Late Colts Owner Jim Irsay's Daughter Is Honorary Starter For Indy 500
INDIANAPOLIS – Casey Irsay Foyt, who represents the next generation of Indianapolis Colts' ownership along with her sisters Carlie Irsay-Gordon and Kalen Jackson, will serve as honorary starter for the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, waving the green flag Sunday, May 25 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Casey will wave the flag to honor the irreplaceable and impactful legacy of her father, Jim Irsay, whose stewardship of the Indianapolis Colts and generous philanthropic efforts had a transformative impact across Central Indiana and the Hoosier State. Jim Irsay passed away Wednesday, May 21 at age 65.
'As Indianapolis prepares for a special weekend that showcases our city's unmatched ability to successfully host massive global sporting events, it's incredibly appropriate and especially meaningful to celebrate Jim's contributions to our city and state,' Penske Entertainment President and CEO Mark Miles said. 'Put simply, the Indianapolis we know, and love would not be remotely possible without Jim.'
Said IndyCar and IMS President J. Douglas Boles: 'We're honored to have Casey on the flag stand representing her family, our friends at the Colts organization and Hoosiers everywhere who cherish our unique sports scene. Our organizations have a deep history together, and our fans cherish the familiar sight of players at the racetrack and drivers at the stadium.'
Indianapolis regularly welcomes new Colts' draft picks through an annual visit to IMS on Fast Friday presented by Turtle Wax, and Colts' legends like Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck and Reggie Wayne have been fixtures at the track over time. Leadership at IMS and the Colts worked together closely in planning the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl and have maintained close ties for decades.
After graduating from Indiana University with a degree in sports marketing, Foyt worked for the NFL in London, planning the first regular-season NFL game played outside North America, as well as special events associated with the game.
Foyt joined the Colts in 2007 and focuses her energy on marketing and community relations. She helped revitalize the Indianapolis Colts Women's Organization and planned the group's first major fundraiser in 2007. Foyt also helps represent the club at NFL Owners' Meetings and other league events.
Foyt resides in Carmel, Indiana, with her husband, Indianapolis 500 veteran Anthony J. Foyt IV, and their five children.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
43 minutes ago
- New York Times
After hitting ‘rock bottom,' Braves can still salvage their season – if they snap out of it
The Atlanta Braves are 27-34, 11 games back in the NL East, 1 1/2 games behind rebuilding Washington and only 3 1/2 ahead of lowly Miami. After their latest misstep, a blown six-run lead in the ninth inning Thursday against Arizona, their broadcaster and Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Glavine said, 'If you were looking for rock bottom, this might be it.' Advertisement The tendency, in this age of overreaction, is to project the Braves as trade-deadline sellers and start listing potential landing spots for designated hitter Marcell Ozuna. But through the same date a year ago, the New York Mets were 27-35 and the Houston Astros 28-35, records nearly identical to the Braves' current mark. Both teams finished with nearly 90 wins and reached the postseason. If the Braves fail to ignite, it will be fair to question whether they lost too much of their fabric with the free-agent departures of first baseman Freddie Freeman, shortstop Dansby Swanson and left-hander Max Fried over a four-year span. Whether president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos created too comfortable an environment by awarding so many players extensions. Whether Anthopoulos last offseason should have done more to address his offense and bullpen. But more than 100 games remain. As poorly as the Braves are playing, the recoveries of the 2024 Mets and Astros are testaments to the dangers of passing judgment on a team too soon. So, for that matter, is the example of the 2021 World Series champion Braves, who at this stage of the season were 29-32. The 162-game marathon, combined with an expanded playoff format, allows teams to recover from a bad month or even three. The Braves are unlikely to even consider selling unless they are buried at the All-Star break. Their replacement of third-base coach Matt Tuiasosopo with former manager Fredi Gonzalez on Monday was not a warning shot at manager Brian Snitker, who has led the team to seven straight postseason appearances and is in his 49th year with the organization. No, it was simply a response to two seasons of Tuiasosopo making poor decisions. A change team officials deemed necessary. Snitker isn't blameless. The Braves aren't going to fire him after all he has achieved, but this sure looks like his last season. On Thursday alone, he could have stuck longer with right-hander Grant Holmes rather than start the bullpen carousel by lifting him after 3 1/3 innings. Still, the Braves took their six-run lead into the ninth. At some point, their disappointing performance is on the players, from center fielder Michael Harris II to second baseman Ozzie Albies to closer Raisel Iglesias. Advertisement By this time a year ago, the Mets already had started their turnaround. The Astros got going about two weeks later. But not every club reaches its desired destination. Another projected contender last season, the Texas Rangers, showed how some teams never recover from faulty starts, missing the playoffs one year after winning the World Series. The Braves, if they don't snap out of it, could be this year's Rangers. Their plus-6 run differential indicates their record should be above .500, yet they are seven games under. They have played a major-league-high 25 one-run games, and are only 9-16 in those contests. Even with the deadline offering an opportunity for improvement, an opportunity Anthopoulos seized to catapult his club to a championship in 2021, the strength of the NL this season adds to the degree of difficulty. The Braves need more from their offense, which, before their 10-run eruption Thursday, was tied with the Marlins for 22nd in runs per game. They also need to fix their bullpen, which underwent another shakeup after Thursday's shocking ninth-inning collapse — Daysbel Hernández to the injured list, Scott Blewett designated for assignment and Craig Kimbrel and Dylan Dodd up from Triple A. Yet, for all the Braves' middle-inning maneuvering, the biggest problem remains closer Raisel Iglesias, whose .956 opponents' OPS essentially means he is turning every hitter into Pete Alonso. Not even the highly anticipated returns of right-hander Spencer Strider and right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. altered the Braves' trajectory. Strider is trying to regain his form after missing all of 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery and nearly a month this season with a strained right hamstring. Acuña, coming off nearly a yearlong absence due to a torn ACL in his left knee, is performing better than the Braves could have expected, batting .333 with four home runs and a 1.056 OPS. Yet the team is 3-9 since his return. Bad breaks are part of this. The loss of right-hander Reynaldo López to shoulder inflammation after one start. The offseason knee surgery that might sideline setup man Joe Jiménez all season. The 80-game suspension to left fielder Jurickson Profar for testing positive for PEDs. Advertisement Well, all teams deal with injuries. The $42 million investment in Profar, based on his outlier campaign in 2024, was always going to be a gamble. And even the regressions of Harris (.590 OPS) and Albies (.658) reflect the volatility in individual performance that is part of the game. The Braves never expected catcher Drake Baldwin and outfielder Eli White to make such positive contributions, either. Early in the offseason, Anthopoulos orchestrated a series of moves to create payroll flexibility, trading designated hitter Jorge Soler, allowing catcher Travis d'Arnaud to depart as a free agent and restructuring the contracts of López and reliever Aaron Bummer. The Braves later lost Fried, right-hander Charlie Morton and reliever A.J. Minter to free agency as well. Profar turned out to be Anthopoulos' only significant addition. And the team, under its Liberty Media ownership, wound up with a lower payroll. Fried might win a Cy Young Award, but the Braves never were going to sign him to the $218 million contract he received from the New York Yankees, and their rotation isn't a problem. Anthopoulos non-tendered Griffin Canning, the pitcher he acquired from the Los Angeles Angels for Soler, and the Mets turned Canning into a potential All-Star. But none of the other players Anthopoulos lost is haunting him. His plan just isn't unfolding the way he envisioned. The way the Braves are constructed, an offense that set records in 2023 should be capable of succeeding with light-hitting Nick Allen at shortstop, just as the Astros once thrived with Martín Maldonado at catcher. A better version of outfielder Jarred Kelenic, an Anthopoulos acquisition from last offseason who earned a demotion at Triple A, surely would help. But the Braves shouldn't need to rely on him, either. Some seasons are like this. Some years it doesn't just work out. The Braves are talented enough to bounce back like they did in 2021, and like the Mets and Astros did last season. But at some point, they've got to show it. And they sure aren't showing it yet. (Top photo of Brian Snitker: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)
Fox News
44 minutes ago
- Fox News
Indiana Pacers Come Back from Behind and Take First NBA Finals Game Against Oklahoma City Thunder
The Indiana Pacers come back from behind and take the first NBA Finals game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. #IndianaPacers #Pacers #OKCThunder #NBA #NBAFinals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit FOX News Radio
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
How historic was OKC Thunder's NBA Finals Game 1 loss vs. Pacers? Examining the numbers
The Oklahoma City Thunder opened the NBA Finals with a stunning defeat, falling 111-110 to the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday at the Paycom Center. Here's a look at the numbers behind the Thunder's loss: Pre-order our new book on Thunder's rise to NBA Finals Advertisement CARLSON: Thunder takes gut punch in Game 1. How it responds will decide who wins NBA Finals. Thunder can't take advantage of Indiana turnovers 20: First-half turnovers forced by the Thunder. 9: Points off those turnovers, helping Indiana remain within striking distance. 5: Turnovers in the second half by the Pacers, with Oklahoma City scoring just two points off those turnovers. More: OKC Thunder leads for all but 0.3 seconds before falling to Pacers in Game 1 of NBA Finals Mark Daigneault digs deep 11: Players used by the Thunder. Most of Ajay Mitchell's playoff minutes had come with the Thunder either winning big or losing big but Mitchell played 4:10 in the second quarter before Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Isaiah Joe re-entered the game. Mitchell was 0 for 3 during the stretch as Oklahoma City's lead went from nine to six with Mitchell on the floor. Pacers control second half Plus-13: The Pacers' scoring margin in the second half. Oklahoma City led 57-45 at the break, but was outscored 66-53 in the second half to give Indiana a chance to complete the comeback. Advertisement More: Carlson: Patience got Thunder to 2025 NBA Finals. Now, OKC needs to win its first title. Tyrese Haliburton does it again 4: Tyrese Haliburton shots in the closing seconds of regulation or overtime to win a game or force overtime in the playoffs. Haliburton hit a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals to force overtime against the Knicks in a game Indiana ultimately won. More: Tyrese Haliburton delivers stunner again as Pacers steal Game 1 vs Thunder in NBA Finals Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the basket between Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0), guard Andrew Nembhard (2) and forward Pascal Siakam (43) during Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Thursday, June 5, 2025. Indiana won 111-110. OKC lets lead slip away 15: Thunder's lead with 9:42 remaining after Jalen Williams caught a T.J. McConnell inbounds pass from under the basket in stride near midcourt and took it down for a dunk to give OKC its biggest lead of the game. Advertisement 32: Points scored by the Pacers after Williams' dunk, highlighted by Haliburton's game-winner with 0.3 seconds remaining. 1: Field goal for the Thunder in the last four minutes. Gilgeous-Alexander hit a driving layup with 4:01 left to put the Thunder up six, and made a pair of free throws 182: Consecutive losses in the NBA Finals by a team trailing by nine or more in the final three minutes since 1971 before Indiana's stunning comeback Thursday. 1: Lead by the Pacers. The Thunder led from the start until Haliburton's game-winner. More: Pacers 'cheated death' again to stun Thunder in NBA Finals: Social media reacts Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still historic 38: Points scored by Gilgeous-Alexander, the third-most all-time in an NBA Finals debut. Only Allen Iverson (48 in 2001) and George Mikan (42 in 1949) scored more in their first NBA Finals appearance. Both Iverson and Mikan, though, won their first Finals games. Mikan's Lakers went on to win the title, though Iverson's 76ers lost the next four games to the Lakers to give Los Angeles the title. Advertisement 2: Free throws attempted by Gilgeous-Alexander through three quarters. Gilgeous-Alexander made just one. 6: Free throws made by Gilgeous-Alexander in the fourth quarter. More: Mussatto: How Sam Presti, architect of OKC Thunder rebuild, followed through on blueprint Ryan Aber covers OU athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Ryan? He can be reached at raber@ or on Twitter at @RyAber . Sign up for the OU Sooners newsletter to access more OU coverage. Support Ryan's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at . This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Inside NBA Finals Game 1 stats in Indiana Pacers' rally vs OKC Thunder
