Chip Ganassi Racing driver Sage Karam thought it was a kind gesture of Dario Franchitti, Scott Dixon, and Tony Kanaan as they each chipped in to have his Chevrolet Camaro detailed - a gesture of team spirit, no?
He should have known.
The car was returned to the garage area of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a hot pink color with No. 8 decals on the doors, a decal that reads "Karamo" across the top of the windshield, and even fuzzy dice, also pink, that hang from the rearview mirror.
Oh, and the "Honk if you think I'm sexy" decal located on the rear window.
“There are so many positives about being a rookie on a team with veterans like Dario Franchitti, Tony Kanaan, and Scott Dixon," said 20 year old Karam. "but I’ve got to say that the pranks are definitely not one of those positives."
But it gets even better:
"The worst part is that the boss (Chip Ganassi) is saying that I have to drive it around for the rest of May. I guess I’m just going to have to own a hot pink Camaro.”
Dario Franchitti may not be a driver making quick decisions on the race track anymore, but he was able to come up with a quick explanation, describing it as a mix-up of Camaros at the shop; the 20 year old accidentally got his car painted as another customer, a woman, wanted, per Franchitti.
That doesn't quite explain the "Karamo" and "Honk if you think I'm sexy" decals, but Karam has no choice but to drive the hot pink vehicle through the rest of the month of May.
It's safe to say he has learned. Giving your car to your veteran teammates to "detail" it as a "gesture of team spirit"?
Rookie mistake.