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INDYCAR: Olympic Gold Medalist Tyler Clary Visits Sonoma
Olympic gold medal winner Tyler Clary found a lot of people supporting his goal of becoming a professional racecar driver--and hopefully in the IndyCar Series.
Marshall Pruett  |  Posted August 26, 2012  
It doesn't happen often, but Andretti Autosport's James Hinchcliffe was genuinely speechless when Olympian Tyler Clary, right, let him hold his gold medal. (Photo: Marshall Pruett)
After earning Olympic gold in the 200-meter backstroke earlier this month in London, you might think it would be hard to impress California's Tyler Clary, but after spending his first full day behind the scenes at an IZOD IndyCar Series event, the 23-year-old could hardly contain his enthusiasm.

Clary discussed his goal of becoming a professional driver with Dave Despain on Wind Tunnel, revealing his interest in moving from the pool to the cockpit of a racing car in the next few years, and after meeting most of the drivers his age on Saturday at Sonoma, he said he felt right at home among athletes of a different discipline.

"Definitely, it's been fun talking to a bunch of the guys already--Graham Rahal, Charlie Kimball, Joseph Newgarden, and I saw Dario again," he told SPEED.com. "You definitely see that there's a lot of similarities, not just in a physical fitness aspect but you really have to be prepared for anything and to be flexible in any situation. There's just that common denominator all fiercely competitive people share.
Clary found he had a lot in common with young American IndyCar star Josef Newgarden when he visited the Sarah fisher Hartman Racing team on Saturday. (Photo: IndyCar Series)

"If you look at any of them in their eyes, you can see it. And it's just really school that, A, I share that similarity with them; and, B, coming in to this venue, I'm looking at these guys like, 'Ahh, I want to be like you,' and it was kind of cool because some of them were looking at me in the same way. It was pretty special. I'm hoping to make this my next job."

Clary wowed Andretti Autosport's James Hinchcliffe when the two met unexpectedly Saturday morning on pit lane. If Hinchcliffe was impressed simply to meet an Olympian, he was downright speechless when Clary reached into his backpack, pulled out the case that contained his gold medal and handed it to the Go Daddy Guy...

Later in the day, Clary met the entire Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing team and got a chance to sit in Newgarden's Honda-powered No. 67 Dallara DW12 before visiting with series CEO Randy Bernard.

Between IndyCar rookie Newgarden, who offered to help Clary in his pursuit of becoming a professional racer, and Bernard, who would love nothing more than to have a gold deal winner in the field, a future in open-wheel could become a reality for Clary.

"Joseph Newgarden reached out and was really cool and supportive," he said. "He's been probably my favorite person here so far. But then again, I have a lot of people to meet and I'm thankful for meeting every single one of them here. And I got to meet the IndyCar CEO, Randy Bernard.

"He told me he's going to be my biggest promoter..."

PHOTOS: Click Here or on the image below to view INDYCAR: Sonoma Friday 2012



Marshall Pruett is SPEED.com's Auto Racing Editor, and covers the IndyCar Series. Before joining SPEED, Pruett worked in open-wheel racing for 20 years as a mechanic and engineer. He also contributes to RACER, Road & Track and Racecar Engineering. Follow him @MarshallPruett.
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