Andretti Global Drivers Kyle Kirkwood, Marcus Ericsson and Colton Herta

Bruce Martin: 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 and insiders 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 Sports Ticker, Sports Illustrated, Auto Week and Speed Sport. So let's drop the green flag on this episode of Pit Pass Indy. Welcome to this week's edition of Pit Pass Indy presented by Hy-Vee as we continue our fourth season of giving IndyCar fans a behind-the-scenes look at the NTT IndyCar Series and the drivers that compete in the Indianapolis 500. Our friends from Hy-Vee are back, serving as a presenting sponsor of Pit Pass Indy this month. Beginning in March, our friends from Penske Truck Rental return for most of 2024. Penske Truck Rental and Hy-Vee will share the show in April and June of 2024, gearing up to one of the highlights of the season, the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway, July 12th through the 14th. This year's schedule includes a night race at Iowa Speedway on Saturday, July 13, with another full race scheduled for Sunday, July 14. Four of the biggest names in entertainment will perform before and after each race, including Luke Combs, Eric Church, Kelsey Ballerini, and Post Malone. The start of the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series season is rapidly approaching, the March 10th Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. On February 26th and 27th, a sizable number of teams competed in a two-day test session at Sebring Raceway on the Bumpy Short Course. Alex Pelot may have a new look with his impressive red and yellow DHL Honda livery, but he is just as fast as ever. Pelot, the two-time and reigning NTT IndyCar Series champion, was the fastest driver in Monday's test session on February 26th. Pelot's best lap was 52.0883 seconds in the number 10 DHL Honda fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing. Testing was separated into morning and afternoon sessions, with Pelot's best lap coming in the afternoon on the notoriously bumpy, challenging circuit. 15 drivers turned laps on February 26th, with all five of the quickest laps occurring in the afternoon. Right behind Pelot was Christian Lungard of Rahal Lanigan Racing with a top lap of 52.1065 in the number 45 Hy-Vee Honda. Two-time series champion and reigning Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Joseph Dugarden was third at 52.1298 in the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, followed by Colton Hurta at 52.1909 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda fielded by Andretti Autosport. Alexander Rossi, winner of the 100th Indianapolis 500 in 2016, rounded out the top 5 on Monday at 52.2521 in the number 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Drivers combined to turn 1,047 laps with 5 different teams represented by the top 5 drivers on the timesheets. Just 0.5008 of a second separated the top 11 drivers on the day. Less than a second, 0.9833 to be exact, separated all 15 drivers on track on February 26th. Kyle Kirkwood led the morning session at 52.5618 in the number 27 AutoNation Honda fielded by Andretti Global. Kirkwood from Jupiter, Florida beat that time in the afternoon with a lap at 52.3341. There was more testing on February 27th at Sebring as teams rapidly prepare for the season opener on March 10th on the streets of St. Petersburg. In addition, on February 27th, 2023 Indianapolis 500 winning driver Joseph Newgarden, along with team owner and IndyCar owner Roger Penske and BorgWarner CEO Frederick Lasalde rang the bell to open the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday at 9 a.m. Eastern Time. The opening celebrated the start of the upcoming IndyCar season at St. Petersburg and accelerated the countdown for the 108th Indianapolis 500. New Garden's car was on site in front of the New York Stock Exchange and the BorgWarner trophy was also on display at the ceremony. We'll be right back to PitPass Indy after this short break. Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy, presented by Hy-Vee. Andretti Global features an impressive three-driver lineup in 2024, including 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Erickson, two-time IndyCarSeries race winner Kyle Kirkwood, and seven-time IndyCarSeries race winner Colton Hurta. Let's mix things up here with a twofer interview with Kirkwood and Erickson in this exclusive interview for Pit Pass Indy. We're gonna do something a little bit different now on Pit Pass Indy. We're gonna do two for the price of one. It's gonna be Andretti Global Drivers, Kyle Kirkwood, a veteran returning for the 2024 season, and newcomer, the winner of the 106th Indianapolis 500 at Chip Ganassi Racing, Marcus Erickson. Marcus, you're new to the team. Do you feel like a newcomer?
Marcus Ericsson: Yeah, I do feel like a newcomer. It's, you know, changing after, well, four years in Ganassi. It's definitely a new challenge for me to come to a new team, but it's been great. You know, the team has been really welcoming. It's been good with all the engineers, mechanics, everyone has, you know, been working very well and, you know, getting to know my new teammates a bit more as well. So it's been fun so far, but we're all excited to go racing.

Bruce Martin: Kyle, do you think the new guy is going to work out?

Kyle Kirkwood: Yeah, I'll let you know at the beginning of the season. Who knows? No, joking aside, I think so. I think us, me, Marcus, Colton, I think we've already kind of built a nice relationship amongst ourselves. And I think it's only going to create progression in our team.

Bruce Martin: Kyle, you had an outstanding season in 2023 with two victories. Did that season go about as well as you could have envisioned?

Kyle Kirkwood: Always wish it was better, right? I mean, no matter what. Everybody wants to be 17 and 0. Yeah. I mean, I always, always take things one step at a time. And that first step for me was getting my first win, really a first podium. And that win came with a podium. So obviously stoked about that, nailed it down with a second win. didn't really have the finishes I wanted outside of those two wins though. Um, so I wish it was better always. Um, but hindsight's always kind of, I guess not, not hindsight's 2020, but you always want more. I feel like as a racing driver, no matter, like even if you win a championship, you crush it all season long. The next year you just want more. You kind of, that's, that's just your mindset as, as an athlete.

Bruce Martin: With the exception of a late race red flag we might be sitting next to a two-time winner the Indianapolis 500 because Marcus Erickson in many ways he was commanding that race at the end before red flag fever determined the end of the Indianapolis 500 but This guy obviously has done a great job around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500. Do you think he can really help the entire Andretti Global effort regain that prominence at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway? Without a doubt.

Kyle Kirkwood: Without a doubt. I mean, it's no secret that Ganassi has been kind of the team to beat in the past few years. And with that, he's obviously got knowledge of their team and how things are done, the cadence of that. I don't know about setup stuff, but at least understanding what a good car feels like, right? And having that knowledge from him is going to be something to help. You know, he's got the knowledge from the front of the grid. He's got the knowledge from qualifying, all that stuff. And he's driven our car so far. And I think you said you've liked it for the most part. I think for us at At Andretti Global, the main thing is to get our qualifying pace up. And that's our main goal, I think, this coming year.

Bruce Martin: And Marcus, do you think that's one of the areas you can really help Andretti Global is improved performance at the Indianapolis 500?

Marcus Ericsson: Yeah, I mean, that's for sure a big goal for us. You know, everyone knows how important the 500 is. And like Carl says, you know, Ganassi and myself have been up front the last few years. So I know what I need from the car there. I know what I need to feel. And, you know, Like Carl said, you know, I jumped into the Andretti car here a couple of months ago at the Speedway and was positively, not surprised, but like the feeling of the car was not far off where I think it should be. So I really think if we can start tuning and working together during the month, you know, with three cars or whatever, it's gonna really help. push us forward to be on a level where we can compete for the win because that's the goal. We're going to go there to win and we need to get the cars and get ourselves to that position where we can fight for the win. I don't think it's too far though, like Kyle and Colton last year in the race were really fast. I remember At some points in the race, I was fighting both Kyle and Colton. So like, I think it's, like I said, it's small, small things, but we're going to work hard to find those last couple of things. And I know the team is putting a lot of effort over the winter as well to improve the package at the speedway. So I'm hopeful we can take the fight.

Bruce Martin: When a new driver joins a team, last couple of years, you guys have been racing against each other, and now he's a teammate. How long does it take before you realize, hey, he's not like I thought he was at all. He's really a great guy.

Kyle Kirkwood: Yeah, we still have time, Bruce. Come on now. You know, it's something that we've both, I guess, been in this situation where you kind of switch teams and you have that first year in and whatnot. I mean, you can, you can tell like who's on it and who's not on it pretty much. immediately. You know, obviously Marcus is on it. Everyone knows that. Everyone knows Colton's on it. But for me coming into IndyCar, I had to, I kind of had to prove myself with that. But when you have kind of this camaraderie between us three drivers right away, usually means things are going to work out.

Marcus Ericsson: from your perspective? No, I agree. I think that was one of the big things as well for me coming to Andretti, you know, to work with Cal and Colton. I think that's two of the, you know, biggest talents in the series. They are both super fast and I feel like, you know, before even joining the team, like, I got along well with both Kyle and Colton. I didn't know them super well, but, you know, I really thought that we were going to be able to work well together. And I think so far, yeah, we haven't gone racing yet, but still, you know, we've done a lot of work in the off-season and I really do feel like we are, you know, working well together. And I think that's going to be so important for us. We are, you know, a three-car team. That's very important that we have three drivers and three groups of, you know, engineers and crews that all work together as one, because that's going to help us take the next step so we can really compete at the front every single weekend.

Bruce Martin: Both teams you were on last year were four-car teams. You left Chip Ganassi Racing, they expanded to five cars, you join Andretti Global who have gone from four cars to three cars. What do you think is the best number to have on a multi-car team? And how much do either of you think being a three-car operation is really going to help Andretti Global this year?

Marcus Ericsson: I think it's not a definite answer that this or this is the best number. I think it depends on on what team and the resources and the personnel that there is available. I think, in my opinion, slimming down and focusing on, you know, less cars and making sure every entry is, you know, can win on every given weekend. I think, in my head, that sounds good to really optimize the performance, really. So, I think it's a good step that Andrade has taken to, you know, go from four to three and really trying to to really bring like three all-star lineups in both driver, engineering, mechanics, everything. And I think that is the right way to go. But with that said, you know, I'm sure Ganassi with five, they're going to be strong again. You know, there's no doubt about that. So I don't think it's like a formula that this is the number that you have to be successful. I think it's from team to team, but I do believe for Andretti and for us, it's going to be good to be three.

Kyle Kirkwood: Kyle? I pretty much have the same answer as him, right? I mean, it just depends on what the team resources has and what they can succeed with, right? Obviously, it's good to have multiple cars for data points and kind of understanding of things, right? I mean, it's always good to have data, but at what point does it get too confusing and And with that comes, how many people do you have on board? How many resources do you have? How many knowledgeable people do you have, right? So it's really just dependent. I think for us, it's good, right? I think right now, it's not like we didn't get rid of any people with going from four to three cars, which means that we've got an abundance of resources and personnel, which can only help us, I think.

Bruce Martin: And last one for me, it seems like the personalities of all three drivers really work well together. And how refreshing is that?

Kyle Kirkwood: It is. It's super refreshing because it's tough to find drivers in general that get along super well. And I think all of us have kind of a level-headed mindset in the sense that we want to see all of us succeed. We want to see the team succeed, not just one of us. We're not trying to hide things from each other. We're trying to help each other to ultimately get wins for the team and go after championships for the team. Marcus?

Marcus Ericsson: Yeah, I agree with Calder. I think it's very important for the team and for any team in IndyCar to have that you know, drivers that work together, get along, I think it's so important. And I know from my last few years, it was what helped us, you know, with me, Alex, and Scott, and whoever else was there, we were working well together. And that really helped you during a race weekend when, you know, someone is a bit stronger, you can learn from them and talk to them and so on. So I really think it's going to work really well together with us three.

Bruce Martin: Keep an eye on this tandem, two of the three drivers at Andretti Global, Marcus Erickson and Kyle Kirkwood. Good luck in the 2024 season. And thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy. Thank you. We'll be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break. Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy presented by Hy-Vee. Colton Hurta is back for another season at Andretti Global. With seven IndyCarSeries race victories in his career, Hurta is hoping to hit the throttle on more accomplishments in 2024, including a chance to win the Indianapolis 500 and contend for the NTT IndyCarSeries championship. I had a chance to catch up with Hurta several weeks ago for this exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview. Joining us now is a freshly coiffed Colton Hurta, a new hairstyle for 2024. That's right. Is that the aerodynamic look? Is that done to improve aerodynamics?

Colton Herta: It's a little bit more manageable, that's for sure.

Bruce Martin: You're entering another season here of IndyCar Series action with Andretti Global, new name for the team. The expectation level's always high with you to battle for the championship, battle for an Indianapolis 500 victory. What do you need to do to reach those goals?

Colton Herta: I think everybody, we all kind of understood that that last year was a little bit unacceptable from our sides. You know, to not have a win, a single win and only have one podium, was a very big letdown, you know, and I wasn't, I was not happy with it at all. So we really need to kind of turn the tide. You know, I know what I can improve on. We all kind of made an understanding of what we could all improve on going into this offseason. So I've been working on a few different things. obviously just some some major things to kind of help us and then and then it's into a lot of minor things now going closer into the season a lot more minor setup work that we'll get into during testing and whatnot but yeah for sure is a tough season.

Bruce Martin: Some changes at Andretti Global. Instead of a four-car team, you're now a three-car team, and you also have the addition of Marcus Erickson as a teammate now. How much does that help to focus on three cars rather than having four? And also, a guy like Marcus, very positive guy, which should improve the outlook over at the team.

Colton Herta: Yeah, much more concentrated effort, which I think was the goal of Michael and the whole Andretti Global team, which from my side is really good. You know, we have a lot of good guys at Andretti, and I think they're being utilized really well now going into this season, and I'm really confident in And what we have, this is one of the more confident off seasons that I've had going into it. So I'm really looking forward to getting back in the car. Obviously, last year kind of left a little bit of a sour taste in my mouth, and I don't want to dwell on that too much. But, you know, we know that, you know, the team knows and I know that I needed to improve off of that last year.

Bruce Martin: And as far as just the whole general attitude at the team, it was a pretty difficult year all the way around, with the exception of Kyle Kirkwood, who had a really good season. How old are you and Kyle Mesh? Because it really seems like you're both young guys and you both are similar in many ways.

Colton Herta: Yeah, Kyle's Kyle's been amazing to work with, um, a guy that I've known for a long time from racing go-karts together and, um, really incredible driver. So it has been, um, amazing to kind of, you know, get to know him a little bit more and be his teammate.

Bruce Martin: Team owner Michael Andretti still has his dream of taking a Cadillac effort to Formula One. Do you see more of him or do you see less of him since he's also working on that effort to try to get that improved or approved with the Formula One people?

Colton Herta: Well, he's still all U.S. based, right? And he's coming. He comes every IndyCar race. So nothing's changed from that side of things. He's still in the shop. you know, every day of the week and working hard at it. So I think the effort's still there, but it's still concentrated in the U.S. and everything about that, so.

Bruce Martin: When you see the upside of the things that can be achieved at Andretti Global and for yourself and for Kyle and for Marcus Erickson, there's no reason to think that the three of you won't be heavily involved in the championship fight all the way through. So with those prospects, how exciting Do you look at 2024, the possibilities that are out there?

Colton Herta: I think it's good. And it was important to have the season that we did last year as much as it sucked. You know, we learned a lot from it. And, you know, I definitely learned that I never want to be in that position again. of that much struggle. And so it's been a real concentrated effort from everybody about getting everything where we wanted, getting me where I wanted to be. And I think we've done a good job of that so far in the off season. The car's feeling good when I've driven it with the hybrid unit. And yeah, we haven't done any testing without it yet, which will come up obviously at the end of this month. And so excited to see how that goes.

Bruce Martin: What are your thoughts of delaying the hybrid assist unit till at least mid-season in 2024?

Colton Herta: I think it's important that everybody has a fair shot and you don't want there to be any problems with this hybrid unit before we kind of get into the season. And you don't want, you know, supply chain issues to be a reason some people might miss a race or they might have failures in a race and lose race wins or championships or the 500 even because of something like that. So I know we felt really strongly about it and we liked how it felt in the car and whatnot. And I thought our pace was good with it. So it is a little bit of a blow to us, because I think we seemed really good with it. But in the end of it, it's the right call to make, even though it sucks, you know.

Bruce Martin: But how unique is it going to be that the series championship in 2024 is going to really kind of be determined with two different formulas?

Colton Herta: It's very unique, and it'll definitely throw a wrench in it, because some guys are going to be really good with it, and some guys are going to be not good without it. So it's going to be interesting to see.

Bruce Martin: Season's going to end in your hometown of Nashville, which is probably going to mean you're going to be the social director that weekend for a lot of your teammates. But as far as making it an event, Nashville knows how to throw a party and they know how to make an event out of a sporting event. So in a lot of ways, that's going to add more interest and spotlight on the IndyCar Championship, which I think is something that was lacking the last couple of years.

Colton Herta: For sure. I think there's no better place to do it than Nashville with the current calendar that we have. So it'll make it interesting for the fans. Obviously, it's a great city to go to watch live sports. They have a lot of entertaining things to do, I'd say. And, well, it's a city with a lot of buzz, and to have IndyCar go through there for the last race and crown a champion will be pretty awesome.

Bruce Martin: The last couple of years, we've seen how a doubleheader at Iowa can have an impact on determining who the drivers are that fight it out the rest of the year for the championship. This year, there's going to be another doubleheader on Labor Day weekend at the Milwaukee Mile. So in a lot of ways, is it going to put even more emphasis on nailing the oval car? this season?

Colton Herta: Yeah, I mean, I think Milwaukee is a very unique place. I've never had the chance of driving there, never even been to a race, I believe. So that'll be the first time I've ever been to the Milwaukee mile that I can remember, at least. And, and yeah, it's an interesting place. It looks very difficult, looks very challenging, very different to any oval that I've ever driven on for sure. And yeah, I think two more races on ovals this year. So, or I guess one more race on ovals this year, which will make it interesting.

Bruce Martin: Has your father, Brian, told you any tales of Milwaukee from his driving days?

Colton Herta: No, I haven't talked to him about it, but he, I don't know how much he would have driven there. He would have driven there a little bit in the IRL, but I don't know how much he, I think Cart wasn't racing there by the time he got there.

Bruce Martin: Yeah, he was, that was on mainstay. Yeah, it was, it was still on schedule back then.

Colton Herta: So I don't, yeah, nope.

Bruce Martin: Last year you said that when you moved to Nashville that you moved into kind of a quieter neighborhood and you weren't really necessarily part of the Nashville night scene, but how have you adapted to living in Nashville? I know you have a lot of musical interest and during the offseason have you been able to get re-involved in that?

Colton Herta: No, I think I've been to downtown once. It's too chaotic and there's better places to spend my time, I think, but it is cool to go down there every once in a while and enjoy the music, but just a lot of people is pretty crazy. So I kind of enjoy staying at home a little bit more, but it is a cool city nonetheless.

Bruce Martin: You said some of your neighbors in the neighborhood were a little bit older. Do they realize that you're a race driver?

Colton Herta: Yeah, they realized before they even met me. And so I never met these people, but they would just tell me, like, good luck when I'm heading off to a race weekend. So it's very interesting. But yeah, they're very nice people, very kind and outgoing, and yeah.

Bruce Martin: The last couple of years at IndyCar Content Days, there's been a lot of questions asked of you about the potential move to become a Formula One driver. It seems like you don't have to answer those questions anymore like that. I know it's probably something that's still a goal of yours and a dream of yours. What changed to where that's kind of over here now rather than being forefront with Colton Herta?

Colton Herta: I think you guys stopped writing about it. And then it kind of, nobody talks about it anymore. That's how it works.

Bruce Martin: So because we've stopped writing about it, has anything changed in your desire to go?

Colton Herta: Nope. No, my opinion's still the same.

Bruce Martin: Is it just more or less a wait and see to see what happens with the Andretti Cadillac effort?

Colton Herta: Yeah. You know, it's it'll be a lot, though. You know, it'll mean a move across to a different country. And, you know, it's will be, you know, I have no you're no idea, but the timeline of this. But, you know, obviously, you'd have to think if they created a team, it's two years out from when they created to getting a car on track. So, you know, we'll have to see where I'm at in that point in life. But right now I'm just solely focused on IndyCar for sure.

Bruce Martin: And because you are totally focused on IndyCar, obviously win a championship, win an Indianapolis 500. Last year was a little bit of a step back, as you said, but for 2024, are those really realistic goals that you can achieve? For sure.

Colton Herta: I mean, the team is in a really good place at the moment. You know, we have three really great drivers. I think it's kind of unlimited on what we could do.

Bruce Martin: Final question here with Colton Hurd of Andretti Global. A lot of times, momentum doesn't necessarily carry over from one season to the next, but it really looks like Alex Palou had a fantastic 2023 season. In the meantime, heading into 2024, I guess the big question is how does the rest of the competitors put a dent in what Alex Palou has been able to achieve here?

Colton Herta: Um, you know, I think he had a, he had a tremendous season and he was very strong at kind of every aspect of it. Um, so it's, he is, you know, him and Dixon are probably number one priority of, of kind of getting a handle on, cause it seems like their cars are in a really strong place. They're driving well. Um, and it seems like everything's gelling. So you want to try to break up that momentum, which. could be as easy as introducing the hybrid halfway through the race season. And then that could ruin everything for them, or it can make it even worse and make them better. So, um, I don't know. It's too early to tell, but, um, for sure, those are going to be guys that, that right out of the gate are going to be strong and, you know, they're tremendous drivers. So you kind of expect that from them.

Bruce Martin: Because it really is too early to tell. What do you do the rest of the offseason?

Colton Herta: Twiddle my fingers? Wait, no. We actually have, this has been the offseason, this has been the best offseason for me ever. I've driven so much, especially with the hybrid development and getting to do days with that, sports car stuff. Um, you know, in these next two weeks, I'll be in the car one, like seven days out of the next two weeks, um, between sports car and IndyCar, which is, which is incredible to get that much track time before, before an IndyCar season. Cause I've never, no one's ever really had that until, unless they were here in the nineties or the early two thousands.

Bruce Martin: Do you still find yourself calling it Andretti Autosport instead of Andretti Global?

Colton Herta: Yes. It's going to be an adjustment and people are going to have to keep reminding me, but I'm trying my best.

Bruce Martin: Colton Herta, a driver at Andretti Global. There's a lot you can achieve in 2024. Good luck in the 2024 IndyCar Series season. And thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy. Thank you. And that puts a checkered flag on this edition of Pit Pass Indy. We want to thank our guests, Andretti Global Drivers Marcus Erickson, Kyle Kirkwood, and Colton Hurta for joining us on today's podcast. Along with loyal listeners like you, our guests helped make Pit Pass Indy, presented by Hy-Vee, your path to victory lane in IndyCar. And for all of your shopping needs, be sure to visit your local Hy-Vee, where there's a helpful smile in every aisle. This has been a production of Evergreen Podcast. A special thanks to our production team, executive producers are Bridget Poyn 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.