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CNN Live At Daybreak

Indy 500 Controversy Over

Aired May 28, 2002 - 06:56   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The Indy 500 controversy is over. Helio Castroneves is the winner. Race officials have denied a protest from Paul Tracy, who came in second.

However, there's no denying the big fun at the race.

CNN's Dwight Collins takes us back.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DWIGHT COLLINS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Five minutes after 7:00 on a crisp early morning. Race day here at Indianapolis. Let's go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning. Race day -- hallelujah.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Twenty-five years at Indy and all I got was this stupid tee-shirt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is my first time at the track, so...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's amazing, isn't it?

COLLINS: Really?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it is amazing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Overwhelming. Absolutely overwhelming.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The size of it is just...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wait until you see all the people in here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), it's real simple. It's just like driving a car. If you're going south, you get on the right hand side. Northbound is over here on my right.

COLLINS: So we have these guys in the yellow shirts which we've nicknamed "the whistle men." But they're really security. They do this annual event every year, they take it very seriously.

Excuse me, whistle man, why do you blow that whistle, sir?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because you're standing in the center.

COLLINS: Because I'm standing...

Mr. Letterman, from CNN, I just wanted to say, "Hey."

DAVID LETTERMAN, TALK SHOW HOST: How do you do?

COLLINS: Glad you're a racing fan. Go (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

LETTERMAN: Thank you very much. Nice to see you.

COLLINS: This is where these guys will be doing 230 miles an hour. Before we get off the tracks, I just wanted to show you the famed bricks. This is what the whole track used to be. Now it's just at the start and finish line.

Mr. Trump, all right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines.

COLLINS: You know, these boys are racing. These boys are racing hard.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you for shifting my gears.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We had such a kicking-chicken day today, it's unreal.

COLLINS: How many vendors did you have?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had 80. Eighty total vendors today.

COLLINS: Plus one.

Yes, he won. He won it again. As you can see, my man (UNINTELLIGIBLE) won yet again for his 12th win. And I had a good time. I hope you did too. So we'll celebrate and drink some milk.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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