Aerosmith & the Indy 500

Info on the Car

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Aerosmith Car Info

The Car: G Force/Oldsmobile/Firestone

Owned By: Heritage Motor Sports

Driver:  Jeff Ward ( 1997 Indianapolis 500 Bank One Rookie of the Year)

Car #: 35

Color scheme: Pink and Grey with the robot woman on both sides, Aerosmith logos and a Demon of  Sceamin' (Steven Tyler) head on the nose of the car.

How the car did: Started in 6th place go up to 5th place, then due to an accident the Aerosmith Car had to leave the race.  Jeff Ward and the Aerosmith Car ended up in 25th place.

Aerosmith Car To Race In Indy 500 ( from MTV.com)

  After Aerosmith belter Steven Tyler opens this year's Indy 500 by singing the national anthem, veteran driver Jeff Ward will slip behind the wheel of the Heritage Motorsports' Aerosmith "Screaming Demon" car and race against the rest of the field.

While various hard rockers including Incubus, Mudvayne, System of a Down, Crazy Town and Dope have had their logos affixed to numerous NASCAR vehicles over the past two years (see "Mudvayne, Incubus, More ... At 100 MPH"), this marks the first time an Indy 500 race car includes the image of a rock band, a Heritage publicist said.

The Aerosmith vehicle will be decorated with a pink and silver paint scheme, the band's logo, the scantily clad robot vixen that appears on the band's new album, Just Push Play, an open-mouthed caricature of Tyler, and — just in case anyone mistakes the singer for one of the Backstreet Boys — Tyler's own autograph.

Co-owner of Heritage Motorsports, Jim Rathmann Jr., orchestrated the deal with the band 10 days ago after receiving a tip from the Indy Racing League (IRL) that Tyler would sing the national anthem at this year's race (see "Aerosmith's Steven Tyler To Sing At Indy 500"). Aerosmith were more than happy to provide the "Screaming Demon" image. The howling cartoon was originally used on a line of the band's guitar picks, according to Bill O'Neil, senior manager of marketing and promotions for CMG Worldwide, the company that helped Heritage cinch the partnership.

The only hitch was painting and decorating the car in time for its May 24 unveiling. "We were literally still putting decals on the car one-half hour before our press conference," O'Neil said.

Following the Indy 500, Ward and Heritage plan to continue running the "Screaming Demon" at the remaining 10 races of the IRL season. Heritage also hopes to create a showroom version of the vehicle (sans engine) to showcase during Aerosmith's Just Push Play tour.

—Jon Wiederhorn

mtv.com

Aerosmith's Tyler Sings Anthem

By REX W. HUPPKE, Associated Press Writer

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - In a bizarre mix of style and taste, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler took the stage at the Indianapolis 500 with Florence Henderson.

The lady sang "America The Beautiful" like Mrs. Brady.

The dude sang the national anthem like, well, an aging rock star who doesn't sing it often.

"I usually worry when I write a song, with hopes that the audience, the Aerosmith fans will know the lyrics," Tyler said, brushing his hair back with a silver-ringed hand. "This one was a no-brainer. They kind of knew the lyrics to this one."

Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Tyler, who took the stage Sunday in a flowing blue-starred shirt and red-and-white scarf. The longtime rocker got so swept up in the moment that he ended the song by singing "the home of the Indianapolis 500" instead of "home of the brave."

That didn't please everyone.

"It would have been nice had it been about us," said race fan and Vietnam veteran Don Gillingham, rolling up his sleeve to show a faded blue Navy tattoo. "Because it is Memorial Day weekend."

Tyler said he meant no offense.

"I got in trouble my whole life for having a big mouth," he said. "I'm very proud to be an American, and live in the home of the brave."

Tyler and some of his bandmates were also proud of the bright pink car they sponsored in this year's race, emblazoned with Tyler's likeness. The car, driven by Jeff Ward, finished 24th.

"The thing that I think a lot of us didn't realize was that race fans are the same as Aerosmith fans. They're one in the same," said Joey Kramer, the band's drummer. "I don't think this is going to be the last time you see the Aerosmith logo on a race car."

But it might be the last time the greatest spectacle at the Indy 500 was the opening ceremony.

There was Henderson, America's favorite mom on the Brady Bunch. Behind her was Tyler, whose band recorded such hits as "Walk This Way" and "Dude Looks Like a Lady."

Waiting in the wings? None other than Jim Nabors, aka Gomer Pyle, who followed Tyler and Henderson with a baritone rendition of "Back Home Again in Indiana."

Coming off a performance in Boston the night before, Tyler could only laugh about his fellow Indy 500 performers.

"I watched Gomer for most of my teen-age years," Tyler said. "And Florence, well, you know. It's all good."

excite.com

Excerpt from USAToday.com

"I really wasn't into cars and driving and racing," says Aerosmith vocalist Steven Tyler. "I thought Mario Andretti was a pasta dish."
That is, until he listened enough to band mates Brad Whitford, Joe Perry and Tom Hamilton, who, if they weren't talking about strings and amps, were talking about tires and clutches. Now count Tyler among racing fans. "I'm addicted to adrenaline," he says.

usatoday.com

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