Wrapping up the 108th Indianapolis 500 with Roger Penske, back-to-back winning driver Josef Newgarden, Rookie of the Year Kyle Larson and much, much more.

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 and insiders 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 this special Indianapolis 500 edition of Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental as we continue our fourth season of giving IndyCar fans a behind-the-scenes look at the NTT IndyCar Series and the drivers and teams that compete in the Indianapolis 500. The 108th Indianapolis 500 is over, but the memories that came from this year's race are ageless. It was one of the most fantastic Indianapolis 500s from start to finish in quite some time. Despite a four-hour rain delay to start the race, 347,000 fans waited it out and were in their seats for a race that didn't start until 4.45 p.m. Eastern Time. Over the next three and a half hours, they were treated to some of the most spectacular racing in Indy 500 history, culminating with the dramatic duel between Team Penske's Josef Newgarden and Errol McLaren's Pato Award. Pit Pass Indy was at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from start to finish, including the red carpet at the Indianapolis 500 Victory Celebration at the JW Marriott Hotel on the night of Memorial Day, Monday, May 27th. We have a hall of fame of guests for this special Indianapolis 500 wrap-up edition of Pit Pass Indy. There was no other figure that is bigger than our first guest, Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner, Roger Penske, who is also the winning team owner of Team Penske. Newgarden 's victory in the 108th Indianapolis 500 gives Penske a record extending 20th win in the world's biggest race. I caught up with Penske a few days after the Indianapolis 500 to discuss the big win for the team, as well as an incredibly successful Indy 500. Here is my exclusive interview with Roger Penske for Pit Pass Indy. First of all, congratulations on your victory. It was one fantastic race. And to win it the way you did has to really be something you've got to be incredibly proud of.

ROGER:

Well, it was a team effort. I think we started the month with speed all the days prior to qualification. And to see the three cars on the front row was amazing. George's crew won the pit stop contest by two seconds over McLaren and beat Ganassi, which are two of the toughest guys in the garage area. And then to see the race with McLaughlin leading 66 laps I think and Josef 25 or 26 was a standout performance and then to see the smart guys both Pato and Josef kind of try to wait to be in the right position for the last lap but I think that with Josef able to pass Pato and turn three on the outside was a historic moment. I don't think we'll see that again, but the track was fast. I think the cars were well ballast, everyone's, and certainly the competition has never been tougher when you think about 16 leaders, I don't know how many hundreds of passes over during the race. But to me, it was a success for the fans. And that's the most important thing, I guess, for me and the team at Indy.

BRUCE:

Well, if I recall the way the last lap went, I know that the pass, Pato's pass of Josef was going in a turn one. And then was it the same lap that Josef was able to make the race winning pass because sometimes the way the lead changes or score to get the little confusing that I believe there may have been two passes for the lead on the same lap.

ROGER:

Well, I'm not, I'm not sure. I know that Josef got passed by Pato on the last lap. He got into one. Yes. And then I, then I think that, uh, maybe it was a lap later than Josef passed. I'd have to go back and look at it. But on the other end, all I know is that, uh, Josef made the pass and turned three on the last lap and won the race by two or three tenths of a second, which was amazing.

BRUCE:

From start to finish, that was one of the best Indy 500s that I can remember in terms of the intensity, the moves that everybody was making on the track, the competition level, the fearlessness and the fight that everybody had out there, 16 different leaders. Why do you think that the race was so good this year in terms of so many different drivers having a chance to battle it out for the victory?

ROGER:

Well, I think there's lots of history with these cars and engines within the garage area and setups. I think we've had good oval racing. I have to hand it to the tire company. Firestone gave us a great tire for this year's race, which didn't produce a lot of the marbles that we normally have. So I think that second groove opened up, which gave people a better chance to be able to compete and pass on the outside.

BRUCE:

And also it showed just how deep Team Penske is that you were able to go out and get Jonathan Duguid and Raul Paredes and just plug them right into Josef's team and he ends up winning the race in fairly impressive fashion.

ROGER:

Well, those guys are pros. They've all worked, as you know, on IndyCar before. I was with Duke many years behind the box with him. And Raul was a key leader for us. And they lead our Porsche program. And we had the week off. And we called them in to take over from Tim and the team that were not going to be there. And it was a plug and play, which just shows you how deep our bench is.

BRUCE:

So from the standpoint of being the owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, just how successful was it? The place looked packed. And the most impressive thing was after a four-hour rain delay, when the race started to get going, everybody returned to their seats. And it was probably just as full as it would have been whether it rained or not.

ROGER:

Well, I think the interest in the race has just grown. We, of course, had, you know, got a black eye during COVID. We didn't have the race. We came back and started to build it back. And I can tell you, we had probably 16,000 or 17,000 more people this year than a year ago. The snake pit was full, as you can see. And the commitment there, you know, it's a generational race. People don't give up their tickets. They keep them and this is a data point. My understanding is that we sold 27,000 tickets through yesterday already for next year's race. But the fans are, they love the place. I think that's iconic. They all were cool. We gave them plenty of time to get shelter, which I think was safe and secure for our fans. And of course they came back to see probably one of the most competitive races in the Speedway history.

BRUCE:

When the weather moved in, though, were you concerned that it would even be able to happen on Sunday?

ROGER:

Well, we looked at it and understood that there was this front coming through. And we did a little homework. It looked like it would come through fast as it did. And quite honestly, it was a Just lucky, not lucky, I guess we called it right and we were able to get it started and we were able to run the whole way, which was terrific.

BRUCE:

Going back to Doug Bowles, you gave a lot of credit to him and his staff. Race day is fairly demanding for anybody that runs an event where you've got 330,000, 340,000 people showing up. But when you see the effort and the commitment of both Doug Bowles, his staff, Mark Miles, and everybody on your senior management staff, that has to be a fairly Herculean effort to pull that off.

ROGER:

Well, you got to give Doug and Mark and the whole team, Tyrone Garrison, you know, Jason Stewart, who runs the golf course and made the place look like Augusta. I mean, just on and on and on, uh, Alison Melancon. And, you know, we've got some real unsung heroes that she's always, some people don't even know that we had a new, uh, uh, Aaron Mark came in and took over the food services, which they made up. They did a great job, but it was totally a team effort. It's, It's the people who made a difference, and we want to make it better for our guests every year.

BRUCE:

How did you come up with the idea of the blue jackets for the past winners of the Indy 500?

ROGER:

Well, you get a green jacket if you win the Masters, and a friend of ours that, you know, obviously is one that said, look, that might be a great idea for For Indy, and I think Jonathan Gibson and I talked about it, so we had the same people make the jackets and obviously the linings with all the history of each driver's win.

BRUCE:

Television ratings were up 8% on the overnight. I don't know what they ended up being on the total, but that's got to be very impressive that the race peaked at 6.46 million viewers. How interesting is that?

ROGER:

Well, it's terrific. What you look at in Formula One, I think with the 1.6 at Monaco, NASCAR always had some weather issues. They were about half of what we were. So again, you know, the network race, uh, I think Diffie and the team did a super job to Rico and, and certainly, uh, with Danica there and you just had a, uh, Townsend, you just look at the whole team there, which, uh, pinch flip, it made it a great, great day. And certainly the radio, the announcers, I thought the banquet was amazing. The drivers were in a short time to put that together, but it was a great night. And of course we paid out almost a $19 million person. The winner got 4.1 or 4.2 million, which was, was a great payout.

BRUCE:

And also how great was it having Kyle Larson there, you know, rookie of the year, didn't turn a wheel wrong all month except for the speeding penalty that happened in the race. It's kind of a shame he didn't get a chance to complete his double because of the weather and also the fact that there was rain at Charlotte. But how big of an impact did Kyle Larson have on your race?

ROGER:

Oh, I have a great admiration for Kyle Larson, also Rick Hendricks, who's a great friend of mine, and to have that come and be there on the weekend and all up to the race of qualifying and practice was certainly special for me personally, the Speedway, and all the fans. I'm just sorry that he had the speeding penalty. Unfortunately, this place will bite you, as we all know. And then, of course, to have the rain out in Charlotte didn't help, but he'll be back. He's certainly the guy that can win this race.

BRUCE:

And just getting back to TV a little bit, I know that there's negotiations underway for a new TV contract, but the fact that that many people were interested in watching the Indianapolis 500, we could get even more people interested watching it in the future. So how encouraged are you of getting a really good TV package together for the future?

ROGER:

Well, look, we're in negotiations now. I don't want to comment on it, but we hope that we'll have something that people will be happy with for sure.

BRUCE:

And just wrapping up, I know that you've been through a lot the last five, six weeks, so how satisfying was it to not only win the Indianapolis 500, but to sweep the front row and have a very solid month of May for the entire team at Team Penske?

ROGER:

Well, look, it was a great redemption, I would have to say. But, you know, we understood there was nothing malicious in the intent when we had this software issue, which the past people call it. But look, our goal now is to go for three in a row.

BRUCE:

I appreciate the time. And I've been to a lot of Indy 500s and that one was that was one fantastic race.

ROGER:

Well, great, Bruce. Thanks for your support. OK, thank you for calling. All right. Yeah. Bye bye.

BRUCE:

Bye. 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, presented by Penske Truck Rental. By winning the Indianapolis 500 for the second straight year, Josef Newgarden became the first driver since Elio Castroneves to win back-to-back Indy 500s. He collected an additional $440,000 from BorgWarner as part of its rollover jackpot that began in 1995. Each year, the winning driver from the previous Indy 500 doesn't win the following year. BorgWarner adds another $20,000 to the jackpot. Before Newgarden cashed in, the only time a driver collected the jackpot was Castroneves after his second straight Indy 500 win in 2002. Newgarden recently completed a whirlwind media tour that took him to New York for a number of personal and promotional appearances as the winner of the 108th Indianapolis 500. I caught up with Newgarden at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix as he gets back to racing this weekend for this exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview with the winner of the 108th Indianapolis 500. He's back from a whirlwind week of media and celebrating his back-to-back victory in the Indianapolis 500. It's Team Penske's Josef Newgarden. Josef, how was all of the celebration that went on after the victory banquet? After you collected $4.3 million, then you had to get on the plane, go to New York, make a lot of media appearances, public appearances. What has the week been like for you?

JOSEF:

Crazy busy, Bruce. Typical deal with the Indy 500. It's a great commitment to have. I don't want to keep saying it, but I struggle with it a little bit. It's a tremendous honor to win the race. It's been really fun to talk about this one just because of how good the race was. Proud of my team, proud of our efforts all month, and happy to be here in Detroit now to get back to regular programming.

BRUCE:

The way that you won it, though, got a lot of media attention. And the fact that you got the bonus from Borg Warner also generated a lot of extra media attention. Pat McAfee on his show mentioned that quite a bit, as well as a lot of other people nationally. How important do you think that was, the extra money being the amount that it was that really boosted you over $4 million, to really grab the headlines a little bit?

JOSEF:

Yeah, it's pretty special. You know, the purse has been going up and up every year, and certainly Borg Warner's involvement and their commitment to the sport has been tremendous. And, you know, someone had to reset the bank, and I remember talking to Fred about it from Borg Warner, and I think they were happy. They were happy to see this finally converted. And so, yeah, huge honor, big deal. It's cool to see the attention to this race. I think it deserves it. Certainly with the race that played out and the excitement from the fans that we always see at the 500, I think the hype was worth it.

BRUCE:

Also, the TV rating was huge. It was up 8% over last year's race. It dwarfed the rating that Formula 1 got. A lot of times, everybody wants to try to compare the ratings, what Formula 1 gets in the United States compared to IndyCar. But on the day of the Indy 500, you blew it out the back door. How important is that?

JOSEF:

It's great. I mean, I think it's a big day for motorsport. You know, I wake up watching the Monaco Grand Prix, and then I get ready for our show, and then certainly want to see the result of the Coca-Cola 600 as we're cheering on our teammates. You know, I think the Indianapolis 500 certainly is the greatest spectacle in racing. I think it's fitting of the moniker. And, you know, that was on display last Sunday. So pretty cool to be a part of it. You know, dream job for me. Always wanted to drive IndyCars and race cars one day. So just very cool to see it.

BRUCE:

So after the banquet, what did you do? You and your wife, Ashley, and your son, Koda, what did you do after that?

JOSEF:

Well, we jetted to New York immediately, got there pretty late. I think we got to bed at 2 o'clock in the morning, and then we're up early. We got to, you know, go all over New York, went back to the Empire State Building. As tough as that is to go to the top, it was, you know, great to see again. Threw out a first pitch at the Mets game, did a whole media. You know, tour at different stops, CNN, Sirius, all sorts of places. CNBC got to open the NASDAQ again, which was tremendous. So, yeah, just really had a great time in New York celebrating and spreading the word of the Indianapolis 500. Where did you stay in New York? We were in Midtown. You know, we were at a little hotel in Midtown. It was easy to get in anywhere. So, yeah, there's not really a bad spot if you're in Manhattan.

BRUCE:

And then after the New York media tour, you did a lot of other media appearances from there. Like I said, the Pat McAfee show, which ironically is based in Indianapolis. You could have done that in Indianapolis, but instead you were on Zoom. But that's a massive hit because a lot of people watch Pat McAfee. How cool is it to get those guys talking about the Indianapolis 500?

JOSEF:

Well, Pat's a great sportsman and, you know, they cover sports so well on their show. And I think, you know, Pat's an Indiana guy. He gets the Indianapolis 500. He's got a great following. So we're lucky that, you know, he's in Indy and has given us coverage. But I think it's authentic. He knows, you know, the significance of the race. He's been there many years. And, you know, to bring it to that platform, you know, we're all appreciative for what he's done. And it's a good message for us. So what did you do on Wednesday? Yeah, Wednesday was like a follow-up of everything, just what I talked about. I did the Mets game Wednesday and a lot of stuff in the morning before that with the NASDAQ and CNBC. Then I had to get on a flight to get on the simulator. I just wanted an hour on the sim to get prepared for here and then I got here last night late.

BRUCE:

So you arrive in Detroit on Wednesday night, now it's Thursday, you're in Detroit. Are you looking forward to getting back in the car so that you can flip the switch and find your happy zone, which is really behind the wheel of the race car?

JOSEF:

I'm very excited to get back to regular programming. I want to get behind the wheel, you know, put my helmet on, like you said, and not have to speak too much more. But I think the hard part's done, and now we can focus back on the race season.

BRUCE:

And what do you expect you can do, the team can do? It's Roger Penske's race, it's Chevrolet's race, the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix. There's a lot of pressure and expectations here for the team. What is your expectations this weekend?

JOSEF:

I feel confident in, you know, what we can bring. We've had great street course race cars everywhere we've gone. You know, St. Pete's one of the best cars that I've had. And same thing followed up with Long Beach. I mean, both of those cars were We're really good in race trim and qualifying trim. I felt that way about them right from the Sebring test before the season started. So I think our street course package is really comfortable and capable. I think that can convert here, plus Toronto. So, you know, our confidence is high, but we're just, you know, trying to make sure we're measured this weekend. We just get a good result and keep getting up the road.

BRUCE:

And no rest for the weary, because next weekend, it's off the road America. One of your better tracks.

JOSEF:

Love Road America. I think road courses is still the big question mark on the two car. I think we're definitely capable of converting on the road courses, but that's the one area we need to make sure we clean up the most.

BRUCE:

Well, there he is, two-time Indianapolis 500 winning driver, Josef Newgarden of Team Penske. IndyCar's first $4 million man in the Indianapolis 500. Congratulations on your back-to-back victory, not only for the money, but the historical significance of it. Good luck the rest of the season. We'll catch up with you later this year, and thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy.

JOSEF:

Thanks, Bruce.

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. One of the biggest storylines of the month of May was 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson, a rookie in this year's Indianapolis 500. Larson was very impressive in practice, qualified in the fast six with a fifth place starting position, and was fast in the race until he was nailed for speeding while entering the pits on lap 131. He finished 18th after fighting his way back to the lead lap and completed all 200 laps. Because the criteria for Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year includes what a first-year driver did for the entire month and how he represented his obligations to the Indy 500 with respect and character, Larson was named 2024 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year. Larson, however, was extremely disappointed in his dream of competing in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway never materialized. A four-hour rain delay led Larson to skip the start of the Coca-Cola 600 to give full focus to his first Indy 500. Justin Allgaier started the 600 in Larson's No. 5 Chevrolet. Larson left immediately after the Indy 500 and flew to Concord, North Carolina, arriving at Charlotte Motor Speedway at 9.13 p.m. Eastern Time, prepared to take over his car. But ten minutes after he arrived, it began to rain and the race was red-flagged. It never resumed and Christopher Bell scored a range shortened victory. I caught up with a disappointed Larson on the red carpet at Monday night's Indy 500 victory celebration for this exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview. Joining us now on Pit Pass Indy is Indianapolis 500 rookie Kyle Larson. Kyle. Very good month. I know that you said you were frustrated with race day because of the rain. You didn't get to complete your quest of running the double. Why were you so disappointed? And does this mean that you will give every intention you have to come back next year to try it again?

KYLE:

Yeah, I mean, I would love I would love the opportunity, whether it's next year or some other time down the road. Yeah, I mean, I had an amazing, amazing experience these last couple weeks and really last, you know, year and a half, you're preparing for it. There was a lot that went into preparing for it on many people's sides, you know, Hendrick Motorsports, Hendrick Automotive Group, Aaron McLaren, you know, all the people who help and support me. And then, yeah, it was going perfect until, excuse me, until race day. That's what kind of gets me down. You know, there's yeah, yesterday just sucks. Honestly, yesterday sucks. I didn't really enjoy any of it, but. Yeah, hopefully we can get to do it again someday and really get to enjoy doing both races.

BRUCE:

When the day started off with Doug Bowles giving weather updates, you probably had to sit there and figure, why? Why is this happening? Why can't it work according to schedule? But in racing, a lot of things never do. So how difficult is it to accept things that you can't control?

KYLE:

Yeah, I mean, it's difficult and I think it'd be easier to cope with if it was just a normal race day, like normal events. But when you've got two marquee events and one that impacts your season, it's tough to kind of get over. But I'm grateful for the opportunity. I'm grateful for You even being able to have the shot to do it, just wish the weather would have cooperated. I was just praying for an hour more of rain and it all would have been fine, you know, but just didn't end up that way.

BRUCE:

So when you made the decision that you're not going to be able to start the 600, you're putting your focus on the Indianapolis 500, at what point then did you start to mentally prepare for, this is what I got to do, hopefully I can get back to Charlotte in time to replace Justin Allgaier for Hendrick Motorsport?

KYLE:

Yeah, I don't know. I mean, it was, I don't know if I ever quite fully got in the correct mindset, you know, I just I felt like I had a lot of weight on me yesterday and a lot of guilt of not, you know, being able to be at two places at one time. So, yeah, I mean, it was like, yeah, I just was never in the right mindset. I didn't enjoy anything about yesterday.

BRUCE:

Not even the pre-race, the ceremonies, the drama, Rick Hendrick, Jeff Gordon, everybody there, all the photos, all of that was at that point you were thinking as a racer and it's like you weren't going to get a chance to do what you set out to do.

KYLE:

Yeah, no, I mean, I was just, I just felt like, you know, we were all in a lose-lose situation, you know, with the weather and all that. So, You know, I'm hopeful that, yeah, everybody there, a part of it, had a good time. I tried my best, you know, to forget about the weather that was incoming and then all that. But yeah, no, it's hard. Even though it's the biggest race in the world, it's hard to fully enjoy it when you know you're missing, you're going to miss another one. So, yeah, it was just, It was hard to deal with.

BRUCE:

And then the clincher, you get to Charlotte at 913, and then about 10 minutes later, they red flag it for rain, get the track dry, and then TV network makes a decision to call the race. How upset were you at that point?

KYLE:

Yeah, it was just, yeah, I mean, we could see the weather was coming, and I was just hoping it was going to get there before halfway so that the race wouldn't be official. And then, yeah, we got there just in time for the rain and thought they would call it pretty quickly. And then when they didn't and they started drying the track, I got really hopeful again. And my mood kind of swinged to finally being happy. And then, yeah, I was just kind of getting ready to go. I knew we had 150 laps left in the race. And I knew I would have plenty of time to get to the front. I knew my race car was going to be really fast. I, you know, I'm looking at the track and it's probably 80% dry and it didn't seem too long till it could be ready to go. And then they shocked us all and called it official. So, uh, yeah, then it's just, yeah, killed, killed the, whatever good mood I had.

BRUCE:

Rick Mayer said, there are things that you will learn in the race that you will not be able to learn in practice. What were those yesterday? Um,

KYLE:

Well, I made the mistake on the restart. That kind of caught me off guard. I don't even really still understand what exactly I did. But obviously, I went from first to third. And then, yeah, then at the end, I had the green flag stop. And yeah, I sped. And looking at it today now, I guess they found in the data where we kind of had a malfunction with the brake system. Had one of the master cylinders bottom out so that Didn't help but I still probably could have been a little less aggressive, you know coming in I still think I would have been speeding I'd Yeah, I it was so comfortable and easy in practice. And then in the race, yeah, we had that problem. But I just wish I would have trusted my instincts because I kind of felt that in the breaks and all the other pit stops and just assumed that was, you know, no downforce because we're going slow under caution. But it ended up not being the case. So, yeah, just I felt, though, like until that point, I was doing a really good job. I felt like I was having good restarts and being aggressive and being on offense. Um, you know, if I was to come back, I would, I would, I would work harder on getting my car balance to, you know, handle the dirty air a little bit better because, you know, it's hard to, it's hard to judge and practice like who's good and who's not because everybody's kind of on different tires. Cycled tires, but in the race, when you're on the same stuff, you get to really see who's good and what makes them good. And, yeah, if I could just work on getting my car to turn better in traffic, I think I would have a much better shot to pass people and contend up front.

BRUCE:

Kyle Larson, you made a lot of new fans and a lot of new friends. Congratulations on your rookie Indianapolis 500. Good luck the rest of the NASCAR Cup Series season. Thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy. Yeah, thank you. Larson drove for Errol McLaren with Hendrick Motorsports. The other three Errol McLaren drivers included Pato Award of Mexico, Alexander Rossi of California, and Callum Eilat of Great Britain. Award finished a heartbreaking second to race winner Josef Newgarden, who passed award Chevrolet in Turn 3 on the final lap of the race. Our next segment features interviews with some of the top management at Arrow McLaren on Pitt Road of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway immediately after the race. First up is McLaren Racing CEO Zach Brown.

ZACH:

Might have him there, but what an awesome job by everybody. So hold your head high. Obviously a bit frustrating finishing second again. We're going to get that win. It's right around the corner. Oh, this is awesome. I mean, the whole Arrow McLaren team worked so hard. What a great result. And once we get over a little bit of that, Bitter defeat. We should be very proud of everything we did this month of May.

BRUCE:

Zach, to be that close, though, it's got to really hurt a little bit.

ZACH:

Oh, yeah, of course. What's that phrase? Second place is the first loser. So, yeah, of course it does. But I think we got to recognize second's a pretty darn good result. And four.

BRUCE:

Could he have timed it better? Could he have waited a lap maybe? I mean, woulda, shoulda, coulda. I mean, you don't do that in racing, but the Indianapolis 500.

ZACH:

He knows what he's doing. He went when he thought he should go. So last thing I'm going to do is question when and if he went for it. And it was pretty damn close.

BRUCE:

Alexander Rossi had a hell of a race, too. He was in the battle toward the end.

ZACH:

He had a great race. Kyle had a great race. Unfortunate with the pit lane speed limit. That kind of took him out of contention. And then Callum had a variety of problems that were out of his control. So he drove great. So, I mean, the whole team did a fantastic job.

BRUCE:

And the fact that Kyle stayed to complete the Indianapolis 500 rather than go back to Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600. really tells you how important this program was to him.

ZACH:

Oh, absolutely. I think no one wants to not complete the Indy 500, so couldn't be more thankful of the work everyone's done. Good to have him back? Oh, of course. Would love to have him back. Thank you. Thank you.

BRUCE:

Next up is Arrow McLaren General Manager Brian Barnhart. Across the board, it was a hell of an effort for your team today to be able to pull out the stops, and Pato nearly won the thing. How proud are you, and how tough is this to take?

BRIAN:

It just showed this place is, it's the greatest race in the world for a reason, and to have The two horses we had at the end, awfully proud of the group as a whole. I mean, the Aero, McLaren, Chevrolet team did a spectacular job. Pato had a little different strategy with us and was able to overcut and do a shorter stop, had some more fuel. Alex did a great job saving what he could and we had both cars in position to contend for the win there and just came up a whisker short.

BRUCE:

Is there a perfect time to make the pass to where the other guy cannot have time to get back?

BRIAN:

I don't know. I think we were hurt a little bit just for the lack of fuel. We couldn't get the number we needed to be able to turn it up soon enough to fight for the win. And by then, you know, Pato and Newgarden had passed us and when you're third in line, it's really hard to go for the win at that point in time. But, you know, hats off to Josef and Team Penske. But, I mean, this group, when you did what you did with the Hendrick car for Larson and coming up in here, we had some bullets in the gun and gave it our best shot. Just came up a little short.

BRUCE:

On the other hand, Alex Rossi, I guess you could say he's back because that was the Alexander Rossi of old that we saw today.

BRIAN:

Yeah, he's fun to work for and a hell of a drive, hell of a job by the crew. Just already counting the days to come back next year.

BRUCE:

You used to be in race control. You've been a long part of the Indianapolis 500. Where would you put this one? It's got to be up there. It was fierce. It was frantic, and it was fearless.

BRIAN:

That was a hell of a race. I mean, if you don't like that, you're not a race fan, and that was... That was a pretty good day for everybody. Started off a little shaky with a lot of yellows, and then when it calmed down, it was a heck of a race. And how proud are you of first-time effort for Kyle Larson? Oh, he did a heck of a job. I mean, I don't know. I think he got a pit speed violation or something on him that kind of ruined his day, but he ran solid top six all day long. He's a superstar.

BRUCE:

Well, Brian Barnhart, is it easier to be on this side or up at race control?

BRIAN:

They both got their ups and downs, but I sure like working for this group. It's a hell of a team. And like I said, we're going to move on to Detroit next year or next week. We got a lot of races to go and see what we can do with them.

BRUCE:

Do you count this as painful or proud or both?

BRIAN:

Oh, it's both. I mean, you come that close, it's going to hurt. But that's just like I said, that's this place is so special.

BRUCE:

Brian Barnhart, General Manager, Arrow McLaren. Congratulations today on an outstanding Indianapolis 500. Thanks, Bruce. And now, let's hear from Arrow McLaren Team Principal, Gavin Ward.

GAVIN:

For you, my friend? Sure.

BRUCE:

Yeah, well, anyway, we don't want to get run over by the fueler. Kevin Ward, Team Principal, Arrow McLaren. A lot of hugs, a lot of tears, a lot of sadness, a lot of excitement over here in your pit area. How do you balance the pain and the disappointment and the pride?

GAVIN:

I mean, this sport, this race, this is the most special race in the world. It's... It hurts because it's supposed to.

BRUCE:

And it was also high stakes. There were moves being made out there that we never used to see these moves happen at the Indianapolis 500 before, but it seems that there's so much intensity in this field now to get every inch you can get on the racetrack. And just how thrilled are you to see how well your guys did at the end?

GAVIN:

I'm so proud of this team. Team did everything to deserve a win, but that's this race. You got to put your cars up in that position, and sometimes it's going to go your way, sometimes it's not. If you're at the Newgarden of Team Penske, it's a well-deserved win, but also, we're just getting started here.

BRUCE:

I think we saw the old Alexander Rossi today. The guy was fearless, used the outside line, brushed the wall, came close to the wall a couple of times, made it work for him. We saw that back when he first joined the series. He really seems to have his swagger back.

GAVIN:

This whole month, I thought that guy looks like a guy who's ridden with an 8500. And he drove the friggin' wheels off it. And he deserves A lot of praise. That's the best I've seen him since he joined the team. Also, his entire crew, Chris Lawrence, Race Engineering, with Nige, Matthias, honestly, Brian Barnard, every one of them, they've done a great job. They deserve a ton of credit. Run a really good month in May. Goddamn, it hurts to not get a win out of that. Also, we'll get there.

BRUCE:

How would you assess Kyle Larson's rookie Indy 500?

GAVIN:

I mean, really, really strong. We've seen the best in the world make that mistake in pit lane as Dixon has done it. And, you know, It sucks. We knew that was an area we didn't want to trip up, but it's also, you know, we had a lot of yellow stops before that green stop. So, totally understandable mistake. I'm sure he'll learn from it. Excited to have him come back again, because this guy can win this race.

BRUCE:

And how cool was it that he stayed? And this was the Indy 500. He's going to not race in the Coca-Cola 600. The fact that this was very, very important to him.

GAVIN:

It's heroic. Honestly, it's huge. It's such a big deal. I can't even give words to it. That entry, the buzz around it, the competitiveness around it. I loved it. Loved it from day one. It's got better and better. Yes, today hurts. Hurts because it's supposed to. Also, I mean, I'm excited. I'm hoping we get to give it another go in a year. He accidentally went first to third to double up shift and then back down to second, so got a little bit of a mess there, which is unfortunate. I think he got a little bit of wheelspin before that, so maybe that's what all led to it. We practiced restarts during the month, but we didn't have anything quite like that, but, you know, These things happen. Exactly. We've seen Dixon do that. At the end of the day, just, you know, the best in the world have made that mistake. It's tough. We had a lot of cautious stops before that. That was the first real proper attack I think he had to do. So pretty understandable. Pretty heartbreaking, because I think he had a car to fight for the win as well. But super proud of us bringing, frankly, three cars. I think we let Eilat down. We had some issues on that car. And, you know, regret that. We got to learn from it. But, you know, I think we had three cars in one race today. I sure as heck hope so. I think we should. You know, I hope so. I really think another year of this is going to be exactly what we want.

BRUCE:

When does the pain go away? When does the pride come?

GAVIN:

I mean, the pain's already going away. Honestly, this is racing. You've got to you've got to somehow to handle the highs and lows, and this race had them in spades, didn't it? But honestly, it's fun. I just appreciate getting to do this for a living.

BRUCE:

Well, Gavin Ward, it was certainly a show, and you were a major reason why your team. Congratulations on an outstanding Indianapolis 500. Thanks. Thanks.

GAVIN:

It means a lot.

BRUCE:

Finally, here is Alexander Rossi, after the winner of the 100th Indianapolis 500 in 2016, finished fourth in this year's Indy 500.

ALEXANDER:

We just came up short, but the team did an amazing job. The car was perfect. It's hard because I don't know that I would have changed anything about that win except for the end result. Huge credit to the whole organization and Team Chevy. It's just this race. The only thing that matters is winning. Yeah, I mean, I don't know. I think we were on the preferred strategy until we weren't. It's just one of those things. That's what this race is, 500 miles. You never know what's going to happen. It was ultimately an amazing show for everyone. I'm so thrilled that we were able to get the full 500 miles in on Memorial Day. That's the bright side. We'll learn from it what we can and go to Detroit next week. It's a lot of yellows, wasn't there? I don't know necessarily why that is, but yeah, it certainly flipped the strategy back and forth a couple times, but I think it's just a product of, you know, everyone's getting good. Every team's cars are pretty good and the margins are that much smaller, so you have to take... bigger risks in order to get the job done and sometimes that's your undoing. But regardless, a good day overall for the team. It's an amazing group. Pato and I were doing everything we could to work together to try and get Errol McLaren in victory lane and he gave it his all. I was cheering for him at the end, knowing that I couldn't get there, but it just wasn't meant to be this year. It's just a huge effort from all the men and women. This team goes from strength to strength, the speedway. We just got to keep putting the pressure on. Eventually, if you are up front enough times, it'll be your time.

BRUCE:

That's what we'll do. You were able to get the outside line working for you again, and that was kind of the Alexander Rossi of old that we saw today. How important was that to get the outside line working for you?

ALEXANDER:

It was important because on a couple restarts, we were a bit out of position and lost some spots, so we had to regain that. But yeah, no, it was good. I think we maximized what we could.

BRUCE:

As far as the races that you've been involved in, this one was pretty fearless and it was fast. How do you judge it as a race? It was pretty spectacular out there at times.

ALEXANDER:

It looked like it. A lot of crashes. Thank you.

BRUCE:

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

SPEAKER_01:

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. Scott Dixon finished third in this year's Indianapolis 500 after starting way back in 21st place. Dixon led 12 laps and was in contention for the victory near the end of the race before he became the meat of a sandwich after getting passed simultaneously to the outside and the inside on a late race restart. The six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion kept his cool and described his race to me in this exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview. Joining us now on Pit Pass Indy is the 2008 Indianapolis 500 winner, Scott Dixon. Scott, you had another great run in the Indy 500. At some point, sir, it looks like you were maybe going to end up in victory lane. That was a wild race yesterday. Why was it so wild?

SCOTT:

I think they're always wild these days. Yeah, it was definitely very interesting. I think, you know, throughout the day, we had some ups and downs and then kind of had some really good runs there, which, you know, helped, I think, the latter part, especially with some good restarts, and then got to the front of that kind of semi-alternate strategy until we had those cautions. But yeah, you know, the car was really good. I was really impressed with what the team had done with the car. We just didn't have the speed, you know, to really compete for the win there at the end.

BRUCE:

But all in all, it was a wild race. I know you say we see a lot of wild races at the Indy 500 these days. Yesterday seemed to have a greater sense of urgency because of how late the race started. Did you sense that in the car?

SCOTT:

I kind of did, you know, pre-race, but then actually the start, I thought everybody was very cautious. So, you know, we picked up, you know, quite a few spots, I think six maybe. And then the first kind of, oh, we would have had more. I think we had a pretty big run going through two, and then it went to obviously yellow with the caution. But yeah, after that, the tempo definitely picked up pretty big. You know, there was a lot of people trying to make the most of it. And interestingly enough, there was never really any green flag stops until the end, you know? So I think that was what kept the craziness going on.

BRUCE:

Did you know that Ryan Hunter-Reay was to your left at that situation on the race where the two of you made contact on the backstretch?

SCOTT:

I really had no idea. We'd come out of two. The 12 had checked us up. I'd gone to the left of the 12, and then the 12 was hanging to the outside. That's all the spotters were talking about as well. you know, the first time I looked to the left, I'd already been, you know, moving towards the line. And the first time I looked to the left was when we made contact, you know, and he was already on the grass at that point. So, you know, his front of the car hit my left rear. You know, I was kind of shocked at the situation and, you know, I hate it for Ryan. You know, he's a good friend, he's a great guy. And, you know, I never would want to do that, you know, on purpose, which it definitely wasn't. And, you know, I think at most it was just a bit of a racing incident.

BRUCE:

Was there any concern that there might be damage to your left rear?

SCOTT:

Yeah, it was a pretty good hit. You know, I think you can always, you know, maybe underestimate sometimes what can cause something to go wrong there. And, you know, that was definitely an option. But, yeah, we were fine.

BRUCE:

But all in all, it was a very exciting finish to the Indianapolis 500. A back-to-back winner in Josef Newgarden. What do you think of that as far as a storyline? They've had a really rough month. You go back a month ago, and there was a lot of scrutiny on that team, and now they end up getting a back-to-back Indy 500 victory. In a lot of ways, you have to really admire the way Team Penske came in determined to try to get beyond their issues.

SCOTT:

Yeah, it was cool, you know, obviously to see, you know, Josef race really hard for that. So, you know, obviously a huge congratulations to him and the team. And, you know, back to back, it's definitely a pretty special way to do it. So, you know, you know, everybody's in that race to win it themselves. And for him to do what he did, you know, is, you know, good for them. And congratulations.

BRUCE:

Now it's off to the streets of Detroit for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix. A little bit of a very tough track, very tight, very hard to pass, but yet the race seemed pretty good last year. What do you expect this weekend?

SCOTT:

Yeah, the race was wild last year, even from the start. I know I've heard kind of mixed or conflicting stories whether the main straight has been resurfaced or not. I think if that's smooth, man, it will be an even crazier race. So we'll see how that plays out. But yeah, I had a lot of fun there last year. I think they did a good job. I think the track and In the future, it could be a little bit longer. It's definitely pretty tight, especially when you got all cars on track at that period of time. But yeah, the race was really good last year.

BRUCE:

And then Road America after that. Everybody loves Road America. What's your outlook there?

SCOTT:

Uh, yeah, love going there. You know, we, uh, you know, just, uh, hopefully don't have the ups and downs that we had there last year, uh, because we had a really fast car and, you know, obviously, uh, Alex ended up winning. So, you know, um, looking forward to, to the next string. But yeah, I think from Indy road course through to, uh, you know, July, we got, uh, almost 10 weeks in a row here with Le Mans. So it's definitely going to be a flat out period of time.

BRUCE:

And then it's going to be odd. It's going to be Laguna Seca in June. Yeah. Usually you finish the season there, but now it's going to be in June. So what's it going to be like having that in the middle of the season?

SCOTT:

It doesn't bother me. It's always fun to go out west. It's a fun circuit, I think, especially with the repave that they had. Just looking forward to getting on track and get through some of these races that are coming up next.

BRUCE:

And then a reset to the season with the hybrid assist device being added to the cars, beginning with the July race at Mid-Ohio. Is that going to be almost like beginning a new year?

SCOTT:

It's going to be, yeah, it'll be interesting to see if it kind of plays anything on, you know, the rest of the season. You know, whether there's any kind of issues maybe with reliability or anything like that, but hopefully everything's going to be pretty sweet. Yeah, I don't know. It'll definitely add a different dynamic to it, I think, with just how busy the drivers will be in trying to, you know, use the hybrid system as much as you're going to have to.

BRUCE:

And then a chance to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. You know, that's always a career achievement. How badly do you want to go out there and come back home with a victory?

SCOTT:

Yeah, looking forward to that, man. It's always a hell of a race and definitely a fun one. So, you know, we'll see how that plays out. Obviously, you know, BOP can be a little bit tough here and there, but it's going to be a crazy, crazy full actual schedule. And obviously, grid there, just with the sheer fact there's going to be so many prototypes. So, looking forward to it, man. It's going to be a great race and hopefully, you know, with Chip and his group and with Cadillac, they can have a nice one.

BRUCE:

Well, Scott Dixon, congratulations on your strong finish in the Indianapolis 500. Good luck the rest of the season. We'll catch up with you later this year. Thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy. Thanks, man. Cheers. Now let's hear from fifth place finisher and two-time IndyCar Series champion Alex Polo, one of a record 16 different drivers at Lead Lapse in this year's Indy 500. Joining us now on Pit Pass Indy is the two-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Alex Polo with Chip Ganassi Racing. Yet another top five finish in the Indianapolis 500. What was the race like from your viewpoint?

ALEX:

It was exciting. There was a lot going on, different strategies, lots of overtakes, lots of commitment to make passes. I don't think we had the speed that we've been showing the last probably three years, so the commitment that I had to do to make overtakes and to make moves was a lot higher. Made it to the lead only for one lap, but didn't really work out, honestly. We didn't really have everything we needed to win, and a P5 was all we had, honestly.

BRUCE:

Did the Chevrolets have an advantage this month at the Indy 500?

ALEX:

Yeah, they have more speed. It's clear. I would say it's the same advantage that Hondas had the past three years probably. They had it this year. Yeah, it's a shame when you are not in that, I would say, advantage side, but it is what it is. It's motorsport, and I'm sure that Honda will be back stronger next year.

BRUCE:

But that's the big speedway at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Indy 500. We're going off to the streets of Detroit. We're going to Road America. We're going to Monterey, Laguna Seca. So in a lot of ways, the speed advantage they may have on the big oval will be different in those three races, shouldn't it?

ALEX:

Yeah, I mean, we haven't seen a big difference on speed on road and street courses so far. I mean, if you look at the IndyRoad course, they were not faster than the Honda. So I think it's just purely a speedway thing, that they just put a lot of effort in it. And we did. As Honda, as a group, we did and we actually thought we made a step from last year, but it didn't work out on the real track.

BRUCE:

What did you think of the style of racing yesterday? It was really wild and it was a fantastic finish.

ALEX:

It was a little bit too wild in some moments of the race where people were just making crazy moves. I liked that it was possible to make moves. There was not two lanes, but you could do two wide on restarts and starts. I thought that was exciting, and the finish was really exciting, even from P5 that I was watching the race from.

BRUCE:

And how about the fact that all those people waited all that time Race started four hours late and when it came time to start at a quarter to five, every seat was full. What do you think of these fans for the Indy 500?

ALEX:

Amazing. I was just telling my family like, oh man, it's a shame that you're not going to see this place full after the rain. Because I thought, I don't know, normally 30% 40% would be normal if they went home after four hours, but they stayed there. It was amazing. The feeling and the atmosphere was amazing on driver intros and when we started the race. So it was just another example of why this event is so amazing.

BRUCE:

Tonight they're gonna honor a back-to-back Indy 500 champion. How big of an accomplishment is that for a driver to win this race two years in a row?

ALEX:

Yeah, it's huge. I mean, to win it once, it's pretty tough, but... But, I mean, everybody can make it once, but to do it twice, it's a lot of hard work, and especially if it's back-to-back. So, well-deserved for Josef. He did an amazing month of May, and he did the perfect last lap, and also restarts. Like, I had some battles with him, and I couldn't really catch him yesterday.

BRUCE:

And what did you think of Kyle Larson all month?

ALEX:

Yeah, he did a fantastic job, honestly. I mean, we know he's impressive, so it doesn't surprise me, but it still makes everybody watch Kyle. I mean, he's an amazing driver in everything he drives. But, I mean, he's such a good driver that I was not surprised.

BRUCE:

We're going to be honoring you one year as a winner of the Indianapolis 500s, but that year has yet to come. Enjoy the night. We'll catch up with you later this season. Alex Flo, thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy. Thank you. Santino Ferrucci has never finished outside of the top 10 in his first six Indy 500s, a record. He finished eighth in this year's Indy 500 for AJ Foyt. He tells me how from the red carpet. Joining us now on Pit Pass Indy is Santino Ferrucci of AJ Foyt Racing, finished 8th in the Indianapolis 500. You've never finished outside of the top 10 in the Indy 500. This track really seems to suit your style. What is it about it?

SANTINO:

Man, I don't know. Something about just always finishing here is important. And normally you're always in it at the end if you are. And we were close. Our second to last stint wasn't great. We kind of lost the balance a little bit. But that's part of this track. So yeah, another top 10, though. Can't complain with that.

BRUCE:

And also the driver that led the third most laps in the race was Stingray Rob, your teammate. A lot of people probably were surprised by that or thought, what's he going to do when he's out front? But he looked very good when he was out front of the Indy 500 for all those laps that he led.

SANTINO:

Yeah, he's definitely very comfortable. And, you know, it's good for him to be out front and leading as well. You know, it shows good things for the team. You know, it's good morale. They were honestly they were in it too because they were on that alternate strategy I think they just had I think a slight bobble on their last stop there Maybe something not go quite right where he ended up 16th, but he had a hell of a day man He was looking really good

BRUCE:

You have a technical alliance with Team Penske. They swept the front row and Josef Newgarden won the Indianapolis 500 for the second straight year. Do you see that alliance really paying off with positive dividends?

SANTINO:

Yeah, I think for both of us, you know, obviously we need to kind of figure out and regroup and see where we went wrong this month. You know, we just didn't quite have the pace of our counterparts there. And yeah, not entirely sure why, but I'm sure we'll look into it once we get out of this full swing of events and get it diagnosed.

BRUCE:

Santino Ferrucci, enjoy the night, and thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy. Thanks, Bruce. Indiana's own Connor Daly scored a top 10 finish and led 22 laps in the No. 24 Dreyer and Reinbold Chevrolet. The popular driver from Noblesville, Indiana, tells me how in this interview. Joining us now on Pit Pass Indy is Indiana's own Conor Daly. Early in the race, I hear this massive roar from the crowd. I look up. It's Conor Daly taking the lead. Once again, you're out front at the Indianapolis 500. Fans are going crazy. Did you realize just the reaction you were getting at that time, or were you all busy behind the wheel?

CONOR:

I couldn't see anything or hear anything, so... But I tell you what, it's much nicer in clean air than not, so... Just good to get up there again. I mean, the team got me there. They made a good strategy call. And that's kind of how you got to play this race. You're off-sequence for a little bit, but... It then works out by the end where we were all in the same strategy. We were all just pushing to the end. So that's exactly how we got to play it. We played it right. We passed a lot of cars too at the same time on different stints. So just proud of the team and everyone's effort.

BRUCE:

And just how great is it for a kid from Noblesville, Indiana to show up every month of May and

CONOR:

be so popular among the fans? I mean, it means the world to me because I love racing for this city, the state, everything. Everyone here that supports me, hearing the cheers are amazing, especially the driver intros as well. But also, you know, representing for Polkadot, for Chevrolet, for Dryer-Rheinbold, Cusick Motorsports. It's living the dream, as they say.

BRUCE:

Dryer-Rheinbold is an Indy 500 only operation, but they always come with a first-class effort. Your teammate, Ryan Utteray, made the Fast 12. You led laps yesterday. How much would you really love to see this team back as a full-time participant in IndyCar?

CONOR:

I think they've got the people to do it and they've got, you know, a great, great leadership group. Really have a lot of faith in those guys. And what I really enjoyed the most was how much they trusted us, you know, the drivers. They believed that both of their drivers could win the race, which is exactly how you should go into a motor racing operation if you believe that everyone wants to win.

BRUCE:

How were you able to have a car that worked so well out front?

CONOR:

Well, I mean, honestly, we were tuned to be in deep in traffic. So when we got there, it was a bit of a surprise. And I also just found out we had a broken left rear shock from lap 50 on. So we struggled with a couple of things. The headrest tried to come out of the car a couple of times, too. So there was a lot that we were dealing with, but just thankful that the guys worked with me. We trimmed out in the middle of the race, felt better. But we know a lot more for next year if we get to do it again together.

BRUCE:

It was a fantastic race. A lot of wild action out there. a lot of cautions but yet there was some really great fights out there without any crashing just what was it about the sense of urgency everybody felt was it the fact the race started so late a quarter to five in the evening and everybody was like let's get after it

CONOR:

I really don't know, honestly. I mean, it was definitely interesting. Thankfully, I kind of seemed to either just be in front of the accidents or nearby. But yeah, man, wild racing, everyone knows how difficult it is to pass once you slot in single file. So it was good to, you know, good to stay away from that activity.

BRUCE:

It rained for four hours. They clear the grandstands. When they start the race, there's three hundred and forty five thousand people back in their seats as a driver just How do you feel to see that type of sport for the Indy 500?

CONOR:

Oh, it's awesome. I mean, I'd never been a part of a rain delay race in my career. So cool to see everyone stay. They know that it's Indy 500 Sunday and we knew that we had a window. So I'm just happy to see the crowd. Happy that we got the opening ceremonies into all the fun things there. So great event.

BRUCE:

So Connor Daly, are we going to see you back in an Indy car anymore the rest of this year?

CONOR:

Your guess is as good as mine. I have no idea. I would love to, though.

BRUCE:

Well, I know he's popular among the fans, and he's popular among the media. Connor Daly, congratulations on being up front in the 108th Indianapolis 500. Thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy. Thanks, man. Hy-Vee driver Christian Lundgaard started 28th and raced his way to a 13th place finish in the number 45 Hy-Vee Honda for Rail Letterman Lanigan Racing. He talks about his effort when he joined me for this exclusive interview. Joining us now on Pit Pass Indy is Christian Lundgaard, driver of the number 45 Hy-Vee Honda for Rahal Untermann Lanigan Racing. It was a wild race at 108th Indianapolis 500. What did it look like from your viewpoint?

CHRISTIAN:

No, I think it was honestly a pretty straightforward race for us. I would say we liked the rain. We wanted to mix things up a little and try to see if we can put the luck in our favor. I think we ended up having a great race. We moved forward, which was really the most important. But I think the car was more competitive in race trim than it's been the past couple of years. I enjoyed it. I had a good talk with Bobby today where I also told him I didn't feel like a sitting duck the entire race. I felt like I had something to work with and I was able to move forward slightly. Pretty good day.

BRUCE:

As far as the team was concerned, Pietro was out early. Graham had his struggles just to get into the race. It really looked like you were the one driver that was able to have a good month from the beginning to end.

CHRISTIAN:

Yeah, I think Takuma had a lot of pace throughout the entire month. He actually didn't really get to run any race trim until Monday after qualifying, so he was already on the back foot for the race. But you know, he's a two-time winner, he doesn't need it. But I mean, I will say that I think the 45 Ivey Honda was strong. It wasn't the strongest car for sure, but we were moving forward. In the end, you know, being the first RRL car, and as a result, at the end of the race, I was very happy with that, getting Takuma with a couple of laps to go, knowing that he started around 15 spots ahead.

BRUCE:

So it's off to the streets of Detroit, and then after that, it's going to be Road America, and then after that, believe it or not, going on Laguna Seca in June instead of September. How do you look at those three races?

CHRISTIAN:

I mean, I don't really look at them any other way than any other race. It's a race. But of course, the month of May is now done. We now have time to focus on the rest of it. We're not even halfway yet. There's a long way to go. And I feel like the car is a lot stronger this year than it was last year. And we made a lot of improvements last year. So there's a lot to be optimistic about. There's good spirits within the team in terms of results. I think we will be better in Detroit than we were last year, so I'm looking forward.

BRUCE:

Big Hy-Vee presence at the Indianapolis 500 over the weekend. Also going to a couple of races where there's going to be even more activation. How cool is it to have your sponsors so committed?

CHRISTIAN:

I mean, what Hy-Vee does for IndyCar and motorsport in general is what we need. a load more of. They are setting the benchmark and I've said it multiple times before. I'm super, super proud to be carrying their brand around and representing them everywhere we go. And every time you show up to a race weekend that's supported by Hy-Vee, you see the difference and it's pretty clear.

BRUCE:

And it's not going to be much longer before we're back at Iowa for the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway. Obviously, it's a big weekend for you in many ways. How excited are you to see that race coming up?

CHRISTIAN:

I mean, I'm always excited to go to Iowa for multiple reasons. It's one of the more fun weekends. The past two years, it's been my birthday weekend. Unfortunately, it isn't this year, but to be carrying the Hy-Vee brand around, the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Week in Iowa, we're always excited, and I think as a team, we need to be better there, for sure. We're moving in the right direction, so we're all excited.

BRUCE:

Well, Christian Lungard, good luck the rest of the season, especially the races coming up here in June, and thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy. Thank you. Romain Grosjean started 26th and finished 19th for Juncos Olinger Racing. He tells me about his race in this interview. Joining us now on Pit Pass Indy is Romain Grosjean. It's after the 108th Indianapolis 500. How would you review your race? How was it this year?

ROMAIN:

Well, I finished, which was the goal. I think I'm happy with that. I'm happy with my performance. I think we just didn't have the speed that we wanted on the car for the whole month. So I think, yeah, we tried everything we could. I had some good start, good restarts, but we just didn't have the road pace.

BRUCE:

There was some wild racing all throughout the day. It was almost like there was a greater sense of urgency to get the race finished because of how late it started. Did you feel that was happening around where you were racing?

ROMAIN:

There were a few hairy moments for sure at the back, but it's also our biggest race. A lot of people want to shy on that one and give it everything they have. But generally, as I said, I did manage to stay out of trouble and I was happy with what we've done.

BRUCE:

The actual racing itself, there were some moves that were really spectacular. There were a lot of yellows, but it was a fairly clean finish. They allowed the leaders to fight it out at the end. There weren't any red flags or anything like that. So was it exciting from your viewpoint?

ROMAIN:

Well, I was, you know, I was hoping there was going to be a little bit more at the end because we were at the back and it was hard to pass. So I was hoping something would happen, but it did not happen. So, yes, it was kind of a clean finish, which is great. But I was hoping for a bit more action.

BRUCE:

Now it's off to the streets of Detroit. How do you feel about the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix?

ROMAIN:

Yeah, we try to carry on what we built in St. Pete and Long Beach and keep working forward as a team. I think we've done really well so far on the street course and I'm excited to see what we can do in Detroit.

BRUCE:

Well, Romain Grosjean, good luck in the summer months of the season. We've got some great road courses and street courses coming up. Thank you for joining us on Pit Pass In. Thank you. Colton Herta was one of 11 drivers out of the 33 drivers starting lineup that did not finish the race. He crashed on lap 170. Here's my interview with Hurta on the red carpet for Pit Pass Indy. Joining us now on Pit Pass Indy is Colton Herta. Colton, you were having a really good race, and then all of a sudden you weren't. What really happened?

COLTON:

I think it's still kind of unclear, looking at the data even. You know, most of the sensors look fine, like no big spike in anything from the damping or from the pitot tubes, so the wind stayed fairly stable. The line was the same. Maybe a little bit wider, but very similar. But it just, yeah, I don't know. It just went for some reason.

BRUCE:

You kept it off the wall. In retrospect, do you wish you had stayed in the car, got it restarted, and replaced the cone? Or was there a little more damage there than we saw on TV?

COLTON:

The left front was damaged. You know, as far as how much, we didn't change anything except for front wing when we went back to the garage. But, you know, if I were to stay in the race, I would be pretty slow like I was the rest of the time. I was just really out there to, you know, pick up the positions of other people going into the wall.

BRUCE:

Tough, tough week and tough month even for Andretti Global. Positive results in qualifying, but in the race, Marcus was out early. You're their best hope. Kyle Kirkwood had a little bit of struggles, but when you look back at it, is there anything in particular or did Chevrolet just have a better product this year than Honda?

COLTON:

I think we could have fought for the win. You know, we were passing, you know, we passed up from 13th to 2nd, so I felt very strong, but unfortunately it just didn't work out.

BRUCE:

Now it's off to the streets of Detroit. Wild track, tight track, kind of hard to pass. Do you like it?

COLTON:

I think I prefer Belle Isle. I really like Belle. I really, really love Belle Isle. Mostly because it's hard to find a street circuit where you can get high-speed corners like that, at least in the U.S. So we had that, and it was a super fun track to drive. But, you know, this is just a very different. perspective, you know, I think for the fans and stuff, it's a lot better where it is. I think for GM, it's a lot cooler for them as well, have it right around their building. And yeah, I think last year the race was was pretty awesome to watch. So I hope it stays same.

BRUCE:

You're out there to win the race yourself, but you have a pretty long history with Pato Award. He was your teammate. He's been a competitive rival of yours. He really talked yesterday pretty hard. You as a competitor, how do you feel for what he's going through right now to just give it all you got and not win the Indy 500 on the two turns left in the race?

COLTON:

Yeah, you know, I think it's, it, it sucks. It sucks to come that close, I'm sure. Um, you know, but he's got a long future ahead of him. Everybody knows that he'll win this race eventually. He's been so fast so many times here. Um, and it just hasn't gone his way, but you know, a lot of respect for him and it was brave to kind of stick in there as long as he did.

BRUCE:

After Detroit, it's Road America. That's one of everybody's favorite road courses. And then, strangely, back to the House of Herda in June, Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. Is it going to seem strange to go out there in June instead of September?

COLTON:

Yeah, but I like the way this schedule's kind of played out. You know, kind of separate the West Coast races a little bit. Maybe even get some people down from Portland to watch that one, or in the Northwest. So it's going to be an awesome, awesome one. I always love going back to Laguna Seca, but I love this string of races that we have. You know, we're straight on from a super speedway to a street course, then on to a permanent road course. So it's pretty awesome.

BRUCE:

Well, Colton Hurd, good luck in the June races coming up here. We'll catch up with you later in the season. And thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy. Thank you. Another driver who wasn't around for the end was 2014 Indy 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay. He was knocked off the track when he made contact with Scott Dixon's number nine PNC Bank Honda on the backstretch on lap 107, but was able to keep his car off the wall. Here is my interview with Hunter-Reay. Joining us now on Pit Pass Indy is Ryan Hunter. Ryan, you were having a great month of May. The race was a little bit different story. What happened in your situation on the race where you pretty much got taken out?

RYAN:

Well, I mean, to start, we really went aggressive on the setup, trying to go forward and everything else. And yeah, it didn't work out. We got loose and went backwards for 60 laps. Made it better after we made some adjustments on the car. But yeah, in the end, yeah, I was caught. I don't know. There was a good gap there. And yeah, he blocked it in reaction to my move. And yeah, got taken out.

BRUCE:

But it was Scott Dixon, and we don't normally see that from Scott Dixon.

RYAN:

No, we've been racing each other clean for 20 years, so... Yeah, it was a little bit of a surprise, and... Anyway, these things happen, and we sorted it out, you know, behind closed doors, and... It's unfortunate, because it took us out. I mean, we were racing with him, and he finished third, so... Who knows what would have ended for us.

BRUCE:

Did the two of you talk? Yeah.

RYAN:

And what did he say? You know, said, I didn't know you were there.

BRUCE:

You know, we've seen you in that grass before back in 2014. Turned out a little bit better for you than it did yesterday. But in terms of your experience, you showed this month that you're still fast and you can still be very good in the Indianapolis 500. And how much does that just make you want to do this even more?

RYAN:

Oh yeah, for sure. I mean, give me a good car at Indy, I'll be there. No doubt about it. So, it's just, you know, it's unfortunate it didn't pan out this year, but hopefully we'll be back next year stronger than ever.

BRUCE:

Well, Ryan Hunter-Reay, good luck to you. Hopefully we see you back on track later this season, and thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy. I appreciate it, Bruce. Thank you. Our final interview is with 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson, who nearly won the race for a second straight time in 2023, falling just short to Josef Newgarden. But this year, Ericsson discovered the other side of the Indianapolis 500, barely making the race and then crashing on the start. The popular driver from Sweden finished last in the 33-car field, but still talked to me the following night for this exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview. Joining us now on Pit Pass Indies, Markus Eriksson. Markus, the last two years you've experienced the greatest thrills that the Indy 500 can offer. Not so much this year. How frustrating was the entire month for you?

MARKUS:

It was a very, very tough month. And then I felt like we were like rebounding so well after that qualifying drama and everything. And then, you know, we came back in practice last week and really was like getting better with each run and I went into the race really feeling like I had a really really good race car and then to get it all taken away from you in turn one of a 500 mile race is just like heartbreaking.

BRUCE:

There's been a lot of winners that have won that race and next year they end up getting caught up in a crash. You maybe should have won last year's race but The red flags didn't allow you to be able to finish it in front. So just how frustrating is it that the race hasn't even started and here you are on the sideline?

MARKUS:

Ah, it was so frustrating. I was so angry after it happened and it was tough to accept it. But, you know, sometimes that's the way it goes. I think, you know, it's just tough. That's racing, right? But, yeah, yesterday was tough.

BRUCE:

What did you do after you were out of the race?

MARKUS:

I was watching it for a bit. It was actually an amazing race. I gotta say, you know, the racing was so cool and that made it even harder to watch it because I just wanted to be in it and battle it out with everyone else. So I watched it and then I took off before the traffic hits.

BRUCE:

For as frustrating a month as it was for you, how soon were you able to let it go?

MARKUS:

I mean, I woke up today and, you know, it's a new day, new week, it's race week again, so we just hit the reset button and then, you know, try and get our season on track again this weekend.

BRUCE:

We've got a street course coming up here at Detroit and then the road course at Road America.

MARKUS:

How do you feel? Two of my favorites of the calendar, Detroit. It's been very good to me. I had my first win in Detroit on Belle Isle. So really good memories from there. And Road America is one of the best tracks we have on the calendar. So two great, great weekends ahead of us. And like I said, I'm eager to get my season started properly. So ready to get going.

BRUCE:

And in strange as it may sound, Laguna Seca in June. Yeah. How can you wrap your mind around the fact that it's going to be in June this year, not the last race of the season?

MARKUS:

Yeah, it's a bit it's a bit strange for sure. But we all love Laguna, so I'm ready to go there and then race it out in the summer.

BRUCE:

And then after that, mid-Ohio, and it's going to be the Hybrid Assist Unit. It's going to be new for everybody. Is it almost going to be like starting a completely new season?

MARKUS:

Yeah, in a way, and I think that's great because we have done quite a bit of testing in the winter. We were really, really strong with the Hybrid. I think Honda has done a tremendous job with the Hybrid, so I'm eager to get going with that. I think we're going to be really strong.

BRUCE:

Well, Marcus Ericcson, you're always a star at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. You didn't really get a chance to show your star power so much in this year's race, but you'll be here next year and you'll have a chance to fight it out again. Good luck the rest of the season. We'll catch up with you later in the year and thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy. Thank you. And that puts a checkered flag on this special Indianapolis 500 wrap-up edition of Pit Pass Indy. We want to thank our guests, Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner and the winningest team owner in Indy 500 history, Roger Penske. Back-to-back Indy 500 winner, Josef Newgarden of Team Penske. Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Kyle Larson of Aero McLaren Hendrick Motorsports. Also, McLaren Racing CEO Zach Brown, Aero McLaren General Manager Brian Barnhart, Aero McLaren Team Principal Gavin Ward, and Aero McLaren driver Alexander Rossi. Also, Scott Dixon and Alex Bloch of Chip Ganassi Racing. Santino Ferrucci of A.J. Foyt Racing, Connor Daly and Ryan Hunter Ray of Dreyer and Reinbold Racing with Cusick Motorsports, Christian Lungard of Ray Hall Letterman Lanigan Racing, Romain Grosjean of Juncos Hollinger Racing, and finally, Colton Herta and Marcus Ericcson of Andretti Global for joining me 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. The 108th Indianapolis 500 may be over, but Pit Pass Indy covers the entire NTT IndyCar Series, 52 weeks a year. So be sure to tune in, download and subscribe to Pit Pass Indy from your favorite podcast platform. For more IndyCar coverage, follow me at 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.