On Beyond The Bricks, Jake Query and Mike Thomsen talk about arguably the best to ever take to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Rick Mears. They discuss how Mears made his way from Bakersfield, California to the corner of 16th and Georgetown, and how he immediately took to IMS. We hear calls from Rick’s four Indy 500 wins, and hear from the legend about his relationship with Roger Penske, why his 1991 victory was the most satisfying, and how he outdueled Michael Andretti during the Diamond Jubilee edition of the Indy 500. 

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On Beyond The Bricks, Jake Query and Mike Thomsen go back to the 1950s at the Indianapolis 500. They discuss 1951 winner Lee Wallard, who was burned in a racing accident and saw his career cut short after winning the 500. We hear historic Tom Carnegie interviews with Wallard as well as Bob Sweikert. Jake and Mike look back on many of the heroes that emerged in the decade, and some that were lost too early.

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On Beyond The Bricks, Jake Query and Mike Thomsen look back on the career of the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 four times: A.J. Foyt. We hear historic audio from Super Tex, including his start in racing, his thoughts on all four of his “500” victories, and how he came back from multiple devastating crashes. We also hear from Donald Davidson on Foyt’s career, as well as former “Voice of the 500” Paul Page. 

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On Beyond The Bricks, Jake Query and Mike Thomsen by spending some time on some of the women Indy 500 drivers. A couple of the names that Jake and Mike dive into are Bessie Lee Paoli and Janet Guthrie. Mike and Jake break down how Bessie Lee Paoli was a true pioneer in the sport.

Later, Jake and Mike go through Janet Guthrie’s stories on how she went from racing sports cars to racing in the Indianapolis 500, play some audio on her recollection on how she qualified to become the first women to make the Indy 500, and how she was treated by her competitors in IndyCar.

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On Beyond The Bricks, Jake Query and Mike Thomsen look back on the career of 1985 Indy 500 winner Danny Sullivan. We hear from the Louisville native on how he got his start in racing, how he made his way to Indianapolis, and his iconic “Spin to Win” in ‘85. Jake and Mike discuss their memories of the spin in the south chute, and how they still can’t believe that Sullivan did not hit anything and continued on. 

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On Beyond The Bricks, Jake Query and Mike Thomsen honor three-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti, who turned 49-years-old Thursday. They discuss Dario’s upbringing in Scotland, his early career, and his breakthrough with Team Green (later Andretti Green). Jake and Mike recount his three Indianapolis 500 wins, including his rain-shortened victory in 2007, as well as later wins in 2010 and 2012 We hear from Dario about what it means to have his face on the Borg Warner Trophy, and the difficulty of losing some of his friends in racing. 

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On Beyond The Bricks, Jake Query and Mike Thomsen pay tribute to some of the spectacular Indianapolis 500 races that occurred during years ending in two. They look back on Troy Ruttman’s victory in 1952, which still stands as the youngest winner in race history. Jake and Mike discuss Rodger Ward’s victory in ‘62, Team Penske’s first Indy 500 win in 1972 with Mark Donohue, as well as the legendary finishes in 1982 and 1992. 

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On Beyond The Bricks, Jake Query and Mike Thomsen celebrate some behind the scenes figures from the 113-year history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. They talk about former driver/radio analyst Freddie Agabashian. Speedway Public Relations Director Al Bloemker. Later, Jake and Mike learn from Donald Davidson about the impact of Clarence Cagle, long-time IMS superintendent and Tony Hulman’s right hand man. They also hear from Donald about “Chickie” Hirashima, who started as a riding mechanic and later won the race as a chief mechanic. 

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On Beyond The Bricks, Jake Query and Mike Thomsen talk about some of the drivers who made one appearance in the Indianapolis 500, for a variety of reasons. They pay tribute to drivers like Dave MacDonald, who died during the 1964 500, but had a very successful career elsewhere before his one Indy 500. 

Jake and Mike talk about Sam Posey, who made just one start at Indy, but became well-known as a TV analyst on ABC. Other drivers include Hector Rebaque, Jacques Villeneuve (uncle of the eventual winner), and Randy Lanier, who funded his racing career in a not-so-legal manner. 

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On Beyond The Bricks, Jake Query and Mike Thomsen discuss some of the drivers where Indianapolis made their name. Bob Harkey is the first driver that Jake and Mike dive into where they discuss how unique he was. The next driver the guys discuss is Roger Rager and how he used a stock block off of a school bus with 72,000 miles already on it during the 1980 Indy 500. The final driver Jake and Mike discuss is Jerry Sneva and how he would do anything to make sure he got a car in the race.

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