INDIANAPOLIS — Five of the Indy 500’s greatest drivers helped honor Roger Penske, and several awards were handed out at the annual Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame/Indy 500 Oldtimers banquet at the Indianapolis Downtown Marriott Hotel on May 16.
Penske was saluted for his 14 victories and 14 poles at Indy over the past 40 years. Five of his winning drivers — Rick Mears (4), Helio Castroneves (2), Al Unser (1), Al Unser, Jr. (1) and  Danny Sullivan (1) — came to the stage and stepped to the microphone to say few words about their car owner.
Earlier in the evening, Jack Martin, former museum curator and long-time secretary of the Oldtimers Ass’n, and Alice Hanks, widow of 1957 Indy 500 winner Sam Hanks, were presented as first recipients of the new Tom Carnegie Lifetime Achievement Award.
Carnegie, who worked the PA at the Speedway from 1946 until retiring after the 2006 race, emceed the event and said it would be his final one. He is 88.
The Speedway Hall added two new members, the late Quin Epperly, a chassis-builder and mechanic, and Jim Hall, an innovative car builder and driver. Epperly’s sons, John and David of Los Angeles, accepted for their father, while three-time Indy 500 champion Johnny Rutherford accepted for Hall. Rutherford drove Hall’s Chaparral to victory in the 1980 race.
Long-time race favorite Lloyd Ruby and Castroneves were presented the Oldtimers’ most prestigious award, which is named for Louis Meyer, the Indy 500’s first three-time winner.
Among those attending the sold-out event was 92-year-old George Bignotti, Indy-car racing’s most noted mechanic.