Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb took the wheel of the Indiana Motor Speedway’s 2013 Indianapolis 500 Winner Tony Kanaan today, in a surprising twist. The American Legion and Chip Ganassi Racing teamed up to create Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 1 Honda livery to represent the 106 th Indianapolis 500.
Kanaan said, “The Governor gave me great tips on driving and winning,” and he hopes to win a second title at Indianapolis 500 this Memorial Day weekend. “In the past I drove with two, but this year, I’m proud to only have one. I encourage all Americans to “Be The One,” to end veteran suicide.
The car’s eye-catching design is covered in the words “Be The One”, which will be the slogan for the national awareness campaign. The American Legion will launch Memorial Day weekend.
Chip Ganassi Racing’s owner, Chip Ganassi said that raising awareness to end veteran suicide is something we can all support. “If you have this kind of purpose, you are more likely to win. We want to win for our veterans.”
The “Be the One Campaign” campaign aims to end the stigma surrounding veteran suicide, which prevents military personnel and veterans from seeking help.
Dean Kessel, chief market officer of The American Legion, stated that “stigma is real”. “We have to remove all barriers that prevent veterans from asking for assistance and we couldn’t think of a better way to do this than at the greatest motorsports race.”
The American Legion is the largest national veterans service organization and is an official charity of INDYCAR. They plan to use this partnership to engage other leaders, such as Governor Holcomb, a former member of the United States Navy.
The Indianapolis 500 is the second year that Chip Ganassi Racing and The American Legion have teamed up. Kanaan is Kanaan’s 21 first appearance at the race. He finished last year’s 500 with 10 .