Verizon IndyCar Series drivers Josef Newgarden, James Hinchcliffe and Conor Daly are taking in NBA All-Star Weekend in Toronto, including the Celebrity Game, All-Star Saturday Night and Sunday’s 65th NBA All-Star Game. In between, they hit the weekend’s hottest parties, tested their basketball skills at NBA’s Centre Court and made an appearance at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum exhibit at the Canadian International Auto Show.

In this exclusive blog for USA TODAY Sports, Newgarden, a two-time winner last season, writes about Saturday night’s NBA Slam Dunk Contest:

First thing I thought, catching an Uber to Air Canada Centre for NBA All-Star Saturday night, is that I’m driving through downtown Toronto near our race track. Except it’s a lot colder here today (70 degrees colder) than when the Verizon IndyCar Series races here in the Honda Indy Toronto in July, and we’re moving a lot slower on the city streets than I’m used to — about 110 mph slower since we could only go about 20 through a traffic jam.

But, this is exciting. We were almost courtside, so it was up close and personal. Drake and Kevin Hart and Jason Sudekis, who were in the celeb game last night, were nearby. Jon Stewart wound up on dance cam with a set of bongos. I’d challenge him to a bongo-off. On the flip side, I would not challenge any of these NBA players to a dunk-off.

I’ve never seen a dunk competition live. What the heck was that thing Aaron Gordon did over the head of the Orlando Magic’s mascot? I don’t even know how you twist your body like that. And props to Verizon Slam winner Zach LaVine; his final dunk was badass.

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Slams are the boldest thing NBA players do — shows a whole lot of bravado. We may not have those in IndyCar, but we find ways to, let’s say, “make our presence known.” A daring pass…maybe a little wheel-touching to prove a point. And just like the guy that gets dunked on, no one really loves to be knocked around on a racetrack. I remember one race when Juan Pablo Montoya hip checked Charlie Kimball at Barber Motorsports Park. That was his bold statement — like a slam dunk.

The slam dunk contest always gets all the hype, but the skills challenge and three point competition were really cool. In basketball, you’ve got to hit clean threes. In racing, you’ve got to hit your braking points, apexes and getting clean exits. Any one little thing gone wrong and you’ve got someone in your mirrors ready to smoke you. Miss a couple of three point shots in the NBA and suddenly you’re down 10.

It’s all risk, precision and fundamentals — something we think about every day in racing. For us, it’s taking a corner flat out in sixth gear on a road or street course. I can appreciate how hard it is in the NBA to be that precise.

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It’s amazing to see the best of the NBA best out here doing their thing, and even though the only prize is bragging rights I can almost guarantee you it means a lot to them because competition is everything when you’re a professional athlete. The level of athleticism they showed us tonight was incredible, almost superhuman.

With that in mind…I better go work out.

Check back with USA TODAY Sports Sunday for a blog from Daly on his experience at the NBA All-Star Game.