TORONTO – In between NBA All-Star Weekend basketball events on Feb. 13, Verizon IndyCar Series drivers Conor Daly and James Hinchcliffe found a few things more familiar to them than slam dunks and three-pointers.
They headed to the Canadian International Auto Show to see their pal deadmau5 (pictured above). The EDM musician, who shows up with the INDYCAR drivers from time to time, was making an appearance with an exhibit of his personal car collection – the Lamborghini Huracan, McLaren P1 and the McLaren 650S. It was the second time Daly and Hinchcliffe went to the auto show. They were there for an appearance at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum’s Indianapolis 500 exhibit on Feb. 12.
As fans gathered for photos, the three took time to catch up.
“We hung out and talked cars and just did things friends do, I guess – talked about life and we saw some more cars and it was a good day,” said Daly, who will drive for Dale Coyne Racing in 2016.
The INDYCAR drivers also extended an invitation, asking deadmau5 to the upcoming season’s races. Of course, that included the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil on May 29.
The impromptu get-together was part of a busy few days for Daly and Hinchcliffe, driver for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. The pair and Ed Carpenter Racing driver Josef Newgarden (pictured at right showing off his shooting skills) are taking in NBA All-Star Weekend activities, which includes tonight’s 65th NBA All-Star Game, where they have near-courtside seats.
They watched Minnesota’s Zach LaVine and Orlando’s Aaron Gordon go one-on-one in the Verizon Slam Dunk contest on All-Star Saturday Night – a competition that is being held up today as one of the greatest ever.
“I have never seen any form of dunk completion or shot competition in my life up close and personal, so I am excited,” said Newgarden.