ABOVE: Danville sports agent Doug Barnette poses with Indianapolis 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist and the Borg Warner Trophy. Barnette handles the marketing/sponsorship for Rosenqvist’s car. Posing with Barnette are (L to R) his son DJ, his daughter Lauren, and his wife Teresa.
Since 2013, when local sports agent Doug Barnette handled the marketing/sponsorship for Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan, he’s been looking for Indy victory number two. This past Sunday, it finally happened when his driver and good friend Felix Rosenqvist just barely got past David Malukas in the closest Indianapolis 500 finish ever.
Speaking a few days later with CIMG, Barnette reflected upon the emotions he shared with Rosenqvist, when he congratulated him in Victory Lane.
AUDIO: I always tell people like when you see somebody crying; after they win a college football championship, or the Daytona 500, or Indy 500; they’re not crying about the moment. It’s everything that led up to that moment, you know, that allowed that to happen. All the phone calls, and the stress, and the cognitive strain; the emotions.
Even more amazing, perhaps, was how Barnette made it FROM Rosenqvist’s pit area TO Victory Lane.
AUDIO: So I get over the pit wall, then I ran a real half a mile, down the track in dress shoes and dress clothes. And then I climbed over the first wall; there’s two walls in the middle that separate pit lane and the track. The first wall’s not too bad. But the second wall is almost chest high. So I wasn’t actually going to go over it. And then everybody was like “come on, man!” So I stepped up on one of the electrical boxes and they were able to pull me over; which I’m so glad, I was able to be right there when Jamie Little was interviewing Felix.
And now, for Barnette, Rosenqvist, and the entire Meyer Shank Racing Team; it’s on to the rest of the Indy Car season; seeking a championship, beginning with this weekend in Detroit. Barnette recalled asking Rosenqvist, who along with his wife just recently welcomed a new baby girl into their lives; how he is able to drive so well at Indianapolis. And the answer seems to be “step by step,” literally.
AUDIO: “Right now, I’m thinking about putting on my helmet. When I put on my helmet, I’m going to focus on getting in the race car. When I get in the car, I’m going to start the car. And when I start the car, I’m going to worry about getting up to the line. And then, when they let me go, I’m focused on Turn One. When I get to Turn One, I’ll be focused on Turn Two…..” You know, it’s like “I don’t think about all that at once. I think about one thing at a time. If you try to think about all of it, it’s just too overwhelming.”
The entire interview will be played this Saturday morning (May 30th), on 1490 WDAN’s Saturday Morning Sports Talk (8AM – 10AM).
COMPLETE INTERVIEW: Steve Brandy with Doug Barnette
