10. So Dave could come back to his high school reunion in North Indiana-polis this summer and feel like a big shot.
9. The team’s pit stops for Buddy Rice were nearly flawless on a day when even perfection-ist Team Penske was making mistakes.
8. Rice drove better than Bud Tingelstad, a winless driver Letterman watched here in the ’60s as a kid–“Does Buddy remind you of Bud Tingelstad?” Letterman asked rhetorically.
7. Kenny Brack, the ’99 winner whom Rice replaced due to injuries last year, helped coach Rice — “The relationship between Kenny and Buddy is extra special,” Letterman said.
6. Because Dave kept his hands off the car during the rain de-lay–“We went to the mo-tor coach and had brunch and cocktails,” he said.
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5. Rahal-Letterman team manager Scott Roembke supervised impeccable chassis adjust-ment and engine tuning–“I had absolutely nothing to do with it,” Dave said.
4. So Dave could phone Paul Newman, who is still boycotting Indy, and say, “Nya, nya, nya.”
3. Dave had a religious experience in the pits — the win “was pre-ordained,” he said, and “this place is sacred.”
2. So Dave could fall off the wagon, guilt-free: “I haven’t had anything to drink in 30 years,” he said, “but I feel like I’m drunk right now.”
1. Because Rice drove all-out, with-out a single bobble on the track — “My God, what a job he did,” Letterman said after the race.