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Autograph session at Race to the Party

Advice to fans seeking autographs at the track during IZOD IndyCar Series race weekends: Drivers walking from Point A to B are fair game and they expect it. Drivers on their scooters are running late or have a commitment so try not to impede their progress.

Mario Romancini is like many IZOD IndyCar Series drivers who build 10 minutes or so into their travel time from their coach or transporter to drivers meeting, pit lane, etc., each time to greet fans.

“Every time I have the chance to stop, I stop,” he says. “The only place you can’t stop all the time is Indy because once you stop and sign an autograph you don’t get on pit lane on time. I really enjoy when the fans come by. It gives you the feeling that people know what you did and what you are doing and how hard it is to make it to IndyCar.

“When there are kids, I really try to give attention to them because I remember when I was a kid and used to go to the track to Formula One or sports cars in Brazil, if I saw a driver it would be the best part of my day. So I really put myself in the position of those kids. To have an autograph from -- it doesn’t matter which driver -- it really means a lot.”

There’s a designated hour-long IZOD IndyCar Series driver autograph session built into every race weekend – sometimes at the track and occasionally off-site, such as Macy’s as part of an IZOD promotion. Though he signs hundreds of items, Romancini says his signature is one fans will remember (primarily because it’s legible).

“It’s very consistent,” he says. “In Brazil, they say the doctor’s writing is really difficult to read. My writing is just like a doctor’s. It’s better to speak with just a signature. Since I was about 13, I’ve used my computer so I don’t write that much. I’m not very good with my writing.  (But my signature) I think it’s the best one. It’s easy to see that it’s me.”

And what’s the most unusual thing he’s affixed his name to?

“In Watkins Glen, there was a huge woman who asked me to sign right above her breast,” he says. “You can’t say no because she’ll be disappointed, but at the same time it is kind of awkward that you have to sign in some weird places. I had a black pen; the silver wouldn’t look so good. I just don’t know how many days it took for the signature to wash off.”

The IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights driver autograph session at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, part of the Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio presented by Westfield Insurance, is 5:45-6:45 p.m. (ET) Aug. 6. It follows practice sessions for both series.