AUTO RACING | INDY 500
INDIANAPOLIS | The Colts have no problem with Peyton Manning starting the Indianapolis 500. They just don't want a Colts car running in the May 27 race.
Paul Diatlovich, the primary owner of PDM Racing, said he had asked permission to paint Jimmy Kite's No. 18 car in the Colts team colors -- dark blue and white -- with a message on the car's sidepod that read simply "Go Colts."
Indianapolis officials nixed it because of sponsorship concerns.
"I'm extremely upset with the narrow-minded, pinheaded leadership of the Colts team and the NFL," said Diatlovich, who lives in the city. "It's inexcusable. All we're trying to do is say thank you."
Last week, it was rumored Diatlovich would bring his Colts car to the historic 2.5-mile oval. Because of NFL policies, his car is now blue-and-orange.
Tom Zupancic, the Colts vice president for sales and marketing, said the team was adhering to a policy issued by the league last year. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league prohibits cross-promotion between sports.
Racing and prominent athletes and teams have a long history at Indy.
Butler guard A.J. Graves, the NIT Season Tip-Off MVP, was an honorary starter last week. In previous years, celebrity starters have included Pacers great Reggie Miller and former national high school player of the year Greg Oden. Last year's honorary race starter was former boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard.
The Colts also have a presence at the Speedway, which is about 4 miles from the team's complex on the city's west side.
Tight end Ben Utecht sang the national anthem Sunday, and Manning, the Super Bowl MVP, will start this year's race. Manning also is the grand marshal of the May 26 Indianapolis 500 Festival parade.
In fact, Zupancic said, the organization owns a suite at the track.
But with four to five racing teams asking the Colts for sponsorship, as Zupancic said is customary each year, the team simply had to say no because of possible infringements with its own exclusive sponsors.
"You could end up on the car with someone who's a competitor of one of our sponsors," Zupancic said. "Those sensitivities are very real and we take that exclusivity very seriously. This one (Diatlovich's offer) was very unique."
