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Indiana football head coach Tom Allen made an appearance at the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday as a fan, but also as an ex-coach.
Taylor Kiel, who is now Arrow McLaren SP President, played linebacker for Allen at Ben Davis high school and made his way to Indiana as a walk-on.
“I had a big heart," Kiel said in an interview with IndyCar.com of his football career. "So I’d just run into people as hard as I could."
That work ethic on the gridiron also poured into the start of his Indy Car career. He met with Sam Schmidt, the then Indy Lights team owner, and got an interview. Despite no real experience in the racing industry, Schmidt gave Kiel a try.
“He started by sweeping floors,” Schmidt said. “Nothing fancy, but that’s what he did, and he worked his way up through the entire organization.”
On Sunday, Kiel's hard work all paid off as he watched his team's top driver, Pato O’Ward, race to a second place finish in the Indy 500.
Over the weekend, Allen and Kiel sat down with 'Condor Moments'.
Below is the full interview.
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