As the sun rose over Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, anticipation filled the air. Peter Hanson and the Sanders Motorsport Team were back for our much-anticipated annual fan appreciation event. Despite the brisk temperatures, a remarkable crowd gathered, eager to witness the thrilling season’s culmination. Fans shared stories, exchanged hugs, and expressed admiration for the teams […]
The two most recent Indy 500 winners, Takuma Sato & Alexander Rossi, delighted 60 patients and their siblings today at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital.
Sato who races for Andretti Autosport, won this year’s Indy 500 in an exciting finish holding off a charging Helio Castroneves.
Rossi, who drives for Andretti Herta Autospoprt with Curb/Agajanian, won the 2016 Indy 500. He was the first rookie to win the Indy 500 since 2001 and the first American Rookie to win since 1928.
The Racing For Kids program began with the drivers, assisted by several patients, lifting the veil from a “Fregin’s Flyer” red wagon, which was retro-fitted to transport patients with medical equipment. The unveiling was streamed live on Facebook, The two then presented the wagon to Cardinal Glennon representatives.
“We will put that wagon to use immediately,” said Abbie Hedgpeth, Certified Child Life Specialist, who accepted the wagon for the hospital.
Next the two popular IndyCar racers conducted an entertaining Q & A session with the youngsters before signing a myriad of racing memorabilia, passing out Racing For Kids baseball caps, and posing for a plethora of pictures. A steady line of young patients kept the racers busy for more than an hour.
A brief trip outside to talk with kids huddled around the ABC Supply show followed before Rossi and Sato headed to a full afternoon of engineer meetings, practice, and qualifying sessions for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at Gateway Motorsports Park.
They left behind a room full of smiles and a crowd of new fans who promised to cheer for Rossi and Sato in Saturday’s race on the Advanced Auto Parts IndyCar Radio Network broadcast or NBCSports telecast.
