WELL, THE SLIDE SORRY I’M EXCITED. >> I KNOW YOU ARE.
>> THE SLIDE MAY GET PEOPLE OUT
TO BELLE ISLE, BUT IT’S THE INDY
CARS THAT WILL GET PEOPLE
FLOODING DOWNTOWN IN JUST A
COUPLE OF WEEKS. I LOVE THIS
FESTIVITY FOR THE FOR THE
CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX,
PRESENTED BY LEAR. GET UNDERWAY
IN JUST A LITTLE OVER TWO WEEKS.
THE RACES WILL BE IN THE HEART
OF DOWNTOWN DETROIT AGAIN THIS
YEAR, AND MANY DRIVERS ARE
ALREADY LOOKING FORWARD TO
HITTING THE STREETS.
>> WHY WOULDN’T THEY? I MEAN, I
WANT TO BE ONE OF THEM, BUT
THAT’S NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN.
ALL RIGHT. THAT INCLUDES SOMEONE
WHO JOINS US NOW IN THE NEXT BY
FIRESTONE DRIVER MILES ROWE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING WITH
US.
>> IT’S A PLEASURE FOR ME.
>> THANK YOU. ARE YOU EXCITED?
>> I’M I’M VERY EXCITED. YES.
OKAY.
>> SO LET’S START BY TALKING
ABOUT A BIG ACHIEVEMENT THAT HAS
BEEN YOU’VE BEEN RECOGNIZED FOR
YOU ARE THE FIRST BLACK DRIVER
TO WIN AN OPEN WHEEL RACING
CHAMPIONSHIP IN NORTH AMERICA.
WOW. CONGRATULATIONS AND WHAT
DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU?
>> THANK YOU. I MEAN, IT MEANS
THE WORLD TO ME. IT’S SOMETHING
I’VE BEEN WORKING FOR SINCE I
WAS A KID. I COULDN’T DO IT
WITHOUT, YOU KNOW, MY AMAZING
FAMILY. I HAVE SUCH A GOOD
SUPPORT SYSTEM AND. AND. YEAH,
IT’S JUST LIKE I SAID, IT’S AN
HONOR TO BE IN THAT POSITION.
IT’S SO TOUGH OUT THERE IN THESE
CARS, AND THEY’RE SO HARD TO
HANDLE AND MANAGE AND
EVERYTHING, ALL THE DIFFERENT
VARIABLES WITH, YOU KNOW,
TALKING TO YOUR TEAM AND YOUR
ENGINEER AND THEN GOING OUT ON
TRACK AND DUKING IT OUT WITH
EVERYONE. IT’S TOUGH. AND YEAH,
IT’S A PRIVILEGE TO BE ABLE TO
SUCCEED.
>> INDEED. INDEED. SO EXPLAIN TO
EVERYONE WHAT INDY NEXT IS ALL
ABOUT.
>> YEAH. SO THE INDY NEXT BY
FIRESTONE SERIES. IT’S
ESSENTIALLY A SERIES TO HELP
DRIVERS GET INTO THE PROS INTO
INDY CAR IN NORTH AMERICA. AND
SO IT’S ESSENTIALLY THE FORMULA
TWO TO YOUR FORMULA ONE. AND IT
FEATURES THE BEST OF THE BEST OF
THOSE DRIVERS LOOKING TO GET
INTO THAT FINAL STEP ON THE
LADDER OKAY.
>> THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME IN
THE GRAND PRIX. SO I WANT TO
KNOW WHAT YOU’RE REALLY LOOKING
FORWARD TO ABOUT THIS RACE.
>> AND IT’S GRAND PRIX. BUT IN
THE CITY TOO.
>> YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. I’M
REALLY I’M SO STREET COURSES ARE
A SPECIAL THING BECAUSE ONE, YOU
GET SO MUCH MORE INCLUSIVITY
WITH FANS AND EVERYTHING. IT’S
SO MUCH EASIER TO GET TO, AND
THEN YOU GET TO RACE AROUND ALL
THE BUILDINGS. I MEAN, IT’S JUST
IT’S INCREDIBLE TO SEE
EVERYTHING PASSING BY.
EVERYTHING HAPPENS A LITTLE BIT
FASTER BECAUSE YOU HAVE ALL
THESE DIFFERENT THINGS AROUND
YOU. IT’S BUMPY, IT’S WILD, YOU
HAVE THE WALLS AROUND YOU. SO,
YOU KNOW, MISTAKES AREN’T NEARLY
AS FORGIVEN AS THEY ARE ON ROAD
COURSES. SO EVERYTHING IS A
HIGHER INTENSITY WHEN YOU COME
TO STREET COURSES. AND IT’S
SOMETHING I’M REALLY LOOKING
FORWARD TO HERE IN DETROIT.
>> WE CAN HEAR IT LITERALLY
WHERE WE LIVE, WE CAN HEAR IT
OUT THE WINDOW. IT’S SO
EXCITING.
>> IT IS. AND YOU’RE GIVING ME
SUCH A MORE APPRECIATION FOR IT
BECAUSE YOU’RE LIKE, SO
PHILOSOPHICAL ABOUT IT. HE’S
LIKE, YOU GET OUT THERE. IT’S A
CHALLENGE. LIKE, I FEEL LIKE I’M
LEARNING ABOUT IT THROUGH YOU,
WHICH IS REALLY COOL. BUT NOW WE
ALSO HEAR THAT YOU’RE GOING TO
BE THROWING OUT THE FIRST PITCH
FOR THE DETROIT TIGERS GAME AT
COMERICA PARK TONIGHT. ARE YOU
WARMED UP FOR THAT? LIKE, IS
YOUR SHOULDER READY TO GO?
>> OH YEAH. YEAH, I’M READY FOR
IT FOR SURE. WE’LL SEE HOW MY
NERVES ARE WHEN I GET, YOU KNOW,
ONTO THE FIELD AND EVERYTHING.
BUT YEAH, I’M REALLY EXCITED FOR
IT.
>> WOULD YOU GET NERVOUS DOING
THAT? I MEAN, YOU DRIVE A RACE
CAR LIKE YOU CAN DO ANYTHING.
>> YEAH.
>> WE’LL SEE. I MEAN, LIKE I
SAID, WE’LL SEE. YEAH. YEAH,
HOPEFULLY, HOPEFULLY I MAKE IT
THROUGH. OKAY.
>> I THINK YOU’LL BE JUST FINE.
>> WE’RE GOING FOR FORM, NOT
SPEED HERE TODAY.
>> FORM NOT SPEED. YOU SEE WHAT
I’M SAYING? THIS IS A
PHILOSOPHER, MY FRIENDS. OKAY,
YOU ALSO.
>> YOU ARE ELOQUENT. SO YOU ALSO
SPOKE TO NINTH GRADERS AT
DETROIT UNIVERSITY PREP SCIENCE
AND MATH HIGH SCHOOL THIS
MORNING. YOU’RE BUSY GUY AND YOU
JOINED US. SO WHAT’S THE MESSAGE
THAT YOU, YOU KNOW, SHARE WITH
THEM AND WHAT WHAT IS YOUR
MESSAGE OVERALL WHEN YOU SPEAK
TO PEOPLE ABOUT THIS?
>> YEAH, JUST TALKING ABOUT, YOU
KNOW, PASSION, KNOWING YOURSELF,
BEING REALLY GROUNDED AND
SELF-AWARE IN ANYTHING YOU DO,
IT DOESN’T JUST APPLY TO RACING
IN THIS INDUSTRY. IT’S JUST
ABOUT HAVING THE PERSEVERANCE TO
GET THROUGH ALL, YOU KNOW, THE
TOUGH TO TOUGH SPOT, THE TOUGH
SPOTS TO GET TO THE END SPOT
YOUR END GOAL IS AND REALLY
HAVING THE PERSEVERANCE TO
REALIZE THAT YOUR END GOALS ARE
ONLY THE START OF YOUR NEW GOALS
, SORT OF A THING. AND, AND
IT’S, I THINK THAT’S SOMETHING
REALLY IMPORTANT TO KNOW AT A
YOUNG AGE TO BECAUSE IT’S, IT’S
IMPORTANT TO, TO HAVE SOME SORT
OF A PLAN TO FIGURE OUT WHERE
YOU’RE GOING AND WHO YOU WANT TO
BE.
>> ALL RIGHT. WELL, I THINK THAT
WHAT YOU JUST SAID, THAT END
START IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF A
NEW PLAN. YOU NEED TO PUT THAT
ON A T SHIRT AND YOU NEED TO
SELL THAT, BECAUSE THAT WAS
GREAT.
>> THAT WAS THAT WAS GREAT.
>> THAT WAS AWESOME. I WOULD
TOO, RIGHT UNDER MY BLAZER,
RIGHT ON TV. NO. MILES, THANK
YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING WITH US.
AND GOOD LUCK WITH THE FIRST
PITCH TONIGHT AND EVERYTHING
THAT YOU’RE WORKING ON. THANK
YOU. I APPRECIATE YOU FOR HAVING
ME. IT IS OUR PLEASURE. ALL
RIGHT. WELL, TICKETS FOR THE
CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX,
PRESENTED BY LEAR, ARE NOW ON