syndicated PBS interview show, "The Charlie Rose Show," in New York. Interview should be televised Thursday or Friday on PBS stations nationwide.

.Live nationwide interview on ABC Radio Network's "The Fabulous Sports Babe," the leading sports talk show in the country.

.Media luncheon at Tavern on the Green in Central Park. Covered by many media outlets, including ABC News One, ABC Radio Network, CBS News Path, Associated Press, New York Post, New York Daily News, WABC-TV, Forbes magazine, Westwood One Radio Network, United Radio Stations Network, Swedish television. Brack sat at a table with NBC/MSNBC news anchor Brian Williams, an avid motorsports fan.

.Live nationwide television interview with FOX News Channel.

.Throwing out first pitch for the New York Mets-Cincinnati Reds baseball game at Shea Stadium.

WEDNESDAY, June 2(New York-Los Angeles)

.Live radio interview with "Rambling with Gambling," popular morning show in New York on WOR Radio.

.Live nationwide television interview on CNN-SI at approximately 6:10 p.m. (EDT). Interview also will run later on CNN.

.Appearance on NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." Appearance will be televised nationwide Wednesday night. Leno drove the Pace Car for the 83rd Indianapolis 500 last Saturday.

FRIDAY, June 4 (Fort Worth, Texas)

.Interviews with Dallas-Fort Worth media in advance of the next Pep Boys Indy Racing League event, the Longhorn 500 presented by MCI World Com on June 12 at Texas Motor Speedway.

.Luncheon at The Speedway Club at Texas Motor Speedway with media, Speedway Club members.


Besides Brack's media tour, the Indianapolis 500 and the Pep Boys Indy Racing League will receive national exposure this week through two popular television programs.

The syndicated show "Access Hollywood" will include a feature from the Indianapolis 500 with Leno and supermodel Heidi Klum, a special guest at the race, at 7:30 p.m. (EDT) on June 1.

NBC's "Weekend Today Show" will broadcast a segment June 5 featuring host Jack Ford driving antique race cars with four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Foyt and practicing with the Pennzoil Panther Racing crew of drivers Scott Goodyear and Tyce Carlson. All footage was shot last week at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The E! Entertainment network also plans on airing a segment on Leno at Indy in the near future.

The growing rate of corporate sponsorship in the Pep Boys Indy Racing League and the Indianapolis 500 will be featured in a segment on CNBC at 6:50 p.m. June 1 and again June 2. The piece then will be fed to NBC affiliates nationwide.

People magazine will publish an upcoming feature story about the celebrities attending the Indianapolis 500.

The History Channel also will broadcast a one-hour special later this month about the history of auto racing, with primary focus on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.


Editors Note: For hundreds of hot racing photos and racing art, be sure to visit The Racing ImageGalleries and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.