SPEEDWAY, Ind. (WISH) — Former Vice President and former Indiana Gov. Mike Pence made his way to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Carb Day on Friday.

Sports 8’s Angela Moryan caught up with Pence.

Angela Moryan: “Mr. Pence, thanks so much for joining us on Carb Day. It’s a national holiday today in the state of Indiana. Why is it important for you to come out here?”

Mike Pence: “I’ve been coming to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, I think, since I was four years old. My wife Karen saved money on a paper route to buy her first ticket when she was 13. So we’re race fans and just had to be out here today and to see the crowd out here on this special day and to see a great weekend. There’s nowhere like Indy on Memorial Day Weekend.”

Moryan: “And it’s a sellout for the first time in nine years. How have you seen the excitement of the Indy 500 grow over the last few years?

Pence: “Well, look, it’s a tribute to all the racers, all the teams. But I had a chance to thank Roger Penske this morning. I toured the new museum here at the Speedway, and to see the commitment that Roger Penske and his family have made. They’ve taken what was a great American tradition and made it greater still. And all of us in Indiana and all of us race fans will always be grateful.”

Moryan: “I know you got a busy day. You got to go, but I can’t let you leave without giving me a pick on who you think is going to win this race. So, who you got?”

Pence: “Well, I got to tell you, Ed Carpenter has been a favorite for years. He’s a friend, a hometown favorite, and a spectacular racer. But I’m not sure this isn’t the most competitive field we’ve ever seen. And of course, you’ve got some multiple time winners in the field. So we’re just going to be praying for a safe race and we’ll be cheering them on.”

Moryan: “Mr. Pence, thank you so much for your time.”

Pence: “Good to see you. Thank you.”

The 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday.