Push-to-pass is a race button that lets a driver temporarily get extra speed. The tricky part is the rules about exactly when you’re allowed to use it.
Term
alternate star finish line
Tracks sometimes have more than one start/finish line marking. IndyCar rules can use a particular one to decide when certain race actions are allowed.
A restart is when the race starts moving again after a caution. Drivers have to plan how to get going fast and use any extra power at the right moment to gain positions.
The ECU is the car’s computer that controls the engine. A modification means changing that computer’s settings—here, it was used to get around how the push-to-pass system worked.
Dirty air is what happens when one car’s airflow messes up the air around the car behind it. That can make the following car feel less planted, which makes passing tougher.
Downforce engineering is about shaping the car so air pushes it downward. More downforce usually means better tire grip, especially at speed.
Term
ultimate start finish line
The start/finish line is the track’s official timing line. The discussion is about which exact line the rules use to decide when a feature becomes available.
Concept
two-wide start
A two-wide start means cars go side-by-side when the race restarts. That can be messier, so rules may restrict certain boosts or features until things settle.
Term
malfunction
A malfunction means the car’s systems detect something isn’t working right. The point being discussed is how rules handle those faults so they don’t ruin the race moment.
The green flag means the race is officially back on and drivers can race normally. When it drops affects when teams can start using certain strategies.
A software update is a change to the car’s computer programs. It can adjust how features work, especially after the series wants to fix problems seen in past races.
They’re talking about how IndyCar races might be won or lost based on strategy. In particular, they discuss how tires and pit timing could matter more this year.
Tire strategy is about planning pit stops and deciding how long to run each set of tires. Since tires wear out and lose grip, the timing can make or break the race.
A “charter” is like a guaranteed spot to race. If a team doesn’t have one, it can be hard or impossible to get into most IndyCar races—except the Indy 500, which has different rules.
A “one-off team” is a team that only comes to one race instead of racing all season. The charter rules make it harder for these occasional teams to get into events.
HMD Able Motorsports is a racing team in IndyCar. The host is using it as an example of teams that already have the IndyCar setup, versus teams that would need a big jump in funding to compete.
In racing, a “full-time program” means the team races regularly all season, not just a few events. It takes steady money and staff to keep everything running the whole year.
Concept
33 car team
The Indy 500 has a limited grid size, so teams can be constrained by how many cars can enter and qualify. When the discussion mentions “filling the 33 car team,” it’s referring to the practical cap on entrants and the difficulty of getting enough cars on the grid.
They’re talking about how the Indy 500 can only take a limited number of cars, which makes it hard for some teams to get in. That affects who can race and how teams organize their season.
The Ford Mustang is a sports car made by Ford that’s been around for many years. It’s popular with drivers and racing teams, so it often shows up in motorsport discussions. In the podcast, it sounds like they’re talking about the same type of car being used for competition.
I’m not sure what “Seagull” refers to as a car. It could be a nickname or a shorthand for a specific vehicle, but the podcast snippet doesn’t give enough detail to identify it. If you share the surrounding sentence, I can explain the correct car.
The McLaren F1 is a very rare, extremely fast sports car made to be driven hard. People talk about it because it’s not just a collectible—it was designed to be used and driven. In the podcast, it’s mentioned as something that can be driven normally, not only admired.
LIVE
It's my turn
Well, good evening everyone and welcome to another edition of the pit straight. I'm Kyle Benjamin
along with Wyatt Watson and Michael Finley
fellas, it's May
The greatest time of the year glorious racing month of the year
Not quite as like May's past because we don't get Monaco
but you know, hey
Indy cars are at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and do you have Montreal as long as it doesn't rain at Indy on
a more or less Sunday
F1 in Montreal doesn't quite have the same same cachet as it were
but Indy cars
Back at IMS for for racing this weekend at the the Grand Prix
First thing to touch on Indy car after having a push-to-pass faux pas at Long Beach
Has now announced some push-to-pass changes
basically giving push-to-pass
To the drivers from the drop of the green flag if I'm if I'm understanding the new rule correct
No, that's a it's when they cross the alternate star finish line on the start. That is the rule
So people have gotten that confused confused though. Yeah, what says enable that all times on road and street courses
So I would assume that to mean from the drop of the green flag, that's been a big confusion, I think
I've read it differently in other places
Myself that's are you looking at if you're looking at the I don't know if they've changed it on front
I'm literally I'm reading the I am reading the press release at the moment
Okay
That's interesting
So, you know the role
Typical right
There's an issue with the system. They try to address the issue and then they try to expand on the use of it and Long Beach
some some
technical difficulties with with push-to-pass and now it's um, I
Maybe not use it on the race start. Yeah, but on every subsequent
So, I don't know I they they say it should open up
some more strategy opportunities
I'm sure this is something where they went to the drivers and
Drivers were probably like, yeah, we don't care either way
So well well when you look at the report and you have half the field using the push-to-pass button on the restart just
Instinctively it kind of confirms what we kind of already knew from push-to-pass gate
Part one with Joseph new garden when he got dinged and was pretty much
hung
for his sense of pushing the plus to pass one now
Granted, it's a different situation where team Penske installed
ECU modification that allowed for the bypass of the push-to-pass
system, but
it confirms really his his
His theory that drivers just push it on instinct anyway another
Confirmation of this was Scott McLaughlin who was also part of that deal in 2024
It was one of the 12 drivers who did end up using the push-to-pass and Long Beach
I think this is just a simplification at this point
get rid of
This
Stipulation and push-to-pass. I think it'll make restarts. Maybe a little bit more interesting, but you kind of think
yourself Michael about
The old DRS train and what we deal with on the we used to deal with on the formula one side
Maybe what we still deal with with the active arrow and formula one
We really don't but at the same point though, like why was stripped it?
You know like what what what even was the argument to restruct it in the first place
I think there's another guy that might have a big
About about this live from Indianapolis our fearless leader Alex M. Gins
Welcome to the party big fella. That's it. You're all messed up now. I've arrived. What are we talking about?
What what can I look like you on your way push to pass?
Push-to-pass. Oh, okay. Okay, catch me up guys
So really see the point
In in having they made a subtle change to it
I don't think it's gonna make any difference and for one reason and one reason only
Every team can see when every other team is using it. You can't deploy it strategically anymore
Yes, yes, you're right
It is a fold over from the champ car world series and by golly, it's I think it's time has passed
Okay, okay. I you know, I don't hate that. that at all
I think I think it's a shame that we've reached the point of aerospace and and downforce engineering
That open-wheel series find it so critical to have some kind of aid to racing like that to disrupt
The effects of dirty air and all that fun stuff
Huh, that's interesting. I've never thought about getting rid of it completely
I'm not sure that I have as provocative of a take there as I would like to
Yeah, I mean I was I was working in the champ car world series when push-to-pass was rolled out as a way to promote
I mean, it was a gimmick back then as a way to differentiate champ car from the IRL
Alex has vanished
Well, I mean like my thing is like not necessarily to stop it
No, like why have it my point is why was stripped it in the first place, you know, I
I
Understand I mean we've had it for so long. My stance here is just like a nothing burger. Okay
It's it's active and at the drop of the restart or after this the initial start passing the ultimate start finish line
I think why not just have it active at the for the whole time
I guess with the two what the two wide start we don't that want that much chaos with using the
with using the button on on that instance, but
Again, it's just it's now it's a woman
It's making it more simple for Indy car to not have the stipulation in that in that drama of oh
If the system has another malfunction and just avoids the problem entirely that yeah, that's that's the effect of change for it
Yeah, I mean if the if the drive was responsibility ultimately let them let them use it
Well, I love and Alex since you're on site
This this lovely evening at the speedway, maybe you can you know find a race engineer ask a driver
Okay, now that push-to-pass is kind of wide open after the green the initial green flag
Is there a strategy change because really the only thing I can think of?
Because everybody can see everybody else's data when it comes to push-to-pass
If you are just a little bit faster than the other guy getting to the button you might have an advantage
But that advantage is going to be so
So narrow
On a restart that I don't
I don't know if this may you know, I think it's a it's a software update
Indy cars trying to make some changes after what happened at Long Beach
At the end of the day it probably doesn't
Make much of a difference. I don't did the viewer at home. I don't think we're going to notice anything wildly different
Yeah, I would be tempted to agree, you know, it's it's kind of like
This just kind of feels like the inevitable at this point, you know, and it's not a fair comparison
But even in formula one we got rid of drs replaced it with active arrow
we didn't we didn't change the basic mechanics of the whole thing and
This is going to I just I think it's going to be part of the identity
part of the zeitgeist of the series going forward and
I definitely want to hear from drivers if this is going to change their strategy and hear from the teams, but
I don't think we're going to I think the extension of the races this year to encourage tire strategy is going to be
The much bigger have the much larger impact and I'm okay with that
Excellent sat word by the way you worked in there. Okay, uh, alex polo
Does he continue his dominance? I mean it, you know, we've said kind of all along
This is his championship to lose and it is someone else's to win
Who's going to play the spoiler this weekend?
If there's someone to play spoiler
One to watch I think is legitimately gram ray hall. He's been good here at thank you alex
It's he's been very solid at the ndgp and just look at how he's
Started the year. He's he's gotten his first podium since what 2023 at barbara, which another good track for him
for for his record, but
ndgp by far even in this era of indycar. He's been
He's been qualifying that thing close to the front. He's led. He led labs here last year
Uh, if if he has an answer if there's an answer to alex polo at ndgp, it's gotta be gram ray hall
My that's what my heart's saying, but my brain is saying that alex polo is going to get his fourth
Soncio gram pre-victory in a row though
We're talking about more strategy and indycar racing. I mean you gotta look at dixon
He he has one here too. I think and yeah dixon could win any way at any time, you know
Just the ice man lorkas always and they'll find a way to end up in the top five
He may not qualify well
Um, you know, he struggled qualifying recently had you know some more success. Uh, I didn't get long beach
He made it into the fast six
Uh
But that was his best start. I believe his best start of the season. So he also got a podium too, right?
Long beach was like eight months ago. I don't remember
I'm pretty sure he got the last step of the podium as well at long beach
and he's also
In that span of three wins in a row for alex polo and the now extinct gallagher gram pray
He is one in between that stint of alex polo winning three may races here in a row
That's true. I mean, he's he's fast here. Um, you know, he was the only guy really to challenge
uh, simon pageant back in 2019
I'm going way back in the archives, but when when pageant won everything that may
You know, dixon was the only guy who kind of had a sniff of him
So again, you know polo's polo's race polo's championship to lose
As we continue to alex these floats in and out but I I'm sorry I I was
Hopping back and forth between this
And my data to say something
Will power has won on the indy road course multiple times
He has and if there's any giant name in indy car that needs a win right now, I think it's will power
You know, he wants it bad too
Andretti is also one in that 26 car with colt and her now
I'll be it in the rain, which we're not we've we've had showers here in the indiana area
Yesterday, but now as you see in the background of of alex ginses fine walk around idianapolis
It is clear blue skies. It should be
clear on saturday afternoon for that race, so
It's tough again. There needs to be a hint of chaos. I think for
Alex polo to not win but then again
We had a hint of chaos at long beach and it ended up in an alice polo win
And leaving the chaos on the plate with felix rosin quest looking as sharp as he did at long beach, which you should be
absolutely
Exonerated for there
And you get it going back to power very quickly because I just thought of this point
It would be very sweet if his first win with
Andretti came at
pinch his y'all
That would be very nice for him. I imagine he's gonna be extra motivated
Put some respect back on his name. Yeah
Needs it after what he started with though. They've had it. They've had a rough go of it. Hey looking at the you know looking at the results
um
From long beach, you know power finished 19th marcus erickson was 25th
There's there and there has been for some time a problem at andretti global
They can get 11 car there usually runs really well and the other one's struggle
Uh this year kirk wood seems to be the guy who's got the the you know the ponies up under him
Erickson, I mean he's had a season to forget
And honestly so is power apart from his, you know, kind of early season prowess
The results haven't been there. They've been, you know crashes pit mistakes
mechanical failures
You know something's amiss
Yeah, erickson with the with the mechanical failure at at long beach
That was one to forget that kind of put him back in the doldrums
12th and points after after that tied with marcus erickson. So
In a contract here, no less, I believe as well
Yeah, well the other thing that's happened since we kind of last convened
You know that the charter
Situation has become more clear in indy car
Uh, you know, you're not going to be able to start any race outside the indy 500 if you don't have a charter
Which is only interesting because prema the team that sat on the pole of the indy 500 last year
The driver not there the team not there this year
They fell victim to the charter situation
You know outside of the indy 500 you really don't have
Many one-off teams drivers show up. It's again, I feel like it's a little bit like push to pass
It's not cool, but again, I don't
I don't think they're going to be long-term impacts. It's not like there's a roster
You know a lineup of teams going a we really want to be at indy car
That you've got your stable of indy next teams who are there. They've built solid indy x programs
um hmd able motorsports
teams who don't have
Already an indy car program
And are you know, they're affiliated with somebody. They're not going to make the step up
By themselves, that's you know, that's a multi-million dollar investment that in today's economy doesn't really make a lot of sense
so
It's a bummer that the premise is not on the grid anymore
Mostly because of the charters, but also because you know sponsorship funding the whole
dollars make the race cars go around
um
I don't know. What do you guys think?
I mean, you look at a team like drier and ron rinbull. That's been around for
About a decade now or or around that time. I was just rewatching 2016
indy 500 today and
There they've been around for a decade and they haven't made their steps to be a full-time program
There's you're absolutely a spot on here. There's no
cultivation of a
of another team that's like nobody's buying
What prima has and that's led to we've led now to the manufacturers taking
uh to a new charters and they're going to go to existing indy car teams and a j floyd and
and mayer shank racing
And it kind of closes the door on anyone wanting to do an indy car operation outside the indian apples 500
Which of course is struggling just to fill the 33 car team
It wasn't for the fact that we were locked in at 33 cars
We wouldn't even have an hmd motorsports effort with a j foyd this year
it's
Damned if you do damned if you don't I think on those ends
Uh with with the charter situation. We've we're locked in at this point. There's nothing much we can do to
Go back on what's what's happened in indy car at this point
Yeah
Starting a race team is a is a very expensive
Probably the old joke is you know, you make a small fortune in racing by starting with a large one
I think now guys who want to get into racing are just buying shares of teams, um, you know
Mayer shank it's no longer michael shank racing. It's mayer shank. That's been that way for a while, but spire
Great example of buying, you know buying inequity
You know and and guys who want to participate can participate at the 500
So
When indy co introduced its shoulders in 2024
I didn't like it because
It was 2024, right?
Yeah, it was. Yeah, okay, so
Because what will you really getting out of it?
honestly, because
You had a chance at win a circle money
you had
A guaranteed entry in every ways even though nobody was going home to begin with
except for the indy 500
So it's like there were really only three ways you could increase the value of those shoulders and make them like
Valuable because that's that's the grand plan the grand goal of this children program
Is that these organizations can go around in five years and sell the
You know have a valuation of like over a 100000000 or something like a lot of nobody's spending a 100000000 dollars on an indy car team
Though right now, but that's the ultimate goal not necessarily even a 100000000
You know like nobody's spending 30 million on an indy car team
But event like even in like a year or so, I mean you could see somebody sell for like 10 million, you know
Like with dale coin really like tone down 10 million
But any my point is though there were really only three ways you could increase value
To make the children's worthwhile one would be what I was suggesting at the time which was
tying it into a sultan ownership of the company
Like one percent of penske entertainment or ims or whatever, you know
Two would be guaranteed
500 entries. I mean 500 starters which nobody wants
or
three
closing
The series off and making it so that you need a charter to go week to week
This was really the only option like that wasn't
penske giving up a lot of money or
Making a horrible decision nobody would like
And ultimately like if you're looking at it from the team owners perspective
Again, like if you don't close off entries, what are you really buying with the charter?
You're just buying well you
You can drive you can be at every waste except for the biggest waste on the schedule
And you might have a chance at money
At winter circle money like that's all you're getting right before this
with the charter so
The waste fan in me doesn't like it, but the business
The business man in me is like, okay. Yes
so
I know Chris disagrees completely like he wrote an excellent article an excellent column
but again, I don't
Agree with it if you look at the perspective of the team owners that are in that right now
My moral compass wants to ask the business person you
What the what the necessity who stands to benefit from the existence of these in the first place because
we're we're talking about
You know, what value are you getting out of a charter and how do you
How do you make them appealing and how do you make them a worthy investment?
But that all assumes the necessity of the charter system in the first place
So genuinely i'm trying to understand
Having not spent a ton of time
Floating my mind around the the financial aspect of this
Where where does the desire to?
be
Built for nascar in the open the side. What is the what is the need to get these teams to buy these tickets to participate?
Well, part of it is that you do have a guaranteed of guarantee of selling up like
You know back
It didn't really matter back in nascar's heyday
If like guys were discord wall d and killing because it's like the sport was so huge
Indico is still kind of a neat sport ultimately like and i was honestly wasting as a whole as a neat sport
so uh
I mean you got to try to drive up value because otherwise you're just not going to have any interest and
Eventually you could get to a point like f1 was in 2009 2010 where Toyota pulled out and we were potentially looking at 18 entries
It's it's it's almost like they've decided to copy the nascar
playbook without
Even a semblance of
the money
That's in the nascar system and we you know, we learned a lot about the finances of nascar and the you know the 2311
Uh frm lawsuit against nascar this year and nascar and they race 38 weekends a year the purses are huge sponsorships are huge
And they're losing money nobody in indica is making money except for
The drivers who are being paid and not the ones who are showing up with a paycheck
Again you're if you go back and look
You know history wise if people want to participate in racing
at this level
They buy part of a team or they become investors in a team i'm gonna go all the way back to 2005
And uh hvm racing and champ car cedric the entertainer decided he wanted to be a car owner. So he bought into hvm
For like 12 minutes
Uh, you had Harding steinbrunner Harding, which was part of the Andretti umbrella
Neither of those two guys are are still involved. Yunkos has a partner now
Andretti's mostly spire
no
that's
Again the economics of starting an indy car team from the ground up in today's economy makes zero sense
You can't do it. No because because who's out there in the racing world?
That currently exists that goes i'm gonna start an indy car program
The last guy to do it from scratch. He was already at racing was mike shank
That's been a while ago that's why and he had a ton of help from honda
Chip ganassi partnership too that that speaks volumes as well. Yeah
Yeah, and that was a thing that honda wanted it to happen because mike wanted to go indy car
He wanted to race the indy 500 and he was such a good partner to hpd
That they helped nurture that along and now he's got a two-car indy car program and a championship winning him some program
And good for mike, but i mean that's that's an absolute outlier
And an indy 500 trophy to show chris efforts that you know
There's that too
Uh, just a small addition
You know just minor minor uh, alex was at stake and shake
So, you know helping fund uh, the ray hall letterman lannigan again another example of guys who wanted to be in racing
david letterman and mike lannigan who's been around racing forever, but
He didn't start their own teams. They bought into they bought into an existing one
So we're going to move on from charters because it's
Yeah, it's like inside the inside of inside us baseball and none of us really
I understand trying to secure value, but
I don't think anybody's chomping at the bit to sell them
It's not going to be like in nascar where bj m a cloud sold his charter for 60 million dollars or whatever it was
Dark courses for the month of may
We've got you know, you get the usual suspects. I think we can expect santino furucci to run well in the 500
He's very very good at the speedway
um
Still looking for that first win carcent hosevar beat him to the winner circle before uh, you know got that first w
I think ryan hunn array in that fourth McLaren car is going to be someone that the rest of the field is going to have to contend with
Fair because he could have won the indy 500 last year if it wasn't for a pit stop
Issue right there. I think you will look at drier ryan bolton. Would you
Consider connor daly still a dark horse with that team
Same same car if i'm not mistaken too that he's going to pilot was fastest in day one of testing as well
Uh, as long as he can not fall in the footsteps of jack harvey and have mechanical issues
Uh, that we saw at the end of day two. I think
connor daly has shown a lot of
of
Uh, a lot of confidence are early especially with the fact that I think his team in uh, who goes holander team that he ran with last year are partnering
Uh, as well with the likes of the renas vk
With that with that sponsorship as well. So
And he's a guy who wants to get back into the series full time. So a good showing at the 500
I think at least keeps his name in the conversation. Don't forget two years ago
He had the car to beat
In 2024 and he was the guy that car was bad fast
Absolutely that last year too. He was fast and he was absolutely thrilling watch
He was one of the guys that's on the day one of the open test
Yeah, that's what that's what I had said. Yeah
I've been looking at
Someone who's we're not really looking at at all. I think uh from day two
I like I like kyle collett in the number four a j foite car. He
Showing he reported a lot of positivity once he got used to
Racing in the draft and he's in a car that finished
Uh box score runner up at the indy 500 last year with with a program that's seen santina feroce
Consistently in the top 10 year after
I think if cal collett has he's already gotten off to the right start here in the month of may if if he can continue that progress
We haven't what the last time we've seen a rookie win
Was a decade ago with alex zander assi
I wouldn't I would go as far to say that cal collett
Might join that conversation as the month of may goes on
Good. I think if uh if ray hall letterman lannigan gets their
gets their speedway program fixed
after it's been
Less than stellar for for a while
Graham ray hall is also very good at the speedway. He's he's strung together a number of top 10s
He's experienced enough and has the savvy in the racecraft and understands the track enough if that car
Is even remotely in the ballpark. He'll be in the conversation with 20 to go
I think we're really underestimating nolan seagull
What
No, I'm just kidding. Okay. No, I just saw like the news
Again, it's all like you're about to give cow. There's been an aneurysm over there, buddy
I mentioned him because I just saw there's actually news. He's in the news a little bit
tentatively because
Uh f2 champion lennard for forna woley will be at ims this weekend
He's just going to be looking. He's the mclaren f1
was all drivable
And he's going to be jut he's going to take this weekend in and decide if he wants to potentially come to indico
So there's a chance that
after the month of may
You know, I mean nolan seagull's not in the
Uh, what a circle program right?
Not at all. He's in danger of falling out of it. Best finish of the season was 12th at uh
That long beach after starting 25th. I mean, I
Honestly, I'm but I'm stunned at this point that he's still in that seat
but
But to get back on topic. I mean, there's only really one man you got to talk about
ellio
I
Family there's 33 cars in the field. We can't just tick one
I mean, it'd be a great story
You know just slides a fox, you know, like he's there
Takuma sado could get his third again. There's a guy who's just phenomenal. Oh, I wouldn't have to give sado a dark horse though
I I've been waiting for this. I've been waiting for this
I've been waiting
To let let's never let's you know
I love when we have these conversations every year because we can talk about drivers should have won this
Or driver had to card the car to beat that day to kumo sado
Dominated this race last year driving with two broken ribs at the age of like 48
He's he's never a dark horse. Don't knock those in the 40s. I'm with you. I'm with you
Against nothing, but I imagine when I'm 48, I'm not going to be in the mood to do what he's doing
I uh, it's it's insane. I re-sotted the yard today and we'd have a small front yard. I'm dying
I like everything
I can't imagine trying to do
500 miles at an ims with two broken ribs. I two pallets of sada did me yet
But yeah, no sado not a dark horse. I don't think ellio is a dark horse
I think the driver with the most to prove
In the month of may is david malukas
100 percent 100 percent there
And riding in that silver 12
He's got a lot of eyeballs on on him this weekend
I said at the start of the year. I still think he's I think he's my indy 500 favorite going into the weekend with
Now when now with the backing of team penski. I'm still on that train with how good he's looked to start
He's third in points. He's gotten the start. He needed I think to his program at team penski and
As long as I mean indy gp goes well. He looked
Fine at he looked just as fast as as a joseph new garden and in testing too
He's off to a fine start and he'll he's on track
Of course the guy looking for redemption this year scottie mac
Hopefully to take the green flag this time around
yes
Everybody take a second to appreciate our awesome partners at my place before I go off the grid to give him the elevator
Yes, right. Yes, my place your place
I'm just waiting for stretch. You can get 20 off 10 percent worst day at my place hotels free plug for my place
I'm just waiting for the acceptance to come out and be like, what are you doing? Right?
No, they're they're they're great people here. Good people. They know what's up. They know who we are
and
You know as we as we head into to the month of may
You know, whether you're superstitious just dishes or you don't care about it at all
A healthy respect for the speedway is a good thing
And if you've been around this sport long enough and been around open-wheel racing long enough
You know that the speedway picks the winner
Last year it was not scott mclawson's turn
We'll find out in a couple weeks
Yeah, who gets to drink the milk
And wear the wreath
So we will do this again. Uh next week. We will talk indy car qualifying
We'll probably talk a little f1 with our f1 contingent. Hopefully everyone will be back together
We're missing tom blackburn this weekend. He's off doing things for the government
Which we can't really talk about here
Great things. I don't know I can confirm great things
Tom he's a he's a good egg that tom blackburn
And I can't wait to be at the speedway all all month as well. I'm I know I'm lucky
I'm I'm envious of those of you who get to be there
Uh, unfortunately, I had savanna banana tickets
The saturday before the 500. So I I had to uh, bow out
Imagine picking the savanna bananas over the greatest spectacle of racing. I literally who is this guy?
Okay, so hey shout out. Hey, they got they went to his car fields. Um, let's to be fair
Bananas tickets are crazy hold to get it's very they're very hard to get we entered a lottery back in september of last year
Found out we we entered, you know, we are we got picked to buy the tickets
And I didn't look at the calendar
She's oh, we got to we the game's may 23rd at newland stadium. Okay
And then we start talking about, you know our our coverage at front stretch and what we're gonna do and you know
Some of the video products we want to bring to our fans way and looked at the calendar went
I got banana ball tickets guys. Sorry. I'm out
That's okay. I've been you know, I've I've been to five. I'll watch this one at home with my kids
There
You know, that is exactly how the conversation went
It was that simple
I
Do miss getting up at 3 a.m. To go sit in traffic to get into the speedway to to hear the cannon go off at six and then
Yep, be right next to the can this year and hopefully
And you can know what's coming and it will jar you every time
That's gonna be nuts
All right final thoughts. I didn't be got anything else. I feel like we've covered a good bit of indy car news
It's the best month of the year. We are so back
I hope that that was in the headline
It's the title of the episode. There we go. We are so back
It's it's awesome
Just please don't wait on sunday and indy. It's gonna rain on sunday. It's gonna rain on sunday at indy. Don't worry
Yeah, if it happens three years in a row, we're gonna start including it in the media schedule
Oh, and and uh before we go on the off to rest in peace
as an arty
um
Perhaps the greatest driver to never get to raise the 500
100 percent
perhaps, yeah
Yeah, yeah, i'm sure that there will be i'm sure that there will be some attention paid to that by the series throughout the month and
yes
Would you have to solve it?
in
target tribute car
In imsa this past weekend, they changed the name of the corkscrew to visit the uh,
Sonori corkscrew and i kind of hope that they keep that
Oh, yeah, that's gorgeous. I love that. Honestly should have been done years ago. Yeah in 1997 the year after
Exactly exactly but alex was you know one of the greats of this sport and he you know
He certainly will be missed in the paddock
So why are alex you guys have fun at the speedway this weekend?
You can check out all our coverage on frontstretch.com and over on our youtube channel
You said the youtube search front stretch. You'll see every all the video content from not only indianapolis, but wherever nascar is this weekend
Walkins climb thank you walkins lush. Oh, were you waiting on us to say it? I'm sorry
I was drawing a complete blank. Well, it's very weird. I'm not used to it. Don't worry. It's called the spg open guys
The spg open. Yeah, he has a chance to go three for three. Yeah
This week has some to say about it. Oh, yeah, if he doesn't break it
Yeah, he's kind of it's not allowed in victory lane this year. All right
Well, we will again we will reconvene
Next week to talk indy car qualifying talk a little bit more about the 500 break down everything that happens this weekend at the
indy gp and until then
For Wyatt alex and michael i'm kyle benjamin. Thanks for watching. We'll see you next time
About this episode
The hosts spend much of the conversation unpacking IndyCar’s push-to-pass rules, how the system works at starts and restarts, and why the latest changes matter for strategy. They also dig into the series’ charter system, the cost of starting a team from scratch, and how those business realities shape the grid. From there, the discussion shifts toward Indy 500 contenders, with predictions, testing notes, and a few reminders that May at Indy is back in full swing.
