American Legion using Indy 500 sponsorship to raise awareness about veteran suicide

By May 28, 2021, 8:30 PM EDT
American Legion veteran suicide
James Black/IndyCar
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INDIANAPOLIS — The American Legion launched a new campaign around ending veteran suicide, using its sponsorship of the No. 48 Dallara-Honda driven by Tony Kanaan in Sunday’s Indy 500 to drive awareness.

Friday marked National Poppy Day, which is “about honoring the fallen by assisting and remembering and serving and supporting the living,” said Sergeant Major Michael Barrett, who took part in a news conference Thursday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with Kanaan, team owner Chip Ganassi and American Legion chief marketing officer Dean Kessel.

Noting that Poppy Day commemorates the start of Memorial Day observations, Barrett said the same principles apply to solving the issue of veteran suicide.

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“Saying ‘we remember’ and ‘thank you for your service’ is just not enough,” said Michael P. Barrett, American Legion member and 17th Sergeant Major of the United States Marine Corps. “The best way we can honor those who gave their lives to this country is to support and protect those who served alongside them. I’m talking about the men and women who saw their friend take their last breath in battle or experience one of the other horrors of war that they now must live with for the rest of their life. I’m here today to ask you – no, I am imploring you – to honor our nation’s veterans by joining us in giving everything we’ve got to end veteran suicide.”

During a video played at the news conference, No. 48 co-driver Jimmie Johnson noted that upward of 20 veterans die by suicide daily.

In launching the campaign, Veterans United Home Loans presented a check to The American Legion for $2 million that will be used to expand programs and opportunities for Legionnaires to obtain peer support training and distribute important mental health and wellness tools and resources through The American Legion infrastructure.

The American Legion plans to focus will be on lobbying for legislation, implementing programs and training to strengthen peer support networks for Legionnaires and increasing peer support research.

“From the day of our founding after World War I, The American Legion has been responsible for tackling the most important issues facing our nation’s veterans,” American Legion National Commander James W. “Bill” Oxford said in a release. “First, it was in creating the Veterans Bureau, now known as the Department of Veterans Affairs. Then it was by authoring the G.I. Bill. We went on to study and fight for disability relief for veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress and conditions related to Agent Orange exposure, and so much more. Through our mission and our infrastructure, we can fight the battle to end veteran suicide on all fronts, and that’s exactly what we intend to do.”

“We must do something now,” Barrett said. “We must show our nation’s veterans that there are welcoming spaces, like The American Legion, where they can go for an understanding ear and helpful resources to get the support they need.”

IndyCar disappointed by delay of video game but aiming to launch at start of 2024

By Mar 27, 2023, 3:00 PM EDT
IndyCar video game 2024
IndyCar
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An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”