IndyCar spotter with Iowa ties has heart set on RAGBRAI as retirement looms

NEWTON — Clay Filson, the spotter for Graham Rahal's No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing entry, loves anything with a motor.

And whether it's a human-powered bicycle or motorcycles and cars raging with horsepower, Filson wants to tinker with it.

In 2008 Filson rode the 38th edition of the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. As his racing career winds down Filson has his eyes set on riding RAGBRAI again.

"Not many people get to come up here," Filson joked in the spotter's stand on top of the press box during during a June tire test. He soaked in the green countryside surrounding Iowa Speedway and his roof-top perch.

IndyCar was set to race at Iowa Speedway at 7 p.m. Saturday and 11:30 a.m. Sunday. For the third straight year West Des Moines-based grocer Hy-Vee is the title sponsor and promoter. Iowa Speedway is one of only four tracks to host the NASCAR Cup Series and NTT IndyCar Series this year, with the others being Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway and World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis.

Filson has been going to race tracks since he was 16 years old. He is a childhood friend of Bobby Rahal, the 1986 Indianapolis 500 champion and Graham Rahal's father. But the elder Rahal, Graham Rahal and Filson all share a deep love of cycling, Graham Rahal said.

"We used to ride a ton. Clay is a very powerful human being on a bicycle," Graham Rahal said through laughter. "He's great to lead the peloton. You just want to follow Clay."

Rahal kept cracking up.

"He moves a lot of air, and he's got power. So he's good."

Filson's affinity for the Rahals matches his affinity for Iowa. Filson's sister, Holly Filson-Heath, a special education teacher, earned her teaching degree at Iowa State University and settled with her husband and son in Algona. Filson-Heath earned a master's degree from the University of Northern Iowa in 1992.

Filson-Heath died from cancer in September 2022, but Filson still talks regularly with his nephew and brother-in-law. Filson's nephew, Cooper Heath, teaches at Berg Middle School in Newton. Just a year ago Filson visited them in Algona.

In 2008 Filson rode RAGBRAI from Missouri Valley to LeClaire. The ride was unlike anything he'd ever experienced. His journey took him to Ames and near Newton when Tama-Toledo served as a pass-through town.

"I'd never seen that many people on the road," Filson said. "We learned that you eat your way across the state and if you don't put on weight you haven't done a good job."

He and his RAGBRAI team members tried to enjoy every second. Filson-Heath joined Filson and another sister on the route, and they had margaritas in a park.

"I specifically remember riding through a few small towns that were so enthusiastic about being included on the route, and there's the mayor in a pirate outfit cheering everybody on," Filson said.

Filson has spent countless days in Iowa with his family. This weekend he is camping behind the backstretch of Iowa Speedway with his wife and one of their daughters, who is in her 20s. Nearby corn showing a cutout of the state is now higher than waist-high, promoting the crop that was grown here before the track opened in 2006. Filson still marvels at the countryside during motorcycle trips across the state.

"My favorite color became green because there is so much of it in Iowa," Filson said. "You do some of these ridge rides horizon-to-horizon. It becomes a wonderful vision in your mind."

Filson is one of a small group of people from the racing world who have ridden RAGBRAI. In 2017, NASCAR legend Jimmy Johnson and NASCAR star Matt Kenseth rode part of RAGBRAI. Iowa Speedway president Eric Peterson, who recently moved from Kansas City to Ankeny, wants to ride RAGBRAI as soon as next year.

The Indianapolis 500 and RAGBRAI both feel like supersized versions of the Iowa State Fair. RAGBRAI has legendary vendors Mr. Pork Chop and Beekman's Ice Cream. Indianapolis has legendary restaurants Working Man's Friend and Dawson's On Main.

Both events celebrate Americana, the Indy 500 happening on Memorial Day weekend and paying tribute to military members who gave their lives for the country.

Like the Indianapolis 500, RAGBRAI puts participants in awe of its scale, Filson said.

"You feel somewhat insignificant when you get up early and there's already a line of bicycle riders stretching horizon-to-horizon," Filson said. "I've done like 30, 40 Indy 500s. I still get goosebumps. I'm overwhelmed by the diversity of people."

Filson, 69, will not be on RAGBRAI 51 next week. He will be with Rahal in Toronto. Filson has no firm plans to retire from spotting, but was coy, saying he is on the back end of his racing career and plans to retire sooner than later.

"I would like to do (RAGBRAI) again and drag whoever I can with me," Filson said. "Hopefully that will be something that as my racing career wanes that I can do more things like that."

Rahal owns a portfolio of automotive businesses and like Filson is starting to contemplate life outside the track. When he hangs up his steering wheel, he may join his old spotter on RAGBRAI, Rahal said.

"I would love to do it," Rahal said. "Last night I was … thinking about my offseason goals. One of them was to get back cycling a lot."

But Filson had a warning for Rahal.

"If you ever ride with me on a bicycle you're going to get headwinds," Filson said.

Philip Joens covers retail and real estate for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-284-8184, pjoens@registermedia.com or on Twitter @Philip_Joens.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: IndyCar spotter with Iowa ties has heart set on RAGBRAI as retirement looms