Mari Hulman George, Phil Casey make Auto Racing Hall of Fame

 The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation, Inc. (Foundation) is pleased to announce that Phil Casey and Mari Hulman George have been selected as inductees into the Auto Racing Hall of Fame. Chosen by a distinguished panel of more than 100 experts in auto racing, Casey and George bring to 150 the number of individuals who have been recognized for their outstanding contributions to the sport of racing and to the development of the automotive industry. The Auto Racing Hall of Fame, founded in 1952, is located at the Hall of Fame Museum at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Casey and George will be honored on May 21, 2015, at the annual Hall of Fame Banquet held in conjunction with the International Association of Indianapolis 500 Oldtimers. Gathering with about 700 of their closest friends and colleagues in auto racing, the two groups also will honor Al Unser Sr. for his four Indianapolis 500 wins (1970, 1971, 1978, 1987) and other contributions to the sport. Unser was inducted into the Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1986. They also are honoring the current Indianapolis 500 champion, Ryan Hunter-Reay, and the reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion, Will Power.

Started in midgets

Casey's career started with building midgets and modified race cars. He next produced winning race cars for the Indianapolis 500 under Fred Gerhardt, as his chief mechanic. Casey was a nine-time winner of the National Championship competition of the United States Auto Club (USAC), crew chief for Janet Guthrie, the first female driver to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 in 1977, and worked with Roberto Guerrero in 1985 and 1986 and A.J. Foyt in 1990. In 1996, he took on the role of Senior Technical Director for the IRL, just as the sanctioning body was formed. He has been recognized for extraordinary contributions during the formation of the IRL, including the development of the now industry-standard Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) Barrier.

George currently serves as the chairman of the Board of Directors of Hulman & Company and serves as a director of the Foundation. She has been a tireless supporter of auto racing and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, following in her parents' footsteps. Her first independent racing venture was with Roger Wolcott in the formation of the HOW racing team, which fielded American Automobile Association and USAC Sprint cars for several drivers. Her team won the championship of that series in 1957, placed second in 1954, and third in 1956 and 1958. George also fielded a car in the National Championship series, with several top finishes recorded from 1957 through 1962. George has been a significant philanthropic supporter of the arts, health care and animal welfare.

ARHOF