IndyCar Series
Photos and story © 2006 Dwight Drum
Web work by Gary Larsen

Gene Simmons
Rock star base guitar rock band Kiss

"This is why we came up with 'I am Indy', emphasizing the individual part of it and the personal tug of the heart, if you will."

Gene Simmons, base guitar player for the 1970s rock band Kiss, was a frontman decades ago and it seems his understanding of mass appeal goes a lot deeper than his active protruding tongue. Gone are the face paint and the deep rhythm of his strumming, but what remains are crisp words that roll off his legendary lips without the need for any tongue wagging. His marketing business with partner Richard Abramson is focused on selling the Indy Racing League to more fans across media markets throughout the USA and the racing world.

Simmons has embraced the IRL with the same fervor that rocked crowds over years of reverberation. When he shows up in the garage during an IndyCar event fans rush to him for photos and autographs. Simmons has a direct approach to his message and his presence as a retired rock idol lifts his efforts like rifts on a well-tuned Fender guitar.

Here's a few words from Simmons that may be music to your racing heart.

Time: Early 2006
Place: Homestead/Miami Speedway, Homestead, Fla.
Event: Toyota Indy 300

Dwight asked Gene Simmons:

"Love. There is that happened to me in Texas about a year ago. I came down for the races. I've been a Grand Marshall at NASCAR races and so forth. Something happened to me here. Part of it is the smile you have. It's a different feeling. It really is a different feeling. There is nothing wrong with NASCAR or the NHRA, but there is something here. Maybe I call it, culture of Indy. People are coming out with their kids, hot dog on a Sunday afternoon. "

"I don't know what to tell you. There is no way that I could tell you as much about an engine as the crew pits. They know more than all of us. But the question is, do you and I love it any less? The prerequisite for coming to Indy is you got to love it. "

"I keep emphasizing Indy because above and beyond the IRL which sounds like a corporate structure, or IndyCar which emphasizes a class. I really think it's about the individual or the independent person who decides, this is where I am. This is why we came up with 'I am Indy', emphasizing the individual part of it and the personal tug of the heart, if you will.