IndyCar Series owner David Letterman signs an autograph before the 2015 Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (Andrew Weber USA TODAY Sports)
INDIANAPOLIS Now that he s retired David Letterman isn t sure how or if the Indianapolis 500 winner will be recognized on late night television.
The co owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing spoke shortly before his team s drivers Graham Rahal and Oriol Servia took the green flag Sunday in the 99th Indy 500. With his retirement from The Late Show with David Letterman on CBS the race lost a critical stage Letterman routinely invited the race winner to be a guest on the show.
Letterman an Indianapolis native whose early career included a stint as a weatherman at local TV station WTHR says he doesn t know if the tradition of the Indy 500 winner being acknowledged on late night TV will continue.
I don t know Letterman said Sunday in the RLL garages. I came by it naturally being born here. That s a good question. I don t know. I always felt like it was important forget the fact that I was connected with this team but I felt it was important. This transcends sport. It s American culture.
Verizon IndyCar Series spokesman Mike Kitchel said the series has reached out to Letterman s former competitors including The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on NBC and Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC about getting the Indy 500 winner on the shows. Kitchel is awaiting a final answer but he said the decision depends largely on who wins the race.
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Both are showing reruns this week so any appearance won t happen until at least June 1.
Letterman who grew up in the Broad Ripple area of Indianapolis north side said the Memorial Day weekends of his youth were filled with flowers and racing.
My father was in the flower business so on Memorial Day we spent a lot of our time putting together arrangements that would go on graves of the men and women who had lost their lives because they had chosen to defend this country Letterman said. That was the first lesson we earned about Memorial Day. The second lesson was you tuned on the radio and listened to Sid Collins and the Indianapolis 500.
The RLL crew surprised Letterman earlier this week by putting a caricature of his face and the Late Show logo on the sidepods of Servia s No. 32 Honda.
Of everything that s happened that s the highlight of my career Letterman said. It s like Andrew Luck wearing Letterman across his jersey. It s crazy. It s the Indianapolis 500. Regrettably my face but also my name will be on that car. It s just delightful.
Shortly after his final show items from the Late Show set were thrown into dumpsters outside the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York.
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Not only did they take the set and tear it up they took all of the seats out of the theater Letterman said. Two days later. What that does is remind you that it s show business. It s just show business. Thirty three years. What do I care Let them take the seats out. Let them do anything they want.
Rahal has finished second in the previous two IndyCar races and showed speed in practice leading up to the race. Letterman said winning the race would be both delightful and silly at the same time.
So if Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing wins the Indy 500 where s the party
The party is at your house Letterman said. We re looking forward to that.
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