The hosts kick off by having their guest walk through the past 48 hours and whether the result matched expectations. After the Indy 500, the conversation shifts to the media circus—paparazzi, press moments, and the milk victory tradition—plus the grind of interviews and race-day logistics. The driver then gets tactical on fuel strategy, caution timing, clean air, and drafting (“toe”) to explain how the late race unfolded. They wrap with championship-point pressure, Detroit expectations, and the emotional toll of May travel and family sacrifice.
Hinch and Rossi chat with the very tired winner of the 110th Indianapolis 500, Felix Rosenqvist. He takes us through his race, the whirlwind that he's been going through since, and what he's looking forward to most this next year.
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"thrilled with the way that it ended because before that red flag, the race was yours anyways.
So why don't you walk us through up until that red flag?"
A “red flag” means the race is stopped because something dangerous happened on the track. When it happens, teams often have to rethink strategy—especially how much fuel they have left and when they can go full speed again.
A “red flag” is a race stoppage caused by a serious on-track incident, where cars must slow/stop and teams may get a reset in strategy. In endurance-style racing, a red flag can dramatically change fuel calculations and the timing of when drivers can push.
"Obviously, you know, you Pado and a couple of other cars went on the, you know, fuel
safe strategy to the end sort of thing, stretching those last two stints."
In racing, a “fuel safe strategy” means you drive in a way that uses less gas so you can finish the race without needing another pit stop. The team times it so you can stay out longer, then go harder when it’s the right moment.
A “fuel safe strategy” is a race plan focused on using less fuel per lap so the car can make it to the end without an extra stop. Drivers manage throttle and pace to stretch stints, then push harder only when the timing and track position make it safe.
"Obviously, you know, you Pado and a couple of other cars went on the, you know, fuel
safe strategy to the end sort of thing, stretching those last two stints."
A “stint” is just the time you stay on the track before you pit again. If they “stretch” stints, they’re trying to go longer on the same fuel (and sometimes tires) to gain strategy advantage.
A “stint” is the period a car runs between pit stops (or between tire/fuel changes, depending on the series). Stretching the last stints means going longer than usual before the next scheduled stop, usually by managing fuel consumption.
"Pado didn't have any more kind of lap cars to help him and you kind of went by at that
point, were you good on fuel?"
“Lap cars” are other cars that aren’t on the same lap as the front runners. They can slow or disrupt the leaders, so they matter a lot for who can attack or defend during a race.
“Lap cars” are cars that are on a different lap count than the leaders (typically backmarkers being lapped or leaders lapping others). They can influence race strategy because they affect how easily a driver can maintain pace and when they can pass the leader.
"And then it right before the second last yellow came, I was sitting just in his gearbox
and
we were, I was just waiting for them to tell me, okay, go."
When they say they were “in his gearbox,” they mean they were very close behind the other car. That closeness matters because it changes how the cars handle and how easy it is to pull out and pass.
In racing talk, “in his gearbox” usually means you’re right behind the car in the slipstream/dirty-air zone close enough to affect aerodynamics and engine/traction behavior. Being that close can help you stay on the leader’s pace while waiting for a safe moment to pass.
"And then it right before the second last yellow came, I was sitting just in his gearbox
and
we were, I was just waiting for them to tell me, okay, go."
A “yellow” is a caution—drivers have to slow down because there’s a problem on the track. It changes the race rhythm, and teams can use it to adjust fuel and timing.
A “yellow” refers to a caution period where the pace is reduced and passing is restricted due to a hazard on track. Yellow flags affect fuel burn and tire temperature, and they can create opportunities to gain position or change who pits when.
"But from our point of view, it was actually like the only strategy because we had that
fuel mileage the whole race.
We were just able to sit so close and it may, it makes a big difference man."
“Fuel mileage” here means how efficiently the car uses fuel over distance, which determines how long it can run between stops. If one driver has better fuel mileage, they can stay out longer, close gaps, and choose when to push.
"my run a little bit and we came together and I lifted a little bit and that kind of ruined all my momentum"
“Lift” means you briefly take your foot off the gas. It can make the car slow down or change how it handles in the turn.
In racing driving, “lift” means easing off the throttle briefly. That reduces engine torque and can upset the car’s balance, often costing momentum through the corner.
"I lifted a little bit and that kind of ruined all my momentum, which was actually the best thing in the world."
“Momentum” is basically how much speed the car keeps going with. Drivers try to avoid losing speed when they’re turning through multiple corners.
“Momentum” here refers to the car’s speed and kinetic energy carrying through a sequence of corners. In racing, preserving momentum is often more important than making a single perfect move.
"hopefully I'll start picking up the tow from David because he was pretty far ahead at the time."
“Tow” means the car in front helps the car behind by pushing it through the air more easily. It can make you faster when you’re following closely.
“Tow” is the aerodynamic slipstream effect: the trailing car benefits from reduced air resistance behind the lead car. That can help the driver gain speed on straights or exits.
"You weren't downshifting though. No, I wish I had a,"
Downshifting means selecting a lower gear. It helps the car slow down more effectively and can also set you up to accelerate better when you exit the turn.
“Downshifting” is changing to a lower gear to increase engine braking and restore the engine’s RPM for better acceleration out of a corner. Whether you downshift depends on grip, corner speed, and how the car is set up.
"You didn't downshift and go full throttle and hit the notch."
“Full throttle” means you’re pressing the gas all the way. Drivers use it to get maximum acceleration, but it only works well if the tires have grip.
“Full throttle” means the driver is commanding maximum engine power by fully opening the throttle. In racing, it’s often used after a corner to maximize acceleration, but it can be counterproductive if traction is limited.
The clutch is what lets the driver change gears by temporarily disconnecting the engine from the gearbox. It’s used to make shifting possible and controlled.
The “clutch” is the mechanical connection between the engine and the transmission (in a manual or sequential setup). Drivers use it to interrupt drive torque for gear changes or to manage traction during aggressive maneuvers.
Term
three flat
"once we got into three and I was like, okay, I gotta do three flat that this is a very essential."
“Three flat” means staying in third gear and keeping the throttle steady through that part. It’s a driving strategy for keeping speed up.
“Three flat” is shorthand for going through a section in third gear without lifting—“flat” meaning steady throttle with no lift. It’s a way to describe a specific cornering/gear strategy and the target speed/engine load.
Term
short shoot
"once I did that and got into the short shoot, cause then David basically slid in front of me."
A “short shoot” is a short straight after a turn where you can build speed. Drivers use it to carry momentum into the next part of the track.
“Short shoot” is racing slang for a short straight or fast run-out section after a corner. Drivers often use it to set up the next braking zone or to maximize exit speed before the next turn.
"And also, you know, when you do the pilot, you kind of get that good exit that you have your wheel straighter"
“Pilot” in this context sounds like the driver in front setting the pace and line. The idea is that the car behind benefits from how the leader exits.
“Pilot” here likely refers to the lead driver’s line/positioning—how the car ahead sets up the airflow and exit. In racing talk, it can also mean the driver’s “job” of setting up the run for the car behind.
"So I was like, I kind of want to make sure I get over his front wing and I don't want
to, yeah, it was like, I was worried if I went too far down, I was going to push"
The front wing is a part on the front of a race car that acts like a spoiler. It helps press the tires onto the track so the car can turn harder, especially when you’re running close to other cars.
In open-wheel racing, the front wing is the aerodynamic device at the nose that generates downforce. More downforce helps the car stick in corners, but it also affects how the car behaves when you’re close to another car in traffic.
"Cause I came from such an outside angle, but it was, there was enough clean air to just
kind of like go in front of Marcus."
Clean air means the airflow around your car isn’t being messed up by another car. When you’re in clean air, the aero parts work better, so the car grips and handles more predictably.
“Clean air” is air that hasn’t been disturbed by another car’s wake. In racing, clean air improves aerodynamic efficiency and downforce, which is why drivers try to position themselves to run in it rather than in turbulent air.
"The car is like sliding when you do it.
You're like grip limited."
Grip limited means the tires are basically maxed out. If you ask for more steering or throttle, the car starts to slide instead of going faster or turning more.
“Grip limited” means the tires are at the edge of traction, so the car can’t accelerate or turn any harder without sliding. When a driver is grip-limited, small inputs or turbulence (like following someone weaving) can quickly trigger oversteer/understeer.
"for a brief moment, I managed to have like a perfect, like my car was just
fully behind his car and my RPM was like, I was on the last shift light at that moment."
RPM tells you how fast the engine is spinning. In racing, drivers use it to decide when to accelerate and when to shift so the car keeps pulling strongly.
RPM (revolutions per minute) is how fast the engine is spinning. Drivers watch RPM to time gear changes and throttle application so the car accelerates efficiently without bogging down or losing traction.
"And I think I deployed a little, I haven't, I can't confirm this yet, but I think I deployed
like at a 10% burst from that little lift previously."
A “10% burst” means a small, quick push on the throttle. Instead of flooring it, the driver adds just a little power to see how much traction the tires have.
A “10% burst” describes a small, controlled throttle application—here, likely a brief increase in power. Drivers use small bursts to probe traction and avoid upsetting the car when grip is limited, especially during restarts or close racing.
"Is when you, you go through one and two and Alex and I were talking about this, right?
Like you, you can roll one and two on the outside on restarts."
Restarts are when the race restarts after a caution. Everyone is trying to get going again quickly, but traction can be tricky, so drivers choose careful lines to avoid sliding or crashing.
“Restarts” are the moments after a caution period when the race resumes and cars accelerate back into racing speed. They’re high-risk because traction and tire temperatures can be different, and drivers often use specific lines to maximize grip and avoid contact.
"And if the guy on the inside hasn't been like checked up by a big line of cars and is in a bunch of dirty air and is lifting,"
When a car drives, it messes up the air behind it. If another car follows too closely, that “messy air” can make the following car feel less planted and harder to drive fast.
“Dirty air” is the disturbed airflow a car creates behind it. When another car follows closely, it gets less aerodynamic downforce and more instability, which makes cornering and passing harder.
"Like you just want it and nothing, nothing can bring out that feeling like Indy 500."
The Indy 500 is a huge race at Indianapolis where cars run in tight groups. Because of that, air effects and drafting can make a big difference in who can pass.
The Indianapolis 500 is a marquee oval race where drafting, traffic, and corner-by-corner positioning heavily shape strategy. It’s especially famous for pack racing and the way aerodynamic effects like dirty air and toe influence who can pass.
"But the toe is like, I mean, it's worth hundreds of horsepower."
“Toe” in racing usually means drafting: the car in front helps pull you along. That can make it easier to stay fast and close to the leader.
Here “toe” refers to aerodynamic drafting—being pulled along by the car in front. In open-wheel racing, the follower can gain speed and stability because the lead car’s airflow helps reduce drag and can improve how the rear of the trailing car sits.
"So yes, he might be getting a bit of toe in the middle of the corner, but he's also having to probably add more lock and scrub a bit more."
“Scrub” means the car is slowing down because the tires are slipping and scrubbing off speed. It often happens when grip isn’t as good as the driver wants.
“Scrub” (as used here) means losing speed/energy through tire slip and friction rather than carrying momentum cleanly. When a car is in worse airflow (“dirty air”), the driver may need to scrub more speed to keep the car rotating and stable.
"So yes, he might be getting a bit of toe in the middle of the corner, but he's also having to probably add more lock and scrub a bit more."
“Lock” means how much the steering wheel is turned. If the car doesn’t grip as well, drivers often have to turn the wheel more to make it follow the corner.
“Lock” refers to steering angle—how much the driver turns the wheel. More lock is often needed when the car has less effective grip or less aerodynamic support, especially when airflow is disturbed.
Select text to request an explanation
This is Off-Track.
Are you saying that of all your multiple media commitments...
I think that's what he just said.
This is one of your favorite? This is one you're okay to do?
I mean, it's always been a dream of mine to be important enough to be on the show.
So, I'm happy you guys could make a little time for me.
Did you even know we had a show? I feel like...
Man, Emile listens to it all the time.
She gives me all the IndyCar insights.
Oh, yeah.
It's good to know that she's keeping up to speed on everything that we know.
Must be a short chat every week.
Exactly. Now, I heard you guys do a great job.
And I've seen a few episodes.
And I'm very honored to be here.
Well, thanks, bro. This is not about us, though.
This is about becoming a part of history.
So, why don't you...
We're going to want to talk to you about the race a little bit,
but just take us through your past 48 hours.
What's it been like? Did it...
I know probably everyone told you what it was going to be like.
Has it met exceeded surpassed expectations?
Give us a rundown.
Yeah, bro. It's kind of different, I guess, than what you're going to expect.
I think it's a lot more...
I mean, I think the whole racing part of it, I've let that sink.
I've seen the replays and the commentaries.
I realized the actual thing I've done on track is real, and it was so cool.
But the whole thing that comes with it, like this part,
going out to the Empire State Building and having paparazzi stand there,
talking to me while they're taking photos...
Yeah, that part is still pretty new to me, and I'm not a very extravagant guy.
It's just so not me, really, to have all these things, but it's so cool.
You're a pretty flashy, showy kind of dude, feel like.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Yeah, exactly. I always show up in the rolls, you know, big ring.
You win the race, you drink the milk, I imagine what's next was a press conference.
Have you seen the photo where you, like, delete your face with the milk?
It's so crazy.
So that moment that you've been waiting for since you're five years old,
you poured the milk, and I'm like, how is this going to work?
Because I have a hat, and I guess I poured it right on the...
What do you call the thing that sticks out?
The brim.
And it was just like a perfect waterfall in front of me, or milk fall.
And I couldn't see anything for like a few seconds.
I just saw the milk like...
I guess you're supposed to pour it like further back.
Backwards?
Dude, there's no rules.
You pour that milk whoever you want to pour that milk.
That's the beauty of it all.
Someone posted, it's like the veiled nun or something.
Yeah, the veiled nun.
Yeah, so all the, like, a million photos, victory circle,
all the different hats,
all the different partners and sponsors and stuff.
And then press conference was a lot of hours,
a lot of interviews, probably did like a hundred interviews.
Sitting there in my milky suit.
Actually, with the...
I was gonna say, how gross is that?
Four hour race, and then you're covered in milk,
and then you just sit there for hours.
And that wreath, it's just like the smell of flowers and milk.
It's something else, but...
Yeah, the interviews, I did at David,
I think the last one I did was David Land on the grandstand.
So then all of a sudden,
because it rained actually when we kissed the bricks.
And then after it was like the most beautiful sunset,
the skies were clear.
I did that last interview,
and then I finally got to go home at around 10 in my suit still.
Went home.
Wait, still in your suit?
You couldn't even go back to the trailer and change,
because it was all long gone.
I had to call Adam Rovedzine to get the code to the...
Because I couldn't get into the truck,
and there's one of those like bike locks,
I guess I call it, like those physical locks.
And I had to get the code for that and open the gate and all that.
Then I got changed, drove home,
had like six tacos with my wife and some friends in our house.
And then I went to the team...
Like, wait, hang on, on.
Taco Bell or did we make them?
What are we doing here?
Chris Wheeler sent me a message asking,
like, hey, what do you want to eat?
And I said tacos.
And then when I came home, it was a massive box of Verde,
the local restaurant in Indiana.
Maybe it's a common one.
And the owner was kind enough to basically donate a bunch of tacos to us.
Nice.
Yeah, like six tacos.
Because the prize money check hadn't hit yet.
Exactly.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, had tacos, kissed a baby and a male.
And then went to the team part at Binkleys.
We were there until like 3 a.m., I think.
Nice.
All right.
So you celebrated proper.
Yeah, we did.
I was like, I got a celebration.
Like I never celebrate anything.
The last time I was properly drunk was probably at my wedding two years ago.
So I was like, I got to do this.
I had way too many gin and tonics.
One of my engineers took me home.
And then I woke up at like 5.34.
And you thought, you're like, oh, I posted a photo of it.
I'm tired.
Like this is wild.
And I was like, oh, it's only gotten started.
And then you do the whole thing like the, you go out to the bricks,
you take the photo.
And that's a long sitting.
Like you sit on the arrow.
Yeah.
So back in your day, Alex, you didn't have to sit on the arrow screen,
which by the way, anyone who's involved in that thing,
you should develop like a seat pad.
Like some kind of a phone.
It still hurts actually.
I sat on it for like two and a half hours.
Yeah.
You know, like when Elio would race sports cars,
rather than have like a seat insert that he'd put in and take out,
he would like to get into his suit.
So he was in the back of his suit.
So that's why you need your, your 500 victory photo suit.
Just has like a little built in butt pad to keep.
So wait.
So I need to know that Alex, when you won, how late did you stay up?
And what time did you have to get up for your photos?
I went to bed at like 9pm and woke up at 6.
Okay.
So Alex did not do it the right way.
Felix did it the right way.
Okay.
Yes.
Yes.
Two hours of photos.
Yeah, exactly.
He's just practicing two hours of photos there at the track.
First thing in the morning.
And then what we saw, saw Lando Norris stop by to say congratulations.
That was cool.
Land has stopped by.
We exchanged a few words and then let me think dude.
It's like a blur.
I'm so sleep deprived at some point.
Yeah.
I don't, I don't remember.
I went, we did a bunch of stuff, went home and then I flew to New York.
I had to pack my bag.
No.
Yeah.
You did the banquet.
I packed my bag, went to the banquet with the bag, did the banquet and then we flew
to New York and here we are two days later.
And obviously New York is, is cool.
New York's probably even cooler for you with the serious XM being, you know, the partner
that they are and everything that you can do with them.
Yeah.
And we could spend a long time talking about the New York media tour, but I want to get
into the race because I along with, I think all of our peers as well as the 350,000 people
that were there categorize this as one of the best Indy 500s ever.
And James, James and I were talking about this yesterday actually and we are both so
thrilled with the way that it ended because before that red flag, the race was yours anyways.
So why don't you walk us through up until that red flag?
Cause I'm very curious.
Obviously, you know, you Pado and a couple of other cars went on the, you know, fuel
safe strategy to the end sort of thing, stretching those last two stints.
You were doing better on fuel than Pado was.
I think you had them by two laps going into that last stint there.
And then there was a moment in time where you were kind of done sitting behind him.
Pado didn't have any more kind of lap cars to help him and you kind of went by at that
point, were you good on fuel?
And did you know that?
Okay, this is mine as long as nothing stupid happens.
Yes.
So I don't remember exactly, but it was one moment when I did that, but I still had to
save a little bit and we kind of hope we can break free from him.
And then things happened and we were back saving fuel again.
And then it right before the second last yellow came, I was sitting just in his gearbox and
we were, I was just waiting for them to tell me, okay, go.
And yeah, when we went, it was like, yeah, just send it and this is it.
Yeah, we had, we had such a good car and we were able to just the whole race.
And I think that's where we ended because a lot of people kind of looked at it as a off
strategy.
But from our point of view, it was actually like the only strategy because we had that
fuel mileage the whole race.
We were just able to sit so close and it may, it makes a big difference man.
Like if you, if you have a really good car and you can sit like, even when you're fifth
or 16 lines super close and you're basically like, you burn like half the fuel than the
leader is doing.
It's crazy.
And that was basically what kind of gave us the opportunity to do that.
And it was kind of cool.
It was almost like playing chess in a way.
But part of like, I kind of felt bad for part of because he was so unlucky with her
everything unfolded and then like Nick passed me on the outside and gave me more fear.
Like it was, everything was like too perfect.
And just when I thought I allowed myself to think like, oh, this is looking pretty good.
Yeah.
Yeah.
The yellow came.
So it always does, doesn't it?
So you see the yellow, red.
I mean, you come down pit lane.
What do you think?
Are you just like, of course, of course this has to happen.
Of course this is how it's got to go.
But were you stressed?
Are you still kind of cool, calm and collected?
What was your mindset when you were sat in the car waiting for the cleanup?
For a brief moment, I was a little bit, you know, yes, you see your bummed that because
everything was like perfect.
But I was actually pretty calm just because I felt the car was so good.
I knew the car was good in clean air.
It was good in traffic.
It was, it was going to be good if I was 15 line or second in line, third in line.
I literally felt like if you give me five laps, I'll, I'll take this car to the win.
And I didn't know it was going to end up being one lap.
And then I, then I got, when Adam told, because I was sure it was going to be a two lap dash.
And when he told me it was a one lap dash, I'm like, okay, that's a different beast.
So you talk, I saw a quote from you and you said that everything that occurred in that last lap
was kind of like muscle memory and that you felt that you had, I don't remember, dreamed
it or thought about it before.
Like take us into that mindset.
You know, did you just take what was given to you in the sense that, you know,
obviously lane two is free?
Or was it always in your mind that this is how you can win a race in the modern IndyCar era
with how difficult it is to lead?
Like was this always, because I think everyone through the whole month is kind of thinking
in the back of their head.
Like if it comes down to the last lap, how am I going to make the difference?
Yeah.
So walk us through coming to that restart, like what you ended up doing.
Yeah.
So the way I thought about it was, okay, I'm sitting a third.
At some point, the leader is going to get past this leading is not a good thing on a restart.
And when they break side by side, I'm still going to pick up some kind of draft and kind
of get a run, you know, and it's kind of ironic because the run ended up being not very good.
Cause when I into turn one, when Marcus kind of opened up the corner and he tried to block
my run a little bit and we came together and I lifted a little bit and that kind of ruined
all my momentum, which was actually the best thing in the world.
But at the time I was like, okay, like, and then I just got stuck on the outside with him.
And we did like the exact same speed.
And at that point, that's when I was like, okay, the only way I can do this now is to
just try to be on the outside through turn two and turn three and not lift and hopefully
I'll start picking up the tow from David because he was pretty far ahead at the time.
Like he was a, I was like, I mean, I actually check out here.
And then he did his little snake thing where it was like a fast and a furious moment for
me and Marcus.
Cause every time he went to the right side, I picked up like a foot and then he picked
his like Hollywood Hollywood stuff.
You weren't downshifting though.
No, I wish I had a,
You didn't downshift and go full throttle and hit the notch.
No, hit the clutch.
No, it was.
And then, but then I started to actually like, once we got into three and I was like, okay,
I gotta do three flat that this is a very essential.
And once I did that and got into the short shoot, cause then David basically slid in
in front of me.
And also, you know, when you do the pilot, you kind of get that good exit that you have
your wheel straighter and then the car just picked up speed and it was kind of a tough
decision going into turn four.
Cause I was just clearing Marcus.
So I was like, I kind of want to make sure I get over his front wing and I don't want
to, yeah, it was like, I was worried if I went too far down, I was going to push and
not be able to do it flat behind David.
Cause I came from such an outside angle, but it was, there was enough clean air to just
kind of like go in front of Marcus.
He had to, he kind of backed up and then it was just me and David.
And then I, he started doing the weaving a snakey thing again, which is very hard to
follow someone.
I don't know if you guys have done that, but it's like super to, to drive a 200 whatever
and follow someone who's like weaving.
It's super difficult.
The car is like sliding when you do it.
You're like grip limited.
But I managed to, for a brief moment, I managed to have like a perfect, like my car was just
fully behind his car and my RPM was like, I was on the last shift light at that moment.
So it was just like, it was just, it was just accelerating.
And I think I deployed a little, I haven't, I can't confirm this yet, but I think I deployed
like at a 10% burst from that little lift previously.
Yeah.
And then, you know, I was just kind of praying.
So that was, that was the thing for me, right?
Is when you, you go through one and two and Alex and I were talking about this, right?
Like you, you can roll one and two on the outside on restarts.
Like it's a thing.
By the time you get to three, like you've built up a fair amount of speed.
And if the guy on the inside hasn't been like checked up by a big line of cars and is in a bunch of dirty air and is lifting,
like you can see guys fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh in line, like peek out and hold it on the outside of three.
You guys were pretty clear.
And so when you, when you were heading into three, was it, man, I kind of hoping that he bails out of it and I can get down to the
bottom or were you just like, it's the outside and that's all I've got.
And that's just what we have to do.
I mean, we were so, we were fully side by side when I turned in.
So I didn't really think I was going.
And I knew he wasn't really going to lift at that point.
Like he's, he was probably in the exact same mindset as me where you just, you don't care.
Like you just want it and nothing, nothing can bring out that feeling like Indy 500.
Like you just want it so much.
You don't care.
Like you just, yeah.
And yeah, he didn't like he kept flat through three, but, but it was basically the fact that David was ahead of me.
That allowed me to move forward more than he did because he obviously had the insight and did a shorter distance.
But the toe is like, I mean, it's worth hundreds of horsepower.
Because if you think about it, like in the middle of three, he's actually in David's dirty air.
So yes, he might be getting a bit of toe in the middle of the corner, but he's also having to probably add more lock and scrub a bit more.
So you kind of have the clean air.
And then on the short shoot, he comes in front of you and tows you along.
So the outside's almost the place to be as long as the grip is there in the track to hold the car.
And it's funny.
Now we talk about it because me, just like you guys, like we never really thought about this too much before like the playing because it's a rectangular track.
It's not an oval really.
It's not a circle.
So it's a completely different ballgame when you have the short shoot and the 90 degree corner.
And we probably all should have studied way more how to approach that scenario because this was just kind of like gut feel and adrenaline.
But yeah, like it might actually be the way we race from now.
I'm not sure.
Like it all depends on whether or when like it was 85 degrees.
Might have not been the case.
I don't know.
But yeah, it was so good.
Like worked out.
Yeah, I did.
So walk us through.
I know you don't have a lot of time, but just your whole month of May.
So obviously, you know, through qualifying weekend or I guess it was just a day, you know, you were the car to beat.
It didn't quite come to you in the in the fast six, but still, you know, an incredibly strong car.
But I remember you saying on Friday, you know, you were you had to work for the speed.
Like it didn't it didn't come automatic on fast Friday when the boost got turned up.
Did you know kind of through the whole month that you had a car that was, you know, going to be a weapon around there?
Because I think a lot of people forget like you've had some some very strong runs at Indy with MSR.
I mean, obviously with McLaren as well.
You've also had a lot of failures that have taken you out of good running spots.
So you know what a good car is.
You obviously have the the the knack for the place.
But was this month of May any different for you or or did it all kind of just come together when it mattered the most?
It was I think I just kind of did my normal thing with my engineer Ross.
We kind of just focused on ourselves during race running.
I think we were a little surprised how good we were in the race because we almost felt like maybe we we don't really care much about lap times during the practice.
And it seems like maybe in a way that ended up being a bit of sandbagging for us.
We probably out there in the worst conditions and, you know, full tank runs and stuff like that.
So I think that was one thing where we're like, oh, we showed up for race days.
Like, obviously, I think team nailed the setup as well in the battle because it was it was very good.
But it wasn't like we did something crazy going into the race with a setup or anything.
It's not like through all a practice you're you were thinking this is the best thing I've ever driven.
It was not in race running.
And we in fact, in Carb Day, we, you know, we had a little issue and we had to go back to the garage and we parked not super happy.
But we felt like we'd be fine.
Like, we'll, you know, if we have track position, we'll be we'll be there and happy starting forth.
The Qual car, obviously, that was all.
Yeah, as you said, kind of crazy story.
We found quite a lot of lap time more than normally, I'd say, for what you normally do in in the car through through those days.
And ended up being, yeah, we should have could have been the pole position, maybe.
But yeah, no, like always, you don't really.
It's kind of like a feel you get through the race and the car changes through the race, too.
And ours just, even if we didn't change anything, it actually got better and better through the race.
It came to us.
Felix, you showed a lot of emotion, obviously, at the end of the race.
And a big part of that was not having your family there with you, not having a meal in Stella.
What was it like coming home and getting to kind of see them for the first time after all the met?
Because it's not like you get a run straight home.
As you said, you had to go through all this stuff.
It was hours and before you were finally able to get home and, you know, and give your wife a hug.
And, you know, we know how much and we talk a lot about the sacrifice the families make
and what it's like being the partner of an IndyCar driver, especially this month.
So just, you know, what was what was that moment like when you got to see them for the first time?
It was, I still, I still kind of think that moment hasn't come fully.
But yes, just seeing her was just incredible.
I'm both of them for that fact.
I saw that she had, I mean, she had had a pretty rough day.
Obviously ecstatic, but very tired of being pretty much an alone mother for most of this May.
And yeah, it was just, she was such a big part of it, both of them,
where I think both of them were directly related to the wind and, you know, helping me to get to that position.
But yeah, I'm still waiting to get home from New York and just sitting down for like more than 10 minutes.
But we actually, before I went to the banquet, like I laid out because she's like,
you probably need to like nap for 10 minutes.
And I went to my bed and obviously I didn't nap because my brain was like exploding.
And she like joined me in the bed for five minutes.
We just like, we just started crying.
It was crazy.
Like what, what the hell just happened?
It was, yeah.
Yeah, it'll take time to let that sink in.
But it's what you say.
Like it's kind of a tease in a way.
Like you, you're there on track for hours or, and then you go to New York for two days and you have to go to Detroit.
You're still waiting to just kind of like, I mean, I don't know what you think about Alex because you did exact same thing.
But at some point you just want to like go to a beach and just talk about it.
You and your wife and your kid.
I want to, I want to end on, on a, I at least have one more question.
I don't know about James, but we don't want to take too much of your time.
You bring up Detroit, like, like walk us through the mentality now, right?
You know, there's, you look, you look at the start of the year.
You know, you've obviously been quick.
There's been some, maybe some races that have gotten away or whatever.
Do you see, I'm just, I'm so curious to know guys's mindset.
Do you see now like anything else that happens after this year is a bonus?
Or do you see it as, I just got 50 points.
You know, I'm now back in a, in a championship kind of conversation, scenario conversation.
And like Detroit has to be perfect.
Detroit has to go well.
Obviously you're a competitor.
So that's your mindset, but is it also like stress and pressure of having a good year,
especially considering this year is a contract year.
Does that kind of diminish a little bit or where are you at with that?
I think if anything, it's taking a lot of pressure off.
I know I've talked previously also the fact that I became a dad has somehow taken the pressure off.
It's ironic.
Alex sent me a message when the baby came.
He's like, you're probably going to win now.
You have a baby.
You're going to go faster, man.
It's ironic.
I can probably find that message.
No.
And I think the wind did the same thing.
You just, it's kind of like a monkey off your back in a way for your whole career.
Like no one can take it away from you.
Obviously we have, you know, 16 other races to race.
And you would love to just bathe in this victory for, for the longest time.
But I think, I think it helps me.
I don't feel any added pressure to this.
I know that is a completely different race than Detroit, but we, it wasn't like a, you know,
it would be a different thing if we had like the worst season and then we came in to India and had like a randomly good race.
But we actually had a great momentum coming into this as well from Long Beach, where we, you know, kind of had a similar day when we were controlling it.
Then the yellow came and then we didn't come out on top.
And then great speed.
And in the GP where I, unfortunately, took out my body part in the first corner.
So yeah, I feel like we're actually coming off a very, very strong way or like we're riding a really good wave right now with, with my shank racing team.
So yeah, let's, let's just continue.
Good to hear it, man.
I mean, as a friend, just not as a competitor.
You can go pounds hand, but you know,
I can say it as a, as a friend and it's fine.
So it's legitimately for me.
No, so 22 quick things.
One, I mean, you talk about how tired you are and you're, and you're not done and you, and you still do have Detroit this weekend.
And we talk about it on the broadcast all the time that may hang over and how the 500 winner struggles when they get to Detroit just out of pure exhaustion.
It's totally understandable.
Are you worried about that?
And what's kind of a, a good weekend for you in Detroit?
All things considered.
I feel like it's kind of back to a normal mindset.
Like you kind of have to reset your expectation a little bit going to Detroit.
You know, a podium would be amazing.
I've been on the podium there before and that's kind of like the ballpark of like a podium would be amazing.
A top five is the great weekend, you know, top 10 coming off the 500 with massive sleep deprivation, probably not terrible.
You know, so I feel like I have a pretty similar frame of approach to it.
I am, I'm curious how I'll feel on the first lap because it's always kind of tricky going back to a bumpy track after indie like that.
And the fact that I probably haven't been in the gym for like a month and I've eaten like skittles and gin and tonics.
I don't know.
It's like, but it's weird.
Like we all as drivers talk about this and it's always those periods you perform the best because you're somehow relaxed.
And I heard so many drivers say this that the moment you just stop, like the less you care, actually the better.
Not that you're not focused on your work and you, you work hard and you show up.
But I think it's the time at home.
If you walk around thinking about racing and preparing, like if you do that too much, I think it, at least for me, it's probably not a great thing.
It wears on you.
Yeah, it wears you.
I've got one final thing and we'll let you go.
It's actually for both of you.
So Felix, you know, I'm not sure who to ask this first.
Ask Felix first and then Alex.
But you know, you know most of what's coming over the next 12 months as a 500 winner in terms of like the key moments, the key cool things that you're going to get to experience, right?
Getting your pictures done for your carving, the ticket reveal, whatever it is.
A lot of stuff coming your way.
Which of those things are you most looking forward to?
Give me more examples because my brain is fried.
Well, Alex, why don't you cut?
So the follow up to Alex was going to be you've been through it once.
If you win it again, when you win it again, what is of those different elements that you get to experience?
Which one having been through it, are you looking forward to getting the chance to do again?
So I don't think any of those moments matter or are as cool as when Felix is going to get the opportunity to show back up in May next year as the defending winner.
Because you obviously have an immense amount of appreciation and respect for this race and the Speedway and the fans and everything.
But your idea of it can be completely shifted and the following May is one of the coolest things you've ever experienced.
That's honestly the last thing I would have guessed.
That's amazing.
Getting your face revealed is super cool.
Getting the baby board is all very cool.
But it doesn't bring out the emotions or the true realization of what you accomplish until you show back up as the defending winner.
That makes a lot of sense.
Just a location and seeing everything and then you have to do a bunch of other stuff.
You have to go out with a really cool jacket on the brakes and take photos.
Unless you break your ankle, then you don't have to do it.
If you want to get out of anything, just break your ankle.
It's like a catch-all excuse.
And also I think going to Sweden.
I'm not sure if that's if we're actually doing that or not.
I think we are.
But that would be so cool to go back to my hometown.
I think I would actually kind of make me nervous.
It's weird like your hometown is related to so many core memories.
Going back there in that, it will be really cool and weird at the same time.
But I really hope we can do that because I know this has been a lot of...
The Swedes are yearning for some fro, apparently.
I was going to say, they're getting pretty used to the Borg Warner going over there.
Marcus, a couple of years ago, now you get the Borg going down Main Street, Varnummo, Sweden.
It could be a cool look.
I think it was.
It's actually a pretty beautiful city.
I think we'll make it look good.
And we also have a Kenny Brack in 99.
There you go.
Three Swedes.
Oh, by the way.
Is it like 60% of all Swedes of 1 in 8,500?
Yeah.
Three out of five.
No, of all of them ever before.
So this is actually a funny little story because I know we're already going over time.
But I'll leave you with this story because it's quite funny.
So our stats guy, he does a great job.
Tom Bowles, shout out Tom.
And the night before the race, he did this kind of final document that was a little bit of a rundown on each driver, right?
And it was, I don't know, 10 pages of stuff.
And I'm sitting there in my hotel room on Saturday night and I'm just kind of doing all my final notes, a little bit of more prep before the race.
And I'm going through and I had two notes for them that I noticed were a little bit of a typo.
Because each driver, it says like the driver, a couple of facts.
And then there's always an if wins, right?
So if wins, it'll be, you know, it would have been David Lucas's first Indy car race win, you know, if wins, this will be whatever, whatever.
So it's always if win stats.
And under yours, it said if wins will be the second sweet to win the Indy 500.
And I just wrote him a little note.
I was like, Hey man, just saw the sheet.
Thanks for sending it through real quick.
Like technically, you know, he's actually the third Kenny and Marcus.
And he's like, Oh, it's always one of those obscure stats.
And that's always one that ends up making the air.
And then that was before the race.
And then the race ends, like you cross the line and we look at each other across in the booth.
It's like, I told you, I should have known that.
That's what I should have known that it was going your way.
That's crazy.
Well, thanks for, you know, making our country look a little better.
There you go.
Listen, bro.
Thanks for the time.
Very, very happy for you.
I think that this has been something that quite honestly is a long time coming.
Not just an Indy 500 win, but just getting back to victory lane, man.
Like you've had so much bad luck.
It's good to see it finally go right for you.
So congrats to you, Emile Estella.
And we'll see you in a couple of days.
Thank you, brother.
Thank you guys.
Get some rest, kiss to the girls and we'll see you soon.
Thank you.
Thank you.
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