FORT WORTH, Texas - Maybe Ryan Hunter-Reay is the answer for what ails the Verizon IndyCar Series.
He certainly has all the tools to be The Guy in Indy cars.
Hunter-Reay, who visited Fort Worth Wednesday to promote the Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway June 7, is coming off the biggest victory of his career at Sunday's Indianapolis 500.
That win moved the affable 33-year-old to the top of the point standings and square in the national spotlight. Hunter-Reay, who was born in Texas but spent his childhood in Florida, meets all the criteria for superstardom in a sport that hasn't had one since the departure of Danica Patrick.
Unlike Patrick, who won just one race but was a marketing dream for the series, Hunter-Reay's biography is an impressive one.
He's successful, with 13 wins under his belt in 156 starts in the series. He's driving for a marquee team in Andretti Autosport. He's flashy on the track, as his daring last-lap pass Sunday of Helio Castroneves showed. And for an American-based sport that sorely needs an American star, he fits that bill too. His win at Indy was the first for an American driver since 2006.
The total package indeed, although Hunter-Reay isn't thinking that far ahead. He's still trying to come to grips with the fact he won at Indy.
"You wake up from the nap, or wake up from the middle of the night and the first thing that flashes in your mind is I just won the Indy 500," said Hunter-Reay. "That's crazy. Everything's surreal. Everything still feels like a dream because there's so much that comes with it."
Hunter-Reay is certainly appreciative of where he's at now in the sport because he's come so far to get to this point. He was without a ride the entire 2006 season and it got to the point where he was thinking about going back to college and making a career change.
But he got a ride midway through the 2007 season and by 2010 he had latched on at Andretti Autosport. He was the best American in the series in 2010 and 2011 and won the series championship in 2012.
The championship was big, but Hunter-Reay still wasn't the top name in a sport that's been dominated in recent years by the likes of Castroneves and Dario Franchitti. Sunday's win may have changed that.
"It was good for everybody," Gossage said. "He (Hunter-Reay) is the poster boy because I don't think he has a sense that anything was handed to him. It proves if you have talent and perseverance you can win the biggest race in the world. I think he's just picture perfect. He kind of flew under the radar when he won a championship. He handles it so well. He's obviously immensely talented."
A red flag set up a dramatic finish with Hunter-Reay and Castroneves battling for the win. The post-race celebration didn't hurt matters either as Hunter-Reay recalled fans waiting and chanting "USA" in the stands.
The race left an indelible mark on Hunter-Reay.
"Even historians after the race were telling me that this is probably the best finish they've seen all-in-all because of the lead changes the last four laps and what it took to win it," Hunter-Reay said. "It took a great driver on the other side to put on a show like that and never touch. We're going wheel to wheel, inches apart at 230 mph, on the verge of stupidity and bravery. And it was just fantastic. I will forever remember the fight that went down."
Hopefully for the IndyCar Series, Hunter-Reay will be a name that's remembered for a long time.
