INDIANAPOLIS — On April 5, Indianapolis Motor Speedway historian and storyteller Donald Davidson will take the stage at Indiana Landmarks to talk track with veteran Indy 500 drivers Spike Gehlhausen and Johnny Parsons, Jr. The discussion will be on April 5 from 6:00-7:30 p.m. at the Indiana Landmarks Center, 1201 Central Ave. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for Indiana Automotive members, $15 for Indiana Landmarks members, $20 for general public. Tickets available at www.indianalandmarks.org/talkingtrack18.
Indiana Automotive, an Indiana Landmarks affinity group, sponsors Davidson’s annual talk. In the past, Davidson appeared solo but this year he’ll interview Hoosier natives Gehlhausen and Parsons. Gehlhausen, who qualified for the Indy 500 five times, attends the race every year. He says his biggest racing thrill was qualifying with his father’s car in 1976, his first entry at the famed oval.
Johnny Parsons Jr., son of Indy 500 winner Johnnie Parsons, raced in a dozen Indianapolis 500s, the last in 1996. He finished fifth in 1977 and 1985. When Davey Hamilton came out of retirement to run in the 2007 Indy 500, Parsons replaced him as commentator for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network’s broadcasts.
Davidson, Gehlhausen and Parsons will talk about racing at the Brickyard, a National Historic Landmark, and about track culture. The talk will be followed by a question-and-answer session.
