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Term
race control
Race control is the officials’ command center during a race. They watch what’s happening on track and decide things like penalties and how incidents are handled.
Person
Graham
“Graham” is the driver the host is talking about. The host thinks Graham made a mistake that caused the incident and hurt his own race.
Person
Will
“Will” is the driver who got hit in the incident. The host’s point is that the timing didn’t make sense for a planned move, so it turned into a real collision.
Term
attempted block
An attempted block is when a driver tries to stop another car from getting by. The host says the timing here didn’t really allow for a safe block, so it turned into a crash.
Term
near miss
A near miss is when cars get very close but don’t touch. The host is saying this wasn’t that—it was a real collision.
Person
Scotty McLaughlin
Scotty McLaughlin is another IndyCar driver mentioned in the discussion. The host says McLaughlin reacted over the radio and while driving by, which added to the drama after the crash.
Concept
points scored for your performance in each race
Racing championships usually work by giving drivers points for each race based on finishing results. Add up the points over the season and that decides who wins the championship.
Term
number 66 car
IndyCar cars have race numbers. “Number 66 car” means the specific car entry with the number 66 that the driver is racing in.
Term
silly season
“Silly season” is the time when IndyCar teams and drivers are making contract moves and there’s lots of news and rumors. It usually happens around the offseason.
Place
Road America
Road America is a well-known race track in the U.S. Drivers and teams use it for IndyCar weekends, so talking about time there usually means they were testing or racing recently.
Concept
financial backing
In IndyCar, “financial backing” usually means sponsorship money or funding support that helps pay for a driver’s seat, team operations, and race program. Because many seats are partially funded by sponsors tied to the driver, securing backing can be as important as on-track results.
Term
co-entry
A “co-entry” means two groups are sharing the same race entry. In this case, it sounds like two organizations are both involved with the same car program, so they have to coordinate decisions.
Term
P1 guy
“P1” means first place. “P1 guy” here means the driver who’s most often getting the best results for the team.
Person
Christian Lundgaard
Christian Lundgaard is a race car driver in IndyCar. The host is talking about how he managed to win by making good decisions during the race and holding off other drivers even when things went wrong early.
Term
pole
Pole is the best starting spot on the grid—the car that qualifies fastest starts first. Starting first usually helps you lead and control the race.
Term
caution timing
Caution timing is about when the race slows down for a yellow flag. That timing affects when teams pit and who ends up in the best position, so it can help a car that wasn’t leading before.
Person
Alex Polo
Alex Polo is a fellow IndyCar driver. The host says Lundgaard had to defend his spot against Polo, and that defense mattered because Polo was close to catching up and potentially passing him for position.
Term
flat tire
A flat tire means a tire suddenly loses air. That usually makes the car slower and harder to control, and it often forces the driver to pit to fix it.
Term
wing damage
Wing damage means the car’s spoiler/wing got hit or bent. Since that wing helps the car stick to the track, damage can make the car handle worse until it’s repaired.
Term
mash the throttle
“Mash the throttle” just means the driver stomped on the gas. The goal is usually to accelerate hard and pull away from the car behind.
Term
lap down
“Lap down” means you’re behind by a full lap compared to the leaders. It’s a big deal because it usually makes it harder to fight for the best finish.
Concept
yellows
“Yellows” means caution periods in the race. When there’s a problem on track, drivers have to slow down and follow the rules until it’s safe again.
Term
full course caution
A full course caution is when the whole track slows down because of something dangerous on or near the racing surface. Drivers can’t race at full speed until the track is cleared.
Term
local yellow
A local yellow is a caution that only affects part of the track. Drivers slow down in that area, but the whole race doesn’t necessarily slow everywhere.
Term
local slow zone
A local slow zone is when officials tell drivers to slow down in a specific area of the track. It’s used to handle problems without stopping the whole race.
Term
AMR safety truck
This is a safety/support vehicle that helps the track crew deal with hazards like debris quickly. The idea is to get the race back to normal faster.
Concept
options
Here “options” means other opportunities a driver might have—like other teams that could hire them. It’s basically whether they still have good chances to get a race seat.
Term
Myers shank
Myers Shank is a racing team in IndyCar. A “seat” means a spot for a driver to race for that team.
Brand
McLaren
McLaren is a famous racing team/brand. When it comes up here, it means a driver might be moving to a very competitive organization.
Person
Nolan's Siegel
This is talking about Nolan Siegel, a driver in IndyCar. The point is that his seat could be involved in a driver swap.
Person
Renus VK
Renus VK is being talked about as a possible driver for a race seat. The host thinks he could be a great match because he might still have room to improve.
Person
Marcus Erickson
Marcus Ericsson is a more experienced IndyCar driver. The host is saying you’d know what to expect from him compared with a newer driver.
Term
top team
A “top team” here means a very strong racing team with better support. The host is saying some drivers haven’t had that kind of environment yet to fully grow.
Term
hybrid
A hybrid car uses both a regular engine and an electric motor. In this episode, they’re talking about IndyCar’s hybrid setup and why some fans dislike it.
Term
2.4 liter twin turbo V6 motors
They’re talking about a V6 engine that’s 2.4 liters total, with two turbochargers. Turbos help the engine make more power by pushing extra air in.
LIVE
Welcome to the Marshall Pruitt Podcast and a week in IndyCar being recorded in a hotel room
in the lovely little hamlet known as Corning, New York.
It is 10.29 p.m. on a Wednesday evening.
Going to be up and out at about 6 a.m. tomorrow morning, driving up to Walkins Glen.
About 10 hours there today.
The good old sailing six hours of the Glen, IMSA event in Duro number three of the year.
So going to be cranking away on video projects for IMSA and then actually should be done here
by the end of Thursday, maybe Friday morning.
Going to spend a little bit of time with our friends who film when the weekend.
10.45 a.m. Friday morning and maybe do one or two other things and then I will be done.
And then I am going to drive north about two and a half hours from Walkins Glen
to good old Buffalo and then fly home.
Why is that?
Well, as busy as things are getting to, I don't know what the final number will be,
but 13 or 14, maybe more of the 1880 car races this year plus numerous tests,
plus six to seven of the nine IMSA plus tests, plus 345 historic events,
plus all the other things that I do.
I don't have a need to be here Saturday or Sunday, so I'm going to go home
and I'm going to be with my wife and going to continue to try and get things under control
as much as I can there and then things pick up again.
So that's a little run through.
What's happening here?
That's the Corning New York report.
I'm going to say huge thanks to y'all as always for the many questions you sent in coming out of
the expel grand pricks at good old Road America.
So thanks to y'all for the many questions.
Thanks to our pal Jerry Smith for putting all of them together.
Definitely huge.
Thank you as well to Toronto Motorsports.com.
Preveyors of mighty fine motor racing memorabilia, especially of the modern variety.
You're a fan of any car IMSA F1.
You like hats, T-shirts, books, magazines, stickers.
I think I said shirts, but I'll say T-shirts just for fun.
Toronto Motorsports.com, dear friends just north of the border in good old
Canadian and then the Justice Brothers, JusticeBrothers.com, makers of exemplary
automotive chemicals, lubricants and cleaners.
And let's get going with the show.
We're going to start off with our pal Grant Statter saw you at Road America.
And I think I just murdered your last name, but I disappoint you if I did otherwise.
Said great to spend a little bit of time and socialize last weekend.
What's your view on the willpower Graham Rehal incident?
I could forgive it as a miscalculation by Ray Hall until he admitted to another
media member he saw power and deliberately blocked in the braking zone.
Says, I know you're not a fan of the series getting involved more than they have to.
But do you think race control took note of Ray Hall's comments about intent or
just filed it under stuff pissed off drivers say after the race?
I'll just break this into two quick lanes, Grant.
The what a driver says after the race and the decisions that race control would make.
I would say that is a completely unrelated item here compared to the actual
officiating for what they saw on the track.
Do I think that race control had an opinion of things?
Then heard Graham or got wind of Graham saying something to someone.
I don't know what that was, by the way, and then changed what they were going to do
and announced that they had assigned the blame to Graham as a result of his comments.
I absolutely do not.
To me, this was really simple.
This was a error by Graham, a mistake by Graham.
Trying to block a driver, we see that happen all the time.
That's a very different thing from hitting another driver.
Graham did that, hit Will, took himself out.
If that was part of the attempted block, keep in mind that I think Will was too far
along and has left for a block to be an option.
It just had to be a hit at that point.
It wasn't a near miss.
It was a near hit if things had gone correctly.
It was an actual full hit.
Unfortunately for Graham, he is the one who bore the full brunt of whatever it was that he was attempting to do.
I look at this and say, man, you played yourself.
I do not believe there was any intent by Graham to take himself out of the race, but that is what he did.
Blaming Will of to the media, standing trackside and waving his fists or shaking his helmet
or whatever the heck it was that he did.
Scotty McLaughlin saying whatever it was that he said over the radio as he drove by and applauding at Graham.
I mean, there needs to be some sort of petty index.
We keep points.
There are points scored for your performance in each race, championship points awarded.
I feel like there needs to be some sort of pettiness points, some sort of championship index.
That we keep.
I don't know if my brain has enough bandwidth in it to really track that from race one to the final one each year.
I'm hoping someone will volunteer.
Maybe we raise that after each race.
What happened that fell into the the petty zone?
I don't know if we should do that.
That sounds a little too NASCAR, but this to me was just totally unnecessary.
All aspects, all sides of it.
And so that's why I'm smiling a little bit here because I don't know what was attempted that occurred to Graham that could play to his favor.
Again, he certainly didn't want to take himself out, but that is what happened.
Will power 0% blame.
If it was 100% will power blame, I'd absolutely say million percent on him.
It just wasn't.
So I do feel bad for Graham.
He was having a great run and decided to do things that made it not a great run.
Compounding that the lobbying, whatever, hate, hate, hate pettiness at will power standing trackside gesturing at him.
I don't remember which driver I was having this conversation with on pit lane after the race, but it went something along the lines of if you're really that mad at somebody, don't stand trackside and gesticulate and raise your fist or clap sarcastically.
It like if you're really mad at the person, grab your helmet, jump into the AMR safety truck and say, take me to pit lane right now.
Please get to pit lane, put your helmet down and go find whomever and get serious about it.
But standing trackside and doing the pissy petty little applause or shaking fists or pointing and saying whatever.
Again, it's meaningless as if the person driving by was going to pull over, get out of the car, drop to their knees, hold their hands above prayer hands and pray for absolution and forgiveness from the driver, the aggrieved driver.
Come on, man.
So Graham being, I think, yeah, the biggest driver in any car, towers over everybody can, if he's a fighter, mollywap anybody if he wanted to, is just like, right, so this is where the pecky index comes in.
It is just a little bit much. Come on, man. So anyways, that's my take. I don't know if it's worth anything, but it was funny. It was sad. It was better than cats.
All right, Jeff Loveland. How are you doing, Jeff? Says Marcus Armstrong.
He's come close to a win twice now. Does he quietly have some serious talent?
Quietly is a great way of putting it, Jeff. I have only grown more and more fond of Marcus Armstrong, the more that I've gotten to know him.
Fascinating person, understated person, pretty funny guy.
Love is sense of humor. He's finding that thing within him as a driver in IndyCar, pro level, different series, different part of the world, different everything that he not only just grew up in and around, but had expected for himself career wise.
Came here with pretty good reputation coming out of F2. Not exactly launched in the stratosphere stardom though.
And I think, just observing externally, I think he wanted to show that he could do well, did not want to overly attempt to show that risk making big mistakes, make an ass out of himself.
Give the impression that he didn't belong. I think he was very intentional in how we went about his motor racing here during the first couple years.
I think what we're seeing now is a more comfortable Marcus Armstrong. Someone who has done enough laps out of all the tracks we go to or the types of racing that we do.
Discovered, he knew he had talent on road and streets, but discovered this guy can be really good everywhere he goes.
And I think we're now seeing someone who's truly finding that confidence within themselves, the belief that they can be an elite driver.
We still need the results to confirm that, but he's demonstrated between having a shot at winning the 9500, a really strong shot here of winning at Road America, and just his being really quick on a somewhat regular basis now.
I think he's just finding stuff, Jeff, within himself that never struck me as him coming here saying, I am the freaking man.
It's going to take me a little while to really learn everything, but it's just a matter of time. Never saw that within him.
And I'm just seeing the roots of that here of like, okay, I'm getting the hang of this.
And I feel like I am going to be able to level up in a way like a Christian Lindgard did.
A little bit stronger reputation coming out of F2 when he landed here, but he has found within himself, Grinnit, he has never lacked confidence, but he has found beyond your own inner self.
I can actually go out and prove through my results, my drive, my determination that I belong and I belong at the front.
Feels like Marcus is just on the cusp.
Another podium. Maybe it is a win, but just another really strong result.
I think that is going to set the hook, set the belief within himself if it isn't already there, that yeah,
I absolutely belong and I'm performing up where I belong. This isn't actually a fluke, but I belong here.
I don't know if he's really had that confidence within himself at least since he got here.
I'm so happy to see that for him.
Genuinely hope he decides to stay at Meyerschank Racing.
I think he's got a pretty extraordinary future ahead of him.
Want to go to Nathan Sof? What are you doing, Nathan?
He says, what a shame for Armstrong. What are your thoughts on the amount of overall consistency in his number 66 car? That crew is delivering.
He says, any other news in his future after your silly season video update?
And of his screaming meals counterpart in Callum I lot and then kindly says, as so many of you do, best wishes to you and your wife.
Callum spent a little bit of time with our guy last weekend in road America and he was killing me. I loved it too.
He brought his fishing gear and he was just going fishing a lot in the morning, end of day, whatever.
Obviously going to the track, trying to talk to more teens, raise more interest, but he's fishing.
I love that. So good on him.
Spoke with Callum, I think days before that week before whatever it might have been.
He is working hard to try and find sponsors just to help add to the enticement of placing him into an Indy car.
But cannot knock any of his efforts to try and be here, get back.
He is ever present in not just walking around saying, please let me drive, but also trying to genuinely see if he can secure some financial backing to his car.
To make everything come his way in a more favorable capacity on the Armstrong front.
I don't have any new news can say though that I think he is only proving to the Myers-Shank racing team that he absolutely deserves a proper extension.
I think that might be one where it could be first time where he gets paid properly.
That number 66 entry that he's in, if that's where he's meant to stay, that is effectively a co-entry between Myers-Shank and Gnassie.
So they both need to agree on that.
The team were to want to move him over to the 60 car that Felix is vacating.
I could see that as well.
Just looking at the race by race performances this year feels like Marcus has been that P1 guy within the team more often than not.
So don't know what will happen there.
Don't know if he wants to stay.
Haven't had that car.
I know that he wants to stay.
There's a difference between I want to stay and I'm going to.
Meaning I'm refusing all of their offers.
I'm not talking with anybody else.
There's an absolute desire to stay.
Felix also was interested in staying.
Had a good call with him this morning.
After him not returning my calls last week, but that's okay.
It's a factual thing to say that coming out of the 8500 there was an expectation that there was a good call.
There would be some sort of contract talk.
I don't know if urgent basis, but hey, just won the big race.
Like boy, wow.
Now's the time to talk.
And there was no talking.
And yet there were other offers coming in.
And in the absence of an immediate hey, let's get an extension done.
Oh my goodness.
Did not appear to be the urgency in that happening.
And so with a door open, I guess, with not feeling the kind of urgency to be retained and inquiries coming in from elsewhere.
Decided to take an offer that felt was in his best interest.
Realize a lot of these things are pretty obvious, but still it's just an interesting thing to know.
So it's one thing for a driver to want to stay.
They want to feel wanted.
If there's a desire to get married, renew vows, whatever it might be, you would want the person you want to marry or renew vows with to be in a pretty serious state of knowing that and feeling that.
And if there isn't or seems like there's not as much urgency or overwhelming expressions of such things, maybe you go, okay, well, but if someone else has blown up my phone, maybe that's a sign that someone else is way more interested in getting married.
And I should look in that direction.
So hoping because it seems like they have a really good thing going that Marcus will stay be able to stay in that myrshank racing family.
Could there be a vacancy?
The big team at Gnasi.
Scott Dixon is indeed headed to Aero McLaren has been rumored.
I've just been fielding nothing but texts and phone calls and getting stopped in person at Road America by folks, good friends from teams to broadcasters.
You name it telling me all kinds of things that are happening with Dixon next year.
Many of them wrong, but some of them might end up being right.
Could Marcus be in line for something in the big team?
That feels like a stretch.
I don't know.
But yeah, boy, the silly season stuff is hard to stay on top of.
I'm not kidding.
There's been plenty, plenty of movement here already in a very short amount of time.
Most interesting silly season thing that I heard and I've reached out to the driver to say, hey, got a sec for a phone call and I didn't respond.
So I'll try it again tomorrow or just call him.
I heard a driver who I didn't think was available is apparently able to be available and had a meeting with at least one team.
And that it was done in a somewhat public setting last weekend, which was a surprise.
But I just want to hear from that driver or at least get a good denial out of them.
But as soon as I have that pinned down a little bit more Nathan, I'll put that in print or something like that and share with you.
But yeah, someone I did not have on the silly season board as truly being able to move.
Sounds like that might need a little bit of revision.
Some guy named Jerry also named Jerry said if he puts together our questions.
It says no question.
I just wanted to send some love to Christian Lundgaard for such an incredible run.
Man, I would just love Jerry for good old Christian Lundgaard and good on him for at least taking a couple sips of the three sheeps beer supplied by my good pal Johnny who runs the good America Media Center and
Comside.
I'd love for Lundgaard to just have as I think I mentioned to him in the beer with a winner video afterwards.
I just love for that kid to have a boring ass race.
Put it on pole leads the most laps and wins.
For us, it's been spectacular to watch him capitalize on the error, the strategy issue that the top two cars have at the end of GP and look at absolutely played out in Lundgaard's favor.
Not as if he wasn't fast just without that.
Does he win?
But that's the way it played out.
Plenty of other races were folks who weren't the dominant ones in the first half end up winning due to caution timing, but capitalized on that.
Did that again this weekend and it was insane, but it wasn't just purely a gift, meaning he was nowhere whatsoever.
And then all of a sudden got this win that quote was undeserved or something like that.
Thing that impressed me the most was the fact that he had this huge adversity and lap one, saw it, know about it, but then went into attack mode right away.
And he is fighting and fending off Alex Polo.
So comes in flat tire wing damage, get all that rectified by the time he got out.
Was just in front of Polo.
I don't remember exactly how many seconds, but it wasn't much.
It was enough to where it looked like two laps.
Polo is going to be lapping him.
And what Lundgaard did was mash the throttle and actually pulled away and safeguarded that from happening.
And it wasn't just defending from going to lap down.
It was, we now need to treat this as 54 laps of maximum attack and a 55 lap race.
And that's what the guy went and did.
Obviously with the four or five cautions or however many there were, I think it was three really that led up to getting him in a position to chase down and go for the win.
But this is something where other teams and other drivers might have throttled back a little bit.
Man, this is so hard to make up ground here.
If Polo gets by, it's not a big deal.
We're just going to try and salvage the day.
There was no mental surrender here, physical surrender, nothing.
Nobody relaxed on that seven car, the Aaron McLaren Chevy.
And so race strategist, Kyle Moyer, nope, go, maximum attack, run.
Pit crew was amazing.
Christian was amazing.
Not knowing where he was going to end up, but just did that on faith, Jerry.
And I love that and was rewarded for it.
But it was critical.
The first 34 or five laps of the race set up the ability for them to win.
Then we get the Groschall thing with the wheel falling off and this crazy long caution and able to use that to propel themselves forward.
And again, and it right just, but this was true resolve demonstrated from the moment the car got damaged to put themselves in this position.
I love that so much.
So we know they can win when they're not supposed to.
Even his, when at Toronto a couple of years ago for a rail, let him in Lannigan racing.
Was really strong that day. Don't get me wrong, but.
I just would like to see something where we have no questions, no comments, no notes, fast as hell from the beginning run right up front.
This isn't going to require a big strategy play.
This isn't going to boy if we could just have this, these intersecting strategies pay off like that barber and obviously that got thrown.
Out the window with a pit stop issue, but nope.
Your wheel to wheel with pillow Kirkwood, Maluchus, whomever it is from the outset and you take the thing and win.
I just love to see that for him because I think that would put him in a very different status within the paddock.
Right now he is a proven winner three times over.
The last two involve really long things you have to explain to people in how it came to that outcome.
The ability to have nothing to explain.
I want that for him.
So I think that puts him into a very different space.
What do we go to swinglish says curious to know your thoughts on the yellows this past weekend.
I actually appreciate the consistency they're starting to show.
They could always be fine tuned, such as the full course caution for debris in turn five.
The methods for a local yellow, a local slow zone, something dispatch an AMR safety truck to get the debris.
And then get the race back with that local ish caution lifted, right?
Doesn't have to be just in that corner, but maybe it's one or two proceeding and one after.
So there's genuinely like a long zone where everybody has to slow.
Instead of just having it in the corner of itself where the problem is and people fly in, lift for a second while going up really crazy speeds and then potentially put safety personnel.
At risk.
I think there's definitely some.
How do we talk through this?
Something where we don't have to do a full course intervention for everything.
But yeah, I'm with you.
It felt like it was better for the policies that they are currently using.
So, uh, Lynn underscore any car says what kind of wizards are on that 10 car pillow at a 49 point lead before road America.
And now he is 60 points ahead afterwards.
Didn't have a speeding penalty and still finished in the top five.
Says has the paddock started a go fund me to collect enough money to pay chip to send below to F one.
Again, that's wild, right?
Lynn where usually a mistake like that is a competitive kiss of death falling to fifth.
It was fourth there until some things that shifted around after the checkered flag.
But still to extend his lead.
It was pretty remarkable aided heavily by Kyle Kirkwood just having a terrible weekend.
They could not find what he needed within that car.
This is the thing that just it's interesting at the moment.
Definitely keep tracking this.
Lund guard with his win.
He was in fourth place after winning the dang race.
You know how high he moved fourth place.
It's just bizarre, right?
David Maluchus finishing P two again.
Now he's P two in the championship.
Kirk's fallen back to third.
But the thing that is just so interesting to me here is for someone to take down pillow.
The pillows got to go signs and no pillow signs and other things that we saw last weekend.
The people with the best odds of deposing him need to finish in front of him consistently realize that Maluchus finishing P two Alex and P five.
Yes, that is something that indeed was achieved.
But it's Kirkwood really who was the one who was 49 points behind now.
He's even farther back falling to P three.
But this was not a case of the most formidable contenders taking tons of points off of Alex.
Lund guard got closer to Alex.
So that's great.
Kirkwood fell back.
Maluchus gained points on Alex.
But he's now traded runner up to Alex in the standings position with Kirkwood.
And so now the runner up who just had a very good finish is actually farther away than the guy who was runner up at the last race.
So it's pretty wild.
But this is where Lund guard still in fourth still in the general championship fighting frame.
It's weird just to say one the race and now still sits way the heck back.
This is where Alex is going to need to have some bad days coming up in Lund guard to have more amazing days.
Kirk can't afford to be having a terrible weekend basically any more weekends.
I don't think he can have any more of those.
And Maluchus being P two a lot is not a bad thing.
But getting the full help of points in P one.
How's this?
You look at the championship standings and you realize that.
We have eight races to go.
And again, a lot of things can happen.
So it's not as if there's anything that is truly baked into anything is final and nothing can possibly change.
But the item that stands out to me the most as we head into the final eight races is this.
Kirk who was 49 points behind is now 61.
Lund guard who just won the race.
He has certainly drawn the gap to pillow down but it's 77 points 50 you get 50 to win.
So despite having two wins from the last five races, Christian is still one of the best.
Five races Christian is still one and a half races effectively behind Alex.
And after that, Pato in P five is 120 ish point.
I mean, raise the amount.
So just close on this.
If Alex can just keep floating in and around the top three top four.
A Maluchus can go get a win and not have a huge detriment to Alex's championship aspirations.
Kirkwood needs to get back into the win column soon.
That is going to help.
But it's a time thing.
Eight races left.
Meadow Hios next Alex effectively won that last year gave it away.
Little bobble but finished right behind Dixon, but he was dominant there.
I don't know why that would change.
We'll see.
But Nashville Alex was a rocket last year.
Portland Alex was a rocket last year.
Those the next three races.
This championship is effectively going to be decided in the next three races, not in terms of it's been sealed and the championship's been awarded, but realistically, if folks are going to get ahead of pillow, the ones who are chasing him have to make significant headway over the next three.
That's likely going to involve some adversity for Alex for that to happen.
A crash, a motor, penalty, mistake, whatever.
Kirkwood finishing third at Mid Ohio.
Unless Alex is 10th, it's not going to do much for drawing down that gap.
Maluchus similar.
Lundgard needs to keep hitting home runs.
After that.
Really, this is down to about the top four.
Pato and P five winless with no podium so far.
This is where he's going to have to go on a epic streak.
That's also Lynn where if Pato were to win the next race, even the next two and Alex is anywhere near.
Like this just murders the Maluchus and Kirkwood and Lundgard.
A favor for pillow would be Pato to go win while Alex is P two P three, whatever, because while it's great for Pato, it is going to take.
Super valuable points away from those who are truly closest and have a real shot at bridging that gap.
Pato this late being more than 100 points behind like it's almost worst case scenario for Maluchus Kirkwood Lundgard.
If Pato wins anytime soon, Felix gets another win.
McLaughlin, New Garden, Ericson, Dixon, Armstrong, Ray Hall, VK, etc.
As long as Palo makes it to the finish line in a decent place, anybody other than Maluchus Kirkwood Lundgard winning is just making his championship come even closer.
All right, where do we go next here?
Take some more for sure getting through the show somewhat quickly here.
Right turn lover asks, will we see a poll sitter this year not named Palo?
Will we see Palo win a race again this year?
He says this series is quite remarkable.
I love that comment, by the way.
Just the amount of folks who on a Saturday after qualifying when Alex is won one of his last five in a row or whatever.
I hate the series sucks.
And it's like, okay.
I kind of urge you though to turn on the phrase because yeah, he has indeed taken a heck of a bunch of polls here for a little while and he has won precisely one of those races.
After winning Detroit from pole, Alex's best finish over the last five races where he's been on pole is fifth.
Like, so I won't be shocked if he's on pole at Mid Ohio.
The Gnasi team is not one that just tested there though.
So are they confident enough that they got what they need to bring back there that they can go do the deal here without testing like 14 drivers just did?
We'll find out.
But Palo pole, not a shocker if that happens at Mid Ohio, but yeah, I'm with you.
We haven't really had a boring processional race in a little while and I am really like it was long beach effectively.
And Felix looked like he was going to win that.
Alex ended up winning it.
Little pit stop bobble, but that was the last race that was mid April, right?
And here we are almost at July.
And then it feels like everything since has been a really interesting page turner.
So let me see.
Where else do we go here?
I think we're going to go to Greg DeLong.
Asked with a long waited Dan Gurney books be available this summer.
The hope was for that Greg, but no, I am not aware of that being anywhere close to being done.
Unfortunately, Andy Stokes says with fro leaving Myers shank going to McLaren, maybe to replace Nolan's Schmigel.
There we go.
What are the chances of Renus VK going to the empty shank seat?
I would say pretty decent.
I know there's an interest.
I can say that.
I don't know if I can say much more, but been really pleased to hear just this week.
How much interest that Nolan Nolan.
I wish Nolan was commanding a ton of interest.
That would be pretty phenomenal.
But this to me is something where for sure, Renus is getting folks interested and inquiring.
So I'm hoping, hoping, hoping that he indeed does have something pretty darn awesome to consider here for a really, really amazing future.
Could that be with a different team?
Could that be with his current team?
It could as well, but glad that he is not seemingly without options.
Andy Stokes, you asked with fro leaving Myers shank going to McLaren to replace Nolan's Siegel.
I think that would be a pretty safe assumption, my guy.
What are the chances of Renus VK going to the empty shank seat?
I know that there's interest.
There's been interest in the past of all the drivers who are available who I would say have a long potential runway.
Renus stands out to me as really the best fit to take that seat at Myers shank.
I think of a Marcus Erickson and say if you're looking for a veteran, he can certainly bring a lot of quality there, get some really strong results.
I think though, I think the shank team is looking to the replacing of our guy fro.
I think they're looking at this, Andy, through a lens of maybe we try and invest in somebody who's been really good, shown a lot.
Maybe has something we haven't fully seen yet that could go to an even higher level.
I get the feeling that is in a direction that might be taken.
And I'd say that if that's right, Renus fits that to me more than Marcus.
So it's not a knock on Marcus.
It's just I feel like Marcus is a known quantity.
You're going to get exactly what you expect.
It's really good.
But I wonder if there's something within VK who's never driven for a top team.
It's never had the ability to develop the furthest reaches of their talent.
Of their talent, athletically, the mental side, all aspects, all the things that make a race car driver at a elite team, the Gnassies, Penskees and so on.
Those tend to be drivers that are different caliber drivers.
Some of them show up that way and just ply their trade that way.
Others show up.
Palo is a perfect example.
Scott Dixon is a perfect example.
Phenomenal potential.
You've got to develop that, extract that, make that demonstrable, repeatable, manifest into this otherworldly talent.
Obviously, Myers-Shank Racing is not Chip Gnassie racing, but they are connected very heavily.
And I would see the ability for Renus within the Myers-Shank Greater Gnassie Universe is being able to see things, learn things, develop things within himself to the highest level.
And that's where I think if there's interest from Renus as well, this could be a pretty special relationship.
Feel like Renus is in a place where in a car that is capable of winning on a regular basis, he could deliver race-winning performances for the team on ovals for sure, on roads and on streets.
They're able to hold on to a Marcus Armstrong?
Feel like he is at a similar place on the cusp of being able to demonstrate that?
The idea of a VK Armstrong combo?
Fascinating.
And both who are young have crazy long runways in the sport.
I am loving that concept.
Question of, would that interest both of them?
Renus would have to want to be there?
Know that his current team, Hongkong Hauling and Racing, definitely wants to hold on to him?
Are they capable of bringing him as far as Myers-Shank?
Not at present.
So we'll have to see what Renus decides, what might interest him.
Michael J. Smith says, is it reasonable to think Aaron McLaren has already signed Christian Lundgaard?
And I've just not announced it yet.
It's not unreasonable to wonder, I know that in a conversation that I had while putting together my silly season story with the person who would know that had not happened.
So would say as of what time is it?
1130, no, 1116 p.m. on a Wednesday night in Corning, New York.
I would say that I had the scenario painted for me multiple times today of a Aaron McLaren lineup next year of Pata O'Ward.
He's under contract through 2027.
So we know that part.
Felix Rosenkvist, where I believe now is where he's heading, and Scott Dixon.
So if Fro is indeed headed there, and we know Pata was there, and what a lot of people in the paddock who I would not characterize as jokers are telling me new.
And even to some who've been telling me for longer than that, that Dixon's headed there.
That would present Michael, he really wild scenario.
For the only person to stand on a podium in the Lord's 2026 for Aaron McLaren racing and is stood on the top step of the podium not once but twice.
Would be out of a seat if what folks are telling me is real ends up being real.
My head has been spinning enough in recent days.
I'm serious.
I try and keep track of this stuff, but the amount of outreaches and this is not a complaint.
It's a truly it's a blessing, but like the oh my gosh, okay, this person who has never, never pointed me in the wrong direction is telling me that this thing is happening over here.
And then I ask him, well, you know, how do you help me to understand how this information arrived with you and they tell me who told him and I'm like, okay, well, I don't doubt it now.
That is what's happening about whatever.
It's just been a barrage of that.
So of the scenario that's been painted for me multiple times now just post.
Road America.
In the back of my head, the back of my balding head.
I do indeed have.
I'm trying to process the dude who's won twice this year.
If what folks are telling me could indeed be on the free agent market.
And if that's the case, like, I think Lungard is going to.
I think Lungard is going to be someone that if he were to be truly available.
I feel bad for all the other free agents because they are instantly dropped down to P2 at best.
So, yeah, I don't know, man.
Other than I don't believe there's been anything taken up on the team option to hold on to him for next year.
And this is based on me asking folks who would absolutely know the answer.
J.P. Brown says Marshall doesn't not make sense that Kyle Collette could be headed to replace Nolan Segal next year.
You think the funding he can provide would be close enough match to what Segal is putting up.
And what do you know about the relationship between Kyle Collette and Tony can non?
It seems to me like the best path to getting miles row in at Foyte and a win win win for Pinsky and the player and for Chevrolet as well.
To be able to market a Brazilian driver in South America and a black driver worldwide.
Man, there'd be an awful lot of steps to do that just to get miles into a car.
I know that the conversations that have been had definitely revolve around an Indy 500 seat.
The desire, which I guess makes sense, would be for Miles to be a full season guy.
That could be a stretch.
So I'd say at least for now, set your focus on Indy 500 opportunity for Miles.
If things were to play out the cascading scenario you're mentioning here.
If that were to be something that allowed Miles to be a full-time driver, then that would be awesome.
But I'm not aware of that actually being like a active thing being pressed into motion at this moment.
Feel confident in saying Tony has been a good friend.
Many of the folks in and around Ky-O he knows very well.
Trying to just be a big brother, answer questions if need be.
So do I think Tony'd love to have the kid in the team?
Sure, without a doubt.
But I think if Ky-O were to end up somewhere else, I'd think of a Meyer Schenck.
I'd think of a Hunkos Hollinger.
I don't know if there are as many moves for him as I'd hoped.
I'd agree how Letterman potentially, if McShu-Macher is not there.
A rumor I was told about today where there's a belief that
Andretti Global and Dan Towers is pursuing Mick, which if that's the case, that would be super cool.
I don't know how you would come to that desire for the body of work that's been seen so far in IndyCar, but again, I could be wrong.
Here's another thing just to mention, just to think about.
Another thing that I've been seeing some evidence of, but also hearing a lot about, and it all points in one direction.
The Aaron McLaren team back in 2024 had a budget shortfall in that number six car, the one that Nolan was ultimately signed to drive.
A pretty sizable funding package was agreed upon for him to be in that car for what's proven to be two and a half years.
Team since then has had budget become available, serious budget become available.
No longer need a paying driver, as I'm told.
This from the rumors and some of what I do expect to end up happening.
This has the feel of trying to drain Chip Ganassi racing of finest, finer, most valuable talent to help the Aaron McLaren team level up, not a little, but a lot and quickly.
So I know I think in the last episode I was mentioning all the ways it made no sense to me for Scott Dixon to leave Chip Ganassi to go to Aaron McLaren.
None of what I said there has changed.
Can't find any reason for this to happen whatsoever.
But if it were a decision to that has been made, I've told it's already been made.
Already signed, etc.
Again, what folks say, still trying to find the proof of it.
But I think of a Scott Dixon and go, well, even if Scott's most threatening, scary days as an any car driver are somewhat in the rearview mirror, it still win any race, any time.
But he's not the guy where folks are like, man, we're just instantly playing for a second.
It's no longer that way.
Even so, that is the guy who single handedly transforms any team that is trying to catch Chip Ganassi racing into a much better organization.
And it's not chassis setup.
Put these settings on the car and we're going to win every race.
It's not that.
It is knowing how the team goes about its racing and its approaches to engineering.
That certainly helps.
But operationally, how they do things, the different ways things are done.
Also, it's the just being inside and assessing going.
I don't know why that things are being done that way, but that stops now.
And this person here, I don't know why they're in that position.
We could get so much more out of them if they were over here.
And this person here got to go like ruthless ability to bring excellence.
And I don't mean he is ruthless.
I mean, he has the ability, such a keen eye to be able to say yes, yes, no, yes, no.
Change an organization from the inside out.
On track can still win any race.
Certainly win the 500 certainly win biggest events.
I could absolutely see the value there.
Also, the taking away part, right?
That's the defense side.
Scott Dixon can help the offense of any team like the team.
I think no other driver in IndyCar.
But also the defensive side of trying to acquire someone like that.
You take away someone who contributes so much helps maintain that level of excellence and authority.
That's right.
That's addition by subtraction.
We've added to a lot of the things that we've done.
That's right.
That's addition by subtraction.
We've added to us, but we have sure as heck subtracted from this championship winning team that's dominated this decade so far.
Just a couple of things here that come to mind about.
Between that, Felix being in the greater Gnassie, Meyer-Shank universe, heard about not many,
heard about a couple of folks personnel wise could be headed.
Aaron McLaren's way from Gnassie.
So if any of this ends up proving to be accurate, we're trying to keep an eye on volume.
And if it looks like, hey, during the offseason, there's going to be 345 however many could be more.
High caliber people from drivers to staff leaving Gnassie going to Aaron McLaren.
Going to have to recognize this for what it is.
And this is trying to raid the championship winning team of its top available talent.
Would close by just saying this.
Zach Brown, not the most liked person.
Understand that.
My main thought goes to this.
What happens every year when the Super Bowl is won by whatever team?
Usually the offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, they get signed by other teams as head coaches provided they're available.
Any of the high caliber players who are on expiring contracts tend to get massively paid at a rival team, but rarely is it a high quality rival.
It's usually a team that in quite there and is looking for ways to level up.
This to me, it's totally normal in stick and ball sports.
We just don't see it very much in motor racing.
F1 is really the highest, the highest frequency of seeing this take place.
So that's the thing that would stand out here.
If we're learning that Aaron McLaren is having a giant onboarding session of Chip Gnassie racing in Gnassie, Myers-Shank affiliated folks.
I'd say this really and truly is pulling from that stick and ball playbook of we are champions.
Mededly, we aren't even close to being champions.
This is how we get ourselves very close to becoming champions by cherry picking the best available people at the Super Bowl championship winning team.
That in IndyCar happens to be Gnassie.
So my antenna.
It is all the way up.
Chris Curtis says any legs of the rumor about Hongkong's hauling or selling one of its charters to drive on Ryan Bold with Connor Daly's a driver to team up with VK.
Well, I've been saying this for a little while now since the month of May.
Not so much the selling a charter as in it's going out the door, but in a investing buying in at least through one charter.
So there would be a business arrangement linking.
Drone, Reinbold and who goes hauling.
So yes, it is definitely a possibility that could take place.
I know there has been a desire for Connor to be attached to that.
Also here of potential interest on the AJ Foyt racing side to possibly reunite with Connor.
So yeah, watch, watch the space even though it's a listening space.
I'm going to try and take one.
One more.
I'm just scrolling through here to find Ed George.
You got a great one about batteries.
Save that for next week because it's take a little while to get through that.
Kevin DeVries asking about hybrids.
You know, this has been a very enjoyable show just sitting here in a hotel room.
I don't want to get into hybrids here because it just makes me grumpy.
Chris Libby, you asked similar thing about hybrids.
We absolutely run those next week, but let's not do that now.
Where do we go here?
Colin Young grumpy about why Road America calls turn two a turn two when it's not really a turn and turn four, not really a turn, but they call it turn four.
I don't know, man, but whatever it is, I'm sure they do it.
And you know what, I'm not sure what it is.
I'm sure they do it.
And you know what, we're going to wake up tomorrow and live our lives and be okay.
Let's close the show.
And I mentioned I wasn't going to get into hybrids, but this one's a little bit of an easy one just to say farewell on.
This is from at two tall Paul nine to two.
How long can Chevy and Honda hold out hope for the hybrid to be seen as anything but a gigantic error of judgment?
It's an interesting phrasing.
So answered this in the race or mail bag today and I did it in all caps because I keep saying it and I don't know why, but it just doesn't resonate.
Indy car is the one that offered hybridization offered and it was accepted.
And so in the car set the specifications for the hybrid in the car then asked because they were failing for Chevrolet and Honda to take some of their racing budget for the new 2.4 liter twin turbo V6 motors meant to debut.
In 2023 and spend that money to help Indy car to live up to its contractually obligated introduction of hybrids.
So I know where you're coming from.
I don't know the percentage of people that hate the hybrid, but I can tell you that it feels like 100% of the people who hate the hybrid absolutely let that fact be known.
Doesn't mean 100% of Indy car fans hate the hybrid. It just means that it seems like everybody hates it is bound and determined to say so and ask when it's going to go away and do people regret it and when are they going to realize and I can I totally understand it.
If you hate a thing you just want it to go away so you don't have to hate it anymore.
But there is this is not even nuance. This is just writing from a place of facts.
Is Indy cars hybrid. It's called the Indy car hybrid.
Like there's no brand name from some company or something like it is called the Indy car hybrid. It is spec commissioned by Indy car.
Indy car failed for so long and in so many ways it had to seek the help of Chevy and Honda to get the thing fully conceived and then made in many mass manufactured.
So this isn't a Chevy and Honda holding out hope for it to be seen.
This is an Indy car thing.
We know Honda has been very clear in saying for us to be involved remain hybridization for our road cars is huge selling point huge marketing point.
This is where our budget comes from the parent company saying here's money to promote our road cars through your racing programs.
This is something that's super important. So we really do want you to race mostly in places where hybridization happens.
We don't really hear that from Chevy so much I get that.
But we know that this was a concept presented by Indy car offered brought to life by Indy car.
Indy car could have killed this anytime if they really wanted to and just dealt with the repercussions from Honda leaving.
Many things that Indy car could do just say if you hate it.
Aim that at the people who offered it brought it to life solicited help from its manufacturers to get them out of a bad place.
So it would indeed come to life and who the series continues to insist upon these being in the cars.
Enough so that they've written them into the next regulations and they will be a part of the new car that's still a year and a half away from two years almost from racing.
So barking at Chevy barking at Honda not going to get you anywhere.
If you want to have your voice heard by the folks who truly have the potential to make change that would be the series.
It is their hybrid.
So that's the show here the Corning New York edition.
Hopefully I'm going to get some sleep.
So I got to be up in a little over six hours from now.
Appreciate y'all.
Jerry, appreciate you.
Justice Brothers, Toronto Motorsports.com y'all as well.
Hold over carry over some of your questions that rest of these we can certainly that I can get to Jerry run next week and until then.
Appreciate y'all.
I'll speak to you soon.
About this episode
Coverage starts with a quick travel plan for IndyCar/IMSA around Corning and Watkins Glen, then shifts into IndyCar’s post-incident officiating debate—whether race control should weigh intent versus what’s seen after the fact. The hosts argue about on-track “pettiness,” praise Marcus Armstrong’s momentum, and break down Christian Lundgaard’s win via strategy and execution under adversity. Championship math, driver-market seat speculation, and IndyCar’s hybrid rules—plus Honda’s marketing rationale—round out the week.
Original notes
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.
TOPICS: Road America, Lundgaard, silly season, and more!
NEW show stickers and retro racing memorabilia: ThePruettStore.com
EVERY episode is graciously supported by the Justice Brothers and TorontoMotorsports.com.
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The Marshall Pruett Podcast
Marshall Pruett
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