INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. ? One of the most history race tracks in America opened its track up to the Indiana State men's basketball team last Saturday morning, as the Sycamores visited the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a team photo shoot and tour of the facility.

Head coach Kevin McKenna was excited about the opportunity to take his team to the historic facility for the photo shoot and tour.

“I met with some representatives from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and at Clabber Girl and the opportunity was presented for us to make a trip to the track,” said McKenna.  “It's not very often that people get the chance to walk out on the track and take pictures and see the facility like that.  I was really excited about having this opportunity and I think the players were, too.”

The coaching staff and players began the photo shoot by stepping onto the historic track under cloudy skies to pose for a team picture just behind The Yard of Bricks.  Several of the players bent down to feel the track surface and the bricks that make up the start/finish line, which were taken from the track when it was resurfaced in 1961.  The team then moved in front of the Bombardier Pagoda, which towers over the start/finish line, for more team shots.

The Sycamores then took individual pictures on The Yard of Bricks before moving up to the Victory Podium, a place normally reserved for race winners, for more pictures.  After all the posing was over and when all pictures had been take, the team enjoyed a ride around the famed 2.5-mile IMS oval in one of the track's tour buses before wandering around in the Hall of Fame Museum to look at trophies, cars, and pictures that commemorate the long and storied history of the track.

“The trip was good for the team and our coaching staff,” said McKenna.  “Any time you get to have team-building days like that, they are usually really productive and I think the players really enjoyed it.  They got to spend some time with their new teammates and the coaching staff at a place that many of them had never been and got to do some things that a lot of people never get to do.  I think it really helped us bond and the day was really enjoyable.”