109th Indianapolis 500 Preview with Alex Palou, Pato O’Ward, Helio Castroneves, Kyle Larson, Christian Lundgaard, Takuma Sato and much, much more from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Bruce Martin:

This is Roger Penske and you're listening to Pit Pass Indie, sponsored by Penske Truck Rental. IndyCar fans, it's time to start your engines. Welcome to Pit Pass Indy, a production of Evergreen Podcast. I'm your host, Bruce Martin, a journalist who regularly covers the NTT IndyCar Series. Our goal at Pit Pass Indy is to give racing fans an insider's view of the exciting world of the NTT IndyCar Series in a fast-paced podcast featuring interviews with the biggest names in the sport. I bring nearly 40 years of experience covering IndyCar and NASCAR, working for such media brands as NBCSports.com, SI.com, ESPN SportsTicker, Sports Illustrated, AutoWeek and SpeedSport. So let's drop the green flag on this episode of Pit Pass Indy. Welcome to this special Indianapolis 500 Preview Edition of Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental as we continue our fifth season of giving IndyCar fans an inside look at the most exciting form of racing on the planet, the NTT IndyCar Series. And a big thanks to Penske Truck Rental for helping bring you the inside stories of IndyCar from the paddock to the racetrack to the highways and streets of America. Pit Pass Indy is at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the biggest month of the racing year, the month of May, culminating with the 109th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 25th. The Indy 500 is more than a race. It's a cultural phenomenon that draws nearly 350,000 fans to the famed Cathedral of Speed, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We have a special Indianapolis 500 preview edition of Pit Pass Indy with 16 different interviews from 15 different drivers and a special interview with Mike Larson, Kyle Larson's father. Rookie driver Robert Schwartzman starts on the pole as the Prema Racing drivers, the first rookie to win an Indy 500 pole since Tao Fabi in 1983. Ironically, Schwartzman drives car number 83 for Prema, a new team in IndyCar this season. On the other side of the starting lineup is two-time defending Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden, starting 32nd, and 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner Will Power, starting last in the 33-car starting lineup. Both Team Penske drivers were bounced out of row four when IndyCar officials penalized the team for modifying the rear attenuator. On Tuesday, team owner and IndyCarSeries owner Roger Penske dismissed Team Penske IndyCar President Tim Sendrick, Managing Director Ron Rzewski, and General Manager Kyle Moyer from his racing team. Despite the setbacks, both New Garden and Power vow they are going to race their way to the front by the end of the Indianapolis 500. Keep an eye on the back of the field in the early part of the race because those two drivers are going to be moving on up. One of the drivers they will be chasing is two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato of Tokyo. He starts second, the middle of row one, for Rahal Letterman-Lanigan Racing after he qualified with a four-lap average of 232.478 miles per hour. Let's hear from Sato, who joins me for this exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview. An old favorite is dropped by its two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, Takuma Sato. You're back with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, attempting to win the Indianapolis 500 for the third time. It's the only IndyCar Series race of the season you run in when you're a one-off driver. How difficult is that, or does it help to come in here with a clear mind?

Takuma Sato:

It's never easy, Bruce. You know, as you know, all the prep, yes, you have a luxurious of time, but everything is limited. You know, team is ongoing for the season. And as a manufacturer point of view, there is a limited time you can spend in a DIL, which is a simulator. So, but I think there's lots of other things you can do it too. And particularly for the continued work from last year to go into the second year low with the same team, that's a huge bonus. So I think the progress already you saw it observed at the open test. I think a team did a significant progress over the course of winter, which I'm something really proud of.

Bruce Martin:

But something that's new for you is the hybrid. Because when you ran the Indy 500 last year, it wasn't on the car. It wasn't part of the IndyCar until mid-Ohio last July. So how new is the hybrid for you?

Takuma Sato:

It's very, very new. You know, I even didn't experience it in the hybrid system in a Formula One either. So all I had is a civic accord of the hybrid system in a production car. But I think the truth is, I think for the Indy 500, everybody on the same boat. Yes, they did familiar with the hybrid usage of the hybrid system over the course of the last, you know, from middle-high race. However, I think it's a totally different characteristic, totally different monsters, you know, for they come to the Indy 500. So, hopefully, next few days, I have enough time to catch them up.

Bruce Martin:

How long did it take for you to learn the system itself? Because one button is to utilize it, the other is to recharge it.

Takuma Sato:

Yeah, true. There is another way to gain how much you region and how long. There is a million ways to achieve the similar sort of performance. So I think go through carefully with the engineer, with the theory behind. But truth is, I have to feel it out happy and on the car, on the track. So we will see.

Bruce Martin:

How important is it when you return to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, it's not like jumping in with a new team every year. It's like returning home to some friends that you've had because you're very close with all three of the team owners. How important is that when you're in a position such as yourself, where you pretty much helicopter in for the one big race a year?

Takuma Sato:

Yeah, I really appreciate the three owners, of course, Bobby and Mike, in particular, in the financial part, of course, but then David, too. That, you know, something that I feel very fortunate, you know, they give me a great opportunity to return to the team and the engineer boys, you know, there is a lot of familiar name and the faces and the new faces as well, which I'm very happy environment, shall we say. So it is, you know, the one-off race is always never easy, but at least the environment I have is the happiest environment I ever had.

Bruce Martin:

Another new person at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing is Jay Fry, the team president. You knew him as IndyCar president when you won in 2017 and also when you won in 2020. What's it been like working with Jay Fry so far?

Takuma Sato:

Well, Jay's been in the sport, you know, for long, and he's a professionalism, and what he achieved at the series is just as significant. So, obviously, the magnitude he has impacted the team, we will see. There is some time he'll really need it, but it's already, you know, Jay is doing a fantastic job in the team. So, hopefully, we will see the result, but not only for that. You know, like the NTT Indica series now, so NTT, we, both Shion and myself, went to the headquarter of NTT in Japan. There is a great relationship together, so hopefully we can build another new history.

Bruce Martin:

And finally, the last time you won here in 2020, because of the pandemic, there were no spectators allowed in the grandstands, so you didn't really get to celebrate it with the fans. How important would it be for you to experience that one more time, like you did in 2017?

Takuma Sato:

Extremely wonderful things if that happens. Of course, it was all a meaning of coming back to the Indy 500. Yes, let's go to number three. But like you're right, 2020 was a very different year. Still winning was a significant moment for us, but nothing like in terms of atmosphere and the fun engagement compared to 2017. So, I wanted to do it again. Yes, definitely.

Bruce Martin:

Well, Takuma Sato, not only is the Indianapolis 500 the greatest spectacle in racing, but as we're discovering right now, it's also the greatest spectacle in noise. Good luck in your quest for a third Indianapolis 500 victory. And thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy. Thank you, Bruce. Pat O'Warren of Aaron McLaren starts third, the outside of row one, and is hoping this is the year the driver from Monterey, Mexico wins his first Indianapolis 500. Here's my exclusive interview with O'Warren. The most popular driver in IndyCar, Pat O'Ward, has joined us one of these days. We're going to call you an Indianapolis 500 winner. Probably could have called you that last year. How much does that fuel your desire to want to win it in 2025?

Pato O’Ward:

We're motivated. We're motivated always to come back and and have that opportunity to taste that milk. That's what we're searching for. But we'll just see how things go. It's such a crazy month. There's so much work that goes into it. And it's a very long race. So honestly, I'd never really go with it with too much expectation. I know that historically, we've been very strong around here. And that obviously fuels us a lot to be self-confident with what we can do.

Bruce Martin:

As a race driver, you always want to look ahead and not look back. So looking ahead, do you feel this is the best prepared that you've seen Errol McLaren for the Indy 500?

Pato O’Ward:

Absolutely. I think we're the best prepared and personally, I feel ready than ever to get it done.

Bruce Martin:

And as far as your popularity, watching you all weekend in the Sanzio Grand Prix, every time I heard all the shrieks and the hollers of the fans, usually you were there and they were following you. You seemed to get mobbed whenever you go in and out of Gasoline Alley. Do you enjoy that?

Pato O’Ward:

I think the fans are such a big part of what the Indianapolis 500 is. Doesn't matter if it's a practice day, a race day or a qualifying. Obviously race day is freaking nuts. But they make this place so special and we always really look forward to coming back and they make us feel like superstars.

Bruce Martin:

Speaking of superstars, you have to share the town this month with the Indiana Pacers. They're going to be in the Eastern Conference Finals. Is that unique that the month of May in Indianapolis, which is usually the Indianapolis 500, now there's also this other huge storyline going on in town with the Pacers run for a possible NBA championship?

Pato O’Ward:

I hope they do get it. I had no idea that was going on. That shows you exactly how disconnected I am for the rest of the world, because I'm just so into what this month is for us.

Bruce Martin:

And hey, your friends at Fox Sports that have made you a national idol with the Paddle Award commercials, they're going to put the Gateway Race on primetime. 8 o'clock Eastern start, the Gateway Race on the oval. First time in IndyCar Series history there'll be a Sunday night primetime race. What are your thoughts on that? How cool is that? And how important is that to promote the series?

Pato O’Ward:

Freaking awesome. Oval races in IndyCar are better when they're at night. And I mean, I can't think of a better day to do it. Just the commitment that Fox Sports has put in this year. I mean, that's not the only thing. They've done so much already. And you can definitely see that they're in here for the long haul and they wanted to see us succeed.

Bruce Martin:

Well, Paddo Award, good luck on the 109th Indianapolis 500. Hopefully, you only gotta get two more turns if you're in the lead again this year. Good luck on that quest, good luck in the rest of the season, and thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy. Thank you. Felix Rosenquist of Varnamo, Sweden is back for another Indianapolis 500, and the Meyers Schenck racing driver starts inside row two in the number 60 Honda. Let's hear from Rosenquist in this exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview. Hello, Felix. Back for another Indianapolis 500 is Felix Rosenquist, Mayer Shank Racing. Seems like the team's been coming together a little bit better in 2025. How would you assess that heading into the 109th Indianapolis 500?

Felix Rosenqvist:

Yeah, it's been a pretty strong year so far. Some tracks have been struggling a little bit, Barber specifically, and then beginning of IndyGP weekend, I think we unlocked a lot in the end of the week, and in the race, we had really good pace. So I'm pretty confident that we kind of solved the road courses at this point. Street courses have been very good. Car felt good here at OpenTest. So if we can be good here, I'm pretty confident that we're, like, you know, a contender for the rest of the year. Yeah, but still early days, still early days.

Bruce Martin:

It's also early days in the season, but so far, Alex Pillow is on an incredible streak. Four victories in the first five races. The one race he didn't win, he was second. I'm going to go back, though, to 2020 at Road America. Your first victory, where you outraced Alex Pillow at the end of the race to get your victory. When you think back to that, how much different is he now than that day when you were able to race him hard? You both raced each other hard, but very clean.

Felix Rosenqvist:

Yeah, I mean, obviously, he's an incredible talent, but he's also kept working. And I think he's handled this whole switch to the hybrid better than anyone, especially on the road course. I think it's a package that's pretty hard to drive at the moment that you see. within a few teams that one guy is quick, one guy struggles, and where historically it's been more like the teammates have been more aligned on pace. So I think whatever this new recipe has given in terms of challenges, he's really figured that out. And it's pretty impressive. He's an impressive talent, but also a hard worker. And it's paying off for him right now. He's, yeah, every race he's out there and doing good results. And, you know, at some point it's gonna end, this streak, but he's doing a good job at maximizing what he can right now.

Bruce Martin:

Would you say that streak's likely going to end in the Indianapolis 500? We're not saying he can't win it, but he has never won yet on an oval, although he came close. Just less than a second behind your teammate Elio Castroneves in 2021 in the Indy 500. But that's a race that everything that's happened up to this point pretty much is irrelevant because that race is an animal to itself.

Felix Rosenqvist:

Yeah, Indy is different. I think Alex is for sure one of the better drivers in the field on Indy. As I said, he was close to winning it a while back, but I feel like also in Indy you have some drivers that are specifically good. You have, you know, Dixon, you have Castroneves, you have Newgarden, who's hungry for one. I personally have been up there sneaking the last couple of years, and there's just a lot of drivers that are really good at Indie, so I think Alex's challenge to extend his streak would probably be statistically harder at Indie, but he's certainly in the zone. But yeah, there's a lot of people hungry to get some redemption here at Indie.

Bruce Martin:

The fact that Meyers Schenck Racing has won the Indianapolis 500 before, does that give you even more confidence that they can put together a winning car here in Indy?

Felix Rosenqvist:

For sure, I think it's something incredibly hard to pull off and you don't only need the strategy or the luck or the speed, you need to build that car to a level of detail where you're competing against Penske, Ganassi, McLaren, and they won it, and they had a great car in 21, and we have the same people working in the team now, so that's really promising, and it keeps me really excited, and I think what they do here, how they build the cars is pretty special.

Bruce Martin:

Elio Castroneves has climbed down from the timing stand and he's back in the cockpit of a car here attempting to become the first driver to win five Indianapolis 500s. What's it like having another driver like that that you have to race against?

Felix Rosenqvist:

I mean, for sure, statistically, he's the best one in the field. And I'm just happy that he's my teammate. So even if we're competitors, we're still learning from each other. We're talking to each other. Between him, me, and Marcus, we try to, you know, be as good as we can as a team and develop the car together. But once race day comes, you know, it's elbows out. We just don't try to take each other out, basically.

Bruce Martin:

And finally, you're a veteran here in the Indianapolis 500 now. How much more experience do you feel, and how much does that experience give you more confidence that you can be up there fighting it out for an Indy 500 win?

Felix Rosenqvist:

Yeah, it's a big difference. I feel even year to year, even going back to last year or the year before, you're acquiring so much hard-earned knowledge here at the 500 compared to other tracks, I feel, where it's more like a clean sheet every weekend. Here, you pretty much continue where you left off the year before in terms of experience, bank, and... Yeah, it feels good. I feel like I know more what I need from the car. I have my little tricks on track in traffic, and you just keep building on that. The problem is that some of the guys have done it for 20 times, and it's hard to compete against that. But I feel like if everything goes well, I can definitely be up there.

Bruce Martin:

Well, Felix Rosenquist, good luck in the 109th Indianapolis 500, good luck in the 2025 IndyCar Series season, and thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy. Thank you. Alex Palou has won four of the first five races at IndyCar this season and has a 97 point lead over Kyle Kirkwood in the NTT IndyCar Series standings. But none of that matters in the Indy 500 as Palou is attempting to win the race for the first time in his career. The driver from Barcelona, Spain starts sixth, the outside of row two in the number 10 DHL Honda. Palou joins me for this exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview. This is getting to be a regular thing. Me talking to Alex Polo here at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Who knows, I might be talking to you after the Indianapolis 500 poll. I might be talking to you as the winner of the Indianapolis 500 race. Although I can't really bring that up because that's considered a jinx. But anyway, as I've said before, right now we start, it's a new chapter. Everything you've accomplished up to this point doesn't really matter for the Indianapolis 500.

Alex Palou:

So what is your mindset going into the race? I'm super excited. I'm excited to be here. I'm excited to get the race started already with practice and qualifying coming up now really soon. But yeah, I think we have a great challenge in front of us. I think we, as you said, what we've done until now, it doesn't really help for the race. Like it means nothing, but in a way it helps everybody in the team on like, the energy, the confidence they have, my confidence as well. So hopefully that gives us a plus that we can take to our benefit and hopefully fight for the race, which is what we want.

Bruce Martin:

I know there's a statistic out there of your oval record, but yet your best oval finish was finishing second to Elio Castroneves in the 2021 Indianapolis 500. So after finishing second that day, did you think that your oval career would be, have more accomplishments than it does now? Because you're still looking for that first oval win.

Alex Palou:

Yeah, I mean in a way, yes. Obviously you finish second at your second year in IndyCar at the 500 against Elio. So then you obviously think that everything is going to be easier from there, right? Like you're going against one of the greatest at the Speedway and you don't have much experience so you expect that to to be a little bit better, but I would say we've been a lot better on all ovals. Like if we compare 2021 or 2022 ovals to like 23 and especially 24, I felt a lot more confident and we had a lot more speed in general. But yeah, we're looking for that win and there's nobody in this planet that wants it more than me.

Bruce Martin:

Do you marvel at how well Scott Dixon races here and also qualifies here? He's got five poles. If he wins the Indy 500 pole, he would tie Rick Mears for six poles, the most in Indy 500 history.

Alex Palou:

Wow. Yeah, I didn't know that stuff, but yeah, he's amazing here. You can see every time he goes out, he can be on like the first lap of the day and he's going to go P1 by like two or three miles an hour. And then eventually everybody else gets closer. But he's on it every time, every lap. And especially on traffic, he's like very, very special. I think qualifying, it depends also a little bit on the car you have. We've had really good cars at CTR. But then when you go to traffic, It's all about, in my opinion, about the driver. Obviously the car makes a big difference, but the driver does a huge one. So yeah, he's pretty special and it's great that I get to see what he does in terms of driving.

Bruce Martin:

So you're on this wave of success. Everybody thinks you're easily the best driver in IndyCar right now. So how do you keep an even keel and not let all the accolades start playing tricks on your mind?

Alex Palou:

It's amazing to hear that and I love to hear that and I will always chase that feeling and you always want more people to tell you that but I don't... I know where we can be. I know that every weekend starts from zero and everybody starts from zero. Like we don't look at what I've done like last year or last weekend. I just look at this weekend. And if somebody beats us this weekend, that means that we've not been good enough. So that's what That's the competition. That's how I take it. It's why I love so much racing. It's because you need to repeat things over and over again. And yeah, it doesn't get in our heads, but for sure it helps. It gives us confidence.

Bruce Martin:

How big a role in your career has Roger Yasakawa been?

Alex Palou:

Oh, big. I mean, he was the person that made my transition from Japan to IndyCar possible. Like, he was a former IndyCar driver, and he made a connection between Team Go in Japan and Delcoin Racing in 2019, actually, when I did my first test. And since that moment, he's been my spotter in Turn 1 for the 500, a part of my manager now, after all the drama that happened. Yeah, I would say he's my team. He's the biggest part of my team.

Bruce Martin:

One thing I would say is you're one of the less dramatic, more happy drivers in the series, but yet you've always kind of had a little bit of drama. Does that surprise you?

Alex Palou:

Yes, I always thought that I would try and be an easy person, an easy driver, especially when you want to get out of the dramas, but obviously I got involved in the biggest drama in the latest years. But yeah, not happy about that, but I mean, nothing I can do right now to change that.

Bruce Martin:

And finally, Does Alex Polo ever daydream what it would be like to win the Indianapolis 500?

Alex Palou:

Every day, every day, and especially when it's May. Especially when it's this time that you see everything and how people treat the champions here. And you want to be like that. You want to be like Scott Dixon, like Dario, like Elio. You want to be like those big guys. So yeah, one day.

Bruce Martin:

And one day there's a kid out there that wants to be like Alex Palou. But Alex, good luck in your quest for your first Indianapolis 500 victory. Good luck for the rest of the season with your huge lead in the NTT IndyCar Series Points Championship. And thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy. Thank you, Bruce. We'll be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break.

Josef Newgarden:

Hey everyone, this is two-time Indy 500 winner, Josef Newgarden, and you're listening to Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Bruce Martin:

Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental. David Maloukis of AJ Foyt Racing starts in the inside of row three. The driver from Chicago is confident of a good race in the Indy 500, as he tells me in this exclusive interview. David Maloukas of AJ Foyt Racing has joined us now. David, Indianapolis 500, AJ Foyt Racing, you get a chance to experience what it's like to hang out with AJ at the Indianapolis 500. I love your interviews.

David Malukas:

I love your interviews. It's always about AJ 500. It's awesome.

Bruce Martin:

Well, but hey, I mean, one day we're going to be talking about David Maloukas and the year he won the Indianapolis 500 for AJ Foyt. Don't jinx it. Don't jinx it. No, I'm not jinxing it. But what I'm saying, though, is this is it. This is the big stage. 100%. if the weather would cooperate we might get a chance to see some more activity here. How frustrating is this as a driver to be here and the schedule says you're going to have all these hours of track time but the weather never cooperates.

David Malukas:

Yeah it's been it's been frustrating especially since we didn't have the speedway car at the open test so yesterday was the first time and it was more just running through the checklist that you need to do to make sure everything's proper so today was the first kind of test day and now It seems like the rain maybe is stopped now for the rest of the day, hopefully, fingers crossed. But it's been frustrating. I mean, we want to get out there. There's a lot of things that we have to test before Fast Friday and qualifying and especially the race. So it's been tough, but I think the rain for today is done. So I think the 500 gods are on us today.

Bruce Martin:

Well, hopefully for the rest of the week it'll be dry, but even more important, let's hope on race day it's sunny and dry. Yes. Plus this year we get racers and pacers because they're going to be playing a home game the same day as the Indianapolis 500. It won't be the same time. Okay. It'll be at night. But how much do you see the city really come alive with not only one huge sporting event like the Indianapolis 500, but also the hometown team in the NBA is having a heck of a run.

David Malukas:

Yeah, I mean, it's very cool to see. I mean, I remember I went to a Pacers game, and man, the energy there was awesome. And you know, I'm a Chicago native, so it's just seeing that. I went to the Pacers versus Bulls game at the time, so it was, you know, from both sides, I was like, you know, this is a good situation, because whatever happens, it's a win-win for me. But, no, it's very cool to see the city of Indianapolis having a lot of different activities. I mean, the energy of what the city's been able to do right now, it's been awesome. But let's just say there's going to be maybe some traffic. I think, do you think some people are going to be doing both 500 and going straight to Pacers game? There will be some. I think so.

Bruce Martin:

And that's going to be one long day for those folks.

David Malukas:

That's going to be one long day. But it's going to be an awesome day. Imagine that, Indy 500 and then straight to a Pacers game. Man, almost I want to do that. That'd be fun.

Bruce Martin:

Hey, speaking of awesome, Fox Sports announced earlier today that the Bomarito Automotive Group 500 Worldwide Technology Raceway is now going to be in prime time, 8 o'clock eastern start on Fox Sports. How cool is that that IndyCar is going to have a prime time race?

David Malukas:

Yeah, I mean, that's incredible. And for, personally, one of my favorites. I mean, I've had a lot of success at St. Louis. And, man, I'm just so excited. 8 p.m., my first success there, getting that P2, ended up going into a night race because of the rain delay. So, I know the environment and how that track feels at night. And let's just say I cannot wait for an 8 p.m. start. Little Dave's going to be excited for that one.

Bruce Martin:

and also that may be an opportunity for some fans to actually discover indycar they might watch the indianapolis five hundred but then this may be another opportunity where they're flipping through the dials on a sunday night expect them to see the Simpsons or a family guy, and now all of a sudden, you guys are gonna be family guy.

David Malukas:

I know, and talk about a good race to do it for. I always think the racing at St. Louis is incredible, especially towards the end of the race. It's just nonstop action till the end, so I just know that no matter what time, prime time, they're gonna be watching their shows, and they're gonna say, oh, what's this IndyCar, what's going on? And whatever time of that race they're gonna be watching, they'll be like, well, this is cool, I wanna be a part of this. So speaking of family guy, Would you say that Santino Ferrucci would be Bryan? What a segue that was. Wow, Bruce. Damn. Yeah, I would assume so. I mean, me and Santino's relationship has been incredible. I mean, going into the team, we've had some good relationships, good talks. your time on the indianapolis motor speedway how would you assess the car and what are some of the things that you believe that you would like to see done to get you up there fighting for the lead uh... as of right now we've like i said it's been one day on the speedway car yesterday that also had short short time with the rain in the in the beginning of the day and then the lightning at the end so we've had some short time unfortunately but with what we can gather from the from the slight track running is i think In clean air running for qualifying, no problems. I think the car is exactly where it wants to be. It's very, very strong, a lot of pace, but we need to work on a race car for sure. I think with this hybrid weight and maybe this tire compound, this combination, it's been a little bit of a struggle, but it's not just for us, but I think for everybody. It's been a very interesting feel with the car.

Bruce Martin:

And generally the way things work during a week of practice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is you spend the first two, three days working on the race setup, start working on the speed setup late Thursday and fast Friday. So when the race setup days start to get shortened because of rain, How much does that rearrange the schedule?

David Malukas:

Yeah, it kind of makes us fast track on some, you know, setup ideas. You know, there's definitely the bigger setup changes that we want to do and then the smaller ones. So we also want to make sure that any changes that require us going back to the garage, that we time those well, especially with the shortened track time. But I think that's the rain is done. I hope so, because we need all the track time we can get.

Bruce Martin:

and just to be fair every time i talk to AJ I ask him David Maloukas questions so that way it evens things out alright alright that's good that's good but anyway David Maloukas AJ Foyt Racing good luck at the 119th Indianapolis 500 and thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy thank you for having me Starting next to Malukas is Christian Lundgaard of Aero McLaren. The driver from Denmark lines up in the middle of row three and believes Aero McLaren is ready to win the Indy 500. He tells me how in this exclusive interview. Christian Lungard has joined us again on Pit Pass. Sandy Christian, now it's the Indianapolis 500. You do very well on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, but the 2.5 mile oval is a different animal altogether. How big of an adjustment is it from the one race to the Indianapolis 500?

Christian Lundgaard:

I mean, we're going the other way around, right? That's a big adjustment. Yeah. It kind of feels like we're going backwards, but just a hell of a lot faster. I think, you know, transitioning your mindset into the Speedway starts at the open test, I think. You know, it's almost difficult to focus on the road course because your head's already somewhere else. You're at the the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and you're seeing the grandstands, you're seeing the pagoda, the pylon, and it's just, it's a different animal. And I think we're all, you know, working so hard throughout the entire season to get this car ready for this one race, and you go out there and, you know, it might feel a little off, or it might feel really good, but that's the expectation, that's so difficult to really, you know, stay realistic with as well. I think for me there's a lot of expectations from myself to perform well this year. You know from having been where I have in the past few years and I think that's ultimately what I'm just focused on is just ticking off all the boxes and keeping it simple and just have fun.

Bruce Martin:

So how would you assess how well you've done in the Indianapolis 500?

Christian Lundgaard:

I think from race day it's been fine. I think It's about feeling comfortable in the car up until qualifying day and making sure that you can commit in qualifying. And I think we had a car yesterday that I felt very happy with. And I told the team that if this is the car that I have in qualifying, I'll be way happy with the balance. And I think that was a very good start for us for the month of May, really. Leaving the open test, we weren't really I feel like we're missing a 5% little margin to being 100% comfortable and confident. And we kind of started right there yesterday. So I think there's a lot of good for us to come this year. In the past years, I think there's been a lot to learn. I think the racing has always been fine. The pace just hasn't been there. And you're not really fighting with the guys that you want to fight with. So that's hopefully something that changes this year.

Bruce Martin:

There's a lot of eyes on Errol McLaren from Pato Ward being your teammate to the great start of the season you've had to Kyle Larson, the NASCAR Cup Series points leader and the 2021 champion back for a second attempt. to this young kid, Nolan Siegel. Do you almost feel like Errol McLaren has risen to the point where they're up there when it comes to popularity with Team Penske, Chip Ganassi Racing, and all the legacy teams in the series?

Christian Lundgaard:

For sure. I don't think it's a secret that we want it more than everybody else. We have more people. We have more papaya. And I think what we do on and off the track kind of indicates that we're here to win. We're not here to fight for second places. Again, it's also about staying realistic. We're doing the best that we can. I had a conversation with Tony post-Barber. If you would have told me six months ago that this is the start that we would have had, I would have told him he was full of shit. I wouldn't have believed that. At the end of the day, it's all a hope, but I think... where we've started this season is how we wanted to start the season. And I think that proves the capabilities that we have as a team that I've had in the past few years and not being able to kind of get there. And I think it's just great. We saw it at the GP. We saw it at Barber, kind of reverse roles between me and Pato. Barber, I think we executed much better on race day. And I was able to pick up the pieces when he didn't quite have the pace. And at the road course, when I make a mistake, he picks up the pieces and gets the podium for the team. And I think that just proves how strong we are and how strong the lineup is.

Bruce Martin:

Do you feel that you are up there with the main contenders to win the Indianapolis 500 this year?

Christian Lundgaard:

At the end of the day, I would love to believe so. But I think it's about staying in it and not trying to visualize X, Y, and Z, what's going to happen, what's not going to happen. I think it's very important to just stay in the moment. I'm going to do the best that I can, and if that isn't good enough, then so be it, but I tried. But of course, I'm going to go out there and give it the best that I have and wanting to win this race.

Bruce Martin:

What was your biggest eye-opening experience in your first Indianapolis 500?

Christian Lundgaard:

I would say just the pace of it. At the end of the day, I think there's so much going on in the build-up to the 500 throughout the month, and then suddenly it's race day, and suddenly race day's over. I think one thing I didn't get to do was properly enjoy it in that sense, because I didn't understand the pace of the month. second year that was that was a lot better third year that was even better i just enjoyed it and i think i saw on race day personally that i was much more relaxed just much more at at peace with with where i was starting and and i raced halfway through the field and finished 12th i think 13th And we got to lead laps in the race. We had the fastest lap of the race. So I think there was a lot of good to take from the 2024 race. And just in my evolution of learning how to really experience the month of May.

Bruce Martin:

And did anything prepare you for the hurricane that is known as turbulence at the start of the Indianapolis 500?

Christian Lundgaard:

Yeah, I mean, you experience it sort of throughout practices. You know what it is, and you know what it feels like, and you know it's going to be there. I mean, if you start last, there's 32 cars ahead of you. You can kind of know what to expect. And again, the race is not won in turn one on lap one, so I think it's all about staying patient and staying in it.

Bruce Martin:

And finally, do you believe that as each year goes by, Errol McLaren just gets that much better, especially at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway? Pato probably could have been the winner last year if things had gone just a bit different. He came in second, got passed in turn three on the final lap of the race. But do you really feel that as each year goes by, Errol McLaren has just built themselves into an Indianapolis 500 winner and waiting?

Christian Lundgaard:

For sure, I think we have every capability and all the potentials to win this race. I think I've seen it in my transition, it's just a different league, it's a different game that the team is operating at. I think it's what's necessary to win the race. We have four strong cars and four good chances to win the race.

Bruce Martin:

Well, Christian Lungard, hopefully those chances add up in your favor in the 109th Indianapolis 500 on May 25th. Good luck in that race. Good luck the rest of the season. You're still in the fight for the points championship. And thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy. Thank you. Connor Daly is a hometown hero from nearby Noblesville, Indiana. Daly starts 11th, the middle of row four, for Juncos Hollinger Racing. Let's hear from the Hoosier hero in this exclusive interview. It's the hometown hero to the Indianapolis 500. It's Connor Daly of Juncos Hollinger Racing. Connor, it's another Indianapolis 500. We all live for this. How much do you live for it? Because this is in your DNA.

Conor Daly:

It really is awesome. Yeah, and sadly, it seems to have started again with a bit of a weird weather program.

Bruce Martin:

Although by the time this airs, the sun will be out.

Conor Daly:

OK, perfect. Let's hope that. But yeah, I mean, it's awesome, man. I mean, everything seems to be just really, really elevated this month of May. It seems like, you know, there's lots of chatter about a sellout and all kinds of things like that, which is really good. You know, the competition is stiffer than ever. There still is going to be someone who has to go home. You know what I mean? So it's everything about the Indy 500. We love it. I love being here. The fans have already been, you know, just super, super kind every day and super awesome. So I can't wait.

Bruce Martin:

and for the second year in a row it's going to be racers and pacers yeah because the indiana pacers have advanced to the nba eastern finals there will be a game in indianapolis the night of the indianapolis 500 crazy it'll be at night though so they're not going to be going necessarily head-to-head but that's going to really make indianapolis the sports capital of the world that day

Conor Daly:

Absolutely, and I honestly think you'll see some of the drunkest human beings on the planet after going from 5 a.m. all throughout the Indianapolis 500 to then maybe an Indiana Pacers, you know, victory, we hope, on Game 3. But yeah, it's awesome. Love the Pacers. Love what this city has going for it right now. I mean, I think the energy is higher than ever, which means that it's going to be potentially the best Sunday of all time.

Bruce Martin:

I believe you were at Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Semifinals. No, that was Friday's game, so that would have been Game 3.

Conor Daly:

No, I was at Game 3. Yeah, we lost that one.

Bruce Martin:

So you were at Game 4.

Conor Daly:

Nope, sadly.

Bruce Martin:

Alright, well I was going to say Game 4 was one of the most amazing things that I had seen. I watched it on TV. I watched it at Binkley's Kitchen and Bar in Broad Ripple, so I don't know whether that counts or not, but I was only having pizza. As far as those coming in here with Junecoast Hollinger Racing, you now have a sponsor, AMPM. You were also involved with Uniquel Union 76, Uniquel 76. It seems like you've got the convenience store market corner.

Conor Daly:

Well, I think the funny thing about the 76, it wasn't actually, that wasn't actually the partner. It was the, you know, there was that logo on the car, but that wasn't actually where any of the funding was coming from. So, you know, we we had a deal with with Cyclone Travel Centers until the IndyGP. That was it. And and so that was over. And then we happened to have I met this guy in Long Beach, honestly, Long Beach autograph session. Never you never know who you're going to be speaking to at the autograph session. But I am super, super pumped about this partnership. It is a huge bonus for our team. It's a very recognizable brand and just something that will obviously be, you know, along with us as well for other races this year out in the West Coast, Portland and Monterey. So, couldn't be more proud to be representing for them and it's really fun.

Bruce Martin:

Speaking of pumped up, on May 14th it was announced that Fox Sports is going to put the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Worldwide Technology Raceway near St. Louis in primetime on a Sunday night. IndyCar's now ready for primetime. How excited are you that Fox Sports is putting an IndyCar race on a network in primetime? It happened before with NBC during the pandemic, but that was a little bit different circumstances. This one will be, it'll be the first time a Sunday night race has been scheduled in IndyCar history. What do you think of all that?

Conor Daly:

Well, there's a lot of people who love to throw a lot of hate at IndyCar for like not listening to the fans and do whatever it is. They're like, why are you scheduling races against NASCAR? Like, well, guess what? Something was done about that. And this is awesome, I think, for the TV audience and for us in general. Our IndyCars race under the lights, I think, fantastically. I love racing under the lights at Gateway. It's one of my favorite races, one of my favorite tracks on the schedule. You know, the series is listening. They're working on it actively. You know, how often do you see, you know, this many schedule changes in the middle of the year? I mean, not that often. They're trying hard to make sure that we can get the TV audience, the folks to watch the races. And that's huge, I think.

Bruce Martin:

Not only that, but for you, you do very well on those side tracks. You do very well at Worldwide Technology Raceway and also the Milwaukee Mile, where you had your best finish. Not ever, but recently. Not ever, but recently best finish. You had a great finish there last year, but that's going to be an exciting race. And anybody that sees that is going to be able to, it may be the first time some people see an IndyCar race other than the Indy 500.

Conor Daly:

We can only hope. Yeah. I mean, that's, that's the goal. Sunday night, primetime. I mean, reminds me of Sunday night football. Everyone watches Sunday night football. So, uh, love to see it. Loved it for Fox. Love it for IndyCar and hopefully all of our, you know, all of our partners as well.

Bruce Martin:

But of course, prime time is there's no bigger race, even though it's not in prime time, but it's the prime sporting event of the year, the Indianapolis 500. Do you just get excited just thinking that it's just a week away?

Conor Daly:

Yeah, it's gosh, it's the greatest time of year and it really does feel good. I love this event. Love this place every day here. I want this calendar to slow down a little bit. Being here just means the world. So it's it's awesome and we can't wait for it.

Bruce Martin:

Well, Connor Daly, we'll catch up later during the month of May. We'll also catch up later during the season, but good luck in the 109th Indianapolis 500. And thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy.

Conor Daly:

Thank you.

Bruce Martin:

Ed Carpenter is another hometown favorite as the owner driver of ECR starts in the middle of row five. Indiana's own Ed Carpenter has joined us now. He's the Hoosier hero, even though I'm going to let everybody in on a little secret. He's actually from Illinois. But Indianapolis is your home. You're a Butler University grad. You're a team owner. You've got a great lineup here for the Indianapolis 500, including yourself back in the race car. This has to be the month that you dream of all year.

Ed Carpenter:

Yeah, I mean, it's definitely the month that I look forward to the most each and every year. And yeah, we do have a great lineup. I think, you know, so far the preparation's going well. I wouldn't say, you know, we're all over the moon happy with our cars yet, but I also don't think we're unhappy whatsoever. I think we're at a pretty good spot right now, just trying to make sure we geek on the right days, but been working through the program and, you know, I think we're in a good spot.

Bruce Martin:

How much has it helped you become a better team owner to turn the carts over to some other younger drivers on the street road courses and all those other than Indy, while you concentrate on growing the team and you also have a new partner?

Ed Carpenter:

Yeah, I mean, I think it's working well. You know, the decision last year to kind of step away and just focus on this one, I think has been beneficial. Christian's really coming into his own and I think this month's going to be great for him to kind of slow things down and really get his confidence back where it was at the end of last year and adjusted the hybrid and everything else. He and Alex are working great together. Alex has been a great addition to the team. Anytime you can come to the Speedway and have have someone that's won this race and been super competitive. Alex's track record here and his results are up there with the all-time greats here at Indy. So, really a pleasure to have him on the team and he's making us better.

Bruce Martin:

You've had some very good cars here at the Indianapolis 500, including yourself. You're a multi-poll winner for the Indy 500. In fact, the years that you win the poll have been among some of the more popular among the fans. Because when Ed Carpenter would win the poll, the crowd would go crazy. Even when you're leading in the race, you can hear the fans over the roar of the engines. Just how proud does that make you feel that there's so many people in Indianapolis that want to see Ed Carpenter do well?

Ed Carpenter:

Yeah, I mean, it's obviously a lot of fun having such great support from our community. You know, it gives me confidence. It makes me want to deliver for them. And, you know, hopefully we have a poll in the cards and more importantly, you know, figure out how to leave the right lap at the end of the race. I've got a lot of laps around here, just not the right one.

Bruce Martin:

important part of racing is sponsor activation and you have been activating your sponsor this year, Java House, and also Splenda. I keep wanting to use the lead when you guys won a race. It was a Splenda car. But just how important is that to have that sponsor activation? You have partners like Java House and Splenda aboard your teams so that it can grow and compete with the big names.

Ed Carpenter:

Yeah, I mean, it's obviously fantastic for us as a team. You know, they're they're a great group of people to work with. Super energetic, really pushing hard to to use use the racing program and IndyCar as a whole to especially on the Java house side to grow that business is an iconic worldwide brand. So I think it brings a lot of validity to the whole sport as a whole. You know, you're seeing them activate internationally. national tv campaigns and everything we're doing on the car so it's it's a really fun project to be a part of and really just getting started so i think the future is bright your drivers are driven with the hybrid on the car this is new for you how different is It's definitely different, you know, and I would even say for them, you know, the way we use it here is different than how I used it at the end of last year. I'm short ovals. It's definitely different than how it gets used in road course races just because there's a little more complexity and nuance to how you regenerate power here in the speedway where you don't really have much deceleration, don't have braking. So I think it's different for all of us because it's the first time we've used it in super speedway configuration. So a lot of learning going on around the paddock, you know, not just for ourselves. Does the car feel heavy in the rear? I wouldn't say it feels heavy in the rear. It feels a little heavier in general. The thing is it's making it more challenging, especially in the back. That extra weight, it's taxing the Firestones a little more, so we're asking more mechanically out of the car. I'd say it's a little harder to hit the perfect window of balance relative to the past couple of years, but that's what we're all chasing right now.

Bruce Martin:

how much do you think that'll change the style of the Indy 500?

Ed Carpenter:

You know, I don't think the style is going to be different. You know, I think it potentially could spread out the pack slightly. You know, but I think you're going to see a similar race, you know, where it's still going to be a bit of a fuel save race early because people aren't going to want to do extra stops. So I think the train will stay together, at least the first part of the race. Yeah. Now, if it stays green like the rest of the season has been staying green, you know, it could definitely spread it out and make it look a little different than what it what it has been. But yeah, I think I don't think it's going to look that different to the fans. It may feel a little different than the last one. I think it's going to be pretty similar.

Bruce Martin:

Well, Ed Carver, you've come close to winning the Indianapolis 500 before. We know you've still got a few good races left in you. Good luck in the 109th Indianapolis 500. Good luck with the team. And thank you for joining us today. Thanks, Bruce. Starting next to Carpenter on the outside of row 5 is Santino Ferrucci of AJ Foyt Racing. Let's hear Ferrucci's thoughts entering the 109th Indianapolis 500. Santino Ferrucci is back with AJ Foyt at the Indianapolis 500. And Santino, hopefully by the time the weather clears and you get on track, you'll make some great progress. I know the Indianapolis 500 is a huge opportunity for you and the team. So how do you look at it going into the 109th Indy 500?

Santino Ferrucci:

Yeah, and like any other race, you're just trying to dial the car in. I think this year will be pretty nice. We're not making too many major setup adjustments. Hopefully, we're just fine-tuning all the way and we'll see what it gives us. I mean, I feel really confident in the build of our car. I feel really confident in our engineering capabilities. So, just making the most of it, making the most of our track time, not spending too much time here on the pad and getting some laps.

Bruce Martin:

You mentioned engineering capabilities. You have a technical alliance with Team Penske. So if you could explain how the engineering chart works for your car.

Santino Ferrucci:

Yeah, obviously we get our dampers from them, but that's really kind of about it. We get data and look at the data sets. We don't debrief with the drivers.

Bruce Martin:

Do the engineers debrief with their engineers?

Santino Ferrucci:

No, not really. We can see where they're going with directions and then read their notes. One of our engineers does, James, who's on the four car. James? Schnabel.

Bruce Martin:

OK.

Santino Ferrucci:

But for me, you know, I kind of really know what I want to do here and how I want to progress. So it's just using my tools and using our data and stuff like that and just working out the best way to get this car stable and quick. And your engineer is who? Mike Armbruster.

Bruce Martin:

You used to be with Michael Cannon. You guys worked magic together when he was on the team. I know that you can try to recapture that magic because you know how to race here. You've never finished outside the top 10 in any of your Indianapolis 500s. That's a streak that you obviously want to keep going. I'm sure you want to increase that to a victory. Of course. But it really seems like You can have the race of your life, but if things don't go right at the end of the Indianapolis 500, you're watching somebody else celebrate.

Santino Ferrucci:

Yeah, I mean, this place really does choose its winner. You just got to have the respect for it. Just take care of your equipment, take care of your car. Just remember, it is a long race. That's the other thing. It's 500 miles, so you're not trying to throw it away early. You're just trying to be there all day long, be up front all day long, and then be there for the sprint for the last two stints.

Bruce Martin:

How do you describe just how popular you are with the fans? Because it really does seem like the fans really love when Santino Ferrucci comes by.

Santino Ferrucci:

I don't know if it's me or if it's the 14. So I feel like it's probably more to do with the 14 and AJ, also the homes for our troops car. You know, it's red, white and blue. It's hard not to not hard not to cheer for that choir, to be honest with you. So I think that has a lot to do with it. You know, me being out there just driving hard and, you know, not taking no from anybody is also probably another part of it. But yeah, no, I just love it. I love coming here. It's a lot of fun. It's one month a year that we get to be rock stars. So we try to take advantage.

Bruce Martin:

Have you ridden the golf cart at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with A.J. Foyt and just taken in the way that the response to that is?

Santino Ferrucci:

I honestly, I ride the golf cart also with A.J. just because A.J. doesn't stop. So whenever I want to get somewhere, I let A.J. drive because A.J. will run you over. That's probably my favorite part about being on the golf cart with him.

Bruce Martin:

But yet this place loves A.J. Foyt. The fans love him. I mean, he's almost 90 years old, but there's just so much respect. And it's almost like seeing Babe Ruth come back to life whenever A.J. Foyt is at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Santino Ferrucci:

Yeah, I mean, when we roll around, I mean, it's like the wave of tears. I mean, it doesn't matter where we go. If AJ's there, people are always yelling. It's the most insane thing. So, I mean, driving back on the golf cart from yesterday at the end of practice, even though, you know, stands were starting to clear out due to electricity and stuff like that, I knew still everybody that did see him was screaming. It was awesome.

Bruce Martin:

For a man who hasn't been in an IndyCar since he retired in 1993, and for a man who doesn't really get a chance to spend much time around the IndyCar team anymore, You get surprised sometimes when AJ comes up with an idea for you to think about and you go, wow, I hadn't thought of that.

Santino Ferrucci:

No. No, not surprised. I mean, you're talking about someone that would put all of us to shame. I mean, and anyone that thinks otherwise is clearly a fool. So is the forefront of engineering, mechanics, car building. They built their motors. They built everything from the ground up. So. the way that he won four or five hundreds different than anybody else here that's won four or five hundreds in my opinion so that's something special.

Bruce Martin:

And just to have a chance to sit in the garage and listen to his stories that is a

Santino Ferrucci:

moment it has to be cherished because his stories are great yeah also just hanging out with him just standard conversation in the garage is a lot of fun so I mean it's AJ man you're in presence of greatness so it just it's always put a smile on your face and when it comes to stories I'm sure your favorite story will be the one he can tell about the year Santino Ferrucci won the Indianapolis 500 that'd be a good one so we'll see if we can make it this year for him

Bruce Martin:

All right, well, good luck in that quest. Good luck with AJ Foyt Racing. Good luck in the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season. And thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy.

Santino Ferrucci:

Thanks, Chris.

Bruce Martin:

Devlin DeFrancesco of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing starts on the outside of row six. Here is the driver from Toronto and his thoughts entering the Indy 500. Joining us now on Pit Pass Inn, he's a driver who's on his way up. It's Devlin DeFrancesco. You had a very good qualifying performance for the Sanzio Grand Prix. Pretty good race for the most part, a little bit outside of the top 10. How do you see things coming together at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing right now?

Devlin De Francesco:

I think things are moving in a positive direction. I think it's taking longer than we would like for, you know, things to really come together and that result to come. But, you know, we had such strong cars last weekend at the GP. First half of the race, we were running in the top four and, you know, a bad stop compounded by, you know, a stall leaving the pit box. It was so hard just to leave the pit box last weekend. And that one really hurt for me and all the boys and all the crew on the 30, the boys and girls in the 30. You know, I think momentum is building. I think we have really strong road course cars. And, you know, I think our our car here is quite competitive, especially in race trim and traffic. So I'm looking forward to it.

Bruce Martin:

But how big a boost is it to the overall team when your teammate Graham Rahal led the most laps in the Sanzio Grand Prix? Could have possibly won that race if things had fallen a little bit differently. That was a strong performance for the team.

Devlin De Francesco:

A hundred percent, you know, across the board it was a strong performance, you know, for the whole team, the whole organization and we needed this as a group. You know, everyone is working so hard, you know, back at the shop, you know, on things to improve on, the engineering group as a whole, the mechanics as a whole, car build, car prep in general. And as I said, I think everything's moving in the right direction for our organization and, you know, I'm hugely privileged to be able to race for a team like Ray Hall.

Bruce Martin:

So as you get ready for another Indianapolis 500, you're a young driver, you haven't had that many Indy 500s, but you know what it's like. What's your outlook heading into the 109th Indianapolis 500?

Devlin De Francesco:

It's a long month, you know, patience and making sure we're generally always in that happy window. Honestly, leaving the test last week, if we had to go race tomorrow, I told everyone back at the garage, if we had to go race tomorrow, I'd be happy to go race tomorrow and line up. You know, I think we're ready and I think our car's good in race trim.

Bruce Martin:

Do you think you're going to be the surprise driver in this year's race? I think we very well could be. Well, Devlin DeFrancesco, good luck. We hope we, you know, we're looking for surprises because so far Alex Below's dominance has become pretty predictable, but good luck in the 109th Indianapolis 500. Good luck in the rest of the NTT IndyCar Series season. And thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy. I appreciate it. Starting next to DeFrancesco is Stingray Rob in the number 77 Chevrolet for Juncos Hollinger Racing. Rob starts the 109th Indianapolis 500, the middle of row six, and joins me for this exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview. Joining us now on Pit Pass Indy is Stingray Rob as he prepares for another Indianapolis 500. You're relatively new in your IndyCar career, but you've already had a couple of Indianapolis 500s. How much more confident do you feel going into the 109th Indianapolis 500 in 2025?

Sting Ray Robb:

Well, compared to 2023, my rookie Indy 500, I feel way better, way more confident. Lean laps last year was a big part of that. Understanding what it takes to run at the front of the field. And, you know, I know that we were there on strategy, but that's what this race is, right? There's a lot that can happen and you just got to stay in the fight. So you do everything you can to stay at the front, get the car right, run in the pack. But, you know, I think that for me, I'm excited. I think it's going to be a good month.

Bruce Martin:

You've had some pretty good runs so far this season in IndyCar. Fuel strategy or pit stop strategy may have helped you get to the front, but once you've been in the front, you've done very well racing with a lot of the top guys that are usually up there. How valuable is it for a driver at your stage of the career to be a leader in an IndyCar race?

Sting Ray Robb:

It's awesome. I mean, this is what we dream about doing, right? And to be honest, I haven't felt like myself not leading races. It's been a kind of a rough two years here. But, you know, Long Beach was a great race for us. Being able to run towards the front of the field, lead some laps, getting a top 10 finish there was awesome coming from the back. But we know where our weaknesses are and we're still going to work on them. And if we keep doing that and keep checking all the boxes, we're going to keep moving forward.

Bruce Martin:

even though when you do a pit stop strategy where you pit out a sequence and you know that if the race continues as it is, it'll cycle back, but yet you never know when a caution is gonna come out, and that's always the big reason why teams take that gamble. We haven't seen many cautions so far in 2025, only two of them. Do you think that streak is about to end here? Obviously, the Indy 500's a much different race, and usually when somebody hits the wall, it's usually a lengthy caution.

Sting Ray Robb:

I wouldn't be surprised if we see a few cautions this year. I think that with the introduction of the hybrid unit, the passes seem to be coming later on the straights. The defenses seem to be more aggressive. And so I think for the driving aspect, it'll be a lot more difficult to get racy. And so people are going to be a little bit more desperate, but also, I mean, a lot more cautions, a lot more opportunity on strategy side. So I could be proven wrong, but that's my current opinion.

Bruce Martin:

The hybrid assist unit is being used in the Indianapolis 500 for the first time. It was introduced last year in July at Mid-Ohio, so that was after the Indy 500. Do you feel much difference in the weight of the car on the oval, especially a big oval like Indianapolis?

Sting Ray Robb:

Absolutely. definitely a place where you're gonna find the limits of what the car can give, right? We're trimming out on down force, you're adding weight to the car with the hybrid unit, and you're actually adding a little bit of horsepower too. So you can feel that change and you have to tune the car accordingly. But the car is definitely different from the place, the window it was in last year. And so I think you're gonna see some teams thrive in that and maybe some teams struggle in that. But right now I think that we have a pretty good qualifying car, which is good. We just gotta figure out the race trim.

Bruce Martin:

It also seems like business is picking up at June Coast Hollinger Racing. More sponsorships keep getting announced. Obviously, this is a business. You have to have sponsors in order to run. How encouraged are you that teams are waking up to your team and signing up to be part of it?

Sting Ray Robb:

It's been great. You know, I think this is a huge credit to IndyCar as well with the Fox partnership. I think that we all realize that we need to grow the sport and you need to grow the sport, everyone. I mean, with high tides, all ships rise. So we're going to keep doing our part to create some hype around this and hopefully the Indy 500 can allow some more for that.

Bruce Martin:

Every driver that gets involved in this form of racing dreams of racing in the Indianapolis 500. I know that the mindset that a driver has to take is to treat it like any other race and not let all the pageantry and the pressure get to you. How do you do that? Do you go on into race day savoring every moment, or do you just try to have tunnel vision?

Sting Ray Robb:

I think a lot of gratitude is the key to success here. I mean, obviously, I say key to success as if I've won this thing. I haven't yet. But from a mental aspect, I think it's really important to have some humility, have some respect for what's going on around this place, and just understand that this is a great opportunity. And when you approach it with that much gratitude, you can perform at a high level.

Bruce Martin:

What are the folks back in Idaho thinking of your career so far?

Sting Ray Robb:

So far, so good. They've been huge supporters of mine and I get messages quite often from our friendly Idaho 208 people.

Bruce Martin:

I know that Super Modifieds and Davey Hamilton and a lot of people like that are very popular in Idaho. You have a lot of fans up there yourself. There's only one IndyCar race in the Pacific Northwest. I don't know if you really consider Idaho the Pacific Northwest. It's pretty close. But how much of an untapped market do you think that is for IndyCar?

Sting Ray Robb:

I think that there's a lot of growing that can be done out there. I mean, we have a lot of races in California at this point. And then with Portland, that's my home race, but it's about seven and a half hours away from where I grew up. So I would like to see that area grow for sure. I would like to see motor sports explode in that area. And I think potential is there because the population is growing, the sports atmosphere is growing out there. So they need some entertainment. Why not be IndyCar?

Bruce Martin:

And also, what's it like working with Conor Daly? He's very popular amongst the home fans here at the Indianapolis 500. Engaging guy, funny guy, what's it like having him as a teammate?

Sting Ray Robb:

Connor's been great. With his experience, he's got a lot of knowledge to kind of pour into the team and try and drive the ship. And it's actually kind of been cool because we like a similar style car. And so we've been pushing the team in a similar direction. But, you know, Connor being a local guy, I think that he gets a lot of fans out. And it's nice to see because it's not just Connor Daily fans, it's IndyCar fans as well. So it's good to have someone like that in the paddocks. It's good to have someone like that sitting next to you in the engineering room. And so I'm hoping that we can keep working together for a bright future.

Bruce Martin:

Well, Stingray Rob, good luck in the 109th Indianapolis 500. Good luck in the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series. Good luck at June Coast Highlander Racing. And thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy.

Sting Ray Robb:

Thank you.

Bruce Martin:

We'll be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break.

Will Power:

This is Will Power of Team Penske. And you're listening to Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Bruce Martin:

Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy. Our next two guests are father and son, or make that son and father. It's 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson, who starts inside row seven for his second Indy 500. Here is a quick interview with the NASCAR Cup Series star. Back for a second Indianapolis 500 is Kyle Larson. Is this whole experience just as much fun the second time around as it was last year?

Kyle Larson:

Yeah, yeah. I mean, it's a lot of fun. You know, obviously you look around at the crowd and it's pretty amazing. So, yeah, I love being here. Kyle Larson, good luck. Thank you. Thanks.

Bruce Martin:

Kyle Larson is living out the dreams of his father, Mike Larson, who helped the Elk Grove, California driver get a big start in his racing career. Proud Papa Larson joins me for this exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview. I know one person who's probably happier than Kyle Larson to be at the Indianapolis 500, and that's his father, Mike. Mike, you grew up an IndyCar fan. You grew up an Indianapolis 500 fan. And Kyle says he remembers as a small boy watching the Indy 500 on TV with you. Just what is the excitement like to see your son here back for a second Indianapolis 500?

Mike Larson:

Well, just like last year, it's still surreal to even think that he's here doing it. I mean, you know, it's the biggest race in the world and my kid's in it. So, you know, that's hard to believe.

Bruce Martin:

Not only is your kid in it, but last year as a rookie, he made it look easy, the transition. But then again, when you think how many different race cars he drives throughout the year, he's a modern day Parnelli Jones, AJ Foyt. He can drive anything.

Mike Larson:

Yeah. I mean, I told him a long time ago he wanted to be a winged sprint car guy, but I told him, you know, you ought to try to be the most well-rounded driver you can be because I think it'll create more opportunities for you back then. You know, there really wasn't a plan or a path or anything to go down there, that path, but that's the way it all ended up working out and, you know, and I think it's really cool because I love seeing him race all kinds of cars.

Bruce Martin:

How did you get him involved in racing?

Mike Larson:

Well, I mean, I've been a fan since I was five years old, and I lucked out and knew a kid that lived three doors down from me when I was in kindergarten. And he ended up in the Sprint Car Hall of Fame, Tim Green. So I was just hooked from five years old. And Tim went on to race go-karts and stuff, and then got to be a national name. And so I just was deep into race. But I followed everything, though, not just sprint cars. You know, although they were my favorite, I still followed indie cars, sports cars, even motorcycles.

Bruce Martin:

The thing that impresses me about Kyle is I say he is the least pretentious, big name superstar race driver I think I've ever met. Him and Rick Mears. But Kyle especially, because you could be out in public with Kyle and you wouldn't know that he's this big, huge racing star. What is it about his upbringing that has given him that every man sense?

Mike Larson:

We just kind of, my wife and I instilled in him right from the get-go when he started at seven years old in the go-karts that you got, you know, remain humble. Nobody likes somebody that's arrogant or showy or whatever. So we just always, you know, would remind him that, you know, you never know who the next person that comes to talk to you or comes in our pit, who that person might be, what their, thoughts are what their resources might be I mean that could be your ticket to the big time so that's what we used to do was just kind of just remind him and and but he was even as a little kid even before he started racing he was always a very respectful kid and quiet and and just a like a fun loving kid

Bruce Martin:

In NASCAR, you've got fans that love Kyle Larson. You've got fans that cheer against Kyle Larson. But it seems that at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Indianapolis 500, he always gets a great welcome and a great ovation from the Indy 500 fans. And that has to be something that makes this race truly special and unique to you.

Mike Larson:

Yeah. And I think that all goes back to 2011 when he came out here to race for Keith Koons and the Midgets. You know I mean it took him a couple months to kind of get going but once he got going there in the middle of that summer of 2011 I think the Indiana fans really became aware of him because he was pretty much living here and he was racing all the local dirt tracks around here and you know trying to hit every race he could. So you know I think they fell in love with him years ago.

Bruce Martin:

When he announced he was going to run in the Indianapolis 500 last year, we asked him how emotional it would be. He goes, well, it's not going to be as emotional as it would be for my father, Mike. How emotional were you for the start of the Indy 500 last year, all the pre-race ceremonies, the entire experience?

Mike Larson:

Believe me, that day, just with the way the weather was and knowing kind of the stress Kyle was going through to be able to fit everything in, I mean, I was kind of getting stressed watching him and just, you know, I will say once the green flag was thrown and I watched like the first five laps and I could see Kyle was staying within himself. He wasn't trying to do anything risky or big moves or anything like that. So I just felt that, you know, it calmed me down quite a bit. And then it was just almost like being at any other race for the rest of the race.

Bruce Martin:

Well, I have confidence that the weather is going to cooperate this year and he'll be able to race in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. But Mike Larson, you have a lot of reasons to be proud of your son, Kyle. Good luck in both races. Good luck in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. And thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy. All right. Thank you very much. Callum Eilat starts at the outside of row seven, next to rookie Louie Foster, who starts in the middle. Back at the Indianapolis 500 is Callum Eilat of Prema. Callum, it's been a little bit of a slow start this year for the team. Learning experience for the whole operation, so where do you see the biggest issues the team really needs to step up its game?

Callum Ilott:

I think it's a bit of optimization. We're starting to show the potential in a lot of areas, but we just have to put it together. I think the first two races were a bit of a struggle from the driving side, and once we started to iron out those, the car's been pretty good. It's just putting it together. So now we're here at the Indy 500, we need some on-track running, and yeah, we can go from there.

Bruce Martin:

You have some key people on the team that have great IndyCar experience, including Piers Phillips and also Ryan Briscoe. Do you just see it as the natural, I don't want to use the term teething issues that a new team has, but pretty much it just seems like you started off behind, you started off a little behind and you've been trying to catch up ever since.

Callum Ilott:

Yeah. We've obviously started a bit on the back foot, but I think we've definitely ironed out things, and even the quali pace is much, much closer, and we're just half a tenth from breaking into the top seven, top six in group for the Fast 12. And beyond that, I think it's more... I don't want to say reliability, but just getting it right more often and getting more in the rhythm. Unfortunately, when you start on the back foot, it's hard to get in a rhythm. You're playing catch up a bit. We saw it a little bit yesterday when we didn't get the same running that the others did. It's never easy to start off like that, but I think we've got an okay starting point here and the car feels good, so I'm not too worried about here. But this is a busy, busy month for us and takes up a lot of time and energy. So hopefully, we succeed with what we want to succeed through here and then even out of it.

Bruce Martin:

Does this team need the practice days more than probably any other team in the series?

Callum Ilott:

Yeah, probably.

Bruce Martin:

And when the weather gets involved, second day of practice, we're watching it pour. Don't know what time we'll get onto the track later today, but that has to be very frustrating when you know we've got to really catch up. But how can we catch up unless we're out on the track?

Callum Ilott:

Yeah, I think, you know, if we didn't get to run yesterday, I would have been very frustrated. But we got to run, I got to feel the car, I'm happy with the car. And I know we can just work our way towards getting more and more speed out of it. So I'm not worried on that sense. Yeah, the weather, it is what it is. I think, you know, it's just a bit more time for us to look and optimize everything from yesterday and come up with a more structured plan.

Bruce Martin:

but I can't control it, I can start doing a dance for you if you want Usually there's a surprise in qualifications, a team that a lot of people may not have thought was going to do much all of a sudden has a good qualifying effort can that be you guys?

Callum Ilott:

I genuinely think so, I think we have a lot of speed on the car that we haven't showed yet We need to optimize and we need to get it right. It's tough to get it right in this sport. But I don't think we're going to be hanging as far back as people think we are.

Bruce Martin:

And finally, being relatively new to the Indianapolis 500, although having experienced it before, what is the one thing that stands out to you about this race?

Callum Ilott:

Just the time, effort from the teams, from the community. It's incredible the amount of people that dedicate themselves to this event. Every year from the fans that have turned up for 60 plus years in a row to the drivers that have won it and keep coming back. Yeah, it's just an amazing event with a lot of good people around and a big, big enthusiasm that follows it.

Bruce Martin:

And also just the wow factor, you just can't describe it when you walk out here before the start of the race and see 350,000 people and all those beautiful cars lined up, three abreast.

Callum Ilott:

Yeah, I think everything about the Sunday is unique, but even for me the qualifying is such, it doesn't quite show it. to the rate that you feel it as a driver but still it's an impressive spectacle even on the qualifying but how much it means to to be qualifying and nail what you're doing and the risk that you take to get it right.

Bruce Martin:

And one other thing before I let you go this is 60 years since Jim Clark won the Indianapolis 500 in 1965, and I'm sure you from the United Kingdom look back at that as one of the great moments in British car racing history.

Callum Ilott:

Yeah, Jim Clark, Dan Wheldon, I mean there's a few as well, but I think The bridge from Europe as well, coming into the Indy 500, more and more people I find are interested in it, more and more people want to understand it. And yeah, the more we can bring it across the world and show what a great event this is. But yeah, the UK has a great history within motorsports in general, and especially the Indy 500. Hopefully one day I can add another silver trophy to the British.

Bruce Martin:

Well, that would be a great achievement, but Callum Ilott, good luck in that quest, good luck in the 109th Indianapolis 500, and thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy. Thank you. Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Elio Castroneves is back in the Indy 500, and the 50-year-old driver is hoping to become the first five-time winner of the Indy 500. Castroneves joins me for this exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview. It wouldn't be an Indianapolis 500 without Elio Castroneves. What a guy. Elio, you're back for yet another Indianapolis 500. I remember your very first in 2001. I believe you flew all the way in from Motegi, Japan just to get on the track for opening day that year. Yep. How big of an experience and how new was it for you way back then?

Helio Castroneves:

Everything was new. I was super excited just to be back. I remember watching on TV when I was super young. I was in Europe actually racing Formula 3 in England and watching Jacques Villeneuve racing and winning the race. All of a sudden, When I came to America, there was this split with Sirius, so we were not racing. I'm like, oh, man, I was looking for two races. And then, as you mentioned, 2001, we're flying all over the world to be back on the race, and Roger wants to win as bad as anybody else. For me, it was, yeah, it was incredible experiences from the Gecko, and we're still here.

Bruce Martin:

Not only did you win it, your rookie season in 2001, you won it again the next year in 2002, which at that time made you the fifth driver in Indy 500 history to win back-to-back. You collected a pretty big check from Borg Warner that day, the rollover jackpot. However, the last two years, Josef Newgarden won it back to back. He got a check for $440,000. The funny thing about that is he had to pose with an oversized check yesterday as it resets back to $20,000. Yeah, a little bit different, right?

Helio Castroneves:

But in the end of the day, yeah. Tickets back then, especially on the plane tickets, was much cheaper than what it is right now. So it's all in the perspective of so many years ago, 20 years ago. And I tell you what, he'll be very strong. He'll definitely be very strong this year. Penske always being special the last few of the races. I know he'll be a tough competitor.

Bruce Martin:

But of course, you're back. Attempting to win the Indianapolis 500 for what would be a record fifth time in your career. You're one of only four drivers that have won it four times in their career. They're all legends. A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, and Rick Mears, and Elio Castroneves. But if you get the fifth one, you have something nobody's ever achieved in the long history of this race.

Helio Castroneves:

And that's one of the reasons we keep coming back. I feel I'm not only capable, I'm motivated, I have a great team. And all of this is going to push me to work hard. to get the number five, because I feel also the fans and people want to see history, want to be here for history. And that would be great to give that opportunity to everyone.

Bruce Martin:

The year you won it in 2021, you were fast all the time in practice. You were fast every day in practice. You were fast in qualifying. And you ran in the top three practically the entire race. How important is it to have fast speeds during the week entering qualifications to be able to have that type of car to win the race?

Helio Castroneves:

It's important, but it's not essential. You want to make sure that you have the balance, which is why I feel special today with the new hybrid. that a lot of people are still working on it. When you add 120 pounds in a car, it changes a little bit. So, I would say now it's not all of it. You need to have a good balance, which I think will be more important.

Bruce Martin:

We know how much you love the Indianapolis 500. You know the history, the tradition, the atmosphere, and just the incredible feeling you have on race day here. You also ran in the Daytona 500 this year for the first time. How can you compare the atmosphere of the two events?

Helio Castroneves:

Look, it's two different events. two iconic events. And for me, to have that opportunity to be at Daytona 500 was absolutely amazing. And I felt the crowd really supporting that opportunity, just like Carl Larson coming over here and experienced this. And that's why he came back, because he wants to, he feels that this is an amazing race. But they are not the same, they are different, but they are both amazing places.

Bruce Martin:

Finally, if you do win the Indianapolis 500 for the fifth time, your celebrations are legendary. How would you top... the celebrations you've done here before.

Helio Castroneves:

I don't know. I definitely want to go to the White House because until this day, all the winners or most of the winners went to the White House. Hopefully I can have that opportunity again.

Bruce Martin:

I'm sure you would be welcomed. But Elio Castroneves, Meyers Schenck Racing, good luck in your quest for a fifth Indianapolis 500 victory. And good luck in Meyers Schenck Racing for the rest of the 2025 season. You'll be back on top of the timing stand for Detroit. And thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy. Thanks, Bruce. One of Castroneva's teammates at Meijer Schenck is Marcus Armstrong of Christchurch, New Zealand. Armstrong had a fast car leading him to qualifications, but a crash in the morning practice session on May 17th put him into Sunday's last chance qualifier. Armstrong easily made the field with a four lap average of 229.091 miles per hour in the number 66 Honda. Here is my exclusive interview with Armstrong for Pit Pass Indy. Back for his second Indianapolis 500, it's Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Schenck Racing. Marcus, after getting your rookie Indianapolis 500 out of the way last year, how much better prepared do you feel you are for your second attempt at the Indy 500?

Marcus Armstrong:

For sure, I feel a lot more prepared. Unfortunately, I had an engine failure on lap four of the race last year, so it's a little bit, you know, there's still a learning curve to be done. And this event is also a very unique race in the sense that the way it's raced is quite different. There's a lot of pit stops and everything. So there is still a learning curve.

Bruce Martin:

So in a lot of ways, you have to feel like you have yet to really experience the Indianapolis 500 as a race, because four laps isn't really enough time to know how the car balance goes away or the course of a run.

Marcus Armstrong:

Yeah, for sure. I mean, experience is key around here, for sure. Having a fast car is also key, and that's something that I do have. I'm optimistic that we're going to be strong here this year. I've learned a lot. Last year was my first oval. It wasn't only my first 500. Since then, I've done a few other ovals and feel far more prepared.

Bruce Martin:

You've had some very good runs with Meyer Schenck racing. Courses of the race, you've been up there in contention. So how far away do you feel you are? A better way of putting it, how close do you believe you are from being up there to challenge and get a victory?

Marcus Armstrong:

To beat Alex is one thing. But I feel like we're right there in terms of race pace. We've always had the performance. Unfortunately, we've had a few things go wrong. But fundamentally, we've been really quite quick. So I'm optimistic that our day is going to come.

Bruce Martin:

How much help is it having Elio Castroneves on the timing stand? He's going to be on the racetrack with you during the Indy 500 as he attempts to win the Indy 500 for the fifth time, which would break a record. But what's it like working with Elio as a driver analyst, consultant, driver coach, and also partner of the team?

Marcus Armstrong:

I mean, he's a lot of fun. He's a lot of fun to have around. Big personality, of course. I ask him a lot of questions, and we sort of bounce things off of each other. But mainly, I've just, you know, made a new friend, I feel. I feel like it's been a really positive relationship so far. This month it's going to be cool, you know, working directly with him as a teammate. I'm going to learn a lot from him because he's been the man around here forever, so I'm looking forward to it.

Bruce Martin:

Speaking of the man around here, currently it's a former teammate of yours, Alex Pillow. Do you marvel at just the streak that he's on right now? Four victories in the first five races, and the one race he didn't win was a second place.

Marcus Armstrong:

It's been pretty spectacular. He's done a great job this year, and I feel like he's the one who's really making a difference. He's driving better than everybody, so we gotta find a way to drive as well as him. Having been his teammate, what do you think the secret is to his success? Well, I think he has a lot of confidence at the moment in the car. He feels very confident. I feel like the extra weight and the harder tire is as suiting him, more so than others, I would say. But he's driving extremely well. He's not making any mistakes. And I have to take my hat off, take my hat.

Bruce Martin:

He also seems to be a guy who doesn't ever really get mad. I know some people, Marcus Ericcson told me he only saw him mad once. And I asked Alex about that. He goes, well, I get mad from time to time, but I get over it quite quickly. How important is that demeanor to have in a race car? We see some drivers, like Will Power, who, when he gets mad, he snaps. But with Alex, he just seems to always be cool. And in a lot of ways, he's always happy.

Marcus Armstrong:

It's because he's always winning. I mean, it's easy to be happy when you're always winning, right? Yeah. I don't know. Maybe if he finished 20th 55 times in a row, he wouldn't be so happy.

Bruce Martin:

Speaking of teammates, you got Felix Rosenquist. He's very steady.

Marcus Armstrong:

What's it like having him as a teammate? He's cool. I mean, again, he's a friend, so we work together really well, I think. But, you know, we speak the same racing lingo. We've come from similar backgrounds in Europe. And I do think that we're quite honest with each other and we really push each other hard on track. So I reckon it's a great teammate relationship.

Bruce Martin:

And finally, you come from Christchurch, New Zealand, you get up here, IndyCar's a relatively new, but what does the Indianapolis 500 mean to you?

Marcus Armstrong:

500 is, it means a lot to me, obviously. You know, you can't, speak about it enough. I think the challenge of it is immense. It's the greatest challenge in motorsport as well. It's not only the greatest spectacle, the way the cars behave in turbulent air and how many variables there are in the race. So I feel like winning it is just the most extraordinary achievement. So we're working hard for it.

Bruce Martin:

Well, Marcus Armstrong, good luck in the 109th Indianapolis 500. Good luck in the 2025 IndyCar Series season. And thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy. Cheers, mate. We'll be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break.

Scott McLaughlin:

Hi, I'm Scott McLaughlin, driver of the number three team Penske Chevy. And you're listening to Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Bruce Martin:

And that puts a checkered flag on this Indianapolis 500 Preview Edition of Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rentals. We want to thank our guests, Takuma Sato of Rahal Letterman Lannigan Racing, Tato Award of Errol McClaren, Felix Rosenquist of Meyers Schenck Racing, Alex Polow of Chip Ganassi Racing, David Maloukas of AJ Foyt Racing, Christian Lungard of Errol McLaren, Connor Daly of Juncos Hollinger Racing, Ed Carpenter of ECR, Santino Ferrucci of AJ Foyt Racing, Devlin DeFrancesco of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Stingray Robb of Juncos Hollinger Racing, Kyle Larson of Arrow McLaren and his father, Mike Larson, Callum Ilotta from Aracing, Elio Castroneves and Marcus Armstrong, both from Meyers Schenck Racing, for joining us on this podcast. Along with loyal listeners like you, our guests help make Fit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental, your path to victory lane in IndyCar. On the highways, the raceways, and every pit stop in between, Penske Truck Rental keeps you moving forward. Game ground with Penske. For more IndyCar coverage, follow me at X, previously known as Twitter, at BruceMartin, one word, uppercase B, uppercase M, underscore 500. Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental is at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 109th Indianapolis 5-Up. We will have regular and bonus episodes all month thanks to our friends from Penske Truck Rental and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Grandstand tickets are now sold out for the 109th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 25th. Penske Truck Rental and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway want to thank the loyal fans for making this the first sold-out Indianapolis 500 since the 100th running in 2016. General Admission tickets for the infield remain, so get yours soon to see all the dramatic and exciting action of the Indianapolis 500. This has been a production of Evergreen Podcast. A special thanks to our production team, executive producers are Bridget Coyne and Gerardo Orlando. Recordings and edits were done by me, Bruce Martin, and final mixing was done by Dave Douglas. Learn more at evergreenpodcast.com. Until next time, be sure to keep it out of the wall.