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By Dick Mittman
indyracing.com
Tuesday Apr 29, 2003
Brandon Erwin’s past experience at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2001 was a sad one. As the rookie driver prepared to make a “Bump Day” qualifying run for the Indianapolis 500, he learned his mother, Patsy, had died at their Texas home.
He left the track immediately. His IndyCar™ Series racing career was put on hold. For the past two years, he has worked hard to make it back to the Mecca of Speed, first returning to driving his sprint car and this year stepping up to the IRL Infiniti Pro Series in the No. 99 Natural Golf/Sam Schmidt Motorsports Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone.
Erwin, 27, will be back at the Speedway this May. He won’t be in an IndyCar Series car but is just as ecstatic as if he were going to start the Indianapolis 500 from the pole.
The decision to include an Infiniti Pro Series race -- the Freedom 100 on May 17 – for the first time as part of the activities leading up to the “500” has opened the door for Erwin and other aspiring drivers to get a feel of what it’s like to race on the storied 2.5-mile oval. He and the rest of the Infiniti Pro Series field hope it leads to a solid IndyCar Series ride in the future.
Erwin can’t even imagine how he would react if he should join the likes of Ray Harroun, Jeff Gordon and Michael Schumacher as first-time winner of an inaugural race at Indy.
“I’d go crazy,” Erwin said. “I’m not sure. It would be very emotional for me. I lost my mom when I was up there trying to qualify. It would be very emotional for me to win a race at Indy, and I would be speechless, probably.
“I wouldn’t know what to say. It would be a dream come true to be there, to be at that track.”
One of Erwin’s favorite memories of his brief time in 2001 at Indy driving for McCormack Motorsports was an Indy Racing League luncheon. He recalls the drivers being summoned and seeing the Borg-Warner Trophy, hearing the bagpipes play and being introduced to media and officials.
“It was just amazing,” he said. “Indy is just a very amazing place. There’s no place like it.”
Erwin, who lives in Denton, Texas, only a short hop away from Texas Motor Speedway, holds third place in the Pro Series standings. He finished third March 2 at Homestead-Miami Speedway and fourth March 22 at Phoenix International Raceway and has accumulated 67 points. In front of him are Mark Taylor, who has won the first two races, and young Brazilian Thiago Medeiros with 104 and 80 points, respectively.
Erwin said Schmidt, his car owner, inspires him to push even harder to win a race, especially at Indy. Schmidt had the same dreams as Erwin. He drove in three Indianapolis 500s but then was paralyzed in a testing crash in 2000 as his career began to peak. Undaunted, he since has run his racing team from a wheelchair.
“I want to have this win at Indy for him,” Erwin said. “I know it’s not the Indy 500, but it’s at Indy, I’m the driver, I’m in the 99 car (Schmidt’s driving number), and I want to go out there and win it for him.
“To be in the situation that he is, to get up every morning and be out there and be as supportive of me – I mean, he gives so much support to the team – it’s definitely inspirational.”
Erwin said Indianapolis 500-winning drivers like Arie Luyendyk and Al Unser and Al Unser Jr. have helped him in his career. But he said he has learned more from Schmidt than any other person. Schmidt listens to and provides information and suggestions that Erwin ingests as he drives, Erwin said.
“That’s what I really like,” Erwin said. “if I can just take some information, some input to go out there and think about while I’m driving. He’s definitely really good at that.”
Erwin and his engineer, Tim Neff, both have IndyCar Series backgrounds. That was helpful because the team came together late and had no serious testing before the opening race.
“We’ve learned a lot in the last two races, and I think we’re going to be able to apply it when it comes to running at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” Erwin said.
Erwin and Neff worked together when Erwin tested a Schmidt-owned IndyCar Series car in 2001 at the Speedway. Erwin said he drove the car flat out at 220 mph.
“I was really comfortable in Sam’s car with Tim engineering it,” he said. “Indy is a very tricky place. I mean, it’s a very interesting place.”
IRL driving coaches Johnny Rutherford and Unser told Erwin before his first participation at the Speedway that there is a “big mental game” involved in doing well there. He quickly learned what they meant.
The latest example came April 17. Many Infiniti Pro Series drivers, including Erwin, were pumped up to conduct their initial test at the Speedway. A cold rain put a damper on their day. So Erwin’s prior laps at Indy will end up helping, he thinks.
“I definitely will have an advantage, I think, because it’s huge around that place,” Erwin said. “Indy is a place where experience will help us quite a bit.
“It’s an unbelievable place. I’m looking forward to just walking through Gasoline Alley and getting out in a car again. Whether it’s an Infiniti Pro Series car, it doesn’t matter. It’s still Indy.”
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