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economist suntribune wheels thursday june 20 2002 19 the towering man in the blue suede baseball hat and silver- framed glasses has barely made it past garage stall no 7 on a gorgeous may day by the time the inevitable happens at indianapolis motor speedway dave tv has met the classic indy 500 drunk hey letterman yells the fan from behind a giant red white and blue can of budweiser his sundrenched face painted the same shade as his penske- red shirt put me on with ya im funny too youll see david letterman the man the myth the mysterious and hilarious machine head barely breaks his long stride on the way into the temporary greasestained headquarters of rahalletterman racing stupid human tricks he smiles back flashing the most famous toothy gap in latenight tv the painted man falls over in laughter letterman rolls on indianapolis has had its share of heroes but it has been a while since its native son was back on track and this year letterman is back here at the place his uncle would drive him to each spring beginning when dave was just 7 back at the only place he has known when the crisp indiana air meets a warmer fate back as the selfdescribed worlds biggest race fan i thought it was always spring when the speedway opened letterman tells me leaning against a cement barrier leaning into a rare moment of introspection i remember when i was a kid growing up in indianapolis the indy 500 meant many things not the least of which was the end of a grueling winter and the prom ise of excitement and thrills and bigtime sports right in our backyard this is the letterman few know well when hes not assembling top1 0 lists scheduling animal obstacle courses outside his 52nd street late show manhattan office or dealing with speed ing tickets on i95 through connecticut he says he has had a few letterman is racing no joke they even promised me my own tirepressure gauge if i joined the team and he has promised to bring the same passion he shares for comedy to the track letterman is all about speed and chasing demons you know it from the businesslike approach he takes to the subject of his partnership with bobby rahal in the cart series it was literally a dream come true for me to become this much a part of a sport that has meant so much to me and you know it from the day just a few years ago when he skipped the emmys where he won to catch his race team at laguna seca raceway in california where he also won who needs emmys anyway letterman joked at the time we sure dont need anything else that collects dust around here letterman now 55 was just a kid when he was bagging groceries at atlas supermarket on indianapoliss north side and listening to the month of ind on his am radio when he could go to the race his heroes were some of the sports biggest names parnelli joqes profiles automotive legends and heroes mario andretti and aj foyl he was enthralled he was captivated he was hooked i guess i was never one to spend time watching the really exciting sports like chess but he was one to follow racing as an avid fan even after he made it big he says he would plan his summer european vacation schedule around formula one races he would even dream of getting more involved in a cir cuit a chance meeting with rahal would make it all happen i always admired bobbys driving and enjoyed his friendship he said last november when team rahal announced its return to indy this season we met in 1 986 after he won indy and hes one of the few guests to ask me out to dinner i have been a guest of his at the races over the years and we talked about forming a team someday a decade later one race led to another which led to letterman into the pits on a more regu lar basis despite a latenight tv sched ule that consumes him he says 48 weeks a year and in the pits hes all business a stop watch usually hangs around his long neck he avoids crowds at all costs and he doesnt want to be seen as just another celebrity looking for more glory were not asking him to wear a sandwich board and walk down the street said rahal when news of the agreement was made public its a boost not only for our team but indy car racing and motor racing in general ive told them im in this until they throw me out or i drop dead letterman says either way he is far from just a casu al observer he is someone who is active in racing and it really means a lot for him to be a part of this rahal said earlier in may and to go back to indy for him is really something special although he says hes at home in few places letterman is at home in indiana at his truest he is a worrier and a fretful perfectionist he shuns inter views parties even offcamera banter with celebrities at the same time he is a generous donor to charitable causes loves dogs kids and cars and adores racing especially back at indy the last few memorial days the day of the indy 500 for me have been something else so i was happy when this thing rahalletterman racing at indy came together because now memorial days seem like i always had them as a kid i would love to be here under any circumstances but to be here with mr rahal is special id go any where with him in fact we talked about going to steak and shake later said letterman referring to a popular hamburger chain dave tv humour at 200 miles per hour and still rolling on jason stein is a feature writer and the editor of wheelbase communications raceweek racing page he can be reached at jsteinwheelbasecomcom wheelbase communications supplies automotive news and features to newspapers across worth finferica no payments for 90 days rri op cash purchase l i w j 2 from 24995 pr month49 month hp v6 engine new 5speed electronically controlled automatic transmission front and rear stabilizer bars air conditioning amfmcd 4 speaker stereo with steering wheel mounted audio controls duo air bags 2nd row side -by- slide seats ond 3rd row tumbleunder seats dual sliding doors with roll down windows seat back assist grips with shopping bag hooks find over 70 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