SVRA: Preview - Fan heaven at the Brickyard Invitational

There is no higher profile "happening" on the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) 16-event season schedule than this Father's Day weekend's third annual Brickyard Invitational at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Coming in the wake of the hugely successful 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, the SVRA's show may serve as a perfect kind of remedy for race fans in need of a fix in their post-partum state after the drama of the historic race and the anticipation leading up to it.

The Brickyard Invitational has captured the vibe of "500" culture. Veteran drivers, car owners and crew members from the Greatest Spectacle in Racing consistently remark on how the paddock has an old homecoming week feel as eyes open wide and handshakes quickly follow when old friends and rivals discover the surprise of a delightful and unexpected reunion. It has the feel of an industry conference as people from all roles, past and present, find each other again. Many, such as Donnie Beechler, who once drove for the incomparable A.J. Foyt, feel the Brickyard Invitational gives them a chance to savor the Speedway and its atmosphere in a way they couldn't before.

"When I raced in the 500 there was tremendous pressure to just qualify and make the race," Beechler (right) explains. "There are always challenges and setbacks. You get frustrated and preoccupied with performing. This weekend, it's relaxed. We can enjoy each other and I can bring my kids and show them what it's all about. Plus, they can see me race."

Beechler will join 32 other Indianapolis 500 veterans in the headliner event of the weekend, the "Indy Legends" Charity Pro-Am, a 40-minute competition on the IMS 2.43-mile grand prix course. Among them are racers with stout credentials in various branches of auto racing, such as two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Jr. and his cousins Robby and Johnny.

New to the Pro-Am party this year is 2003 Champ Car champion Paul Tracy as well as Larry Foyt, A.J. Foyt IV, Josele Garza and Ana Beatriz. Among the top names coming back for more are Willy T. Ribbs, Davy Jones, Mark Dismore, Davey Hamilton, Johnny Parsons Jr. and last year's winner Bob Lazier. In a new twist called "Garage 34," NASCAR stars Bill Elliott and Ray Evernham have been invited to the Pro-Am and will race together. Their long list of accomplishments includes a Brickyard 400 victory when Ellliott drove for Evernham's team.

Saturday's Pro-Am can grab the spotlight from the rest of the four-day event, and if fans let that happen they will miss a lot of great stuff. The action gets underway Thursday, June 16 with practice for 500 vintage racecars across 11 run groups. Fans new to the SVRA brand of racing will discover those 11 run groups span literally 100 years of racing cars. Among numerous pre-World War II cars to be raced is the Indianapolis-built 1911 National Charlie Merz raced to seventh place in the first Indianapolis 500. Owner/driver Brian Blain is an experiential historian and is determined to drive the car as fast as old Charlie did.

You can expect a number of the pros to pull double or triple duty. Some of that is planned and some serendipitously happens on site, not unlike the old days of Indy 500 qualifying when drivers ride-hopped during the month. Last year SVRA front-runner Bruce Hamilton asked Lyn St. James if she would like to drive a stint of the Sunday 90-minute enduro in his 2008 Indy Lights Infiniti. She took him up on it and found herself drinking milk on the podium with fellow Indy 500 veteran Scott Harrington standing alongside her after finishing third with childhood friend Bill Able and his 1992 Shelby Dodge Can-Am car.

Geoff Brabham and Dennis Firestone both plan some double duty this year. Not only are they racing in the Pro-Am but in open wheel formula contests as well. Firestone will pilot a 1970s vintage Super Vee racer and Geoff's other adventure is particularly interesting. He will drive a pristine 1971 Brabham BT-35 for owner Ron Hornig. Geoff will become only the second Brabham family member to drive a Brabham racecar at IMS. The first was his father, three-time Formula One world champion Jack Brabham, back in 1969 and '70.

Ron and Geoff got together after Hornig won the Brabham Trophy last year for best presentation of a formula car. Geoff presented the trophy and the two started a relationship that produced numerous phone calls throughout the year. That's the comfortable, relaxed vibe that pervades at the Brickyard Invitational as people from fans to champions bond over a shared passion for the sport.

Appropriately, Donald Davidson, the ultimate historian of the Speedway, will preside over the weekend as the Brickyard Invitational grand marshal. Davidson, a member of the Auto Racing Hall of Fame (above, on the right front tire of the roadster that finished third in the 1955 Indianapolis 500), is perfect for the role. An absolute rock star in the Indianapolis racing community, he has always been an advocate for fans and is ideal for an event that presents the ultimate access to an unparalleled assembly of some of the sport's greatest stars of lore.

Davidson will give the command for the Pro-Am drivers to start their engines. Among other duties, he will lead the selection of outstanding cars to receive trophies of distinction for best roadster, best formula car and top pre-war machine. Donald will report his choices at the Saturday banquet for SVRA members. Later that evening the rock band Three Dog Night will perform a concert free to anyone on the grounds. Saturday evening will close with a giant fireworks display.

Fans can wander virtually everywhere throughout the four-day event. That includes corners of the grounds highly restricted to those with expensive badges or impossible-to-get credentials at other events. What's more, you are even likely to bump into the likes of "Big" Al Unser, the king of four Indy 500s, or Bill Vukovich II, who is on hand as an honorary steward this year. Al, Bill and any of the other pros will likely be standing next to an interesting racecar that brings back many memories for you.

What's more, this event is like a picnic because these legends are relaxed, comfortable and spend time answering questions, posing for an Instagram selfie with you or signing a photo you brought with the hopes of seeing them. In many ways this event is like a scavenger hunt as you can roam the grounds capturing amazing photos and speaking with heroes you may never have thought you'd get close to.

Big Al was grand marshal last year but returns in 2016 with some business to conduct. Both he and Evernham will be auctioning off prized vehicles at Saturday evening's Motostalgia auction of rare and fine collector cars. Some amazing machines will cross the block, including Unser's custom-made Johnny Lightning tribute beast of a cruiser motorcycle. The one-of-a-kind bike is constructed entirely of some of Al's old racecar parts. The wheels are off a 1963 Novi. Proceeds from the sale will go to a foundation that supports the Unser Museum in Albuquerque.

Renowned car collector and restorer Evernham will auction several cars, including a Sumar (right) and an ex-Marty Robbins 1964 NASCAR Plymouth Modified. Proceeds from that car's sale will go to a North Carolina charity supporting education for autistic children. Other cars fans can watch bidders go crazy for are rare street and racing machines. Among the racers are an ex-Mario Andretti 1987 Lola and a 1986 March in the livery of "Big Al's" 1987 Indy 500 winner. Phil Kruger drove it to eighth place in the 1989 race.

Meanwhile, toward the north end of the Speedway Hagerty Insurance is hosting more cars to display in the infield with another SVRA "shine & show" car club show. This popular attraction allows the local car community to participate in the Brickyard Invitational in a meaningful way while answering questions for visitors.

Other series sponsors, Jaguar and Land Rover, not only add to the show, they give fans a chance to drive. Jaguar has hired Davy Jones and Roberto Guerrero – a pair of Indianapolis 500 runners-up – to be on hand to coach anyone with a valid driver's license on an autocross course. Yes, fans get to drive new F-Type super cars.

Another way for fans to "lean forward" into the action is to download a new, free app from the SVRA Web site. It works on both Android and iPhone and not only allows you to efficiently extract information and images from the Web site but more importantly to follow the on-track action with race reports and final results.

The Brickyard Invitational certainly isn't the Indianapolis 500. It was never meant to be. What it does do is allow fans to take a deep dive into the cultural vibe of the 107-year-old Indianapolis Motor Speedway. They can even grab a friend – or a dad this Father's Day weekend – and camp overnight on the grounds to immerse themselves in fan heaven. After all, kids under 12 get in free.