Torch News: Indianapolis 500 champions, Indy Racing League champions, and stars from Indy Racing and the Brickyard 400 will participate in the Olympic Torch relay as it makes its way through Indianapolis on Jan. 7-8. Indy Racing drivers Davey Hamilton and Sarah Fisher are scheduled to carry the torch the evening of Jan. 7 as it arrives in downtown Indianapolis. Eddie Cheever Jr. and Helio Castroneves, the 1998 and 2001 Indianapolis 500 champions, respectively, will join Sam Hornish Jr., the 2001 Indy Racing League champion, in carrying the torch around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval starting a few minutes after 7:00am Jan. 8. Tony Stewart, the 1996-97 Indy Racing League champion and current NASCAR star, will join fellow NASCAR standout and Indianapolis 500 veteran John Andretti, in carrying the torch after it exits the Speedway. Stewart is a native of Columbus, Ind., and Andretti hails from Indianapolis. The event marks the first time the Olympic Torch – which is en route to Salt Lake City for the XIX Winter Olympic Games – will take a lap around the historic 2.5-mile oval. The torch for the 1996 Summer Olympics was brought to the track but did not tour the facility.(IMS PR)(1-7-2002)
