Chasing the checkered flag: The allure of Indy Car racing

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It's billed arsenic the fastest racing connected earth. Indy Cars, arsenic they're called, tin deed 240 miles an hr connected an oval way – that's much than a shot tract each second. And a 2nd is astir each it takes to extremity someone's day.

In this sport, not each the large names are drivers. David Letterman has co-owned an Indy Car squad since 1996, and successful that time, Rahal-Letterman-Lanigan Racing has won the Indy 500 twice.

We asked Letterman himself what made Indy Car racing truthful appealing. "When I was a kid, my household (and each household connected our block) would person it connected the radio. And it would beryllium Memorial Day, and Dad would beryllium location from work, and we'd beryllium having a cookout. And I tin retrieve listening to the broadcast sitting successful a tree. So, that was my archetypal representation of it. It wasn't an option; it was mandatory. It was portion of the civilization of surviving successful Indianapolis."

I asked, "And present that you're a co-owner, which you've been for astir 3 decades present –"

"Isn't that crazy?" helium laughed.

"What's your relation connected contention day?"

"On contention day? Listen to the race, sitting successful a tree," Letterman replied. "That's what they privation maine to do."

MAY 26 NTT IndyCar Series 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500

There are present 17 contention days each year, astatine tracks from seashore to coast, and the athletics is promoting a caller harvest of heroes, similar Team Penske operator Josef Newgarden. He's won the Indy 500 (still considered the granddaddy of the Indy series) back-to-back, successful 2023 and 2024. By tradition, the winning operator celebrates with a large swig of milk, and successful 2024, Newgarden's woman and lad joined him successful different Indy tradition: kissing the speedway track.

We caught up with Newgarden a fewer weeks agone earlier the Long Beach Grand Prix. I asked him, "Do you person a mantra that you say? Anything you archer yourself?"

"I don't cognize that I person a circumstantial mantra, but I effort not to beryllium superstitious," helium replied. "I conscionable effort to beryllium affirmative much than anything. If that's my mantra, it's positivity."

Team McLaren operator Pato O'Ward has conscionable astir everything a contention car operator needs; the lone happening he's missing is an Indy 500 win. He's travel agonizingly close, and successful 2024 O'Ward conscionable astir had it won, but Newgarden passed him successful the last lap. "I cognize I'm going to get my Indy 500 win, due to the fact that I've been damn bully determination each azygous year," O'Ward said. "So, I cognize the much I enactment myself successful that position, I'm going to get astatine slightest one."

What is it similar to triumph 1 of these races? According to Letterman, "It's a jolt of adrenaline I person ne'er experienced successful my life. There was a crush of radical astir me. And abruptly I'm not conscionable Dumbbell Dave, the speech amusement host. I'm the proprietor of the Indianapolis 500 winner. And that euphoria stays with you, well, you whitethorn beryllium capable to tell, I inactive person a interaction of that successful me."

For much than a century, velocity demons person been chasing Indy Car trophies. The archetypal Indianapolis 500 dates backmost to 1911, and it rapidly became 1 of the premier sporting spectacles of the year, drafting immense crowds attracted by the dependable and the speed. In 1926, racers sped amended than 90 miles an hour!

In the past century, Indy Car racing has changed: it's overmuch faster, and precocious much popular. The Indy Car marque withered for a fewer years nether an interior re-organization, but present the crowds are coming back. This year's Indy 500 grandstand was sold retired for the archetypal clip successful astir a decade, and the spot is starting to look similar it did backmost successful 1969, erstwhile Mario Andretti took the checkered flag.

Asked however saccharine that beverage tastes, Andretti said, "Honey cannot compare!"

At 85, Andretti's inactive successful the crippled arsenic a squad owner. "I deliberation the quality of the drivers that you person successful spot [today], the endowment is unprecedented," helium said. "It's unbelievable, yeah."

I asked, "Are you saying those guys are much talented than you were?"

Well, helium didn't spell that far.

Race car information has travel a agelong mode since Andretti's day; the way walls are present padded, the drivers are much protected. But portion it's safer, it not safe, and the worst tin inactive happen, says AP motorsports newsman Jenna Fryer. "It'll ne'er beryllium safe; you tin ne'er telephone racing safe," she said. "They tin beryllium idiots. And if they get upset with each different and 1 wants to retaliate against the other, you know, radical bash anserine stuff. They spot red, they benignant of hide what they're doing for a second. There's nary mode to ever say, 'Racing is safe.'"

But for drivers, it truly is conscionable portion of the game. Asked if helium ever thinks of the information portion driving, O'Ward replied, "No. You deliberation of winning. You deliberation of winning erstwhile you're successful that car. At slightest I do. That's each I deliberation of."

This year's Indy 500 victor wasn't O'Ward oregon Newgarden, oregon anyone from Letterman's team. It was Spanish operator Alex Palou.

But determination are 9 much races this season, and connected an oval track, you ne'er cognize what's astir the bend.

Letterman said, "What I emotion astir it is the romance of it. And the dependable is dissimilar thing you've ever heard. The dependable is thing humans were not meant to hear."

I asked, "What does that dependable bash to you?"

"This is simply a bully measurement for my heart; if it doesn't accelerate my bosom beyond what human's hearts should beryllium accelerated, past there's thing wrong," helium said.

When asked what helium would accidental to idiosyncratic who has ne'er seen an Indy Car race, Letterman said, "Oh, for God sakes, it doesn't adjacent pertain to centrifugal sports fans, conscionable go. I mean, 1 day. It's unimaginable. And you whitethorn not spell back, but you'll speech astir it the remainder of your life."

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Extended interrogation with David Letterman

Extended interview: David Letterman connected Indy Car racing 10:55

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Story produced by John D'Amelio. Editor: Steven Tyler.

Tracy Smith

Tracy Smith is an award-winning analogous for "CBS News Sunday Morning" and "48 Hours," who joined CBS News successful 2000. Smith has covered a wide scope of subjects, producing revealing interviews with news-making artists to moving, in-depth reporting.

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