Beyond the Flag
Fansided

Indy 500: 10 non-racing driver athletes who should race in the Indianapolis 500

By Asher Fair

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 28: Drivers pull away from the grid ahead of the start of the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motorspeedway on May 28, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 28: Drivers pull away from the grid ahead of the start of the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motorspeedway on May 28, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 04: Aly Raisman of the United States (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 04: Aly Raisman of the United States (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) /

Aly Raisman

Olympic gymnast. USA Gymnastics. ALY RAISMAN. 23.

Aly Raisman, 23, is a two-time Olympic gymnast from Needham, Massachusetts. She competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England in addition to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

In those two Olympics, Raisman racked up a total of six medals. In 2012, she won a gold medal with her team, which consisted of her, Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Kyla Ross and Jordyn Wieber and was nicknamed the “Fierce Five”. She also won the gold medal in the floor exercise and the bronze medal on the balance beam.

In 2016, Raisman won another gold medal with her team, which consisted of her, Douglas, Simone Biles, Laurie Hernandez and Madison Kocian. She also won the silver medal in the floor exercise and the silver medal in the all-around competition.

When people think of the greatest athlete in Massachusetts history, Tom Brady of the NFL’s New England Patriots obviously comes to mind. But if you Google “five rings” and look at the image, the Olympics logo comes up before anything Brady-related, and Raisman’s six medals are more than Brady’s five rings. She, like Brady, may not be done, either.

Raisman, like the aforementioned Julian Edelman, was Mario Andretti’s passenger in the Honda two-seater to lead the field to the green flag during the 2017 season. Raisman was given the opportunity to do so in the 2017 season finale at Sonoma Raceway last September.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZMUF1OFQ_c/?hl=en&taken-by=alyraisman

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZUNSMZlvk-/?hl=en&taken-by=aly.raisman.news

At Sonoma, she also got the chance t o learn more about what it takes to be an IndyCar driver from the 2016 Indy 500 champion Alexander Rossi himself.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZJ8_ZRl5Gq/?hl=en&taken-by=aly.raisman.news

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZKYWdAl15k/?hl=en&taken-by=aly.raisman.news

As Rossi pointed out, gymnasts fit well in race cars. At 5’2″, 115 pounds, Raisman is no exception to that.

Gymnasts fit well in race cars. Great to meet fellow athlete Aly Raisman. #passalongsometrophymojo 🥇🥇🥇

Posted by Alexander Rossi on Sunday, September 17, 2017