Ray Harroun (Jan. 12, 1879 – Jan. 19, 1968) was an American race car driver, born in Spartansburg, Pa. At the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911, his use of what would now be called a rear-view mirror, rather than the riding mechanic specified in the rules, created controversy but was ultimately allowed. Harroun went on to win at an average speed of 74.602 mph.

Harroun, who came out of retirement to race in the first 500, would not race after 1911. Harroun’s historic Firestone-shod yellow #32 Marmon “Wasp,” in which he won the Indianapolis 500, is on display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.

After retiring from racing, Harroun continued engineering work for Marmon, and later for the Maxwell racing team. In 1917, Harroun started his own automobile company, and he continued to work in the automotive industry until his retirement at age 79.

Ok, now what does this Indianapolis Motor Speedway history lesson courtesy of Wikipedia have to do with fashion and design? From our friend Dave Lewandowski at www.indy500.com:

“This past Monday, May 18, the entire starting grid of the Indianapolis 500 visited the Big Apple, New York City, to participate in the opening of a spectacular exhibit. Fronted by the yellow car that started it all - the 1911 Marmon Wasp - and the biggest prize in motorsports - the iconic Borg-Warner Trophy - drivers competing in the May 24 race lined up in the traditional 11 rows of three for a photo op in front of the Macy’s flagship store (where it’s been located since 1902).

The event, which preceded a media gathering at Calvin Klein’s Lookspace in Times Square South and followed multiple national TV appearances by front-row starters Castroneves, Ryan Briscoe and Dario Franchitti, was held in conjunction with IZOD’s exhibit “In Pursuit of FAST: 100 Years of Indy Racing, Fashion and Design” at Macy’s on Broadway through June 3.

The historic exhibit - featuring multiple generations of race cars from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum, 500 Mile Race-winning driver helmets, original photographs and memorabilia — dresses the large display windows and lines the (Broadway to Seventh Avenue) aisles. After the outdoor photo session, spectators/shoppers stopped to photograph the Borg-Warner Trophy, which occupied a center-aisle display space reserved during the winter holidays for the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball.”

After their visit to the Big Apple, the cast of 33 drivers will be making all their final preparations this week. Be sure to check out www.indy500.com for a complete schedule of events throughout the week. If your not going to be part of the single largest sporting event in the world Sunday, May 24, be sure to check out all the TV coverage on ABC, VERSUS and ESPN Classic throughout the week.

Keep an eye on the early part of the Race Day telecast on ABC. If you catch a glimpse of a bright orange Repsol race bike flashing by, you’ll also be sharing one of the most memorable experiences from my month of May.

I hope you all have a memorable Memorial Day weekend, and I’ll see you next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com

Greg