INDIANAPOLIS — For many of the drivers in Sunday's Indianapolis 500, racing is more than just a sport - it's truly a family affair.
The women behind several well-known racers in IndyCar talked to 13Inside Track Host Laura Steele leading up to the Indy 500. The wives share stories of life in a pandemic, how they support their husbands and how they lean on each other when needed.
"How has the last year been for you guys?" Steele asked.
"It's been an adventure," said Karli Wickens, wife of Robert Wickens.
"In a word, if I'm so honest, like, this has been really tough, both for... I think normal life things, as anybody has experienced, whether you're home with the kids for school or whatever that looks like," said Lauren Kanaan, wife of 2013 Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan.
"We went in the hospital, our son Gordon, who's 14 months now, and the world was normal and we came out and there was a pandemic," said Kathleen Kimball, wife of Charlie Kimball. "So, I mean, it was hard. It was really hard. I mean, think... gosh, that I have such a wonderful husband that's so helpful. I know a lot of my girlfriends, maybe their husbands aren't as helpful and, I mean, I don't. I've done laundry maybe like three times and Charlie does all the laundry."
The time at home has given some of the wives a chance to pick up some hobbies.
"I actually started figure skating again," said Wickens. "I used to be a figure skater competitively for like 12 years and I used to just go once a year and I'm like, 'Why don't I do this more often?'"
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"I started quilting, which I don't know when I have time to do that, usually like the hours of 11 to 1 a.m.," Kimball said.
Kanaan said she spent the year as a teacher.
"I taught kindergarten this year," she said. "I went back to kindergarten and I feel great about it."
Heather Carpenter, wife of team owner and driver Ed Carpenter, said her children's extracurricular activities kept her busy.
"Luckily for my kids, even though school was canceled, all their sports continued and they ramped up even more," she said. "Our kids are involved in everything possible from hockey, lacrosse, tennis, gymnastics and pole vaulting, baseball, you name it. And so, though luckily the kids got to see their friends through (that)."
Wickens said she and her husband "thrived" during the pandemic.
"We loved all the time that we had together," she said.
Robert Wickens was paralyzed in a crash at Pocono Raceway in August 2018. He regularly shared videos of his rehab progress to social media and the couple got married in September 2019, shortly after he returned behind the wheel to drive a hand-controlled pace car at the Honda Indy Toronto race in July.
"He's doing really great. Honestly, I think the quarantine did a lot of good for Rob, he needed to slow down," Karli said. "And honestly, that's been our honeymoon. We didn't even go on a honeymoon - got married and went right into lockdown."
Robert Wickens also used the pandemic to continue his journey to get back into a race car.
"Rob actually likes being by himself, and he was able to get a simulator from Simcraft over quarantine, which has just been such a great thing for his rehab and hopefully like a journey back into race car one day," Karli said. "So he's been able to, like, figure out what hand controls he likes and he's on it every day."
While Wickens isn't currently racing, the other drivers' wives still look to Karli as an inspiration.
"It's a huge testament to how strong she is as a person, for certain, obviously as a driver's wife," Kanaan said. "You kind of accept that you know there's a danger to it, but I mean, you certainly don't focus on that. I think until you're really forced to go, 'OK, that happened,' you don't. You don't.
"I don't know who I would be in that setting. I hope that I would be half the person and partner that Karli has been," she continued.
The ladies are also excited to have fans back in the stands for this year's Indianapolis 500.
"What would you ladies like to say to the fans who have followed your husbands?" Steele asked.
"Other than how glad I am to see them? I mean, that's honestly probably the number one thing," Kanaan said.
"We are so grateful for that support and last year it was not the same. The fans are what makes the Indy 500 and we miss them so much and I can't tell you, like, they bring tears to my eyes just thinking about it," Carpenter said. "I missed the parade and all those things that we just, you know, you guys are so special to us and we can't wait to have everyone back at the track again."
Watch Laura Steele's interview with IndyCar wives last year in the player below: