Many Henry County residents attend the Indianapolis 500. But Dan Lambert of Mooreland was a part of this year's Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

  Lambert, 62, was an honorary member of 1996 Indy winner Buddy Lazier's pit crew. Lambert remained in the pits before and during the entire race and with his special silver-toned Chevrolet pass, had access that many only dream of. In fact, he said the pass carried a street value exceeding $1,000.

  It wasn't Lambert's 37-year career as an industrial arts teacher that landed him in such a coveted spot. It wasn't his church efforts that spur work with children in Mexico or Bolivia, either.

  It was the admiration of his granddaughter, Sarah Lambert of Brownsburg.

  The girl entered her "papaw" in a Chevrolet contest whereby entrants submitted essays about their personal heroes.

  The essay spoke of a grandfather who does exceptional things for people. It told of a man who rode his bike across the U.S. in 39 days, starting in San Diego, Calif., and raising $10,000 to fight cancer. Explains Sarah, "His sister (Jane Lambert) died from cancer on May 2, 2000. Papaw wanted to do something to help the Cancer Society."

   She continues: "Papaw rode through rain, hail, sleet and snow so he could stay on schedule. We rode our bikes the last 350 miles of the trip with him. We finished in St. Augustine, Fla."

  The essay netted Chevrolet's Indiana grand prize - a deluxe trip to Indianapolis and the full VIP Chevy treatment for Lambert and family during race weekend.

  That family includes wife, Norma; children Tony and Danny Jr., both of Brownsburg, and four grandchildren. Three of the four grandchildren took part in the events.

  For her efforts, Sarah receives a $2,500 savings bond and a matching donation for her school. The family received four race tickets in GM suites, valued at $350 each. The grandfather notes how Sarah seems to have a knack for winning contests as she and another granddaughter both won essays getting them free trips to Washington, D.C. and Sarah won a drawing for a trip to Disney World.

  "It was super, super neat to be able to be there," Lambert says of the weekend's festivities. He attended a Chevrolet banquet and met celebrities such as Sam Hornish, IRL Rookie of the Year for 2001 and movie star Jim Caviezel, driver of the pace car for this year's race. He met Buddy Lazier, Jim Nabors and received hugs from Miss USA and Miss Indiana. He saw other celebrities such as David Letterman and was included in a Chevrolet caravan receiving a police escort to the track. He remained among the pit crew during the entire race.

  Lambert became something of a celebrity in his own right as he was interviewed by media for TV segments.

  Ironically, he learned that the chief mechanic lives across the street from one of his sons.

  Lambert was fascinated by the technology. For example, the tires contain a sensor that is beamed to a satellite which is sent back to a computer to show the tire wear.

  But even with all the celebrities and attention, the best part of the whole thing was experiencing it with his grandchildren and family nearby. He enjoys running the 500 Mini-Marathon and it's all the more fun because of the grandchildren who run with him.

  "I have so many blessings and so much to be thankful for."

  The weekend was just one more. "It's unbelievable, really," Lambert said. "Kind of a dream come true in a sense."