The Top 10 Reasons Why Letterman Won Indy 500

INDIANAPOLIS May 30, 2004; Jim Litke AP Sports Columnist published his top 10 reasons why David Letterman got into auto racing and wound up as the first celebrity co-owner to win the Indy 500:

No. 10. -- Johnny Carson was a tennis fan, and never considered buying part of a team.

No. 9 -- Paul Newman, who has partnered with owner Carl Haas for years, kept hiring one Andretti after another to drive his cars.

No. 8 -- As a former weatherman, knew what the yellow blotches on the Doppler radar storm tracker meant and urged driver Buddy Rice into the lead just ahead of the rainstorm that ended the race after 180 laps.

No. 7 -- Jay Leno prefers motorcycles.

No. 6 -- As a native Hoosier, knew the words to "Back Home in Indiana" and wanted to sing along with Jim Nabors while standing on pit road.

No. 5 -- Since no one took him up on a suggestion to rename part of Interstate 465 in his honor, figured he would annex Victory Lane instead.

No. 4 -- When he takes the winning G-Force Honda racecar back home to show off, Connecticut State Police won't be able to catch him and hand over any more speeding tickets.

No. 3 -- Promised his mom the Borg-Warner trophy to complete her collection of giant-sized silver serving dishes.

No. 2 -- Needed something to outshine "Late Show" bandleader and sidekick Paul Shaffer, who is Canadian, just in case Calgary wins the Stanley Cup.

And the No. 1 reason why David Letterman got into auto racing and wound up as the first celebrity co-owner to win the Indy 500: If 8-month-old son Harry runs out of diapers late at night, can make it down to the 7-11 before closing time.

Funny stuff aside, the timing of the win couldn't be better for the business.

This was the ninth Indy 500 since speedway owner Tony George started feuding with the drivers of the now-defunct Championship Auto Racing Team series and almost tore open-wheel racing apart. The rift resulted in rival circuits, and NASCAR zoomed past both in popularity, opening the kind of lead in the race for both audience numbers and TV ratings that may never be closed.

But just when the Indy 500 needed a star in the worst way, along comes Letterman.

He started talking to co-owner Bobby Rahal about getting involved as a partner in the early 1990s and formally joined the team in 1996. But "Team Rahal" wasn't officially renamed "Rahal Letterman Racing" until two weeks ago. That's when Rahal, who won the Indy 500 as a driver in 1986, insisted that Letterman take more credit for his role in the enterprise.

On Sunday, his small part in a very big win almost overwhelmed the comedian.

"I haven't had a drink in 30 years," he said after a long day of racing spilled over into the evening, "and I feel like I'm drunk right now."

Letterman can get several weeks of material out of this, easy. He can rename his eyeglasses "The Greatest Spectacles in Racing." Look for him to wear checkered flag ties and expect to find Florence Henderson in the guest chair -- often.

A preview: "I've had dreams where I'm driving," Letterman said. "Then something happens and Bobby asks me to get out of the car."

This wasn't all about fun and games. Growing up in Indianapolis, he didn't have a major league baseball team to root for, but he came to the speedway often and loved every minute he spent there.

"The place is sacred," Letterman said.

It's also one of the toughest places in sport to win, and the 88th edition of the Indy 500 was as tough as any of them. Rain delayed the start of the race by two hours, stopped it for another 1:47 -- after just 27 laps -- and wore everybody's nerves down to a nub by the end.

Because three or four wins in a 16-race season would be a banner year for just about any team, owners deal with disappointment way more often than joy. Maybe that's why Letterman began by thanking everybody on the team "because you work just as hard in the races that you lose as you do in the races that you win."

Still, Letterman removed any doubts about whether this one made up for the losses that preceded it.

"Every month of May," he recalled, "the world would come to you. I can't begin to describe the magic that was there when you were a kid and you just tough it out through these long, lousy Indiana winters."

"And I," Letterman paused, just to prove that his comedic timing was still impeccable, "grew up outside ..."

Laughter filled the room, and for the moment, at least, racing seemed interesting and hip again. Whether Letterman can make that feeling last for more than a few days is anyone's guess. But he won't fail for lack of trying.

"The greats of the sport have competed here and given their lives here. ... Do you dream about it? Sure. Do you ever think it's possible? No."