‘Indescribable’ to see an American Legion car on Indianapolis Motor Speedway for local Legionnaires

Since 1946, American Legion Post 500 in Speedway, Ind., has been providing parking to auto racing fans attending events at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). First it was at Post 198, located around a mile from the track, and then 21 years later when the post was renamed after purchasing land and building a new facility directly across the street from the most famous oval racetrack in the world.

In addition to opening up its four-acre property to cars, trucks, campers and RVs during IMS events, the post also routinely opens up for breakfast on the Saturday and Sunday of race weekends. It’s not just a financial stream for the post. Members of 500’s American Legion Family feel those who come back to the race every year – including what become recognizable faces – are part of the family.

So when COVID-19 forced the running of the 2020 Indianapolis 500 to happen without fans in the stands, it was both economically and emotionally difficult for Post 500. Which makes this year’s race, and the approximately 135,000 fans heading to the track, a welcome site for the post. But the big red, white and blue cherry on top is that on the track will be an American Legion race car, driven by former Indy 500 champ Tony Kanaan.

“It’s indescribable. You can’t describe how that makes us feel as a (post) to see that we have a car out there competing,” said Post 500 Commander Johnette Lawson, in her third year as post commander after a 30-year career in the Air National Guard. “And (the public relations) out there with that car helps us as a post.”

And if Kanaan were to win? “I cannot put that into words,” Lawson said. “How would we feel? To see that car even going (on the track), to me, you can’t describe that feeling.”

Lawson isn’t the only member of Post 500’s American Legion Family excited to see Kanaan in the No. 48 American Legion car. It’s a reason to follow the race even closer.

“For me, it means representation,” said Auxiliary Unit 500 member Shelley Greenlee, who was helping direct vehicle traffic in and out of the post during May 23’s final day of qualifications. “It’s fun to be able to more than yell for the home crowd.”

While doing her job on a hot day in the shadows of the track, Greenlee made sure to engage anyone using the post’s property to park. She said it was nice to have people back for the race this year, while Lawson said having provided parking and camper space for decades has created relationships.

“The month-long campers come back year after year after year,” Lawson said. “We always make sure we plug them in first in our campsites. And it’s like a family. We’re excited to see them this year because they weren’t here last year. It’s like part of our family is home.”

In addition to parking and breakfast on race day, Post 500 also will be open for lunch, which will include pizza, burgers, chicken fingers, tenderloins and French fries. “It’s all volunteers that do all this. And it’s the Legion Family, definitely,” Lawson said. “And the revenue that comes in supports 150 charities that we help and donate to. And we have others that help that come in sporadically. The money all goes to the veterans, their families, homeless vets.”

And those efforts took a hit in 2020. “It was very difficult,” Lawson said, noting that the post allowed campers who’d already reserved and paid for spots to roll that money over to 2021. “So that profit we’d have had last year, we didn’t have it.”

But things are getting closer to back to normal this year, and Lawson is hoping by 2022 the race will be back to full crowd capacity. And it’s the same with Greenlee, who has lived in Speedway for around 17 years, but regularly as a youngster visited her grandmother’s house on east side of the track.

A year after the pandemic’s shutting down of all but the race itself, Greenlee’s happy back to being busy at the post during May. “It’s nice to get some normality back,” she said. “The sound of the cars are more comforting to me than my mother’s lullaby.”