Indianapolis 500 Pole Preview with Scott Dixon and Rick Mears. Also, NASCAR Cup Series leader Kyle Larson back for another Indianapolis 500 and three-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Joey Logano at Indy 500 Practice

ROGER:

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

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 this special Indianapolis 500 bonus edition of Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental as we continue our fifth season of giving IndyCar fans an inside look at the most exciting form of racing on the planet, the NTT IndyCar Series. And a big thanks to Penske Truck Rental for helping bring you the inside stories of IndyCar from the paddock to the racetrack to the highways and streets of America. PitPass Indy is at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the biggest month of the racing year, the month of May, culminating with the 109th Indianapolis 500 on May 25th. The Indy 500 is more than a race. It's a cultural phenomenon that draws nearly 350,000 fans to the famed Cathedral of Speed, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Today is Fast Friday at the Indianapolis 500 as every car gets to turn up the boost for increased speed in the final full day of practice before this weekend's two days of Indy 500 qualifications. There is another practice session scheduled for Saturday morning before first-round qualifications begin at 11 a.m. Eastern Time and will run until the track closes at 5.50 p.m. Eastern Time. Saturday's qualifications will determine two groups that will fight it out on Sunday. The first is the Fast 12 that will pit the 12 fastest drivers with four-lap qualification efforts from Saturday. Each of the 12 will take another four-lap qualification attempt on Sunday. That session runs from 4.05 p.m. to 5.05 p.m. Eastern Time. The fastest six four-lap averages from that session will advance into the Fast Six. Each driver in that group will have one last four-lap qualification run to determine the first two rows in the starting lineup, including the Indy 500 pole winner. On the other end of the timing monitor are the four cars that will have to fight it out for the final three positions in row 11 in the last row shootout. Once the slowest driver is bumped, the driver that has been knocked out of the field can make another qualification attempt to race back into the field. This format continues until the one-hour session concludes at 6.15 p.m. The last row shootout is before the Fast 12. The run for the Indy 500 pole concludes qualifications for the 109th Indianapolis 500, and the starting lineup for the May 25th race will be set. The Fast Six is scheduled for 625 to 655 p.m. Eastern Time. Today's Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental has as much action as a full day of practice for the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It starts off with two of the greatest Indy 500 pole winners in history, including Scott Dixon, who has five poles for the big race, and the great Rick Mears, who won a record six Indy 500 poles in his spectacular career to go along with a record tying four Indianapolis 500 wins. Pit Pass Indy has exclusive interviews with both Indy 500 legends. Afterwards, we have two different interviews with the winner of the Indy 500 poll in 2024. It's Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske. The first exclusive interview is from May 2nd, and the second interview is from this week at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Pit Pass Indy then speeds into another exclusive interview with current NASCAR Cup Series points leader Kyle Larson, who is back for his second Indianapolis 500 with Errol McLaren. In addition to running for the Indy 500 pole, Larson will also be competing in the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. After we hear from Larson, Pit Pass Indy has an exclusive interview with three-time and defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano of Team Penske. Logano was at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday, May 14th, to see IndyCars on an oval for the first time in his life. Logano drives a stock car at Team Penske, but his IndyCar teammates are two-time and back-to-back Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden, 2018 Indy 500 winner Will Power, and last year's Indy 500 pole winner Scott McLaughlin. So let's drop the green flag on this episode with this exclusive interview with Scott Dixon, heading into Fast Friday and Qualification Weekend at the Indy 500 on Pit Pass Indy. Joining us now is the legend, Scott Dixon, obviously the best driver in IndyCarSeries history, along with AJ Foyt and Mario Andretti, of course. Scott, we're back at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for another Indianapolis 500. You've won it in 2008, but more recently, you've become a master of qualifying at the Indy 500. You have five poles. If you win the pole for the 109th Indianapolis 500, you'll tie Rick Mears with six poles, most in IndyCar history. What is your secret to qualifying success?

SCOTT:

Well, I think it's the team, really. You know, I think preparation, I think it's making sure you cover, you know, everything possible. You know, I think the whole process of qualifying is extremely tough. You know, it doesn't mean a whole lot, I'm not really sure, in the fact of, you know, last year we had, I think, my worst qualifying effort of 21st on the grid, but we still finished, you know, top three. So, you know, of course, there's two races in this couple of weeks, and the first is for the pole position. It's very big for the team. You know, I think the amount of details and, well, the amount of hundreds of details that go into it. I think last year we were definitely disappointed with what we had as a whole group and with all five cars. So, you know, it's been a lot of emphasis on making sure that we cover as much as possible. And, you know, so far out of the gate, I think, you know, we're in a good position.

BRUCE:

Rick Mayer has also brought up that the Indy 500 is two races. One is race day itself and the other is the race for the pole. Do the drivers and teams put as much emphasis in running for the pole at the Indy 500 as they would a regular IndyCar Series race or maybe a little more?

SCOTT:

Oh, no, it's a lot more going into, you know, the pole for the 500. Obviously, you know, there is that race, but the trickle-down effect for just car speed in general for, you know, the race itself is big, you know. So, last year, I think our race cars were really good. We just didn't really have the speed, you know. There were a few... few issues I think that we found, you know, pretty soon after the race that, you know, determined some of that. But I think, you know, it's just all the small details, you know, gone are the days where it's four, five, ten big things. Now it's, you know, just hundreds of small details that kind of get you, you know, and fighting over, you know, hundreds of a mile an hour. So, I think as far as a group, the amount of effort that goes into Indy 500 qualifying is insane.

BRUCE:

In Rick Muir's day, he could win the poll by taking one qualification attempt. Four laps, let it all hang out. How many qualification attempts will you take if you're in a competition to win the poll?

SCOTT:

Yeah, I think in theory it could be two, right? In theory it could be two, but you'll probably take more. Kind of depends, I think what really determines most of it, you know, especially right now with the cooling process of the cars to, you know, weather conditions is the biggest thing, you know, so a lot of people really favor an early draw, get that one out of the way, you can prep the car and possibly run again. depending on how the weather is on the first day, will really determine whether you do re-attempts. Once it gets hot, especially with the added weight of the hybrid, and the efficiency just goes down really quickly, and you're 120 pounds out of the car, I think when you add three or four G to that, three or four X, it doesn't like it in the corners. We'll see what that brings.

BRUCE:

So if you could take us on a pole run, a qualification attempt, from the moment you leave the tech line, how fast do you want to be on your warm-up laps, and then what are the two most important of the four laps that you have to nail?

SCOTT:

Yeah, I think, you know, it's a long waiting game for sure. Obviously, preparation is key. You know, we're on the Sim Monday. I think I'm going to go back Friday night, you know, after Fast Friday, just to determine, you know, different things. But the workload is very high now. You might have two, three, four mixtures that you go through from your out lap, prep lap, to the lap before the green, to where you need your bars, your weight jacker, deployment, all that kind of stuff. So a lot of that is changing how you do. And obviously, if you get one out of sequence, then it can be a bit of a mess. So I think really knowing what you need to do. Hybrid deployment is going to be pretty interesting too, just to see how some teams use that differently. But the hardest laps are the last two, for sure.

BRUCE:

You want to nail a big number on your first lap, but you also don't want to burn up your tires. So how delicate is that?

SCOTT:

Yeah, honestly, I think the first lap should be easy. It should be easier of the four and really determine the speed that you're possibly going to have. But I think you may see some cars really struggle on lap three and lap four.

BRUCE:

And how free is the car? How free do you like your car when you're getting maximum speed out of it?

SCOTT:

Yeah, you definitely want the least amount of scrub as possible. But also sliding the rear is a killer as well. So I've had many runs where a slide understeer can actually be a lot quicker than sliding the rear. And especially now with the pendulum feel and the weight really far back with the hybrid, it can get you into a bit of a tricky situation. And it can make you really slide and dig a lot. So we'll have to see how that plays out.

BRUCE:

And how important is it to start on the pole for the Indianapolis 500? because a lot of times in the race, drivers don't want to be the leader because they're ending up burning up more fuel than the drivers behind them.

SCOTT:

I would say recently, it's a track position race. Gone are the days where there's only seven cars or four cars finishing on the lead lap. Many times now, you can have almost 30 cars on the lead lap or at least 25. For us, it's a track position race. Last year, we moved to the front as quickly. If you can't be on pole, you want to be second. If you can't be second, you want to be third. It's as far up as possible, and I'm quite happy leading the race.

BRUCE:

You've mastered winning the Indianapolis 500 poll. Do you figure the year that you may get back into victory lane in the Indy 500 might be the year that a lot of people don't expect you to be the driver to win the Indy 500?

SCOTT:

I expect this year. Every year is the year that you hope you try to turn it around and get back to victory lane. We've finished runner-up here many a times, top three many a times, but obviously it's been a little while since we've won here. That's the goal, and do I think we can do it? Absolutely.

BRUCE:

Well, Scott Dixon, they always say that the Indianapolis 500 chooses the winner. Hopefully this year soon they'll choose Scott Dixon. But good luck in the 109th Indianapolis 500. Good luck on poll day. And thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy. Yes, thanks, man. 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:

Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy. Rick Mears is a living legend at the Indianapolis 500 and enjoyed a brilliant career that included four Indy 500 wins and a record six Indianapolis 500 poles. Here is my exclusive interview with Mears from the Team Penske garage in Gasoline Alley at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Pit Pass Indy. One of the great names of the Indianapolis 500 is Rick Mears, four-time winning driver of the Indy 500. He was the third driver to do that back in 1991. He joined A.J. Foyt and Al Unser at that time as the only four-time Indy 500 winner. Since then, Elio Castroneves has joined that crowd as four-time winners when he won here in 2021. But Rick, you earned the nickname The Rocket by winning six Indianapolis 500 polls. You were the all-time leader in Indy 500 polls. With qualification weekend coming up here at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Scott Dixon has five. If he wins the poll this year, he would tie you. You've always said the Indianapolis 500 was two races. One was on race day and the other was for the poll. So how do you approach poll weekend back in your day?

RICK:

Well, really, you know, I always looked at this month as two races. You had one race for qualifying and the race race. So, you know, we wanted to win both races. And I always loved qualifying here. It was, you know, one of the toughest things we do all year long as far as the pressure packed and, you know, the precision needed and no mistakes and having everything right. And, you know, the guys are doing a great job on the car. It just, I just loved it. So, you know, I always approached, when I was practicing and setting up for the race, there was always qualifying in mind. And every change I'd make, we'd analyze it, you know, as far as for the race or whatever. But then, but anything that added absolute more speed, you know, we'd keep that in our pocket to take a look at for qualifying. It's just something we did every year that way. It just was, to me, I felt like that was the first race. We got to win that one first.

BRUCE:

The rules were different back when you raced. So I think there was probably more pressure than there may be now. Now drivers can take multiple attempts to run for the pole or to get into the Fast 12, then the Fast 6. Once they're in the Fast 6 and the Fast 12, they only get one attempt. But back in your day, You had to make one attempt and that was it. The only way if you didn't like your speed was to either wave it off before the checkered flag came out or to withdraw the speed and then switch to another car to make another run.

RICK:

So in a lot of ways wasn't that a little more pressure? But then you also didn't have a shot at the pole because I think it was only your initial run that was good for the pole. So he had one shot to do it, and that was part of the pressure of it. You've got four laps, and if you blow one corner, you've blown the whole run. So the pole's out the window if you make any little correction pretty much anywhere. So there was a lot of pressure, but that's what, to me, that's what made it fun, you know, and made it interesting. And, you know, it was nerve-wracking, but it was very gratifying, you know, to be able to get it. And also for me, it was always kind of a kind of a payback for all the hard work the guys do. When you could come off the corner into pit lane after a pole run like that and see the smiles on all the guys' faces that have worked on the car and all the hours that they've spent massaging the thing and making all the corrections, it was just kind of a thank you for giving me the tools to be able to do this.

BRUCE:

Now, if you threw the yellow on your first attempt, but got back in the line later in the day, was that it for that car?

RICK:

I can't remember exactly. Now, I don't remember if you pull yellow or not, but I think you could pull out of line and then wait till later in the day, say, OK, let's wait till it gets cooler. But I thought if you threw the yellow, you could get back in line also and still qualify for the poll. I'm not sure.

BRUCE:

But what I remember about those days is poll day at the Indy 500 would be a tremendous, there'd be a flurry of activity and then it'd be a long waiting game.

RICK:

Yeah.

BRUCE:

Usually it would get hotter. It would get windier. Teams would wait until about 4, 30, 5 o'clock. When the sun started to go down, the track started to cool off. Then all of a sudden it was another frantic flurry of activity. And that's what really made it unique. In a lot of ways, just how did a driver approach that? Because there would be times where you would just have to wait for the weather to change.

RICK:

Yeah, no, and you know, if you've been following the weather and everything, and it was fairly consistent on what it was going to do by a certain time, and you knew it was going to cool down, and it would also depend where you drew in line. You know, if you drew an early number, it might still be cool enough to go. A later number, it's starting to put you in more of the heat. So you think, well, we'll just wait and see if we can catch it on the upswing back. But it was always a gamble, one way or the other, doing it that way. I always, when I was setting up You know, for qualifying, I rarely did runs late in the day when it was cool, you know, early in the morning. And I always kept track of what I could do around two or three in the afternoon. And at the end of the day, if we were in the top three with times and mine were done in two in the afternoon or three in the afternoon, I knew we had a good shot at it.

BRUCE:

I remember you telling me as a driver, you never really played the happy hour game because of that, that the happy hour would usually be a big speed, usually by a toe from another car that would put up a big number and a team would get all the glory for that night until the next morning. But it wasn't a true indicator of who was the fastest when it was time to go for the pole.

RICK:

No, there was a couple times that at the end of the day we'd have quick time and we did it at two in the afternoon. And the guys that ran later still didn't beat it, so then you knew you really had a good shot at it. I always wanted to know exactly where I was at.

BRUCE:

The other thing that was interesting about your day was there were four days of qualifications on two weekends with two full weeks of practice. So on poll day, poll could only be done on the first day of qualifications. On poll day, they might only qualify 11 cars out of the 33. It wouldn't be a whole lot of cars would be on that board at the end of the day because others who may not want to get bumped might want to work on the car, come out, qualify either day two, day three, hopefully to where they could avoid day four. What I was getting at was the rules were a lot different. Now it's like you have two days.

RICK:

Yeah.

BRUCE:

Two days to get it done. Back then you had four, but you could only win the poll on day one.

RICK:

Right. Yeah. Yeah. Then it became just, you know, they're really, to me, you know, if we weren't going for the poll, I didn't think, okay, it wouldn't be that big a deal qualifying. We'd just go out and get four consistent laps in, put it in show and go, not worry about it. So there was no really pressure in that. To me, the pressure came as if you had a shot at the front row or the pole. And fortunately, you know, with this team, I always had the equipment to have a shot at it, it seemed like. So the pressure was on every year because we had a shot at the front row or the pole usually.

BRUCE:

Of course, winning the Indianapolis 500 is what gives the driver, that's what they're here for, that's what gives the driver his face on the BorgWarner trophy. You've got four faces on that trophy. It's everlasting fame, notoriety, recognition for a career. But yet, where do you put that six, that record of six Indy 500 poles?

RICK:

Oh, I don't know. I put it way up there for me as a personal goal, you know, to be able to do that. And for all those reasons that we talked about, the precision that it takes, the no mistakes and the consistently, you know, get the four laps in and all that kind of thing. So I rate it pretty high in my own rating. You know, for the race, It's the safest place to start in that respect. You know, you figure if you can start on the front row, especially the pole, but even the front row, if anything happens, more than likely, you're not gonna be involved in it unless you caused it. And that's really one of the stats that I'm really most proud of. I never even really thought about it for years till somebody brought it up, you know, a while back. And starting on the front row 11, I think 11 times, out of my career, 11 out of 12 or 13 races, however many times I ran.

BRUCE:

Well, that's very important. And also it's the one thing where the pure racer can come out because you've got four laps, 10 miles to turn in four of the fastest, most consistent and maybe most hair raising laps of the year.

RICK:

Yeah, no, they, They are, and to me it's the ultimate test of the team, the car, and the driver for the month. The race is the main ultimate test, but to me as far as the pure speed, The figuring out how to get the speed out of the car, the work with, you know, during practice of the tires and how much they go off and what kind of balance change you're going to get in four runs. You never run one corner the same way twice. And it's putting all those little pieces together. and you only have one time to do it, and that's, you know, or you've blown the whole deal.

BRUCE:

And there also had to be, it had to be pretty cool for two weeks to be known as the fastest driver at the Indianapolis 500. You win the pole, you got two weeks leading into the race, and you're the fastest man at the Indianapolis 500.

RICK:

Well, that's the other side of it, too, for your sponsors. You know, your sponsor, it's like winning a race. You get to utilize that win for two weeks. you know, until the next race. And, you know, it's like winning a back-to-back race weekends or whatever from race to race. But, so it's winning a race that they can utilize and the team can utilize, you know, all the way up to just like winning a race.

BRUCE:

Plus back then, I think PPG gave the pole winner a van. How many vans did you end up with?

RICK:

I think I had ended up with four of them.

BRUCE:

What did you do with all four vans?

RICK:

Oh, I gave one to my brother and they've moved around from time to time, different places, different people.

BRUCE:

Now the rules for Indianapolis 500 qualifications are a bit different. We go through all day Saturday to set the 12 cars that make the fast 12. It'll also set up the drivers that'll be in the last row shootout that will determine who gets sent home. We have 34 drivers vying for the 33 car starting lineup. So in many ways, it's a little bit different plus drivers can make multiple attempts, which in some ways can help them if they're trying to win the poll, but it's also pretty risky to keep going out there time after time after time and lay it all on the line.

RICK:

No, it is. You know, it's, you know, that's like, I hated to pull out a line and wait for weather. And I, I know, One year specifically, we weren't sure how close we were. And Roger pretty much decided to pull out a line and wait till it cooled off. And so all the way up to the line as we're going forward, he said, okay, yeah, let's do it. Let's pull out a line. And then finally, right when we got to my turn to go, he turns around and says, okay. He said, you make the call. Because he knows that I was the only one that really knew what was in the car. And, you know, he was basing everything off what he had seen on the stopwatches and all that. But right at the end of the day, he says, you make the call. And I really felt we were strong enough. Plus, I didn't want to wait. You know, you've been building to this point for a while. And you know what? I think there's enough there. Let's just go and see if we can get it done. And made the decision and it worked out. That's where the run after run after run, it's nerve wracking, but it's also another chance. It's another chance to tune, another chance, you can make a mistake and come back and say, okay, let's try, that setup wasn't quite right, let's make an adjustment, go out and do it again. So you've got opportunities to do it, but if you just keep doing it, it can get nerve wracking.

BRUCE:

When you nailed a pole run and got it to perfection or close to perfection, did you know it at the time in the car?

RICK:

Oh yeah, I mean, you knew when it was a good run, but I've never felt a perfect one. There's always, to me, there was always something to be gained somewhere. And I've always felt like if I ever felt like I ran a perfect lap, that's when it's time to get out because that means you aren't digging deep enough. But no, but you knew when you were close. I mean, you, And you knew with the speed and based on what you've done in the prior week and practice and everything else, you've got a pretty good idea whether it's going to hold up or not.

BRUCE:

Now, spinning forward to Scott Dixon, when you see his run that he's had here in his career, he's only won the Indianapolis 500 once in 2008, but he's a tremendous qualifier here. He's won five polls. What do you think, as a legend, a Hall of Famer, when you see Scott Dixon's ability to win polls for the Indy 500? He may tie you this year if he wins the poll this year.

RICK:

Yeah, no, no. He does a great job around here qualifying. And I wouldn't put it past him. He looks like he's got a good shot this month. But it's like the race, you never know until the checkered flag falls, so you just gotta wait and see. But no, he's one of the best we've had in the business, whether it's qualifying or racing or whatever. Across the board, the championships he's won and obviously the you know, the way he can work his way through a race and fuel mileage, he's a racer, you know, period. And so he's ranked right at the top, you know, as one of the best, I think.

BRUCE:

One of your drivers, Will Power, is the best when it comes to all-time poles in IndyCar. He has the record. He broke Mario Andretti's record a couple of years ago, but he's missing one. He's never won the poll for the Indy 500. It's just another one of those examples where at the Indianapolis 500, what happens anywhere else doesn't happen here. It's always something different here.

RICK:

And it's a different kind of racetrack, period. And the speed of it, the size of it, the elements, the wind, and the way everything's affected by weather, it's just a different place, it really is. But that's what makes it unique, and that's what makes it what it is. That's like looking at Michael Andretti. You know, how well he's run around this place to not win it. You just never know about this place. But that doesn't, to me, make or break a driver in his career, you know, just like Michael. I've had people ask me, oh, you know, has his... Lex here would have been diminished by not winning Indy. And as far as I was concerned, no. Not as far as what I think of him as a talent.

BRUCE:

And then another driver on the team at Team Penske that won the poll in 2024, Scott McLaughlin. He's fast. He could be another contender for the poll. Of course, Josef Newgarden is a two-time back-to-back winning Indy 500 winner. He started on the front row last year. Who knows? This might be his year to get the poll. The other interesting thing about Scott McLaughlin is Simon Pagino is back working with him. And how great is it to see him back at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, especially with the fact that his racing career came to a little bit of an early end because of an injury he suffered at mid Ohio in 2023.

RICK:

Yeah, no, it's great to see him here. And we were just chatting yesterday a little bit, and it's just really good to see him to be here and to be able to help out and help work with Scott. And he's great at doing that, the way he does it and the way he's working with Scott. He's really helping Scott a lot. So we're tickled to death to see him here. you know, letting him help just, you know, whatever he can help with. That's what this is all about. And I know it's good for him because I've done that sort of thing with people and it just makes you feel good to feel like you're giving back a little bit and helping out a little bit. And it's rewarding, you know, from our standpoint or his standpoint.

BRUCE:

And finally, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum has been refurbished, re-imagined, redesigned. It's a palace. It was a palace when it opened, but that was back in 1975. Things have changed since then. Now it really is an incredible show place. And what do you think of it?

RICK:

Oh, it's gorgeous. I just finally got to see it for the first time this morning and it's just outstanding. It really is. I mean, everybody's got to go take a look. It's nothing like you've ever seen before.

BRUCE:

Plus, you took a guest over there. Three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano went over there, and he said it was quite an honor to have a tour guide like Rick Mears, a four-time Indy 500 winner, show him the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. How cool is it to see Joey Logano come to a practice day at the Indianapolis 500?

RICK:

Oh, it's great. It was an honor for me to be able to show him around. He's a hell of a driver and he's done a hell of a job for Roger in the Cup Cars, which is a very tough series. He's outstanding and he's a good guy. We had a good time over there just looking around and he was all enthused about it. He felt the same way. Everybody needs to go see that place, they really do.

BRUCE:

Well, Rick Marys, you've been a great friend, a great person, a great champion, a great winner, and a great legend. Good luck with Team Penske this year in their quest for Roger Penske's 21st Indianapolis 500 victory. The numbers just keep getting higher.

RICK:

Unbelievable.

BRUCE:

Welcome back to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental.

RICK:

Thank you very much, Bruce.

BRUCE:

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 Owner.

BRUCE:

Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy. Scott McLaughlin is attempting to win the Indy 500 pole for the second year in a row. We have two interviews of McLaughlin, so let's start off with an exclusive interview with the Team Penske star from May 2nd. It's the poll winner from the 2024 Indianapolis 500. It's Scott McLaughlin. I'm sure here in a couple of weeks you want me to introduce you as the poll winner of the 2025 Indianapolis 500. We'll have to wait to see how that happens, but how big a goal is that for you to be a back-to-back poll winner?

SCOTT:

Oh, no, I'm putting a lot more effort into trying to win the race this year.

BRUCE:

Of course you do, I was going to lead up to that in the next place.

SCOTT:

I know, I know, but look, it's the best place to start. But ultimately, it's so cool that I've been able to do it. And every time you run a qualifying round there, it's exhilarating. But it's so cool to have checked that box. Now I put a lot of focus on the actual race day a week later.

BRUCE:

How better prepared do you believe you are to win the Indianapolis 500 in 2025?

SCOTT:

I think I'm just as prepared as I was last year, but I think I'm more experienced being able to run at the front. That's the highest place I started the race ever and by a mile as well. Leading the most laps and understanding the cadence of the race from the front, that's a big thing for moving forward and making sure that, you know, I feel like this year I feel really comfortable and really experienced with what sort of will come at me.

BRUCE:

In our ever-changing world of trying to find something new, I've come up with one. This is going to be your first Indianapolis 500 as a father. Yes. So how important is that going to be for you, especially if you could celebrate in Victory Lane with your little daughter?

SCOTT:

That as well. And I'm American, Bruce.

BRUCE:

So do we get to claim that as an American winning the Indianapolis 500?

SCOTT:

I'd have to say, check with the stats people, but I believe I'm a Kiwi, but I'm a dual citizen, so you can claim both. You have to work that out between yourselves, but no, look, I take a lot of pride in being a dad and I can't wait to have Lucy there with me, her driver intros, if it's not too hot and whatnot, and it's going to be awesome to experience everything with her for that month for the first time.

BRUCE:

So what did you learn from the Indy 500 open test? How is the car different from it was before the hybrid assist unit was built on the car?

SCOTT:

It's going to be tough. You know, the weight is difficult. We have a hot day, a hot qualifying. Those four laps are going to be really difficult. And then the race itself with the tire dagger is going to be tough as well. Yeah, it's going to be an interesting day if it's hot and a lot of drivers I've spoken to felt the effects of the weight as well. But it's a lot of fun as well using it to pass people and that's been good too.

BRUCE:

So what is a month of May like for a driver in the Indianapolis 500 from the start to finish? You pretty much live in the infield because you have motorhome there. All the drivers live together. I'm sure there's times where you come back to that driver-owner motorhome lot and see a few drivers you don't want to see that night. But it's kind of its own little community. What is a month of May like for an Indianapolis 500 driver?

SCOTT:

It's the world's biggest Airbnb. It's an incredible place to go and walk your dogs and walk around. But obviously knowing, you know, I particularly like going the night before and just soaking the racetrack and knowing that there's gonna be 400,000 people there the next day. It's pretty cool. But, you know, it's cool, but it's a whirlwind. It goes really quick from the GP to the race on Sunday. It's nuts.

BRUCE:

team penske swept the front row in 2024. it was only the second time in indianapolis 500 history that the same team had swept all three positions in row one. the last team to do that was team penske in 1988. do you believe you can sweep the front row this year.

SCOTT:

I think, I'm not going to be quite willpower and say that we are, but I think I'm going to say, I think we're just as quick. So it'd be just up to whether the competitors have got a little bit quicker in the qualifying speed, but we can't rest on our laurels either. We've got to keep working and we have done and feel like we're even better.

BRUCE:

And what do you believe is the one thing that you can do differently this year to win the race?

SCOTT:

Just details. I need to work on just making sure every restart I do is good. Ultimately, the restart that cost me the race was really the one that helped Joseph win the race. So I've got to learn from that, and I have. I've worked on it. So there's a lot of details that I'm looking at, and hopefully it'll be better.

BRUCE:

Now a lot of people may see your teammate Josef Newgarden as being the current face of the Indianapolis 500 because he has won back-to-back Indianapolis 500. He's attempting to become the first driver to win three in a row. But how important would it be for Scott McLaughlin to displace him as the face of the Indianapolis 500?

SCOTT:

There's nothing more that I would love. I'd love to be just the winner in general of the 500. I think it'd be an awesome opportunity to do it for my team and for how much work, you know, I've put behind the scenes with my team and how much they've helped me. It'd be a massive... I'll be in debt to them for the rest of my life. But, you know, we've got to get there first. We'll execute and see what happens.

BRUCE:

And not only that, but if you win the Indianapolis 500, speaking of faces, you get to put your face on the BorgWarner trophy, and that'll be there for the rest of history.

SCOTT:

Yeah, I've always said it, that people ask, you know, championship or 500, I always say 500, because you're immortal when you win that race. It's an amazing, it's an amazing race with so much history, and I'd love to be a part of it.

BRUCE:

Well, Scott McLaughlin, you're always immortal in my book, but anyway. Good luck this year at the 109th Indianapolis 500. Good luck in the rest of the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season. And thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental.

SCOTT:

No worries, Bruce. Thank you, mate. Appreciate it. Thanks.

BRUCE:

We caught up with McLaughlin earlier this week for another exclusive interview for Pit Pass Indy. It wouldn't be a pit pass any presented by Penske Truck Rental without Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske. Hey, you won the last poll for the Indy 500 here in 2024. What are the odds you think you can win the poll again this weekend?

SCOTT:

Who knows? I think we're pretty quick. I don't think we've lost pace, but it's going to be a matter of if anyone's gained a lot of pace as well. So you never left wrestling laurels around here, but I think I felt good, I felt great in the open test, you know, I felt really strong. But it was a matter of me, you know, putting it all together. It's gonna be a lot more difficult from the hybrid perspective and then, you know, like doing the process of all that and then also holding on to the car when the tires go old. So it's tough.

BRUCE:

Team Penske mentor Rick Mears, four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, he's also the leading pole winner in Indy 500 history with six, has always said the Indianapolis 500 is two races. There's the race for the pole, and then there's the race itself. How big a race is the race for the pole?

SCOTT:

Oh, it's big. You know, and certainly I look at it this year, I want to peak the right Sunday. You know, I felt like I peaked too early. So, you know, I need to make sure that I'm good for both. But yeah, it's two completely different sessions, two completely different ways that you drive the car and think about what the car is doing. But it's fun. It's the fastest we go all year and it's a blast.

BRUCE:

There's a debate about whether drivers wanna be the leader in the Indianapolis 500. They have the clean air, but they're also using more fuel. How do you see that strategically during the race? Where do you want to be running for most of the race?

SCOTT:

Obviously, being in the draft is better for fuel, but I think being in track, those top three positions is key to the race. And that comes with exchanges and doing good jobs on that and whatnot. Yeah, so for me, I love being at the front. If you are using a little bit of fuel, I feel like you can get it back later on if there's a few yellows and stuff.

BRUCE:

And how much does the leader dictate the pace of the race?

SCOTT:

Oh, a huge amount. I mean, I was fully turned down leading the race last year. No one was passing me. So, you know, it's up to the people behind me what they want to do or vice versa. So, yeah, it's... There's definitely a limbo part of the race there where you're just sort of just driving around, just ticking off the laps. And, you know, it looks boring for the fans, but it's a very key part of the race for us.

BRUCE:

But the other factor is everybody keys their pit stop on when you pit, if you're the leader.

SCOTT:

Oh, for sure. Absolutely. And I learned that a lot last year. I think now having run the race at the front and understood the cadence of it and how much you dictate the race pace and the strategies, yeah, I learned a lot during that. And I'm excited to use that experience this year.

BRUCE:

Now, as far as the race itself, Obviously, that's the race. If you were given a choice, Polar Race, you'd want to win the race. Yes. How much better prepared do you feel you are now to win the Indianapolis 500?

SCOTT:

I thought I was prepared last year, but I didn't know how much it takes to learn and get the experience level up for leading the race. I feel very good. I've got all the tools that we need to do to win the race, but at the end of the day, the track chooses you at the end of it, so you just need to put yourself in position and hopefully it chooses you.

BRUCE:

of course you live in charlotte north carolina i live in morrisville north carolina not far from team penske and when you walk in the the indycar side of the team penske shop you see all those banners of the indy 500 winners the victory lane photos there's one driver whose face is missing from those banners and that's you how important would it be to cement your legacy as a great driver to have your face up there in Victory Lane as an Indy 500 winner?

SCOTT:

It's the biggest goal of my racing career. You know, I think, I feel like my career wouldn't be complete without a win here. And I'm very driven to do that. Luckily, I'm young enough, I've got time to continue to build and be better regardless. But yeah, I'm very, very excited to try and add my name to that list.

BRUCE:

And finally, you don't race with him, you race against him, but what makes Alex Pelos so darn good?

SCOTT:

He's just, when he's in a very, he's a very calm guy. When he's in a flow state, he's very hard to beat. Those guys are hitting their marks, they're fast right now, and they're doing a lot of different things, and it's credit to them. They're doing a great job, so I think they're going to be just fine, but we've got something for them.

BRUCE:

I lied, I have one last question after that. What has made Josef Newgarden so good in the Indy 500 the last two years?

SCOTT:

He's put himself in the right place at the right time. I think we've just been as fast as him, absolutely, but at the end of the day, he's put himself in the right places and he's taking the chocolates.

BRUCE:

Well, right place at the right time is where you want to be, not only on poll day, but also in the race. But Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, congratulations. on your season so far. Congratulations on last year's poll. Hopefully I'll be congratulating you Sunday night on another poll. Good luck in the 109th Indianapolis 500, and thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental.

SCOTT:

Thanks, Bruce. Cheers.

BRUCE:

Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports is back for his second Indy 500 with Errol McLaren. The current NASCAR Cup Series points leader and the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion is attempting to compete in both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the same day on May 25th. Let's hear from the versatile racing star in this exclusive interview.

KYLE:

You get your own. Yeah, that's nice.

BRUCE:

Welcome back to the Indianapolis 500, Kyle Larson. Kyle, it's going to be a busy week once again for you. You really seem to be a little more relaxed this year than last year. Is it because you know a little bit about how the pace and everything is going to work?

KYLE:

I don't know. I feel like I'm always relaxed, so I don't know. I don't really feel much different, I think. I think, you know, maybe last year, like if we had weather like this or whatever, you'd feel a little bit more stressed out, you know, because I didn't get to do it ever before. But this year, I don't seem too concerned with the weather, I guess, at this point.

BRUCE:

When you got back into the cockpit of the number 17 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, how important was the familiarity of everything in there? Because you've done it already. You were here for the open test. You now know about the hybrid. You know what that's going to feel like. How important is that to have all that familiarity when you're in a different type of race car?

KYLE:

Yeah, I mean, I think the Open Test helps for that side of things, just for a guy like me, just getting in the car after not being in it for a year and just getting re-familiarized with the buttons and switches and all that on the wheel. So, yeah, I don't know. It's not a huge deal, I think, you know, but it was good to get through the messiness of what the Open Test was for our team and then feel like we had a good first day yesterday.

BRUCE:

You had a dominating victory at Kansas Speedway this past Sunday. On your way out, did any of your cup competitors wish you good luck in the Indy 500? Because I know they're watching.

KYLE:

No, I didn't have a chance to talk to anybody. everybody's in a hurry to leave, you know, NASCAR race, so... And when you win a race, your time's taken up for a while. Yeah, yeah, we were busy, you know, for a couple hours winning, so... No, but I'm sure once we get to the all-star race this weekend, that's when people typically start asking questions and all that.

BRUCE:

Now, I know that you live in your own racing world, so you probably don't see much outside of it, but can you sense how much interest has been created by you doing this the past two years?

KYLE:

Yeah, I think so. I mean, I think last year was much bigger just because it was my first time doing it, where I feel like this year it's less, you know, cool, I guess, you know, doing it a second time, but it's still a big deal. So, yeah, I think, I mean, it's always great to feel the support and see the support on the internet and whatnot. So, yeah, hopefully we can do a good job and make everybody proud.

BRUCE:

Now, I know you want to win the Indianapolis 500, but you've also made the Coca-Cola 600 on May 25th as your top priority if there is a delay. That is your number one thing because that's your day job. That's your full-time job is to win another NASCAR Cup Series Championship. So in a lot of ways, knowing that up front, does that put you a little bit at ease come race day?

KYLE:

Yeah, I think so. I think it probably does give you a little bit more ease. You know, last year's I remember, you know, I guess it would have been later in this week, maybe, we started talking about, you know, the decision that was going to be had for Sunday. And yeah, it was a bit stressful. So, you know, now leading into this, it's less stressful just knowing what's going to happen and all that. And two, I mean, I think, you know, I got to race Indy 500 last year, so that was really cool. And, you know, obviously I want to do both, but if I don't get to, at least I've gotten to run the Indy 500 before.

BRUCE:

You've said this may be your last Indy 500 attempt for a while, because until your full-time NASCAR Cup Series career is over, but do you envision yourself returning here another time to run in this race?

KYLE:

Yeah, I mean, potentially, someday. I don't know. I mean, heck, it could be next year. You just really don't know. But I don't know. I don't really think about it right now. I just try to stay focused on what it's gonna take to do a good job here over these next couple of weeks and give ourselves the best opportunity to have a great experience.

BRUCE:

Who was more stressed out last year, you or your father, Mike? Because we know what it meant for his son to be racing in the Indianapolis 500.

KYLE:

I would say him probably, because I wasn't stressed at all. So I'm sure he was probably a little bit.

BRUCE:

But just how cool was it to come back here a couple of months later and win the Brickyard 400? The first time the race was back on the oval since 2020.

KYLE:

Yeah, yeah, that was really, really awesome. Definitely one of the coolest racing experiences I've had in my life. Obviously getting to win here at the Speedway, win one of the Crown Jewels in NASCAR, and get to kiss the bricks for the first time was awesome. you know, just all the tradition that comes along with this place is amazing and to, you know, win the Brickyard 400 was sick.

BRUCE:

You're having a great season in NASCAR Cup Series. What is the, do you believe that the number five Chevrolet is the best car on the grid right now?

KYLE:

I think it's hard to say. I think if I was to give an honest opinion, I think I think our team is just doing a really good job executing right now. I wouldn't quite say we're like the fastest every weekend. I think there's other teams that are faster than us, but the last few weeks, we've just done a really good job of just executing and not really making any mistakes. So that's what it takes to be up front consistently. So yeah, I think we still have room to improve our car speed, but as far as execution goes, we've been killing it.

BRUCE:

There's a million dollars up for grabs at the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro. I know you've talked about, hey, a million dollars, a million dollars. I want to win that. You've got a car. You do pretty well at that track. What do you see as being the key to be able to collect that money on Sunday night?

KYLE:

Yeah, I'll have to start last. So hopefully, I'll be able to pass some people. have some good restarts, good execution, just the same things it takes for every race. So yeah, we'll see. We had a shot last year, just our car wasn't quite good enough there to beat those guys, but yeah, we definitely had a good shot.

BRUCE:

And finally, does the kid in you ever walk by the BorgWarner Trophy and look at those faces? and try to look for a place to put your face.

KYLE:

Well, I haven't seen it yet this year, but yeah, sure. I mean, it's definitely something that I would love to have my face on someday. So yeah, we'll see. I know that your son Owen is fascinated by it. Yeah, having the kids here last year, that was cool. They were just really excited to be a part of the whole thing.

BRUCE:

Well, Kyle Larson, it's always great to catch up with you. Good luck in both your quest for another NASCAR Cup Series championship, the NASCAR All-Star Race, and good luck in the 109th Indianapolis 500. Thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy. Thank you. We'll be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break.

SCOTT:

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

BRUCE:

Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy. We wrap up today's show with three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano of Team Penske, who came to Indy 500 practice on Wednesday, May 15th. In this exclusive deep dive interview with PitPass Indy, Logano talks about a wide range of racing topics. We have a special visitor here on Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental. It's three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano, who's decided to stop in at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for practice day at the 109th Indianapolis 500. Joey, I know it's always a big thrill to come to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. But I believe this first time you've ever come for an Indy 500 practice. It is. It is.

JOEY:

And it's been pretty cool so far. I haven't seen the cars on the racetrack. I've never seen an Indy car on an oval before. We came here and we did the double header with the Grand Prix. And when the cup cars were running the road course as well, we had that that weekend. That was cool. That was the first time I've seen an Indy car on a racetrack. But I think seeing them on oval Something about going 230 plus miles an hour in the turn one. I really want to see that. So looking forward to that part.

BRUCE:

There are some drivers in racing, especially in Formula One, that look at the Indianapolis 500 and say, oh, I'd never try that, it's far too dangerous. But yet, I'm sure driving in a pack, a freight train at Talladega and Daytona, there's some of us who look at that and go, holy cow, that's risky. So as a race driver, how do you look at the Indianapolis 500, where as you said, they're turning laps of over 230 miles an hour, going 245 down the front straight.

JOEY:

Yeah, I mean, it's I mean, I'm sure it's all relative. Like you get used to it. I'm sure it feels super fast to start and then you get a little bit more comfortable. I'm sure at some point. I don't know how long it takes for you to get comfortable going that fast. Never been that fast. But, you know, I mean, it's Every form of motorsports has its forms of speed that feels like it's really fast, right? Whether it's sprint car racing, F1, IndyCar, and even NASCAR, right? There's places we go to where we're inches from the wall. trying to qualify, right? I think at Kansas last weekend, we were trying to hold this thing wide open just a few feet from the wall. It's a pretty crazy lap. Pretty similar probably to some of the things they fight here, just in different ways. And so I think over time, you get used to it, but there's no doubt when you're going 240, it takes longer to slow down. There's no doubt that you're gonna hit hard when you do.

BRUCE:

But the thing is, when you walk into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Indianapolis 500, you know that that is the one big race around the world that pretty much put auto racing on the map. There's a lot of forms of racing may not have been inspired to begin without the Indianapolis 500, starting all the way back in 1911. When you think about that, NASCAR started in 1948.

JOEY:

Right. I mean, there's no doubt to me that the Indy 500 is the most iconic race in the world, period. I don't know if there's a race that people talk about more or look look forward to seeing. I think it's one of the biggest things. And when you come here to Indy, take a minute to go through the museum because it just got redone. Oh, my goodness. As the first time I got to go through that was earlier today. And golly, I mean, it is done to the Penske way that everyone would come to expect, but even a little bit nicer than that probably. And it has so much history of all the cars and immersive experiences, some really cool interactive stuff for the kids, and just the coolest race cars. And they had NASCAR in there, they had IndyCars in there, they had a lot of different things. So it was really fun to check it all out.

BRUCE:

Of course, you started in Legends cars, Bandoleros, worked your way up through the grassroots of racing and stock cars, started off your career with Joe Gibbs Racing. i'd ask you earlier today how much you'd watch the indy five hundred as a kid you said you watched all forms of racing but i bet your interest level in watching the indianapolis five hundred in indycar racing increase we went to work for roger penske obviously obviously uh... there's a lot more reason to watch in

JOEY:

You also form a relationship with the guys working on the cars or the drivers. Usually we do a lot of things together, right? I mean, we share a lot of the same sponsors, right? We talk about Pennzoil and McLaughlin running the Yellow Submarine. I'm running the Yellow Submarine and the Coca-Cola 600. So we kind of have that going together with New Garden, with Shell, right? I mean, they're my primary sponsor most every single week. So that partnership and even, you know, with Will and Verizon We share a lot of the same partners, so we're around each other a lot. And so we wanna watch each other, we wanna support each other a lot. And obviously we're all on the same team, so it's cool to see that, because most of the time you're on the same team, but you may be competing against each other in one way or another. There's no competition to what they're doing, and vice versa. So you are generally very, very excited to see success anywhere in Team Penske.

BRUCE:

The birth of Penske Racing began with sports cars, with Can-Am cars. Mark Donahue, Roger Penske, they built sports cars, they engineered them, they raced them. But the heartbeat of Penske Racing, the glorification of the team itself, is actually rooted here at the Indianapolis 500. The IndyCar team is the most successful team in auto racing history. And then for him to return to NASCAR, to get involved in NASCAR, first with Rusty Wallace in the late 80s, and then all the way up to now to where you guys dominate the championship the last couple of years. You've won two of the last three. The team's won the last three straight. What does it say about a team that can be so good in the very top levels of racing in North America?

JOEY:

Well, I mean, I think just like anything else, and you hear Roger say this a lot, he talks about the human capital, he talks about people a lot, because that's really what the difference maker is, right? These days, as far as parts and pieces to the race cars, there's not much that we can do anymore. The next gen car is basically a spec car. So it's the details of how you put them together in the most efficient way. How do you get your setup to be a little bit better? How can you make your pit stops just that little bit better? You're erasing the finest details. all the way through now. So it's not like you can build a car that's just way faster than everybody. So you gotta be really good at details and it takes an extreme amount of effort to gain the smallest amount of advantage. But we have a lot of people that take it very, very serious and they wanna win and they're gonna find that advantage any way they can, no matter the size of it. So it goes back to the people. I mean, that's the simple and most honest answer I can give you is, It takes a great team of people that work together, that understand each other, that can pick up each other's weaknesses and be able to just win. That's the biggest piece.

BRUCE:

what was the level of satisfaction and personal accomplishment for you to get a nascar cup series championship the same year that team penske won the indianapolis 500 with joseph newgarden for the second year in a row and also the Porsche, Penske, Motorsport, Acura won the IMSA title in the same season. That had never been accomplished before. And when you think of everything Roger Penske has accomplished, there's always new things that he accomplishes that have never been done before.

JOEY:

You think he's done it all. How do we add more to it? What can we do? Um, it's there's, I mean, he's raised it in so many leagues. It's kind of crazy. Right. And you think about like how much things he's racing with AIDS. It's deeper than you can ever imagine. Not to mention the businesses he's involved in, all the other stuff the guy does, it's a lot. So it's really special to be a part of his team, right? It's an honor to be a part of the team. And the part that I recognize the most, just going back to the people, is that it's not just the motorsports side that we see, right? That might be the part that's most in the limelight because of sports right people see that and all that but i'm telling you when you go to any of his dealerships or any other businesses he's in it's you can tell when roger had his finger on it you can just it's the look of it it's the way people act is the way people look all of it is like yep you're you're a penske person aren't you like you can just you just know it

BRUCE:

Definitely Penske material, as they said on Science Out. As far though as the NASCAR championship is the last championship in motorsports that's crowned the season, other than Formula One, they go even later. But you have the honor of giving Roger his last big trophy of the year, and that has to really be special because it really caps off a great year for him.

JOEY:

Yeah, I mean, I don't think it matters when you deliver a championship, as long as you do it. It doesn't matter when. But the championships are, I mean, that's what we race for. I think we want race wins and those type of things, but we're really just To me, it's all about championships. It's all about the big trophy at the end of the day. And, um, you know, to be able to bring that to team Penske for three, you know, three years and, um, three years in a row, if you count Blaney, um, you know, altogether. So it's been fun to have been part of four of them since I've been there over there at Penske and, um, you know, we're not done yet.

None:

Yeah.

BRUCE:

You mentioned the next-gen car and NASCAR. What do you think when you see the IndyCar? It's actually the Dallara chassis that's being used on the current IndyCar actually began in 2012. It's had different iterations. But what do you think as a race driver when you look at that, when you look at the cockpit, the environment and wonder, what it's like compared to the environment that you have in your shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang. Yeah, I think it's tight.

JOEY:

It looks really tiny in there. But you're talking to a guy that races stock cars, big cars. I got a whole passenger seat over there that nobody uses. Right. It's just empty. So I'm used to having all this space around me. And you look inside an IndyCar and it's just It's just tight, right? Like their wheels tight, they're in there, they're scrunched in there. I'm like, ugh, this doesn't look comfortable. Like they're laying down, like the seating position, like all of it is very, very different. Like I said, it takes time. It would take time to get used to stuff like that.

BRUCE:

I've always said to myself, imagine what it'd be like to be basically laying on your back, heading down the front stretch, going into a 45 degree turn at 230 miles an hour, with the rear about a half, two inches above the asphalt. Yeah, if that, right? Hammer down, baby. I don't know what to tell you. I'm sure it's wild. One thing a lot of people may not realize, though, your seat's in your stock car. You're in there pretty tight, too, although you've got more room in the cockpit. The seats, you guys are locked down.

JOEY:

Well, yeah, you don't want, you don't want your body to move, right? When you crash, it's the last thing you want is your body to be moving around. So, you know, we're, even though there's space around us, you're in this little cocoon that you got really no space, right? Like my legs don't move. My, my shoulders don't move. Like I'm in once I'm in, I'm in, I'm not moving until I get out, um, you three hours later or longer. So it's just what it is.

BRUCE:

So the Indianapolis 500 is famous for its three abreast starts, 11 rows of three, the turbulence that drivers mid-pack and in the back feel from all the cars on the track, full throttle. So you as an NASCAR Cup Series champion, how do you describe the feeling when you're mid-pack or even deeper at Talladega or Daytona when it's just, you're just packed in there in one giant freight train?

JOEY:

Yeah, it's just it's different than IndyCar. Just depending on the track, too, though. Right. I mean, you brought up Daytona, Talladega, but you look at Kansas or Texas or Atlanta. They're all every one of them is unique and dirty air and what you're looking for. And, you know, when you go to the mile and a half type racetracks, you know, Charlotte, and you're talking about Coke 600 coming up, like you're gonna be in a wad to start, and dirty air is brutal, right? Like it's really hard to get your car to turn, to do what it needs to do, but when you go to Daytona, Talladega, you guys are about to draft. You're wide open all the way around, handling is not as much of a premium, so it's all about how you work the draft to move your way forward. It ends up being, I always say, it's a card game, right? You gotta know who you're competing against, Card does matter, right? So the deck of cards that you get, right, your hand of cards, it matters, but you can still win with a crappy hand. You can still figure it out if you play your cards right. You're doing all this at 200 miles an hour. And so the draft is a much different and obviously our draft is much more physical where, you know, an indie card, they don't, they're not laying bumpers to each other where we're literally pushing each other around the racetrack and a lot of instances. So just a different game.

BRUCE:

Having covered NASCAR as long and as often as I have, I know that throughout the season, throughout a career, every driver in that field is going to have an issue with every other driver in that field. So when you're in an instance like that, how do you develop the trust to know, it's OK, these guys that I'm racing with, I trust. I know they're going to race me clean.

JOEY:

Well, I mean, because it's self-policing to a certain standpoint, right? You race against the same people every week. It's not like you're going to race them six months later and everyone's going to forget about things. It doesn't work like that. It's self-policing, believe me. And as far as working the trust, no one's jumping in a cup car unless they should be out there. It's the elite level. It's the best of the best, more times than not. So every now and again, there might be someone that is new or came from a different series. wanting to try it out and see what it's like. That one, you know, those moments you're kind of like, let's just kind of tiptoe around this guy for a little bit. But more times than not, everybody's fine.

BRUCE:

Did you feel that way about Elio at the Daytona 500? He didn't have as quite a good a go at it as he hoped he would have.

JOEY:

Um, yeah, I mean, it's the same way as if you asked me to jump in and run this Indy 500, right? Like, am I going to be lights out? No! Like, and I don't think it's fair to ask any IndyCar guy to jump in a cup car and just be fast, no matter what the track. But I mean, I thought Elliot did fine. He got caught up in a few crashes, some of his own doing some out of his own doing just kind of is there. As part of learning how to run the speedways, though, right, is just trying to put yourself in the in the safest spot at times to when you're when you can't be in the front, how do you survive it? But I mean, those are just the parts of the game, right? It's parts of that card game you got to figure out.

BRUCE:

I'll ask you this question a little more delicately than I asked earlier today. Being at the Daytona 500, covering the Daytona 500 this year, it was obvious you had the best car in the race, but yet you weren't running at the end of the race because you're already in a crash. The circumstances that can happen at Daytona that determine the winner, the winning car this year was ninth coming out of turn two on the final lap, wins the race. You don't usually see that that often at Indianapolis, although it can happen. There's the J.R. Hildebrand heading to the checkered flag and he crashes in turn four on the final lap, Dan Weldon wins the race. But in a lot of ways, would you like to see Daytona has become Daytona and the fans expect that type of finish every year. But as a driver, would you like to see it a little bit more to where that doesn't happen as often? To where the best car and the best driver get rewarded.

JOEY:

I hate to see crashes on the last lap because you don't get to see all the runs materialize or all the hard work materialize into a victory. But unfortunately, that's just kind of the speedway racing we have, right? We talk about, you know, if we're going to be three, four wide pushing each other, and you're going to call it one of the biggest races of the year, the Daytona 500, the blocks are going to be bigger, the runs are going to be bigger, the pushes are going to be stronger, and cars are going to get out of control. All it takes is one. All it takes is one mistimed block, one push that's not quite lined up perfectly and gets a car a little squirrely, and boom. We're all bumper to bumper to bumper, so we're all going to crash. Unfortunately, that happens a lot towards the end of the race because there's so much on the line. There's an attitude in some of our races that it's all or nothing at times for the Daytona 500. What are you willing to do to win the Daytona 500, right? And if the IndyCars look the same and were the same, you put IndyCar drivers in cup cars, it would look the same eventually, right? They would figure it out and say, well, it's the biggest race of the year. What are we willing to do? We got cars that can do things that are different. Our cars allow us to do that stuff. And unfortunately, it's on one hand, it's super, super exciting. and fun to watch, but when things go wrong, it's super bad.

BRUCE:

He's not your teammate. You race against him every Sunday, though, in the NASCAR Cup Series. But how intrigued are you with what Kyle Larson is trying to do in the Indianapolis 500 for Errol McLaren?

JOEY:

Why everybody's watching, right? Everybody wants to know and he's, you know, in year two of this, so he should have a little better, um, at least understanding of what he's up against. It's, it doesn't make the challenge any smaller though. I think he's just more aware of what's probably coming his way. Um, but boy, he's, it's a huge challenge to just jump in an IndyCar. He hasn't raised one since last year. So, and these guys race every weekend and these things, they're comfortable. And we talked about just the seating arrangement, right? Like how different that is. Well, imagine how different the car itself drives. It's a big difference. And then not just that to make speed. Now you got to think about race craft. How do they race each other? How do they pass each other? How does pit road, the little, the little details, those small little things. He's, he's got to be on information overload, just so much stuff.

BRUCE:

You're pulling for a Penske driver to win the 109th Indianapolis 500, but in some ways, do you feel that Kyle Larson is carrying the flag for NASCAR?

JOEY:

Here in Indy, absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. And in the same ways that Elio came to Daytona and carried a flag for IndyCar, right? In the same way we're seeing it the other way around with what Larson's doing. So I think it's cool. I think it's great. It's great for both series. It's great for IndyCar and it's great for NASCAR. It's a cross-pollination in a way.

BRUCE:

OK, practice is about to start for the Indy 500. I know you want to see that, but just real quick. Would you ever want to try this?

JOEY:

I would like to try to drive an IndyCar, absolutely. Do I want to race one? Probably not while I'm racing Cup. And my only reason for that is because I want to give it 100%. If I'm not gonna do it 100%, it's not worth me doing. It's not worth me just starting a race and saying I started the Indy 500. I don't care about that. I would want to win the Indy 500 or at least have a chance at it. And I don't believe I can do that while I'm racing Cup full time. And so at that point, I'm taking my effort away from Cup to do a halfway job at IndyCar and a halfway job in NASCAR. Oh, I'm not going to win nothing if I do that. And now I'm just showing up at two races. I'd rather put it all into one. That's just the way I do it. Larson's a different story. He's able to manage things differently than me somehow. But for me personally, that's all I can speak on is that that's how I would have to do it.

BRUCE:

And of course, none of this happens without Shell Pennzoil. You're driving the Pennzoil Yellow Submarine in the Coca-Cola 600. Scott McLaughlin's driving the Yellow Pennzoil Submarine in the Indianapolis 500. Great day for Shell Pennzoil to display all of that, the two biggest races of the year. That's got to be a great honor for you.

JOEY:

Oh, absolutely. We're ready to make it the best we possibly can. Hopefully it's two awesome Pennzoil Yellow Submarines in victory lane in one day.

BRUCE:

Well, three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano of Team Penske, enjoy your day here at the Indianapolis 500 practice. Good luck for the rest of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. Good luck in the championship. And thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental. Thank you. And that puts a checkered flag on this edition of Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental. We want to thank our guests, five-time Indianapolis 500 pole winner Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing, six-time Indy 500 pole winner and racing legend Rick Mears of Team Penske, 2024 Indy 500 pole winner Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske, NASCAR Cup Series points leader and IndyCar driver at Arrow McLaren, Kyle Larson, and three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano for joining us on today's podcast. 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. Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental is at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 109th Indianapolis 500. We will have regular and bonus episodes all month, thanks to our friends from Penske Truck Rental and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Tickets are going fast for the 109th Indianapolis 500 on May 25th as it gets closer to selling out. So get yours today before all grandstand seats are sold. Contact the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Ticket Office at 317-492-6700 or visit ims.com. 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.