In about a week, I’ll be heading to Indianapolis for the 92nd Indianapolis 500. The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council will be spearheading all kinds of activities and events for members of Team Ethanol as usual. But, Team Ethanol Driver Ryan Hunter-Reay will be involved in more than autograph signings, meet-and-greets and exciting Indy racing. Ryan will also join Indy racing colleagues Danica Patrick, Marco Andretti, Graham Rahal and Ed Carpenter for the non-profit youth voting campaign, Declare Yourself. Ryan and his track mates will help stress the power of exercising the right to vote through video segments that will be aired throughout race weekend.
Danica Patrick, Marco Andretti, Graham Rahal, Ed Carpenter and Ryan Hunter-Reay recorded the video spots this week and all have registered to vote at www.declareyourself.com. The PSAs will air on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway jumbotrons for several days leading up to the anticipated May 25 race, as well as on www.indycar.com and www.indy500.com.
“The Indianapolis 500 is one of the great sports traditions in our country,” said Marc Morgenstern, executive director of Declare Yourself. “Millions of young people are fans of the IndyCar Series, and we couldn’t have a bigger platform than this exciting race to get our message out. The recent presidential primary in Indiana brought out an unprecedented number of young voters, and we believe our Indy PSAs will keep young fans engaged as we race toward the election.”
“You’ve been given the opportunity for your voice to be heard. If you’re not taking advantage of that, you’re only short-changing yourself and your future. So get out and vote. In the time it takes me to do two laps, you could have registered to vote at DeclareYourself.com,” said Ryan Hunter-Reay.
The Declare Yourself Indy event will also include a special viewing opportunity of an original copy of the Declaration of Independence. The copy will be on display at Speedway Museum. The document belongs to Declare Yourself founder, producer Norman Lear. It was created on the evening of July 4, 1776 and is one of the 25 remaining original copies of the Declaration of Independence.
Declare Yourself will also have an educational multimedia exhibit that features a video segment from actress Reese Witherspoon. Witherspoon is a descendant of one of the original signers of the Declaration of Independence. The exhibit will also feature a theatrical reading of the document that includes a distinguished group of actors such as Mel Gibson, Morgan Freeman, Whoopi Goldberg, Kevin Spacey, Michael Douglas, and Renee Zellweger, among others.