NASHVILLE, Tenn. (July 10, 2002) — The Nashville Superspeedway named Bridgestone/Firestone President, Chairman and CEO John Lampe as Grand Marshal for the Firestone Indy 200, to be held July 20 at the track.
The honor was in part to recognize the company's strong presence in Tennessee. BFS has manufacturing plants in Warren County, LaVergne, Dyersburg and Clarksville, Tenn., corporate offices in Nashville and dozens of sales outlets in the region. Approximately 4,200 people in Tennessee are employed by Bridgestone/Firestone.
“To serve as Grand Marshal of an Indy Racing League event bearing the Firestone name is a tremendous honor I share with all our employees,” Mr. Lampe said. “We know racing fans are going to see a great competition here in our backyard, and we're proud that every car in both the IRL and the new Indy Racing Infiniti Pro Series events will compete on Firestone tires.”
In pre-race activities July 10, the Firestone Racing program and Nashville Superspeedway gave local personalities and media a glimpse of what is expected July 20. Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Johnny Rutherford gave guests rides around the 1.3-mile oval in a two-seat Indy car. A luncheon, interviews with drivers and demonstration runs of the IRL and IPS cars followed.