Ryan Hunter-Reay has been around long enough to remember when the Indianapolis 500 was the true culmination of the "Month of May," when fans would file through the old turnstiles each day during the multi-week buildup to the biggest one-day sporting event in the world.
"You had two different qualifying weekends," the 2014 champion recalled, "and I really felt like that is what Indy deserved, to be spread out that way, and to have the story lines drawn out.
"You could take your time learning to get the speed out of the car. I enjoyed that," Hunter-Reay added, almost wistfully. "Now it feels like a fire drill, a rush, all packed into a week."
Ed Carpenter waits in the pit area before the start of practice for the Indianapolis 500 IndyCar auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Monday, May 20, 2019, in Indianapolis. (AP PhotoDarron Cummings)
More than just about any other event, though, the Indy 500 is built upon tradition.
There's the three-wide starting grid at the start the race, and the milk given to the winner in victory lane at the end of it. The original yard of bricks still marks the start-finish line, and all the prerace pageantry still evokes the very essence of Americana — the singing of "God Bless America" and "Back Home Again in Indiana," the balloon release and the ceremonial flyover.
Fans like it that way, too. They know what to expect every Memorial Day weekend in Indianapolis, whether it means sitting with the movers and shakers in the famed pagoda overlooking the front stretch, or moving and shaking with the common folk in the aptly name "Snake Pit."
Simon Pagenaud, of France, prepares to drive before the start of practice for the Indianapolis 500 IndyCar auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Monday, May 20, 2019, in Indianapolis. (AP PhotoDarron Cummings)
Yet the stunning failure of two-time world champion Fernando Alonso and his well-funded McLaren team to qualify for this year's race has led some to push for guaranteed starting spots in the 33-car field, a move that would jeopardize another Indy 500 tradition: Bump day.
"Certainly the drama of that, that's a draw I would think," said 1986 winner Bobby Rahal, now a team owner. "I think clearly the more qualifiers that make the attempts, the more drama there is, the more interest there is. Surely it's got to attract more people, I would think."
But as Hunter-Reay points out, there are plenty of traditions that have changed or disappeared in the lead-up to the 103rd running of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" this Sunday.
Some have been the simple result of changing times. Some have been mistakes, others have occurred for good reason. And in some cases, traditions that have disappeared and been resurrected.
Take the old Indianapolis Motor Speedway Motel, that green-and-white ode to the 1960s that once stood outside Turn 2. James Garner and Paul Newman would stay there when they arrived in town for the race, back in the days before luxury motorhomes and high-priced, high-rise hotel suites.
The building had begun to decay long before it was torn down a decade ago. And while the area around the speedway undergoes a vast redevelopment, the IMS Motel is now just a page in history.
So, too, are some of the iconic names and voices of the prerace ceremonies.
For so many years, Indiana native Florence Henderson — Mrs. Brady, to an entire generation — lent the vocals to the National Anthem, "God Bless America" or "America the Beautiful." If baritone was more your flavor, there was Jim Nabors — ahem, Gomer Pyle — singing "Back Home Again in Indiana."
Both of them are gone now, Henderson dying just months after her final appearance in 2016 and Nabors following her in 2017. But the echoes of their voices live on for many race fans to this day.
"I went with my wife to the French Open for 15 years, and we would hurry home from Roland Garros and watch the Indy 500 and listen to Jim Nabors, and my wife would cry," said Mark Miles, the longtime ATP executive and now the chief executive of Hulman & Company, which owns the speedway.
Miles grew up in Indianapolis. He remembers listening to the race on transistor radios at family gatherings as a kid. Later on, he would skip school and hide in the trunk of his friend's car with the cases of beer so that they could catch hour upon hour of practice on warm spring days.
He also remembers the original "Snake Pit," the rowdy section of the infield in Turn 1 where few people cared about what happened on the track. For them, it was an intoxicating mixture of bikers and beer, streakers on hot, sunny days and mudwrestling on cold, wet afternoons.
That tradition began to die out in the 1980s, shortly after a fan died during the partying and the track took steps to create a more family-friendly environment. But a new "Snake Pit" has emerged in Turn 3, often featuring well-known music acts performing on a large stage throughout the weekend.
"That's an example of keeping with tradition but innovating," Miles said. "This 'Snake Pit' is different but it has a lot in common: its craziness, its name, the young people who go there."
Another tradition that changed for the better came in 1977, when Janet Guthrie became the first woman to qualify for the Indy 500. Tony Hulman, who had bought the racetrack and resurrected the race after World War II, would always announce, "Gentlemen, start your engines!"
Even after Guthrie qualified, Hulman confided to a sponsor that he would stick with the script because the mechanics actually started the engines, and all the mechanics were men.
It was Guthrie's friend, Kay Bignotti, who came up with a solution.
"She said, 'We can't let Tony get away with this. I have a USAC mechanic's license. I've been around the sport all my life. I'll start your engine,'" Guthrie said. "Sure enough, come race morning, Kay was out there on the starting line and she started my engine, so Tony had to change his tune."
These days, the command is "Drivers, start your engines."
Tony George, the chairman of Hulman & Company, has been delivering it the past few years. He's the grandson of Tony Hulman, keeping the seminal moment of race day in the family.
After all, the Indy 500 is all about traditions — those that live and those that fade away.
More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/apf-AutoRacing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
PORTSMOUTH, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 2, 2024--
Epredia, a global leader in precision cancer diagnostics and subsidiary of PHC Holdings Corporation (TSE: 6523), and NovaScan, Inc., a company that develops breakthrough technology for cancer detection and stratification, announce that they have signed a letter of intent for a U.S. exclusive commercial distribution agreement for MarginScan™, a medical device that will support physicians in real-time detection of non-melanoma skin cancer. Epredia has engaged Avantik, a company specializing in supporting diagnostic labs with their operations, with getting this new device into the hands of Mohs surgeons.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240502185446/en/
Skin cancer is the most common group of cancers diagnosed worldwide 1, and it is estimated that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime 2. Non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC) are the most common cancers in the United States, affecting more than 3 million Americans a year 3. More than 20 percent of Americans are expected to develop NMSC before reaching age 70. Most surgeries for NMSC are simple excisions, which may result in removal of substantial healthy tissue around the suspected cancer.
MarginScan™ is designed to address this challenge by supporting Mohs surgery procedures for skin cancer treatment. Mohs Micrographic Surgery (MMS) is an operative method used to detect the presence or absence of a tumor in the margins of a surgical excision. In an MMS procedure, cancer tissue is excised in stages, then flash-frozen and assessed histologically in an onsite lab until clean margins are obtained. Previously, MMS was the only modality for skin cancer treatment that involved comprehensive margin assessment during a procedure. MarginScan™ is designed to use an electrical assessment to confirm cancer-free margins without the intraoperative histological assessment. This has the potential to allow for faster excisions that spare more healthy tissue, leading to improved outcomes for both patients and clinicians.
With this planned agreement, Epredia will serve as the primary distribution partner of MarginScan™ and will have exclusive distribution rights in the United States. Along with distribution, Epredia will be responsible for all marketing and commercial activities related to the launch and sale of MarginScan™. Epredia will work closely with Avantik to market and sell the new device to Mohs surgeons.
MarginScan™ will be the latest addition to Epredia’s world-class portfolio of precision cancer diagnostics products and services that provide a seamless end-to-end laboratory workflow, including slide scanners and printers, cryostats, tissue processors, and consumables such as slides and reagents. In addition to offering MarginScan™, Epredia will also provide consumable products that are used with the device, such as the MarginScan™ electrode and proprietary electrolytic gel used during excisions.
The two companies anticipate a 2025 U.S. launch for MarginScan™. This distribution agreement builds on a previous partnership between NovaScan and PHC Corporation, another subsidiary of PHC Holdings Corporation that is focused on the development and manufacturing of innovative medical testing devices. PHC Holdings Corporation is referred to collectively with its subsidiaries as PHC Group.
Steven Lynum, President of Epredia, said, “With more than 85 years supporting precision cancer diagnostics, we strive to continuously serve the changing needs of our customers by working with innovative companies like NovaScan to deliver the best solutions. Helping providers make faster, more accurate diagnoses and ultimately improving patient care is what makes this initiative so important.”
Craig Davis, CEO of NovaScan, remarked, “NovaScan is thrilled to be partnering with Epredia to bring MarginScan™ to clinical healthcare providers in the U.S. We are proud for MarginScan™ to join Epredia’s portfolio of market-leading cancer diagnostics products. We believe that MarginScan™ will play an important role in skin cancer detection and treatment.”
Mark Zacur, CEO of Avantik, added, “Our team is continually sourcing the best solutions to expand our portfolio of solutions supporting Mohs clinics with their critical work. We are honored that Epredia selected Avantik as their partner to bring this breakthrough device to our network of providers and their patients.”
About Epredia
Epredia is a global leader in the anatomical pathology field, providing comprehensive solutions for precision cancer diagnostics and tissue diagnostics. Powered by key brands, including Erie Scientific, Menzel-Gläser, Microm, Shandon, and Richard-Allan Scientific, Epredia’s portfolio includes microscope slides, instruments and consumables. Epredia was established following the acquisition of Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Anatomical Pathology business by PHC Holdings in 2019. Epredia has operations in major sites in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland and China with a total of around 1,200 employees. Epredia is committed to achieving its mission to improve lives by enhancing cancer diagnostics for patients around the world. For further information on Epredia and its products, please visit www.epredia.com.
About PHC Holdings Corporation (PHC Group)
PHC Holdings Corporation (TSE 6523) is a global healthcare company with a mission of contributing to the health of society through healthcare solutions that have a positive impact and improve the lives of people. Its subsidiaries (referred to collectively as PHC Group) include PHC Corporation, Epredia, Ascensia Diabetes Care, LSI Medience Corporation, Mediford, and Wemex. Together, these companies develop, manufacture, sell and service solutions across diabetes management, healthcare solutions, life sciences and diagnostics. PHC Group’s consolidated net sales in FY2022 were JPY 356.4 billion with global distribution of products and services in more than 125 countries and regions. www.phchd.com
About NovaScan
About NovaScan: Based in Chicago, NovaScan ( www.novascaninc.com ) is a clinical stage oncology diagnostic and stratification company that has developed a low cost, point of care platform for real time cancer detection and stratification. NovaScan’s platform is active in skin, GI, lung and breast.
About Avantik
Founded in 1971, Avantik specializes in supporting diagnostic laboratories with maintaining their critical operations. The company offers a national network of more than 250 engineers, technicians and service personnel that assist diagnostic labs with increasing their productivity, enhancing their products and streamlining their processes. It also manages a comprehensive inventory of high-quality lab equipment and consumables that it continually expands to provide labs with new products that advance their goals for fast and accurate diagnoses. In 2023, Avantik partnered with Water Street Healthcare Partners, an investment firm dedicated to building market leaders in health care, to advance its goals for expansion and building on its legacy as a trusted partner to diagnostic laboratories. To learn more about Avantik, visit www.avantik-us.com.
1 Source: World Health Organization.
2 Source: World Health Organization.
3 Source: American Academy of Dermatology.
MarginScan™ Device for Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Detection (Photo: Business Wire)
