Pato O'Ward battles customs delay for special helmet ahead of Indianapolis 500

Audio By Carbonatix

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Pato O'Ward's special Indianapolis 500 helmet was finally released from customs after it was withheld from delivery over a dispute in fees the driver apparently owed in customs fees.

A rain delay at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday bought O'Ward additional time to sort the issue concerning the helmet he had designed and shipped from Germany for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

O'Ward at one point claimed the helmet was being held “ransom” as he insisted he'd already paid the customs fees. O'Ward argued had he not paid the fees, the helmet never would have cleared customs. He was willing to pay a second time, he said, as he impatiently awaited the information needed to disperse the funds.

“I've been on the phone 48 minutes and they won't send me a link to pay the customs,” he grumbled.

He initially thought the delivery delay was because the package required a signature, but insisted there were people at his house awaiting the helmet.

“I kept telling the driver to ring the bell! There's people there!” he said. “But then they said it is a customs fee and they won't deliver it until it's been paid.”

O'Ward was adamant it was a mix-up and was willing to pay twice. Drivers often unveil special helmet designs for the Indianapolis 500 to replace the ones they wear the rest of the season. The idea is to showcase meaningful and fun designs that represent their culture, personality or other things that have personal meaning.

When he got on track Tuesday he was wearing his normal helmet.

A woman on the Arrow McLaren team is married to a high-ranking UPS official who helped him sort the issue and the Indy 500 helmet has been delivered to his house.

O'Ward will debut the helmet Friday.

___

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing