FORT WORTH -- Juan Pablo Montoya traded his No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet Indy car to pilot the 30-ton, 40-foot tall Robosaurus outside of picturesque Reunion Tower in downtown Dallas today. The robotic dinosaur, the world’s largest transformer, will be a part of the Texas Motor Speedway weekend entertainment on Saturday prior to the Firestone 600 – the ninth race of the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season.
Robosaurus made its Texas Motor Speedway debut in 2004, and wows onlookers as it lifts cars over its head with powerful claws and its 28,000 pounds of biting force per square inch to crush its victims. Flames shoot from its nostrils in 20-foot bursts and a 6,000-watt sound system powers its booming voice.
Montoya was strapped inside its cranium and assisted in manipulating its 18 hydraulic functions simultaneously to bring the dinosaur to life. He was able to lean “Robo” over, lift up a nearby car and rip it apart with the robot’s gigantic claws.
“The experience is pretty cool,” said the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner. “It’s amazing how high you are once the thing stands up. (From the outside,) it’s pretty tall and stuff, but from the inside you’re way up there. When you lean over and try to grab the car, you go, ‘Whoa.’ It’s a bit like a rollercoaster.”
Robosaurus will give a demonstration for Firestone 600 fans at 7:10 p.m. ET Saturday on the frontstretch of track surface. Coverage of the Firestone 600 begins at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network, with the green flag slated for 8:50 p.m.
Daly, Self reunite for trophy tour
Verizon IndyCar Series driver Conor Daly and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Austin Wayne Self caravanned around the Dallas-Fort Worth regional area on Wednesday to promote the series’ joint weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, and reminisced on times they used to ride together in a very different capacity.
Daly, of Noblesville, Ind., and Self, of Austin, Texas, grew up together racing go-karts on the same team. They worked their way to the top of the karting ranks before taking different paths to their respective careers. Daly journeyed through the Mazda Road to Indy and European open-wheel series, while Self ventured into NASCAR’s regional series. Self eventually worked his way into the ARCA Racing Series and into NCWTS with AM Racing.
“You don’t realize at the time how much work goes into it,” laughed Self of their karting days. “You’re winning there and you think you’re going to make it.”
Daly and Self visited Wichita Falls, Texas, Ardmore, Oklahoma, and Sherman, Texas with the Rattlesnake 400 and Firestone 600 trophies accompanying them to various television, radio and print outlets. The truck race is scheduled for Friday, one night ahead of the Firestone 600, the 248-lap Verizon IndyCar Series race on the 1.455-mile Texas Motor Speedway oval.
Hunter-Reay throws out first pitch
Andretti Autosport driver Ryan Hunter-Reay spent most of Thursday in Oklahoma City, visiting several media outlets to talk about this weekend’s race. The 2012 Verizon IndyCar Series and 2014 Indianapolis 500 champion capped off the day at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, where he threw the ceremonial first pitch before the Oklahoma City Dodgers took on the Nashville Sounds in a Triple-A doubleheader.
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