The driver-artist

On November 1 the Indianapolis Museum of Art will open an exhibit called Traces of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that highlights the works of artist Ingrid Calame. The exhibit will feature a piece that includes victory doughnuts laid down by Target IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2005.

Calame was given access to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which is home to the Indianapolis 500 (Indy Racing League) and the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard (NASCAR), and worked with a team of 10 volunteers from the Indianapolis area and two assistants from her studio to trace the marks on the Speedway.

Back in her Los Angeles studio, Calame traced the Speedway tracings to make color pencil drawings on trace Mylar. From these drawings she made paintings using 'Sign Painters' 1 Shot' – an oil based enamel often used to paint window signs and pinstripe cars. A new, large latex and enamel wall painting will feature the victory doughnut that Wheldon laid down after winning the 2005 Indianapolis 500.

Wheldon couldn't resist weighing in on the commemoration of his most treasured moment. He has seen one of her enamel-on-aluminum paintings which includes a portion of his victory doughnut, and he compared her attention to detail to that required when building a racecar.

"A significant amount of history went into Ingrid's piece," said Wheldon, the first driver in Indy 500 history to do doughnuts after crossing the venerable Yard of Bricks finish line.

"I was extremely emotional after winning the event. I had, uh, tears. I thought: 'I cannot drive into Victory Lane crying. I'm a man.' So I started doing the doughnuts!"

Press Release
Ganassi Racing