Indy 500: Crown Royal, Alexander Rossi unveil Wall of Gratitude

By Asher Fair | May 24, 2019

LONG BEACH, CA - APRIL 13: Verizon IndyCar Series driver Alexander Rossi pictured with the Wall of Gratitude during Crown Royal and Andretti Autosport team up to honor military heroes on April 13, 2018 in Long Beach, California. (Photo by Rachel Murray/Getty Images for Crown Royal) /

Crown Royal and 2016 Indy 500 champion Alexander Rossi recently unveiled the Wall of Gratitude at Indianapolis Motor Speedway ahead of the 2019 Indy 500.

Crown Royal, the official whisky sponsor of the Indianapolis 500 and the top-selling Canadian whisky in the United States that has honored servicemen and woman at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the last two years as a part of their near decade-long support for military service members, unveiled the new Crown Royal Wall of Gratitude last week.

2016 Indianapolis 500 champion Alexander Rossi and Crown Royal director of whisky engagement Stephen Wilson unveiled this Wall of Gratitude, which was created to honor more than 50,000 military members in support of the Crown Royal Purple Bag Project, Crown Royal’s largest generosity commitment.

The names of these 50,000 military members were submitted by racing fans across the United States over the last two years, and these names were put onto the Wall of Gratitude, which is located near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.

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Ahead of this year’s running, the 103rd running, of the 200-lap Indianapolis 500 around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in Speedway, Indiana, here is what Rossi had to say about the Wall of Gratitude, which he helped to start back in April of 2018 ahead of the IndyCar race on the streets of Long Beach, California.

“I think the Wall of Gratitude is such a perfect name for what is behind us because without the men and women who have fought for this country and made the ultimate sacrifice to give us the opportunity to follow our dreams and do what we love is really astounding,” Rossi stated.

“This is such a wonderful memory to see how far its come since our first press conference in Long Beach when myself, Marco [Andretti] and Michael [Andretti] put our first gold plaques on the temporary wall, and to see what it is now in this beautiful setting is really something I’m proud to be a part of.”

Crown Royal and Alexander Rossi recently unveiled the Crown Royal Wall of Gratitude, a structure honoring more than 50,000 military members and their service to our country.
Photo Credit: @CrownRoyal pic.twitter.com/PNLInyXrzM
— Beyond the Flag (@Beyond_The_Flag) May 24, 2019

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During the Indianapolis 500 race weekend itself, Crown Royal will have consumer activation space for fans ages 21 and older. First, fans can help Crown Royal fill the remaining spaces on the Wall of Gratitude by sharing additional names of military service members who they would like to honor.

Additionally, fans can pack Crown Royal purple bags with essentials to be shipped overseas to men and women currently serving in our armed forces as a part of the Crown Royal Purple Bag Project.