IZOD is already activating

It looks like they will be a good partner, as its only been a few days, and they are already working their end of the deal. Kudos all around.

Maybe Ryan Hunter-Reay and Graham Rahal will follow in the spike marks of Tom Brady and Phil Mickelson with cameo appearances on HBO's "Entourage."

The IZOD IndyCar Series drivers proved their mettle Nov. 9 as they participated in the Budweiser and "Entourage" Celebrity Golf Tournament at the Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles. It was among the first activation elements by IZOD, which last week became the title sponsor of the series.

"It was a lot of fun being out here with the IZOD people and I think this just shows the bonus that they will add to our series," said Rahal, whose group was the overall winner. "It was great for me to be able to come out and play and enjoy myself with these guys. We played far better than our handicaps may show and had a lot of fun, which is what counts.

"It was a great experience and I look forward to continuing to do these things."

Hunter-Reay, whose group included actor Joe Pesci, and Rahal mingled with the cast of the hit series and A list celebrities including "Mad Men" star Jon Hamm, James Denton of "Desperate Housewives," Greg Kinnear and Don Cheadle.

The golf and poker tournament helped raise funds and awareness of the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation.

"We're just trying to create opportunities, especially for at-risk youth," said Wahlberg, an actor and co-executive producer of "Entourage." "A lot of people don't have the opportunity to really get a second chance, so we try to create an opportunity for kids. We try to send them to school, try to send them to camp, try to give them positive role models."

On Nov. 7, Hunter-Reay participated in the 13th Alice Cooper Pro-Am Golf Tournament at the Rancho de Los Caballeros Golf Club in suburban Phoenix.