Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Jr. and his amateur partner, Peter Klutt, were the winners of the Charity Indy Legends Pro-Am race held June 4–8, on the reconfigured 2.43-mile road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association sanctioned the three-day Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational where more than 700 racecars competed in 12 different race groups. The event, which also featured exhibition runs on the famed 2.5-mile IMS oval, gave race fans the opportunity to meet drivers, get close to historic racecars and speak with knowledgeable car owners. The event marked the first time that a vintage racing series has ever competed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
As the feature event of the inaugural Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational, the Pro-Am race teamed former Indianapolis 500 drivers with amateur partners for a 45-minute contest using 1963 to 1972 vintage Chevrolet Corvettes and Camaros and Ford Mustangs.
Unser Jr. and Klutt won the race while sharing the driving duties in Klutt’s No. 42C 1969 Chevrolet Corvette, with Gary Moore and Eliseo Salazar finishing 2nd in Moore’s No. 98B 1965 Mustang GT350. Rounding out the podium in 3rd place was Willy T. Ribbs, who drove the No. 5 1972 Corvette owned by his driving partner Ed Sevadjian.
“It feels great,” Unser Jr. offered afterward. “I just want to thank Tony Parella for inviting us, and also Peter Klutt for a beautiful car. That Corvette was just gone, and it handled super. It’s great to be back here at Indy.”
“It’s a dream of a lifetime,” said Klutt. “To drive with Little Al and have him drive our car is really cool, and to drive in an event here is amazing. Tony (Parella) is really bringing vintage racing in North America to a new level and it’s really good to see.
“I started the race and then the strategy was that when a yellow came out, I would come in and we’d do the change. It came out early and that was good; I had one of the best drivers in the world to bring her home.”
Other former Indianapolis 500 drivers competing in the Charity Indy Legends Pro-Am included 1996 winner Buddy Lazier, Scott Goodyear, Dick Simon, Lyn St. James, Mark Dismore, Johnny Parsons Jr., Tom Bagley, Bob Lazier, Alex Lloyd, Pete Halsmer, Robby Unser, Rocky Moran, John Martin, Jaques Lazier, Robby McGehee, Spike Gehlhausen, Billy Roe, Scott Harrington, Rick Treadway and P.J. Chesson.
Serving as the grand marshal of the Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational was 1963 Indianapolis 500 winner Parnelli Jones, who drove the pace car for the Charity Indy Legends Pro-Am race.
