Even More from the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg with Marcus Ericsson, Colton Herta, Rinus VeeKay and Alexander Rossi

BRUCE:

This is Roger Penske, and you're listening to Pit Pass Indie, sponsored by Penske Truck Rental. IndyCar fans, it's time to start your engines. Welcome to Pit Pass Indy, a production of Evergreen Podcast. I'm your host, Bruce Martin, a journalist who regularly covers the NTT IndyCar Series. Our goal at Pit Pass Indy is to give racing fans an insider's view of the exciting world of the NTT IndyCar Series in a fast-paced podcast featuring interviews with the biggest names in the sport. I bring nearly 40 years of experience covering IndyCar and NASCAR, working for such media brands as NBCSports.com, SI.com, ESPN SportsTicker, Sports Illustrated, AutoWeek and SpeedSport. So let's drop the green flag on this episode of Pit Pass Indy. Welcome to Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental as we continue our fifth season of giving IndyCar fans an inside look at the most exciting form of racing on the planet, the NTT IndyCar Series. Let's welcome back our friends from Penske Truck Rental as they return to sponsor Pit Pass Indy, helping bring you the inside stories of IndyCar from the paddock to the racetrack to the highways and streets of America. The season is off and running after a fantastic Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the season opening race for the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season. PitPass Indy was there and gathered so many interviews with so many big name drivers in IndyCar, we had to break them up over several shows to fit them all in. Today's PitPass Indy features interviews with four more drivers, including two of the stars from Andretti Global, Marcus Ericsson and Colton Herta. We also have an interview with Dale Coyne Racing's newest driver, Renas VK, and we wrap up the show with Alexander Rossi, the driver who replaced VK at ECR. First up is Marcus Ericcson, the winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 2022 when he was with Chip Ganassi Racing. Erickson, now with Andretti Global, started 7th and finished 6th in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 2nd, so he is off to a good start in the championship race. Here is my exclusive interview with Erickson at the start of the race weekend for PitPass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental. We talked to him recently when we were down at Sebring, but he's back now for Pit Pass Indy. It's Marcus Ericcson of Andretti Global. Marcus, we're finally here starting the season at St. Petersburg. We've been waiting six months for this. So how excited are you to start your second full season with Andretti Global?

MARCUS:

Super excited. It's been a long off-season as it always is in IndyCar. It always feels great coming here to St. Pete. It's a perfect place to start the season. I think the atmosphere here, the track, everything. It's just the perfect place to kick off our IndyCar season.

BRUCE:

I asked you at Sebring what your goals were for your second season since year one at Andretti Global didn't quite live up to the expectations you probably had. How did the test go and how important is it going to be to get off to a fast start so that you can get a lot of last year's difficulties behind you?

MARCUS:

It was a very productive test. I think we ticked through the boxes we wanted to tick through and learned some good stuff. I think coming off with a good start to the season is going to be quite important. That was the thing last year with the DNF here for us. You sort of start on an uphill battle from the get-go, so it would be nice to get off the season with a good result here and sort of roll some momentum into the season.

BRUCE:

One of the great things about the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is the city comes alive with atmosphere and excitement and electricity and it really goes to show how there are a lot of IndyCar fans out there in the United States and St. Petersburg is a great place to start the season. How much of that energy do the drivers feel?

MARCUS:

We feel it. It's one of the best things about St. Pete. It's just the energy of the city. It's just so cool to walk around during the evenings and see, you know, all the activity, all the people around. And it's just a big, you know, it's a big party scene for everyone. You know, people are having a good time and just enjoying the weather, enjoying the racing and enjoying the city. So I think that just makes it a special place to come to, just that sort of the full full weekend of things that's going on. It's not only racing, it's so much more than that and it's just cool to be part of that.

BRUCE:

Another special thing about this weekend is your former team owner, Michael Andretti, is back. And how cool was it to see him back? Looks a lot more relaxed now that he's no longer a team owner and he can take it easy a little bit.

MARCUS:

Yeah, no, it's always good to see Michael and it's good to have him here this weekend. And yeah, he seems to be in good shape and his presence is always, like I said, it's big for all of us. So we enjoy having him here.

BRUCE:

Now, looking ahead on the schedule, you're going to be returning to the Thermal Club. It's a smaller venue, smaller group of spectators. It's more of a premier high end group that will get to attend that race. But having done last year's special event race out there, how do you think the Thermal Club is going to be with a full points paying IndyCar Series race?

MARCUS:

I think it will work very good, actually. There were some question marks about it last year. I think last year's event was successful. I think the racing there was more boring because of the fact that we didn't have any pit stops and different tire compounds, etc. So I think this year we'll have a proper race with proper tires and pit stops and strategies going. I think it's going to be a great show. And I think the track is really fun. You know, really fun, really challenging, so it's going to be fun to go there and race properly this time.

BRUCE:

How do you properly explain to the IndyCar fans, just, you have three, four months of not really a whole lot going on at all, and then all of a sudden a lot happens in a hurry?

MARCUS:

Yeah, I mean, I always see the off-season as an opportunity to become better, right? So I put a lot of work into my physical training, mental training, driving simulators, all the things I can find, really, to try and, you know, perfect my craft, really. So that's what I do. I don't sit around and just wait for the season to start. But of course, yeah, when we get here and especially when we get towards May and onwards, it's a very busy schedule. So all that work in the off-season is going to pay off when you get to that sort of meat of the season.

BRUCE:

And from a driver's standpoint at Andretti Global, how much of a change have you seen with Dan Towers now fully in charge of the team?

MARCUS:

Not a lot around where I work. It's all very similar there. We are very similar people working in the team, so it's not been a huge change. Dan was already involved very much before as well, together with Michael. It's not a ton that have changed, but it's cool to see Dan's vision and see his drive to build this team and become the best, basically. So it's fun to be part of that journey.

BRUCE:

And last question for Marcus Ericcson of Andretti Global. You nearly won the back-to-back Indianapolis 500s a couple of years ago. You would have gotten that big check that Borg Warner did for the rollover bonus. Don't remind me, Bruce. In some ways, how disappointed were you to see Josef Newgarden be the guy that got the big check? $440,000.

MARCUS:

Yeah, no, that would have been nice for sure. But, you know, I was... I mean, I'm always going to be probably a bit frustrated about that. Not maybe the check, but the fact that I was that close to be back-to-back. But, you know, life goes on and there's going to be a new opportunity to win a 500 this year and we're going to make sure we can be there and fight for it.

BRUCE:

Well, you can certainly have a great chance to be a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner this year, but Marcus Ericcson, good luck in that quest, and good luck in the 2025 IndyCar Series season, and thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy. Thank you. One of Erickson's teammates is Colton Herta, who finished second in the championship in 2024. Hurta was one of the leading contenders entering the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, lining up on the outside of row one. Hurta's team, however, expected a few cautions in the race and employed an interesting strategy. That strategy was foiled, however, as the race featured just one caution on the opening lap that lasted for six laps. The rest of the 100-lap race was green all the way to the checkered flag, and the decision when to use the primary Firestone black tires to the much softer Firestone greens was vital to Hurta's strategy. Expect Hurta to bounce back in the next IndyCar Series race at the Thermal Club on March 23rd. Here is my exclusive interview with Hurta earlier in the race weekend at St. Petersburg for Pit Pass Indy. He's back on Pit Pass Indy. It's Colton Hurley, Andretti Global. Colton, you had your best season points-wise in the NTT IndyCar Series Championship in 2024. You finished second in the championship. What's it going to take to finish one spot higher and be the series champion?

COLTON:

It'll just be a little bit better in all aspects, a little bit more consistently finishing at the front. So a lot of stuff in the off-season to kind of go through, but we'll see if what we're doing helps.

BRUCE:

We're here at St. Pete. It's always an exciting time. You're a former winner here at St. Pete. How cool is it to come back here every year and start off the season?

COLTON:

It's great. You know, I think it's a great city that really adopts IndyCar for the weekend nicely. And, you know, we really feel the love when we come down here. So it's an awesome one. It seems like it's been around for so long now. It seems traditional. It would seem weird to start the race anywhere else or start the season anywhere else. So it's cool.

BRUCE:

Now, as far as a lot of things have been going on during the offseason, especially on your team, how special was it to see Michael Andretti here at St. Petersburg?

COLTON:

Yeah, I mean, it's great. It's great to see him again. He's doing well. And I think he's going to enjoy it for the first time in maybe his life as a race fan. I don't remember the last time. I'm sure he can't remember the last time he was at a racetrack not working.

BRUCE:

He said it was certainly different to be out of the box of IndyCar and be able to look at it from the outside and just see how different that view is from being inside where you do it every day. And you being inside, what do you think when you hear that? Because there's your world. There's all of our worlds here in IndyCar. But then again, there's the outer world that hopefully Fox Sports is going to help bring into the inside of IndyCar.

COLTON:

Yeah, I mean, that'd be cool. I'm definitely Nowhere near ready to be part of that outer world yet. I like my job and I love racing, especially in IndyCars. It is interesting, though. For us, we don't really understand the fan perspective. And sometimes I think it's hard to understand the driver's perspective. So hopefully Fox can kind of congeal that and bring both together. But yeah, it's exciting.

BRUCE:

Now that the off-season is over and there's been some time where Andretti Global is fully integrated with Dan Taurus as the man in charge, have you noticed any difference

COLTON:

No, I mean, it's been it's been pretty seamless. You know, I think for for us, it was very easy to is very easy to kind of go through day to day. It doesn't doesn't change anything at all, really. You know, I think big decision wise, it's been Dan's been involved for for so long. It's not like he just made it to the top top end. Right. Like he's been. almost equals with Michael for a while now. And he's been invested in the company for a while now. So he's seen it from Michael's perspective, and I think because of that two or three years of seeing it from Michael's perspective, it's been a very seamless transition.

BRUCE:

After St. Petersburg, we're moving on to the Thermal Club. This time it's going to be a full points race instead of an all-star race special event. It'll be with pit stops, it'll be a complete race. How do you think the Thermal Club will be being a regular IndyCar Series race?

COLTON:

I mean, it's definitely interesting for a lot of reasons, you know, but we'll have to wait and see. Tire deg is a huge issue there. We didn't race with hybrids there yet, so that's going to add to tire deg. So it's going to be an interesting race to watch on TV for a lot of people.

BRUCE:

And you being originally from Southern California, how cool is it to have that race out there in Palm Springs?

COLTON:

Um, yeah, I mean, it is cool. Obviously, Long Beach is a big one for me out there, but you know, having another race in California is awesome. Um, you know, I wish, I wish it was a little bit more accessible and we can get a lot more race fans out there because it's, it's a lot more fun with, with more people watching IndyCar, but, um, as is the way we're going with that. At least it adds another race. It's great to have another full-time race. Even though it doesn't up the race count with losing Milwaukee, it's still cool to have it.

BRUCE:

Well, even though there aren't a lot of fans allowed to attend that race by numbers, those who are there have a lot of money and hopefully maybe some of them will decide to invest in IndyCars. So there's always that aspect.

COLTON:

It's not cheap to do this. So we like we like money. It's hard to pay for race cars. It helps us. And also, how was your off-season, and where did you spend your off-season? I recently moved to Las Vegas to spend the off-season there. It's been pretty quiet. You know, when you spend six months out of the year being home for one or two days a week, you kind of get into the off-season and don't want to do much. So I've just kind of been hanging out.

BRUCE:

So why did you decide to move from Nashville to Las Vegas?

COLTON:

Um, you know, it is a lot of things. You know, I think we didn't really know too many people in Nashville, which is fine for me because I'm never there. But for my girlfriend, it sucks. And she works half the time in Los Angeles. So it's a big commute for her. So. Among a lot of things, you know, families out in Los Angeles gets us closer to them and still don't have to drive to LAX living in Las Vegas. So that's kind of nice.

BRUCE:

Well, maybe one of these years in a city known for the marquees and the bright lights, we'll see your name on one of the marquees as an Indianapolis 500 winner. But Colton Herta, Andretti Global, good luck in 2025. And thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy. Cheers to that. Thank you. We'll be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break.

SCOTT:

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

BRUCE:

Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental. Renus VK is one of the most popular drivers in the NTT IndyCar series because of his fast speed on the track and his likable personality off the track. But after five seasons with ECR, VK has moved over to Dale Coyne Racing, where he hopes to rejuvenate his career in 2025. Here is my exclusive interview with VK entering the race weekend for Pit Pass Indy. Welcome back to the IndyCar Series, Rhenus VK, only this time you're with Dell Coin Racing. I know it took a while to put a deal together, but how relieved are you to know that you've got a ride in 2025?

RHENUS:

I'm very relieved and well, today marks two weeks of having an IndyCar contract with Dell. So it all came together really late, of course, knowing Dell, but I mean, we're here. I'm very excited. I think the team has a lot of potential looking at Sebring, the test. Even the IMS test they did with them in October. I think the team has a lot of potential and the engineering group is really powerful and listens to driver feedback a lot. I'm just very excited to get going. A lot of new things on the engine. Everything's new, basically, but I'm really excited to lead this team. Honestly, I think a realistic goal is going to be a top 10 this weekend.

BRUCE:

Delcoin has a way of making a lot happen with a little. So in some ways, do you see that as a great way to rejuvenate or kickstart your career?

RHENUS:

Oh, definitely. I mean, I've been five years at ECR. I've been 14th, 12th, 12th, 14th, 13th in the championship. Very similar spots, right? Whatever happened, we kind of... hovered around that piece in the championship. I think this year, you know, Dale comes off, you know, a tough year last year with nine drivers rotating. Of course, I had a tough end to my championship last year. So I think we both want the same thing and that's surprise people and get back to the top. And I think we can help each other and our interests align and our goals align. So I'm really excited to to get it all started in a few hours.

BRUCE:

After spending as much time at Ed Carpenter Racing as you did, how disappointing was it when you got the news that you weren't going to be back?

RHENUS:

Oh, it was very disappointing. Of course, I put my mind on it, and the thing is, I had no clue. If I had a clue, if I knew a little bit sooner, we could have gotten something done sooner, too. But in the end, I'm here now, I'm with Dale, I'm very happy. I'm very happy with the place I'm in right now, with the team. It might be a blessing in disguise, who knows? But I look at it very positively.

BRUCE:

As I said earlier, Dale Coyne makes a lot happen with a little, but he has a great 35,000 foot view of IndyCar, of the series, of what should be done to help the series, what can be done to help the series grow, and how fascinating is it for you to have conversations with Dale on subjects like that?

RHENUS:

Well, it's very interesting. And he has a strong opinion. And he's been here for a while. He's been here for very long. And so has the whole engineering team. I mean, my engineer, Ed Nathman, he's been around for a long time. Jacob's engineer, John Dick. I mean, they're really kind of a blast from the past, right? Mitch Davis. So all those guys working with the youngest team out there right now, I think it's just That's something funny, but the age doesn't matter. We all have the same goals in mind and the same way we look at things. So I think we're going to be a very strong team. And yeah, I think everything Dale says about what the series needs to improve makes a lot of sense.

BRUCE:

Also in the past, he has shown a very good ability to set up a fast race car at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Going all the way back to Sebastian Bourdais, other drivers that have raced there. Ed Jones finished third there in 2017. You've always qualified well there at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. So do you think that you guys could really be the dark horse for a first or second row starting position?

RHENUS:

I think so. I think so. I mean, Chevy was really fast last year. Honda has shown a lot of promise already, but we'll see out there how things have improved. But I think we can definitely surprise people. I mean, Jacob's engineer, John Dick, won the 500 with Ari Leijondijk in 1990. So, what if as a team we can do that 35 years later with the same engineers? That would be pretty awesome.

BRUCE:

And as far as realistic goals that you have set for yourself, because you're an IndyCar Series race winner already, you won a challenge for the championship, may not have all the pieces in place to be able to do that, but what's realistic goals for you in 2025?

RHENUS:

You know, right now it's hard to set goals because we really don't know what's coming yet, right? We don't know what our pace is. We don't know how quick we're going to be. It's hard to judge of last year. But I think a very safe, realistic goal is 16th, top 16 in a championship. I think, you know, seeing where the team came from last year with no cars in the leader circle, I think that's a realistic goal. But it might change in a few races. I might say we will challenge for a top 12 in the championship. It's going to change no matter what throughout the season, but I think it's going to be... I think we're going to be very close to where we've been with ECR in the past.

BRUCE:

And what do you see your best opportunity for a race victory?

RHENUS:

Where? Well, I mean, didn't Sebastian win here two years in a row with Dale in 17 and 18? What about this weekend? That would be a great start of the weekend. A great start of the season. And also, you do pretty well at Barber. Yes, true.

BRUCE:

Barber too. And don't forget Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

RHENUS:

That's true, and what about the 500 actually? I mean, I drove that car only at the Speedway in Sebring. But on the Speedway, we got the car to be even more stable than the ECR car in race trim. So I think that's a really good sign, and we just have to see what... what we can do and how things are going to progress throughout the month, but I think we're going to be very competitive.

BRUCE:

Yeah man, I'm thrilled. It's a very exciting team to be a part of. There's a lot of growth in the offseason. There's a lot of changes, obviously new partners and ownership coming into play. So, you know, I think we can surprise some people. I think St. Pete's been a historically pretty good track for them and we'll look to see what we got this weekend.

BRUCE:

And in many ways, you're the anchor driver on that team. You're the team leader. And how good does it feel to have that role and responsibility?

ALEXANDER:

I don't know that it matters. I think it's it's cool to be able to bring in, you know, influence from from different organizations, different strong organizations and kind of give some insight into areas where I think maybe low-hanging fruit to improve right away. But in terms of being an A driver versus a B driver, it doesn't really make a difference.

BRUCE:

But Ed was able to get some funding with his new partner and also brought in a sponsor, which has really upgraded the team and updated the team. How surprised will race fans be when they see ECR 2025 as a much better prepared operation than maybe they've been the past couple of years?

ALEXANDER:

I mean, I think it's already at that point. But like anything in life and in this sport, just because you have a capital infusion and you have resources that you didn't have before, it doesn't guarantee instant results. This is a very competitive championship. There's a lot of good teams, established teams that have been successful for a long period of time. So it's going to be a challenge. You can't You can't underestimate that, but I think the capabilities and opportunities that we have are much higher than the teams had in the past.

BRUCE:

His partner is the owner of Java House and Splenda owns that company, and it's another chance to market you and IndyCar to a broader audience. And as we've seen with Fox Sports with all their commercials during the Super Bowl and events like that, the word is getting out about IndyCar. How excited are you about that?

ALEXANDER:

Oh, it's amazing. I think it's it's really nice to have a TV partner that cares so much about the success of the championship in the series. And it's certainly a step in the right direction.

BRUCE:

And as far as the season, it starts at St. Petersburg. We're all we're doing this interview at the Firestone Grand Prix in St. Petersburg. Tremendous vibe, tremendous excitement. There are a lot of races we wish we could come to that had this kind of vibe and atmosphere. How cool is it every year to start the season off with this?

ALEXANDER:

Yeah, it's you know, it's one of the highlight races in a lot of respects. It's amazing to come down to a city that cares so much about the race and the fans that are so knowledgeable about the sport. And it's obviously a very beautiful backdrop as well. So it's great. It's a great event. We love coming here. And, you know, it's It's not many better ways to start the season.

BRUCE:

Moving ahead a couple of weeks after St. Pete, it's a return to the Thermal Club, only this time, instead of it being an all-star race, it's going to be a full championship points race. How do you think that'll go with pit stops?

ALEXANDER:

I think it'll be great. I think the track's plenty big enough. I think we saw in the kind of fake race last year that there's a lot of variables in terms of tired egg and track conditions and everything, so I think it'll be a great show.

BRUCE:

You're a two-time winner of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. The two races that you've won out there, you pretty much ran away and won it from San Diego almost. You were that far ahead of the rest of the field. You got to feel like the pieces could be in place this year for you to get your third Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach fix.

ALEXANDER:

Certainly in the plan, man. You know, I think we need to take a step on the street courses for sure as a team, but we'll see how we go this weekend. And yeah, I know my way around there. It's a home race for me. It's a home track and we'll do our best.

BRUCE:

And of course, the 109th Indianapolis 500, you won the 100th Indianapolis 500. So I'm sure it'd be worth the nine-year wait to get your second.

ALEXANDER:

I think I've got the team and I've got the tools and the capability to do it this year.

BRUCE:

Well, he's always exciting on the racetrack and even more exciting off the racetrack. Alexander Rossi, ECR, congratulations on your new team. Thank you very much. And thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy. Appreciate it. Thank you. We'll be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break.

JOSEF:

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

BRUCE:

And that puts a checkered flag on this edition of Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental. We want to thank our guests, Andretti Global Drivers Marcus Ericcson and Colton Herta, Dale Coyne Racing's newest driver, Rinas VK, and ECR's newest driver, but certainly not a new driver in IndyCar, Alexander Rossi, for joining us on another jam-packed episode of Pit Pass Indy. Along with loyal listeners like you, our guests help make Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental, your path to victory lane in IndyCar. On the highways, the raceways, and every pit stop in between, Penske Truck Rental keeps you moving forward. Gain ground with Penske. For more IndyCar coverage, follow me at X, previously known as Twitter, at BruceMartin, one word, uppercase B, uppercase M, underscore 500. And be sure to look for another bonus episode of Pit Pass Indy later this week. This has been a production of Evergreen Podcast. A special thanks to our production team, executive producers are Bridget Coyne and Gerardo Orlando. Recordings and edits were done by me, Bruce Martin, and final mixing was done by Dave Douglas. Learn more at evergreenpodcast.com. Until next time, be sure to keep it out of the wall.