The brand-new quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts, Carson Wentz, made a pit stop at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday afternoon to help kickoff the greatest month in racing.

Months after being dealt by the Philadelphia Eagles to take on the new job of calling signals for the Colts, Wentz paid a visit to IMS with his family to see the GMR Grand Prix. The highlight of his trip was giving the command to start engines for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES race.

For the first motorsports race of his life, the GMR Grand Prix at “The Racing Capital of the World” was a perfect place to start.

“I don’t know what I got myself into!” Wentz said with a laugh before discussing the impressive grandstands at IMS and excitement for his first race.

“I can imagine the energy in this place when it’s packed is probably much different than anything else I’ve ever seen.”

Wentz and his wife, Madison Oberg, are only “semi-settled,” as Wentz put it, but they had to get to IMS to experience Indianapolis and become a part of the community before his first season with the Colts. They have only been in Indiana for six weeks, but Wentz calls the area “the perfect fit for me and my family.”

“The community fits the culture of my family,” he said.

A jam-packed day for the Wentz crew began with a trip to the garage, where he met and traded helmets with rising NTT INDYCAR SERIES star Pato O’Ward. The young driver and winner of the XPEL 375 at Texas Motor Speedway shared some words with Wentz and a signed driver helmet in exchange for a personalized Colts’ helmet ahead of the race.

It was a fitting meeting between two stars of Indy. One, O’Ward, hopeful for a legendary Month of May, the other, Wentz, hopeful for a title-winning season with the Colts. As one fan spoke of his excitement for the upcoming year, Wentz said, “hopefully for a great many years.”

IMS President J. Douglas Boles introduced Wentz to the media, “just like the Indianapolis 500, internationally seen, internationally known, and representing Indianapolis… Carson Wentz.” Then it was race time, but before that could happen, Wentz gave a stirring command from the iconic Victory Podium: “On behalf of the Indianapolis Colts, let’s kick off the Month of May, let’s have some fun, and with that… drivers, START YOUR ENGINES!”

Wentz hyped up a crowd very happy to attend a May IMS event for this first time in almost two years before rejoining his family and enjoying the race in Gasoline Alley. The new Indianapolis resident began to embrace the Month of May as he looks to cement himself not only as a member of the Colts but as a part of the community for a long time to come.