The driver of the number 5 machine for Arrow Maclaren took a trip to Arlington to explore the upcoming circuit. O'Ward met with INYCAR Grand Prix of Arlington President, Bill Miller for an exclusive tour of the soon to be built track. The circuit is the only track on the season schedule where the hospitality suites are situated above the track, the Horseshoe Club and the Winstar Winners Club. O'Ward looks forward to viewing the cars racing beneath him. Another exciting aspect of the circuit is the cars are expected to hit 185 miles per hour on the backstretch.
Since Texas is close to his heart and he has spent time in the Dallas area, O'Ward became a Dallas Cowboys fan. He even owned a Tony Romo jersey. On the next stop of his tour, he met with the Cowboys at the famed AT&T Stadium. O'Ward was gifted a personalized Dallas Cowboys jersey before he took to the football field. O'Ward declared he had to give up football because he did not enjoy taking the hits.
The final stop in the grand tour of Arlington was Globe Life Field where Pato O'Ward had the honor of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch for the Texas Rangers match up against the New York Yankees. First, he had to get acquainted with the stadium. O'Ward met with Rangers outfielder Alejandro Osuna where the two bonded over the fact they are both from Mexico. While exploring O'Ward made the acquaintance of Texas Rangers Baseball Hall of Fame public address announcer Chuck Morgan and autographed a Texas sports themed racing helmet for Morgan. O'Ward took the time to meet with dedicated fans to bookend the pre-game activities.
After multiple rounds of practice in the restricted area of the field, O'Ward felt ready for the ceremonial duties, but first wanted to say hello to the Texas Rangers' mascot, Rangers Captain. A self-pro-claimed rookie in baseball, O'Ward took to the mound and thew a successful pitch to home plate. O'Ward made way to the stands to enjoy the ball game. The Rangers lost 3-2.
The INDYCAR Grand Prix of Arlington is fueled by a first-of-its-kind partnership between INDYCAR, the Dallas Cowboys and REV Entertainment, the official events partner of the Texas Rangers. Fans can visit www.gparlington.com to purchase tickets, see the full racing schedule for the weekend, and join the event mailing list.
