Before race weekend, you end up riding a trolley down Laguna Seca’s Corkscrew.

Dave Faries here, admitting that I tend to swipe left when an unfamiliar number pops up on my phone.

So when I saw a New Mexico area code, I chose not to answer. Besides, I was listening to a discussion at the time on Wednesday, July 23, and the event was almost over. I did, however, take a moment to look at the transcribed message.

“Dave, this is Al Unser Jr. Give me a call…”

Damn. I did call him back, of course. 

“You’ll never believe why I didn’t pick up,” I told him. “I was riding around Laguna Seca in a Monterey trolley with Alex Palou and Pato O’Ward.”

Little Al—two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Daytona—could hardly stop laughing. I assured him that current IndyCar points leader Palou and his closest rival in the championship were not behind the wheel. “That’s probably wise,” he responded.

When drivers are in their cars or huddled with engineers at the track, they are in a bubble. Their focus is so intense that years later they can recall points of a race in detail. They also have other obligations, such as to the NTT IndyCar series or their sponsors. This afternoon, for example six-time champion Scott Dixon, driver of the no. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, read to children at Seaside’s Dual Language Academy as part of PNC Bank’s Grow Up Great program. PNC is the car’s primary sponsor.

One might think these could be a drag for drivers intent on winning a race. And perhaps some handshaking appearances are. But these are, for the most part, young men and women. And offbeat events make them light up. “Do we get to drive?” Palou asked with a broad, hopeful smile. No. Insurance reasons.

“It’s always fun to do stuff outside of press conferences, which can be predictable,” says Palou, driver of the no. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. “This is the first time I’ve been in a trolley.”

Palou and O’Ward traded stories and friendly barbs. Mostly they answered questions from college students in the Path to the Pits program, which helps introduce young people to the potential for careers as racing engineers or mechanics. So they spoke about track geometry, the effect of weather and weight distribution on handling, the unique qualities of WeatherTech Raceway’s Corkscrew, as well as specifics such as breaking points.

Standing in the hairpin, O’Ward pointed to a spot on the track. “I brake there,” he said. “No you don’t,” Palou challenged with a grin.

How about the correct racing line through the harrowing Turn 2 in a trolley? Someone had to ask—yes, that means me. O’Ward thought for a moment, then squatted to peer at the vehicle’s suspension. “Does this thing even have camber?”

The two drivers didn’t know too far in advance what they were getting into, only that there would be students, media and a trolley. Like O’Ward and Palou, they had us at trolley and Laguna Seca.

How bad did O’Ward feel about not having a crack at driving the top-heavy vehicle? “I’m happy to be a passenger,” he says.

The Java House Monterey Grand Prix begins Friday with practice sessions for the Radical Cup, the Porsche Sprint Cup Challenge, Indy NXT and the field of the NTT IndyCar series. Qualifying and support races take place on Saturday, with the IndyCar race on Sunday.

As for Al Unser Jr., he will be watching on television. But, he says, he is bringing out the RV for a first-ever trip to Car Week in August. “Dad and Uncle Bobby have been,” he points out. “I’m excited.”