Forget about Formula 1, the Dakar Rally, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Something a whole lot more exciting is coming to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, May 23. Six examples of the Wienermobile will race against each other in what’s being called the Wienie 500.
We’re not kidding. We can’t make this up. Oscar Mayer is sending six Wienermobiles to the track for the first time, and it’s not just any old track. It’s the same circuit that will host the sold-out Indy 500 on Sunday, May 25. The winner will be crowned after just two laps of the 2.5-mile-long oval, Oscar Mayer told The Drive, and the same men and women who drive the Wienermobile across the country will race it.
It doesn’t sound like Oscar Mayer will make any mechanical modifications to the six hot dog-shaped trucks before letting them loose on the track, so don’t expect to see record-breaking speeds or to hear Formula 1-like exhaust sounds. We learned that power comes from a Chevrolet-sourced V8 engine, and that the 27-foot-long, 11-foot-tall body hides a frame similar to the one you’d find under, say, a UPS truck.
Each Wienermobile will represent a different regional hot dog. There’s the Chi Dog representing the Midwest (#1), the New York Dog for the East Coast (#2), the Slaw Dog for the Southeast (#3), the Sonoran Dog for the Southwest (#4), the Seattle Dog for the Northwest (#5), and, last but sure as hell not least, the Chili Dog racing for the South (#6). Each driver will wear a custom-made Hotdogger suit that we can’t wait to see.
Which dog will win? Without any lap times from practice or qualifying, it’s hard to tell, but either way, the winner will drink the Winner’s Ketchup. Just kidding.
The race will be streamed live on the FOX Sports app starting on Friday, May 23, at 2:00 p.m. ET, which is 11:00 a.m. in California. If you don’t have the app, you can also catch all of the live-streamed action by following INDYCARonFOX on social media.
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