IRL: Panther Racing special fundraiser

Panther Puts Danica Patrick's broken Indy 500 Front Wing on eBay

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Panther Racing is helping raise money for a good cause by placing Danica Patrick's broken front wing from the 89th Indianapolis 500 up for auction on eBay, with all proceeds being donated to the team's charity - Best Buddies Indiana.

"We thought we'd have some fun with this and help raise money for Best Buddies," Panther co-owner John Barnes said. "I doubt we'd be able to raise enough money to pay for the two racecars of ours she crashed, but with as much attention as Danica's been getting the past two weeks, this will certainly be a big help for our favorite charity."

Scott Roembke, Chief Operating Officer of Rahal-Letterman Racing, has agreed to have Danica autograph the wing this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway before the auction ends on the afternoon of Monday, June 13th. The bidding started this afternoon at $500 and has almost surpassed the $1,000 mark in just a few hours.

Patrick's front wing was damaged as she spun out on Lap 154 of the Indy 500, and crashed both Panther drivers Tomas Enge and Tomas Scheckter in the process. Danica was able to fix the nosecone of her racecar and continue the race, while both Enge and Scheckter were eliminated. The wing was discovered amongst the wreckage of Enge's #2 RockStar Chevrolet, and after receiving permission from Rahal-Letterman Racing, Panther decided to auction the valued piece of Indianapolis 500 history.

Danica became the first woman to lead a lap at the historic 2.5-mile oval, and led the race a total of three times for 19 laps. The wing Panther has put on eBay was the one that was on Patrick's #16 racecar when she led Lap 56, the first lap ever paced by a woman at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Danica started fourth and finished fourth, both were records for a female in the Indianapolis 500.

Interested fans and memorabilia collectors can log onto www.eBay.com, and search "Danica Patrick" for more information or to place a bid on the wing. Panther Racing is making a short video documentary of the wing and will post it on www.pantherracing.com after it is autographed by Patrick this weekend.

Founded in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver, Best Buddies (www.bestbuddies.org) is Panther Racing's national charity. Best Buddies mission is to enhance the lives of people with mental retardation by providing opportunities for socialization and employment.

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