Kirkwood, Helio, Abel, Lundgaard, & Scotty Mac
About this episode
Kyle Kirkwood’s Indy 500 weekend gets discussed through the lens of delays, qualifying rhythm, and race-day nerves—rain and lightning can stretch the schedule, and the hosts talk about how quickly things change once you’re on track. The conversation then shifts to setup consistency (including Firestone tire-related composite chemicals), pit-stop focus, and strategy shaped by wind, heat, and hybrids. Drivers weigh in on confidence, starting positions, tire warmup, and why even the fastest car can be derailed by a clutch issue.
Hinch spends Media Day 2026 with Kyle Kirkwood, Helio Castroneves, Jacob Abel, Christian Lundgaard, and Scott McLaughlin before the 110th running of the Indy 500
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tires are cold
"put enough emphasis or I overthought, oh, my tires are cold. So I'm going to have to go really aggressive on this."
Cold tires don’t grip as well. When the tires are still warming up, you usually have to drive a bit more gently until they get up to temperature.
In racing, “cold tires” means the tire hasn’t reached its ideal operating temperature yet. Rubber grips less when it’s cold, so drivers often adjust their driving (and sometimes their first laps) to build heat before pushing hard.
get my tires hot
"But I just want to know, like, in that moment, was that something you were actively thinking, oh, I need to get my tires hot here? I remember coming up out of turn four"
Drivers want their tires to warm up because warm tires usually stick to the track better. They may change how they drive to bring the tires up to the right temperature.
“Getting tires hot” refers to bringing the tire to its working temperature range so it can generate more grip. Drivers watch tire temperature data and change throttle/braking inputs to heat the tires without overheating them.
temperatures
"I remember coming up out of turn four and I looked at my temperatures and they were very cold. And I was like, okay, I'll be a little bit more aggressive."
They’re talking about tire temperature readings. If the tires are too cool, you don’t have as much grip, so drivers use the numbers to decide how hard to push.
Here, “temperatures” refers to tire temperature readings the driver checks to judge grip and heat level. Tire temps are used to decide whether the car is ready to push or if the driver needs to adjust inputs.
throttle
"Like, you know, and I, I don't even, I was very delicate with the throttle and looking at the data. It was just one of those things"
Throttle is how much you press the gas pedal. In a race, the exact way you use it can change how much grip the tires have.
Throttle is the driver’s control of engine power by opening the accelerator. In racing, how delicately (or aggressively) you use throttle affects traction and tire temperatures—especially when tires are still warming up.
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