INDIANAPOLIS – For the sixth straight year, the exciting month of May “revved” its engines with the annual Rev presented by Fifth Third Bank charity social event Saturday evening at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

More than 3,000 guests attended Rev, the event that has become a must to kick off a myriad of activities on and off track in and around Indianapolis celebrating the INDYCAR Grand Prix on May 11 and the 103rd Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on May 26.

Rev offered a wide variety of food samplings from 70 of the best chefs in the area, pairing their expert cuisine with the tastes of INDYCAR drivers. Joe Sasto from Bravo TV’s “Top Chef” (pictured at right with drivers Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter, Marcus Ericsson and Conor Daly) served as the celebrity chef this year. Fifteen NTT IndyCar Series drivers and one Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires pilot were on hand to show off the dining creations which they collaborated on with their chefs.

Music was available all evening in the IMS Plaza Pavilions as well as the IMS Pagoda. The entertainment concluded with a DJ stationed on the flag stand at the start/finish of the track, allowing guests to dance the night away on the famous yard of bricks below.

Best of all, proceeds from Rev benefit the IU Health Foundation and its statewide trauma programs. That includes the IU Health Emergency Medical Center at IMS, which becomes Indiana’s largest trauma center on Indy 500 race day.

Tony Kanaan, the 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner and a longtime fan favorite served as honorary co-chair of the event along with his wife, Lauren. Decked in a black suit with an appropriately race-themed black-and-white tie, the AJ Foyt Racing veteran said Rev is the place to be on the first Saturday in May in Indy.

“It’s a great cause, it’s a kickoff for the month of May,” Kanaan said. “We’ve raised over $3 million over the years, so it’s awesome. I think people enjoy it. I think it’s an event that’s come to stay. We always talk about opening day, opening day – this became the opening day for the Indy 500 and the GP.”