Cedar Rapids company sponsors Indy 500 lap

Dave Butler dreamt of racing in the Indianapolis 500. He will experience something almost as special even though he won't be behind the wheel of a race car.

Butler, the owner of American Investigations and Security Agency of Cedar Rapids, will sponsor a lap in one of auto racing's biggest events at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday. The company was assigned lap 141 in the 200 lap contest.

"I'll be excited," Butler said. "I'd like to see Danica (Patrick) or Helio (Castroneves) win the prize money for that lap.

"(My favorite) is a tossup. It depends on my mood at the time."

Butler's spirits have been raised since February he received the acceptance letter, approving his sponsorship request. He first made a request more than 12 years ago and remained stuck to the request list until this year. Butler, who has been a competitive driver in sprint and legend cars, said he wasn't sure if it was luck, someone effected by the economy or another sponsor's decision to back out that led to this chance.

"Whatever happened I'm glad it happened," said Butler, 54, a Cedar rapids Jefferson and University of Iowa graduate. "I was big into racing and so I thought it would be cool to sponsor a lap of the 500. We finally got the opportunity to do it."

Sponsorship comes with a bill for $500, but includes some extra benefits. Butler will still have to buy a ticket for the grandstands, even though he'll have a better experience than most.

"The sponsorship comes with garage passes," said Butler, who will also receive pit passes. "We'll be down on the track when they line the cars up."

The opportunity is a dream come true for Butler, who first attended the Indianapolis 500 in 1964 with his dad. He hasn't missed the race since 1972. You can count on being able to stop by his office and see some of the programs, noting Butler's inclusion to the grand event.

"You bet. Heck yes," Butler said. "I just think it's pretty cool that Cedar rapids has somewhat of a connection with the Indy 500."