Jordan J Wilson

jordan.wilson@indystar.com

Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee doesn’t have any trouble beating longtime friend and IndyCar driver Conor Daly to the finish line in Mario Kart.

Daly taking Donkey Kong against McAfee’s faster Yoshi in a four-race championship series is what McAfee calls “a stupid decision.”

But when Daly told McAfee he had yet to find a primary sponsor for the 100th Indianapolis 500, McAfee made a push for the real track and partnered his new company, ShirtsForAmerica.com, with Dale Coyne Racing as primary sponsor for Daly’s American-themed No. 18 Honda.

“This morning started out normal, but when I go to sleep tonight, nothing will be the same,” McAfee said Wednesday to kick off a laugh-filled news conference at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, adding that his morning also began with him eating a large piece of apple pie, chugging a large Budweiser and brushing his teeth “with freedom.”

In addition to friendship, McAfee said his sponsorship also stems from a determination to see an American driver win the 100th running of the Indy 500. Just five Americans have won the 500 in the past 20.

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He said he doesn’t think his “money has ever been better spent” than supporting Daly, a Noblesville driver, and a racing tradition born in Indiana.

McAfee’s sponsorship also gives Dale Coyne Racing partners for three of its four cars entered, which team owner Dale Coyne considers “a fantastic thing.”

“Myself and my team saw this as an opportunity not only to get an Indianapolis kid in the 100th running, a legendary Indy 500, but a chance to raise some money for some military families,” McAfee said.

His sponsorship also provides a platform for ShirtsForAmerica.com, a three-day-old company that raises money for military families.

“We had a gap here at the 500 that we needed to fill and it was really difficult to put the whole program together, but Pat came on board … and it’s a really cool thing that he’s created here,” Daly said.

Shirts will cost $18 with 50 percent of the proceeds going to two Indiana-based veteran organizations — Wish For Our Heroes and The Pat McAfee Foundation — dedicated to supporting military families.

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Aside from his penchant for Mario Kart, McAfee admits he “does not know anything” about racing and won’t be involved in anything on the track.

“Ever since I was 21 years old, I’ve been in Indianapolis,” McAfee said. “I couldn’t tell you one Indy 500 I was sober for, and that’s going to continue this year.”

McAfee will be in a suite with friends and family rooting for his “horse in the race” and he said he plans to be down in victory lane “chugging 10 bottles of milk” when Daly wins. He also entertained the idea of a victory-only shirt to wear — one of Uncle Sam drinking a beer (or root beer) from a bottle alongside the words: “500 American Miles of Awesome.”

“It’s going to be a great day,” Daly said.

“God, it’s going to be a great night,” McAfee added.



