THE SIDELINES : Grant King Given 6-Month Term

INDIANAPOLIS — Former Indy-car owner Grant King received a six-month prison sentence and was ordered to pay $250,000 in restitution for his part in an auto theft ring.

U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker also ordered King to forfeit $30,000 to the federal government.

The judge said King’s cooperation in a continuing federal investigation was one reason she set his sentence below the 18-to-24-month term called for in federal sentencing guidelines.

King pleaded guilty in November to four federal charges related to auto theft and the sale of stolen automobiles.

King reportedly directed an auto theft operation for up to six years, according to court testimony.

King specialized in the theft and sale of stolen Honda and Acura automobiles from Indiana and surrounding states, records show. An FBI agent estimated that King was involved in up to 50 auto thefts.

King owned and served as chief mechanic or car builder on dozens of cars at the Indianapolis 500 from 1964 through the early 1980s. He also built sprint cars, and his drivers won several USAC sprint car championships during the 1970s.