Colts punter Pat McAfee’s new shirt company to ride Daly’s Freedom Wagon

By May 18, 2016, 11:43 AM EDT
Photo: Dale Coyne Racing
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INDIANAPOLIS – Four days ago, Conor Daly’s No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda didn’t have a primary sponsor for the 100th Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil.

Three days ago, ShirtsforAmerica.com launched.

And on Wednesday, Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee’s new, burgeoning business was flying aboard a bald eagle on the way to the newly rechristened “Freedom Wagon” that just screams ‘Merica at the top of your lungs.

“Today is a gigantic day in history. Jot this day down in the books,” McAfee started off arguably the funniest press conference in recent memory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which you can view below.

“It’s a business that literally just started three days ago.

“Dale seems really elated. I just gave him a check.”

McAfee and Daly are friends – meanwhile Coyne has the faith and the vehicle to give Daly a shot at this year’s full Verizon IndyCar Series season including the Indianapolis 500.

Here’s more on the ShirtsForAmerica.com idea, below, via a team press release:

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Photo: Dale Coyne Racing
Photo: Dale Coyne Racing

McAfee’s recently launched ShirtsForAmerica.com company was born from two ideas. One, to help an Indiana driver at this year’s Indy 500 and the other, to help two military foundations.

For each T-shirt sold, a portion of the proceeds will go to Wish For Our Heroes, which was founded by American veterans to help struggling veterans with every day situations they face off the battlefield and to The Pat McAfee Foundation. Now in its fourth year, the Pat McAfee Foundation has given more than $150 000 in scholarships to children of military families.

“Conor and I have been friends for a while now and I couldn’t wait to hear his thoughts about the 100th running of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing and how magical the Indy 500 is,” shared McAfee who is also a stand-up comedian. “Conor, being a kid from Indiana, started talking about how fantastic it is for Indiana that all of these awesome things are going to happen, how the entire world’s eyes turn to Indiana, and how every year we knock it out of the park.

“While we chatted about how lucky we were to be Hoosiers, he told me that he didn’t have a primary sponsor yet for the race. I didn’t believe him at first but then I saw it as an opportunity not only to help an Indianapolis kid run in the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500, but also, as a chance to raise some money for a couple of military foundations. So I created ShirtsForAmerica.com and sponsored his car. When we’re chugging milk in Victory Lane Memorial Day weekend, we’ll do it with some true fulfillment knowing that we’re also helping American heroes,” concluded the Colts player.

Will Power shows Flavor Flav what time it is in IndyCar: ‘This is the highlight of the weekend’

By Jun 4, 2023, 11:00 PM EDT
Will Power Flavor Flav
Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment
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DETROIT – When Flavor Flav unexpectedly showed up in Team Penske’s pits for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix weekend, Will Power knew what time it was.

So the defending NTT IndyCar Series champion dropped it on the man who made oversized clocks as fashion accessories famous.

And he used the kind of wordplay that was the pride of Public Enemy (the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame rap group led by Chuck D with Flavor Flav as loyal sidekick).

“I said to Flavor Flav, ‘You know, people today are going to have to ‘Fight the Power,’ ” Power said with a broad smirk, referencing one of Public Enemy’s most memorable and strident anthems. “And it was true! They had to ‘Fight the Power.’ ”

With a second place in Detroit, the No. 12 Dallara-Chevy driver earned his best finish since last September and impressed a musical hero who apparently attended his first IndyCar race this weekend and promptly fell in love with the sport.

After being interviewed by NBC Sports’ Kevin Lee during the Peacock qualifying broadcast Saturday, Flavor Flav made the rounds. He met with Roger Penske in Team Penske’s at-track headquarters and also ran into Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (who was at the track Saturday).

“I have a great picture of Roger Penske, the governor and Flavor Flav,” Detroit Grand Prix chairman Bud Denker said. “It’s a great one. I’ll cherish that one for a long time. It’s pretty precious.”

With the Detroit GP holding nightly free concerts in Hart Plaza inside the race course, Flav made an impromptu appearance to freestyle at Big Boi’s show Friday before also showing up during Steve Aoki’s Saturday night set.

He then rode with Power and his wife, Liz, in a pickup truck around the 1.645-mile street course during driver introductions Sunday morning.

Flav was wearing a red No. 12 Will Power shirt that the defending series champion believes was purchased at a track merchandise trailer.

“That is the highlight of the weekend,” he said. “Flavor Flav was wearing my shirt, man.”

It was a dream come true for the two-time IndyCar champion and 2018 Indy 500 winner. Power, 42, grew up listening to Public Enemy with his buddies in Toowoomba, Australia, and they went nuts when he posted photos with Flavor Flav to his personal Facebook page.

“My friends are like, ‘Dude, you should just quit racing now. You have made it to the top,’ ” Power said. “We all listened to Public Enemy, and they would never believe that I actually would be hanging out with Flavor Flav. That is nuts. I’ll have to go Vegas to hang out with him. Maybe we’ll do a rap together.”

“Yeeaaah, boy!” third-place finisher Felix Rosenqvist, who apparently gave “It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back” a few spins while growing up in Sweden, chimed in during the postrace news conference.

The only disappointment for Power was coming up 1.1843 seconds short of beating Alex Palou.

Flav had promised to celebrate on the podium if Power had won the race.

“He is the most positive dude you will ever meet,” Power said. “Pretty cool experience. Pretty cool to put it on your personal Facebook.

“All your friends that you went to school with, they’re like, ‘Man this dude is big-time, he’s hanging out with Flavor Flav. ‘I sat next to Ice-T at dinner. I have also had dinner with Slash from Guns N’ Roses. I wish I got videos of those ones as well so I could put it on the personal Facebook

“No one cares about race cars or that I won the Indy 500. It’s like, ‘You had dinner with Slash? You know Flavor Flav?’ Yeah!”

Power already has in mind some future musical guests he’d like to meet, starting with another of Detroit’s own.

“I’m more of a ’90s rap guy, but if I met Eminem, that would also be epic,” Power said. “Ice Cube’s the one, man. If I could meet Ice Cube or Snoop Dogg in Long Beach. Why doesn’t someone bring them to Long Beach? Maybe they should have an Ice Cube day. That would be dope.”