FOX Sports, Purple Heart Homes help repair homes of 4 vets during Indy 500 week
FOX Sports teamed up with Purple Heart Homes to help renovate and restore the homes of four veterans in the Indianapolis community ahead of the 2025 Indy 500. The work, which included roof and floor replacements, bathroom renovations and more, was commended by Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, who declared the week prior to race week "Purple Heart Homes & Partners Veteran Impact Week."
"This collaboration between FOX Sports, Purple Heart Homes and Home Repairs for Good is exactly the type of public-private partnership that Indianapolis is known for," Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said of FOX Sports and Purple Heart Homes' efforts. "To see this partnership project result in life-changing home improvements for some of our city's bravest heroes is truly inspiring. The City of Indianapolis and our Office of Veteran's Affairs are grateful to all those who helped make this dream a reality."
Gary Dean, a U.S. Army veteran, was one of the four people who had their homes renovated through FOX Sports and Purple Heart Homes' efforts. Dean has faced homelessness and battled congestive heart failure in recent years, with his health issues and financial difficulties preventing him from repairing the leaking roof of the home he's lived in over the last five years. He is also the primary caregiver for his best friend, who is battling Stage 4 cancer.
"With her, I just can't see what she was going through without somebody stepping up and not helping out," Dean said. "I've just gotta help."
Thanks to FOX Sports and Purple Heart Homes, Dean's home got the roof repair he's long needed.
"Purple Heart Homes and FOX Sports stepped up, put a new roof on my home for me and took a huge weight off my shoulders," Dean said. It will keep me in my home for many more years and keep me out of assisted living in the future. They just stepped up big time. … I can't appreciate them enough."
Kevin Smith, who is also a U.S. Army and National Guard veteran with a total of 10 years of service, needed his kitchen flooring replaced. He also needed major bathroom renovations as the room was inoperable for over five years.
A lifelong resident of Indianapolis, Smith's family is of great importance to him. He met his wife 50 years ago through his neighbors, and the couple has seven children, with six of them still living in Indiana.
So, when FOX Sports and Purple Heart Homes were able to do the necessary renovations to Smith's home, he couldn't help but think about the future functions he could finally have at his house again.
"I don't want to complain," Smith said. "You want to row the boat instead of trying to rock it. We have not been able to have family over for Christmas for five years and we can't wait to spend time with them in our home."
Donald Covington, a U.S. Marine veteran, was injured during his time in combat, but has persevered. He was stabbed 13 times during his line of duty.
Unfortunately, Covington has still had to fight in the years since he was deployed. He suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and is battling prostate cancer.
Covington's 22-year-old daughter, Lilly, still lives with him. However, the two needed renovations done to the roof of their home with water intrusion threatening its structural safety. Luckily, they were able to get the help they needed thanks to the initiative from FOX Sports and Purple Heart Homes.
"All I can say is, everything was great!" Covington said. "I knew I wasn't able to make the repairs. I didn't know where help would come from, but it showed up with you showing up [Purple Heart Homes]. I'm just so thankful. Thank you just so, so much."
The fourth veteran, who served in the U.S. Army, opted to remain anonymous.
FOX Sports and Purple Heart Homes both felt it was vital to help those who served the country in the lead-up to the Indy 500, which is annually held on Memorial Day weekend.
"It's an honor to work alongside Purple Heart Homes to improve the quality of life for veterans in Indianapolis by providing the housing solutions they need to thrive in their communities," FOX Sports CEO Eric Shanks said in a statement. "The partnership between FOX Sports and Purple Heart Homes is central to our efforts to serve the military heroes who selflessly served us."
"This work is about restoring dignity, independence and peace of mind to the people who have given so much to our country," Purple Heart Homes Board chair Dave Sternberg added. "We are honored by the continued partnership of FOX Sports and look forward to what lies ahead in our growing collaboration with Home Repairs for Good."
Dean's story was featured during FOX's broadcast coverage of the Indy 500, and the veterans got to spend time at Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the weekend of the race thanks to FOX Sports and INDYCAR, touring the track and FOX Sports' set at the track.
Now, the four veterans can watch all INDYCAR races from the comfort of their own homes without worry. They can also take in the Indiana Pacers' playoff run, too. Smith was wearing a Pacers t-shirt when Purple Heart Homes made the proper repairs to his home.
Above all, these veterans are thankful that they've been recognized for their service to their country.
"You get a lot of tip of the hats and thank yous when people recognize you as a veteran," Dean said. "I think that's as much appreciation as I need."
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily ! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience NTT INDYCAR SERIES
recommended
Get more from NTT INDYCAR SERIES Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox Sports
3 hours ago
- Fox Sports
Practice Shots: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
INDYCAR Alexander Rossi considers WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca his home track. The 33-year-old grew up in Nevada City, California, just under four hours from the scenic road course. His first visit came at the age three, when his father, Pieter, brought him to the famed Monterey circuit. While Rossi doesn't remember much from that early experience, the trips continued as he grew older, ultimately inspiring his path into motorsports. "That's just something we did every year -- go to the CART race at Laguna," Rossi said. "I fell in love with the sport.' One of those visits proved pivotal. "When I was 10 years old, we were walking around the exhibitors, and Las Vegas Motor Speedway had a booth,' Rossi said. 'They were offering a sign-up sheet for a three-day go-kart clinic. It was actually my 10th birthday, and we signed up right there at the track. The rest is kind of history." Rossi is back for this weekend's Java House Grand Prix of Monterey (Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Sports app, FOX Deportes and INDYCAR Radio Network), expecting family in attendance, a dynamic that brings added responsibilities off the track. This weekend is also unique in that Java House, the primary sponsor of his No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, is also the title sponsor of the event. 'It's busier,' Rossi said. 'It's kind of reminiscent of a week of May schedule in some respects. But it's also a good problem to have. 'It's not something that any of us should complain about. You just manage it. The team does a really good job of making sure there's adequate time to focus on the engineering and performance side, meeting the obligations that Java House and that whole group will set out.' Rossi, an eight-time winner in the series, is 13 races into his first season with Ed Carpenter Racing following 147 combined races with Andretti Global (2016-2022) and Arrow McLaren (2023-2024). He's 18th in points with four top-10 finishes. Despite a rough start to the weekend, hitting the Turn 6 barrier during Friday's practice, Rossi remains optimistic. His track record at Laguna Seca is solid with a third-place finish in 2024, his third straight at the track. 'To be able to have a home race and the car that I drive is also the title sponsor of the event is sort of like a perfect dream scenario,' Rossi said. Drivers Get First Look at Laguna Seca Here are three observations about the first practice in preparation for Sunday's 95-lap race. · The Laguna Seca racing surface was notoriously abrasive -- a cheese grater of a track that delivered thrilling races as drivers tiptoed around the 2.238-mile road course. A 2023 repave changed the dynamic, changing how drivers approached the circuit in recent years. But Friday's session showed that the track is once again proving tricky, with several drivers overstepping the limit and noticing increased tire wear. Devlin DeFrancesco, Rossi, Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden each had off-track excursions during the session. · Pato O'Ward carried his momentum into Monterey by leading the opening practice session. Championship points leader Alex Palou was fourth in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. The two have gone head-to-head on natural road courses this season, finishing 1-2 with Palou beating O'Ward on two separate occasions. continued this momentum by leading the opening practice session. · Palou and Colton Herta have combined to win four of the last five Laguna Seca races. Herta was second fastest in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda for Andretti Global. He finished runner-up to Palou last year. RLL Poised for Laguna Seca Breakout Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing believes it's poised for a breakout. Maybe that comes in this weekend's 95-lap race. Team owner Bobby Rahal knows the 2.238-mile circuit well – he is the all-time winningest driver at Laguna Seca with four victories(1984, 1985, 1986, 1987) and also earned his first major race win at the track in the 1979 Can-Am Series. His son, Graham Rahal (No. 15 WWEX Group Honda) is one of only six drivers -- Palou, Colton Herta, Christian Lundgaard, Scott McLaughlin, andKyle Kirkwood -- to reach the Firestone Fast Six at least four times this season, with all of Rahal's appearances coming in the last five races. He finished fourth at the Monterey track in 2021 and enters off a seventh-place finish last week in Toronto. Rahal's teammate Louis Foster (No. 45 Droplight Honda) has made it to the final round three times, while DeFrancesco (No. 30 Mi-Jack Honda) has done so once. DeFranceso crashed early in the session but remains confident about his prospects for the rest of the weekend. He noted the car felt strong before the incident and expects to be competitive on Saturday. Foster, who was ninth fastest on Friday, is also the only rookie to advance to the Firestone Fast Six this season, highlighted by his maiden NTT P1 Award at Road America, a session where Rahal also made the final round and qualified fifth. The British driver has raced at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca four times in INDY NXT by Firestone, winning both races in 2024 from pole position. McLaren Moves Into Andretti Global's Former Shop Arrow McLaren took ownership this week of its future NTT INDYCAR SERIES headquarters and has begun renovations on the facility located on the west side of Indianapolis. The project will nearly triple the size of the team's current Indianapolis based race shop. The organization purchased Andretti Global's former facility and is expanding it from 74,000 square feet to 86,000 square feet. In comparison, Arrow McLaren's current shop operates out of a 33,000-square-foot space. The team plans to move into the new facility in January, ahead of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. JM Bullion Expands Kirkwood, Andretti Global Partnership JM Bullion joined Andretti Global as a sponsor on Kyle Kirkwood's No. 27 Honda for last weekend's Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto, where Kirkwood started and finished in sixth place. This week, Andretti Global announced that JM Bullion will continue as a sponsor for this weekend's race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, as well as the Grand Prix of Portland on August 10. Kirkwood was seventh-fastest on Friday. Odds and Ends · The series returns to the track Saturday for practice at 11:30 a.m. ET and NTT P1 Award qualifying at 2:30 p.m. ET. Both air on FS1, FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio Network. · Saturday holds significant importance, as 23 of the 27 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races at Laguna Seca have been won from a top-three starting position. Since the series returned in 2019 after a 15-year hiatus (2005–2018), the winning drivers have started from first, first, 11th, 11th, and first on the grid, respectively. · Palou was third quickest in both pre-qualifying practice sessions last year. He'd go on to claim pole position and convert that into the race win. Marcus Armstrong (No. 66 SiriusXM/Root Insurance Honda) was third on Friday. He has four top-seven finishes on natural road courses in 2025 and seven top-10 finishes in his last nine races overall. · Arrow McLaren driver Christian Lundgaard and Andretti INDY NXT Team Principal, Rob Edwards, join FOX Sports INDY NXT by Firestone coverage this weekend. Lundgaard is the analyst for Saturday's 35-lap race and Edwards for Sunday. recommended Item 1 of 1
Fox Sports
3 hours ago
- Fox Sports
Practice Shots: Alexander Rossi, Rest of Field Get Friday Look at Laguna Seca
INDYCAR Alexander Rossi considers WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca his home track. The 33-year-old grew up in Nevada City, California, just under four hours from the scenic road course. His first visit came at the age three, when his father, Pieter, brought him to the famed Monterey circuit. While Rossi doesn't remember much from that early experience, the trips continued as he grew older, ultimately inspiring his path into motorsports. "That's just something we did every year -- go to the CART race at Laguna," Rossi said. "I fell in love with the sport.' One of those visits proved pivotal. "When I was 10 years old, we were walking around the exhibitors, and Las Vegas Motor Speedway had a booth,' Rossi said. 'They were offering a sign-up sheet for a three-day go-kart clinic. It was actually my 10th birthday, and we signed up right there at the track. The rest is kind of history." Rossi is back for this weekend's Java House Grand Prix of Monterey (Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Sports app, FOX Deportes and INDYCAR Radio Network), expecting family in attendance, a dynamic that brings added responsibilities off the track. This weekend is also unique in that Java House, the primary sponsor of his No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, is also the title sponsor of the event. 'It's busier,' Rossi said. 'It's kind of reminiscent of a week of May schedule in some respects. But it's also a good problem to have. 'It's not something that any of us should complain about. You just manage it. The team does a really good job of making sure there's adequate time to focus on the engineering and performance side, meeting the obligations that Java House and that whole group will set out.' Rossi, an eight-time winner in the series, is 13 races into his first season with Ed Carpenter Racing following 147 combined races with Andretti Global (2016-2022) and Arrow McLaren (2023-2024). He's 18th in points with four top-10 finishes. Despite a rough start to the weekend, hitting the Turn 6 barrier during Friday's practice, Rossi remains optimistic. His track record at Laguna Seca is solid with a third-place finish in 2024, his third straight at the track. 'To be able to have a home race and the car that I drive is also the title sponsor of the event is sort of like a perfect dream scenario,' Rossi said. Drivers Get First Look at Laguna Seca Here are three observations about the first practice in preparation for Sunday's 95-lap race. · The Laguna Seca racing surface was notoriously abrasive -- a cheese grater of a track that delivered thrilling races as drivers tiptoed around the 2.238-mile road course. A 2023 repave changed the dynamic, changing how drivers approached the circuit in recent years. But Friday's session showed that the track is once again proving tricky, with several drivers overstepping the limit and noticing increased tire wear. Devlin DeFrancesco, Rossi, Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden each had off-track excursions during the session. · Pato O'Ward carried his momentum into Monterey by leading the opening practice session. Championship points leader Alex Palou was fourth in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. The two have gone head-to-head on natural road courses this season, finishing 1-2 with Palou beating O'Ward on two separate occasions. continued this momentum by leading the opening practice session. · Palou and Colton Herta have combined to win four of the last five Laguna Seca races. Herta was second fastest in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda for Andretti Global. He finished runner-up to Palou last year. RLL Poised for Laguna Seca Breakout Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing believes it's poised for a breakout. Maybe that comes in this weekend's 95-lap race. Team owner Bobby Rahal knows the 2.238-mile circuit well – he is the all-time winningest driver at Laguna Seca with four victories(1984, 1985, 1986, 1987) and also earned his first major race win at the track in the 1979 Can-Am Series. His son, Graham Rahal (No. 15 WWEX Group Honda) is one of only six drivers -- Palou, Colton Herta, Christian Lundgaard, Scott McLaughlin, andKyle Kirkwood -- to reach the Firestone Fast Six at least four times this season, with all of Rahal's appearances coming in the last five races. He finished fourth at the Monterey track in 2021 and enters off a seventh-place finish last week in Toronto. Rahal's teammate Louis Foster (No. 45 Droplight Honda) has made it to the final round three times, while DeFrancesco (No. 30 Mi-Jack Honda) has done so once. DeFranceso crashed early in the session but remains confident about his prospects for the rest of the weekend. He noted the car felt strong before the incident and expects to be competitive on Saturday. Foster, who was ninth fastest on Friday, is also the only rookie to advance to the Firestone Fast Six this season, highlighted by his maiden NTT P1 Award at Road America, a session where Rahal also made the final round and qualified fifth. The British driver has raced at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca four times in INDY NXT by Firestone, winning both races in 2024 from pole position. McLaren Moves Into Andretti Global's Former Shop Arrow McLaren took ownership this week of its future NTT INDYCAR SERIES headquarters and has begun renovations on the facility located on the west side of Indianapolis. The project will nearly triple the size of the team's current Indianapolis based race shop. The organization purchased Andretti Global's former facility and is expanding it from 74,000 square feet to 86,000 square feet. In comparison, Arrow McLaren's current shop operates out of a 33,000-square-foot space. The team plans to move into the new facility in January, ahead of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. JM Bullion Expands Kirkwood, Andretti Global Partnership JM Bullion joined Andretti Global as a sponsor on Kyle Kirkwood's No. 27 Honda for last weekend's Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto, where Kirkwood started and finished in sixth place. This week, Andretti Global announced that JM Bullion will continue as a sponsor for this weekend's race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, as well as the Grand Prix of Portland on August 10. Kirkwood was seventh-fastest on Friday. Odds and Ends · The series returns to the track Saturday for practice at 11:30 a.m. ET and NTT P1 Award qualifying at 2:30 p.m. ET. Both air on FS1, FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio Network. · Saturday holds significant importance, as 23 of the 27 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races at Laguna Seca have been won from a top-three starting position. Since the series returned in 2019 after a 15-year hiatus (2005–2018), the winning drivers have started from first, first, 11th, 11th, and first on the grid, respectively. · Palou was third quickest in both pre-qualifying practice sessions last year. He'd go on to claim pole position and convert that into the race win. Marcus Armstrong (No. 66 SiriusXM/Root Insurance Honda) was third on Friday. He has four top-seven finishes on natural road courses in 2025 and seven top-10 finishes in his last nine races overall. · Arrow McLaren driver Christian Lundgaard and Andretti INDY NXT Team Principal, Rob Edwards, join FOX Sports INDY NXT by Firestone coverage this weekend. Lundgaard is the analyst for Saturday's 35-lap race and Edwards for Sunday. recommended Item 1 of 1
Hamilton Spectator
4 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Defending champ Kyle Larson returns to Brickyard seeking turnaround
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Kyle Larson raced to his third NASCAR Cup victory of the season at Kansas in mid-May then turned his attention to his second and perhaps final attempt at racing's double — completing all 1,100 miles of the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Instead, he was hit with a double whammy. A crash on Lap 92 knocked him out of the 500, relegating him to 24th, and two crashes — the second on Lap 245 — knocked him out in Charlotte, where he finished 37th. Not much has gone right for Lason since then. He posted just one top five finish over the next eight races before finishing fourth at Dover last weekend. Now, the defending Brickyard 400 champion is back at Indianapolis Motor Speedway trying to recharge his season. 'It's great to be back here in Indy and back at the track, hopefully I'll do a much better job than I did in May,' he said Friday. 'It's a privilege to get to run here and I would love nothing more than a good run and hopefully kind of put the bow on the double stuff.' Only three drivers in race history own back-to-back Brickyard wins — Jimmie Johnson in 2008-09, Kyle Busch in 2015-16 and Kevin Harvick in 2019-20. Larson's won last year on Indy's historic 2.5-mile oval instead of the road course used the previous three years. Most if not all drivers including Larson prefer running the oval. 'There's so many people from all over the world here whether it be May or our events or, really for that matter, any events,' Justin Allgaier said. '... It's just there's nothing quite like it;' Larson understands having driven an IndyCar on the oval each of the last two Mays and now back in a Cup car, his fourth start in 14 months at the Brickyard. The difference this year: Larson wants to change directions after some sub-par results. But they haven't dashed his championship hopes. The 2021 Cup champ is tied for second in wins this season, already has accrued 23 playoff points and trails only Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott, the 2020 Cup champ, and William Byron in points. Neither Elliott or Byron has won the 400, though. Neither has Denny Hamlin, who sits just behind Larson in points despite winning a series-best four times including last weekend at Dover. He also signed a two-year contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing on Friday. If he can add a win Sunday to the three he's had in the Daytona 500 and Southern 500 and the one Coca-Cola 600 title, Hamlin would join the short list of drivers who have won all four Cup crown jewel races in their career. 'It certainly would mean a lot to me,' said Hamlin, who has started 16 Brickyards. 'We've come close. We were actually as close on the road course as we were on ovals although I don't know — you could argue whether that (road race) was actually a crown jewel or not. So, yeah, highly motivated.' But things already are off script for Larson, Hamlin and everyone else in Indy. Friday's scheduled practice was rained out, making the second week in a row practice was washed out. Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday when temperatures are forecast to be in the mid to upper 80s with rain in the forecast most of the afternoon. The forecast for Sunday looks almost identical to Saturday. That's not what Larson wanted to hear even though race organizers rescheduled a short practice for Saturday afternoon. 'Hopefully, our car is good again,' he said before the scheduled practice. 'I believe it should be fast, if not better than it was last year. So, you know, hopefully we'll have a good practice, good qualifying (Saturday) and execute a good race on Sunday.' Larson's goal is simple — qualify up front, stay up front and stay out of the trouble he's found far too routinely lately. 'When (Christopher Bell) spun (at Dover), I thought I was going to get collected and be like 'Uh, oh, just continuing our bad luck here,' he said. 'So, hopefully, this is the beginning of us to kind turn things around. We'll see.' ___ AP auto racing:
