IndyCar Series Champions Alex Palou and Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing. Also, Pato O’Ward, Graham Rahal and Scott McLaughlin

dROGER:

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 Barton, a journalist who regularly covers the NTT IndyCar Series. Our goal at Pit Pass Indy is to give racing fans an insider's view of the exciting world of the NTT IndyCar Series in a fast-paced podcast featuring interviews with the biggest names in the sport. I bring nearly 40 years of experience covering IndyCar and NASCAR, working for such media brands as NBCSports.com, SI.com, ESPN Sports Ticker, Sports Illustrated, Auto Week and Speed Sport. So let's drop the green flag on this episode of Pit Pass Indy. Welcome to Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental as we continue our fifth season of giving IndyCar fans an inside look at the most exciting form of racing on the planet, the NTT IndyCar Series. 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. Pit Pass Indy is off to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for this week's big two-day Indy 500 open test. All 34 cars and drivers that will compete at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May in preparation for the 109th Indianapolis 500 will be on the famed 2.5-mile oval on Wednesday, April 23rd and Thursday, April 24th for two solid days of testing. On today's show, we have some big-name drivers talking about the Indy 500 Open Test, as well as other IndyCar topics. These interviews were conducted before the 50th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, which was won by Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Global. We'll start off the interviews with the driver that finished a heartbreaking second in last year's Indianapolis 500. It's Pato O'Ward of Monterrey, Mexico, who drives the No. 5 Chevrolet for Errol McLaren. Here is an exclusive interview with Award for Pit Pass Indie. He's a fan favorite everywhere, but especially here in Long Beach, Southern California. It's Pato Award of Mexico. Pato, you gotta be jacked up every time you come to Southern California, because you know there's a lot of Pato Award fans out in that crowd.

PATO:

It's the biggest market that I go to during our season. I love coming here. It really is a track that has been a challenge, I would say, but we're determined to make it a good one this weekend.

BRUCE:

You've been fast everywhere this season, haven't gotten into victory lane yet. Alex Palou is off to a very fast start, but it's still early. How do you feel about the start of your season in 2025?

PATO:

I think it's been a good season so far, but definitely a lot still to go. It's important to make these weekends and extract the most out of them, even if maybe you're not the strongest, but when you are, you have to take advantage of that.

BRUCE:

The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is a marquee event on the IndyCarSeries schedule. How important would it be for you to win this race?

PATO:

I would say it's the second biggest race on our calendar and it's one that it's always been on my list. to win, and I would love for this weekend to be our Long Beach weekend, because in some way, shape or form, we've never left here with a very good feeling of, you know, I think we did a phenomenal job in Long Beach. I think it's always been a bit of a chaotic and bittersweet feeling when we leave here, so I would love to leave with, you know, with a trophy in our hands.

BRUCE:

The week after Long Beach is a week off because of Easter, but then after that, everybody heads to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the two-day Indy 500 open test. Very important two days of testing. How important is it for you?

PATO:

It's the start of the month of May. It's the start of what we hope to be, you know. We hope to be having that opportunity again to win that race, but it's a whole process. I mean, it's a different beast to qualify and it's a different beast to race. So you're trying to set up two different race cars to have optimal opportunities.

BRUCE:

The weather is likely going to be far different than what you'll experience in May. So how do you translate what you learn in the test over to what may happen on race weekend?

PATO:

You don't really translate it so all you can do is learn from what you got and then just make sure all the engineers have a very good clear idea of what direction to go to.

BRUCE:

You're always a happy, fun-loving guy, but I have to bring up a somber moment, a guy that you probably got to know. He was Kyle Larson's PR director. John Edwards passed away the Thursday before Long Beach. I don't know how much time you got to spend with him, but he was a pro's pro when it came to PR. And what do you remember about John Edwards?

PATO:

I actually didn't... spent a lot of time with him but I know he was, you know, very loved in the paddock and I do think we, I share that with the rest of the fans and of inside of the paddock that, you know, he will be missed and I know that Kyle obviously is feeling it. I know Jeff Gordon, he was his guy for so long and Yeah, he's somebody that is definitely going to be missed in the paddock. And, you know, may he rest in peace.

BRUCE:

And I know that he meant a lot to your PR team that you work with. And I know this has got to be a difficult weekend for them, too.

PATO:

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it's it's never easy to to deal with, you know, such a loss. But, you know, I'm I'm I'm happy that everybody is is kind of coming together and, you know, really you know, really wishing that he was here, but also, you know, appreciating everything that he did for the motorsports community.

BRUCE:

Very well said, Paddle Ward. Good luck in the Acura Grand Prix in Long Beach and good luck at the Indy 500 Open Test coming up. Thank you very much. Next up is Graham Rahal of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Rahal is never afraid to voice an opinion as he joins me for this exclusive interview. Joining us now is the man who's quickly becoming the conscience of the IndyCar paddock. It's Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman of Hannigan Racing. Graham, a lot of people had some opinions about the race at the Thermal Club. Personally, I thought as far as racing went, it was a darn good race. You do too. What was it about that event that really kind of created a strategic race?

GRAHAM:

Well, I mean, yeah, I mean, I kind of said it in my Speed Freaks deal, but I just thought, You know, it's good to open eyes to people out there that maybe haven't had the IndyCar exposure and experience. And, you know, we're starting to get a taste of that. People that could be influential or a part of the sport as we go forward. So, you know, look, I get it wasn't the ideal world with, you know, 100,000 or 200,000 fans like you're going to get here at Long Beach, but, you know, still is quite good. So, you know, look, we turn the page. We're here at Long Beach. You know, this week, we're looking forward to the challenges ahead. Hopefully, we're going to have a great weekend in the number 15 Fleet Cost and Care Car.

BRUCE:

The 50th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. You've been coming out here for a long time. Oh, yeah. I don't know whether you were out here when your father raced out. Yeah, yeah. I used to come out here. That was always a highlight of the season. Oh, yeah. And it's huge now. And we go to races sometimes where we're able to get from point A to point B fairly easily. except at Long Beach and Indianapolis and some other stops on the circuit. It's a struggle to get through all the fans that are out here.

GRAHAM:

It's a great weekend, man. It's a you know that I know that it's a great weekend to be here and a lot of good people. A lot of history out here in Long Beach. 50 years. Tremendous, you know, beautiful weather and great racing. So been here a lot, I guess. I mean, I've raced here a lot, so I'm looking forward to continuing to do, you know, a handful more years here. But just a tremendous venue. Lots and lots of people. Very passionate people. Stood the test of time in Southern California. Continues to be one of the highlights out here as well.

BRUCE:

What's your favorite Long Beach memory?

GRAHAM:

Well, I mean, my favorite probably, you know, the win, the second place that I had here, um, you know, a few years back or third place or the hell it was. Um, if you don't win, you don't really remember that well, but, you know, finished on a podium with, uh, with, with J. Will and, and taco was pretty cool. Uh, should have been on the podium. What a year or two after that got the penalty on Dixon for last lab block supposedly, which was fine. Um, but no, I mean, it's a, this is a great venue. Um, You know, I actually just really enjoy coming here and, you know, being here with my family and reminding me of my past, like my youth growing up, watching my dad here. You know, it's definitely a great weekend for everybody.

BRUCE:

There's glamour at this event. You'll have people who are involved in Hollywood here. You go all the way back through its history. Shoot, George Harrison of the Beatles was here one year. You've always had some celebrities show up to this thing. And I think that IndyCar is as much about the glamour as it is the racing.

GRAHAM:

Yeah, it is. Not Formula One-esque in that regard, but I definitely think it's still as big. And then, you know, for me, I think, like, just the exposure and the ability to be close to Hollywood is clearly, you know, is clearly a big deal as well. But I don't know what they have planned on the docket for this year, you know, but I'm excited to get out there and get racing.

BRUCE:

After the Acura Grand Prix at Long Beach, there's a week off for Easter, and then everybody loads up and goes to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a two-day Indy 500 open test. How important is that two-day test?

GRAHAM:

For our team, it's huge because it's going to give us an idea of where we stand. Right. So, you know, I think for our for our race team, that's going to be a massive test to. Yeah, sure. We're not qualifying yet, but we're going to have an idea of where we're at and if we're fast or we're not. So I'm certainly looking forward to that.

BRUCE:

An old friend of mine is now your boss at Ray Hall Letterman Lanigan Racing. Yeah. Former IndyCar president Jay Fry. If you could tell us what it means to now have him running your team on a daily basis?

GRAHAM:

look forward to seeing what he can do. I think his media connection or his marketing connections, his manufacturer connections, his ability to, you know, run, uh, you know, run, run the sport, run the team, uh, balance budgets, a higher driver, all the things he's had experience with in the past, I think is going to be huge for us. So I'm looking forward to that.

BRUCE:

You and Jay were tight way back when he first started with IndyCar. And is it almost like having an old friend now?

GRAHAM:

Oh, yeah. No, well, we've been tight all along. I mean, very, very close. So it's certainly going to be great for us. I think I think we can really hit the ground running and things should be awesome.

BRUCE:

And the other thing that Jay brings, he knows the ins and outs of how IndyCar operates and how valuable is that to have that from a team basis?

GRAHAM:

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think like he definitely has a ton of experience. You know, I mean, a ton of experience at all different levels of it. And so I think that's going to be that's what's massive for us. And he and I have been buddies. We've been close friends for a long time and same with dad. So, you know, I think dad's going to feel very comfortable to turn over the keys to the machine and let let Jay go do what he needs to do.

BRUCE:

And from a personal standpoint, we can only imagine what it feels like for Jay to walk back into the IndyCar paddock.

GRAHAM:

Oh, I'm sure he's going to have a good weekend. You know, I'm sure there'll be a lot of smiles on his face. So, like I just said, I'm super, super freaking excited to have Jay.

BRUCE:

and also to be able to come back to the Indianapolis 500. I know you've had some struggles there in the past, but now your optimism for going into it in the 109th Indianapolis 500 in 2025.

GRAHAM:

Yeah, I feel good. I feel really good about it. I feel good about you know what we've got ahead of us. I think the team is trending in the right direction. Um, I mean, no, overall, I'm, you know, I think that we've, we've turned a bit of a corner here and we're going to continue to work hard to improve. Obviously, like we just talked about, the test is huge because Indy 500 is what our eyes are on and trying to make sure that we don't embarrass ourselves and we can keep pushing hard, but no, man, I think it's a bit, they see, I mean, look, we started here this week and we get a couple weekends off of racing, but once we get back going, it's gonna be an absolutely insane, what, four months, so we look forward to that.

BRUCE:

It certainly will be, but Graham Rahal, good luck this year in 109th Indianapolis 500. Thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy. Thank you. We'll be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break.

SCOTT:

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

BRUCE:

Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy. Alex Pillow has started the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season with back-to-back victories and a second-place finish in the most recent race at Long Beach. He has a 34-point lead over Kyle Kirkwood in the championship standings as he heads into this week's Indy 500 Open Test. Here's my exclusive interview with Pillow before the 50th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. He's gone two for two, so why not go three for three here at the Acura Grand Prix at Long Beach Race. You've never won yet, by the way. It's Alex Flo at Chip Ganassi Racing. Alex, great start to the 2025 season. How do you keep it going?

ALEX:

Yeah, working on the same simple things that we've been doing. all off-season and the beginning of this season. It's tough, honestly. I'm super proud of the amazing work we've been able to achieve this start of the season. Because, you know, it's super tough to win one race, but to win two in a row, the first two of the year, it's really, really tough. So, yeah, I'm looking forward to having a great weekend in front of us here at Long Beach. Never won, but honestly, I feel like we had cars here that could win and we've never had the perfect day so looking for that one.

BRUCE:

We went from a race that was intentionally limited number of fans because it was a private club at the Thermal Club to a race where you can't get through the paddock because of all the fans at Long Beach. Just how cool is that to come to an event that has so many fans and is such a popular event and an historic event?

ALEX:

It's amazing. I love it. It's my It's our second biggest weekend of the year after the 500, and you can feel it now. It's like Friday, we've not been on track, and it's tough to walk on the paddock and on the pit lane, so it's amazing. It's amazing to get back here. I think that's what makes IndyCar so special. It's the people, it's the energy that they bring, it's the cheers whenever you roll into pit lane, and yeah, I'm happy to be here.

BRUCE:

Would you say this is the track that you race the best at that you have yet to win a race?

ALEX:

Yeah, probably. I actually feel like we've raced really, really well, really fast. We've had many, as I said, many chances to win, but we've never won because somebody else was better than us that day. But yeah, I feel confident.

BRUCE:

I know you're in high demand here, but real quick, after Easter, we're heading to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the two-day Indy 500 Open Test. How important is that? What does the team hope to accomplish during those two days?

ALEX:

Super important. I mean, it gives us a baseline. It gives us a quick check of like... All the things we've worked throughout the year since last year, as soon as we finished the 500 until now, are they on the right direction or not? Did we find a bit more speed or not? A bit more balance or not? So I'm excited. I think everybody's excited to go there and everybody's hoping to get more speed than we had last year.

BRUCE:

Well, Alex, hopefully we'll be able to spend more time talking to you when we're at the Indy 500 Open Test. Good luck at the Acura Grand Prix at Long Beach. The 50th one's a milestone. I'm sure that'd be a big accomplishment for you. But good luck the rest of the year and thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy. Thank you, Bruce. Our next two guests can be described in one simple phrase. Great Scott. It's six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion and 2008 Indianapolis 500 winner Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing and Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin, the pole winner from last year's Indy 500. Dixon is the second-winningest driver in IndyCar history with 58 career wins, just nine victories behind the all-time leader A.J. Foyt. Dixon is a former Indianapolis 500 winner, but that was way back in 2008. Since that time, Dixon has come close to many more wins in the Indy 500, only to see another driver take the checkered flag. But Dixon is as fast as ever and should be another major threat for the win in the 109th Indianapolis 500 on May 25th. Dixon joins me for this exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview. Our old buddy Scott Dixon is back. He's the defending winner of the Acura Grand Prix at Long Beach. Just think, if you win this back-to-back, you'll be the winner of the 50th anniversary of the Acura Grand Prix at Long Beach. How big would that be?

SCOTT:

Yeah, it's definitely the goal. I think last year was definitely a tough way to do it, but we still managed to pull it off. This year, you know, there's definitely lots of changes, whether it's with, you know, car weight, the hybrids, tyres, even race length is different. So, it would be interesting just to see how that kind of plays out. But, yeah, confident St. Pete was definitely very good. We had great speed at thermal, you know, messed up in qualifying, which cost us, you know, I think a really good result there.

BRUCE:

You won the Indianapolis 500 in 2008. You've won a couple of Acura Grand Prix's in Long Beach, although it did take you a while to get the first. But when you add that to your list of accomplishments, how big of a deal is that to a race driver in the United States and in the world?

SCOTT:

Yeah, I think, you know, you look at history and obviously, you know, they're celebrating a big milestone here this weekend with, you know, the 50th. You know, the only race kind of really like that is like the Indy 500, obviously a lot longer. But, you know, just the size of the event, you know, the atmosphere, It's just one of those really cool events that we get to come to each year. And for me, my first time here in 99, finished second and then won in 2000 in Indy Lights. But yeah, it definitely took me a little while once we got to the bigger cars.

BRUCE:

You also had some near misses. I remember the Levin-Pitt Lane blend line when I believe Simon Pagino was given the position when, if you looked at the tape, He may have messed up the blend line a little bit, but it just goes to show you the fierce competitiveness the drivers have, because this is a tough track to get track position at.

SCOTT:

Yeah, for sure. That would have been a great time to go back to back. And, you know, it's no fault out of, you know, Pagino. He's just looking for, you know, the maximum, you know, kind of performance out of that. And IndyCar didn't call it or whether it was, I don't know, a partial rule at the time or whatever it was. No, you know, like, it's always like that. You know, I think it's always about, you know, kind of finite times that we have, you know, in and out laps and all that kind of stuff, and definitely makes it pretty interesting, but that's why we all love it, too, is, you know, trying to win.

BRUCE:

IndyCart just came off of a race at the Thermal Club where it was intentionally limited fans because of the way the venue is set up. A private club. Now we're at a racetrack that's got tons of fans and you can barely walk your way through the paddock because of all the fans that are here. So what's it like to come to Long Beach? Every year you know there's gonna be a ton of fans that come out here to celebrate one of the greatest races in the world.

SCOTT:

Yeah, it's cool, but you know, it's not just about the racing, you know, they have concerts, they have, you know, the stadium trucks, they have, you know, a really party atmosphere, they got stuff for kids, you know, that's what really makes it fun, it's on the beach here, you know, the weather's always perfect, you know, it's just always a combination, but I think when you compile that with, you know, a 50 year tradition, people know about it, they know it's the same time, they all look out for it, and yeah, it's cool, man, it's great to see so many people out here and coming to the race.

BRUCE:

After the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, there's a week off for Easter, then everybody heads up to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a two-day Indy 500 open test. How important is that test for a successful month of May?

SCOTT:

It's, you know, I think anytime you're on track and anytime you're testing, I think it's definitely big. You know, I feel like you don't really run your 500 car, you don't really run a lot of, you know, updated parts and stuff at that test. It's really just for us at least as a team to focus on, you know, set up, you know, at least this year actually for the first time they'll have the, you know, qualifying boost, which is an addition for that test, which should be pretty good. So yeah, you try to just tick some boxes. eliminate a bunch of things that you don't really have to focus on, I think, once you get to the month of May.

BRUCE:

The weather conditions will probably be a lot different at the test than it will be during the month of May. So how do you translate what you learn in the test over to the car with hotter conditions?

SCOTT:

Well, May can bring anything, right? So you never know. Even the test in a couple of weeks could be an 80-degree day. you know, we'll see how it goes. You can't do anything about weather, you know, it's just one of those things, but yeah, the engineers and the group have a bunch of calculations for all that, so you know where you need to be and, you know, how to understand it better. The same on the engine side with Honda, so yeah, that's part of testing, man.

BRUCE:

As we tape this interview with the Acura Grand Prix has not happened yet, so judging your start of the season off the first two races, how would you judge it?

SCOTT:

Pretty good, you know, I think we've had good performance, you know St. Pete, you know, I think we were on to a win there and obviously came up short just because we kind of really had no strategy going with the lack of comms but Yeah, Thermal again had great speed But you know made the mistake in qualifying and that kind of impaled us in the middle of the field. So Yeah You know, we've definitely got some work to do. It's been great to see, you know, what the team has done, especially with Alex and the 10 car group. And, you know, they're definitely off to a dominant start. And, you know, hopefully, hopefully one of us can kind of slow that challenge at the minute.

BRUCE:

Do you marvel at the start of the season that he's had and really at the three, four year run that Alex Polo has had?

SCOTT:

Yeah, it's been strong. There's no doubt about it. You know, I've had starts to the seasons of similar you know, kind of context too. And you just, you know, when you're in that moment, man, you just got to take it as it is and try to keep that ball rolling. And I know they will. But as a group, I think even when they've, you know, had some struggle weekends, they're able to turn it around spectacularly. So, you know, good job by them.

BRUCE:

Well, Scott Dixon, it's always a pleasure to have an interview with you. Good luck in the Acura Grand Prix at Long Beach. Good luck at the Indy 500 Open Test. And thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy.

SCOTT:

Thanks, man. Appreciate it.

BRUCE:

We wrap up today's show with Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin, who is rapidly becoming a star in IndyCar. But he's also an avid golfer and spent time out of the race car watching the Masters. We try to keep it in the fairway and out of the rough in this exclusive PitPass Indy interview.

ROGER:

Bruce, his own sign. Bruce and his own sign.

BRUCE:

That's right. It's a big sports weekend this weekend as we got the 50th Acra Grand Prix of Long Beach, but also the Masters. You being the best golfer in IndyCar, I'm sure.

ROGER:

Oh, that's a big title.

BRUCE:

Well, shoot. I mean, Graham Rayall says it's not even fair to play golf with you. You're so good. He's said that in the past. He said you smoked him a couple of weeks ago.

ROGER:

Yeah, he hits it further than me, though. But yeah, I get, but I'm better than him. Yeah, nah, let's go with that.

BRUCE:

Well, my question is, between sessions, how much are you watching the Masters?

ROGER:

I've been watching the Masters all morning. I'm actually staying on East Coast time, purely so I go to bed at eight and wake up for the first tea times. But because we have races early, it's fine. So I love the sport. It puts me in a good mindset, good or bad. But yeah, it's nice. It's weird to be racing on Masters weekend, but it is what it is, and hopefully we still get decent ratings.

BRUCE:

You have some pretty influential people that you work for. Have they gotten you to the Masters before?

ROGER:

I've been to the Masters before, not on competition days. I actually enjoy going, I go to the practice day, and you see the players in a more chilled environment, and then I go home and watch it on my couch, but this time I'm watching it on my iPad.

BRUCE:

So back to racing, it's the 50th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Huge event on the IndyCar Series schedule. Second biggest race in the schedule next to the Indianapolis 500.

ROGER:

How big of a deal is it to Scott McLaughlin? Outside the 500, this is the win that I want. It's a crown jewel event. It's an event with a lot of history. All the good drivers in IndyCar history and F1 history have won here. So I would like to be one of those people and to win it at the LA in the market, that's pretty cool. And obviously growing for IndyCar would be really, really, really special.

BRUCE:

How challenging is this race course? A lot of times we don't see a lot of passing at Long Beach.

ROGER:

It's tough because I think the last few years have been hard because a lot of us have been saving fuel. I think there's opportunity to make some moves here, but it does provide a little bit of risk doing that as well. So I think it'll be interesting to see how the races race this weekend and where we're at.

BRUCE:

So does that make qualifications here more important than at many other races?

ROGER:

Yeah, it always is. And unfortunately, half the reason why I've been on the back foot here over the last few years is because my qualifying hasn't been great. So we've been fast, but we need to be better. And we'll work on that. But it is very important to get off to a good start in qualifying on Saturday.

BRUCE:

after the 50th Acura Grand Prix at Long Beach. Week off for Easter, then everybody loads up, heads to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the two-day Indy 500 Open Test. How important is that for you, for your team, and for everybody that's gonna compete in the 109th Indianapolis 500?

ROGER:

Well, this year is the first time with a hybrid, so this is very important for everyone, just to get an idea of where we're at in the car. We know we're fast, we know we're there or thereabouts, but it's a matter of learning what you have underneath you and how you can use the hybrid to the best of your ability, but also to be a little different to other people and use it as an advantage. It's definitely going to be a play here this year, and I'm excited to learn about it over the next couple of days, and hopefully we have some good weather.

BRUCE:

With the extra weight of the hybrid, how much is that going to change the way the car feels?

ROGER:

I don't know. I can't tell you that right now, but from what Joseph said when he did the tests in October, it doesn't sound like the car has changed a huge amount, but obviously the weight is a fair difference. So it's just a matter of trying to get the balance right in the car. Not so much the feeling is probably going to be similar, but I think that the balance number that Ben, my engineer, needs to hit is going to be a little bit different.

BRUCE:

If you win the Indianapolis 500, maybe you'll get invited to the White House, just like my teammate, Josef Newgarden, your buddy, 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion, Ryan Blaney, and also three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, Joey Logano, along with Mr. Penske, got to do earlier this week. How big of an honor would that be to go to the White House and meet the president?

ROGER:

A huge honor, regardless if you're red or blue, I think it's to go to the White House and see the history of the country and to be honored like that by probably the most important person in the world would be a huge honor for me and someone that I find it's a privilege to live here in a country this big and with this much opportunity. So let's just win the 500 first, but I would 100% take up the invitation to go to the White House.

BRUCE:

And also the President of the United States is a big sports fan. Earlier in the week, the Los Angeles Dodgers were honored in the White House for winning the World Series. And the fact that there is a President of the United States that honors the great achievers in sports, how important is that?

ROGER:

Oh, it's great. I think sport makes a lot of people happy. And to be honoured like that is special regardless of what you do in sports or whether you manage a car company, I don't know. But it's something that, to be honoured like that and to go to a place that's very hard to go to and see and be a part of, it's an amazing thing. So, yeah, I count myself very lucky to live here in America and to have a country that recognises your achievements whilst you're here is pretty cool.

BRUCE:

Did you have a chance to talk to Ryan Blaney? Because I know you two are tight.

ROGER:

Did he have any good... What did he thought was the biggest experience of doing it? He just thought he was super chill and they had an awesome time. To go in the Oval Office and see how thick the doors are and the walls are and all that sort of stuff is pretty impressive. I spoke to him after and he was pretty pumped about it. Like I said, an awesome opportunity.

BRUCE:

But equally impressive is what you do behind the wheel of a race car. So how would you assess your first two races of the 2025 season?

ROGER:

Up and down like a yo-yo, Bruce. We need to try and get a little bit more, get it plateau a little bit here, but we're okay. I think, you know, we showed some good speed regardless of the problems that we had at thermal. I thought we were okay in the race, just, we're just too far behind. So, and then we had the hyper drama, so it is what it is.

BRUCE:

And here it is, middle of April, but we're all looking at the calendar and we know the month of May is getting closer and closer. That's the month everybody in IndyCar lives for.

ROGER:

Do you feel it getting closer? I feel like every time we get to Long Beach, you know, it's not too far away. So, no, it's exciting. This next period, once we get through Long Beach, Easto, all that stuff, it's going to be pretty crazy from here on in, from the open test. So, excited for what's ahead.

BRUCE:

Well, Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske, good luck, especially here at Long Beach, and also heading to the Indy 500 Open Test. Good luck in this year's 109th Indianapolis 500, and thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental.

ROGER:

Thank you, Bruce, as always.

BRUCE:

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

JOSEF:

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

BRUCE:

And that puts a checkered flag on this edition of Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental. We want to thank our guests, Pat O'Rourke of Arrow McLaren, Graham Rahal of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, three-time IndyCar Series champion Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing, and his six-time IndyCar Series champion teammate, Scott Dixon, and Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin, 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. PitPass Indy is at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for this week's Indy 500 Open Test, and we'll have a special bonus edition later this week with more interviews from IndyCar's biggest stars. This has been a production of Evergreen Podcast. A special thanks to our production team, executive producers are Bridget Poyn and Gerardo Orlando. Recordings and edits were done by me, Bruce Martin, and final mixing was done by Dave Douglas. Learn more at evergreenpodcast.com. Until next time, be sure to keep it out of the wall.