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The casual fan's guide to the Indy 500
Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios; Photos: Justin Casterline, Greg Doherty, James Gilbert and Chris Graythen/Getty Images
You don't have to be an IndyCar expert to enjoy the Indianapolis 500.
- Here's a casual fan's guide to some of the sport's biggest names and those to watch on Sunday.
Lifeguard hiring spree opens more Indianapolis pools
Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
It will be easier to find an open pool in Indianapolis this summer after a monthslong marketing and recruiting blitz has beefed up the city's parks staff.
Zoom in: Indianapolis is paying $15 an hour — same rate as last year — and adding signing bonuses up to $500 to attract lifeguards.
Indiana's most popular baby names
It was the year of Oliver in 2022.
Driving the news: Of Indiana babies born last year, 430 were named Oliver, by far the most of any name, per Social Security Administration data.
Indiana sports betting hits ceiling as Ohio ascends
Indiana's golden era for sports betting appears to be over.
Why it matters: Indiana smashed revenue expectations during its first four years of legal sports gambling, but competition from neighbors is loosening the state's grip on a lucrative business.
Joe Hogsett goes into the hotel business
The city of Indianapolis is planning to build a Hilton-branded hotel at the Pan Am Plaza site. Photo: Axios/James Briggs
Indianapolis appears all but certain to enter the hotel business.
Driving the news: The city is scrambling to keep alive its vision for a Signia by Hilton hotel at the Pan Am Plaza site after developer Kite Realty Group failed to finance the project, which was first announced in 2018.
Remembering Sylvia Likens, a case that shocked Indy
Gertrude Baniszewski (left), in custody of a police matron, weeps after a jury delivered a guilty verdict against her and four teenagers in the torture slaying of 16-year-old Sylvia Liken on May 19, 1966. Photo: Bettmann/Contributor via Getty Images
On this day in 1966, Gertrude Baniszewski and four teenagers — two of Baniszewski's children and two neighbors — were found guilty in perhaps the most shocking and horrifying murder in the city's history.
31 individuals become U.S. citizens at IMS
Our newest U.S. citizens pose for a photo with IMS President Doug Boles and several drivers in front of the track's famed pagoda. Photo: Arika Herron/Axios
Before it was called the Indianapolis 500, the 500-mile race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was called the "International Sweepstakes" because its founders wanted to bring in people from all over the world.
Driving the news: IMS held a naturalization ceremony on Tuesday, during which 31 people from 24 countries took the oath of allegiance and became U.S. citizens.
VeeCon brings social media influencers to Indy
Gary Vaynerchuk, Eva Longoria, Maha Abouelenein and Huda Kattan at the first VeeCon last year in Minneapolis. Photo: Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images for Huda Kattan
It's time for VeeCon, a one-of-a-kind conference you've likely never heard of and might have trouble getting into.
Driving the news: Internet-famous Gary Vaynerchuk, a self-described "serial entrepreneur," is holding his tech, marketing, pop culture and thought leadership mashup in Indianapolis.
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