Late-night icon Leno takes wheel of Indy car

Four-time Verizon IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon took on driving instructor duties today, but his student was no ordinary novice.

Comedian and former "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno was at Phoenix Raceway today, driving an Indy car under the watchful eyes of Dixon for an upcoming segment of "Jay Leno's Garage" on CNBC. The episode slated for July airing will also include a segment taped two weeks ago when Leno went on a ride-along with Verizon IndyCar Series team co-owner Sam Schmidt in the Arrow semi-autonomous motorcar (SAM) Corvette that the quadriplegic Schmidt drives using breath, voice and head movements.

Following instructions this morning from Dixon in the Chip Ganassi Racing pit, Leno turned laps on the Phoenix Raceway oval in one of the INDYCAR Experience single-seaters - at speeds less than half the 190 mph or so that Dixon averages in his No. 9 Honda. Nevertheless, Leno - the self-described car fanatic - was thrilled with the experience.

"Really fun," Leno said. "I've driven cars with more power but not that much grip. The level of grip in these is unbelievable. Doing road cars on an oval or something, you feel it start to slip, and this doesn't move at all. It's just planted. That's the biggest difference, I think."

Leno's connection to Indy car racing is extended. He was the honorary pace car driver for the 1999 Indianapolis 500. He was treated to an Indy car two-seater ride two years ago at Auto Club Speedway with legend Mario Andretti at the wheel.

Dixon enjoyed the experience of working with the iconic television star.

"It's great to see his passion for racing and how knowledgeable he was on the whole INDYCAR field and drivers and different eras," Dixon said. "But it was also nice just to chat about different cars, about the new Ford GT and different things.

"He did a really good job (driving) and he's not scared. He's really laid back, relaxed. I think for a lot of people this would be a daunting experience, but he definitely took it in stride and really seemed to enjoy it."

Contact:

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