Just before Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix in St. Petersburg, NTT IndyCar Series rookie Dennis Hauge and his Dale Coyne Racing team received an impromptu pep talk from a surprising source.
Veteran NFL quarterback (and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers) Jameis Winston offered Hauge seconds of encouragement after meeting him during a grid walk with pit reporter Jack Harvey on Fox.
advertise
“You were born for this moment. Look at your team. Everyone who helped you get to this point meant it. That’s why you’re here now,” Winston told Hauge. “Okay, so I don’t care if this is your first game. I don’t care if you’re a rookie. You’ve put in the work. Your dedication is going to get you to the best level you can be today. You better believe that.”
“That’s a good thing to say. Thanks, man,” Hauge said. “Now we have to act.”
Hauge, last season’s Indy NXT champion and the third-place qualifier this weekend, made his Indy debut in the No. 19 Ault Blockchain Honda and posted a top-10 finish in 10th place.
Winston did not give up his advice, however. He said, “It’s about execution. Oh, yeah. Your decision to trust will get you where you need to be. Okay. You wake up looking like your parents, but you die looking like your decision to trust. So make the decision today to go out there and execute. Okay, man. Good luck to you. Do your thing. Do your thing.”
advertise
Additionally, he told the team, “Hey guys, let me tell you something. People talk about this rookie. Rookies — no one respects rookies, but think about the work you put in. Think about your desires. What do you like? You would love to go home with this win. Okay. They call him the Norwegian Nightmare.” [People say] The Norwegians have only won at the Olympics.
Dennis Hauge. Michael L. Levitt – Getty Images
“But we’re in sunny St. Pete, Florida. We’re here to do what you love. You love precision. You love detail. You love relying on every man and woman on your team. So stay consistent with them. Set your vision, go out there, be precise and execute to the best of your ability.”
Winston, who was accompanied by five-year-old son Taurus, said he loved racing and was fascinated by the F1 Lego car that lapped at last year’s Miami Grand Prix. The proud dad says Taurus “lives” racing and keeps doodling pictures of cars.
