Call Rafael: Indy Blue Crew benched after truck broke down on way to fundraiser

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indy Blue Crew’s symbolic mobile mascot – the 1983 blue fire engine – has been benched after breaking down on its way to a charity event. The cost to fix the truck led the Colts fan club to Call Rafael for help.

The group bought the vehicle in Ohio for about $3500 in 2018.

“We support our team no matter what,” said Indy Blue Crew President Randy Collins.

The group is not shy about tailgating on Sundays, nor tackling the needs of local charities every day of the week. The crew also supports hometown activities like passing out water during the IU Health 500 Festival Mini-Marathon.

“One of the special times with this truck was during Covid. We loaded it up with candy and whatever we could in the neighborhoods and went to the doors and made people smile a little bit,” added Collins.

For the past two weeks, the truck has been out of commission, forcing the cancellation of its appearance at two charitable events. The 43-year-old vehicle needs many parts and extensive repairs.

The Indy Blue Crew asked Call Rafael for help. The group wants to get back to their charity work and be ready at Lucas Oil Stadium for the season opener.

“We needed help buddy. We thought about the heck with it, but a lot of people said it means too much for a lot of people,”  said Collins.

I met with the team at Palmer Trucks in Indianapolis. The company, in its 60th year, tells me they’ll bring the truck back to life.

“Our guys here have a lot of fun working on this truck and they take a lot of pride in it. It will be a team effort to make this look really good,” said Palmer Truck co-President Scott Nichols. “We’ve been Colts fans since they’ve been here and we’re looking forward to this season and hope they do well.”

For the past several days, Palmer Trucks technicians have started tackling the project that will include body work, a radiator, and some engine work.

A GoFundMe page was started to help with the parts and future maintenance. The goal is to keep the truck on the active roster.

“We got to get the truck running. It’s going to be a good year. It’s going to be a good year,” said Collins.

The Blue Crew is hoping to raise $10,000 as part of its fundraising efforts. We’ll keep you posted on the repairs.

As for the upcoming season, the Blue Crew are dedicating all their charity work in memory of former Colts Owner Jim Irsay who died in May.