More from the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg with Tony Kanaan, Pato O’Ward, Louis Foster, Devlin DeFrancesco, Callum Ilott and Robert Shwartzman

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, Auto Week, and Speed Sport. So let's drop the green flag on this episode of Pit Pass Indy. Welcome to this special 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. Let's welcome back our friends from Penske Truck Rental as they return to sponsor Pit Pass Indy, helping bring you the inside stories of IndyCar from the paddock to the racetrack to the highways and streets of America. The season is off and running after a fantastic Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the season-opening race for the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season. Congratulations to race winner Alex Pillow of Chip Ganassi Racing as he begins his quest for a third straight NTT IndyCar Series championship, which would be his fourth overall. Earlier this week, Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental, featured interviews with Polo and other key IndyCar Series stars immediately after the race. On today's special bonus edition, we have some in-depth interviews with key figures from the IndyCar paddock entering the race weekend at St. Petersburg. We kick off today's bonus edition with an old friend from the paddock, 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner and 2004 IndyCar Series champion, Tony Kanaan. During the off-season, the former driver was elevated to team principal at Arrow McLaren, taking over that role from the departed Gavin Ward. Pit Pass Indy caught up with Canan for this exclusive interview at the Arrow McLaren livery unveiling at The Pier in St. Petersburg to kick off the season-opening IndyCar Series weekend. Joining us now is an old friend. It's Tony Kanaan, who now has a new role. He is the sporting director of Errol McLaren. Tony, if I had said to you a year ago or two years ago that you were going to end up running Errol McLaren's IndyCar team, you would have probably told me, go away, you're crazy. Are you even surprised that this has happened this quickly for you?

ROGER:

I mean, yes. I think, you know, it wasn't planned, but obviously I think I I've been around racing for the longest time, like you, you know that, and it became gradually something that I think I was getting more familiarized with, obviously, with my whole experience, even when I was racing, selling the sponsorship, and then you just bring, you know, the story with KV, when we built that team, it suited me pretty well, so I'm pretty humbled, Bruce, to have the opportunity, obviously, It's a hot shoe to fill. It's a big brand to represent and the expectations are no less than we need to succeed. So I don't have a problem taking pressure. I think that's, you know, my racing career prepped me for that pretty well. So, but yes, he had told me that a year ago, he says, you're dreaming. What are you talking about?

BRUCE:

What did you learn as a driver that has prepared you for this role?

ROGER:

Yeah, to take the pressure and then to actually have your team to work around you that believe at the same goal that you have. I think that is something that I created with my own crew when I was racing, for them to believe no matter the situation we were in. And I would say making the quick decisions without debating too much and taking risks because sometimes you don't know the outcome. I think that is something that a race car driver has. just because we do it very often more than probably anyone else.

BRUCE:

When you reach a certain level in this sport where you become an elder statesman of the series, you know you're going to work with younger drivers. You have three pretty young drivers on your team. Pato Award is still pretty young. And then you've got the youngest driver in the series with Nolan Siegel and also another young driver, Christian Lundgaard. So how much do you like working with younger drivers?

ROGER:

You know, I think You look at my history, I had young teammates my entire career and tried to help it out with my experience. And I think the good thing about that is they're more receptive sometimes to listen, you know, what your experience or what you can bring into the table. But I mean, Pato is young, but he's very experienced. I think my job with Christian and Nolan is just to put them at the right spot. And if I can avoid some of the things that I can bring the experience in for them to reach the top quicker. I mean, that's my job.

BRUCE:

You've driven for an Andretti, you've driven for A.J. Foyt, you've driven for Jimmy Vassar and Kevin Kalkob and some really huge names in the series. How much did that help prepare you to work with Zach Brown, who really can be a very inspirational individual in international motorsports?

ROGER:

I helped quite a bit, obviously. I knew Zach. I've known Zach for 30 years, but I know Zach's expectations. And the two names you mentioned, those guys were obsessed with winning races, and that's all they care at any cost. So to me, that helped me quite a bit, because it's just the mentality that I had, too. You know, I think you've got to be a racer to be able to lead a team or a crew, because the obsession of winning, you know, the... It's not just about winning. To me, the fear of losing, it's actually bigger than anything. And that's why you want to win at any cost. And Zach is like that. And to me, it's just managing the pressure and how much the expectations that everybody put it on us.

BRUCE:

Now, I mentioned the name Andretti. How strange is it to be in an IndyCar paddock without Michael Andretti being an IndyCar team owner anymore?

ROGER:

It's weird. Obviously, Michael is a big part of my career. I've won pretty much everything with him apart from the Indy 500. But I guess we can still have Mario around and the Andretti name is still on the team. But yeah, it's going to be an adjustment.

BRUCE:

At the Indianapolis 500, Kyle Larson from NASCAR returns. And we saw how great he was last year as a rookie. What are your expectations in round two? How much better he'll be at this year's Indianapolis 500?

ROGER:

Well, I think we set the bar really high. Kyle won't settle for anything less than a win, and neither do we, so our job is to give him as fast of a car or faster than we did last year. And with a year under his belt, you know, for him to have a little bit more experience, but he's extremely talented, and the expectation is to put him in a position to win the race.

BRUCE:

This is the 20th anniversary of an old friend of yours, Dan Weldon, when he won here in 2005. Dan left us in 2011, but his memory still lives on. When you reflect back when IndyCar came here, this version of IndyCar arrived in 2005. It really began a great time with IndyCar and St. Petersburg, and the event continues to grow. But what do you think, reflecting back 20 years, The 20-year celebration of Dan Weldon winning here.

ROGER:

I mean, it was a 1-2-3-4, right? If you guys remember. So this is one of my best memories. Look, this was a great venue from the get-go, right? We talk about opening season in a beautiful place. So this was always a good place to come. And for me, very special because obviously we didn't know what was going to happen to Dan, you know, a few years later, but... This is something that we can keep his memory alive. For me, one of my best memories, it was the one, two, three, four, like I said, as a team with all my friends. So I think we've, Bruce, you've been around like I am. We've been growing IndyCar every year and the passion for the sport to make it bigger every year, it's what we're doing and we'll keep doing it.

BRUCE:

But this race has grown to become the East Coast version of the Long Beach Grand Prix. And to know that they were able to turn this event into that type of success. It's got to be something that everybody that's involved has to be very happy for and proud of.

ROGER:

A hundred percent. I mean, big props to IndyCar, big props to Kim and Kevin, Savery Green, IndyCar from, you know, keep insisting on venues like this. And this is, like you said, we're probably not going to be around this race. It's still going to be around, you know what I mean? You and I, I mean.

BRUCE:

And of course, it begins a new era on Sunday as Fox Sports becomes the television partner for IndyCar, their first race of what we hope is a long-time relationship. They've already done a tremendous job of promotion. How excited are you about the possibilities that Fox Sports can do for IndyCar?

ROGER:

It's a new relationship. I think we had a great run with, you know, NBC. They did a lot for us, too. You know, a new relationship. Everybody's pumped. I think it's an opportunity. I think we're going to help each other quite a bit. They're putting a lot of effort in. I mean, if you look at from how much they're promoting on their own channel, on the Super Bowl and everything else, it's a... Great opportunity, now it's up to us to make it better.

BRUCE:

Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't bring this up, but our old buddy Elio Castroneva's got to run his first Daytona 500. I don't think he expected to be a pinball like he was on the track.

ROGER:

Yeah, I talked to him quite a bit and he's like, man, this is a lot different and, you know, I've learned a lot, but you know what? It was great to see him there. I think he elevated our names as well, you know, but made it even more put it in the car out there. But yeah, it was painful to watch him getting hit left and right.

BRUCE:

Well, the thing is, I don't think he drove well. It was the other drivers that got into him.

ROGER:

Right. I mean, he got obviously this Daytona, right? It's a close racing. I don't think it was anything that he did wrong. It's just the way that race is.

BRUCE:

Well, Tony, you and I go back a long way and hopefully we'll go even further a long way into the future. But good luck in your new role as team principal at Arrow McLaren. Good luck in 2025. And thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy.

ROGER:

Thank you, my friend. Appreciate it.

BRUCE:

The star driver at Arrow McLaren is Pat O'Ward, who entered the weekend as the most recent winner on the streets of St. Petersburg. The weekend did not go as planned for the popular driver from Monterrey, Mexico, as he started way back in 23rd position, but he pedaled his way back to an 11th place finish. I caught up with Ward for this brief interview on Friday, February 28th. It's Mr. Popularity himself, Pato Award, Errol McLaren Racing. Pato, we're talking to you before the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, where you're the most recent winner, but you didn't get to celebrate that victory in Victory Lane. How bad do you want to celebrate this victory in Victory Lane should you win the 2025 Firestone Grand Prix of St.

PATO:

Petersburg? I'd love to go back to back, that's always the goal when we come here. We want to start the year the best as possible and for us it's crucial to make sure that we extract the most out of our tools and we do our best with what we've got. Every year doesn't mean that it's going to go the same as the last, so it's always starting with a blank slate.

BRUCE:

A lot of people need to remember that you've run well here almost every year. You had the plenum issue the one year where you probably should have won that race. Didn't end up winning it. So what is it about this course that you do so well?

PATO:

I don't know. I just I love starting the year here. It's an amazing city. It's a beautiful track. The fans are always super excited to see us. And it's a track that's got a little bit of everything. I mean, we're racing down an airplane strip. That's pretty cool.

BRUCE:

Do you get a little bit of a bittersweet feeling returning here because of the circumstances of how last year kind of went where it was six weeks before you realized you'd won the race?

PATO:

Bittersweet? Not at all. No, I mean, we got three points at the end of the day and second place was still phenomenal. So we're, you know, we've got an opportunity to go back to back. I don't think we've ever done that in my IndyCar career, so it'd be cool to do that.

BRUCE:

But you can't recreate the feeling of winning a race, being in victory lane and celebrating. You were denied that because of the way the race played out.

PATO:

So that's probably something you're most looking forward to. Well, yeah, that's the whole point of actually getting it done, you know, then and there and that weekend. So looking forward to it.

BRUCE:

And final question, how much more are you being recognized because of your Fox Sports commercials?

PATO:

I would say that people look twice more now. I've definitely noticed that. So there's no more Paddo who? It's Paddo there.

BRUCE:

Over there, yeah. Paddo Award, good luck in the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season. We'll catch up more this season. And thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy. Cheers, man. We'll be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break.

SCOTT:

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

BRUCE:

Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental. One of the things we like to do on this award-winning podcast is introduce you to new drivers in the NTT IndyCar Series. Louis Foster is a rookie at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing after winning the 2024 Indy Next by Firestone Championship. Foster joins veteran driver Graham Rahal and Canada's Devon DeFrancesco on the RLL Squad. Here's my interview with Foster entering the race weekend for Pit Pass Indy. Getting ready to start his rookie season in IndyCar. It's Louie Foster of Ray Hall Letterman Lanigan Racing. Louie, you're getting ready to begin the season here at St. Petersburg. You were the most recent IndyNex by Firestone champion. Turn that into a full-time ride here in IndyCar. Just how excited are you to get this thing started?

LOUIE:

Yeah, you know, super excited. I mean, it's accumulation of many, many years of hard work. And, you know, the last three years abroad in America, spending my life here. So I'm super excited to get going. The team has done an amazing job so far of getting me up to speed, you know, and we'll just see how we can perform on the weekend. I think it's a weekend with not many expectations for myself. Just see how it goes and try and learn as much as possible.

BRUCE:

Interesting dynamic at Rahall Letterman Lanigan Racing. You have a longtime veteran driver in Graham Rahall, who still really isn't that old. He's probably in the prime or the peak of his career years. He's in his 30s. Then you've got two young guys, Devlin DeFrancesco and yourself. So how does the dynamic work? How much have you guys been leaning on Graham for maybe some driving advice? The team's deep in engineering talent. So how would you describe the dynamic of working with them?

LOUIE:

Yeah, you know, obviously, I think it's been said quite a lot recently, you know, Graham's bit of the team dad, to be honest with you. So it's been great. I mean, Graham is a really, really great dude. He knows a lot about IndyCar racing. I mean, hell, he did his first IndyCar race, I think, when I was about... four years old, so he's been around a lot, and he knows a lot of information that's going to take a while for me to get to understand. You know, he's really good with getting the best out of people. That's what I think I've seen a lot of him recently with the team and the new personnel. He's really great at bringing people together. So, yeah, so far, it's been really great. And obviously, Dev coming back as well with two years of experience with Andretti, you know, he's got a lot of inputs as well from that side of things. So, yeah, there's a lot of different dynamics within the team, but I think, yeah, mainly it's me and Dev leaning predominantly on Graham.

BRUCE:

Before heading to St. Petersburg, you had the two-day IndyCar spring training open test at Sebring Raceway. How much difference did you find between driving the IndyNex by Firestone car and the IndyCar?

LOUIE:

Yeah, there's quite a lot of big differences, obviously, I would say. Firstly, just the organization itself and how things are run in IndyCar. It's very different to IndyNext. It's obviously now a full professional organization with Rahul Etemalanigan Racing compared to what I was used to in a junior category with IndyNext. So that's a big thing, is getting to learn people's names and getting to know people and stuff like that. It's a much bigger organization, right? And then on top of that, you know, the car itself, you know, it's pretty insane. It's hard to describe. Super, super well-built, and everything's buttery smooth. The downshifts, you don't even feel them. You know, there's just so many things that are new that I have to learn, especially the hybrid system as well, which is new for everyone as well, not just myself. So that one's also quite a big thing for me that I've been having to try to wrap my head around and understand exactly how that works and the best way to optimize that as a driver.

BRUCE:

What are the challenges of the IndyCar?

LOUIE:

So far, it's been, I would say, quite plain sailing. Had a few just getting used to things such as the brakes and how hard it's hitting and what pressures you want to be able to hold and stuff like that. Smaller things that you kind of... Growing pains with every car. As it stands so far, I found the transition relatively easy, but I think it's... It's about getting the peak performance out of the car and understanding how far you can push the car is the hard part. And that's where I think your drivers like Polo and Dixon are really, really honed in their craft after all these years that they're able to find that sweet spot.

BRUCE:

Ray Hall Letterman Lanigan Racing has one of the most spectacular race shops in IndyCar up in Zionsville, Indiana. What was your thoughts when you first walked in there and saw that place?

LOUIE:

It's absolutely insane. I mean, yeah, I had no idea, honestly, until after I had signed. I hadn't been to the shop until I'd signed. And yeah, I walked in and it was crazy, you know. It's a really, really great facility. Obviously, they run both the IMSA program and the IndyCar program out of it. And yeah, it's a great facility and it really gives us the opportunity to grow as a team. You know, we've got the facility, we've got the people, we just need to put it all together and make it work.

BRUCE:

And it also shows the commitment the team owners, Bobby Rahal, David Letterman, and Michael Lanigan are giving to IndyCar. And they're in it for the long haul. And that has to give the series and the drivers a lot of confidence in what they can achieve.

None:

100%.

LOUIE:

I mean, I really, honestly couldn't ask for better team owners. And I'm not just saying that because they're my bosses. They're great guys. You know, Bobby, obviously, everyone knows Bobby Rahal, everything that he's done. And you know, Mike and David, they're just massive race fans. They love it. They love the sport. I think David's coming this weekend as well on Sunday. So they're huge race fans and yeah, they're just the best. So I'm looking forward to working with them for hopefully a long future.

BRUCE:

We've reached a point in the Indian X by Firestone series where the champion of the series is getting a true opportunity to compete in IndyCar. How important do you think that is for both series? Super important.

LOUIE:

I mean, obviously, I have so much respect and, you know, credit given to the IndyCar Ladder and the Road to Indy. You know, they've helped Micra out massively. Without that, I wouldn't be here today, that's for sure. So, yeah, obviously, it's great. The last two years, we've had drivers immediately get promoted. But at the end of the day, obviously, it's all about the money and the prize money and how much you get as an IndyCar and IndyNext champion to go up to IndyCar. And nowadays, IndyCar is only getting more and more expensive. So I hope that that trend continues on into the future. But yeah, it's been great, obviously, for me, and I think it's a very important thing for the sport.

BRUCE:

Also, IndyCar gets to start the season every year in the Firestone Grand Prix, St. Petersburg. Beautiful weather, beautiful city, great vibe, a lot of excitement, big crowds. How cool is this event to start the season?

LOUIE:

Yeah, I think everyone has the same opinion of this. It's lovely. I love it here. It's a beautiful sunrise, great crowd, Florida weather. Get away from Indiana in the winter when it's not particularly lovely, you know. So it's lovely. It's nice to come here. It's a great track as well. It's super unique being half a street and half a runway, which is pretty different to most. So yeah, I love St. Pete. I always enjoy coming back here. And also the nightlife is great as well. So after, if you have a good weekend, you can go out and have some fun.

BRUCE:

And the other thing about the IndyCar series schedule is after St. Pete, you get to go to Palm Springs. Then after Palm Springs, a couple of weeks later, you get to go to Long Beach. So it really is a pretty good traveled series for the drivers and everybody that follows it.

LOUIE:

Oh, 100%. I mean, yeah, we get to go to some pretty cool places across the country. Obviously love going to the warm ones at the start of the year. And then obviously as the summer kicks off, it's always warm. So that's the nice thing about IndyCar is pretty much everywhere you go, there's sun. So it's lovely.

BRUCE:

One last question, IndyCar announced in their pre-season updates on the memo, they're gonna lengthen a few of the races, add some laps to a few of the races, make them a little bit longer, maybe create a little bit more in the strategy to where there won't be so many fuel-saving races. Although, depending on where the yellow falls, you can always have a fuel-saving race. But what do you think of the decision to lengthen some of the races?

LOUIE:

I don't have an opinion on it, to be honest with you. Obviously, I haven't raced the previous distance races, so it's difficult for me to have an opinion. But I think if it's done for the purpose of trying to make the races more interesting, I'm all for it, you know. We'll see how it plays out. But yeah, like I said, it's going to be my first time ever at these tracks in IndyCar, so it's going to be difficult for me to have a say on whether I think that's better or worse. Let's see how it goes. Hopefully, it makes the race more interesting and better for fans.

BRUCE:

And finally, every driver gets into racing because they want to win races, but as a rookie, what do you feel your realistic goals and objectives are this year?

LOUIE:

It's difficult to say for sure, but I think the obvious one that we're trying to aim for is Rookie of the Year and Indy 500 Rookie of the Year. Those are the two key points. Outside of that, I think, honestly, just learn as much as possible, be a sponge to people like Graham, really understand as much as possible, and really have a good foundation to attack the rest of my IndyCar career.

BRUCE:

Well, Louis Foster, good luck in your rookie season in IndyCar. Good luck at the Firestone Grand Prix in St. Petersburg, and thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy. Thank you. After a one-year absence from the IndyCar lineup, Devlin DeFrancesco is back in IndyCar as he joins Rahal Letterman-Lanigan Racing. DeFrancesco tells me his hopes and desires for the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season in this exclusive PitPass Indy interview. He's back in the NTT IndyCar Series. It's Devlin DeFrancesco. Now he's with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Multi-year deal. Here we are at St. Pete getting ready to start the 2025 season. How excited are you to have everything lined up this year?

DEVLIN:

I'm hugely excited. I can't wait to get going. I'm very grateful. I'm very happy to be back. There's been a lot of people involved to help make this happen. And the first test that we had in Sebring, I think, went very, very well. So I'm looking forward to getting going.

BRUCE:

During the off-season at IndyCar Content Days, Graham Rahal raved about the feedback that you're able to give the veterans on the team and your teammates. And he said, I think a lot of people have really undersold what Devlin really knows about racing. So what is it about the ability to give that feedback that has been so helpful to Rahal Letterman-Lanigan Racing?

DEVLIN:

I think we found a good path and a good direction on what way we need to go down and what way is working. Graham's been a huge part of this. Graham's been a huge part of me coming aboard without him and his support. I don't know if it would have happened, so hugely grateful to him. I think we're going to really move this team up the grid and I think we're going to have a very good year.

BRUCE:

And also you're working with a rookie, Louie Foster. He was the IndyNex by Firestone champion last year. A lot of people say this guy's a really talented driver. And what have you learned so far working with Louie?

DEVLIN:

No doubt about it. You know, as I said on IndyCar Media Day, Louie's a a very big talent to dominate Indy next the way he did. When he jumped in the Indy car, he was up to speed right away. I think the team has put a lot of work in in the off-season as well. I generally think we're going to have a strong year across all three cars. I think all three entries are going to be quite strong in helping each other move forward.

BRUCE:

When you're a race driver without a ride, like you were last year, how difficult is that? Because you're trying to put a deal together. Sometimes you have to be ready in case a team lets go of another driver. They might put you into the car. That has to be one of the really tough sides of this business.

DEVLIN:

It was very tough for sure. But, you know, I think there were actually a lot of positives. There were a lot of positives about it. You know, being able to reflect on what went wrong in 22 and 23 and what I needed to really work on to make sure I was better, you know, if I got that second opportunity. And, you know, I did and I'm hugely grateful for it, but I think it's really helped me. shift my mindset in a way and really work on the weaknesses that I had. And, you know, right from the word go in Sebring, you know, we had a good two days or two half days there. And I'm looking forward to seeing how we get on and how that translates into St. Pete.

BRUCE:

How different are you now than when you were with Andretti Global before? And how much more experience do you have sitting back and learning from 30,000 feet?

DEVLIN:

I think it allowed me to take a different perspective. and really focus and be analytical on what I needed to work on and what I needed to improve on to make that next step. Because, you know, when I was racing for Andretti Global, Andretti Autosport at the time... And, you know, there were flashes of very strong moments. And I think, you know, with my team on the 30, and I really have a great team of great group of people around me on how we're going to make that more consistent over the year and make sure they're not, you know, short one-offs, you know, short, big one-off bursts of great speed, but to make sure we make sure that's more constant over the season.

BRUCE:

Ray Hall Letterman Lanigan Racing has a spectacular racing facility in Zionsville, Indiana. Some people call it the Garage Mahal, but when you walk into that place and see how lavish and opulent it is, the team owners have really given you guys a lot of tools to succeed. What did you think when you first walked in there?

DEVLIN:

You know, I was pretty taken back when walking into the workshop there. And you know, when I went into the engineering office, we immediately sat down and got to work. They're a real, real hungry group of individuals, that's for sure.

BRUCE:

And as far as some of the engineers and other people that are working on the team, how impressed are you by the depth that Bobby Rahal and David Letterman and Michael Lanigan have put that team together?

DEVLIN:

It's hugely impressive, you know, just being at our partner summit last week, you know, the three owners there, they're leaving no stone unturned. They want to win, they are hungry to win, and they're doing whatever it takes to make sure we're at the front and They've given us the tools, now it's up to us to go out and execute. What are your expectations for 2025? I think we're going to run quite well. Exactly as to where, it's always difficult to put a number on it. We'll see how we get on, but I think we should be quite competitive.

BRUCE:

Nobody gets into this business to finish second or third or below that. Winning is the ultimate goal. So how far away do you feel you are from achieving that ultimate goal?

DEVLIN:

I don't know yet. Time's going to tell. I feel I'm in a very good place. I'm in a good place mentally. I've got really good people around me. And I think we've made the package better. Even just in that two half days in Sebring, we were able to to work on some of the things we need to work on car-wise and myself as well. Just getting the, you know, the rust off after not driving for a while. Let's see, but I'm optimistic.

BRUCE:

And as I said, we're here in St. Petersburg, Florida on a cloudless day with the sun beating down on us. How do you even describe to people what it's like to have this long off-season in IndyCar and then all of a sudden a lot happens in a hurry?

DEVLIN:

It's just the nature of the beast, right? You have to always be ready. You know, I was out of it for, I didn't drive an IndyCar since September of 23 at Laguna Seca. And we had two half days in Sebring and here we are in beautiful, sunny St. Pete. So it's up to us to make sure at whatever time, whatever place we're ready to get in and execute right away.

BRUCE:

And what do you think of St. Pete as the kickoff to the season? It's been going on now for 25 years. It's an extremely popular event. It just really seems to be IndyCar's version of spring break in many ways.

DEVLIN:

I think it's the best place to start the year. Sunny, happy Florida, great city. You know, streets of St. Pete is always a nice place to be. It's nice restaurants, good atmosphere, good fans. It's just the atmosphere of this place is unbelievable. It's a great city. It's a great first round for us.

BRUCE:

Well, we wish you a sunny and happy 2025 season in IndyCar. Devlin DeFrancesco of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Good luck this year and thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy.

DEVLIN:

Thank you very much.

BRUCE:

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

WILL:

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, presented by Penske Truck Rental. Prima Racing has entered the NTT IndyCar Series this season and is off to a flying start with its two drivers including Callum Eilat and rookie Robert Schwartzman. Prima has been involved in European racing for 40 years, but this is its first season in IndyCar. In the March 2nd Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Eilat started 27th and finished 19th. Schwarzman, racing in his first ever IndyCar Series event, started 18th and finished 20th. Here is my exclusive interview with Robert Schwarzman entering the race weekend for PitPass Indy. Preparing for his first NTT IndyCar Series race, it's Robert Schwarzmann of Promo Racing. I've learned how to pronounce it properly. Here we are in beautiful St. Petersburg, Florida, to start the season. How excited are you?

ROBERT:

I'm very excited, honestly. The place looks really nice. We've got really good weather. Really nice place. Obviously, there is a lot of excitement because everything is unknown. I have no idea how is the track, what's it going to be like, how does it feel. So, you know, it's like first time going to the class. It's just like... whatever it's going to be, whatever it's going to be. But honestly, I'm looking forward to it. Finally, it's the first one. I think it should, from my side, it should be a good starting point for the season, you know, just to start off. And then from then on, we just keep on moving and improving. And yeah, I'm really excited. Before you came to St.

BRUCE:

Pete, you spent a couple of days at Sebring Raceway to be able to get strapped into the race car and take laps around there. What did you find most interesting about the IndyCar?

ROBERT:

Well, honestly the car feels pretty good, it's actually quite a fun car to drive. Obviously it's not easy, you have to battle it, the car can be a bit nervous, but overall as the car I think it's a pretty cool car. It seems to be also quite consistent in terms of drivability and stuff. We had a lot of testing going on with the car, trying some new options. Overall I was actually happy with the car because it was giving us a pretty good info for me as a driver, you know, in terms of the changes. So overall the car is actually nice to drive. Did it feel like a GP2 or a GP3 car? Yeah, I think it's like... closer to GP2 than F2, if I remember, because I've driven a bit in GP2. But yeah, I would say it's a little bit faster feeling-wise than the F2, GP2 thing. So probably it's somewhere in the middle of F2 and Formula 1. But yeah, somewhere there.

BRUCE:

Prima has a very impressive operation, a lot of tools to work with on that team and a lot of experience in other forms of racing. What do you believe is a realistic expectation for the team this year?

ROBERT:

Next year this year this year. Sorry well Honestly, I don't know. I think I want to believe we're gonna be very competitive and good, but obviously everything is news It's a bit like pointing my finger up in the sky And so we don't know but I I don't really want to focus on it right now on the results I just want to focus on the process on the working things with my team, try to improve it, try to build up a proper team around me, around generally as a Prema. And I think the result will come anyways. You know, Prema, it's a winning team. The amount of races and championships they have won, they've shown their spirit and their mentality.

BRUCE:

Because the team has such a deep background in European racing, are they bringing a lot of European influence and thinking to IndyCar?

ROBERT:

Yeah, and I think it's a positive thing, honestly. You know, it's always good to have both, like a combination. So obviously in the team we have some, like Steve is the engineer of Callum. He has good experience in IndyCar, he brings his experience from here. But then my engineer is Joao, he's coming from Formula One. So, you know, we're trying to combine the two and I want to believe that that's a very good thing in terms of combination to have both. How big of a character have you found your teammate Callum Eilat to be? He's a funny lad. I'm actually quite good with him. We have no issues, so everything is going smooth. So hopefully we're going to work together well and develop the car, develop the team. Yeah. Also, you both come from similar backgrounds, so that has to help. Yeah, for sure. I mean, we both come from Hypercar from last year and previously from F3, F2, so we know how things are done. So we're pretty much in the same boat.

BRUCE:

for IndyCar to start the season at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Beautiful weather, beautiful city, great vibe. It's like IndyCar's version of spring break in many ways. How exciting do you find the atmosphere being now that we're getting ready to finally start the season?

ROBERT:

As I said before, really excited. As I said, it's really beautiful here. I just want to have good fun driving the car, getting to know the track and generally the series. So overall, I'm very excited and looking forward for it.

BRUCE:

And finally, how have you found the United States in terms of being here, your visits here, living here?

ROBERT:

Pretty OK. I'm getting used to it. I'm getting there. Initially, I was like, OK, there is a lot of things that are different. But day by day, I'm getting to understand more and get more used to the whole environment. So actually, everything is going pretty good.

BRUCE:

Robert Schwartzman, Prima Racing, good luck in 2025. We'll catch up with you a lot during this season and thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy. Thank you. We wrap up today's Pit Pass Indy with this exclusive interview with Callum Eilat who returns to full-time duty in IndyCar this season. He's back in the NTT IndyCar Series. It's Callum Eilat. Now he's with Prima Racing. You're pretty much leading a new team into the IndyCar Series. So how cool is that to have that responsibility of being the, you and Robert Schwartzman, being the face of a new team in IndyCar?

CALLUM:

It's awesome. And the project that we have at Prema is going to be a good one. So, yeah, it's exciting. We've got some new colors to the series. And, yeah, so far so good in all the testing. So, the work's paying off slowly. But, yeah, we have to see this weekend. There's a lot of unknowns. And I'm excited, Robert's excited, and I think the team's excited.

BRUCE:

There may be some IndyCar fans that aren't familiar with Prima, but certainly international race fans have heard of Prima. They have a storied history. How big a surprise do you think they will be this year when you see Prima on the grid, how competitive you guys are?

CALLUM:

I think once we get all our ducks in a row, we'll be strong. But at the moment, it's more of a building, see where we end up. I think around the 500, maybe just after the 500, we should be kind of at that point going steady. So I think up until then, it's a bit more unknown and we'll have to build on it. But yeah, Bremmer has won in every junior single-seater championship they've competed in. I think hopefully bringing that to the US in probably the most competitive series they've been in, it's going to take a little bit of time, but I'm sure we can do a good job. How better prepared do you believe you are for the Indianapolis 500? Fourth time, the charm. Every year I've come back, I've improved and improved, and I know what a good car should feel like around there. We just need a bit of time to put it together and it should be good.

BRUCE:

The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg has turned out to be one of IndyCar's most popular races. Fantastic way to start the season. Beautiful weather, beautiful city, beautiful scenery, exciting vibe. How cool is it that IndyCar gets to start the season every year at St. Petersburg?

CALLUM:

It's a nice one. It's also tough as well. It's really not an easy circuit to start at, but it gets everyone even more prepared for the rest of the season. It's normally quite a hot, humid race. Lots of bumps. Sets the car up for the rest of the year on the street circuits. It's normally quite action-packed, that's for sure. A few yellows and a lot of areas to improve. I'm excited. People always love this one. It's a nice vibe down here, that's for sure.

BRUCE:

How many different surface changes are there on this course? Because you have an airport runway, you have city streets, you have some repaving here, repaving there. How challenging is that to negotiate from the cockpit?

CALLUM:

I think in general, it requires a bit of adaptation through the weekend, even in the race. There's probably about four different kind of surfaces from the concrete of the airport, to the tarmac of the city, to the concrete of the city, and to the painted lines that you have across the track. And even the paint grips up massively in the race, there's lots of rubber that builds up there, and that changes how the car behaves. But you just have to have an adaptable car and work with it, and everyone's got the same challenge.

BRUCE:

IndyCar announced in their preseason bulletin that they were going to lengthen some of the races to keep them from maybe being fuel strategy races to a large degree or just maybe be a little more fair on the best cars that are in the race that day. How do you feel about the change to where they're going to add extra laps to some of the races in terms of making them a little bit longer?

CALLUM:

I was in the meeting where a lot of this was considered and it makes a lot of sense. I think the problem is if there's the right cautions, then I think it's a fuel-safe race. Aside from that, from the beginning, I think it should get more people to push. This one's going to be on the edge depending on how the fuel efficiency is with the hybrid. Yes. Let's see, I think it's all the right idea and it's good to put it in a window where the fuel save isn't the first option that you take, so at least you have an action-packed pushing start.

BRUCE:

The week before coming to St. Petersburg, you were at Sebring Raceway for the IndyCar spring training pre-season test. What did you learn from that test about the team and about IndyCar?

CALLUM:

Yeah, we came away with a lot of areas where we felt like we improved, a lot of areas where we can also work on for the future, and we tried to make some quick gains for this weekend. But as a team, we operated really well. Of course, we had our little gremlins that we needed to improve, but I think now we've only got some last-minute things that you know we'll have to see how it goes for example the pit stops we haven't been able to do a massive amount of them outside of the shop just because of the way the Sebring pit lane was and a couple of other things outside of that but yeah it's a I think car-wise, we're in a better and better position every time we hit the track, and I feel confident on that side. Of course, it can always be better, but it's good.

BRUCE:

Now, you have the confidence that you're here to win races. How far down the line do you think it is before Prima is in a position to win races?

CALLUM:

I think, you know, it could be anywhere from halfway through the season to next year. I think we've got to take it consistently up until halfway through this year and then see where we are and see what we can push. And then next year will be where the big, big gains come in.

BRUCE:

And finally, what do you think of your teammate down there, Robert Schwartzman?

CALLUM:

He's pretty quick. Pretty quick. He gets up to speed well and definitely isn't slow. He's been great. I think he's enjoyed it as well. I don't know if he knows what he's in for when we get to the ovals, but he's not worried about it. Have you played any pranks on him yet? No, he just sometimes leaves me at the track when we're sharing a rental car.

BRUCE:

Well, I'm sure that Prima's gonna surprise a lot of people by showing how quickly they become pretty quick. But Callum Eilat, welcome back to IndyCar. Good luck in 2025 and thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy.

CALLUM:

Thank you.

BRUCE:

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

SPEAKER_03:

Hey everybody, this is IndyCarDriver Joseph Newgarden and you're listening to PitPass 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, Arrow McLaren Team Principal, Tony Kanaan, Pato Award of Arrow McLaren, Ray Hall Letterman Lanigan Drivers, Louis Foster and Devlin DeFrancesco, and Prima Racing Drivers, Robert Schwartzman and Callum Eilat for joining us on this jam-packed episode. 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. 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.

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