Gracie Gold had one of the coolest post-Olympic experiences of any Sochi star, riding 190 mph with Mario Andretti at Indianapolis Motor Speedway before Sunday’s Indy 500.
Gold wasn’t the only Sochi Olympic bronze medalist at The Brickyard. She was joined by bobsledder Steven Langton and slopestyle skier Nick Goepper.
Goepper compared slopestyle to open-wheel racing.
“The same type of focus and concentration,” he said. “I went out on the track in a two-seater car. Hitting the turns every time and feeling the g-forces going like 170 miles an hour was incredible. They do that for three hours at a time. I can’t even imagine.”
NASCAR’s Sprint Cup took center stage after the Indy 500. Jimmie Johnson won the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, much to the delight of Olympic 200m backstroke champion Tyler Clary, who trains in Charlotte and exchanges swimming tips for driving advice with Johnson.
Clary watched the race from Johnson’s pit and then joined him in a victory celebration.
