Indianapolis Motor Speedway will partner with the Indiana Donor Network (IDN) on a "year-long campaign to raise awareness for organ donation through the Driven2SaveLives program," according to Marshall Pruett of RACER.com. The effort will begin this weekend and "span all events at IMS" through the '18 Indianapolis 500. The program was "first introduced" to IMS last year as the primary sponsor for Stefan Wilson's Indy 500 entry, which "came after the organization learned of the multiple organ donations made by his late brother Justin Wilson, who died following a crash at the Pocono IndyCar event" in '15. The "new and unique collaboration between Wilson's sponsors and IMS comes as a result of the assistance he provided to the series by stepping out of his IDN-sponsored Indy 500 seat to allow" F1 driver Fernando Alonso to race this year (RACER.com, 5/9). In Indianapolis, Brody Miller reported IDN "added a partnership with Clauson-Marshall Racing and expanded Driven2SaveLives into dirt track racing in honor of" the late dirt track driver Bryan Clauson. IMS will have Driven2SaveLives "signage, videos, advertising and social media." A "special tribute to Clauson is also in the works for the 100th lap" of this year's Indy 500 (INDYSTAR.com, 5/9).
ALONSO'S BALL: RACER.com's Robin Miller noted McLaren Exec Dir Zak Brown "might be shopping" for an additional Indy 500 sponsor for Alonso. However, Brown said that it was "unlikely because there is not enough lead time" (RACER.com, 5/10). MOTORSPORT.com's Jonathan Noble noted Alonso is a "founding investor in fashion lifestyle brand Kimoa, which he has put together with some friends over the past 18 months and which was finally launched a few months ago." Alonso: "We started on this idea a couple of years ago to put everything in place, and we actually started it a couple of months ago with our launch online." Noble noted by paying "close attention to Alonso over recent weeks," it was impossible to have not "noticed him wearing his own brand -- and that included wearing a Kimoa cap while trying out his IndyCar simulator recently" (MOTORSPORT.com, 5/10).
START YOUR ENGINES: Juncos Racing announced that 23-year-old Spencer Pigot would "pilot the rookie team's first entry" in the Indy 500. In Indianapolis, Jim Ayello noted California-based drug addiction treatment center Oceanfront Recovery is "serving as the primary sponsor" of Juncos' No. 11 Chevrolet (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 5/10). Juncos Racing also announced it has "entered a car for Sebastian Saavedra" in the Indy 500, and the No. 17 Chevrolet will be sponsored by California-based Automatic Fire Sprinklers (INDYSTAR.com, 5/10).
