5 days ago
IndyCar Series on FOX; Donovan Long goes behind the scenes
The Brief
The IndyCar Series is now on FOX, and the Sonsio Grand Prix is on Saturday.
FOX6's Donovan Long got a behind-the-scenes look at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
A former Packers player is now part of the pit crew for one driver.
INDIANAPOLIS - The IndyCar Series is now on FOX, and FOX6's Donovan Long was at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a behind-the-scenes preview of the races. The Sonsio Grand Prix is at 3:30 p.m. Saturday on FOX6.
Wisconsin connection
Local perspective
A pit crew member for driver Christian Rasmussen is a former Packers offensive lineman. Benjamin Braden played parts of a few seasons for Green Bay. He now wears a different jersey and admits he misses the contact, but now uses his experience to move like lightning to get his driver up to speed.
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As for how Braden went from Green Bay to the speedway, he said he has known Ed Carpenter, owner of Ed Carpenter racing, for years. When he pivoted from the NFL, he connected his love of motor sports and sportsmanship.
Racing fans
What they're saying
Driver Scott Dixon has tons of fans, including 10-year-old Hayden Jaskela of Indianapolis. Jaskela waited in line with hundreds of people to meet Dixon, get his autograph and take pictures on Friday.
The 10-year-old has been into IndyCar as long as he can remember and loves going to races with a dream of hitting the speedway just like his favorite driver.
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Racing fan Dylan James is from New Zealand, but traveled from London to Indianapolis to see driver Scott Dixon, who is also from New Zealand. He said the trip is meant to honor his dad, who passed away last year and never got to experience the Sonsio Grand Prix.
James traveled alone and will return to the speedway for the Indy 500 in two weeks, another race his dad was never able to attend.
The Source
Information in this report is from FOX6 News interviews.
