Great Scott! Exclusive interviews with IndyCar stars Scott Dixon and Scott McLaughlin

BRUCE:

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 as we begin our fifth season of giving IndyCar fans an inside look at the most exciting form of racing on the planet, the NTT IndyCar Series. When it comes to two of IndyCar's biggest stars, the appropriate introduction is Great Scott. Our two guests on today's Pit Pass Indy are six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion and 2008 Indianapolis 500 winner Scott Dixon and Team Penske star Scott McLaughlin. Pit Pass Indy was in Indianapolis earlier this month at IndyCar Content Days and had a chance to catch up with two of the most exciting drivers in the series. Scott McLachlan has had an off season to remember and it doesn't include anything he has done in a race car. On October 10th, 2024, McLachlan became a father as his wife Carly gave birth to a baby girl named Lucy Violet. The cherished moment has kept McLaughlin busy for the off-season, but he has been able to focus on racing as the season is just one month away from beginning. In 2024, McLaughlin had his best NTT IndyCar Series season yet as he won three races, a series-high five poles, including the 108th Indianapolis 500 in May, and finished third in the final championship standings. But those numbers aren't good enough for the driver from Christchurch, New Zealand, who now lives in the beautiful Ballantyne area of Charlotte, North Carolina. McLaughlin races to win, and his two goals for 2025 include a victory in the 109th Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day weekend and an NTT IndyCar Series championship. I had a chance to catch up with McLaughlin at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis in January for this exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview. You can call Scott McLaughlin a lot of things. One of the best drivers in supercars history. One of the star drivers in the NTT IndyCar Series. But last fall, we could also call you Dad.

MCLAUGHLIN:

Yes, yes.

BRUCE:

A new title for Scott McLaughlin.

MCLAUGHLIN:

How do you like it so far? It's been great. Three months so far. We're learning a lot. Yeah, enjoying the... The chance to be a dad and be a girl dad for one is awesome, but we're having a blast. She's an amazing Lucy, and Carly's been amazing too.

BRUCE:

You've done a lot in your life, you've done a lot in your career. How do you even begin to describe what it's like, what you're going through, the emotions, the feeling that you get when you're a father for the first time?

MCLAUGHLIN:

Oh, it's been awesome. It's been like a big reset for me, like, you know, away from the track. I've sort of forgot about what it's like to be a driver in some ways, you know, like you got so much more to focus on now, which is nice. So, I'm having a blast doing that and, you know, just learning the ropes, but I'm excited to have her at the track at St. Pete. She'll be there and enjoying the ride with my family now.

BRUCE:

So it's January, we're in Indianapolis at IndyCar Content Days. We're going to be testing in February at Sebring Raceway. How excited are you to get back in a race car for 2025? Oh, I can't wait.

MCLAUGHLIN:

You know, I think the IndyCar off-season is so long. Thankfully, this year, because I had a kid, it's been nice to have the time at home, but can't wait to get back in a race car. I've got Daytona coming up. soon and then I'll test in February and I'm super, super excited just to get back at a race car and understand the G-forces again and feel good about it. So, excited for what's ahead.

BRUCE:

What have you been doing off-season other than changing diapers and watching?

MCLAUGHLIN:

Not much, man. I've been home the whole time. I've trained. I've really ticked over with my training. My training, I've been pretty similar to how I've been all season. Yeah, I feel good in that regard. And for me, outside of just being a dad, not much. Watching football at home and enjoying the spoils of being home most of Christmas. So it's been a blast.

BRUCE:

So as we've said before on numerous interviews with you on pit pass, Indy, we know that you're a New York jets fan. We also know that you're a Carolina Panthers fan.

MCLAUGHLIN:

I'm not a jets fan.

BRUCE:

I would have to say that Bryce Young's quarterback career is on a more upward trajectory than maybe Aaron Rodgers' career with the New York Jets. Yes. But it's the playoffs, so who are you putting your interest behind?

MCLAUGHLIN:

Look, I've always been a bit of a Bills fan, so I love Josh Allen, and I certainly hope that they can finally get over the hurdle, but I do not want the Chiefs to win, and I think half of America is the same deal.

BRUCE:

Back to the NTT IndyCar Series. Joseph Newgarden, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner. He's now known for that more necessarily than a two-time IndyCar Series champion. Does that just really illustrate just how much fame and notoriety comes from winning the Indianapolis 500 over winning a championship?

MCLAUGHLIN:

for sure, and that's probably why I put it above a championship in some ways. So, you know, I'm very privileged to even have the opportunity to be a part of it and to have a car that can potentially win it. Just I've got to put it together, so we'll be okay.

BRUCE:

What do you see that you need to do better or differently in 2025?

MCLAUGHLIN:

I'm just going to have a few things go the right way. I mean, I feel like, you know, if it wasn't that we had a little clutch issue at 500, I'm not saying that would have been a game changer for us, but I think it would have put us in a better position than we were, you know, around that 6th, 7th, 8th bracket. So I think if we had come out in that pit stop with Joseph, who knows what would have happened. But ultimately, I can change a lot of things. It was one restart that I sort of, I didn't attack enough and I got caught napping, so.

BRUCE:

Fox Sports, first year that they'll be the television partner for the NTT IndyCar series. So far, the promotion and marketing has been outstanding. How do you feel about the future of IndyCar with Fox Sports as the TV partner?

MCLAUGHLIN:

Oh, look, if you had asked me the same question in Nashville, I probably would have said different. I think what they've done, the activation. Look, I was excited about the program there in Nashville, but now seeing it and seeing what happened in the off-season, It's incredible. So I'm super excited. Eric Shanks is here at Content Day. I can't remember seeing a president or CEO of a network television place being here ever before. So they're pumped. The money that they're spending, the money that they're pumping in, it's exciting. And those commercials that are coming out are so funny. And I really had a laugh.

BRUCE:

So what did you think of the Joseph New Garden?

MCLAUGHLIN:

I thought it was perfect. It was great. It tapped into everything that is Joseph and the funny side as well. And I thought it was awesome for the sport. And I thought Palou's cameo was great and all that stuff. It's edgy, it's fun, it's different, but it's exactly what we are as a sport. We're very different. very on the edge and that's what we need, a broadcast partner that believes in us and we've got that.

BRUCE:

Will there be a Scott McLaughlin commercial?

MCLAUGHLIN:

No, I haven't filmed one. Maybe not yet. Maybe I'll win the 500.

BRUCE:

But if they did do a Scott McLaughlin commercial, would you like to have a little bit of the creativity in it? What would you like it to be?

MCLAUGHLIN:

Oh, I don't know. You know me, Bruce. I'm just myself, so I'm just a fun dude. I just enjoy the ride. I said it before, actually. I did my supercars thing and whatever, and that was great. But this, for me now, IndyCar racing is a bonus. So like, I just have a blast doing it and a rip of time. And I'm thankful that I have a great team to drive for. But yeah, if I ever was on a commercial, I'd love to have my daughter in it. That'd be funny as.

BRUCE:

The only two IndyCar teammates that you've ever known in IndyCar at Team Penske are Joseph Mewgarden and Will Power. Both are legendary names in the series. How valuable is that to have that type of stability on an IndyCar team? It's not like we've had a different driver every year on the team that you have to get used to.

MCLAUGHLIN:

Don't forget Simon Pagina. That's right, Simon Pagina. No, no, no. For me, working with those two guys is amazing. They push me to new heights and I feel like I'm a better racing driver because of them. You know, I think people outside probably think it's like, it would be like, I guess, stressful or very competitive. It is. But at the same time, behind closed doors, all the engineers and us, we all work together very, very well. And it would surprise a few people, I think. But yeah, it's fun. And I feel privileged to know them.

BRUCE:

There's been talk of a new car in the series, maybe as early as 2027. It's a delicate balance because a lot of people want a futuristic looking car, but you also don't want to take away from the tremendous racing that we see in in the MPT IndyCar series. So how do you do both?

MCLAUGHLIN:

Well, it's hard. I mean, they have shown us designs and what it looks like, and I'm excited for the future of it, but yeah, you're right. You don't want to take away from what we have as a product, but I think they've done a really good job at listening to us, listening to team owners, and listening to the fans about what people want, and ultimately, they're trying to look at the longevity of the sport as well. But look, Everyone's going to be against change, but I think this is an important one that we need to take the next step, but make sure that we do it right.

BRUCE:

Is your number one goal that you would like to see with the new cars to make it lighter?

MCLAUGHLIN:

Yeah, I think that's an important thing. But, I mean, for me, a heavy car hasn't been that bad. I mean, I get... I don't know. All I've driven from an open-wheel perspective is this. So I'm used to a heavy car. I was used to it. I haven't really found a problem with it as much as everyone else has. So I think it's just... I just drive the thing. Whatever I get given, that's what I'll drive.

BRUCE:

So in 2024, team Penske swept the front row for the Indianapolis 500. You won the poll. It's only the second time in Indy 500 history, the same team swept all three starting positions in the front row. And one of its drivers, Joseph Newgarden, became the first back-to-back Indy 500 winner since Elio Castronembus in 2001 and 2002. You finished very well in the standings, but yet I get the impression that it was looked at as an un-Penske-like season. Obviously, you have very high expectations on the team, but how do you look back and assess the 2024 season?

MCLAUGHLIN:

Yeah, just for me, it was probably a lot of missed opportunities, but I feel like everyone could say that as well. You know, I learned a lot, and I feel like I matured a lot as a racing driver, open-wheel and racing driver, so I think it put me in a good spot. I'm excited for this year. I don't know what to expect. I don't think anyone does, but... First and foremost, I think I've always put Indy above all. And for us to win the Indy 500 was a big deal for the captain. And hopefully we can get 21 this year.

BRUCE:

And in order to be the champion, you have to beat the champion. And three out of the last four years, including the last two, it's been Alex Palou. What is it going to take to beat Alex Palou for a championship?

MCLAUGHLIN:

Just consistency, do what he does. I mean, ultimately, he is very consistent. He makes very few mistakes and he's rapid fast on most tracks. So we've been working hard to be better and be like, you know, in some ways like him. But yeah, at the same time, I think we're very much equipped to be able to tackle him and make it happen. It's just a little bit of lady luck and consistency on my side.

BRUCE:

And then our final question was Scott McLaughlin, a team Penske. When you look at your daughter, do you see some of your personality in her or some of your wife's personality in her?

MCLAUGHLIN:

A bit of both. I think she's very placid. I don't know if that's what to expect from a three month old, but she seems very chill and she's very well behaved at the moment, but check back with me and say Pete.

BRUCE:

Well, we'll all be excited to get back to St. Petersburg for the start of another great NTT IndyCar Series season, but Scott McLachlan, Team Penske, good luck in 2025 and thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy.

MCLAUGHLIN:

Thanks, appreciate it.

BRUCE:

We'll be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break. Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy. Our next guest begins his 25th season in IndyCar competition. It's the legendary Scott Dixon, whose Hall of Fame career began with the Indy Lights Championship in 2000, became the youngest driver in IndyCar history at the time in 2001, when he drove the PacWest Toyota Raynard to victory at Nazareth Speedway in Pennsylvania, when he was just 20 years, nine months, and 14 days old. After the first three races with PacWest in 2002, Dixon joined Chip Ganassi Racing and Kart, beginning at Milwaukee, and has been with the team ever since. During that time, Dixon's numbers are legendary. His six NTT IndyCar Series championships are second to AJ Foyt's record of seven. His 58 IndyCar wins, including his one victory in Kart, are just nine behind Foyt's career record of 67. Dixon has won at least one race every season for a record 20 straight seasons and has won a race in 22 of his 24 previous seasons in IndyCar. He won the Indianapolis 500 in 2008. Despite those incredible numbers, Dixon admits he wakes up every day and wants to win more races and more championships. That is what drives him to these great numbers. The driver from Auckland, New Zealand truly is Great Scott. Dixon joins me for this exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview from the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis, where IndyCar Content Days was held in January. Joining us now is one of the all-time greats of IndyCar. It's the legend himself. It's Scott Dixon, six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion. You're back for your 25th season of IndyCar. And what's really scary is I probably knew you before you even started in IndyCar when you were Indy Lights driver back in the day. You know, when that was brought up to you earlier today, it kind of startled you that you've been doing this for 25 years.

DIXON:

Yeah, I guess it's been quite a few, that's for sure, but definitely excited for it. Last year we got off to a great start and leading the championship for a good first half portion of the year. Unfortunately, the last part didn't go so well. But yeah, it's actually fun to look back, reminisce. you know, remember the first few days of racing kart or IndyCar and even, you know, IndyLights back in the day. So, yeah, it's good. I'm looking forward to the new season.

BRUCE:

But you also brought up the fact that what gets you out of bed every day is the will to compete, the desire to win races. And as you said, it sucks not to win, so that's what motivates you to get out of bed every day. When you've been in a sport as long as you have, how hard is it to keep that fire?

DIXON:

Yeah, I don't know. Like for me, I've never really thought anything else about it apart from the fire burning strong and the will to try to do better every year. So, you know, yeah, you have some lulls here and there. Your all years don't go quite the way that you hope they did, but... Yeah, no, I feel extremely fortunate from, you know, the first day I started racing in kind of open wheel, big, you know, big cars. You know, lucky to be doing what I'm doing. So, you know, I wanna make the most of it, man.

BRUCE:

Mike Hall used to always tell me that with your six championships, you did them in a lot of different iterations of cars. Is that one of the things that you're most proud of, is whether it was the 2003 IRL car of that time, or the current IndyCar that you've won some championships with, to be able to be successful, win championships in so many different iterations of the IndyCar?

DIXON:

Yeah, you know, it's kind of cool. I think that, you know, that's what I enjoyed a lot about, you know, the early days because it changed quite often, you know, it was never the same thing. Obviously, this current car with the AeroScreen has been, you know, what, this will be the fifth year with it. So, you know, some things you kind of get stuck into a bit of a, you know, a mellow kind of, you know, sense of anything like that changing. Yeah, it's fun to have new tools or different styles to drive or different things to try. And definitely seen some iterations over those 25 years and looking forward to hearing what's coming next. Obviously a car that they're talking about in 27 maybe too, which will be interesting to see how that plays out.

BRUCE:

You said you haven't really seen any designs or talked to anybody at IndyCar about what the new car may or may not look like, but what would you like to see it look like? It's kind of a challenge because you don't want to get too far away from the heritage of IndyCar racing, but you also want to be futuristic.

DIXON:

Yeah, you definitely got to look ahead. You know, there's no point looking backwards. And obviously this car is, you know, pretty vintage, you know. 2012, you know, since we had it, it's had a lot of things change on it. Throughout the years, you know, it went through a big cycle with the Aero kit, you know, kind of 20, what was it, 15, 16 or so around there, to what we're back with now. And then the Aero screen's a big adjustment. So yeah, you know, I think the... Technology has changed a ton since this car was introduced. I think they can make it look a lot cooler. They can definitely focus on some of the race abilities, things that we've all learned throughout the years. Maybe some areas of development work would be kind of cool for teams. I think that they could really push the envelope. maybe even back to some of the IRL days where you could work on infences on wings or front flaps and just little pockets where maybe teams can bring in some variables as well. So yeah, I think more power would be huge. The car is not a super fast car at the moment and power-weight ratio is not mind-boggling like it used to be in the early days. So there's definitely a lot of things that could change.

BRUCE:

What are some of the cool aspects that you would like to see added?

DIXON:

Again, for a driver, you just want to go faster and have a more efficient car. I think have a car that stops better. That's not necessarily what you need for raceability, though. I think you've got to keep an eye on it. But big horsepower, I think, brings in a lot of management. you know, understanding deg and drivability and things like that. So, you know, I think that would be a no-brainer and how they introduce that, I'm not sure yet. And, you know, whether they do that hybrid or non-hybrid or bringing some cool sounds back, obviously, you know, is huge for the sport as well as we've seen, you know, a lot of people are missing the sounds of V10s and V12s.

BRUCE:

There were times in your IndyCar career where the saying was IndyCar was the best sporting event that nobody's really following. Now we have Fox Sports putting all this investment in marketing and promotion and telling the stories of the drivers into really making these guys stars. And just how important is that? It's big.

DIXON:

I guess we're still at the point where we haven't seen anything yet. I hope that this is something that they're all on the same page and wanting to make it. From the meetings that I've seen and obviously the sets here on media day, I think they're heading in the absolute right direction. So definitely looking forward to that. And as a partner, I think their reach that they have as a network is going to be massive. I'm excited for that partnership and hopefully they can really propel IndyCar to where it should be.

BRUCE:

And also the fact that every race is going to be on Network Fox. You're not going to have to get a streaming service here or maybe watch it on cable there. It's going to be on the big Fox and just how important is that?

DIXON:

No, it's big. You know, I think that's big for partners. You know, obviously the television world is evolving a lot. There is a lot of, you know, streaming and, you know, a lot of, especially younger generations use that as well. So it's definitely an area that they can push as well, hopefully down the road. But I know for, you know, just for sponsors, that's a massive directional change that they've all looked forward to.

BRUCE:

For most of your career, you were identifiable with your red and white Target uniform. Recently, it's been PNC Bank. It almost seems like that's the look of Scott Dixon. That was one of the greatest transitions I've probably seen a driver go from one image to another. What was the reason why that was so successful?

DIXON:

Yeah, you know, I think it's a great partnership. You know, I think PNC, especially with their programs, you know, they're very much about the community, community outreach to, you know, they grow up great programs. You know, the partnership with Women in Motorsports, with Canasi, you know, there's a lot of things that just work so well. But, you know, they're growing. They're growing in a lot of areas that, you know, a huge demographics for IndyCar racing as well. So it's in a lot of ways, it's just the perfect fit. And there've been a lot of fun to work with, you know, seeing them expand too, you know, when they first joined as full-time sponsor in 2018. you know, they weren't out west at all. And now we have so much activation, you know, around the Long Beach race to Portland race to Laguna. So it's fun to see both of us grow as a group and as a team. And yeah, of course, if you need any banking needs, you got to go to PNC Bank.

BRUCE:

We always could use banking needs, that's for sure. One of the other things is that you have been, you've had some stretches in your career where you were on top of the series, everything was going great. We're seeing your teammate, Alex Below, have one of those stretches going right now. For you as a legend to sit back and see what he's going through right now, how much of that can you relate to?

DIXON:

Yeah, I think being within the team is huge and obviously to see the success of Gnassi has been fantastic. And to have a back-to-back champion, obviously that's massive for Alex. But the first thing you think of in my situation is how do we do better and how do we do better as a group to try and beat them. And that's the cool part about it. that's what you want. And I know he's doing the same thing. So, you know, it's been huge for them. Obviously, bringing on DHL last year was a huge way to go in with their partnership and win the championship. So, you know, it's awesome to see, but it's also something that you just want to make yourself better and try and beat them as well.

BRUCE:

And in our final question with six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion, Scott Dixon, if you can pick one or the other, seventh championship or a second Indianapolis 500 victory, is that a fair question to ask?

DIXON:

Yes, an easy one. You just take both.

BRUCE:

No, I said you could only take one or the other, but you gave the right answer. But anyway, Scott, it's been a real pleasure seeing you throughout your legendary career to cover you through all these years. And actually, we've become pretty good friends over the years. Absolutely, man. Good luck in the 2025 MTT IndyCar Series season with Chip Ganassi Racing, and thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy.

DIXON:

Thanks, man.

BRUCE:

Appreciate it. Cheers. And that puts a checkered flag on this edition of Pit Pass Indy. We want to thank our guests, Team Penske star Scott McLaughlin and the future Hall of Famer Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing for joining us on today's podcast. Along with loyal listeners like you, our guests help make Pit Pass Indy your path to victory lane in IndyCar. For more IndyCar coverage, follow me on X, previously known as Twitter, at BruceMartin, one word, uppercase B, uppercase M, underscore 500. This has been a production of Evergreen Podcast. A special thanks to our production team, executive producers are Bridget Coyne and Gerardo Orlando. Recordings and edits were done by me, Bruce Martin, and final mixing was done by Dave Douglas. Learn more at evergreenpodcast.com. Until next time, be sure to keep it out of the wall.