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Building Up Chicagoland Amongst the Chicago Sports Scene
Everywhere he turned, Craig Rust was either saying hello or goodbye during the IndyCar Series race weekend at Watkins Glen International in early July.
A month earlier, International Speedway Corporation announced that Rust would move from Watkins Glen International, where he had been president since 2002, to be president of Chicagoland Speedway.
"I'm leaving a facility that recently celebrated its 60th anniversary in racing to one that hasn't even celebrated its 10th," Rust said. "One of my goals is guiding that facility in its infancy and trying to get the brand solidified within the Greater Chicago sports scene, and that's not easy. You're taking racing at Chicagoland in a stick and ball town with history oozing out of every one of those teams. The good news it's a strong sports market.
"Getting people to include Chicagoland when they talk about Chicago sports would be a goal of mine; when you're thinking of what there's to see and do in the sports scene Chicagoland would pop up and get them to come to the IndyCar race."
The 1.5-mile oval, which has played host to exciting IndyCar Series races since it opened in 2001, will be the scene Aug. 29 of the PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300. The track has been a perennial factor in the IndyCar Series championship chase, and each of the contenders will look to score maximum points under the lights for the first time.
"Saturday night racing under the lights I think will be awesome," Rust said. "It allows people to come out, enjoy Saturday night and still have your whole Sunday. Things are a lot busier in today's world than they were 15-20 years ago and I think racing Saturday night have become more popular. There's something about seeing IndyCar under the lights flying around on a mile and a half."
Rust has short-term goals and a long-term vision for the spacious and fan-friendly venue. "The goal is to work with the staff and what we want the place to be. That's going to take time, patience and dedication," Rust said. "We need to work with the series and partners and guide it through that transition. Chicagoland is different atmosphere. It's a stadium feel. The facility should not mandate the experience, the facility should let the fans dictate how they interact with it and then accommodate the fans' expectations and how they want to interact with it. It's a different market and fans."
Rust has been involved in motorsports since 1996, holding a number of positions including director of sales and marketing for California (now Auto Club) Speedway and president of the former Nazareth Speedway. "I was fortunate enough when they were building California Speedway to hook up with Roger Penske and that is how I got into motorsports," he said. "I've been fortunate that since I got into this business that I've had an open-wheel race at the facility I've been at - California, Nazareth, Watkins Glen and now Chicagoland."
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Hometown Hero
Sgt. Jae Russell of Springfield, Ill., is Panther Racing's "Hometown Hero" for the Chicagoland Speedway race weekend.
For each IndyCar Series domestic race, a National Guard member is selected as the Hometown Hero. Russell will join Panther Racing's Dan Wheldon at the driver autograph session [6 p.m. local time Aug. 28] at the speedway and will be recognized during the pre-race activities for the PEAK Antifreeze & Moto Oil Indy 300 on Aug. 29.
Russell, who joined the Army Reserves in September 2001, has been deployed to Iraq with the 724th Transportation Company to provide security to convoys. From June 2007 until June 2008, Russell was instrumental in training the 33rd BCT for their mission in Afghanistan. He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal and the Army Achievement Medal for his service to the United States and the U.S. Army during his deployment. He Russell is currently a full-time training non-commissioned officer for JFHQ.
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Panther Racing Looks to Return to Victory Lane
Wheldon and Panther Racing have spent plenty of time in Victory Circle at Chicagoland Speedway, just never together. Both have scored two wins at the track (Wheldon won in 2006 with Target Chip Ganassi Racing and in '05 with Andretti Green Racing. Panther Racing won twice with driver Sam Hornish Jr.).
Wheldon has led more laps at Chicagoland than any active IndyCar Series driver. He will feature a colorful helmet paint scheme this weekend designed by a 6-year-old patient at Peyton Manning Children's Hospital at St. Vincent in Indianapolis.
"It's fun but it's more the meaning behind it," said Wheldon, who has a son who turns 1 year old in February. "I was raised in a big family that is incredibly close and I'm very blessed. I do a hospital visit every year before the Month of May (at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway) starts and we wanted to come up with something that would be a little different and a little special.
"It's very hard to pick a design because they put so much effort into them. This young girl, Jama, is very special."
