“CART” (Championship Auto Racing Teams) was the predecessor/parallel top-level open-wheel series in the U.S. before it later merged into what became today’s IndyCar. This segment uses “cart Indy car series” to place Alex’s early career in that specific era.
This is a professional IndyCar racing team. The idea is that the driver is supported by a whole organization—engineers, crew, and shared resources—so it’s not just one person driving alone.
This refers to a serious racing accident at a track in Germany in 2001. The host is pointing out that it was a major moment in Alex Zanardi’s story and why people around racing still remember him.
They’re talking about a problem that happened during a restart at Long Beach. Officials investigated what went wrong with the push-to-pass system and decided how to handle it.
Push to pass is a button drivers can press in IndyCar to get a temporary power boost. It’s designed to help with passing, but if the system acts up, officials have to decide what to do.
A race restart is when the race resumes after a caution or delay. During restarts, there are specific rules, including when certain power features are allowed.
Sometimes races use a different line on the track to decide when a restart rule “starts.” Crossing that line is what tells the system and officials that the new phase of the race has begun.
The green flag means the race is really on—drivers are allowed to race at full speed. Officials use it as the official start point for when rules kick in.
Team Penske is one of the big, well-known IndyCar racing teams. The hosts mention it because the discussion involves drivers from that team.
Concept
hot takes
A “hot take” is a strong opinion shared quickly, often without checking the details. In racing talk, it can mean people reacting online without fully thinking it through.
A software glitch is a mistake in the computer code that makes something act wrong. If it happens during a race weekend, it can sometimes give a team an advantage they didn’t earn.
Concept
system work when it wasn't supposed to
They’re talking about a system doing something it wasn’t designed to do. In racing terms, that usually means it’s being used in a way that breaks the rules.
The Indy 500 is IndyCar’s biggest race. People look at testing results to guess which teams will be strong there.
Brand
Indredi
“Indredi” sounds like it’s referring to Andretti, a major IndyCar team. The host is saying that team looked especially notable in the testing.
Concept
full body fit
It means the car’s body panels and aero parts are set up exactly like they’ll be for racing. Even small differences can change how the air flows over the car and how much it slows down.
Concept
month of May speedway vehicles
This is the version of the car teams prepare for the Indianapolis 500. They set it up specifically for the oval so it’s stable and fast over long, high-speed runs.
Low drag means the car is shaped and set up to push through the air with less resistance. On high-speed tracks, that helps you go faster for the same power.
Concept
Indy-only open test
This is a special practice period for the Indianapolis 500. Teams use it to try things and collect data so they’re better prepared for the big races later in May.
Concept
road course cars swapped over to Long Beach / Barber-type cars
Teams don’t always run the same setup. They swap the car’s configuration depending on the track, because each track needs different handling and aero balance.
Suspension settings are how teams adjust the car’s ride and handling. The goal is to keep the tires working well and the car balanced as conditions change.
Concept
airflow blockage
Airflow blockage means some part of the car is disrupting the air before it reaches the surfaces that need it. That can hurt downforce or make the car less efficient.
Ride height is how high or low the car sits relative to the track. Changing it can change both handling and how the car’s aero “grabs” the air for grip.
Downforce is the aerodynamic “suction” that helps the tires stick to the road. A downforce package is the set of aero parts and settings teams choose to get the right grip.
A wind tunnel is where they put a car model (or parts) in moving air to measure how it affects speed and grip. It helps teams understand aerodynamics before track testing.
“Chevy” here means Chevrolet. The question is whether the Chevrolet-powered cars will be quicker in the next race.
Brand
Arrow spec
“Arrow spec” is shorthand for a particular IndyCar aero setup. The question is whether the team changed that aero package after last year to get ready for this year’s race.
Anti blow over flaps are small aero pieces meant to keep the car stable and prevent it from getting “blown” around by airflow. They help reduce the chance of the car becoming unstable at speed.
Rear wheel blockers are parts near the back tires that change how air flows around the wheels. That can improve stability and reduce unwanted aerodynamic effects.
Rear tire ramps are shaped aero parts near the rear tires that help manage airflow. Adjusting them can change how stable the car feels, especially at speed.
Brand
Penske speedway
“Penske speedway” refers to a Penske-run oval/track environment associated with Team Penske’s racing operations. The listener is comparing what kind of car/conditions they expected to see relative to a Penske track-equivalent setup.
They’re describing a spare car that was meant for road courses, not ovals. Converting it to oval “speedway spec” takes more than swapping parts—it’s a different setup and build goal.
“Speedway spec” just means the race car is set up for an oval track, where you’re trying to go as fast and stay stable at high speed. It’s more than swapping parts—it’s the whole setup and build aimed at that track type.
The host is talking about people switching teams and bringing what they’ve learned. Even if they don’t take software, their know-how can still make the new team faster.
In racing, the “paddock” is basically the working area where teams set up and do their jobs between track sessions. It’s where people share ideas and methods.
“Bumped” means a car can lose its spot if another car goes faster. The host is saying that if the car isn’t as quick, teams may need to react quickly to avoid that outcome.
Company
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing is the other IndyCar team in the discussion. They’re saying the teams don’t fully share setups, but they may compare data if one side is having trouble.
Ryan Bold Racing is one of the racing teams being talked about. The hosts say the connection is mostly sponsorship, with only occasional help through data review.
Hunkos Hauling is mentioned as a team sponsor/partner. The discussion says they’re involved in a deal where teams may share some performance information if one is falling behind.
This is about which company makes the engine a racing team uses. If two teams use different engine brands, they may have different strengths and technical details.
In racing, teams sometimes share information to help each other go faster. Here, they’re saying it’s not a full information-sharing agreement—more like they’ll compare notes if someone is having trouble.
Penske Entertainment is the organization tied to Roger Penske that helps run the IndyCar/Indy 500 business side. Here they’re being asked to decide how many teams/cars the event should aim to accommodate.
Company
Racer.com
Racer.com is a website that covers racing news. The host is saying the details will be posted there.
The entry list is the official list of teams and cars that are allowed to race. If a team doesn’t submit its entry by the deadline, it can’t participate.
During Indy 500 qualifying, there are only so many spots in the race. If someone qualifies later with a better result, they can “bump” an earlier car out of the field.
A contingency plan is a backup plan you prepare ahead of time. The host is saying IndyCar should plan early in case the race doesn’t get as many entries as hoped.
In Formula 2, the “calendar” is the schedule of races. If dates change, drivers may suddenly be unavailable, so teams have to scramble to keep the race field full.
Races like the Indy 500 have a limit on how many cars can start. If the series is short one car, the last spot becomes a big deal and everyone has to figure out how to fill it.
“Engine leases” means a team rents or contracts engines instead of buying them. If a new car needs to race, the engine has to be available and ready, not just the driver.
Term
tractor brakes fail
They’re describing a worst-case logistics problem—something like the vehicle hauling the race car can’t brake properly. It’s used to emphasize that teams need backups in case of emergencies.
Concept
truck and transporter
The “truck and transporter” are the vehicles that haul the race car and equipment to the track. If you’re adding an extra entry, the car still has to physically get there and be ready.
The hosts mention “33 entries” and “extra entries,” referring to the Indy 500 entry field size and how additional entries can be added beyond the standard set. This matters because it affects how many drivers/teams can realistically get a seat.
Bump day is part of Indy 500 qualifying where teams fight to get into the starting lineup. If you’re not fast enough, you can get pushed out by someone quicker.
Open-wheel cars have the wheels exposed, and they’re built to grip the track using aerodynamics. Drivers who grow up in open-wheel racing usually learn the specific driving style needed for those cars.
Here, “mileage” means how much time a driver has spent driving and learning the car on track. The point is that experience in that specific car matters.
Practice qualifying is a session where teams test their speed and car setup before the real qualifying. It helps them figure out what adjustments they need so they’re ready for the race.
Full-time teams are teams that compete in most or all races of the season. Part-time teams only show up for certain events, so their planning can be different.
Strategy in IndyCar usually means planning how to manage the race—especially decisions like pit stops, fuel usage, and timing relative to cautions. Small strategic mistakes can swing results because track position and fuel/tires are tightly linked.
In IndyCar and other race series, teams stop in the pits to tweak the car. Even small changes—like how much downforce the wing makes or how much air is in the tires—can help the car handle better as the track and weather change.
“Wing in or out” means changing the rear wing setting. A bigger downforce setting helps the car stick to the track, while a smaller setting can make it faster on straights.
Teams can change tire pressure in the pits. That affects how the tire grips and how the car feels, especially as the tires heat up and the track conditions change.
Concept
backup roll (eligible driver)
They’re talking about what happens if a driver can’t continue. There’s usually a backup/alternate driver who can step in so the team still has someone allowed to drive the car.
In IndyCar, a “charter” is basically a guaranteed spot/entry right for a team. The hosts are debating whether restricting races to chartered teams makes the series more stable or unfairly blocks newer teams.
A full-time IndyCar team is one that races most of the season, not just a few events. The discussion suggests charters are being used to benefit the teams that already run full-time.
IMSA is a sports-car racing series in the U.S. The host mentions it as another place teams could come from when trying to get into IndyCar.
Topic
Indy NXT
Indy NXT is a lower-level IndyCar-related series that helps develop drivers and teams. The host mentions it to discuss whether those teams should have an easier path to IndyCar.
Rick Hendrick is a well-known motorsports team owner figure. The host is basically saying someone like that could afford to enter IndyCar, but the timing/connection matters.
They’re talking about what it’s like for new IndyCar drivers when they join a team. The key point is that the team’s engineers and constant learning are a big part of how rookies adapt.
Andretti is a well-known IndyCar racing team. The host is saying Andretti is investing in a driver’s future and keeping him around because of his potential.
IndyCar doesn’t just crown the winner of one race—it adds up points over the season. When they say someone is “two races worth of points” behind, they mean the gap is big in the overall championship standings.
“Title contending” means the driver is actually in the running to win the championship for the whole season. It’s not just having a good race—it’s doing well often enough to stay near the top in points.
The championship is the overall season prize, decided by points across many races. Even if you win some races, you still need enough points to finish the season at the top.
Topic
within-team hierarchy
They’re talking about who looks strongest inside the same race team. Even if you’re doing well overall, teams still want to see who’s clearly the top driver.
“Seagull” sounds like a name someone uses for a specific race car or entry. It may not be the official brand and model you’d see on a showroom car. In the podcast, it’s probably being used to identify one of the cars in a group.
A turbocharger can push extra air into the engine to make more power. “Boost” is that extra pressure, and IndyCar can limit how much you’re allowed to use.
They’re discussing a manufacturer’s planned entry for 2028 and whether IndyCar will let it start competing a year early. It’s basically about timing and what the rules allow before the official entry begins.
IndyCar teams can have guaranteed spots called charters. The hosts are talking about whether a team can enter races without that guaranteed slot, and what IndyCar rules allow.
A “full-time entry” is when a team races in basically every event on the schedule. Here, they’re contrasting that with teams that aren’t running the whole season. The point is that the rules might still give an Indy 500 winner a chance even if they weren’t full-time.
Hendrick Motorsports is a well-known racing team. In this conversation, they’re used as an example of a big, high-profile organization that could boost attention for the series. The host is basically saying that if a team like that got involved, it would matter a lot.
Term
bumpless qualifying weekend
They’re using a playful IndyCar phrase about qualifying being smoother and less chaotic. The question is basically: what could IndyCar change to make the qualifying weekend more fun to watch?
Topic
IndyCar qualifying weekend
They’re talking about IndyCar’s qualifying weekend and how to make it more interesting for fans. The host asks what IndyCar could realistically do to improve the event.
At IndyCar races, there’s a special area called the pit lane where teams work on the car during pit stops. People working there often spend hours on their feet moving around between the garage and the track.
LED panels are lighting pieces made with LED bulbs. On race cars, they can be used for visibility and signals, and the racing series may have rules about how they’re used.
Concept
F2
F2 is a racing series that helps drivers gain experience before moving up to the top level. People compare it to F1 because it’s part of the same career path.
F1 is the top-level open-wheel racing series worldwide. When they say it intersects with F1, they mean there’s overlap in how drivers and teams relate to the top tier.
LIVE
Welcome to the Marshall Pruitt podcast and your week in IndyCar listener Q&A
show heading into this weekend's Sancio Grand Prix. Good old Indianapolis
road course. What two days off Sunday and Monday and then on Tuesday we jump
right into opening practice for the 110th Indianapolis 500 y'all. So the
appointment here Friday morning so I won't be at the good old fun on Friday
but will indeed be flying out basically last flight out Friday. I think I get in
at 1, I don't know, 12.30, 1 o'clock something like that Saturday morning and
we'll head to the track however many hours later after I wake up. So look
forward to seeing many of y'all plenty to get through. Ask for your questions
coming out of last week's Indie Open Test. Had a couple developments since then.
Just dive into that the open of the show here myself. Everything brought to us by
our amazing friends at the Justice Brothers, TorontoMotorsports.com and all
put together by our awesome friend Jerry Siddoth. Before we get into your
questions, when I jump into some of the things that have happened or developed
since the last episode, lost just a friend to so many. The amazing Alex
Zanardi. I feel stupid to say that this one hit me hard because I think they all
hit me really hard. So I don't know if that's unique to me but I do know that
Alex is somebody who like a Dan Weldon. Dan really comes to mind maybe the
closest driver that I can think of who had as deep a connection with so many
people and that's not said to compare any disrespect to any other dear friends
obviously Justin Wilson's and others but just knowing Dan really was not just
extremely popular but also just seemed to make really deep connections with
people in a lot of people to the point to where folks who never met him felt
like he was a friend or if they got a chance to meet they'd become instant
friends and I think our man Alex Zanardi was very much that guy. Previous
generation prior to Dan this is someone who in his time coming over from
Europe just truly became let's say one of us he was himself that is what made
Alex so spectacular not blending in and assimilating with us but being himself
been noodling on something to write about Alex here and just one of my main
takeaways and I'm writing about is how Alex was our reflection. That's what I
really think of about Alex having been super fortunate to see him from his
first cart Indy car series race in 96 through the end is return getting into
sports cars racing at the Rolex 24 Daytona just gotten to know Alex a bit over
the years would not pretend by saying he and I were deep friends close close
friends I just know that we had a pretty awesome affinity for each other but I
think it was that way for so many people those who knew him for sure if you knew
Alex that was your guy and for so many who never met him or me again maybe saw
him through a chain link fence at a race maybe he signed an autograph back in the
day I think for so many who just saw him through television the nationwide ads
done by Target back then just felt like family the thing that does just stand
out to me most how I think he was just he was our reflection a reflection of
what made that era of the cart Indy car series so amazing we knew it it was
amazing before Alex arrived got to thank Alan Sir Jr. and Michael Andretti
Emerson Fittipaldi Rick Mears Bobby Ray Hall Ma there's so many that came before
Alex that made cart incredible but it was through his childlike wonderment the
big big energy and animation in his eyes the way he spoke about racing in cart
just he held up that mirror back to us just helped us understand how truly amazing things were as he
experienced them as he saw them felt them all the success he earned I just it was such a beautiful
thing to witness it's just what I think of when it comes to Alex there are many other things as
well but that might be the top one of how this man and his journey here made all of us stand up
with pride and he beat the heck out of everybody before too long so even the homegrown drivers
had to respect what he was able to do his excellence but just how much he shared that
was never done in a personal way me my I wasn't him dominating cart with target chip
ganassi racing it's him being part of a bigger team but bringing us along I just it was so special
and I truly can't think of so few examples of where another driver did that and made us to
feel like we were his best friends or co-pilots members of a family went along for that championship
winning ride year after year with him just an amazing person that's not even getting into the
worldwide inspiration that he brought after his unfortunate crash at the Lausitz ring in 2001
losing most of both legs the recovery that I would assume many of you know about
not just the Olympic medals that he won but photos great photos whether it's
former crew member current day crew chief for Alex Polo Ricky Davis Ricky sent a great photo of
when Alex came to the Speedway years ago brought his gold medals and put him around the neck
of Ricky and so many others even some that really didn't know so much really they were part of the
ganassi team at that time but really weren't there when Alex was at his peak and wanted to share
with them right think about that maybe I know your face a little bit or something from TV you
might be a mechanic or an engineer Scott Dixon's car Dario whomever but I don't know you but you're
part of this family that I come from this ganassi family and so coming to visit so many of the
folks who I do know but I made all of these amazing memories with well I see you wearing that same
red shirt and so therefore we're brothers let me put my medals on you
so a huge huge thank you to Alex his wife son's family as many friends
spent the weekend Saturday morning texting with a lot of folks in and around from that era and
yeah just everyone heart sick over this but also knowing that he is at peace
been told by a close family friend that family's at peace as well and that that really really
made me smile so just a huge thanks to Alex for the impact he's had on all of us
there are those that we lose where we think of their racing achievements first
if you knew Alex in person or from afar I'm sure his racing achievements whether it's on a
hand cycle in the Paralympics or Turing car GT car Indy car F1 whatever it might be
I'm sure you have those memories of the man who made victory donuts so famous but I'm also
confident in saying that you're left with some pretty remarkable things from Alex
that make you a better person or see the world in a better way so what a gift what a gift of
a human being what else do we have here before we get into your Q&A hey let's talk about judgment
coming down from Indy car officiating about the push to pass call it a glitch at Long Beach
that late race restart did their investigation found that there was basically a flooding of
messages through the communication system that did not allow the push to pass system to tell all
cars hey systems deactivated on this restart so simplifying that but the rectification
is come up with some new code that will send a single which should be a single clear message to
the cars saying hey not supposed to be functioning right now and the car should without being inundated
by other messages to confuse that information being received prevent that from happening again
the other decision I was aware that a decision was made it was not the decision in the direction
I expected in terms of rules so what happened very briefly for those who might not know or
might not remember just don't give a fart so lap 61 restart at Long Beach was standard practice
for the start of the race and restarts for Indy car to turn off push to pass on that opening lap
again of the race start or race restart glitch happened it stayed on 12 of the 25 drivers were
found to have been pressing the push to pass button in the off chance there was a glitch
12 indeed received about extra 60 horsepower turbocharger boost push to pass boost
some more than others used it I think Felix Rosenkvist who finished second
pressed the button two or three times on that lap for 18ish seconds race winner Alex Palo
pushed it I think twice for 15 seconds or so and there's a diminishing number from there but
first and second place used it the most and there you go Indy car officiating chose to
penalize no one at the time when this was found right after the race in their investigation they
found the cause that I just mentioned and moving forward I was expecting to hear or have a
further clarification saying don't touch the buttons on starts or restarts period we can see it
that's registered we know if you're doing it um don't do it if you do penalty okay just a if there
is a glitch no one's supposed to be taking advantage of it so we're just making it clear well they
they're still not going to get pushed to pass from the true waving of the green flag they've
got to come through and hit the alternate start finish line where that might be for that to become
active on the opening lap but after that it's just wide open push to pass on all subsequent restarts
okay got it effectively smash the button all you want gang um after that initial start takes place
any other starts hey it's just going to be on go have fun I was not expecting that
initial reaction felt like a cop out um felt to me like hey the rules say you're not supposed to
be using this that's been clear it's not a new rule regardless of whether there's a glitch or not
you're not supposed to be using it and okay we clearly see everyone's been in the habit of well
if there were to be I don't want to be left out so I'm just going to smash that push to pass button
was hoping they would just say look don't touch it we'll see it you're going to get penalized
just curb that behavior instead they've said have at it okay I don't love the knock on effect
of glitch call it half the field found using it when they shouldn't and then no penalty and
hey we're just going to kind of open this up so it's all good have fun play with it all you want
in the future I don't know if that's a good look but that's the look they chose will it help
that's the one thing friends where I'm hoping there's a positive to come from this
it would be false to portray most of the street races we've had this year
and certainly the two road course races as being wickedly awesome super dynamic crazy
amounts of passing especially up front and yeah could a little bit more freedom to use push to
pass on restarts be something that helps the show I don't know I can't think of how considering how
25 drivers would all be using it at the same time in the same way that beforehand when the
system was deactivated appropriately 25 drivers weren't using it so again everybody would use it
everybody will use it you'd be stupid not to so to me that effectively negates
a potential advantage the only scenario I can think of where this could indeed affect outcomes
would be late late race restarts and if driver a has burned through their push to pass or has
three seconds left and hey restart boy I wish I had some left and the driver or drivers behind
them all have more well and that driver with very little and the others who potentially have more
well we would expect the person with less to be at a disadvantage possibly get passed
it just feels to me like this could be a lot of nothing I hope it does something
but thinking through how most races play out I think we'd need that late late race
restart and one or more drivers effectively on empty when it comes to the amount of seconds
left of push to pass for this to be a factor otherwise I think it's just a case of everybody
effectively neutralizing each other and everybody shows up at the first turn with an extra 60 horsepower
on rodent street courses which is not much different than how they got there before so
there's that we'll just share this because to me at least thinking is is something
we are supposed to do if you're in the media at least credentialed to show up to these events
and do things and be trusted to have a little bit of a intelligent voice had a call from a team
IndyCar team principal today who mentioned a couple folks by name but said
uh there are people actually saying on social media your fellow media people
that IndyCar owes Joseph Newgarden Scott McLaughlin the Team Penske drivers an apology
this is all dating back to the push to pass scandal from two years ago
and the principal went on to tell me in words that I certainly could not use in church
but basically like are you kidding me is this something you guys are doing now just like
readily giving things zero thought and just hot takes all day to which I said
um if you're thinking this just started now my guy you are maybe not someone who's been
paying attention for a while because I think most of the world is hot takes with minimal thought
but I'll just say this I mean I can't disagree with their premise I haven't seen it
for those of you who know those who don't I don't spend a lot of time
reading following other people's social media posts I could barely stay on top of what I do
much less other people but assuming what I'm being told is correct yeah that is indeed the
stupidest thing possible and here's the reason why so what happened at Long Beach was a field wide
glitch caused by IndyCar it left all 25 drivers with push to pass available to use when it should
not 12 did 13 didn't okay we know all that stuff for what happened two years ago this was a single team
manipulated software on their cars specifically to be able to push to pass
anytime they wanted they explained it as a legacy thing left over from hybrid testing
and how in those private tests wanted to have push to pass available at all times
and so this was code that they put in boxes they checked whatever whatever and this was just
something that they used in testing as part of that private testing with the hybrids
and oops it was left in all three cars was used by Joseph and Scott at St. Petersburg
was not known at the time at St. Petersburg was brought to light at Long Beach in 2024 during
morning warm up when IndyCar was having problems with their push to pass system
wasn't activating meaning it was turned off for everybody in the warm up teams are allowed to
drivers are allowed to use push to pass and warm up but the penskey cars were seen readily pressing
the button and using push to pass effectively outing themselves as the only ones with push
to pass available to use so the team as they explained to me and swear up and down no intent
all a mistake oops we loaded the wrong configuration and boy right and so no intent
just a habit that on a restart or wherever it was Joseph and Scott happened to be
hitting the button Scott used it briefly Joseph used it a little more we know all the stuff
maybe know all the stuff there they were effectively disqualified afterwards right
but the big difference here and the reason why IndyCar doesn't owe Joseph or Scott or team
Penske an apology is because that team and that team alone had the illegal ability to use push
to pass whenever they wanted so I don't care if other drivers were smashing the button at Long
Beach I do care don't that's actually wrong but in the greater scheme I don't care that they were
pressing the button and got lucky they weren't given the ability to use it whenever they wanted
they were hoping someone else at the series level would make a mistake or a software glitch would
occur something that would make the system work when it wasn't supposed to and they would gain an
advantage this isn't like critical thinking class this to me is like really basic stuff
so a team that has made modifications to their software for whatever reason but a
modification that only allows their car to have an advantage and two of their three drivers take
that advantage and happen to win it right that is something where you penalize and take away
that is what happened already mentioned not impressed don't believe that the 12 who were
pressing that button and gotten advantage including the winner Alex Polo and Felix Rosenkvist in
second uh there were Ray Hall drivers there was at least one or two Penske drivers I don't believe
Joseph did I think I remember McLaughlin and Malukas being users of it seeming just about
everybody at least one person from every team it seemed seems like and again I might be off by a
team or two but call it half the field did it I think they should be penalized just period
the officials chose not to do that that's on them they're wanting to take responsibility for the
mistake but just sharing here like if anybody in the media is trying to say that Indy car owes
anybody an apology please come talk to me because I'm embarrassed for you this does not require
critical thinking classes this is a really basic which one of these is not like the other these
are not the same things at all pretending like they are mystifying so okay uh I think that's
about all that I have here to talk about before we get into the show let's open the show with our
pal Derek Souter says I'm curious as to which teams performances at that indie open test really
trying to preview what we might see the Indy 500 what performance has surprised you the most
uh and also best to you and even more to you uh your wife Chabral thank you Derek
Indredi is the only team that stood out to me as the one where I was expecting to see a little bit
more spoke with our guy Kirk Kirkwood afterwards and said yeah weren't really
concerned about anything did a decent amount of running got in what we wanted to
would say the the overarching thing that jumped out Derek is teams have become so good
top to bottom instead of like yeah the full timers are pretty good like really good but you
know those are the ones that we expect to be pretty good the indie only ones yeah not so much
was really impressed with the overall quality of all 33 entries so that's the first thing that
stood out didn't see anything from any teams that led me in a direction go yep they've got
something we should really be watching or whoa they're in big trouble another thing to point out
I don't know how many teams we had there who actually brought and I should say front running
teams the ones we expect to feature don't know how many teams actually brought their real hardcore
month of May speedway vehicles full body fit low drag everything mechanicals on the car like
thing that jumped out to me most again maybe it's not a surprise I think it's actually just
gonna be this way next year as well final year with this current chassis
just seems like folks are going to the test focused less on real month of May running
things that they can pick up on and get a head start on the month of May by having a really
strong indie open test seen that before it's been the case many times before jumped out to me here
which admittedly it's why I didn't do a post race video on the good old YouTube channel
I didn't see enough that I really felt warranted anything of real analysis or introspection
lots of folks real contenders brought their road course cars whatever it was basically swapped
over their long beach type cars barber type car but
few teams who we would think would be in the hunt for victory showed up in true
indie 500 full spec vehicles therefore the speeds that we saw for the most part were not
fully representative of what we can expect once things get going next week so you go well
then what were they doing for two days well they were working through long long test plans
gonna try this gonna try that whether it's suspension settings whether it is airflow
blockage whether I mean ride heights angles downforce packages trim with
running through all kinds of ideas they've had tried in simulation tried in a wind tunnel or
cfd environment things that have been shaken on rigs show up here for the first time and give
those things a real run verify correlate if the things that you dreamt up tried to game plan
through call it virtual testing off track testing actually matched up and delivered the advantage
that you were told by simulation would be an advantage or not tons of things to try tons of
things to learn many things to prove or disprove weed the ones out that clearly didn't have the
kind of positive effect you were looking for narrow that list down drill into the ones that you
thought were really valuable focus on those leading into practice coming up here next week
and have that call it shorter more refined list to start from so main item oh if I saw any huge
items here is it gonna be a Chevy year on here come on we really do indeed have to see what we see
once we get rolling in proper race trim here next week mark founds says what's the early
read on the ability to pass from anywhere other than being second driver in line says I don't
know anything I don't know that anything showed up during the test to prove or disprove the notion
that more passing will happen third fourth fifth car back also says remind me if any
arrow spec adjustments were made after last year's race in anticipation of the 110th running
there were none none that I'm aware of and and I'll be sure to ask more questions and confirm but
ask that I don't know weeks ago month ago and was told no no arrow changes to the cars
terms of performance there's some new anti blow over flaps that have been added atop the the rear
wheel blockers but no changes that I can think of really elsewhere so yeah haven't heard of anything
mark that would allow drivers farther back in the in the pack to all the sudden pass or they
couldn't last year again other than the anti blow over flaps on the rear wheel ramps rear tire ramps
struggling to think of any other changes to the cars uh Jordan Darwin says I was secretly hoping
Catherine leg would get a penske speedway equivalent car instead of a flight backup long
beach car how close will her car be in speed on race day to the team penske trio um
and then you say some really sweet things and continued prayers from my wife so thank you Jordan
the hmd team that is running the car on behalf of Foyt on behalf of penske uh they have been working
an incredible amount of hours to indeed take a backup road racy street racy car and get that built
to full speedway spec so that isn't just changing components putting on speedway body work
it isn't just body fit for the speedway body work to get the extra mile per hour out of the car
but it's also how the car is built the certain angle that this is positioned the certain way
that this is done there's a lot of tiny tiny little tricks I think most teams know what they are
by now been enough cross pollination or I don't know is it in breeding I'm not sure what the
right way to put it Jordan but the smart person mechanically technically engineering wise over
at this big team left and went to the other one and while they didn't take any uh software items
they shouldn't with them their brain can't unlearn the things they know so if it their new team they
notice that this is not being done the way the other team was that's better well then they say hey
we should do that the way the other team that's better uh is doing it and just apply that throughout
the paddock okay so it's those things how the car is built built to penskey spec that is the part
that hmd has been just wearing themselves out doing and will continue to be wearing themselves out
to get done so that cat whose best speed was about two miles an hour shy of the driver in
30 second like she should be capable of running same speeds as the flight drivers same speeds ish
as the penskey drivers um should be just fine and if not that's actually really interesting concept
i'm not going to go into here for more than 30 seconds but
field of 33 33 entries no risk of being bumped if by chance cat's car is not
equally as fast as her teammates i would absolutely expect team penskey and foite which is already
involved in running the car but i would expect foite to definitely dive in and try and help
find out what's going on to get it up to full speed at the same time i also do wonder if there
would be a look we're going to get you in and get you close but are we going to pull engineers off of
new garden mcglocklyn uh malukas's car to try and rectify this so you could go a little bit better
i do wonder i i'm i feel pretty confident in saying they want her to succeed that's why they
chose her penskey entertainment chose catherine to drive that car like it's a real thing and so
they have a vested interest in her success her going slow not because she does not a drive but
because the car is not capable of going quickly is not a good look for anybody that'd be it'd be
really bad but i do wonder if there are any issues i'm sure they'll help but to what end
how far are they willing to go to make sure she has a car that truly can knock down the
joseph's and the mcglocklyn's and so on hope they don't have to answer that question uh
just as thomas says can you explain the nature of the relationship between dry and ryan bold racing
and hunkos hauling or racing is this purely about sponsorship or is this a true technical
partnership as well um says could be wrong but i think this is the first instance of a partnership
between teams with different engine manufacturers so i'm especially curious how that would factor
into the partnership well i guess if we use abbreviations they are different we could say
dry and ryan bold powered by chevy and hunkos hauling or is powered by chevrolet they are indeed
members of the same engine family so both chevy powered so no issues there
the relationship is this it is sponsorship that's all it is the partnership on the technical side
i asked because like you i was trying to understand they said that there was an alliance or a
partnership or a friendship bracelets were exchanged i forget the exact terminology but
so i just asked like okay so what is it are you guys actually exchanging setup info or like what
are you doing and was told no but we do have an agreement that if by chance dry and ryan bold
team is missing something slow struggling and we at hunkos hauling are doing well or vice versa
we'll look at each other's data and try and help or see if we spot anything that could
improve the others fortunes to get up to speed that's it so not here's my setup sheet here's
my data here's your data it's if there's a problem on either side and one is doing well enough
where you go you know you got something here could you come take a look at our data and see if
anything jumps out and maybe offer some answers on how to do better so not a technical alliance
just more of a buddy system i think that might be the best way to put it a technical buddy system
something like that um i would stop short of calling it friends with benefits but that might
also be an accurate description just not the mental imagery that i'm really wanting to go with
right now so i'm sorry i'm gonna shut up uh joey salements how you doing joey says what would you
propose the series due to prevent the mad dash and wishful thinking of getting to 33 entries every
year welcome to a story i've been writing for a month and i don't really suffer from riders
block so much joey as it is there's about four or five components to the story and they all float
around in my head and they evolve and sometimes four or five things that were all in agreement
write them all down out you go evolve and change and affect the others so i'm still trying to get
that stupid thing finished um a couple things here first is penske entertainment needs to
decide whether it wants more than 33 entries every year at indy and i mean that like is this
something you really want really want the answer is yes i asked that'll be in a story here shortly
on racer.com okay so you do well the series has done a good job behind the scenes for many years
prior to roger penske's purchase uh done a good job kind of assessing the feel hey how many cars
you're gonna bring month of may all teams great get an answer strong feeling at least maybe not
everyone's fully decided yet hey engine suppliers how many engines total do you think you're gonna
support okay cool that's a number that's beyond 33 great uh hey perspectives who's out there right
keep in mind that for any team to participate at indy they gotta file an entry so that means
that information has to come into the series but that usually has a deadline of you know
april first something like that uh not too far out from the race itself so that's actually the
part here joey that jumps out to me is the first item are we going to just kind of wait and see
who all shows up or do we take a more proactive approach that's my first suggestion
mention this to the series when i was at the indy open test i know that they and they being
an array of people over the years right could have been derrick walker when he was president
could have been randy bernard when he was ceo whatever his title was or mark miles or j fry or now
Doug bowls and other folks within whether it was home and george era organization or today's
penskey side there's a number of folks who can go out and get a feel for how many people might be
showing up to play indy 500 each year i don't like what seems to be the kind of take what you can
get or are going to get and then if you have to react react approach this isn't something
and i just again i'm wanting to be absolutely clear this is not something specific to penskey
entertainment this is something that looking back at the numbers because i did want to go back
and put some actual mathematics to things so in the 10 runnings of the indy 500 the 10 most recent
from 2016 through 2025 five of them half of them have had no bumping i've just had 33 entries
eight of those 10 have had 34 entries or fewer 33 or 34 so eight of the 10
have either had no bumping or in the case of three of those eight there was one car that went home
out of the 10 only two have had 35 or more cars one year was 35 another year was 36
but just saying 80 percent of the indy 500 since 2016 have either had just bare minimum of cars or
one more than the bare minimum and guess what we're about to have now 11th year 11th time if we
want to just add the newest year it's back to bare minimum of 33 so that's that's not just a
cure that's an actual trend this is something you can say you know what the odds say
now more than a 50 chance there will only be the bare minimum of entries for the indy 500
that to me just jumps out without a doubt joey as a okay we need to take a completely proactive
approach moving forward there's the hope next year final year of the dalar dw 12 that some of the
teams who've been protecting their extra chassis will say hey we're gonna run everybody there's gonna
be a million entries for next year's race great i hope it happens first year of the dalara ir 28
in 2028 i don't know how many teams are going to be trying to run extra cars i would imagine in
that first year it's probably going to be probably closer to 33 than not so we could be back to the
same issue if i'm indy car i am saying you know what we are getting into the business of contingency
plans well ahead of the indy 500 so to me number one thing take control of your biggest
race your super bowl you're like i might have said this on a show a couple weeks ago but
like we could never fathom the nfl holding the super bowl and finding out in the days leading
up to the super bowl oh man we don't have enough players to hold the game with the correct amount
you'd never see that happen that never sneak up on them i realize that things got a little weird
this year prima going away well there's two cars folks thought would be in the field but weren't
war get started races get rescheduled f2 races get moved that's a wild thing to think about joey
a driver who is an indy car who's now in f2 has had a date conflict and the indy car team was
planning to run him is now no longer going to run him or anyone else
an f2 calendar change pitched the series into a panic on how to fill that 33rd and final entry
that should never ever happen and bless hmd and foite and penske and cathrin leg and her sponsors
and chevrolet and right coalition of the willing came together to make it happen
i'm hoping this is a wake-up call to say even though y'all under a lot of different names
and administrations and eras have been proactive ish go out get real numbers nominate one or two
teams hey you are our delegate to run an extra entry make sure without a doubt engine leases
are ready to go teams are identified activated and look if we end up having the 33 great you're
34 and you're 35 but if by chance there's any drop off hey tractor brakes fail and someone driving
from somewhere has to jump out as the truck and transporter and the super special speedway car
goes firing over a cliff and explodes and looks like a bad episode of the 18 like whatever guess
what we got two other entries locked in good to go every year so that you know what if you get the
33 naturally awesome if not we got one or two ready to go and if we do then cool we got a couple
extras and some folks are going to get bumped there's some other much deeper things to explore
on the finance side the profit side how much it costs to run an extra entry
how much teams want to do it right now and like that's wild and then the diminishing number of
drivers budgeted drivers who can actually afford to pay that number like another thing just throwing
out some of the symptoms and or items to recognize so who comes to mind as the top
driver to call if you need someone awesome to jump in and drive a indy 500 entry
be curious who it is for you jair hildebrand comes to mind right jair hasn't done the 500
for a couple years could i mean he's amazing that has never stopped but he's no longer exactly
walking up and down the indy open test knocking on proverbial doors trying to find opportunities
charlie kimble wanted to do more indy 500s was able to raise some support but wasn't able to
find a seat he's working for a team engineering stand here for 110th indy 500 so chuck who's really
good around the speedway not saying he couldn't jump into a car tomorrow or jr could but
they aren't in that pool of like yep those are known operators get them in cars
kathryn legs been wanting to get back able to make that happen this year stefan wilson
trying like hell going crazy trying to get in no one's been willing to make that possible
devlin defrancisco competed in the race last year trying to get in no one was particularly
interested so the last three are those are drivers with budgets sage caram i'd heard had a budget
and was trying to find a way haven't spoken with sage but i mean we know how amazing he is at the
500 but between jr between charlie and between sage talking about drivers who if we're talking
about best performances been a little while sage may be the most recent in terms of like a
highlight finish just think about that joey so separate from just the business side
v a there's a deep pool of indy 500 specialists or just say they could drive anywhere and do well
but just saying those who we think of is like yep those are some good hands to put into an indy car
at the speedway that pool shrinking now don't get me wrong there are plenty who want to who'd love to
know of a couple of indy nxt drivers asking about opportunities and they want to get in and great
love it appreciate your interest you've never done this before and you might not exactly be
a real threat in nxt so you're on nobody's radar for putting in one of these 33 entries
or extra entries on top of that just think about that this is a worrying thing for me
throwing one more item so of the indy only entries
serious badasses in four of them for sure ryan hunt array indy 500 winner amazing driving for a
great team ed carpenter hasn't won the 500 won multiple polls won multiple indy car races on
ovals badass operator great team uh who else can we think of that's coming in just for the oh
takuma sato two time indy 500 winner a rocket last year rocket at the test like normal um rll
right just truly phenomenal and then you look elsewhere throughout the entry list and you go
okay who else among the indy only entries coming in that again qualifies as like serious hardcore
long-term badass i don't know four time 8500 winner elu castor neves right myershank racing
won the race what 2021 point being with those on the topic of who's out there to fill these seats
well in many instances it's those who can afford the paying the paying opportunities
the number of those folks is shrinking then you look at the badass ones who you'd want to hire
right the indy only specialists the indy only winners winners the indy 500 who come in just
for the indy only i should say ron hon array mid to late 40s takuma sato i think 49 elio 51 ed mid
40s i think 45 there is a super limited runway left for some of these legends of the speedway
who come in each year so forget trying to fill how do we get the extra two three four whatever
paying seats filled the amount of sponsors who want to come in and be a part of elio specifically
for the speedway well it's not going to be doing this forever will those sponsors be motivated to
do this with someone that is an elio or takuma or or or it's another potential void here joey so
uh would say this is the question that gone longer on probably than any other but
yeah the proactiveness certainly would help make sure that we have 33 guaranteed every year with
at least one if not two entries lined up on deck to fill in if need be and if not show up and try
and make the show just looking at the supply of amazing drivers to fill the high-profile seats
much less the ones who can afford the midfield and back seats that is a worrying thing for me my
friend uh chris kalei what are you doing chris this is marshal last week you discussed bump day
and trying to locate quality drivers got me to thinking his older names go out uh where are
these entries coming from says with fox already having success from a nascar doubleheader weekend
would nascar be the best place for entries i know they're direct competitors but
they have a much bigger pool of talent with oval experience what say you um i hear you
oval talent is not the same that's the part that i would maybe clarify for example
nascar has a lot more road races today it has some truly excellent road racing drivers
i cannot think of a single one if they were chucked into an indie car on a road course
that would scare any of the indie car drivers so shared road racing excellence very different
disciplines would not say that a highest level nascar road racer would be someone who bothers
any of the top half of the field if not more in indie car top best of the best oval racer from
nascar i mean i feel like kyle arson maybe falls into that category um can absolutely
be amazing in an indie car but i would not say that his oval experience be it from cup
or midgets or sprints or right necessarily manifested as some sort of advantage i didn't
see him performing at a higher level than any of his teammates i realized experience wise less
in an indie car at speedway than a pato um but so agree with you that really high level
nascar drivers could very likely be extremely good in an indie car
terms of getting them all the way there to not just go quickly that's not necessarily the hard
part it's the consistently fast safely fast there's some squirrely drivers at the speedway
and they're full-time indie car drivers and you go whoa what are you doing folks who just aren't
accustomed to these types of cars how they race how to race them that's the part where you go yeah
i hear you and i don't disagree there's certainly innate oval experience that would help here
same time i'd rather say hey top five kids in indian xt who've hopefully have a couple years
of experience done ovals uh aren't totally unfamiliar with them you've come up in this
open wheel system we might also want to lean on you for something like this nothing like the career
long oval experience as a top cup driver but in terms of having expertise in these types of cars
that's the thing that we've seen kyle larson was the epitome of this where you go
dude you might be the most talented driver on the property but in this car you need more than just
the indie open test in 2024 and the race in 25 and or 24 and then 25 like you need more than that
these cars are so specialized now that even reigning cup champ one of the all-time most talented you
name it was shown to just need a lot more mileage to really give his best in these types of cars so
don't dislike the idea just i would not necessarily assign the top nascar cup oval aces as just being
ringers to climb right in and be amazing at the indie 500 same way i would not expect top
indie car drivers to climb into a cup car at name the big oval and be right there with the best
very specialized disciplines these days uh let's see kasey kirkstra indie open test always gets
me hyped for the 500 me too i wondered is the engine in the car the one they will use for
practice qualifying and the race well for the indie only entries no they are meant to receive
an engine and use that for the rest of the month the rest of the event for the full-time teams
for the most part i mean again there could be an exception or two but basically they show up
using whatever motor's been in the car that still has miles on it and then we'll do a
changeover to fresh motors for the race so uh no not for the full timers in general
but yes same motor for the indian lease uh eric franklin our last one-off winner was 2011
what are the factors that you think would make a one-off a true threat
interesting question my guy i mean we're talking one-off as a team definitely brown
herd autosport there with our boy danie welden would also maybe not think it was too much of a
stretch to include ellio and shank i mean they were part time through 2019 went full time in 2020 and
ellio's entry was truly a one-off for them at the 500 but i get your point i mean they were
running as a full-time team by then but i mean we saw last year with ron hunter range ron rinbull
right i mean one little hiccup away uh on strategian fuel and potentially captain america
could be a two-time 8500 winner so i'd love to say that there's big unknown factors but
qualifying well really does help doesn't mean you can't win from last or the back of the field but
solid qualifying means that more often than not you're starting among better drivers
hopefully safer drivers less prone to get caught up in some silliness and then just
being able to stay there thereabouts the top half of the field for most of the day
the answer here is really about changes making the right changes chasing whatever is necessary
to keep the car in the window of happy operating good speed as conditions change gets hotter gets
colder windier name all the ambient evolutions during a two and a half three hour race you tend
to find that drivers like a hunter ray locked in with a great race engineer great team the driver
and engineer for a one-off the more connected they are the more they understand each other
know what each other either needs from the driver side or is maybe thinking or prone to want to do
in the engineering side the more they are locked in in that capacity to then make the right change
at the next pit stop and it's a little bit of wing in or out tire pressure in or out
little adjustments but to make the car happy and good throughout the run and keep making those
changes as the conditions evolve that doesn't happen by accident probably where I'd place the
real heart of the answer you have you think of a Dan Weldon and Todd Malloy Todd's just
baddest of bad asses we know Danny boy obviously the more you have veterans who know each other
and know the game even if they're working together for the first time I'd say look in those areas
where you go okay those are the ones I'm probably going to lean towards the saying yeah you should
have a better day than those who are rookies and or maybe even just a veteran but race engineer
they don't know and are having to figure out for the first time that tends to be the case connectedness
my guy uh Jeff Stevens if someone crashes and they can't drive who is on the backup roll to make
sure the field is set at 33 it's a question I've been waiting to ask the series for a number of days
now um not sure but I'm wondering if our guy Tony canon will be trying to do a refresher
if he still can I forget the rules but in case there's a need at his team I do hope
IndyCar if for whatever reason Kat is unable to drive her car since that really is the one and
only entry placed into the field by the series that they have someone who is refreshed and
eligible to drive so I don't know the answer to that but I'm hoping to get an answer to see if
indeed that is something they're working towards um William Forrest says once again I see Graham
Rahall with slower non-competitive speeds barely saw him on the track what was happening behind
the scenes of practice yeah I the Rahall team did not seem overly burdened with speed in general
unless your name was Takumasato but he's always fast that trend has continued I other than talking
to Graham a little bit the first morning of the test I actually didn't get a chance to connect
with him to find out so uh wanted to read your question because you sent it in but also do that
sometimes to just be totally transparent and say I don't know and I need to find out and I suck
Lord Fike says what are your thoughts on the only chartered entries moving forward
gonna could be an hour discussion but I'm gonna keep this one super brief does it improve stability
and remove drama will potentially stunt the series growth we losing the magic of one time
race or season entries has up and long gone already yeah the hey we're gonna pop up at
Portland with an extra car show up here that like charter effectively killed that this formalizes it
right starting next year 25 only everywhere we go except for indy year after 27 only everywhere we
go except indy we have a lot of really old team owners lord fike and none of them want to sell
their teams um we have some younger interested team owners some who own cars or have teams that
run an indian xt and have and won championships you know or been front runners etc and I am
concerned about this kind of gatekeeping protect protectionist exclusionist however we might phrase
it this does concern me this all seems to be done for the financial betterment of the 10 full-time
team owners who are given charters and them alone and I get it for those who've been long invested
a j feutz team's been around since the 60s ganassi's team started 1990 and continued on from
pat patrick's team patrick came back later with a different team but run through penskey's been
around since 68 whatever like don't get me wrong there are many teams have been around for many
many decades I'd struggle though to say yeah but like the hunkos team started in 2017 shanks team
started in what 2017 uh shank didn't go full time as I just mentioned till 2020 hunkos came in did
some went away came back then was gone showed up at the end of 2021 right went full time in 2022
so on the strength of three seasons 22 23 and 24 of being full time you get two charters okay
again I don't begrudge anything against them just saying that like so the feutz and penskey's
that have been around for 60 years however long or more and others that have been around for 30 20
40 whatever I get that okay long-standing brick and mortar part of the series we're awarding
this a team that kind of came in and out and in and out and came back but really had only
been full time for three years you get the same two charters as a dale coin who's been around
and I realized he had some years of in and out but dale entered indie car the mid frickin 80s
like okay uh I mean I'm just gonna go with it say sure three years versus 30 plus 40 I don't know
okay well if we're just willing to say that a 60 plus year old team is just as worthy of receiving
charters as one that's really only been full time and active for three years why then wouldn't
some of those who have cars and realize they haven't been full time but have a desire to the
maybe now the ability to to expand a full time why would they truly just be shut out
all together why would there be no pathway to full time participation so this is a part that
I struggle with now I'm just gonna cut it off here that's a part that I just I can't find the
truthiness in that just an arbitrary thing
I want to make sure that those who've been given charters restrict that number so those can
hopefully become very valuable and at some point in time they can cash in or sell half the team or
sell a charter if they want or some mechanism to recoup money these 10 full time teams been
around for a long time for most of them been able to survive all of a sudden now oh my gosh
y'all over here trying to level up coming out of india nxt or imsa nascar or wherever like
if rick hendrick said I want to start a three car indy car team tomorrow full time
chevy has said we're in all we're bringing we're bringing chase elliott
william byron and we're bringing kyle arson full we're leaving nascar
going to indy car bringing most popular driver bringing the ran in champ i don't know we should
go with byron or bowman but anyways i'll leave that up to those who really follow cup but like
unless there was some sort of special exception made for them that the bill abels and henry
malukas's at hmd and the premas and the whomevers they would be turned away is that not insane
if the ferrari formula one team said we're quitting f1 we want to go to indy car
sorry can't get a charter they'd have to buy another team in order to get into indy car ferrari
biggest name in f1 they could surely afford to buy a small team i'm and i'm sure someone would
gladly cash out but that is the part that just blows my mind here no rick hendrick sorry
you're not welcome in indy car
because you weren't here a couple years ago no ferrari
i'll just stop uh mervyn reidt how the three rookies doing at their new teams specifically
behind the scenes the work they do feedback they give engineering understanding etc uh denis
auger special super special uh that kid just listening to him talk with his engineers it's
yeah uh there's a reason why he's the champ there's a reason why andretti's holding on to him
there's a reason why andretti has a future earmark for him at their team uh mik super talented on
the engineering side the team loves him his crew love him worked with three engineers already
eddie jones will be back for this weekend but then andy brown comes in for the first time
he was there for the indy open test but in terms of like kind of race event running um
it's really hard for any rookie driver even one with a lot of experience like mik learning
new car new tracks new team and a steady rotation of new engineers that's pretty tough
kyle at his team kyle collett at foite uh that kid's also steeped in awesomeness
i i truly just give crazy high marks to all three and yeah um bright bright futures ahead for them
let me rip through a couple more questions here and then say farewell to the show
uh darryl finch so an apparel universe where alex polo lives i don't know maybe a conquistador
and he never ends up an indy car which driver would have gained the most success since 2021
and who stands out uh to lose the most uh if polo does dominate for another five six seven years
oh that's a great question darryl and i'm needing to pull up the uh
championship running order here so i can prop properly compared to improperly answer i guess
something like that i don't know my brain i would say it's fried but i i do just
believe y'all fully expect yeah that's actually just kind of normal for this moron um let's see
why don't we go with if not for him who would be really in an interesting place
i wonder how colton's future would have been a little bit different without polo uh kirk's been
here a couple years right but i think we might see i mean kirk just seems like he's right on
pace to where he needs to be last year i did a story about that today or whatever whenever you
listen to this this week on racer about how last year after five races kirk was second place behind
polo 97 points back almost two full races worth of points behind polo after five this year after
five he's 17 points behind in second place like and alex has won three races kirk's won one alex
is obviously doing an amazingly good job but it also tells you that kirk and the andretti team
are in a really good groove um i feel like the answer here might be pato i feel like minus a
polo i feel like we might have seen more out of pato i could be wrong but i do the impression has
landed with me multiple times that the often unsolvable puzzle of alex polo might be a lot of a
mental screw job for pato uh that without him i do wonder if the the pathway would be a little
bit cleaner for him uh to show better i don't know if we're talking championship but um better
colton for sure stands out as well as someone who i think might uh been a little bit higher will
power as well jumps out to me as someone who uh minus polo i don't know if he'd have a third
championship but i feel like he'd have some stronger performances title contending wise than
we've seen if alex remains in place and continues to win championships and win a lot more races than
the rest i'm gonna come back to pato and say man um i wonder if this just becomes the the
check out item of you go like okay i mean look i'm gonna try like hell and our teams are gonna
but we're gonna keep fighting but man this does feel like we're just facing something impossible
i hear a little bit of that in kirk from time to time i mean there are times where polo just
does stuff and you're like yep we're not even close we're instantly playing for second on the day
that happens too many times in a season and your brain shifts over to and we're now playing
for second in the championship um lund guard christian lund guard i think is also in a place
where he's not just fighting to prove where he ranks within his own team hopefully for him
he's wanting to be p1 but also
beyond the internecine fights of whose top in their own team there's also the
what you're our leading contender we expect you to go get polo we know he's really good but
you're not doing that um just saw the head coach of the orlando magic was fired today
realize that he might have had a miscue or two and in the most recent playoff series but
like they've gotten close been in the playoffs the last couple years young team a lot of a lot of
things but like hey we feel like we keep getting close but we can't get close enough or get over
the hump so even though you've done a great job to get us close we're gonna let you go and try and
find someone else who can really be transformational that is the thing that i think of here of like
okay you're number one for us but can you be number one overall that involves beating polo
he's the standard bearer so i look at malukas and go he's a pup he has so much more headroom
to be even better he's third he's third in the standings now so i don't think he's at risk if
he's unable to beat polo for this year next year the year after but i do fear within his own team
right i mean new garden rough arlington rough long beach mcglockland rough couple races arlington
barber they're sixth and seventh they're not much farther behind where malukas is i mean
they're really close could overtake him easily with a strong indy open i'm sorry indy gp but
right it's not just can you beat alex polo it's what is your standing within your own team or
within the paddock if you can't feel like there's a pretty strong recognition that kirk wood
kirk wood should be leading and ready for a long time and who knows maybe when denis gets there
whatever point maybe he'll prove that he's p1 guy i feel like kirk's safe even if he's not
able to beat polo here now or in the immediate future same with malukas pato lund guard new
garden mcglockland rosenkvist armstrong i mean there's some where you go okay uh if you can't
beat polo all right i mean it's not all right but okay but if you're not then even able to be our
number one threat against polo that's where my concerns start to fall for uh some of those
drivers that i just named uh greg dixon you're doing greg uh asked take on the 12 cars that
pushed pass um do we think we'll get the names of those who did yes we did finally you know let me
let me just pull that up and read them as i as i continue to be reminded um the amount of people
who actually read read them word stories today uh even the ones i write man a number seems to be
shrinking uh the list of the 12 and this is going from the most usage to the least the bottom
was graham rayhall who apparently hit the button once but used it for 0.0 seconds so i don't know
if he like hit it hit it before it could even work again work but uh rosenkvist polo kiffin
scott mcglacklin louis foster and graham so in reality yes 12 hit the button only 11 according
to indycar officiating had actual more than 0.0 seconds of additional turbocharger boost so
yeah those are the ones and i'll just say it one more time um i don't care the reason why
whether it should or shouldn't have been available to use whatever uh if it was used it should not
if whether it was available to use or not it should not have been used and i really would have
loved to have seen the uh the officiating follow that end uh elie eifert says mp 2021 i remember
before the race at gateway the made announcement that the race had been renewed for five more years
any word on if gateway will be renewed to remain on the schedule in the future
i haven't heard any word elie but or it could be elie i apologize i'm not sure um i would expect
it to continue because it seems to be a place that folks love going to the crowds are good
indycar loves being there seems like this is just a positive thing so i do not have it on
my radar of being any kind of concern for not continuing um at the end of its uh current contract
uh jeremiah moral how you doing hello jeremiah love to you and sarah and a little baby on the way
uh says let's pretend that conard aley wins indy 500 with dry and ryan bold this may
is indycar prepared to keep dry and ryan bold from fielding a full season effort next year
for their indy champ and a team that has 25 years of history in the series unless they buy a charter
from a team that doesn't want to sell one this daily had some decent sponsorship and that he had to
get placed on the hunko's car with renus as if they win the 500 you have to think the budget is there
for an effort in 2027 um phenomenal question knowing that connor stepfather is indeed the
president of the series um you dug might run indycar dug doesn't own indycar dictate bigger
policy like this and that's not said is any kind of disrespect dug it's just i think we all kind of
know that the penski of the penski entertainment side are the ones really dictating uh some of
the things i i don't think there would be any change man um here's the scenario that blew me away
it's not an answer to your question but it's maybe some insight that jumped out so
been hearing for a little while that acura slash honda slash honda racing corporation us
wanted to get an early start on their 2028 manufacturer entry that myrshank racing will run
that is awarded and activated in 28 new car knew everything got it
it asked hey keep hearing this i assume indycar this will be fine if they want to get started
a year early and just run as a non charter entry right that's the plan that i was hearing about
and i feel pretty confident in saying this had some pretty serious thought put into it
by a lot of folks that i just mentioned and was told in no uncertain terms on background
no this is right around i think during long beach might have been right out again i apologize
if i'm forgetting the exact timing but was told to my surprise no it's nothing super
thousand percent formal no but a pretty hard no expecting only charter-wielding cars to be allowed
at all non 8500 races next year really wow one of your two manufacturers assuming this is all real
and they did want to do it and we're ready to do it if they were to say we want to run this car
a year early get a driver warmed up and learning and that extra entry warmed up and running and
just all good so in 28 strikes like hey we're moving we're doing stuff you wouldn't let them in nope
and then find out a couple days later they indeed sent out a memo formalizing that
so with that said i realized the 5500 kind of a big deal connor daily kind of a big deal at the
8500 him good him go fast him a threat try and ride bold all those attributes and more
if indy car unwilling to let one of their two prized manufacturers get an early start with an
entry that is guaranteed to come to life in 2028 so it's not like crazy exception to let someone
in that what like no they've already said you got one starting in 28 but we're not even going to
let you start a year early what chance does it drier and rine bold that doesn't have a charter
doesn't have the promise of anything coming doesn't have anything beyond an 8500 program
what odds do they stand to being allowed to run full season if connor were able to raise a full
season budget as i understand he's been able to raise call it a half season budget on his own
what chance would he stand just because he won the 8500 i mean
yeah so just saying out loud that yeah um it'd be sad it would be embarrassing it would be
policy set by the series itself and something they would potentially have to pay the price for
unless there's some amendment to policy charter otherwise it says unless the winner of a
race that we love in indianapolis that happens to be 500 miles long is achieved by somebody
in a non charter non full-time entry is therefore granted the ability to compete the following like
there'd have to be caveats but then i come back to the hendrick motorsports for our example
oh but y'all who would absolutely explode popularity and interest in our series no
uh hey one of our two manufacturers kind of a lifeline
no you can't you gotta wait uh but you you won the 8500 well
i don't know if i'm digressing so much as i'm just moving along uh greg the long any chance we
get a sneak peek at the 2028 car during the month of may even a visual i thought that that was gonna
happen i asked someone who would know if the indi open test and was told they do not think it's
gonna happen unfortunately so i think we're looking at a post 500 rendering or something like that
depending on when the story or this podcast goes up i think i filed a story for tomorrow morning
which i mean i could send it through anytime but i think i sent it through for tomorrow morning
i am aware that two ir 28 tubs are already in speedway indiana so a tub or two is there
i don't know if we got a full car uh or if a full car even exists at this point to assemble to
then show but renderings would but i don't believe that's going to happen but i remain open to
possibilities of fun um also curious to see if indi car does anything new to try and spice up
qualifying weekend knowing that there's no bumping and it's just a question of who earns poll and
i guess who starts where but um you know there's no bigger drama to follow curious if they might
throw something in if you're still listening at this late hour would indeed love to hear
some ideas what should indi car do if you're just trying to spice up a bumpless
bumpless i've never used that word before i don't even know if it is a word but we'll just go with it
if you're dealing with sounds like some sort of medication for a rash if you're dealing with a
bumpless qualifying weekend what would you do what is something they could realistically right i'm
not talking about taking a wheel off and making them do it on three tires but you know something
realistic that indi car might do to try and make qualifying weekend a little more fun engaging
entertaining i mean i guess you could throw a bunch of money but again i don't know if that
anyways what ideas what should they do uh in the absence of doing nothing and it being a total
nothing burger other than who's on the poll um what might they do uh all right down to the last
couple dave love 50 says great job of the open test oh sweetie dave um says best to your wife and
your cats thank you as well had rosy in here earlier but she took off uh someone who will be at ims
walking around during practice day one equals uh foot comfort is key and those hoka shoes you wore
during the test are they able to keep your feet from pounding at day's end yes uh my blue hokas
which don't match but are at least in the same color palette as my little hundred dollar blue
cassio watch uh yes and don't really match but i think that my glasses frames are dark blue and
my eyes are darker blue so yeah i'm trying to do a little theme there uh yes so my wife
because she's amazing found she didn't find they existed already we're known worldwide but
for us at least discovered hokas 10 years ago 12 years ago whatever the timing is i feel like
2013 2014 she found them for us and bought some and while i didn't necessarily wear them all the time
um wore some other brands i did switch over to them exclusively especially when i was at my
fattest which is slightly over a hundred pounds more than where i am now they were my feet killed
me at the end of the day but thanks to the hokas and their squishy fat guy souls um they kept it
from being 10 times worse today uh being still way too overweight but a lot less weight than i once
was yeah uh i think on average at indy i walk about five miles a day up and down pit lane and around
so it's not a huge distance sometimes i think eight miles is about uh somewhere between five
and eight miles a day is kind of the norm but the part that is the walking isn't an issue it's the
just standing around and being on my feet for hours and hours and hours and on end so fat guy
on his feet for most of the day plus a decent amount of mileage as well yes those shoes are magic
um have bought them two or three pairs at a time so that as they do wear in the cushion
uncushions which happens for me about nine months six nine months maybe a year um just
have another pair to roll right in um yeah i love them i know some folks say they're expensive
i'm not saying they aren't just they don't seem crazy expensive to me for what they do so something
that i can wear out and stand on constantly and have those last basically a year ish uh feels like
that's just a really good way to go um okay don gregari will the new indy car chassis have the new
led panels that the fiwc just announced for their cars the ir 28 will not um i did ask the series
whether they are thinking about adding led panels i really did did that at the indy open test was told
possible it's not currently there it's not currently in the plans but it is possible i hope they do
but the answer at least at the moment right now is no um james dire uh just going to close with you
here um what's your view and mike factwell's one off with penske leguna and 84 i'm just going to
share with you here james i would have been 13 so while i am very aware of it in the years that
followed and actually have a photo or two of that car and mike on the grid uh taken by a
friend of mine jim martin which i love um i would have been just barely headed towards high school
said from the outside it didn't appear to be a great performance but he was kind of a late
replacement yes he was could he've had a good career states like yeah without a doubt factwell
was phenomenally talented um just a classic classic talent more often than not stuck in smaller
less than capable teams and you drive like hell overdrive try and show that you have talent worthy
of embracing but rarely if ever the means to truly and fully show it so despite this actually
being a great opportunity for him i mean i just think of all that he was able to do and kind of
f2 what then became f 3000 what we think of today is f2 and a little bit of intersection with f1
yeah i mean clearly factwell had gobs of talent just in an opportunity to stay
do a full season do lots of preseason postseason in season testing i've no doubt the guy would have
been uh really really awesome all right y'all um i see that there's just a handful of questions i
didn't exactly get to um michael howard i think i kind of answered how the catherine entry came
together jordan darwin um already spoke about the potential third car for msr next season that
won't be allowed so got through that blue onyx 500 uh curious about lettering colors on the
ms i don't actually know i'm gonna have to pay closer attention and lan underscore indy car
really kind and consistent supporter of the show curious why connor does not have a full-time ride
send that one back in and we'll hopefully get to that next week or who knows maybe connor and i
can discuss that and uh yeah that's a deep and longer one travioli question about manufacturers
jerry maybe we can carry that one over as well and al wolstein i think those are the only ones we
didn't get to so uh maybe we can chuck those over to next week appreciate y'all the extended episode
here and hey next time we speak we're gonna be playing indy 500
About this episode
Marshall Pruett opens with a look ahead to the Indianapolis road course weekend and the start of Indy 500 practice, then pauses for a moving remembrance of Alex Zanardi. From there, the conversation digs into IndyCar’s Long Beach push-to-pass glitch, why the no-penalty response bothers him, and how that differs from Penske’s separate misconduct. Listener Q&A covers Indy 500 entry planning, one-off threats, charter restrictions, rookie evaluation, Gateway’s future, and early chatter about the 2028 car.
It's The Week In IndyCar Listener Q&A show, which uses listener-driven comments and questions covering a variety of topics submitted by open-wheel fans via social media.
If you'd like to join the PrueDay podcast listener group, send an email to [email protected] and you'll be invited to participate in the Discord chat that takes place every day and meet up with your new family at IndyCar events.
