Rich Archbold: Grand Prix flagman started waving checkered flag when he was 3

Aaron Likens waved his archetypal checkered racing emblem erstwhile helium was 3 years old.

He’s ne'er stopped — adjacent 35 years later.

Likens, a St. Louis resident, is present astatine the apical of his profession, serving arsenic the flagman for the afloat 2021 NTT IndyCar Series, which includes the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach contention Sunday, Sept. 26.

“I conscionable emotion racing and perfectly emotion my clip successful the emblem stand,” Likens told maine past week during a speech astatine the emblem stand, adjacent the start-finish enactment connected Shoreline Drive. “When I’m connected that stand, I person the exuberance of a 5-year-old astatine Christmas time.”

His flamboyant, flag-waving benignant has been described arsenic “two butterflies dancing.”

And Likens’ travel to the apical of the emblem basal has been unthinkable — and unlikely. Likens, you see, has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum upset and a sensitivity to large noises.

IndyCars are truthful large that erstwhile they contention successful Long Beach, you tin perceive them successful San Pedro.

“I know, I know. I hatred large noises and yet I enactment astatine racetracks. How tin I bash that?” Likens said, anticipating my question. “Some of it is due to the fact that I deterioration a headset, but it’s besides due to the fact that of my large passionateness for racing, which allows maine to woody with it.”

Likens was calved connected Feb. 4, 1983, successful Indianapolis, location of the celebrated Indy 500. During his childhood, Likens’ archetypal emblem basal was a stone helium would basal connected adjacent the thoroughfare wherever helium lived. He’d question a checkered emblem astatine cars going by.

But this wasn’t conscionable immoderate mean checkered flag.

It was a emblem autographed conscionable for Likens by Duane Sweeney, past the longtime flagman astatine the Indy 500. The emblem had been manus sewn by Sweeney’s wife, Mary, who would bargain worldly and chopped 35 squares to make a flag.

“Sweeney and Al Unser, Sr. were 2 of my heroes increasing up,” Likens said, adding that helium had each Indy 500 contention connected portion and would ticker them endlessly. “Somehow, Sweeney had heard that I wanted his autograph truthful helium told his woman to marque different flag.

“At first, she said nary due to the fact that of each the enactment involved,” Likens said. “But Sweeney told her, ‘I don’t person galore fans. He’s getting a flag.’”

It was a imagination travel existent for Likens who had different imagination come.

Then, 2 years ago, Likens had different imagination travel true: He became the flagman for the Indy 500, taking the occupation erstwhile held by Sweeney. Sweeney died successful 2004.

Likens, successful an interrogation successful the St. Louis Post-Dispatch this year, said it was intolerable to picture the feeling helium had erstwhile helium was flagman astatine the Indy 500 connected May 31.

“About halfway done the race, I thought, ‘Oh, my goodness, I’m here,’” helium said. “There are 150,000 radical there. This moment, close here, is perfectly impossible. I had Duane successful my thoughts.”

When Likens was 10, helium moved to St. Louis with his father, a pastor who took connected a caller occupation arsenic elder video shaper for the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.

“I was ever the ‘quirky’ kid, arsenic my teachers described me,” Likens said. “No 1 knew what to marque of maine arsenic I was astute and yet was oblivious to societal situations.”

He said helium was an outcast.

It wasn’t until helium was 20, Likens said, that helium got the close diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome, 1 of a radical of neurological disorders known arsenic autism spectrum disorder.

But due to the fact that helium didn’t person immoderate thought what that was, helium went to the net for information.

“Sadly, the archetypal happening I work astir Asperger’s syndrome was, ‘People with Asperger’s syndrome volition ne'er person a job, won’t person friends and volition ne'er beryllium happy,’” helium said. “That was the archetypal happening I work and I believed it. The effect was I slipped into the deepest depression.”

But helium was helped by his emotion of racing — and penning astatine his computer.

“Through writing, I was for the archetypal clip successful my beingness expressing myself connected the affectional level,” helium said.

In 2008, helium wrote a book, “Finding Kansas: Living and Decoding Asperger’s Syndrome.” The memoir talks astir however unsafe generalization tin beryllium astir radical connected the autism spectrum. He said not everyone with autism is the same.

The publication besides led to him making speeches astir autism.

One of his archetypal presentations was successful 2010 astatine the St. Louis County Police Academy, which has led him to coaching galore instrumentality enforcement departments and different assemblage organizations astir however to interact with radical connected the autism spectrum. He has made much than 1,000 nationalist presentations to astir 100,000 people, galore of them students, to summation consciousness and knowing of individuals connected the autism spectrum.

Four years aft his publication was published, helium was named a Mental Health Champion by the Missouri Department of Mental Health. He besides is simply a nationalist typical for Easterseals, a nonprofit that provides disablement enactment services crossed the nation, including for much than 15,000 individuals and families passim Southern California.

“My motto passim my speaking vocation has been, ‘Understanding is the instauration for hope,’” helium said. “Without the understanding, a schoolroom tin go resentful and possibly adjacent spiteful astatine the antithetic mode students connected the spectrum act.”

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, helium said, much than 75% of radical connected the autism spectrum are unemployed. He said determination was nary casual reply arsenic to why.

“But 1 affirmative is that arsenic knowing increases,” Likens said, “employers are going to beryllium looking for strengths we bring to the workforce.”

Throughout his struggles, the 1 happening that Likens could ever number connected was his emotion of racing. He said helium ever wanted to beryllium a contention driver, but that didn’t enactment retired truthful helium concentrated connected being a flagman.

One of his favourite stories involves legendary contention operator Mario Andretti.

“Three years ago, I was flagman for (United States Auto Club) races involving kids 5 done 16 successful Phoenix,” Likens said. “Mario Andretti was determination and asked maine if helium could emblem 1 of the races. Mario Andretti asking me? Absolutely, I told him.”

Likens said helium has nary peculiar benignant successful waving the antithetic colored flags: greenish for starting, yellowish for caution, achromatic for 1 thigh to go, reddish and yellowish for immoderate debris connected the track, and checkered, of course, for the winner.

But the question of Likens’ flags is precise accelerated and rhythmic, frankincense the likening to butterflies dancing.

“I’m truthful passionate astir racing that, erstwhile I’m waving those flags, I conscionable seizure the excitement of the moment,” helium said.

Likens volition stock flag-waving duties Sunday with Bryan Howard successful the emblem stand, precocious supra the racetrack.

“I person the champion spot astatine the race,” Likens said with a grin, “except for the drivers.”

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