Danica’s IndyCar stolen – No, PR Stunt
Patrick, who appears on the cover of the May issue of Shape magazine, is set to drive the car out of one of the airport hangars and give it a rip down one of the runways. The event is to kick-off the month of May at the Speedway. Naturally it’s meant to be a big plug for her Andretti Green Racing team and sponsor Motorola, but there’s another benefactor.
The Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association has been clamoring to get the word out about the city’s new $1.1 billion airport. “It’s a critical asset we have here, and we want to communicate that to those in the tourism and convention business," said ICVA spokesman Bill Benner.
Motorola officials said the airport will be featured in the media event front and center. “Danica will be driving down the runway with the new terminal in the backdrop, along with airplanes taking off and landing," said Juli Burda, Motorola spokeswoman. “We think it is a fun way to kick off preparation for the Indianapolis 500." IBJ.com
04/29/09 A reader writes, Dear AR1.com, Guaranteed, AGR is a fortress, no way in hell would anyone be able to just walk in and steal a car like that in less than 2 minutes. There is no way a car would be in one piece at the shop, ready to roll straight into the back of a transporter like that. The car would be in pieces. Andretti says he was disappointed by the leaking of the video to YouTube. If he REALLY wanted, he could get that video pulled from YouTube in about 3 minutes.
Further, another "video" has appeared on YouTube, claiming to be a news report about the alleged theft of Danica's car.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdIB67DmDmI
The lack of any station ID, and the obvious edit at the three second mark, between "break in" and "there" makes this video look amateurish at best. This is possibly one of the most badly executed publicity stunts I have ever seen. Why is it that everything the IRL and its partners touch come off as cheesy and just plain silly? … I think the IRL folk should look to F1 and even NASCAR when it comes to publicity. This sort of thing only cheapens the IRL.
This is nothing more than a bad (as in really bad) publicity stunt by AGR. just watch, they will find the car all painted up with its new livery just before Indy. More tasteless, cheesy and tactless cheap gimmickry from the IRL. Jason Hoehn
04/29/09 Video below shows Danica's car being stolen.
04/29/09 The following is a statement from Andretti Green Racing co-owner and chief executive officer Kim Green, which addresses the release of surveillance video showing three unidentified men loading Danica Patrick’s #7 Andretti Green IndyCar into a trailer and leaving the Andretti Green facility.
“I am disappointed that this video was leaked because it creates an unnecessary distraction as we prepare for the 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500. We are in contact with the individuals in the video and are making progress in getting the car returned prior to Opening Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We have no further information to offer at this time and will provide additional details as they become available."