Named the official charity by Andretti Sports Marketing, promoters of the event at the famed Milwaukee Mile racetrack, Racing For Kids first visited 125 hospitalized youngsters at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin (CHW) on Thursday and then brought a group of 30 from CHW to watch practice and qualifying on Friday in a special  “Kids At The Track” program.

Popular Andretti Autosports racer James Hinchcliffe, who pilots the #27 Go Daddy Chevy Dalarra, led a group of eight drivers to CHW on Thursday. The two-hour stop began outside the hospital where patients and their families gathered around the official Milwaukee IndyFest show car then progressed inside for bedside visits to youngsters unable to leave their rooms.

Outside the drivers mingled with the patients, signed autographs, posed for pictures and helped the youngsters get into the show car for a glimpse of what is like to drive a 200 mph plus sleek IndyCar. The program had a carnival like atmosphere to it with laughter, smiles and excited chatter filling the warm Wisconsin air.

Kids in hospital gowns seemed oblivious to the IV poles they were dragging behind as they popped into the show car cockpit.

Following Hinchcliffe’s lead were Pro Madza Championship drivers, Anders Krohn, Kyle Kaiser, Zack Meyer, Juan Piedrahita and Spencer Pigot, as well as Andrew Hobbs from the USF2000 Series.

The engaging drivers were a big hit with the kids and their families. One Mom of a hospitalized youngster confided to Racing For Kids Event Manager Debby Wright: “This does so much for the kids and for their families as we just take things one day at a time. Thank you.”

On Friday a group of 30 from Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin was the guest of Andretti Autosports at The Milwaukee Mile. Lunch at the Andretti hospitality tent in the paddock was followed by a guided tour of the paddock and pits and several trips to the Indy Fan Zone inside of the track. Reigning IZOD IndyCar Series Champion Ryan Hunter-Reay stopped by to greet the kids, sign his hero cards and pose for pictures with the excited young race fans.

Next up was IZOD IndyCar Series qualifying, which, appropriately, found the all four Andretti Autosports drivers occupying four of the top five spots on the starting grid.Marco Andretti is the pole sitter with James Hinchcliffe starting second, Ryan Hunter-Reay fourth and E.J. Viso in fifth.

All indicators are pointing to another exciting race Saturday at The Milwaukee Mile with several hundred new fans from Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin eager to cheer on their new found heroes.

Thursday, Andretti Autosport drivers led by James Hinchcliffe will visit hospitalized youngsters at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. Andrettii Sports Marketing will bring an IndyCar show car to the morning event. Young patients will be able to sit in the “real” IndyCar and have their picture taken with the car and the drivers.

The drivers will answer questions about the Milwaukee IndyFest and the fast one mile track; hand out Racing For Kids baseball caps and autograph their hero cards for the youngsters.

Friday, Andretti Autosport will host 30 Children’s Of Wisconsin patients and their families at the Milwaukee Mile track. The program includes lunch at the Andretti Autosport hospitality tent, a VIP session with one of the drivers, pit and paddock tours and an active day of action on the race track including qualifications for the Saturday race.

Other highights of the IndyFest weekend include:
MILWAUKEE INDYFEST BRINGS FUN BACK TO THE MILWAUKEE MILE
Father’s Day Weekend Infield Activities Unveiled Milwaukee IndyFest will feature two days of exciting race action from the IZOD IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights and Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires cars Friday, June 14, and Saturday, June 15, at the Milwaukee Mile. Fans will also have the opportunity to watch Firestone Indy Lights and Pro Mazda Championship test for free on Thursday as an added bonus to this year’s IndyFest. In addition to the racing, IndyFest will also include a long list of activities and attractions throughout the two-day festival.

“We’re really excited about this year’s Milwaukee IndyFest. As we’ve seen in the first four events, IndyCar racing has been incredibly exciting,” said Kevin Healy, managing director of Andretti Sports Marketing. “The Milwaukee Mile always provides great racing for fans and the infield festival this year will take entertainment to a whole new level.”

The Milwaukee IndyFest infield will be packed with activities for race fans, families and festival-goers. There will be a number of unique sections inside the confines of the historic one-mile oval to rev up race fans all weekend long, including: The Coors Light Music & Beer Garden, Family Fun Zone, Vintage Car Corral and the IZOD IndyCar Fan Village.

“Starting with the Milwaukee IndyFest Street Party at the Hilton Milwaukee on Thursday, we will be having all sorts of off-beat fun,” said Healy. “This year at IndyFest we will also be hosting the World Championship of Rickshaw Racing – featuring some great Milwaukee drivers and personalities. The 2013 Milwaukee IndyFest is going to be a memorable experience!”

“DITCH FRIDAY” at the Mile
On Friday, Milwaukee IndyFest fans will be able to partake in a special promotion called DITCH FRIDAY. All attendees, with paid admission, that stop by the DITCH FRIDAY redemption booth in the Coors Light Music & Beer Garden can redeem a voucher for a drink on us, either a Coors Light beer (Must 21+ years old with valid ID) or soft drink, after telling us what you “DITCHED” in order to attend Milwaukee IndyFest.

Coors Light Music & Beer Garden
The Coors Light Music & Beer Garden will be located between Turns 3 and 4 of the historic Milwaukee Mile. Each day will kick-off with live music at 10 a.m. and run all day long featuring a combination of local bands and DJs. Joining the IndyFest festivities, the world-renowned MarchFourth Marching Band will perform on the Coors Light Music & beer Garden stage on both Friday and Saturday post-race activity. The concerts are FREE for all ticket holders.

The Coors Light Music & Beer Garden will also be home to the Milwaukee IndyFest Pit Stop Challenge on Friday. Throughout Friday’s activities and race action, fans can test their pit crew skills and challenge their friends to a friendly competition. That evening, the real IZOD IndyCar Series pit crews will compete against one another and one lucky crew will walk away with the official 2013 Milwaukee IndyFest Pit Stop Challenge Champion title.

MarchFourth Marching Band
Fans can also expect to see and hear MarchFourth Marching Band throughout the infield, providing an offbeat infield experience. Unlike any other “traditional” marching band, MarchFourth brings a fun, energy packed atmosphere of celebration to the one-mile oval at the Wisconsin State Fair Park. “MarchFourth Marching Band brings a whole new meaning to Rock and Roll, an experience that combines music, acrobatics and just plain fun,” said Healy. The MarchFourth roving and post-race performances will be must-see activities for IndyFest fans! For more information on MarchFourth, please visit: www.marchfourthmarchingband.com.

World Championships of Rickshaw Racing
If you love racing, you cannot miss the inaugural event of the World Championships of Rickshaw racing, hosted at the historic Milwaukee Mile. Friday will feature two qualifying races and the championship race will take place on Saturday, just prior to the Milwaukee IndyFest IZOD IndyCar Series race. This event will feature some of the best and brightest stars in this upcoming sport.

Family Fun Zone
The Family Fun Zone will incorporate a series of activities designed to provide fun for all ages, including: the iconic Milwaukee IndyFest Ferris wheel, a merry-go-round, bumper cars as well as raised viewing platforms to watch all of the race action. On Saturday afternoon, Radio Disney will feature two performances in the Family Fun Zone so be sure to bring kids of all ages to sing, dance, play games and win prizes! All carnival rides are free with general admission purchase.

IZOD IndyCar Fan Village
Adjacent to the infield rides and games will be the IZOD IndyCar Fan Village, where fans can enjoy interactive IndyCar and product displays, live Q&A’s with drivers from the IZOD IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights and Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires. Driver autograph sessions are scheduled on Saturday, June 15.

The Marcus Club
Located in the heart of the IZOD IndyCar Series paddock, the Marcus Club allows fans to take in all of the IndyFest action from a private viewing platform (located next to the entry of pit road). The exclusive VIP club will also feature appearances by members of the legendary open-wheel racing family Michael and Marco Andretti, as well as other prominent IZOD IndyCar Series drivers, legends and industry leaders. Marcus Club members will be able to interact with these racing stars during exclusive Q&A and autograph sessions.

- See more at: http://milwaukeeindyfest.com/

 The affable Leeds, England native brought smiles to the faces of many youngsters in the Dallas facility, first in visits to two playrooms and then in a live TV show on the hospital’s Red Balloon Network.

 Jakes will pilot the #16 Acorn Stairlifts Honda Dallara IndyCar for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in Saturday night’s Firestone 550 at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS).

 Signing autographs, handing out Racing For Kids baseball caps, coloring books as well as mini scale-model foam rubber IndyCars, Jakes was ably assisted by representatives of Racing For Kids® sponsors, TranSystems and iRex Corp.

 He also fielded a plethora of questions from the youngsters and their parents. One little Texas girl asked Jakes, ”Where do you live?” to which he responded Orlando, FL. But the puzzled look on the child’s face told him he needed to explain more.

 “You know, where Mickey and Minnie Mouse live!” She was suddenly animated with eyes that were asking him to confirm – ”You live with Mickey and Minnie?”

 “No! no!” he laughed and the quickly corrected. “Mickey and Minnie don’t live with me. I live near by.”

 The Red Balloon Network TV show, which broadcasts throughout the hospital, was captivating as Jakes explained how he got into racing as a youngster; that his mother was skeptical at first; that the only time his parents tell him to “drive slow” is on family outings; and that he has a clean driving record with no speeding tickets. Racing enthusiasts know that despite Jakes apparently quiet demeanor on city streets, he is earning a reputation as one of the fastest young drivers in the IZDO IndyCar Series. He will definitely be a force to be reckoned with this weekend.

 A highlight of the Dallas Children’s event was Jakes’ visit with five year old Marcus Ian Miller of Krebs, Oklahoma. He watched patiently as Miller painted a small racecar, offering a suggestion or two on color and style. After signing the car, Jakes told Marcus that for good luck, he was going to put the youngster’s handiwork on the front wing of his IndyCar racecar on the starting grid Saturday night prior to the race at TMS. He added that he’d have the car photographed and return it to Marcus post-race.

 The quiet little boy was ecstatic and his mom nearly delirious, nodding that they’d be glued to the ABC TV Saturday night cheering on their runaway favorite – the #16 car.

Carpenter, who was this year’s Indy 500 Pole Sitter, and Newgarden first met youngsters in The (Detroit) Red Wings Play Zone on the hospitals main floor. The two then moved into the hospital’s courtyard to welcome additional patients around the official show car of the Chevy Indy Dual In Detroit promoters.

The buzz of the special event had outpatients and inpatients alike laughing, joking and relieved to have their minds, for a time at least, far removed from the procedures and treatments they are undergoing daily.

Adding to the electric atmosphere, Fox TV 2 and TV 7 (ABC) covered the drivers visit and interviewed several delighted patients and their parents. Stories appeared later on the stations’ evening newscasts.

Carpenter, who drives the #20 Fuzzy’s Vodka IndyCar car for his own team, Ed Carpenter Racing, is a Racing For Kids veteran having made a number of hospital visits. For Newgarden, who races the #67 Century 21 IndyCar for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing, it was his initial Racing For Kids visit and he said he is definitely on board for making more.

Friday, a group of 25 patients from the hospital and their families, watched Carpenter and Newgarden practice and qualify for the first of two weekend races on the reconfigured and widened Detroit Belle Isle racecourse. They were the guests of Firestone Racing in the company’s strategically located trackside chalet.

Barely 10 feet from the track activity, the group watched wheel to wheel racing, enjoyed a sumptuous lunch and then met with IndyCar racer Sebastian Saavedra, who races for Dragon Racing. Firestone’s Dana Nickerson graciously hosted the event while Racing For Kids’ Debby Wright and Sue Hanawalt took the group for a tour of track’s expansive paddock with a special stop at the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Team’s transporter for an impromptu autograph session with the team’s well known driver, Graham Rahal, son of IndyCar Legend, Bobby Rahal.

 Your friends at Racing For Kids

Sponsored by Fuzzy’s Vodka and Miller Lite Beer, it was a lively evening of food, music and a charity raffle for valued racing memorabilia and Indy 500 passes. The big hit of the evening was the appearance of 2013 Indy 500 Pole Sitter, Ed Carpenter, an Indianapolis native, who pilots the  #20 Fuzzy Vodka IndyCar for his own team, Ed Carpenter Racing.

Thursday, Racing For Kids representatives attended The Yellow Party hosted by reigning IZOD IndyCar Series Champion, Ryan Hunter-Reay and his wife Beccy. Hunter-Reay, a 10 year veteran on the Racing For Kids Driver Team, heads up Racing For Cancer, the beneficiary of the evening and a charity he founded in memory of his mother who died of cancer in 2009.

Friday, it was the annual Panther Dreyer & Reinbold Racing’s Sponsor Party to benefit Racing For Kids & Reilly Children’s Hospital of Indianapolis.  Co-owners Dennis Reinbold and Robbie Buhl hosted a gala event featuring live band entertainment, food stands and a silent auction of racing memorabilia.

In addition, attendees had an opportunity to test their tire changing skills on a real PDRR IZOD IndyCar Series racecar. VIP tours of the team’s 60,000 sq ft. “state of the art” race shop were quite popular.

PDRR Racer Oriol Servia entertained the crowd with his lively wit and engaging personality as he signed autographs and posed for pictures throughout the night.

During a Q & A session, the affable Spaniard downplayed his role as a racer.

“My only job in the car is to stay on the throttle,” he joked.

Saturday Night was the annual Racing For Kids/TranSystems Indy 500 dinner at the popular Oceanaire restaurant in downtown Indianapolis. TranSystems, a Kansas City based transportation systems company, has been a strong backer of Racing For Kids since 2004. It recently launched its eighth annual, corporate wide FunDrive to benefit Racing For Kids. It is anticipated that this year’s FunDrive revenues will take the company past the $250,000 mark in its donations to the Racing For Kids.

Racing For Kids would like to salute our newest friend and supporter – Carter Lay, who heads up the Carter Lay Charitable Fund.  Carter is a California-based philanthropist, who is a health and exercise enthusiast and member of the famous Lay’s Potato Chip family.  He became aware of Racing For Kids when he participated in the Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix Pro Celebrity Race in April.   Racing For Kids is the official charity of the race.

After learning about RFK’s mission of bringing race car stars to the besides of hospitalized children across the country and after participating in a celebrity visit to Miller Children’s Hospital himself, Carter made  special donations to both Miller Children’s and Orange County Children’s Hospital.  He also set up an online fundraiser for Racing For Kids on Crowdrise.com, with a goal of raising $50,000.

For Carter, this undertaking is personal – he lost his father to cancer at the same time he was diagnosed with leukemia.  After beating leukemia and having a new chance at life, Carter felt it was vital to create an avenue for himself and his family to give back to the community.  Deciding to lead by example, he set up the Carter Lay Charitable Fund which is now touching the lives of countless children and their families in need.  The fund has helped build schools, provide computers and learning materials and supported medical research to help others live long and healthy lives.

To date, Carter has donated $10,000 and seven iPods to Miller Children’s and $10,000 and seven iPods to Orange County Children’s.  The online auction has raised $12.300 for Racing For Kids.

“Racing For Kids is a cause truly close to my heart, “explained Carter.  “Being a father of two children and having my own battle with cancer, I know how difficult all the hospital trips can be, and especially if you are a child.  My favorite part of the race (the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach) was meeting the Racing For Kids children.  They are the true stars in this race.  I commend them for their courage and positive attitudes and thank them for being an inspiration to myself and so many others.”

Dr. Bill Pinsky, RFK founder said, “We are so grateful to Carter for his enthusiastic support and for all his help promoting our work.  His personal gifts to Miller Children’s and Orange County Children’s and his donations to the online fund raiser are all helping us bring smiles to faces of hospitalized and chronically ill children.” 

Thursday, Graham Rahal, IndyCar racer for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, visited several dozen hospitalized youngsters at University of Kansas Medical Center (aka KU Medical Center). Talking easily about racing and engaging the youngsters in lively small talk, Rahal signed autographs, posed for pictures and handed out racing memorabilia to the kids.  See photos here.

He even donned a hospital gown, gloves and mask to meet with several youngsters in the highly regarded hospital’s Intensive Care Unit. Dr. Kathy Davis, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Director, KU Kids Healing Place, guided Rahal through the hospital’s pediatric wards.

Several TranSystems representatives including Chairman and CEO, Brian Larson, and President, Paul Malir assisted the affable young racer. Also assisting was Humana, Inc, representative, Matt Edwards.

After a brief interview with the Kansas City Star at the hospital, Rahal’s entourage quickly headed to TranSystems headquarters on Pershing Road in downtown Kansas City for a 30-minute program.

There Rahal fielded a plethora of questions from TranSystems Associates who were quite interested in his racing career and behind the scenes tales about driving for his father, Hall of Fame Racer Bobby Rahal, owner of the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Team.

To one question: “Who is the better driver you or your dad ?” he jokingly replied that the only way to decide would be for his 60 year old father to come out of retirement and race against him.

Following young Rahal, TranSystems CEO Brian Larson told the crowd about the company’s satisfying long term partnership with Racing For Kids and the many benefits of its annual FunDrive campaign which started Thursday, May 9 and will commence with a check presentation to Racing For Kids on August 23 in Sonoma, CA.

Pat Wright, Racing For Kids’ Executive Director thanked Larson and his TranSystems workforce for their support and explained how their generous donations went directly into the Racing For Kids hospital visit program and yearend grants to children’s hospitals for playroom development.

Following the presentation, TranSystems President Paul Malir hosted a dinner for Rahal and Racing For Kids on Kansas City’s renowned Country Club Plaza.

The next morning, Friday, May 10 more than 80 TranSystems Associates and clients participated in the Sixth Annual Racing For Kids golf tournament held at the Shoal Creek Golf Course. A post golf lunch featured a silent auction to benefit the children’s charity.

TranSystems and Racing For Kids will next co-host a dinner and fundraiser on May 25 in Indianapolis, the night before the 2013 Indy 500.

Wood led the way at the start, enjoying the picturesque scenery of the Long Beach shoreline – though oblivious to what was happening behind him.

Wood, the host “Top Gear USA,” started the star-studded race on the pole, but after the first turn he was swallowed up by the race-favorite and Host of Hallmark Channel’s “Home & Family,” Mark Steines and actor Michael Trucco.

But it didn’t last long.

On the second lap, Wood took the lead and didn’t look back until late in the 10-lap race when MTV star Brett Davern made a late race push, but it wasn’t enough.

“This is crazy,” Wood said. “I was winner after I left Miller Children’s Hospital, which is what this is all about, but then winning the People’s Pole Award yesterday – this is just exciting, so fun and I love it all. ”

Not only did he make a race out of it in the end, Davern turned the quickest lap by a celebrity driver at 1:45.188.

The best overall lap came from pro driver and Olympic Gold Medalist Tyler Clary, who turned a lap of 1:44.128, reaching his top speed of 68 mph.

The Pro/Celeb drivers took to the 1.97-mile street circuit on a cloudless Saturday in their identically prepared, suped-up new 210-horsepower Scion FR-S race cars.

Perhaps the craziest part of the afternoon was the smoothness of the race. The Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race is known for its carnage, but after a clean qualifying race on Friday, the drivers raced a clean – and wreck-less – race on Saturday.

With the exception of Motocross star Andy Bell and Long Beach native and Olympic Medalist Jessica Hardy, there were no collisions. Both Bell, who finished one-lap down in 17th, and Hardy, who finished 15th, kissed their respective walls, but recovered immediately and finished the race with just minor dents.

Saturday’s race was one of the fastest in the 37-year history of the Toyota Pro/Celebrity race; the 10-lap race finished in just under 18 minutes.

The most exciting part of the race came on the eighth lap, when Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer was headed straight toward the wall. Meyer, who will be the Grand Marshal in today’s IZOD Indy Car race, fishtailed across the track, whipping a donut while screeching his tires.

The crowd went wild as Meyer came out of the 360-spin, threw it into gear and finished the race in a solid fourth place.

“I figured as long as I can see where I am going I shouldn’t take my foot off the gas,” Meyer said. “But in all honesty, I’ve had to thank the guys I lost in Afghanistan – they kept me on the track, between the walls. ”

Mexico’s most-acclaimed TV starlet Kate del Castillo was the top female driver, finishing in 10th place. It was Castillo’s second stint in the Pro/Celebrity race, but the big difference for Castillo came with her mindset.

“I was tense last year,” she said. “This year, I just went out there and drove – I went for it, I wanted to win this thing. I had an absolute blast, it’s a beautiful day, this is just great. ”

Last year’s race winner Comedian Adam Carolla bested the Pro drivers and took sixth overall. Carolla said he loves racing in Long Beach.

“This is why terrorists hate us,” he said. “Look at everyone, drinking beer, getting a buzz on, watching some racing and enjoying this beautiful weather. USA, baby – I love it. ”

Rounding out the top five finishers were Wood, Davern, Trucco, Meyer and Steines.

Law & Order star Jeremy Sisto finished in 11th place, followed by pro driver Melanie Troxel in 12th and 1600 Penn star Jenna Elfman in 13th.

Comedian Wanda Sykes, who finished a lap down in 18th place, said she was happy to be alive. “I had a blast on my drive today, I finished the race and I am not on fire,” she said. “I’d say it was a good day. “

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