Menard files two Indy entries.

Team Menard has filed Indy 500 entries for its regular driver Jaques Lazier and test driver Vitor Meira as the Chevrolet powered IRL IndyCar teams continue to work on strength in numbers ahead of 'The Month of May.'

Menard joins Panther Racing and Red Bull Cheever Racing in expanding from one to two cars for the 87th running of the 'Greatest Spectacle in Racing' with Brazilian driver Meira making his seasonal debut for the team.

The Indianapolis 500 will be the second run of the month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Meira who also filed an entry to run in the 500 Festival Mini-Marathon on May 3rd in Indianapolis. Meira's first race will be a 13.1-mile footrace that includes a lap around the fabled 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval.

"I used to do triathlons in Brazil for fun," Meira said. "I like these type of competitions. They are very simple. If you are good, you win. If you are not good, you don't win. There are no complications like tires or setup. It is also a healthy thing to do.

"The Indy 500 is such a big event, and the Mini-Marathon is a good way to start the month off."

Lazier will drive the No. 2 car while Meira will drive the No. 22 entry. Both cars carry Menards/Johns Manville sponsorship and are Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone combinations. Identical backup cars were included in each entry.

Dave Milby is the chief mechanic and Larry Ellert the team manager for both Team Menard entries.

All entries for the May 25th race had to be posted by midnight on Wednesday. Entries are expected to arrive through the mail at Indy Racing League headquarters through the weekend and into early next week.

Lazier, a native of Vail, Colorado and resident of Alta Loma, California, has competed in "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" twice (2000-01) with a best finish of 13th as a rookie in 2000. Lazier has two career IRL IndyCar Series MBNA Poles and earned his first victory from the pole in 2001 at Chicagoland Speedway driving for Team Menard.

Lazier was forced to sit out the 2002 Indianapolis 500 due to injuries suffered in an accident in April 2002 at Nazareth Speedway. Lazier's older brother, Buddy, won the "500" in 1996 and the IndyCar Series season championship in 2000.

Meira, of Brasilia, Brazil, earned his first IndyCar Series MBNA Pole in the Chevy 500 in September 2002 at Texas Motor Speedway while subbing for the injured Jaques Lazier. He also scored his best career finish, third, in that race.

Team Menard won the series entrant championship in 1997 and 1999. Lazier and Meira will attempt to deliver the first Indianapolis 500 victory to team owner John Menard, who has been involved in Indy-style racing since 1979 and is one of the original team owners in the IndyCar Series.