Juan Pablo Montoya promised to put the smile back on the faces of Americans traumatised by the recent terrorist atrocities at Sunday's United States Grand Prix.
The Colombian has backed the decision to let the Indianapolis race go ahead, believing it will bring a respite - albeit a temporary one - to a nation still mourning the dead from this month's attacks.
"I thought it was very sad what happened, but the way I look at it, you can't really stop life," said Montoya, who scored his maiden win in Formula One at the last race in Italy.
"I think coming here to the race you're actually going to take people's mind off it and help them forget about everything that's happened and give them something to cheer about for a couple of days".
Montoya, who won the famous Indy 500 race last year, said: "It was a decision made by the organisers. As a driver, I didn't see a problem coming here".
Montoya's views are in contrast to team-mate Ralf Schumacher, who said at the last race in Monza that Sunday's event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway should be called off for safety reasons.