de Ferran, Guthrie, Page join Indy HOF nominees
Image by LAT
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RACER Staff | 4 hours ago
A former winner, a pioneer and a distinctive voice are the latest to be nominated for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame class of 2020.
Gil de Ferran
(pictured above), Janet Guthrie and Paul Page joined the list that already includes Danny Sullivan, Eddie Cheever, Pancho Carter, Wally Dallenbach, Jacques Villenueve as well as NASCAR stars Dale Earnhardt and Dale Jarrett, Formula 1 champ Michael Schumacher, mechanic/official Mike Devin and car owners Mike Boyle and Carl Haas.
De Ferran’s hard-fought 2003 Indianapolis 500 win was notable for its close finish, in which the Brazilian denied Team Penske teammate Helio Castroneves an unprecedented third consecutive “500” victory. His other career highlights behind the wheel include consecutive CART IndyCar series season championships in 2000 and 2001, finishing second and third, respectively, in the IRL IndyCar Series season championships in 2002 and 2003. Today he’s heading the Arrow McLaren SP IndyCar effort.
Guthrie finished ninth at Indy in 1978 with this Wildcat-DGS. Image by IMS
Guthrie became the first female to qualify for Indianapolis in 1977 and returned in 1978 to finish ninth after starting 15th. Her Indy performance was enhanced when it was revealed she drove with a broken left wrist.
Page began covering Indy for WIBC radio in 1968, moved over to the IMS Radio Network in 1974 and then replaced legendary play-by-play man Sid Collins in 1977. Page served as “Voice of the 500” on radio until 1987, then joined veteran drivers Bobby Unser and Sam Posey in what would be a popular broadcast team for the ABC television network’s Indianapolis 500 coverage. Page covered thousands of events for ABC and ESPN until 2012, then returned to the IMS Radio Network anchor position for 2014-15.
Ballots for the 2020 IMS Hall of Fame class have been mailed to the Selection Committee, which is comprised of more than 140 distinguished media and racing officials. The 2020 IMS Hall of Fame class will be announced the morning of Friday, February 14 — the “100 Days Out” milestone leading up to the 104th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. The inductees will be honored at the annual IMS Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony/Indianapolis 500 Oldtimers Club banquet on Thursday, May 21.
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