Nationally syndicated radio show to feature Tony Kanaan, others during Carb Day show.
American Legion Post 500 in Speedway, Indiana has earned international attention as it’s directly across from the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indianapolis 500.
In past years, such racing teams has Ferrari Formula One have rented the facility to host sponsor parties and other events back when the Speedway hosted the United States Grand Prix from 2000 to 2007.
It will get nationwide attention on Carb Day – Friday, May 27 – when the popular syndicated “The Bob & Tom Show” broadcasts from American Legion Post 500. It’s part of the annual Miller Lite Carb Day broadcast and can be heard live from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.
The four-hour long broadcast is a popular event with the fans who come out for Carb Day – the final two-hour practice session before Sunday’s 106th Indianapolis 500.
“The Bob & Tom Show” is broadcast out of the Q95 studios in Indianapolis but is syndicated nationwide across the United States on over 100 radio stations.
In the past, “The Bob & Tom” Carb Day Show has been broadcast from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at various locations, including the Chevy Stage on the Flag Lot.
“That particular post has a member named Dave Wilson, who was a comedian, and he puts a lot of interesting entertainment at Post 500,” said Tom Griswold, the “Tom” from “Bob & Tom.”
“We were looking for a place where we had the ability to bring a band in,” Griswold continued. “Since there is not a lot of action from 6-10 a.m. at the Speedway that day, it was not important to be inside the Speedway because the gates don’t open until 8 a.m. and we had two hours where we were talking to no one during those hours on the Chevy Stage.
“Now, we are 40 yards from the Speedway and a lot of the people that come in, in recreation vehicles are parked there. We will be waking them up against their will and I’m sure some of them will come over to say hi.”
One of those that will be part of the show is 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner and 2004 NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Tony Kanaan. He will stop in to be part of the wackiness on the show before he climbs into his No. 1 American Legion Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing in the final two-hour practice on Carb Day.
In addition to being broadcast on the syndicated network, it will also be streamed live on YouTube and will be available worldwide.
“We will have several cameras there and the ease that they can do that now on streaming is amazing,” Griswold said.
Former drivers such as Al Unser, Jr. will stop by the show along with a few unexpected guests.
“If it’s raining, there will be a lot of down time, so a lot of the drivers may have plenty of time to come by,” Griswold said.
“The Bob & Tom Show” is one of the most popular, early-morning radio shows in the country featuring some of the top comedians in entertainment.
The first time “The Bob & Tom Show” broadcast from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was in 1983.
“We used to go out there with a portable unit that had the signal and crank it up and we would be on golf carts or under some guy’s RV on the fly,” Griswold explained. “We would be there all day long during qualifications. We would be driving through the ‘Snake Pit’ and talking to people during the long broadcast.”
The late motorsports journalist Robin Miller was also part of the “Bob & Tom Show” for decades. He was famous for imitating drivers such as Mario Andretti and Al Unser.
“He was so good that when we got the real Mario Andretti and Al Unser on, we had to make sure to tell our listeners it was the real guys, not the ones they had heard so much on the show,” Griswold said. “Robin asked us to help out Jan Opperman, who had a serious head injury in a sprint car. We did a cassette for the ‘Jan Opperman Fund.’ We had hundreds of people waiting to get in to buy the cassettes and help the ‘Jan Opperman Fund.’
“Robin would do the funny voices. Sometimes, we would have him come on as Robin Miller, which as you know was for better or for worse. He told it like it was and didn’t care if it offended anyone at the Speedway.”
As for American Legion Post 500, Griswold has gotten to become friends with many of its members through the show and from Dave Wilson.
He is also proud to support The American Legion’s “Be The One” program to help prevent veteran suicide.
“Any time you can present a message that is that profound and important, it’s always going to be a good thing,” Griswold said. “You are presenting a really important message to veterans.
“What we do is typically frivolous and dumb, but when you have people interested and engaged, you can slip in the important stuff.
“People are not listening to our show for medical advice, but you can slip that in. We can talk about mental health after acting like an idiot.
“You will get somebody because you never know who is out there listening. It also brings attention to The American Legion because some people may not know they are involved with that.”
Griswold has been actively following the exploits of American Legion driver Jimmie Johnson and how he brings both NASCAR and INDYCAR fans to pay attention to the Indianapolis 500.
American Legion members and Indy 500 fans are invited to Speedway Post 500 to be part of the entertainment extravaganza before heading across the street to the watch Carb Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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