Newgarden 'brings the heat' for first pitch at Detroit game

Ed Carpenter Racing driver Josef Newgarden said he was going to "bring the heat" when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch April 12 prior to the Detroit Tigers' game with the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates.

While the Verizon IndyCar Series' rising star didn't exactly break the radar gun with his toss, he still had an enjoyable time in the Motor City - along with a jaunt across the Detroit River to neighboring Windsor, Ontario - to promote the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit Presented by Quicken Loans, part of the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix that serves as the lone doubleheader race weekend on the 2016 series schedule.

Newgarden spent a whirlwind 18 hours visiting the historic Detroit Yacht Club on Belle Isle Park, site of the race weekend, along with trips to several Detroit media outlets. He ventured to Canada to attend the riverfront announcement extending the partnership between the grand prix and city of Windsor, along with Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens and Michael Montri, general manager of the grand prix.

But the 25-year-old's favorite stop was at the Tigers game. Newgarden exchanged jerseys before the game with Detroit pitcher Mark Lowe, whose uniform No. 21 is the same as Newgarden's Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet. He ceremonial first pitch landed a couple feet short of home plate before bouncing into the glove of Lowe.

"This was way more nerve-racking for me (than racing), just because it's not your specialty," Newgarden admitted. "I played baseball for 10 years but I haven't thrown a ball for probably the same amount of years.

"I wasn't going to throw off the mound, but then I thought if I didn't, I was going to be mad at myself," he added. "I'm happy that I did that but I'm so mad that I didn't get it right. If you go out there cold turkey, especially if you haven't thrown in forever, it's not easy. And you don't realize how much the nerves can take over."

The Windsor announcement continues the partnership with the grand prix that includes direct transportation from the Canadian city to the venue on race weekend via Transit Windsor. Fans can purchase grand prix tickets and transportation at snapdwindsor.com/grandprix or by calling 311 in Canada. For more information on the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix, visit detroitgp.com.

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