Indianapolis' Women's World Cup Hero Excited for Pace Car Drive
July 26, 2015 | By IMS
Lauren Holiday enjoys speed.
The Indianapolis native used that speed with her feet to lead the United States women’s national soccer team to two Olympic gold medals, and most recently, the 2015 Women’s World Cup championship.
On Sunday, her right foot went from booting a soccer ball to handling 415 horsepower – and 43 growling race cars behind waiting to be unleashed – piloting the Chevy SS Pace Car at the Crown Royal Presents the Jeff Kyle 400 at the Brickyard.
“I am so excited to drive the Pace Car,” Holiday said. “My dad has been quizzing me and giving me all the info about the SS Pace Car, and how fast it is, how much horsepower. My brother, my dad and my sister are telling me to go real fast. I’m excited to see how it feels and go.”
Holiday has performed in front of huge crowds during her career, beginning when she starred in three sports at Ben Davis High School three miles west of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, from which she graduated in 2006. She followed with a stellar career at UCLA, during which she made her national team debut.
She has played in two Olympic championship games – winning both – and two World Cup championship games, winning the title in 2015. She was a key part of the winning goal in the Olympic gold medal game in 2008, and scored a goal in the United States’ 5-2 victory over Japan in this year’s World Cup Final.
Holiday said she had the game-day butterflies on Sunday, but for a different reason.
“I find it way more of a thrill to be here at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, one, because this is my hometown. This is what I grew up with,” Holiday said. “Two, on the soccer field, I can tune out the stadium. Yeah, they’re there, and I’m aware of what’s going on, but you tune that out. But here, it’s kind of a rush. I’m fully aware of everything going on around me. That makes me a little nervous, but really excited.”
Holiday grew up close enough to the track to hear the roar of the engines. But Sunday was the first race she had attended.
“I didn’t grow up coming to the races, but I can hear the race cars from my house,” Holiday said. “I’ve done tons of fundraisers at the track, I’ve done tours, and obviously when family comes to town, you take them to the Motor Speedway. I was familiar with this, but I had never been to a race before. This is my first race.”
The 27-year-old Holiday announced her retirement from the national team earlier this year, finishing her national team career as a champion.
She’d love to see Jeff Gordon, who spent his formative years in nearby Pittsboro and has announced his retirement at the end of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season, have a similar finish. Gordon won the first NASCAR race at Indianapolis in 1994 and is the race’s only five-time winner.
“I absolutely am rooting for Jeff Gordon. We’re kind of similar. I’m from Indiana and went to California – I went to UCLA – and he’s from California and came to Indiana,” Holiday said. “I also know that it feels amazing to be able to retire on top. I would hope that for him, for such an amazing man who’s done so much for NASCAR, for racing in general for the community, he’s done an amazing job. For him to win and go on top, it would be incredible.”
Since winning the World Cup title, the champions have been feted across the nation – including a rally in Los Angeles and a ticker-tape parade in New York City. Holiday got the invitation to drive the pace car in her hometown early last week, but had to juggle it around a commitment in Kansas City, where she plays professionally for FC Kansas City in the National Women’s Soccer League. She said the IMS staff made it possible for her to drive the pace car and make it back to Kansas City in time.
Sunday was her first time coming home to Indianapolis since winning the World Cup. But, of all the homecoming events for the World Cup championship players, few can top this.
“I think I got the best event to come home to,” Holiday said. “I’m super-pumped about that.”
Going from the World Cup in Canada back to her professional season – as well as a number of events, such as Sunday’s at IMS – Holiday hasn’t had the opportunity to completely bask in the glow of the World Cup title.
But she does see it as a big moment not just in the future of her sport, but all women’s sports.
“I think that it’s a slow process of soaking in,” Holiday said. “We have been on a whirlwind for sure, and jumping back into the season, it’s hard to recognize what happened. Playing in sold-out stadiums, that helps. I do think this is a defining moment in women’s sports.
“I don’t think we’ve grasped what we’ve done quite yet, but we’re all enjoying the ride. I think it gets better for all of us.”