Drivers from Andretti Global picked out western wear Thursday as they arrived for the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington this weekend. Marcus Ericsson, Kyle Kirkwood and Will Power picked out boots at the Lucchese shop at Choctaw Stadium.
"For us at Lucchese to be able to partner with Andretti is so exciting for us," says Fallon Appleton, senior manager of brand communications at Lucchese. "We are so excited to be here in Arlington and have our store part of the excitement of this inaugural race."
Appleton showed the drivers different materials and colors of boots. She showed them how to put them on and take them off easily.
She says Andretti Global and Lucchese have both become family names respected in their industries.
"At Lucchese, we're all about heritage, legacy and building champsionships. We find those same similarities with Andretti. To be able to come here and celebrate that with drivers is really exciting," Appleton says.
"Serious craftsmanship," Will Power said as he looked at boots. "I'm going to get a pair. They look really nice. I think I might get a hat, too."
Power picked a brown pair of ostrich boots. Ericsson picked black boots.
"Feels pretty good to me," he said. "I'll see where I end up, but I feel like I'm trending in that direction."
Ericsson has driven in Texas when IndyCar raced at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth and also drove at Circuit of the Americas in Austin when he was with Formula One.
"I really enjoy coming to Texas in general," he says. "That was always one of my highlights of the year was going to Austin, Texas. It was always a ton of fun, so having this new race in Arlington then hanging out here and seeing places like this, it's just really cool."
Ericsson also picked a hat and belt.
Lucchese's Appleton says the race in the Entertainment District will bring a new crowd that may not have previously come for a Cowboys game, Rangers game or concert.
"We've been hand-crafting boots in the State of Texas for 140 years, hand-crafting them on the same principles the Lucchese family started us on," she says. "It's really important for us to integrate into the activities here in the City of Arlington, and that's why we're so excited about this race."
