Mari Hulman George; chaired Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Mari Hulman George, the “quiet pioneer” of auto racing who was instrumental in the expansion of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and became known to millions of fans over the years as the one who ordered countless drivers to start their engines before races, died Saturday. She was 83.

Hulman George, the speedway’s chairman of the board emeritus, died in Indianapolis with her family at her side, the speedway said in a statement.

“Our mother was such a unique, wonderful person. She loved her family, friends, auto racing and animals with equal passion,” said Tony George, current chairman of IMS. “She was a quiet pioneer in so many ways, from owning a race team in the 1950s and 1960s to overseeing a period of tremendous growth and evolution while chairman of the board at IMS.”

Hulman George was IMS chairman from 1988 through 2016. Her father, Anton “Tony” Hulman Jr., purchased the speedway in 1945 and saved it from demolition after World War II. Racing and the facility became a staple of Mari Hulman George’s life.

Hers was a familiar figure and voice before the Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400 from the late 1990s until 2015.

“She was known by millions as the woman who gave the command to start engines for the Indianapolis 500 and other events at the speedway, but her true legacy will be the generous and kind philanthropy she learned from her parents,” George said. “That compassion and desire to help people and animals every day are the true hallmarks of her incredible life.”

Racing giant Roger Penske called her an inspiration.