Indycar Dad Podcast - Ep 7 - Indycar News in 5 minutes 2/5/26
About this episode
Mick Schumacher took his first oval test at Homestead with RLL, aiming to prepare for upcoming tests. Concerns arise for Prema Racing, with only 10 cars spotted at their shop, indicating potential struggles this season. The Freedom 250 race is confirmed for Washington DC, while McLaren unveiled their 2026 cars. Notably, Roman Grosjean made a surprise appearance at Media Day, and Dario Franchitti is set to race in the Craftsman Truck Series. Excitement builds as testing approaches and the St. Pete race nears.
Here is the Indycar news for the week of February 5th, 2026.
Here is what happened in Indycar this week. Presented in 5 minutes:
- Mick Shumacher Testing. He had the entire track (homestead) to himself. He didn’t crash. Ryan Briscoe is his driver coach. I think that is a great result for the team. But there is no data to work with here. It will be useful to prep him for the Phoenix oval test.
- We have some spy shots of outside the PREMA shop and it doesn’t look good.
- Callum Ilot was interviewed and he also indicated that they don’t seem likely to be at the test days nor at St. Pete.
- The Freedom 250 was put on the calendar. We haven’t seen much detail, but everyone is promising a race in Washington DC as a celebration of our country’s 250th birthday.
- McLaren “launched” their 2026 cars. Considering they look pretty much the same and the chassis and engine is the same, the only thing we missed from that event was some free food. Maybe I’ll get an invite next year.
- It turns out that Romain Grosjean was at media day last week. He wasn’t part of the official images released by Indycar, but pictures of him in an all black firesuit that matched Dennis Hauger’s appeared on Getty Images.
- We all got to see a letter that Roger Penske wrote to Donald Trump. I always admired Roger Penske. I live near him and he always seemed like a guy who spent his money doing things that I would do if I was a Billionaire. I tell you what, I wouldn’t be writing letters to kiss anyone’s ass if I was Roger Penske.
- Dario Francitti will be racing at St. Pete this year. Unfortunately, he will be in a Toyota truck, but it will be fun to see him back and racing competitively.
- Conor Daly said there is a percentage of a chance that he will be at St. Pete in an Indycar.
Prema
"...with driver coach Ryan Briscoe, formerly with Prema, and before that as a driver with Penske."
Prema is a racing team from Italy that helps young drivers compete in car races. They are known for training talented racers.
Prema Racing is an Italian motorsport team that competes in various junior formula racing series. They are known for developing young drivers and have a strong track record in Formula 2 and Formula 3 championships.
Penske
"...formerly with Prema, and before that as a driver with Penske. I think that, you know, you can't really tell"
Penske is a famous racing team in America that competes in car races. They have won many championships and are known for their skilled drivers.
Team Penske is a professional motorsports organization based in the United States, known for its success in various racing series, including IndyCar and NASCAR. The team has a rich history and has produced many championship-winning drivers.
McLaren
"...was McLaren launched their 2026 cars. They said, you know, there's a lot of continuity with the team."
McLaren is a company that makes fast and expensive cars, often seen in racing and on the roads.
McLaren is a British automotive manufacturer known for producing high-performance sports cars and supercars, as well as their involvement in Formula 1 racing.
2026 cars
"...was McLaren launched their 2026 cars. They said, you know, there's a lot of continuity with the team."
When they talk about '2026 cars', they mean the new models McLaren plans to sell in that year, which may have new features or designs.
The mention of '2026 cars' refers to McLaren's upcoming models that are expected to be released in the year 2026, likely featuring advancements in technology and design.
Indy 500
"...who that is, but he won the Indy 500 three times and he left IndyCar to move up to like a NASCAR career..."
The Indy 500 is a famous car race that takes place every year in Indianapolis. It's known for being very challenging and is a big event in the world of racing.
The Indy 500 is one of the most prestigious automobile races in the world, held annually at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is part of the IndyCar Series and features open-wheel racing cars competing over 500 miles.
NASCAR
"...to move up to like a NASCAR career, which didn't work out that well. But he also got in some bad wrecks..."
NASCAR is a type of car racing that happens mostly on oval tracks in the U.S. It's known for its fast cars and exciting races.
NASCAR, or the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, is a popular motorsport organization in the United States known for stock car racing. It features a series of races on oval tracks and is famous for its high-speed competition.
Craftsman Truck Series
"He's driving a Craftsman truck series truck or whatever they call that series now, and so we'll get to see him run and he'll be around."
The Craftsman Truck Series is a type of racing where drivers compete in specially designed pickup trucks. It's part of NASCAR and includes races on different types of tracks.
The Craftsman Truck Series is a professional pickup truck racing series in the United States, part of the NASCAR organization. It features modified trucks competing on various tracks, showcasing both speed and driver skill.
Ganassi Racing
"he's that technical advisor or something like that for a ganassi racing, so."
Ganassi Racing is a well-known racing team in the United States that competes in different types of car racing. They have a strong reputation and have won many races and championships.
Ganassi Racing, officially known as Chip Ganassi Racing, is a prominent American motorsports team that competes in various racing series, including IndyCar, NASCAR, and sports car racing. The team is known for its success and has won numerous championships.
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