Defensive driving is key in IndyCar racing

MILWAUKEE -- "Defensive driving" is often the goal behind the wheel -- to make sure you get from point A to point B safely. However, when your goal is to get there first, like at the Milwaukee Mile, does defensive driving go the way of the blinker?

IndyFest at the Milwaukee Mile is a week away. The event will be held on Father's Day Weekend -- June 15th and 16th.

Defensive driving is what everyone behind the steering wheel needs to think about -- knowing that others on the road might be distracted at times by cell phones or fast food meals, or kids in the car makes defensive driving all that much more important.

The principle of defensive driving remains the same on a race track. A driver's goal is to finish ahead of every other car.

"That's the unique thing about IndyCar racing is that even though we are rivals, we have a supreme respect for one another because if our cars touch, really bad things are going to happen. I mean, they'll go flying, and the chances of injury are very high, so we really do respect one another, but we race so hard. We are only inches apart, but we respect those inches," Michael Andretti said.

The IndyCar circuit is made up of a bunch of independent contractors competing together. It's a fraternity of drivers, both male and female, that have mutual respect for one another. With the stakes these folks are dealing with, you need more than respect -- you need awareness.

"When we're racing so close to each other, you always have maximum trust in the guys that are next to you, and depending upon who that is, sometimes you need to leave more room than with others, but generally, you are expecting them to not make mistakes," Ryan Briscoe said.

The IndyCar series was in Texas on Saturday night, June 9th and defensive driving was on display on many occasions. Next Saturday, June 16th, those same drivers will be in town for Milwaukee's IndyFest. The green flag falls in the early afternoon at the Milwaukee Mile.

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