INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosted a special guest Wednesday.
Lucas Grounds, a patient of Riley Children's Hospital and a racer in his own right not only had the chance to visit the Ed Carpenter Racing garage; he was also an honorary team member for the day.
Even though the Martinsville teen had never been to Gasoline Alley, the young racer felt right at home.
"There's a lot more going on here than anything I've ever done," Lucas said. "It's super cool and it's a lot to take in, but cool. You can kind of just sit back and look at everything and take it all in."
RELATED | Community rallies around Morgan County teen paralyzed in motorbike accident
The champion motorbike racer suffered a spinal cord injury in a bad accident in December 2020. But that has not stopped him from continuing his passion for motorsports.
"(For) most people it takes something like this to be like, 'Alright, maybe it's time to slow down. I've done probably everything but slow down," Lucas said.
Shana Grounds, Lucas' mother, said, "He really just makes lemonade out of lemons and I had no doubts that he was just going to keep moving forward and he will land somewhere some way in the racing field as a career."
Lucas' honorary team membership marks a continuation of Ed Carpenter's longstanding connection with Riley Children's Hospital.
"It's a great partnership. It's fun. My family is here and I grew up here, so I understand how important that institution is and how much care they provide," said Carpenter. "He's part of the team — he's got a Carpenter racing firesuit on now, so he's part of the squad.
As Carpenter prepares for his 19th Indy 500, Lucas' four-wheel racing career is just getting started.
"Lucas is a racer. Whether we're racing IndyCars or micros or dirtbikes, the mentality is the same," Carpenter said. "It doesn't matter the level that you're at. At a certain level, it's all the same."
-
Rob Gronkowski named Grand Marshal of Indy 500 Snake Pit
Four-time Super Bowl champion Rob "Gronk" Gronkowski is has been tapped to be the grand marshal of the Indy 500 Coors Light Snake Pit on Wednesday.
Driver killed in US 31 fatal crash identified
The Hamilton County Coroner has identified the driver of the deadly crash that closed a part of US 31 for several hours on Wednesday.
Three shot, two in critical condition on eastside of Indianapolis
Two people are in critical condition, and another is in stable condition following a shooting on the east side Wednesday afternoon, said the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police.
Indiana State Police solve 53-year-old murder case
The Indiana State Police Cold Case Unit has identified the killer in the murder of the 1972 killing of 26-year-old Phyllis Bailer.
