INDIANAPOLIS — The 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 is Sunday.
Students at the Washington Township Metropolitan School District have been preparing all month long. Kindergarteners raced in the "Kindy 500" Wednesday morning, and Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan helped make sure this lesson at Fox Hill Elementary stretched far past the finish line.
"We know at the end when you win, you put milk on yourself and you put a wreath around your neck when you win," Ellie Cantor said. "I love racing, and I love having fun days with Mrs. Puckett, my teacher."
"We spend the month of May learning about the race. We do an engineer design process around the race. We learn about race car drivers, everything involved in the Indianapolis 500," teacher Bridget Puckett said.
Cantor and Leigha Mundy painted their own cardboard cars.
"Mine has flowers on it, and it's pink," Mundy said.
These kindergartners are ready for the driver's seat at this year's "Kindy 500."
Kanaan waved the flag on the mini oval and remembered himself at their age.
"I was 8 years old. Nowadays, they start even earlier. They start at 5 and 6," Kanaan said. "Kids that don't believe they can be someone or can become somebody...and that's important to send the message. I was that kid."
Kanaan was a kid from Brazil when he got his start.
"I spoke zero English when I came. According to my kids, I still don't," Kanaan said. "America is the land of opportunity. I think it's something that, look at this. Indy makes me feel so proud."
Our future Indy 500 winner might just be in the crowd.
"If we can keep telling the story and sending the message to anybody at home that you can do it, there's nothing you can't do," Kanaan said.
This was the second year for the "Kindy 500" at Fox Hill Elementary. For the first year, the students used tricycles.