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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
INDIANAPOLIS, IN (April 25, 2024) - Whose baby has a chance at setting a new track record in the cutest spectacle in racing? We will find out who crawls across the finish line first at SpeedFest on Saturday, April 27, 2024, in the Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.
Get in gear and start your pedals because racing begins early in Indy with the third annual SpeedFest games and competition. Children and families are invited to zoom in to the museum’s outdoor sports area for a fun day full of racing-themed activities and a chance at Indy 500 qualifying tickets. Visitors will also get a glimpse of royalty and can pose for photos with eight different Indy 500 princesses.
Here is the lineup (weather-dependent and subject to change):
- 11 a.m. – 1:45 p.m. - Music provided by NU80 —the ultimate `80s experience, playing your favorite synth-pop hits of the 1980s. The lead singer, Paul Souza, is also a coach in the Sports Legends Experience.
- 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Foyt 500 qualifying
- 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Speed games taking place throughout the sports park
- Buzzer beater basketball challenge – Guests will have 5 seconds to try and dribble as close to the basket and shoot the ball before the time runs out.
- Football passing challenge – Guests will see how many passes they can make with only ten attempts while the clock counts down from 30 seconds.
- Wilma Rudolph racing challenge - Guests will race past a speed meter that will announce how fast they ran in MPH; the coach will then tell how they did against our legend and other objects in the museum (turtle, carousel, train, etc.)
- Milk bottle scavenger hunt - IMS milk bottles will be hidden throughout Old National Bank Avenue of Champions. We will be giving the first guest to find and take a picture of all five bottles, one of the bottles as a keepsake.
- Baseball pitching challenge – Can you guess how fast you can throw? Each participant will throw two pitches. Each pitch will be radar-measured to determine its speed. After throwing the first two and seeing the MPH, they will need to accurately guess what their third pitch will be in MPH.
- 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. - Eight different Indy 500 princesses will be attending
The lovely young ladies will pose for photos and will be helping in some of the speed challenges. - 12 noon – Baby race
Cute crawlers (Children’s Museum members) compete for prizes on the Indy Eleven Soccer Field. Each of the pre-registered babies will be given a prize, but our fastest and most fashionable baby will be awarded a grand prize! - 2 p.m. – Foyt 500
The final qualifiers on the miniature Indianapolis Motor Speedway will compete in the third running of the Foyt 500, honoring four-time Indy 500 winner A.J. Foyt. The winner of the pedal car race will receive the Tony Stewart Trophy.
Those who participate in a handful of the racing challenges will be eligible for prizes, which include 10 pairs of qualification tickets to the Indy 500, prize baskets and miniature checkered flags.
In case of rain, there are plans for some of the events to take place inside The Children’s Museum.
SpeedFest is presented by the Tony Stewart Foundation and is supported by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is proud to partner with Riley Children’s Health, Old National Bank, Ice Miller LLP, and The Heritage Group.
About The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
We ignite joy, wonder and curiosity by creating powerful learning experiences for children and adults. For more information about The Children's Museum, visit www.childrensmuseum.org and follow us on Tiktok@childrensmuseum, Instagram@childrensmuseum, YouTube.com/IndyTCM and Facebook.
