Pato O'Ward battles customs delay for special helmet ahead of Indianapolis 500

Yahoo

13-05-2025

Alex Palou, of Spain, center, celebrates after winning the IndyCar Grand Prix auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Saturday, May 10, 2025. Pato O'Ward, of Mexico, left, finished second and Will Power, of Australia, finished third. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A rain delay at Indianapolis Motor Speedway bought Pato O'Ward additional time to secure his custom made helmet for 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing' — a package currently stuck in customs.
O'Ward was on the phone during Tuesday's rain delay trying to sort out the issue. He said the helmet was shipped from Germany and is currently being held 'ransom' as the popular Mexican driver is being told it can't be delivered until he pays the customs fees.
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O'Ward argued he already paid the fees or else the helmet never would have cleared customs, and he spent a large portion of Tuesday morning arguing on the phone and attempting to pay the fees for a second time.
'I've been on the phone 48 minutes and they won't send me a link to pay the customs,' he grumbled.
He initially thought the delivery delay was because the package required a signature, but insisted there are people at his house awaiting the helmet.
'I kept telling the driver to ring the bell! There's people there!' he said. 'But then they said it is a customs fee and they won't deliver it until it's been paid.'
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O'Ward is adamant its a mix-up but is willing to pay twice. Drivers often unveil special helmet designs for the Indianapolis 500 to replace the ones they wear the rest of the season. The idea is to showcase meaningful and fun designs that represent their culture, personality or other things that have personal meaning.
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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing