Filed under: Tony Stewart, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IRL, Indianapolis 500
The golden voice of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing has been stilled. Tom Carnegie, the public address announcer at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for more than 60 years, died Friday at age 91 in the Indianapolis suburb of Zionsville, the speedway announced.
From the end of World War II until well into the 21st century, Carnegie called the action for the fans in the grandstands. From 1946 to 2006, he called 61 Indianapolis 500s, 12 Brickyard 400s and six United States Grand Prix races.
His voice literally grew with the speedway. As the Indy 500 became ever more popular through the latter half of the 20th century, and more and more fans came to see the 500, Carnegie's voice became an ever-deeper, ever-richer baritone, with ever-more dramatic flourishes.
He was in his prime in an era when the Indy 500 was not only a race. but a contest of speed as well. Before the 500 itself on Memorial Day, the month of May was filled with the drama of the quest to go faster than the year before -- to reach 150 mph, and then 175, and finally the magic barrier of 200, and then even higher.
Through those magical years, Carnegie's deep voice cut through the din. And when he said, "And it's a NEEEEW TRACK RECORD!!", the packed grandstands roared.
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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2011/02/11/tom-carnegie-the-voice-of-indy-for-61-years-dies-at-91/
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