Indianapolis 500 Media Day took place on Thursday, May 22, with the majority of the drivers answering questions for over an hour at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Topics ranged from past experiences at “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” to the promising forecast for the rest of the week.

Buddy Lazier, the 1996 Indianapolis 500 champion, answered numerous questions about the logo that appeared across the chest of his team racing shirt – the University of Iowa Stephen A. Wynn Institute for Vision Research logo, along with the famous Tigerhawk.

Lazier’s 12-year old daughter, Jacqueline, has a rare eye disease called aniridia, which is characterized by a complete or partial absence of the colored part of the eye. Aniridia can cause reduction in visual acuity and increased sensitivity to light. Aniridia, combined with glaucoma, has caused Jacqueline to lose vision in her right eye. The Wynn Institute is conducting research on aniridia and glaucoma as well as other inherited eye diseases.

Lazier was more than happy to field multiple questions about the UI’s world-renowned institute.

What does it mean to you to have the Wynn Institute for Vision Research as a member of your team?

The Wynn Institute at the University of Iowa has already cured some rare eye diseases and they just keep moving on to the next one. Stephen Wynn has been working on finding a place like this for a long time and he certainly knows the real thing when he sees it.

What was it about the Wynn Institute that stood out for you and your family?

We visited the institute a little while ago and we were very impressed. The doctors and scientists on campus are on the cutting edge of their specialty and they are making breakthroughs everyday.

Once we visited, we started wondering what we could do to help get the word out. It took us 10 years to find these guys (the Wynn Institute). We are trying to raise awareness to make it easier for the next family to find the institute. If you get a devastating prognosis from your doctor, you don’t have to feel like you don’t have hope. You can talk to the people at Iowa and they will give you hope.

How much will it help the visibility of the Wynn Institute in Iowa City by appearing on the side of Buddy Lazier’s car this weekend?

It’s the biggest race in the world. If they are trying to send a message, they are definitely in the right place. It’s extremely important and it’s a great idea. In the future, I hope we can do more of that for other things as well.