2013 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Tony Kanaan and Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb joined forces Wednesday to unveil Kanaan’s livery on the No. 1 The American Legion Honda that Kanaan will drive in the 106th edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on Sunday, May 29.
Holcomb, a U.S. Navy veteran, drove Kanaan from the Indiana Statehouse this morning in downtown Indianapolis to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where the eye-catching race car is covered with the words “Be the One,” which will serve as the tagline for the nationwide awareness campaign The American Legion will launch Memorial Day weekend.
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“The Governor provided me some great tips on how to drive and win,” Kanaan said. “In the past, I have driven with two ones on my car, but this year I am proud to have only one and encourage all Americans to “Be The One” to help The American Legion end veteran suicide.”
Among the goals of the “Be the One” campaign is ending the stigma around veteran suicide, which is preventing military members and veterans from asking for help.
“Creating awareness to help end veteran suicide is a cause we can all get behind,” said Chip Ganassi, owner of Chip Ganassi Racing. “When you have that kind of purpose driving you, you fight harder to win, and we want to win for our nation’s veterans.”
The American Legion, the nation’s largest veterans service organization, is also an official charity of INDYCAR. They hope to leverage this relationship and engage other important leaders like Holcomb to get the message out there and their goal across the finish line.
“Stigma is real,” said Dean Kessel, chief marketing officer for The American Legion. “We must remove the barriers that are preventing veterans from asking for help and we could not think of a better place to get the message out there than at the greatest race in all of motorsports.”
This is the second year that The American Legion and Chip Ganassi Racing have teamed up for the Indianapolis 500. This is Kanaan’s 21st appearance in the race; he finished 10th in last year’s 500.
The American Legion is the largest veterans service organization with nearly 2 million members in more than 12,000 posts across the nation. Chartered by Congress in 1919, The American Legion is committed to mentoring youth and sponsoring wholesome community programs, advocating patriotism and honor, promoting a strong national security and continued devotion to service members and veterans.
Live coverage of the 106th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge starts at 11 a.m. (ET) Sunday, May 29 on NBC, Telemundo Deportes on Universo and the INDYCAR Radio Network.