Tom Brady to take the ride of his life at Indy 500 with Jimmie Johnson as his chauffeur
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Fox Sports will continue its crossover collaboration with IndyCar by placing current network NFL analyst Tom Brady in the 'Fastest Seat in Sports' for the Indianapolis 500.
His driver? None other than NASCAR seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson, putting a total of 14 titles inside the car on May 25.
The Fastest Seat in Sports is a custom two-seat Indy car that makes ceremonial laps before an IndyCar race.
Johnson, who did a two-year stint in IndyCar following his retirement from NASCAR, was the Indy 500 top rookie in 2022. After he gives Brady his ride, Johnson will fly to North Carolina to compete in the Coca-Cola 600 in what will be his 700th career NASCAR start.
Fox Sports is in its first year as IndyCar's broadcast partner and has vowed to make the Indianapolis 500 its biggest televised event of the year. It kicked off the season with baseball analyst Alex Rodriguez in the Fastest Seat in Sports at the opener in St. Petersburg, Florida.
'I love the Indy 500. There is an energy and excitement around the 500 that is unlike anything I have experienced before,' Johnson said. 'Certainly, pre-race ceremonies are the ultimate racing experience that I've had outside of the car. I'm thrilled to be a part of the program and to see the stands full one more time.
'I'm extremely honored to come back and do it and to be able to also share this experience with another seven-time champion.'
Brady is the winningest quarterback in NFL history with seven Super Bowl championships. He is also a five-time Super Bowl MVP, three-time Associated Press Most Valuable Player, 15-time Pro Bowler and the 2007 Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year.
Winnipeg Jets Game Days
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.
He was named to the NFL's 2010s All-Decade Team and the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.
Johnson, a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, drove the No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports for 19 seasons. He's the current majority owner of NASCAR team Legacy Motor Club, which recently partnered with Knighthead Capital Management, a private equity firm in which Brady has a stake.
Johnson is the only driver in NASCAR history to win five consecutive Cup titles and was the 2009 Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year. He drove in IndyCar for Chip Ganassi Racing and qualified in the fourth row in 2022.
___
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
6 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
How Prime Video's ‘Burn Bar' is changing the way we watch NASCAR
NASCAR fans have grown accustomed to seeing speed, throttle and braking on broadcasts for years. There has been one measurement, though, that has eluded networks and viewers for years. Until now. Viewers of the Prime Video races have been able to see fuel usage with the introduction of the Burn Bar. Race teams have measured burn rates and fuel levels down to the last ounce for years, but the methodology has been kept secret due to competitive reasons. Prime Video, though, developed an AI tool using car data available to broadcasters and teams that can measure miles per gallon. The Burn Bar made a brief appearance during Prime's first broadcast of the Coca-Cola 600 on May 25. It has been used more frequently the past two weeks and will again be deployed on Sunday during the race in Mexico City. NASCAR on Prime analyst Steve Letarte, a former crew chief for Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr., contributed to the development of the Burn Bar and sees it as the first step in taking race analysis to a new level. 'It's the first true tool that is taking information off the car, making calculations and then displaying to the fan a calculation or measurement that is being used in the garage. And it does affect the team,' he said. 'There's not a sensor on the car giving us miles per gallon. It's a mathematical calculation of other cars performances.' The AI model analyzes thousands of performance data per second, including a range of in-car telemetry signals, RPMs, throttle and optical tracking of each car's position. The model then evaluates each driver's fuel consumption and efficiency throughout the race. Letarte worked with Prime Video 'Thursday Night Football Prime Vision' analyst Sam Schwartzstein during the process. They came up with four methodologies that were tested during the first part of the season, which was broadcast by Fox. Schwartzstein and Letarte would then get the data from teams after races to see how close they were until they picked one what worked the best. The Burn Bar received its toughest test during last week's race at Michigan as the final 48 laps were run without a caution flag. Most teams made their final pit stops with 50 laps to go, meaning teams were going to be down to the end of their fuel runs at the checkered flag. 'We projected William Byron to run out, which he did, and then we were on the razor's edge for Denny Hamlin. And then watching the truck push him back into victory lane at the end, knowing he was as close as we thought he was. What a cool way to see this feature come to life and elevate NASCAR broadcasts,' Schwartzstein said. Alex Strand, Prime Video's senior coordinating producer for live sports, also sees the Burn Bar as the first tool of many that Amazon and Prime Video can develop for its coverage. Prime Video is in the first year of a seven-year agreement to carry five races per season. 'It's really cool to live in a world where it shows us that anything is possible. We're starting with something that we're really excited about, but it's setting us down a path that will open up new doors for us,' he said. 'I think that's what we're really excited about is to say, 'OK, we've had success in year one on a feature that's resonated with fans right out of the gate.' It raises the table for our offseason.' After Sunday's race in Mexico City, Prime Video's coverage for this season wraps up with the race at Pocono on June 22. ___ AP NASCAR:
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
Ex-NFL star wide receiver Antonio Brown facing attempted murder charges in Miami shooting
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown (81) walks on the field during an NFL football game against the New York Jets, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File) Former NFL player Antonio Brown is facing an attempted murder charge stemming from a shooting that took place during an altercation outside an amateur boxing event in Miami, according to an arrest warrant. Brown, 36, is accused of grabbing a handgun from a security staffer and firing two shots at a man he had gotten into a fistfight with earlier. The victim, Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, told investigators one of the bullets grazed his neck. The warrant does not list an attorney for Brown, an All-Pro wide receiver who last played in the NFL in 2021 for Tampa Bay but spent most of his 12-year career with Pittsburgh. Brown did not respond to messages sent to his social media accounts. The second-degree attempted murder charge carries a maximum 15-year prison sentence and up to a $10,000 fine. It is the latest in a series of legal problems for Brown, who has previously been accused of battery of a moving truck driver, several domestic violence charges, failure to pay child support and other incidents. During a 2021 game with Tampa Bay against the New York Jets, Brown took off his jersey, shoulder pads and gloves and ran off the field, leading to his release by the Buccaneers. After that incident, Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady said people should show some compassion for Brown, who lived at Brady's home during his time in Tampa Bay. 'It's a difficult situation,' Brady said then. 'Everybody should do what they can to help him in ways that he really needs it. We all love him. We care about him deeply. We want to see him be at his best. Unfortunately, it won't be with our team.' According to the arrest warrant, Brown attended a celebrity boxing event in Miami on May 16. Police were called to the location after other patrons reported hearing shots fired. Several of them told officers Brown was the shooter, but when he was detained in the parking lot no weapon was found, but two bullet casings were located. Brown was released then because the victim was not found immediately, according to the warrant. Later, investigators learned Nantambu was the victim. Based on surveillance video, the altercation outside the boxing event involving Brown, Nantambu and others was broken up by security staff, one of whom got into a struggle with Brown, the warrant says. 'Mr. Brown appears to retrieve a black firearm from the right hip area' of the security official, the warrant says. 'Cellphone video obtained from social media showed Mr. Brown with the firearm in his hand advancing toward Mr. Nantambu on the outside sidewalk. The video captures two shots which occur as Mr. Brown is within several feet of Mr. Nantambu.' Nantambu identified Brown as the shooter and told investigators he had known Brown since 2022. In a social media post after the altercation, Brown said he was 'jumped by multiple individuals who tried to steal my jewelry and cause physical harm to me.' During his playing career, Brown caught 928 passes for 12,291 yards and 88 touchdowns. He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning the 2021 Super Bowl along with Brady. Brown was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection. Curt Anderson, The Associated Press
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Rams sign veteran offensive tackle D.J. Humphries to a 1-year deal
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams signed veteran offensive tackle D.J. Humphries to a one-year deal on Friday. Humphries, a longtime starter for the NFC West rival Arizona Cardinals, will provide depth and insurance on the Rams' offensive line behind starting left tackle Alaric Jackson. Jackson agreed to a three-year, $57 million free agent deal to return to Los Angeles this spring, but the NFL Network reported this week that Jackson is dealing with a reoccurrence of the blood clots that ended his 2022 season. Humphries spent his first eight NFL seasons with the Cardinals, who drafted him in the first round in 2016. He started 98 games, mostly at left tackle, and was selected for the Pro Bowl in 2021. Humphries was out of the NFL last season while recovering from a torn knee ligament from 2023. He also missed much of the 2022 season with a back injury. He signed with the Kansas City Chiefs last November, but injured his hamstring shortly afterward. He played only occasionally down the stretch into the postseason for the AFC champions, and he didn't play in the Super Bowl. Humphries' agents announced on social media in late April that he had signed with the San Francisco 49ers, but that deal was never completed. ___ AP NFL:
