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Race Anatomy: "McDreamy" to Race at Homestead-Miami
MIAMI—“Dr. McDreamy” is making a house call—this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Patrick Dempsey, who plays Dr. Derek Shepherd on the ABC hit “Grey’s Anatomy,” will sub the steering wheel for the stethoscope in Saturday’s GAINSCO Grand Prix Of Miami at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the second race of the 2008 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16. Saturday’s 250-mile, 109-lap race starts at 3 p.m., with Dempsey and co-driver Joe Foster behind the wheel of a specially painted No. 40 Hyper Sport Mazda RX-8. The race represents just the second in the Rolex Series for Dempsey, having this season made the move up to Grand-Am’s premier series after running five KONI Challenge Series races the past two years in between TV and film shoots. “The Mazda is phenomenal,” Dempsey said of the car he’ll driving Saturday at Homestead-Miami. “It’s a lot of fun to drive…out there with everybody in the [field].”
TV’s top doctor—who made a Hollywood splash at age 21 with the film “Can’t Buy Me Love” (1987)—is no stranger to Homestead-Miami’s 2.2-mile road circuit. Last year, he tallied the best run of his Grand-Am career when he finished sixth at HMS. His learning curve continued in January at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
“Two-and-a-half hours in the wet at night was quite interesting,” he said after the 24-hour race. “To see all these drivers…to watch them and be part of that is really quite special. I learned a lot; I had a lot of fun.”
Having the time to test properly in advance of races has proven the biggest challenge for the Emmy-nominated actor, although the recent Writer’s Guild of America strike that halted television production gave him the opportunity to do some significant testing in preparation for the 2008 season. “I’ve just had a handful of races,” said Dempsey, whose filming commitments limited him to driving in only five of last year’s 12 circuit races. “It’s tough when I step out of the car and go off and do a movie, and then when I come back everybody’s caught up and they’re past me. That’s a little frustrating; it’s difficult. If we can get a nice program together where we’re testing properly and I’m not spending so much time out of the car, I think we’ll get better results; that’s the biggest thing we’ve got to overcome. Our goal is certainly to be up there, to be competitive.” That time comes Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. And because of the filming commitments, those interested in seeing “McDreamy” maneuver more than an ER need be at “SpeedJam” this weekend. Homestead-Miami Speedway plays host to SpeedJam March 28-29, featuring the IndyCar Series season-opening GAINSCO Auto Insurance Indy 300—the historic first race in the IndyCar Series/Champ Car reunification—a live performance by Three Doors Down, the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami, the IndyPro Series Miami 100, and a full-day festival of car shows, Memphis Barbeque and kids activities. For tickets and more info, please call (866) 409-RACE or visit www.HomesteadMiamiSpeedway.com
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