Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix Review with winner Alex Palou, Penske Corporation President Bud Denker and Team Penske drivers Will Power, Scott McLaughlin and 108th Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden.

PPI_E112_Mix1_MR1910_MR7231

Speakers: Josef, Bruce, Roger, Joey, Tim, Kyle, Marcus, Kirkwood, Felix, Rinus, Pato, Benjamin, Scott, Takuma & Graham

[Music Playing]

Josef Newgarden:

Hey everybody, this is Josef Newgarden, winner of the 107th Indianapolis 500. And you're listening to Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Bruce Martin:

IndyCar fans, it's time to start your engines. Welcome to Pit Pass Indy, a production of Evergreen Podcasts. 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 Sports Ticker, Sports Illustrated, Autoweek 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 Penske Truck Rental. We are proud and honored to bring Penske Truck Rental to the show as the presenting sponsor of Pit Pass Indy. We will continue to cover the entire NTT IndyCar series community, and our new partners at Penske Truck Rental will help us tell those stories.

Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental was at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Month of May, culminating with the incredible 107th Indianapolis 500 on May 28th.

The largest crowd since the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2016 attended this year's Indianapolis 500. The 330,000 spectators filled the grandstands and packed the infield, especially in the snake pit.

They witnessed an incredible race that had more than its share of thrills, chills, wild action, and a few frightening incidents.

Because of wild racing and late race crashes, there were three red flags to stop the race, in the final 15 laps that set up a frantic and controversial finish. After the last red flag, it set up a one lap dash to the checkered flag, with last year's winner, Marcus Ericsson in the lead pursued by Team Penske's, Josef Newgarden.

Ericsson tried to unleash the dragon with his draft breaking move to try to break the airflow to Newgarden’s Chevrolet, but Newgarden was able to make the pass for the lead on the backstretch on the last lap.

Then it was Newgarden's turn to unleash the dragon of his own diving low out of turn four to protect the lead. Newgarden took the checkered flag by just 0.0974 of a second, the fourth closest finish in Indianapolis 500 history.

There were 52 lead changes, the third highest total in Indianapolis 500 history. The record is 68 in 2013, followed by 54 in 2016.

To experience the Indianapolis 500 in person can be a life-changing moment. On this special episode of Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental, we will take a deep dive into this year's Indianapolis 500, which was a big win for Team Penske.

It was the first time Team Penske has won the Indianapolis 500 since 2019, and the first Indy 500 win since Roger Penske purchased the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in November of that year.

We have many great guests on this edition of Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental, but the star of the race is our first guest. It's the winner of the 107th Indianapolis 500 Josef Newgarden of Team Penske who joins me for this exclusive Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental interview.

Joining us now on Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental, we're honored to be joined by the winning driver, the 107th Indianapolis 500. It's Josef Newgarden of Team Penske. Josef, how does it sound a day later to be introduced as the winning driver of the Indianapolis 500?

Josef Newgarden:

Well, it's definitely a tremendous honor, Bruce, just to be here at this race and to have an opportunity to compete here has been very special. I've been thinking about that more than anything this month having had the privilege to be in my 12th Indy 500, and to finally crack it, if you will. And to finally seal the deal was very special. Not just for me, but for everybody involved in my program.

Bruce Martin:

I'm going to throw some names at you of drivers who took 12 years to win the Indianapolis 500. Sam Hanks in 1957, took him 12 attempts before he won. Tony Kanaan in 2013, took him 12 attempts. Now, Josef Newgarden in 2023, no driver has ever won the Indianapolis 500 longer than 12 years. So, in many ways, I guess you got it right in time.

Josef Newgarden:

I guess so. Wow, I didn't know what the stat was. What's the max cutoff and 12 years is that. So yeah, I didn't know when circumstance would maybe work out or favor us, and it's a tough race, there's a lot of pressure to it. And everybody knows why Indy is so special and why it's so pressure filled.

But finally figure it out is very gratifying in more ways than one. And for me, it's just something I never wanted to rest my career on. I didn't want to be beholding to the Indy 500, but there's definitely a weight that gets lifted if you're able to win it.

Bruce Martin:

I don't want to say that the team flew under the radar this month, but everybody was looking at it as a battle between Arrow McLaren and Chip Ganassi Racing. A lot of people, for whatever reason, seem to be overlooking Team Penske. A lot of it is the fact that qualifications here the last couple of years haven't exactly been stellar.

You started 17th, the furthest back that a winning driver has come since Ryan Hunter-Reay started 19th and won the 2014 Indianapolis 500. So basically, how does it feel to win from that far back and how did you make it through the field?

Josef Newgarden:

Well, I knew it was possible with our race car. Unfortunately, we were still not excellent enough in qualifying trim. It's been that way the last four years, and we've had to field a lot of questions from everybody on what our issues are, where our performance is.

But I knew that our race performance was excellent. I really did. And I knew that we would have an opportunity from 17th on the grid. It wasn't a big deal, even we could have started last, and it would've been the same program in my eyes.

So, we just methodically started the race. Our first stint was actually one of our best, and we made … I think we got up to P9 after the first stint. So, we were well ahead of schedule. We were really just banking on getting a couple people every stint. And that first stint, I could tell I had a winning car underneath me. I knew it was capable of winning the race, and that sets the tone for the rest of the day and gives you confidence to execute.

Bruce Martin:

The pace of the race was very fast at the beginning. The first 92 laps of the race was run green flag conditions throughout. Does that favor a car that's fast, that's coming up through the field?

Josef Newgarden:

I think, so for us we were able to really latch onto the lead group and get ourselves into that conversation and was plenty happy to see the run thing run green. I think if we were going to go green all the way, it would've been just fine. We were trying to work our fuel mileage and understand where we needed to be positioned in this race for the very end. And a lot of others were doing the same.

And yeah, it was a chess game in many ways for a lot of this race. And then, at the end, it just turned into a straight fight with the red flags.

Bruce Martin:

We had a month here that was very clean with few on track incidents. There was only one on track incident in practice and qualifications, and that was the Monday practice after qualifying when Katherine Legge and Stefan Wilson crashed in turn one. Incident free on carb day.

And then we came to a race that started off, the first 150 laps looked really clean, and then after that, a third of the field was involved in a crash between there and the end of the race. Do you often see that in months where we have a clean month and then maybe a crash filled race?

Josef Newgarden:

Yeah, it can happen. It was surprising that we hadn't seen any wrecks up until the Monday post qualifying. I was pretty surprised by that, that no one had overstepped.

But I thought the race itself, everyone was pretty well mannered for the most part. It was really not until we got to the end where it got a little aggressive and understandably so, that happens because it is the Indianapolis 500, and everybody comes here to win the race.

And so, I think you saw at the end, everybody ramp up and probably got a little bit too intense. But sometimes that's what you need to be able to win here.

Bruce Martin:

So, starting 17th, what was the team's goal? Where did they want you to be at say, lap 100? Where did they want you to be at lap 150? Do you break it down that way in the pre-race meetings, or how did you determine that?

Josef Newgarden:

Yeah, roughly. I mean, you have an idea, and you sketch out what you think the day is going to look like and how you want it to be. And for us, if we could get to the — we needed to break into the top 10 by lap 100, and we needed to be in the top five by lap 150. And we were well ahead of schedule yesterday, we knew exactly what we had underneath us pretty early in the race. And like I said, I think it only took about 30 laps to break into the top 10, so ahead of schedule.

But if it was a normal day, I think we could have methodically worked forward, we're pretty strong at doing that, having good pit stops, jumping people and in and out laps. And so, yeah, we had a plan, and it didn't quite go exactly to our plan, but we knew we could be in the conversation.

Bruce Martin:

So, once again, into the top five, now you were with the dogs that were in the real fight, and at what point did it become a real dog fight?

Josef Newgarden:

It was really all the restarts at the end became a big fight. There was no more fuel mileage to make. And so, the first red flag, you knew it was going to be a fight, and then it happened again. We got another red flag, and then we got one final red flag for our one lap shootout.

So, I knew it was going to be incredibly difficult. That was probably going to come down to a last lap deal like it does here in Indy between a couple cars. And you just wanted to be in that conversation. You needed to be in that top two group to have a shot at maybe winning the race. I think if you were further back than first or second, it was going to be difficult.

Bruce Martin:

One of the red flags was after Felix Rosenqvist, who was a leading contender for the victory, lost control in turn one, hit the outside wall, his steering suspension broke. He had no way to control the car, and Kyle Kirkwood ran into him launching a wheel over the fence. Were you ahead of that when that happened? Or did you have any idea when you came around and saw his car upside down, how bad a crash that was?

Josef Newgarden:

Yeah, I was ahead of it. I just was passing Felix in turn one right before that happened. But I didn't see the wreck unfolding behind me. So, it wasn't until I came around that I saw what had transpired. So, I was glad to see that Kyle was okay and everybody else was alright.

But that was the point in the race where it was starting to get very aggressive, and people were doing everything they could to position themselves to win.

Bruce Martin:

Now, how do you describe to the average fan the mindset that comes into, if you're going to be a race driver in the Indianapolis 500, you know that it can be risky business, and there's going to be some moves out there that can put you in peril. How do you describe to them how you're able to compartmentalize the job you need to do and not flinching at fear?

Josef Newgarden:

Well, you got to have an off switch for that stuff. It's impossible to do this job if you're thinking about repercussions or scenarios that could potentially play out. You just can't be committed to what you're doing driving the car then, you're never going to be at the level you have to be to truly succeed here.

So, I think we're just probably built a little bit differently. And then, people are really good at locking in and compartmentalizing different thoughts and they really zone in on what they have to focus on, which is just driving the car fast. You have to be able to do that otherwise you wouldn't be able to survive here.

Bruce Martin:

But does this race emphasize that at this particular track, the Indianapolis 500 is really serious business?

Josef Newgarden:

Oh, it is. I mean, but anytime you race in an IndyCar, I think it requires a lot of respect amongst the competitors. And Indy is definitely the biggest stage for that and there's always going to be risk in motor sports.

But I love that about IndyCar, that there's a camaraderie amongst the paddock that everyone has to have some level of respect for each other in order for us to all come out the other side. And it demands that of you, I think, this sport and this track.

Bruce Martin:

We saw a lot of three and four wide moves on the backstretch. We even saw a couple of drivers go through the grass to try to improve positions. At what point did you really feel like, man, I haven't seen that happen here.

Josef Newgarden:

Interesting. I haven't watched it back. I haven't seen those. I wasn't a part of them, but it was so congested this year. Everybody was really tightly put together with a down force package that I could believe that, whenever you had to restart, then people were going to try and make up as many positions as they could.

Bruce Martin:

The last red flag of the race really had started on a restart, which nobody ever really got a chance to really restart the race because the crash happened further back of the field. So, they decided then, at that point, there was like four laps to go at the time the green waved. Did you think at that point that maybe this thing's going to end under yellow?

Josef Newgarden:

I thought it was possible, but … I mean, definitely thought that was possible. It was a bizarre situation. I think out of all the red flags, that would've been the toughest red flag to end the race on, because we never even really got going again.

So, I think the crowd was probably going to be very pleased that we finished the race under green. Obviously, we won the race, so we look at it from that lens, but it was just kind of a false restart. So, I don't think anybody was going to like that sort of ending to the race. And I was really happy we were able to again, have an opportunity to compete for the win under green. And we went green to the finish on that last lap, which was really great to see.

Bruce Martin:

So, when they restart the race, you come off pit lane and you're not even going to get a full lap before the green flag comes out. You probably knew you only have one move to make and you better make it work. What was your mindset when they threw the green and the race resumed and there was a one lap to the checkered flag?

Josef Newgarden:

Yeah, I just knew we had to get around Ericsson at all costs. We had to figure something out to get in front of him and I was going to pass him as quickly as I could. It didn't happen on turn one, which was probably better. I think passing on the back straight seemed to be the better place to make the move. And it was just enough to hold him off to a line.

Bruce Martin:

And then when you're coming out of turn four, you're using the tail of the dragon or unleash the dragon, however you want to explain the zigzag move to break the ability for him to draft off. You got really far below the white line there by the pit attenuator wall. How important is timing of that? Because you've got to have that just right, or else it could end up very bad.

Josef Newgarden:

Yeah, I mean, you got to be pretty heads up. I was working as hard as I could to break the toe for him because he was so close still. But it's similar to what we've seen in the past because it's necessary with this package, you have to do something to break the toe.

Bruce Martin:

So, then when you get the checkered flag, then when do all the emotions flow?

Josef Newgarden:

It was pretty quickly. I mean, just realizing that, okay, it's done. There's no more red flags, like this is the checkered. And yeah, it was amazing to finally get there and to do it. I can't describe it to people. It was very emotional, and it was full circle for me.

Bruce Martin:

And of course, you did something nobody has ever seen at the Indianapolis Motors Speedway before. You may have outdone Hélio Catroneves, who always tried to go over the fence. You went under the fence, celebrated it with the fans. How cool was that? And at what point did you think maybe this wasn't the greatest idea when you were getting mobbed?

Josef Newgarden:

I've always wanted to do that, and it really was special to be out there in the crowd and to feel the energy. I was just so pumped for what had happened, and I've always wanted to experience what that energy in the crowd was like from my side, winning the race.

So, it was a blast and certainly halfway through it, I wanted to go higher up in the stands, but it looked like that wasn't going to be possible. And probably the best thing was to go back to the track.

Bruce Martin:

And in wrapping up here with the winner of the 107th Indianapolis 500, Josef Newgarden of Team Penske, you gave team owner Roger Penske, a record extending 19th Indianapolis 500 win, but it's his first as the track owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. How special is that, and what was it like when he congratulated you?

Josef Newgarden:

It's very special just to be here with Roger and to drive for him and to see what he's done with the place and how special it is here. I don't think there's a better custodian for this speedway. And everything in the Penske brand was really built off the Indianapolis 500.

So, I think it was very fitting for him to acquire the ownership of it and to make sure that it is ushered into the future in the right way. And I think it was pretty special for him to finally get a victory here in that way, in that circumstance.

Bruce Martin:

It was a memorable victory. And from all of us here at Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental, congratulations to Josef Newgarden, the winner of the 107th Indianapolis 500. And thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Josef Newgarden:

Thanks, Bruce.

Bruce Martin:

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

[Music Playing]

Roger Penske:

This is Roger Penske. And you're listening to Pit Pass Indy, sponsored by Penske Truck Rental.

Bruce Martin:

Welcome back to this special Indianapolis 500 edition of Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental.

When Josef Newgarden was a youngster, his father, Joey, took interest in his sporting endeavors. When his son tried carting for the first time, he was hooked on racing and began a career that took him in the victory lane at the Indianapolis 500 on May 28th.

On this Pit Pass Indy exclusive interview, we talked to Newgarden's father about the early days of his career and how special it was to see his son win the Indianapolis 500.

Joining us now on Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental is Joey Newgarden, the father of the Indianapolis 500 winning driver, Josef Newgarden.

That's a term that you will forever want to cherish.

Joey Newgarden:

What do they call that? Infamy?

Bruce Martin:

Yes.

Joey Newgarden:

Yes. Yep.

Bruce Martin:

I think it's more like immortal fame, but very emotional, because when he was a teenager, you really sacrificed a lot to help get his career started driving this from Hendersonville, Tennessee. You'd come into Indiana, the New Castle, go-kart track, the New Castle Motorplex, or Motorsports Park, I should say. That was a lot of time, effort, and commitment.

But what was it about that you saw in your son that he could possibly be a IndyCar winner?

Joey Newgarden:

Well Bruce, it was really more of a job at the time. Josef was 13 going on 14, and he'd been playing sticking ball sports for quite a while, 8, 10 years at that point. And we were thinking about getting him into a school on a scholarship, baseball or basketball and getting an education that he'd be a doctor or lawyer.

He didn't want any part of that once he got in a go-kart. And so, we looked at it from a business standpoint right from the get-go, and it was really more about putting the work and the effort in when it was required. And it wasn't really as much a sacrifice as it was a job at that point.

Bruce Martin:

But was it also a situation where those long drives to New Castle, Indiana and back was really a great time for a father and son to bond.

Joey Newgarden:

But yeah, no, it was some of my favorite times of his whole career was we had a suburban that was all laid out in the back, and he would deck out back there and have his videos playing, his Ace Ventura and other stuff, and just enjoy the heck out of that time. And we had a ball doing it.

Bruce Martin:

When did you realize that he had the natural talent to be a race driver?

Joey Newgarden:

When I saw what he did yesterday, that's when it really became apparent. I mean, that was it right there. Because talent takes you so far. This business is about talent obviously, but all these guys are talented. What separates them are the guys that put it all together when it really counts. And Josef's always been able to rise to the occasion when it really counts.

Bruce Martin:

Well, he also proved at the end of the Indianapolis 500, he was very willing to stick his neck out in some spots that were pretty risky, especially coming to the checkered flag when he drove down low, almost pretty close to the pit attenuator in order to break the draft with Marcus Ericcson behind him. As a father, when you see those risky moves like that, what do you think?

Joey Newgarden:

It's just part of what he does. I mean, when he goes into turn one on the outside and the guy on the inside spins out, you're thinking the same thing. It's a nerve-wracking business, but you let them do their job, they're the ones that got to do it. You can't do it for them.

And I guess just over the years I've been programmed to just go with it and if something comes up, you deal with it when it comes up.

Bruce Martin:

It's his first Indianapolis 500 victory. It took him 12 attempts. Were you wondering if it was going to be something that ever happened?

Joey Newgarden:

No, this was his 12th try, and I feel like he's got a good another 8 or 10 tries in him, and would get one. Now the question is, can we get two? So, we'll see.

Bruce Martin:

The other thing is his first Indianapolis 500 victory, but it was his 27th career IndyCar series win, which ties him with Johnny Rutherford, that's a pretty good name to be tied with for 14th on the all-time victory list.

Joey Newgarden:

It's a lot of wins. And a good bit, if not the majority of those wins came with a Penske car, either a two or a one. And that's part of the secret is you got to get in, if not the best seat, one of the best seats. And with 27 cars on the grid, there's 12, 15 good seats, and you got to get into one of those, and then you got to rise to the occasion, and you got to take advantage of it when you're there.

Bruce Martin:

He’s the first American driver to win the Indianapolis 500 since Alexander Rossi in 2016 when he won the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. But he is the first driver from the state of Tennessee to win the Indy 500. And when you think of the racing heritage at the state of Tennessee, it's all NASCAR. But now they have an Indy 500 winner that they can brag about.

Joey Newgarden:

Yeah, yeah. That makes us proud. We're not originally from Tennessee, but we've been there for 30 plus years. Josef was born there, and his sisters all grew up there. Yeah, we're very proud of being people that are very high on where we are living. And Tennessee's a great place. Who did you say won? Alexander who?

Bruce Martin:

Alexander Rossi.

Joey Newgarden:

Oh, okay. That guy. I got you.

Bruce Martin:

He finished behind you.

Joey Newgarden:

Yeah.

Bruce Martin:

But then again, everybody finished behind Josef yesterday.

Joey Newgarden:

No, Alexander is an excellent, excellent driver. That's really what has made Josef so good over the years is all the competitors. I mean, just think about all the guys that have been in IndyCar over the last 10 years, and then the light skies and so on from before that, it's just been the competition is what brings the best out of Josef.

Bruce Martin:

And finally, to be able to share this as a family moment with not only all of your family, but all of Roger Penske's family, you've become part of the Penske family in many ways. How special is that?

Joey Newgarden:

Oh, you can't describe it. For me, I'm really on the peripheral. This is Josef's world, and we're fortunate enough to be invited inside of it along with him at least part of the time, and we savor it. That's all you can do, because one day we'll be sitting at home watching on TV, and we won't be at the racetrack anymore, but I'm going to keep coming back as long as I can. I can tell you that.

Bruce Martin:

He's a proud papa and he’s got a lot to be proud about now that his son, Josef Newgarden, is an Indianapolis 500 winner. That's a title that'll stick with him for the rest of his life, and I'm sure it's one that will make you very proud.

Joey Newgarden, congratulations on your son's big victory at the Indianapolis 500. And thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Joey Newgarden:

Oh, thank you very much. Appreciate it.

Bruce Martin:

Tim Cindric is the President of Team Penske and is in charge of the entire racing operation that is owned by Roger Penske. Cindric joins me on this exclusive interview for Pit Pass Indy to talk about what this victory means to the entire Penske Corporation and to Roger Penske in particular.

Joining us now on Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental is Team Penske President, Tim Cindric. The team scored its record extending 19th Indianapolis, 500 victory in the 107th Indianapolis 500 with Josef Newgarden winning the race.

You called the strategy for Josef Newgarden, it was your ninth Indy 500 victory, but just how satisfying was it to see Josef finally get his first Indy 500 win with as much as he's really meant to the series?

Tim Cindric:

Yeah, he’s kind of had this monkey on his back, just the reputation he's had and the successes he's had on the ovals. I feel everybody's expected him to win here. He's expected to win here, and we finally gave him the tools to do it and he really got it done there at the end of the day.

Bruce Martin:

Most importantly, it was the first Indianapolis 500 victory for Roger Penske since he bought the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. And now to give him that unique opportunity to not only own the track, win the race, it was huge for him. How special was that for you?

Tim Cindric:

Well, for us as an organization, as a team, and for really the whole Penske family, I've said ever since he became the steward of this place it was something that we wanted to be sure we accomplished together and put another chapter in Roger's legacy.

And to be able to have him start the race with a driver, start your engine's command with as much energy as he puts behind that. And he rebuilt the platform here at Victory Lane. He made this place a lot younger and certainly wanted him to be on that podium at the end of the day as well.

Bruce Martin:

Of course, you grew up around the Indianapolis 500, your father Carl worked for Speedway Engines. He used to sneak you in here when you were a youngster into the old gasoline alley so that you could take part in this great event.

Now, to be part of the history of that event, you're an Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Famer now. Did you ever think a kid from Northwest side of Indianapolis up in Pike Township could achieve these great things?

Tim Cindric:

No, I think, just coming to this race all these years and then being able to — I remember the first year I came here with Roger in 2001, I thought, “Well, I've made it.” I actually got to work for Roger Penske at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. And to have the things that have played out over the years and have the opportunity to be part of such a great organization and have such quality people around us, for me, you couldn't write a better script for how it's all played out.

Bruce Martin:

But yesterday was Josef Newgarden getting his first Indianapolis 500 victory. And when you get a guy who's tried so hard to get an Indy 500 win like he did, he got it in his 12th attempt. How special is that?

Tim Cindric:

Well, anytime someone comes to our team, you want to see them accomplish their dreams. For me, that's really what it's become all about. Yeah, I accomplished mine a long time ago being in Victory Lane here, and when you have people that come here, you want them to accomplish their championships, you want them to win the Indy 500, and there's nothing more special for a driver than winning the Indy 500.

And to do that with Roger Penske and to actually give Roger Penske his first win here, now that he has this place within his legacy, I think it's really special.

And for me, it's really special to see them achieve their goals and achieve their dreams under the Team Penske Banner. I mean, that's what it's all about. And when you look back at the drivers that we've had over the years and since I've been here, which is what, since 1999, like every driver we've had full-time has either won a championship, an Indy 500 or both with exception of very few.

Bruce Martin:

To see the video of Roger Penske up on the top of the pagoda, watching the end of the race, the checkered flag, and to see how exuberant he celebrated. This is a man who at 86 still has a lot of life left in and a lot of energy. Just how special was that for you to see that video of him?

Tim Cindric:

Well honestly, I haven't seen it yet. I've heard about it, but I haven't seen it yet. But I've been with him on the pit box, I've been with him in pit lane for various wins, and I know how excited he gets here, and he doesn't show that kind of emotion any other way, any other time. So, it's really special when you do have it and you do see it. And I'm looking forward to seeing the video.

Bruce Martin:

And also, it was a wild celebration at your timing stand, after the checkered flag came out, of course, nobody knew we was going to win until that checkered flag waved because of the dramatic fierce final lap. Is that just excitement you can't describe?

Tim Cindric:

Yeah, I think the emotions of how that race finished and not knowing how it was all going to turn out, and knowing how hard this team has worked and how hard Josef has worked to achieve what we achieved yesterday, and knowing how special it would be for Roger, I think all that hit you at once.

Bruce Martin:

He also outdid Hélio Castroneves who used to climb the fence, Josef Newgarden celebrated by going under the fence, into the crowd. How cool was that?

Tim Cindric:

Yeah, he certainly took it to a whole nother level. I didn't really realize what had happened because I walked out there and I was looking on the fence to find the guy with a helmet on, and I couldn't find the driver. And then I realized that he got on the other side of the fence somehow, and all these years, I didn't know there was a hole in the fence right there. So, I guess I learned something as well.

Bruce Martin:

And wrapping up here with Tim Cindric, Team Penske president, yesterday's crowd was huge. I always tell everybody the Indianapolis 500 never really went away, but it was certainly back with that crowd that we had last year, the largest crowd that was here since the 100th anniversary in 2016. As somebody who grew up with the Indianapolis 500, how important was that to see that?

Tim Cindric:

Yeah, I think the weather set the stage, all week really. Yeah, the weather was phenomenal, and it was predictable. And here, when you see all the work that's gone into this place and how much really Penske Entertainment is put into the fan experience to see them appreciate that and show up, with the type of attendance that we had, not only on Sunday, but on Saturday, on Friday, on Pole Day, throughout that whole week or weekend. It was pretty phenomenal.

And I had the opportunity to go around in the Pace car after the race with Josef and Roger and Josef's family, and the number of people that were still here, and the enthusiasm that they showed for the event is second to none.

Bruce Martin:

And my final question with Tim Cindric, when Team Penske wins, everybody that works at the Penske Corporation can celebrate in the victory. Penske Truck Rentals is our sponsor. I'm sure you use them a lot getting stuff to and from the race shop, to and from the racetracks. How important is it that you guys can share an Indianapolis 500 victory throughout the entire Penske Corporation?

Tim Cindric:

Well, when you know that there's over 60,000 people that are part of Team Penske internally, and then obviously all the partners that we have, and we've been trying to win this race for Shell for years, and we finally checked that box too, and to do it on the year where they brought the renewable fuel for all the cars and to win with the Shell car, again, you can't make that up.

And the Penske Truck Rental and Penske logistics and that whole transportation group has been a huge supporter of this program from day one way before my time. And to be able to put everyone together there, I think everybody takes some satisfaction in knowing that there's a 19th win there for the captain.

Bruce Martin:

Team Penske President, Tim Cindric, congratulations on Team Penske's 19th Indianapolis 500 victory. Congratulations on your ninth Indianapolis 500 victory that you've been a part of. Go out and celebrate and thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Tim Cindric:

Thanks, Bruce. Appreciate you having me.

Bruce Martin:

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

[Music Playing]

Will Power:

This is Will Power of Team Penske, and you are listening to Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Bruce Martin:

Welcome back to this special Indianapolis 500 edition of Pit Pass Indy. Kyle Moyer is team manager of IndyCar at Team Penske. The Monrovia, Indiana native oversees the entire IndyCar operation at Team Penske and talks about the big win in this year's Indianapolis 500 for Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Joining us now on Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental is IndyCar team manager Kyle Moyer, team’s 19th Indianapolis, 500 victory on Sunday with Josef Newgarden. You have the overall role of all the IndyCar teams.

It had been way back since 2019 when the team last won a championship. As Tim Cindric said, three and a half year drought. Everybody acts like it was a decade, but in a lot of ways, how special was Josef Newgarden getting the victory in the 107th Indianapolis 500?

Kyle Moyer:

Well, first off, I'll agree with the team on that. It's sort of like, we did win in ‘19, it's been four years and we've won again now. I don't think I really call it a drought, but if that's the way people perceive it, then I'm okay with that too, if that's what our expectation's off from Team Penske because we'd like to win it every year.

But yeah, no, it was great. The biggest thing is I'm so happy for Josef and RP. And Josef's had a little mystery here. Again, everybody says he's on a drought for 11 years. Marco Andretti was here over 20 and never won it. So, he had plenty of years left to do it.

Now he's got plenty of years left to hopefully do a second one, but it gets it off of his shoulders and everything. So, that's probably what I'm most happy about.

Bruce Martin:

Of course, you call the race strategy for Scott McLaughlin, but when the team wins, when a driver at Team Penske wins, everybody wins. So, how special was this victory, especially as it’s the first time Team Penske's won the Indy 500 with Roger Penske and the Penske Corporation owning the Indianapolis Motor Speedway?

Kyle Moyer:

Well, I think that's what makes it even more special, because the heart that RP’s got behind this place, and what it means to the whole family, the team and everything, and to win here, it makes it extra special.

But everybody puts in a good effort. Our last couple years haven't been excelled here, so I mean, I think that's probably what makes the drought probably look a little bit worse. But now since we've been able to win, I think it'll give us a lot of momentum going forward. We needed that sort of lift and Josef and the two team did that for us.

Bruce Martin:

It was never really a matter of if Josef Newgarden was going to win the Indianapolis 500, in some ways it was when, but he had to wait 12 attempts before he could do that. And I know that wears on a lot of drivers, a driver you worked with early in your career, Tony Kanaan took him that many attempts to win it.

What is it like when you are the caliber of a Josef Newgarden or a Tony Kanaan and you have all these other accomplishments, but you haven't won the Indy 500 yet?

Kyle Moyer:

Yeah, it's hard on great drivers. I mean, you win championships and races here and there, and I think one of the stats is Josef, the most wins for an IndyCar with that finally won the Indy 500 before he did.

So, you look at that and sort of say it does weigh on you. I think it weighs on Josef. I know in Tony Kanaan's case, if you ask him, and I'm sure if you ask Josef and these guys, when they finally do win, they go like, “Okay, what'd you do different?” And he says, “Well, that was one of my easiest races here.”

And Josef was in control from the time we did the open test. He felt good about the car and everything. So, if you ask him, it was probably easy today, but the biggest thing is his shoulders off.

Now all of a sudden, you know, we got to get Scotty in there, hopefully here soon, next year or something like that, and then we can get them all in there.

Bruce Martin:

You've seen Roger Penske celebrate many Indianapolis 500 victories, but this one was pretty special because he owns the place. And from the reaction he did when Josef took that checkered flag, you could see just how excited he was. How important is that to somebody like you who not only works for Roger Penske, but has the utmost respect for Roger Penske?

Kyle Moyer:

Well, I think the big thing there is just like, you aren't going to find anybody that has more heart for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, even though he owns it or anything. He cares about this place, he cares about Indianapolis, he cares about the town of Speedway, and this is what made him, and he's going to make sure it stays that way.

Bruce Martin:

The racing at the end. There was some people that thought there weren't enough laps left to do a red flag. What was your viewpoint on that?

Kyle Moyer:

Really not much of a viewpoint. I think that's what the fans wanted every time we did the reds there toward the end, every time they came down pit row with the cars and said it was red flagged, I heard the fans cheer.

So, I think everybody wants to see a green finish. I think either way, if two laps to go, three laps to go, it's not an easy race to win for when you're in the lead. You got to time it right. If you ask Simon, you ask Marcus himself from last year, it's all about timing and I think it was good to have the checkered and the green finish.

Bruce Martin:

Pretty bold and risky moves with the tail of the dragon, as they call it. The draft breaking move that we have seen used here a couple of years in a row now at the Indianapolis 500. Is that move potentially risky because Josef came really low coming out of turn four heading into the checkered flag. As he said, he would've driven down pit lane if he had to win this race.

Kyle Moyer:

Yeah, I don't think it's risky. I think everybody's in control of their car, they’re great drivers, so I don't think there's anything risky about it. It's part of the racetrack, I think, that's the way you've got to look at it and break the drafts and stuff.

I mean, people are doing that now every lap. I mean, if you look and see how close the guys run to the bottom of the track and snake every single lap down the back stretch, they're almost in the grass, down the front stretch. They're almost on the inside wall. They won't let people through.

So, that's part of it. And with the down force now, people can enter the corners low, so you're constantly blocking. But things will change eventually, rules will change, and then it'll come a different track.

Bruce Martin:

You're an Indiana boy, you grew up in Monrovia, you worked for the Bettenhausens, you worked for the Unsers, you worked for the Andrettis, you worked for the Penskes. But what was it like for Kyle Moyer on race day to come out here at the drop of the green flag and see how huge this crowd was at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway?

Kyle Moyer:

I don't know. I mean, after the COVID years and stuff like that, especially the COVID year, we had nobody here. You appreciate it. It's a spectacle. I know a lot of people came here, some friends of mine that had never ever been to the Indianapolis 500, and they come here and it's a bin, it's a bucket list item. It's one of the top 10 things for people to do in their lifetime.

And until you're here, it's hard to explain. But being from an Indiana boy, it means special for me, for sure.

Bruce Martin:

I asked Greg Penske this earlier, if he thinks yesterday's crowd will be part of a trend upwards, and he actually thinks it could be like this every year from here on out, which would basically be the Indianapolis 500 that you and I grew up with.

Kyle Moyer:

Yeah, I think so. And they even go back farther than that. I mean, I never seen so many people here on Fast Friday in a long time. On Pole Day, it was exciting. The shootout was exciting. Even the warmup on Monday, I couldn't believe the amount of people. And even during the practices.

Having said that, I mean, you couldn't ask for a better Month of May weather-wise. The weather was perfect the whole time. There was no rain. Everybody could come out and enjoy it.

At the same time, they've done a lot of to the facility to make it easy access and what they've done for the fans. So, I think everybody enjoys it.

And I only see it getting bigger and bigger for sure. I'm not going to be the one to tell RP, but maybe it needs to put some more grand stands in because I'm sure we can fill them.

Bruce Martin:

We had a very clean month leading into race day. We only had one incident in practice, and that was the Katherine Legge/Stefan Wilson incident a week ago on Monday. But the race had a lot of crashes and it that something that's … it seems like when we have clean months here, race day can be a lot of crashes.

Kyle Moyer:

Yeah, it sort of follows that trend. Whereas if it's a clean month, then there's crashes in the race. If it's a crashy sort of month in practice, then the race seems to be cleaner.

I think a lot of it is just the way you have to drive the cars now. You have to keep the speed in the car. You can't make them comfortable. You make them comfortable; you're going to sit middle pack back of the pack and that's no fun.

And then also, everybody on these restarts and everything, a lot of this is from restarts. That's where you can make up a lot of time.

At the same time, you've got some young kids in here going up. You've got some older ones hanging around. So, it's a good mix and everybody wants to win.

Bruce Martin:

So, Kyle Moyer, how many Indianapolis 500 victories is this for you?

Kyle Moyer:

This is my ninth. So, fortunate enough, I've been on some really good teams, really good drivers through my career and everything, so yeah.

But I'll take ten, if we can get it next year.

Bruce Martin:

So, if Roger Penske's goal is to win 20 Indianapolis 500s as a car owner, you could end up getting your 10th that way. So, that's a pretty good double combination there.

Kyle Moyer:

Yeah, no. Yeah, I wouldn't mind getting my 10th. At the same time, I wouldn't mind getting 11, 12 or whatever, but in the same time, if it ever never happened and I retire, I'll be happy I just got nine. I'm happy I just got one. I'll take one. I'll take nine. Is a joy past that. It's a dream. So, yeah.

Bruce Martin:

Kyle Moyer, IndyCar, team manager at Team Penske. Congratulations on Team Penske's record extending 19th Indianapolis 500 win. And thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Kyle Moyer:

Thanks Bruce.

Bruce Martin:

Marcus Ericcson nearly became the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 in back to back years since Hélio Castroneves in 2001 and 2002, he was the leader at the white flag, but lost the lead on the backstretch when Josef Newgarden passed him.

Newgarden went on to win and Ericcson was second, but the Chip Ganassi racing driver tells me in this exclusive pit pass in the interview, why he didn't agree with the red flag situation that left just one lap of green flag racing to decide the Indianapolis 500.

Joining us now on Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental is the second-place finisher of the 107th Indianapolis 500. 900th of a second quicker, you would've been the winner for the second year in a row. It's been 24 hours. How are you processing that?

Marcus Ericsson:

I'm feeling proud of our effort, of our performance. I don't think we could have done much more. I really felt like we gave everything, and we put it all out there. And then, if I got the chance to do it over again, I don't think I could've done anything different, or we could've done anything different. So, I'm proud and happy over that performance we did out there yesterday.

Bruce Martin:

Talking to you after the race, you were obviously upset with the fact that the last red flag went out when there weren't really enough laps left to do a full restart. Now that you've thought about it, obviously you probably stick to the same things that you said yesterday and what would you like to see done though? Make sure that at least there's some consistency to that rule.

Marcus Ericsson:

Yeah, I mean, I stand by the words I said yesterday, and I think the same thing happened three years ago and it was a different decision. And that sort of decided that race and now this decision decided this race.

And I don't mind finishing second. I think Josef is very worth the champion, Team Penske are worth the winners, and then I'm happy for them and I think they deserve the win.

But yeah, I thought the way we did it was maybe not … it would be nice to have a system in place to know what happened in these scenarios because when they didn't call the red and let us run. And it was two laps ago, and then they called the red, I just thought that was maybe not ideal.

Bruce Martin:

But do you think that IndyCar has put themselves in a difficult position now that no matter which way they rule it from here on, it's going to upset one group or another?

Marcus Ericsson:

No, but I think that's what we have to discuss maybe in the off season and put a rule in, if it's a red flag on this or this lap, this and this will happen, so there is a consistency. So, we know because now basically, the race director and IndyCar can decide whatever they want.

And then it's hard for us drivers and teams to know what decisions will be made and obviously lead on that last restart with only a one lap shootout. You are a sitting duck and it's almost an impossible mission to try and win it.

Bruce Martin:

So, from your point of view, when Josef was able to make the pass on the back stretch, what were you attempting to do and what happened that he got that slightest opening that all he needed to get by you?

Marcus Ericsson:

Yeah, I mean, I think the drag of the cars this year with their respects were making it harder to lead for sure. And we saw that all month and yeah, I knew it was going to be hard to keep him behind. I think I did a really good restart to keep the lead into one, but he just had too much momentum out of two and got me and tried to get him back before the bricks, but just wasn't enough. So yeah, I felt like I did everything right, but it was just not enough this time.

Bruce Martin:

He tried to unleash the dragon of his own. That's about as far as I think you can go coming off four with the white line with that attenuator.

Marcus Ericsson:

Yeah, that was pretty far into pit lane. But IndyCar said that they don't rule that at all. So, he was well within the rules. So, fair play to Josef and I think he did everything to win that race, and that's what we have to do to win it.

Bruce Martin:

But isn't it potentially dangerous?

Marcus Ericsson:

I think it was discussed in the off season. I think it might be a subject of discussion again, this off season because it's getting more and more extreme and maybe we need to put something in the ruling there to make sure it's safe for everyone.

Bruce Martin:

All four Chip Ganassi Racing cars finished in the top seven, but of course they didn't win the race. So, how do you look at this year's Indianapolis 500, from a team standpoint?

Marcus Ericsson:

I think we did another very strong Month of May. I think we qualified on pole with Alex. We were two corners from winning it with me. So, I think we has to be proud with that effort and that performance.

But of course, we are never going to be happy until we win, so we need to recover and regroup and try and do it again next year.

Bruce Martin:

Now the good news is IndyCar is going off to Detroit, which was a very favorite spot for you. You got your first IndyCar victory at Detroit, but unfortunately that was on a different racecourse. This is going to be a new course in downtown Detroit. It's going to be new for everybody. So, what are your thoughts heading to Detroit?

Marcus Ericsson:

I love going to Detroit. Like you said, I had my first podium there, I had my first win there, so it's a definitely a favorite place of mine to go racing.

But yeah, a new track, new challenge is going to be interesting. I do feel very comfortable on street courses, so I feel like we should have a good chance to go fight for a win there this weekend. So, I'm very, very excited to go and try and win a race.

Bruce Martin:

Marcus Ericcson, congratulations on your second-place finish in the 107th Indianapolis 500. Although I know that you really wanted to win that race for the second year in a row. Good luck in Detroit. Good luck in the rest of the season. Thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Marcus Ericsson:

Thank you.

Bruce Martin:

Kyle Kirkwood survived the worst crash of the race that happened after Felix Rosenqvist hit the wall and slid across the track. Kirkwood's Honda hit Ericcson's car, sending a wheel over the safety fence in turn two and dangerously near the grandstands.

Kirkwood's car slid upside down for several hundred yards before he was extricated by the safety team. Kirkwood was uninjured and joins me for this exclusive Pit Pass Indy, by Penske Truck Rental interview.

Joining us now is Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Autosport. Kyle was involved in a very scary looking crash. He ended up upside down, sliding a couple of hundred yards with sparks flying. How valuable was that, having that screen and the roll bar?

Kyle Kirkwood:

It definitely saved my life with the addition of the roll bar and the halo. I mean, I was safe in the car. I had zero injuries, I'm absolutely fine at this moment. So, that's a big testament to what IndyCar's done to make these cars absolutely as safe as they are. And so, yeah, if it was a different car without a roll hoop or a halo, potentially might not be standing here.

Bruce Martin:

And I do have to ask you, before we started rolling here, why did you lift the visor? Because with all those sparks and everything flying, I would've probably thought it might be a little safer to have it down.

Kyle Kirkwood:

Yeah, you're right. I don't know why I lifted it, to be honest, it wasn't a planned thing. I wasn't thinking, “Oh, I'm upside down at 200 miles per hour, let me open my visor.” That wasn't really a thought that went through my mind.

I kind of assumed everything was over by then, because I couldn't really tell that I was upside down. So, I opened my visor and then I noticed I was still sliding, and then I went into a bit of a shock where I forgot to shut until I actually stopped. So yeah, I couldn't tell you why.

Bruce Martin:

Did you have any injuries at all? Did you have bump knee, anything?

Kyle Kirkwood:

Yeah, I banged both my knees, I think, on the steering column, but it was no issues 20 minutes after the incident. So thankfully, it's all good.

Bruce Martin:

But it had to be very frustrating because you were a fast driver for the month, and you did have high hopes with an Andretti Autosport car of having a really good chance in the Indianapolis 500. So, now that the month's over, how would you assess the month?

Kyle Kirkwood:

I mean, I think we did a phenomenal job. We were fast all through the entire month and we didn't have the pace that we wanted in qualifying, but like Josef, we were walking through the field in the race and that second to last stint there about 50 laps to go, we were in second place when we came to the last stop.

And I think that that's where we kind of should have came out in. And it was unfortunate we were a little bit further back and got caught up in that incident, but we had a race winning car. And at the end of the day, I mean, Andretti's done a phenomenal job with their car and obviously in race trim, we were really quick. So, hats off to them.

Bruce Martin:

And from your point of view, with Felix not being able to — with the steering suspension being broken and not being able to control the car, what was it like from your point of view, because you just saw it and there it was?

Kyle Kirkwood:

Yeah, well, I mean, there's a few things that happened, right? Firstly, he hits the wall, I see him hit the wall, so I assume he's going to stay high in the fence. And that's typically what these cars do. They usually stay up there if you brush the wall and you're kind of up there for a moment.

But the way he slapped the wall a second time actually broke his steering arm, shot him down to the bottom of the track. And from my point of view, I thought he drove it to the bottom of the track. I didn't know at that time that he was just a passenger to the car.

So, it's unfortunate that, obviously you can't tell that driving from behind at 200 miles per hour, but it's unfortunate. I didn't know that because what happened was he probably just touched the brake, the wheel turned inwards or outwards. He spun around and collected me.

It was unfortunate too that Santino was just in front of me, and I actually had to get on the brakes because it was either, I was in a position to almost get clipped by Felix, which I did get clipped, or I was driving through the back of Santino.

So, I was kind of boxed in, in that situation. So, it was just super unfortunate to be honest. And you can't take away what we did in that race, though, driving to the front.

Bruce Martin:

Obviously at the time you were unaware of the wheel that went over the fence, but having seen the video of it, it's pretty scary.

Kyle Kirkwood:

Yeah, no doubt. I mean, you never like to see things like that. Us as drivers, we take the risk of having big incidents. But the fans don't. So, it was something that has never happened in IndyCar, the way it kind of came apart. And I know IndyCar's going to take it very seriously to find a remedy to make sure that that never happens again.

Bruce Martin:

Well, Kyle Kirkwood, we're glad to see everything's okay with you, and then you'll be off to Detroit with the rest of us. Congratulations on getting through the Month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Good luck the rest of the season with Andretti Autosport. And thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Kyle Kirkwood:

Thank you.

Bruce Martin:

Felix Rosenqvist led 33 laps in the Indianapolis 500 before he was involved in that crash on Lap 185. Let's catch up with Rosenqvist on this Pit Pass Indy interview.

Joining us now on Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental is Felix Rosenqvist, who had one of the dominant cars in the 107th Indianapolis 500. Unfortunately, didn't end up very well. Once you hit the wall, in turn one broke the steering suspension and then created pretty much a multi-car crash. What happened from your point of view?

Felix Rosenqvist:

Yeah, I got passed by Josef late into turn one. I actually didn't think he would go for it. I thought he would back out and at that point he was so committed to the corner and eventually he went for it, and I had to hit the brake, and once he got in front of me, it just shot all the air off my front wing and I started pushing up in the gray and it was really close to save it. But it was yeah, really unfortunate that I couldn't get away with it.

And unfortunately, Kyle's race ended because of it as well. So yeah, it is what it is, but I'm happy everyone's okay.

Bruce Martin:

And when when Kyle hit you, how much of that did you feel, was that one of the hardest jolts you've felt from another race car?

Felix Rosenqvist:

No, honestly, I could barely feel it. Like it wasn't a very big impact. I think just the way he hit my tire just kind of launched his car. I mean, I've been on that side of the incident before at Pocono when that happened with Sato.

So yeah, at that point you can't control. He didn't do anything wrong, and he was just bad luck for him. So, I'm just happy he's okay and all the spectators are okay and yeah, we'll regroup and come back stronger.

Bruce Martin:

Before that though, you looked like a potential winner of that race. You had a very good car. So, when something like that happens, how crushing is it for a race driver?

Felix Rosenqvist:

I mean, it's probably one of the hardest defeats for me in my career. I'm not going to lie, it's a tough one to swallow, but I think we just have to be proud of what we achieved as a team. I think everyone was just on their A game the whole month, including all the other three cars. And we worked together really strongly, and I think there's a lot of positive notes to take away.

So, I mean, it's crushing, but there's also time to move on and just, we have Detroit coming up, so it's kind of nice to just-

Bruce Martin:

Speaking of moving on, Detroit is coming up, but it's a different Detroit, it's a different racecourse. It's going to be different for everybody, but what's your viewpoint on racing the streets of downtown Detroit rather than at Bell Isle?

Felix Rosenqvist:

I think it's a good step. It's probably what the event and IndyCar needs, it's a bit more of a official stamp to it being downtown. I think it's a beautiful scenery with a river in the backdrop and long straightaway, which probably create good racing.

So yeah, let's see. It's new for everyone, so it's kind of a fun challenge for the teams and engineers as well. I'm sure we'll be strong and we're ready to get going again.

Bruce Martin:

But one thing's for sure, Arrow McLaren had a really good Month of May, and they are getting closer to really being a dominant team in the series. How happy are you to know that you've played a very good role in that?

Felix Rosenqvist:

As I said, I'm super proud how everyone has just come together. It's been fantastic to have Tony as well on the team. I think he was part of that, the whole group gelling between the four cars and yeah, I feel like especially on the six-car side, we just kind of went with our gut feeling the whole month and ended up creating a very good car both in qualifying and the race. So, we'll take that with us and keep going on that wave of momentum we had and just forget all about this.

Bruce Martin:

Felix Rosenqvist of Arrow McLaren, congratulations on what you were able to do while you were out there leading all those laps in the Indianapolis 500. Good luck at Detroit. And thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Felix Rosenqvist:

Thank you very much.

Bruce Martin:

Rinus VeeKay of Ed Carpenter Racing started second and led 24 laps. He was a leading contender in the race before he was involved in a crash on pit lane with pole winner Alex Palou, that was a major determining point at the midway point of the race.

Palou had to restart the race 28th but fought his way back to a fourth place finish. VeeKay finished 10th and joins me for this Pit pass Indy interview.

Joining us now is Rinus VeeKay, driver of the number 21 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing. Rinus, you went into the 107th Indianapolis 500 with high hopes of a great finish. You were starting in the middle of row one, you were contending there for a while.

Unfortunately, it all came unraveled during the pit stop incident that you had with Alex Palou. What was your side of what happened?

Rinus VeeKay:

So well, we all know pit lane is as much of a race as this out on the track. So, there was cars on the outside, of course Alex, who I was racing in pit lane coming out of the box and I went to power, just spun the wheels a bit too much and got two sideways to actually catch it. I got all the way to opposite lock and unfortunately Alex was there, right where the car went. So, very unfortunate and not something I thought would happen before the race.

Bruce Martin:

And then from that point forward, it put you way back into the field. And what was the rest of the race like for you? A struggle?

Rinus VeeKay:

I mean, we had a pretty good race afterwards. We were P28 and about to be left, and at one point I was about 10 mile an hour faster than other guys. So, I got back to a top 10 without yellows at that point.

So, I mean, we fought through the field, got back around 20 seconds to everyone just on my own. So, I mean, team did a great job of strategy, but also, we just had incredible pace and moved through the field pretty fast.

Bruce Martin:

Josef Newgarden told me earlier that with the pace running green for the first 92 laps, that that really helped the faster cars race through the field. Was that the same in your situation?

Rinus VeeKay:

Yeah, the pace kind of goes down, so you can follow closer because there's just less wind. I mean, there's a difference when you're doing 220 against 224 or 214, so you can feel the difference there and yeah, it's definitely easier to move through if you need to.

Bruce Martin:

You’ve done a very good job at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and qualifications. Have had some difficulties in the race. How important is that for you to work on?

Rinus VeeKay:

I mean, it's just the most important race in the calendar and one single mistake puts you out of contention. So, I mean, I learned so much this year. Of course, I did not get far last year, but I mean, I had 200 laps and I raced hard, had a few restarts and so much more experience than I had last year.

Bruce Martin:

And have you had a chance to talk to Alex or have you two communicated, because he had some fairly biting criticism of what happened, but-

Rinus VeeKay:

I mean, I came to him right after the race and I apologized and told him what happened, and he was very understanding, and it was really like a few words and that's it. He knows we're all racing, we're at the edge of what we can do, and that means sometimes you go over it. And I'm not the only one that had a mishap in the race.

Bruce Martin:

Now it's off to Detroit, which is going to be a new circuit for everybody in the IndyCar series. How excited are you about going to Detroit?

Rinus VeeKay:

I'm very excited. It's a new track. It's new for everyone. So yeah, we'll see how that goes. Hopefully, the track is perfect to start with. And it's definitely great to race around the Chevy buildings.

Bruce Martin:

Rinus VeeKay of Ed Carpenter Racing, good luck the rest of the season in the NTT IndyCar series. And thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Rinus VeeKay:

Thank you.

Bruce Martin:

Pato O’Ward of Arrow McLaren led the most laps in the Indianapolis 500 with 39. He was on track to fight it out for the win at the end, but he was pinched inside the third turn by Ericcson and crashed on Lap 192. Here are a few thoughts from O’Ward on his race and that incident.

Pato O’Ward:

The chances of me getting another run like that were going to be very slim. Like when you're third in line, you don't get the runs to get the guy in second, only first two could be exchanging. So, when I had the run, and it was a good enough run to get it done, it really was, I was more than alongside going into the corner and just my second nature was go along with the pinch.

I mean, I didn't want to blatantly take him out. But yeah, for sure, in those type of situations, you got to think for yourself.

So, we went in flat and then he started to pinch me, and my reaction was, well, don't hit him. So, I kept going lower, and before I knew it, he just kept pinching a lot more aggressively. And by that time, I got off the throttle to not crash. Yeah. It was to not take him out for sure.

No, my problem was that whenever I was getting off of the throttle, I was already on the apron. Like the aprons would spat me out. The room that I gave him was reciprocated, I guess.

Oh, I'd hold my line.

Male:

He'll go make friends with the wall.

Pato O’Ward:

No, If I wanted to be a dick about it, I would've just stayed there and he would've done it to himself.

I'm glad that race didn't end in a yellow, absolutely. I thought the last restart was an absolute joke after I had everybody lined up perfectly in my restart, and apparently, I was going too slow.

So, if they're going to call me off, then the other one shouldn't have been even close to being at green. But I think the rest of it is Josef did exactly what he should have, being in the lead. And I think that's it. It's a very special event. I know mine will come.

Bruce Martin:

That a good a car, as you had?

Pato O’Ward:

I was actually having troubles with it, at the start of the race was probably my happiest, and then I just kept going looser and looser. So, for me, it was a tough race to hang onto, but I never gave up on it.

Bruce Martin:

And also, after you had had … you surprised-

Pato O’Ward:

Oh, no, no. I mean, I think he like didn't have brakes, so-

Bruce Martin:

Did you know he didn't have brakes?

Pato O’Ward:

I didn't know that, but I for sure knew something was wrong with his car. He wouldn't blatantly do that.

Bruce Martin:

And now let's catch up with the driver who was named 2023 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year, Benjamin Peterson of A.J. Foyt Racing.

Joining us now on Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental is Benjamin Peterson, who was the fastest rookie to make the Indianapolis 500 starting lineup. And a rookie who had a pretty good race until incident at the end that set up the final red flag. How would you look at your first Indianapolis 500? And just how important was it? Was it more than you expected?

Benjamin Peterson:

Yeah, it was a tremendous month. We achieved so many great things. We had a lot of natural speed, fastest rookie ever for one lap average. Made it to the fast 12 with both cars. Just super special to drive for such a special team as well, A.J. Foyt racing at this racetrack. And yeah, unfortunately got hit in the last stint, which was completely out of our control. But regardless a tremendous month.

Bruce Martin:

And the fact that both you and Santino Ferucci had great months at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Santino finishing third in the race, it was just what the team needed after the month that A.J. Foyt and Larry Foyt had had with the passing of Lucy Foyt, AJ's wife and Larry's mother.

Benjamin Peterson:

Yeah. It was very, very special to be a part of helping deliver such a great result for A.J. throughout the whole month. So, just seeing him smile and be in positive spirits is just … it means a lot. And it's obviously been a tough time, like you say, with the passing of Lucy. And it's just nice to be able to help give back on the team with performance. And that's where his heart and soul is.

Bruce Martin:

Now, they always say that you don't know what the turbulence is like at the start of the race until you've experienced it. Was it more than you expected, or were you properly prepared to understand what it was going to be like in the opening laps?

Benjamin Peterson:

I felt very prepared, I would say, obviously I learned a lot of things in the race, being my first ever Indy 500. I was kind of amazed at how wide we could still go on the opening lap, just because we've never run that high, previous in the month.

So yeah, all great things that I learned for in the future and can't wait till next year.

Bruce Martin:

And with the Month of May that just passed as successful as it was for you, can that help boost you for the rest of the season?

Benjamin Peterson:

Absolutely. I know we've really been improving our car on the road courses. Our last race on road course at the GMR Grand Prix, we were very quick. I think we had the eighth fastest race lap time, so inside the top 10. And for us that's a huge accomplishment. And yeah, looking forward to Detroit next, which is a new track for us all.

Bruce Martin:

And also, the incident at the end from your point of view, what happened?

Benjamin Peterson:

Yeah, obviously there was a couple cars that got collected ahead of me on the front straight, which is never nice to see, especially because it was right by the attenuator at such high speeds. And yeah, obviously I had to check up, otherwise I was going to run right into them.

And I think Graham just wasn't simply able to see what was happening in front of my car. Because he was right behind me. And when we checked up, I just don't think he realized that we were checking up and he did his best job to try and avoid me, but unfortunately hit me and that ended both of our races. So yeah, it was all caused from ahead of us and yeah, not so much to say.

Bruce Martin:

Benjamin Peterson of A.J. Foyt Racing, congratulations on what was a pretty successful Indianapolis 500 for a rookie. And thank you for joining us today on Pitt Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Benjamin Peterson:

Thank you.

Bruce Martin:

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'll listen to Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Bruce Martin:

Welcome back to this Indianapolis 500 edition of Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental. Let's catch up with the driver who led us into this segment. Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske, who finished 14th.

Joining us now on Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental, the driver of the number three Chevrolet at Team Penske, Scott McLaughlin. Scott, you weren't able to win the Indianapolis 500, but Josef Newgarden, your teammate did. As Roger Penske always says, when one wins, we all win. So, how do you feel after the race?

Scott McLaughlin:

Oh, absolutely. Look, stoked for Josef and something 12 years is a long-time mate for him to try and win this race. So, stoked for him.

Obviously for my own side, I'm pretty gutted. My race wasn't the best and you wait a year for this race, but unfortunately it wasn't the greatest for me. So, it was up and down like a yo-yo. And yeah, it is what it is, but we'll build stronger.

One of the team won. So, that's good for the team. It's great camaraderie for everyone, and hopefully we can just have a good second half of the year.

Bruce Martin:

Did you feel more confident and more comfortable this year in the Indianapolis 500 since it was your third attempt?

Scott McLaughlin:

Yeah. I felt good. I wasn't that happy with the car. But I was yeah, in a good spot, emotionally and mentally for the race, ready to go. But yeah, ultimately just cars in full out way, man. It was just like the restarts, and I would gain spots, I'd lose spots, and just found myself in the same spot I really started the racing, so it's tough.

Bruce Martin:

What did you say to Josef after he won the race?

Scott McLaughlin:

Oh, just pumped for him, man. Honestly, it's like if anyone was going to win, I'm so stoked it was him, if it wasn't me. He's a guy that's worked very hard. And yeah, I'd hate to think what he would've felt if he lost this one, because I think it would've been really bad.

Bruce Martin:

Now, I hate to bring this up, but Will Power's won an Indy 500?

Scott McLaughlin:

Yeah.

Bruce Martin:

Now, Josef Newgarden's won an Indy 500.

Scott McLaughlin:

Yep.

Bruce Martin:

Now you need to win an Indy 500.

Scott McLaughlin:

Yeah, well that's the point.

Bruce Martin:

How much of a motivator is that?

Scott McLaughlin:

A huge motivator, but I just got to remember as well, my development, this is my third Indy 500, that was Josef's 12th. So, I've got time. I don't have a huge amount of time, but at the same time, I believe I've got what it takes to win it. It's just a matter of the cards falling my way.

Bruce Martin:

In the fact that Roger Penske got his record extending 19th Indianapolis 500 victory.

Scott McLaughlin:

Yep.

Bruce Martin:

His first, since he bought the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. So, in a lot of ways, you got to really feel good about the team owner.

Scott McLaughlin:

Super pumped for Roger. I mean, he works so hard. And such a good leader of our team and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar. And very excited for him, and Josef. I'll get number 20 now.

Bruce Martin:

Scott McLaughlin driver of the number three Pennzoil Chevrolet in the 107th Indianapolis 500, congratulations and good luck going to Detroit and good luck in the NTT IndyCar series season. And thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Scott McLaughlin:

Thank you, Mart.

Bruce Martin:

Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, Takuma Sato finished seventh for Chip Ganassi Racing as all four Chip Ganassi Racing cars finished in the top seven. We caught up with Sato on the red carpet at the Indianapolis 500 Victory Celebration at the J. W. Marriott Hotel in Indianapolis Monday night for this Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental exclusive interview.

Joining us now on Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental is the seventh-place finisher of the 107th Indianapolis 500, two-time Indy 500 winning driver, Takuma Sato of Tokyo.

All four Chip Ganassi racing drivers ended up in the top seven. Unfortunately, none of the four were able to win the race. So, how do you look at that? Everybody says the Indy 500 is one winner and everybody else goes home disappointed. How would you look at the total overall effort?

Takuma Sato:

It just shows how difficult to win this race and how privileged to win this race. And that's why I think everybody tried so hard. As you said, Chip Ganassi Racing, all four cars finishing really strong, which by any of us could take a chance of winning.

Obviously at that moment Marcus was the most favorite driver yesterday, and he did a fantastic job, but just the way he was on the timing, restart, all the thing. It just was picked on different way.

Bruce Martin:

What was your race like? What were some of the highlights? What were some of the moments that weren't so highlights?

Takuma Sato:

Well, in almost long, I think it was a fantastic experience, the going race with Chip Ganassi Racing. But of course, yesterday on my specific race was a little bittersweet. We lost a little bit edge or moment, had a moment and then lost the only one little thing that made it so difficult to back up.

So, in the end, I think we come back and really strong and finishing just behind the Dixon, my teammate and six and seven.

So, all in all it was bittersweet, but we wish we could finish a little higher than that.

Bruce Martin:

Were you surprised that they threw the red flag with as few laps that were left in a race?

Takuma Sato:

We always know the all intention, the IndyCar to finishing under the green, which I respect that. All the circumstances is always challenging, but the fans obviously very excited to see we go — out to go into the checkout flag. So, it was amazing to finish.

Bruce Martin:

You certainly proved you're as fast as ever at the Indianapolis 500, and I'm sure you're already working on a deal to return for 2024. So, how does that stand?

Takuma Sato:

Well, we will see, wait and see, but certainly to 2023 it was a promising and ‘24 will be nice to be back and it's always a pleasure to come back …

Bruce Martin:

Takuma Sato, Chip Ganassi Racing, congratulations on another top 10 finish in the 107th Indianapolis 500. And thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Takuma Sato:

Thank you.

Bruce Martin:

Graham Rahal of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing had an Indianapolis 500 he would like to forget. He was bumped out of the starting lineup during qualifications but ended up taking over the number 24 Chevrolet at Cusick Motorsports and Dryer & Reinbold racing after its driver, Stefan Wilson was injured in a crash on Monday, May 22nd.

After getting the command to start engines on race day, the battery on Rahal's car failed. He had to be wheeled off the racecourse and when the green flag waved, Rahal's car was still on pit lane. He returned to the race two laps down and ran faster than some of the top contenders.

But Rahal's race would come to an end when he was involved in a crash on the restart on lap 196. Here are some thoughts from Rahal on his difficult month.

Graham Rahal:

Yeah, yeah. I think definitely a crazy couple of weeks there. Definitely a Month of May that I would (even with the Grand Prix), like to forget. It's disappointing yesterday to not be able to even get a real shot at it because actually once we got running, I think people saw, like we ran with the lead pack comfortably for a hundred something laps.

So, to not get a chance at I mean, hell, I ran with Josef, I ran with Pato, I ran with Felix, I ran with Alex, I ran the other Alex. I mean, and so, you knew you could be there and not get the chance was tough.

But at the same time, I blame nobody. I think these things happen. I thought Dreyer & Reinbold, Dennis is a pro. I mean, I really think that like their team was very impressed with their preparation, everything else. Unfortunately, these things happen and it was super disappointing for everybody to not get a shot at it.

It's clearly becoming a different era in how people race. I don't know. I know what Sting Ray said about me, but yeah, no, and I talked to him, I said, “Dude, I was ahead of you. I don't know what you're complaining about, I just don't get that.”

But the mentality of what he tried to do is part of the thing. And I don't blame him. He's inexperienced, he’s a young guy. We don't race on enough ovals for these guys to get seasoned. Number one.

Number two, Indy race is different than all the others. That's factual. The marbling and everything else that you get at Indy is not like Iowa. It's not like even Texas. It's a unique breed. And so, unfortunately a lot of these guys don't have the experience yet.

But also, look, I think the mentality is changing. I think the younger drivers are purely more aggressive. They're trained to not think about the consequence as much. I mean, you see this worldwide with younger drivers. They don't think about the consequence like a Tony Kanaan would've trained me or some of the other guys did.

So unfortunately, it's becoming a sport that certainly rewards the brave more than the thinker. And that's ultimately a thinker. And Josef won.

Bruce Martin:

What did you think of the whole red flag situation in the last 15 laps?

Graham Rahal:

I see both sides of it. There's a very fine line between crossing entertainment and tradition. And the real value of the Indy 500 is a 500-mile race. Look, in hindsight, looking back at it, I do agree that the last red probably should not have been called because it was too late.

Bruce Martin:

Yeah.

Graham Rahal:

It was, it was too late. The other two I was okay with personally. But I do think that there is again, like I just said — I mean, the year that I finished third here in 2020 was the same scenario as yesterday-

Bruce Martin:

That same scenario.

Graham Rahal:

And it never went red. So, all I would say is not to talk against the series and that. But I think consistency is key so that everybody is prepared and understand. And we've seen in the last few years a few different cases, few different end results. Hell, we saw Texas this year, different case, different result.

So, we just need consistency. I mean, look, in the case of what happened, if you were Marcus Ericcson, you are, pardon to use the word, but you are in …

If I were Josef in that position, I was celebrating before the restart even happened. Because if you're Marcus, it's over. There's no way. And he did, as I told him last night, there's nothing he could have done different on the restart except for the fact he almost got too good of a restart.

And the draft that Josef had was mega, but at the end of the day, yeah, I mean, if it were me, I'd probably be pretty upset too. But Marcus can sleep well at night knowing he already has one.

Bruce Martin:

What was the issue on the grid?

Graham Rahal:

The battery.

Bruce Martin:

The battery?

Graham Rahal:

A faulty battery. And unfortunately, I knew right away because when they started, I put it in gear to go to launch. The minute I put it in gear the first time, everything shut off, dash, all lights, all everything. So, I knew it was battery.

They plugged in, they thought they kind of rebooted something. We tried to start again, went to launch. Same thing. I think all the fans, I heard them all roar. They all thought I stalled it. No, the thing shut off again. And then it was stuck in gear because it had no power. So, that was certainly … it was a bummer man, to not even get going is-

Bruce Martin:

At that point, did you just think what next?

Graham Rahal:

I didn't really know what to think. It was hard in the moment. It's still frustrating because I was very, very excited for the opportunity. And as I said a second ago, once we got in the race, we were two laps down. But once we got in the race, we ran with those guys the whole freaking time. We got the car better too.

When I first got behind Palou, I had a lot of under steer, but we got the car better and we legitimately ran with the leaders for the whole race.

But we needed the yellows. We got one of them, we needed another one at the right time. It never happened. So, that was it. A hundred percent truth. I think had the 15 car made the race, I was very happy with my race car there. I think we would've run very well with that car too.

So, I mean, the car I left Thursday night with on the 15th side, hell, I had several drivers from big teams come up to me like, “Dude, you blew by me.” Like surprised, just a shame.

But look, we're going to come back to term. Sunday night, obviously we had the largest defeat of my career. By Monday morning, we are already in meetings about next year. And I think there's always been a determination there, but there's a whole different level of it now within the organization. Everything else. And I'd be more than shocked if we came back in the same position that we were in.

Bruce Martin:

Thank you.

And finally, let's close the show with Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner and the winning car owner of this year's Indianapolis 500, Roger Penske. Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental and two other reporters were part of a group interview with Penske the day after the race.

Roger Penske:

I'll tell you it was some crowd. And it was real. Well, I'm up on the very top of the pagoda and I have a screen up there. It has all the times of every car, each lap. Then I have the TV and then they just have a radio, which I can't talk on.

Male:

You’re following along?

Male:

So, you're just listening?

Roger Penske:

And I'm going from 2, 3 or 12 back and forth, just listening to where we are. But it's yeah, you have your own idea of what I would've done in a situation, maybe with one of the cars depending on where they were on the track.

But when I heard Jim say, we talked about it earlier that we had to take our time, but he said we were on plan at a hundred laps. We were actually headed where they thought where they wanted to be.

And they were sitting there, saving fuel, so they could be in the right window which was right on.

The end, of course, it was amazing when you think about all the things that happened, you didn't have a wreck on the front — it would had been different. I mean, it's a crazy place.

But we'll take what we can get. But it's rewarding to … that's why we're here to race, the tracks is something that we've done over the years. And when Tony came, I guess I didn't realize when I said yes, what I was really signing up for.

But when we signed up for it, we said, let's make it better and make it a place where everybody wants to come and have fun. I think the demographics of so many kids, I saw here with our families, and I stood out at turn three here earlier in the week and watched those cars go into turn three of 240 miles an hour.

And if they could go out there for 45 bucks with your kids and sit there and watch, it cost me more to go to a movie in Detroit, out there.

So, this is what we got to do, but it's a generational. People come here, they want to keep their tickets and if we can make it fun and exciting as we did it was yesterday at the end, there was not many people left. It was amazing when you looked at it, there wasn't many people that left.

Bruce Martin:

The crowd that was here really shows that this was what you envisioned when you bought this place. And with proper promotion and everything, you can fill this place up and you did yesterday.

Roger Penske:

I don't want to take any credit. We're filling it up. I think what we're doing is trying to take a product that was taking 106 years to build into what it is. And all we're trying to do is sustain it and bring it up to the current standards from the standpoint of expectations. Whether it's you as a kid or a family or what you are, whether it's whatever we have. So, that's how we run our business.

Bruce Martin:

But you always look for increases. So, the challenge is to not only have as many here next year, but maybe a little bit more. So, is that what you will expect out of the staff that runs?

Roger Penske:

I think what we have to do is look at we had a helicopter every half hour from 7:30, I had a helicopter ran around taking pictures so we could sit down as a team and look at just exactly how the place filled up and then how it ends up closing it so we can look at where we have pinch points. That's the most important thing, is to make it easier to get in, easier to get out.

And I think over in the snake pits, there's some things we can do where people can sit on the mounds. I think that the screens we had, we had two screens in the back, on the back straight, were temporary. I'm going to put a big screen on the back of the grandstands coming off of four, a big one.

So, when you're on those mounds you can — those are the things, just like we redid the pylon, the screen, those are the things that we have to do. And that's only going to make it a better experience, and that's going to grow it.

Male:

When you say Roger, that you didn't realize kind of what you were getting into when you bought it from Tony, was that because of what happened with the COVID and the pandemic? Or was it because this place just turned out to be even more of a warming thought?

Roger Penske:

Well, I think COVID was a shock really, when it happened. But fortunately, we were able to work our way through that without devastation from the standpoint of the company or the track.

But I just think the ability to get everything done, we want to get done, number one, to build the team, which we have under Mark and Doug Boles and the whole group. I mean, you could just see the synchronization this year and you guys see it, maybe, hopefully, but we're getting better.

And it's not where we need to be. But on the other hand, it's like we're on the Super Bowl. I remember getting with Mitch Albom, sat down and I said, what do we need to do to be sure that the media … I didn't have a team. How can we make the Super Bowl in Detroit better? I mean, that's what we're trying to do here. So, that's where I am.

I mean, so I loved the race and it's amazing when you think about the 19 wins, everyone is different and you don't know how you got there. And you go back and say, “Oh, I don't want to go back and think about the other ones.”

You got to think about the next one. And I think the ability for us to execute and the way they did was amazing.

But look, we have an asset here, and we have the governor, the mayor, the town of Speedway, the whole Senate in the house, and the state is here behind us.

Where do you find that? I mean, we don't have that anywhere, I think in Detroit. When you go there next week, you'll see the same type of commitment, but in a much smaller, smaller situation.

Think about last week, the mayor and the head of the city council in Detroit went in front of the gym, took the street signs down, took the 25 mile an hour signs off, put 200 up. So, that's the little things that that kind of relationship makes it happen. And we have that here.

I think you need to read the rule book. It says they'll do anything they can to finish the race under green. And number one, I've never been since we took over the track ever in race control. So, I have no impact on that at all. And I hope people realize-

Bruce Martin:

I mean, you were on the 11th floor, so then race control is on two, so-

Roger Penske:

Look, I'm smart enough to realize that we got to win it squarely and fairly. And hey, we could have finished second. We could've finished fifth. Who knows?

But hey, that's why people are here. How many times, how many we've been beaten on the last lap? A couple times. And we look at Hornish on the last lap. But then look at Andretti. Think about it. I mean, where he'd be today, he'd have to win.

Male:

I mean, taking you completely out of it. Is that just something that, like you said, like racing needs, that IndyCar needs, that this is what the Indy 500 now needs.

Roger Penske:

This was our green, white checker, I guess, but we just have a green, white, we just had a checker.

Male:

Green checker. And you didn't have to add extra laps.

Roger Penske:

Well, that might have been controversial, we added extra laps. But hey, the good news is that we didn't have a real trouble with that tire going out. I mean, I saw it hit when it went out. I thought we were okay, but I talked to the Dallara guys today, we're going to look at that.

But I guess when the car was sitting and that car went over it, just that sheer force tore that tether because we have tethers on those. I've never seen a wheel come off, that to me was the probably the scariest thing. We got to fix that. We got to fix that. So, that doesn't happen again.

Well, I mean, I would say the technical guy should look at it. I think the speed here, you're with me a couple hundred when you hit it versus at 80 or 90 or whatever it might be. But that was a pinch point on the race.

Bruce Martin:

You’ve had a lot of celebrations here, but you looked like you were pretty exuberant when you pumped that fist in the air after you took the checkered flag. Was that as-

Roger Penske:

Well, after you've been on your face for three or four years qualified here, I could tell you it was nice to get up and …

Well, I think the key thing is that we won nine races last year, won the championship, and we qualified in the back half of the field now.

And then we come back here again this year and we worked so hard. And look, there's guys who got better ideas than we do. I mean, you got to hand it to them. The cars are legal. I'm sure these guys are not going to let that happen. We don't want it to happen. And we just have to figure out how to find out what the magic, so we can be upfront at the beginning.

But you got to take the good and the bad. You follow me. You got to eat crow when you got to eat crow. So, I've got good days and bad days, but I think the good news is that we are the same team whether we win or whether we lose. And that's the most important thing, we're committed.

Male:

This is this time and energy.

Roger Penske:

Well, I guess, I looked at it and I was thinking, what was going to be the ending? Because I knew exactly what was going to happen. You need to be positioned the right way.

Now, on the other hand, the lead car could sometimes keep the lead, but as it would happen so fast, I can't even reflect on it with you. I was like a spectator waiting to see what happened.

And in fact, when the first red flag went, and then when he got passed because of the restart I said, well, day's over. And then, bang, there's another one and he has a chance to go again. And he executed. So, I was a spectator.

Male:

The sense of relief that Josef had was just enormous. How relieved are you for Josef that he-

Roger Penske:

Well, you guys know him, you can compare him to every other driver here. I say that he is so committed to the game himself personally, and what he does for us with our sponsors, amazing. I mean, there's …

He's a hundred percent all the way around. And it was something that he just wondered why that he could never — I didn't know if he didn't feel good in this car over these years, but we didn't give him the best car sometimes. So, I'd have to say some of it was us.

But you can see, once he can smell it and feel it, it's going to be tough to beat. And he was either going to drive it over the top of the stands or win the race yesterday. But yeah, I did it with Sam Hanks, of course, I knew Sam well. And Tony, what a great day for him, that probably was something pretty special from the standpoint of the month and that he is going to hang it up.

But been a real asset to the sport. And I remember, when he was in Detroit he got hurt over there. And I remember I got down, we took him to the plums back here, I think. But so, we go way back from

Bruce Martin:

From a business standpoint, to see every seat full like it was yesterday, I know you mentioned in one of my interviews that, when you met with the bank to buy this place, it was on the premise there'd be 300,000 people. And then COVID, from that to be able to have this, what are your thoughts?

Roger Penske:

Bruce, no risk, no reward. So no, it was great. But I think the ticket sales, we could have another 25 suites here now. I mean, so the corporate interest is more than ever than we've ever seen.

And then this generational, I keep saying that people want to be here, and their kids want to come and then building the … remember we didn't have the snake pit for a year, building that back. Now we're going to make that even better, I think, for the experience.

But no, it was look, that's how business is. You got some good years and bad years. I had a bad year to start, which we didn't count on.

Male:

Yeah.

Roger Penske:

Yeah. We're right there. I mean, depending, you put people in the stands or you put people in the grounds. I mean, it’s to see what the walkup was, but we were about 6 or 8,000 ahead of last year, which is a big number. And when you start to think how many you have.

So, and I don't know what the walkup was yesterday, but no, it's a big number. It's a big number.

Bruce Martin:

Kyle Moyer said he may try to talk you into adding more grandstands.

Roger Penske:

Look, we got a couple, there's a place here that we can pick up some of the screen, take it off. So, we got a few seats we could — if we had a big surge overnight, we could probably take this — yeah, we could take it off.

Some we places where we put the screen, we have it up here coming off of four, one down here. But we'll continue to open that up now. But early on we didn't have that.

[Music Playing]

Bruce Martin:

And that puts a checkered flag on this Indianapolis 500 edition of Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental. We want to thank our guest, Indianapolis 500 winning driver, Josef Newgarden of Team Penske, his father, Joey Newgarden, Team Penske President, Tim Cindric, Team Penske IndyCar, team manager, Kyle Moyer.

Also, second place finisher, Marcus Ericsson of Chip Ganassi Racing. Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Autosport, Felix Rosenqvist of Arrow McLaren, Rinus VeeKay of Ed Carpenter Racing, Pato O’Ward of Arrow McLaren, Benjamin Peterson of A.J. Foyt Racing. Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske, Takuma Sato of Chip Ganassi Racing, Graham Rahal and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, owner Roger Penske, the winningest team owner in Indianapolis 500 History with 19 wins for joining us on today's podcast.

Along with loyal listeners like you, our guests helped make Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental, your path to victory lane for all things IndyCar.

And because of our guest and listeners, Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental is proud to be the winner of the best podcast by the National Motorsports Press Association.

For more IndyCar coverage, follow me at Twitter at @BruceMartin_500.

This has been a production of Evergreen Podcasts. A special thanks to our production team. Executive producers are Brigid Coyne and Gerardo Orlando. Recordings and edits were done by me, Bruce Martin and final mixing was done by Dave Douglas. Learn more at evergreenpodcasts.com.

Until next time, be sure to keep it out of the wall.