LIVE BLOG: 2014 Indianapolis 500

10:26 AM ET (Steph) — We’re back at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway today for Firestone Mario Andretti Legends Day! Paul and I are both on site to provide updates. Today is usually a fun and relaxed day — the calm before the storm, in a way. The full-field autograph session is under way now in Pagoda Plaza while a few vintage cars take laps around the track, and the public drivers’ meeting gets under way at 10:30.

Paul and I had a busy night last night. First, we went to the book release party at the IMS museum for Hard Luck Lloyd by John Lingle and Jim McGee: Crew Chief of Champions by Gordon Kirby. The turnout was great and there were lots of people leaving with bags holding books, so it seems to have served  its purpose! John will be at the memorabilia show at IMS this afternoon signing copies of his book at the Racemaker Press booth at 2 PM. Even if you’ve already got a copy or are short on funds, please still go by and say hello. John will definitely appreciate it!

After that, we stopped by the Carb Night Burger Bash at 96th Street Steakburger. This was its seventh year, and it’s amazing to see how this event keeps growing. (The restaurant reportedly ran out of food this year, so that’s a fairly good indication of unanticipated demand!) Curt Cavin of the Indianapolis Star and Kevin Lee of NBC Sports Network were joined by Takuma Sato, Arie Luyendyk, Pippa Mann, and Jack Hawksworth, and Curt announced that over the history of the event over $100,000 has been raised for Central Indiana charities, which is completely fantastic. I hope it endures for many years as it’s become one of my can’t-miss traditions over the 500 weekend.

We’re heading down now for the public drivers’ meeting, which is about to get under way in pit lane. We’ll be back later with further updates!

NEXT PAGE: More coverage from race weekend for the 98th running of the Indianapolis 500

CARB DAY

5:57 PM ET (Steph) — One more update before we sign off to provide the information we have on the injuries from Chase Austin’s crash in the Freedom 100 today.

Last we heard, Chase was in pre-surgery for his broken wrist. He tweeted from his own account @ChaseAustin111 that he was dopey from the drugs but is otherwise doing fine. That’s still obviously not ideal, but it’s certainly a relief given the severity of the crash. Best wishes to Chase on a speedy recovery.

There was also a photographer injured in the incident. I spoke to an IndyCar representative, and they’re not able to provide much detail at this point — unless the photographer holds a full-season IndyCar credential, which hasn’t yet been determined, the series cannot distribute any information due to being bound by health privacy laws. The series was able to say that the photographer in question was awake and alert when transported to IU Health Methodist Hospital. That may be the only update we receive unless the photographer or the media outlet steps forward to make a statement. We extend our very best wishes to the photographer as well.

We’ll be back tomorrow morning for more updates from race weekend for the 98th running of the Indianapolis 500.

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NEXT PAGE: More coverage from race weekend for the 98th running of the Indianapolis 500