Red Wings forward gains speed in IndyCar ride

DETROIT — Dylan Larkin claimed the fastest skater title at the NHL All-Star Game but he found an even faster gear Thursday on Belle Isle.

Larkin is this year’s Grand Marshal of the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix and with that honor comes an invitation to ride in an IndyCar for a “hot lap.”

Before taking off with retired driver Gil de Ferran in the two-seat IndyCar, Larkin met former Grand Prix champions Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud.

Then it was time for Larkin to put on the suit and helmet and join de Ferran for the 2.3-mile lap around Belle Isle.

“It was unbelievable,” Larkin said immediately after the ride. “I didn’t think it could go that fast around the tight turns. It’s pretty incredible. So it was an experience of a lifetime.”

Larkin said the closest he had ever come was driving go-karts, which wasn’t remotely like this.

“It was like being on a roller coaster plus some when you get that feeling in your stomach,” Larkin said. “It was pretty cool.”

Larkin wasn’t sure how fast de Ferran took him but the IndyCars can go as fast as 200 miles per hour.

“He got going pretty fast in the back stretch,” Larkin said. “I’m not sure (how fast) but we were moving. I felt like my helmet was starting to come off so I tried to tuck my head but then I couldn’t really see the track.”

Larkin only recently returned …

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