Tux racing in Indy 500 Race

Monday, May 28, 2007



Tux, Linux's lovable penguin mascot, was living life in the fast lane yesterday at the 91st running of the Indianapolis 500 race.

It might have been hard to catch a glimpse of everybody's favorite penguin, as he was rounding the race circuit at speeds of more than 220 mph!

The idea began when two racing (as well as linux) enthusiasts took it upon themselves to help make Linux a household name and organized what they called the Tux 500 -- an effort to raise sponsorship money for an Indy car operated by Chastain Motors.

Tux almost did not see Indianapolis, after the blue #77 car driven by Stephan Gregoire apparently caught a gust of Satan's Breathe in the short chute on May 17th - only hours away from the last days of qualifying. Indy is known for it's quirky wind gusts and the shearing affect it can have, and historically with that part of the track.

With a car in a heap of scrap metal, and a driver injured in the hospital, it was nothing short of sure determination that was responsible for the Chastain Motors/Team Linux car being ready for Sunday's big race.

Unfortunately Tux did not finish the race. Replacement driver Roberto Moreno hit the wall going into Turn 1 on the 38th lap and was treated for back pain at Methodist Hospital.

Moreno was quoted as saying:

"The car had a bad wiggle all over the place,” Moreno said. “It was very tough. When I got to Turn 1, we just went straight. I couldn’t do anything."

All in all, this was great publicity for Tux and Linux, and I am hoping to see Tux hitching a ride at many more races in the future!