Juan Manuel Correa is an Ecuadorian American racing driver. At age 14, he moved to Europe to chase the dream of reaching Formula One, considered by many to be the most prestigious form of global motorsport.

At one point, he was the closest American to reaching F1. That all changed in 2019 during an F2 race in Belgium — Correa was involved in a crash that left him severally injured. Another driver died.

Correa’s legs were shattered and he spent weeks in a coma, having lung complications along the way. He says the lengthy rehab time after the accident effectively ended his chance of racing in F1.

“The path to F1,” says Correa, “it’s a train that goes by once and if you miss it, it’s very difficult that it’ll come by again.”

Correa resumed his racing career once he felt healthy enough to do so. But even after returning, he says it wasn’t until late 2023 that he started to feel like himself again behind the wheel.

Now he’s racing in America, competing in the Indy NXT Series for HMD Motorsports at this weekend’s Detroit Grand Prix. Correa says he’d be happy racing in anything, whether it’s in open-wheel or sportscar, but wouldn’t turn down an opportunity to progress into IndyCar if given the chance.

“I’d like to be getting paid to drive a racecar,” says Correa, “and I’m very lucky to be so close to being in that position.”

The Detroit event marks Correa’s second race weekend in Indy NXT. He says his immediate goal is to continue learning the cars and how racing works in America, having been in Europe for most of his career.

IndyCar teams and drivers hit the streets of downtown Detroit next week for the city’s annual Grand Prix. That will come after this weekend’s running of the Indianapolis 500 — known as the world’s largest single day sporting event.

However, there’s a cloud over this year’s race, as the team and series owned by Detroiter Roger Penske are embroiled in scandal. The issue stems from an illegal part found on two of the Team Penske cars during Indy 500 qualifying last weekend.

Despite the discovery, other teams complained they had notified officials of the rules breach weeks ago. It was even found that the Team Penske car Josef Newgarden drove to victory in the 2024 Indy 500 has the same illegal part on it as it sits in the speedway’s museum.

Compounding frustrations among competitors, this isn’t the first time Team Penske has been caught in a technical scandal. It was discovered last year that the team had illegally mapped a button on the steering wheel to give the cars more power.

Like this year’s infraction, that rules breach wasn’t discovered until after Team Penske used it in competition.

The underlying frustration is that Roger Penske owns Team Penske and owns the IndyCar Series, which staffs all of its officiating in-house. It’s left competitors frustrated about possible conflict of interest when it comes to upholding rules.

The two cars found with illegal parts will start from the back of the field at this weekend’s Indy 500 and Roger Penske has fired his IndyCar team’s senior management. But questions about the integrity of officiating in the IndyCar Series still exist.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

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President Donald Trump was in Michigan on Tuesday, visiting Selfridge Air National Guard Base before speaking at Macomb Community College. The White House says the trip was in celebration of his first 100 days in office.

Selfridge Air National Guard Base

Selfridge has operated a fleet of A-10 Thunderbolt II Warthogs since 2009. But with that plane retiring, questions over whether the base would get a replacement have muddied its future. Those concerns are now eased. During his visit, President Trump announced Selfridge will receive 21 new F-15s. “This is the best there is anywhere in the world — the F-15EX Eagle II,” Trump said. “This will keep Selfridge at the cutting edge of Northern American air power.” Trump added there are also plans to update the refueling planes at Selfridge. The president was joined at the announcement by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who he credited with bringing the bases need for a new plane to his attention.

Macomb Community College

After Selfridge, the president headed to Macomb Community College, where he gave a campaign-style speech to a crowd of supporters. Trump used his time at the podium to tell the crowd he’s making good on promises, including on tariffs and immigration. He also told the crowd he’s making good on promises on topics like immigration, and took aim at ongoing court battles against his administration. “We cannot allow a handful of communists and radical left judges to obstruct the enforcement of our laws and assume the duties that belong solely to the President of the United States,” Trump said. The administration is facing a number of legal challenges over its handling of deportations and funding cuts. A federal judge ordered the White House to restore $12 million in funding to Radio Free Europe. Despite stock market volatility in his first 100 days, Trump told supporters he feels his economic plan is working. The president also repeated criticism of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for not lowering interest rates, telling the crowd that Powell is doing a bad job. “You’re not supposed to criticize the Fed,” Trump said. “You’re supposed to let him do his own thing. But I know much more about interest rates than he does about interest rates — believe me.” The Federal Reserve has said it’s holding off on cutting interest rates for now in order to fight inflation. Some economists say tariff uncertainty isn’t making the Fed’s life easier.

A bill package from last year’s legislative session aimed at improving water affordability has been reintroduced in the Michigan Senate.

Senate Bills 248-256 would cap water rates for some residents living below the federal poverty line and protect them from shutoffs. The legislation also includes a funding mechanism to support water infrastructure.

First-term state Rep. Tonya Meyers Phillips, who represents Hamtramck, Highland Park and parts of Detroit, says water affordability is a moral issue.

“Water shutoffs disproportionately effect low-income families, seniors and communities of color,” Meyers Phillips said. “These are the same communities that already bear the brunt of environmental injustices.”

State Sen. Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit) is a co-sponsor of the bill package. She says around 300,000 Michigan households could benefit from a statewide water affordability program.

“Water is not just a resource,” Chang said. “It’s something that every human being needs in order to live, yet too many families in our state are struggling to afford their water bills or have in the past faced the threat of shutoffs.”

Chang says she expects the bills will receive bipartisan support and make their way to the House in the coming weeks.

WDET’s CuriosiD series answers your questions about everything Detroit. Subscribe to CuriosiD on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode of CuriosiD, we answer the question:

“What happens to old fire trucks in Detroit?”

Fire trucks are among the most recognizable vehicles on the road. They’re big, red, loud, and built to respond when lives are on the line. But what happens when these machines are retired from service?

WDET listener and Detroit Fire Department cadet Kevin Snook reached out to CuriosiD to find out.

“I have family that are first responders,” Snook told WDET. “My dad was a cop for many years, but I decided to take a different route right out of high school, and that led me to the fire service. I’ve been seeing a lot of different trucks at the stations and started wondering — where do they all go when they’re retired?”

The short answer

There’s no single answer, but the journey of a fire truck after its last alarm can take a few surprising turns.

Fire trucks have deep roots in Michigan’s automotive past

Detroit has long been home to some of the most well-known fire truck brands in the country. That includes Spartan Motors, based in Charlotte, Michigan, and Seagrave Fire Apparatus, which started in Rochester in the 1800s.

“Fredrick Seagrave originally made ladders for apple picking,” said David Egeler, director of operations at the Michigan Firehouse Museum in Ypsilanti. “His equipment became popular, and his business grew so much that he moved into the city in 1881.”

Seagrave later moved to Columbus, Ohio, and now operates out of Wisconsin. It’s the oldest continuously operating fire apparatus manufacturer in the country, and many older rigs in metro Detroit still bear the Seagrave name.

The Michigan Firehouse Museum maintains 15 vintage fire trucks, all in running condition. Some of them still roll out for local parades and events.

“When Michigan won the national football championship and had their parade in Ann Arbor, we took three of our fire trucks,” Egeler says. “Coach Harbaugh, team captains, and staff rode on them.”

Some end up in collections, others are scrapped

There’s a collector’s market for fire trucks, much like classic cars. Egeler says some retired firefighters buy trucks they once worked with, while others look for specific models or brands.

A second life in service of remembrance

One notable exception is a restored 1937 Seagrave safety sedan used by the Detroit Firemen’s Fund Association.

“Traditionally, we’d place a firefighter’s casket on top of a fire engine during funeral processions,” says John Bozich, a trustee with the association. “But modern trucks are too large for that.”

To honor fallen firefighters in a more fitting way, the group restored the 1937 sedan. It looks original from the outside, but inside, it’s a complete rebuild —new engine, wheels, transmission, and frame.

“There were less than 100 made and Detroit bought 93 of them,” says Arnie Nowicki — a retired Detroit fire chief who helped lead the restoration project. “Those apparatus became known world-wide as the Detroit safety sedan.”

The $300,000 restoration, funded through donations and volunteer work, now allows the vehicle to be used for funerals throughout the region.

“Where the hoses used to go in the back, that’s where the casket is placed,” Bozich said. “There’s also room for pallbearers inside.”

Mark Bilancetti, a machinist with the Detroit Fire Department, was one of the first volunteers to help with the restoration and has maintained the vehicle ever since.

“It’s been a labor of love,” Bilancetti said. “We let the firefighter’s children or grandchildren ride up front, ring the bell, step on the siren. It means a lot to families.”

So where do fire trucks go when they retire?

Most are scrapped or sold off, but some live on for decades as museum pieces, collector items, or tools of remembrance.

“It’s easier to celebrate a firefighter’s life when you can take them to their final resting place in something that meant so much,” Bilancetti said.

We want to hear from you! 

Have a question about southeast Michigan’s history or culture?
Send it our way at wdet.org/curiosid, or fill out the form below. You ask, we answer.

More from CuriosiD:

• How did Ann Arbor get its name?
• Does Gen Z know who Bob Seger is?
• What is the oldest bar in Detroit?

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