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It was another short oval master class from Josef Newgarden this past weekend in St. Louis. But not before attrition, rain and failed strategies. Conor Daly is back on Speed Street this week to discuss the action from Gateway. He joins producer Bobby to breakdown the wild start, Ganassi racing taking a gamble on the rain and the ferocious battle between Josef, Marcus Ericsson and Christian Rasmussen. Race winner Josef Newgarden joins the show to recap his day and how he was able to race to the front at the end to secure his second victory of the season. He explains that Marcus Ericsson led the way for most of the race, but his Team Penske 2-crew helped get him track position in the last stint. The guys also talk about Josef's battle with Christian Rasmussen, his crash during the Indianapolis 500 and racing injured. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Alex Palou has been on a tear in the NTT IndyCar Series ever since he joined Chip Ganassi Racing. He's won three straight INDYCAR SERIES championships and four of the last five years. To top it off, he won the Indianapolis 500 last year and is currently leading the championship on the strength of four wins already this year including Long Beach and Detroit. We caught up with the champ at the “media bullpen” at the 2026 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where various questions are asked to him by a scrum of journalists including Larry from FastLane. Not an ideal one-on-one setting, but when you're this popular, it's hard to get a word in edgewise. We managed to get a couple of questions for the champ to answer including his take on what the most fun performance aspect of racing an Indy car is, as well as what's the most challenging corner on the circuit. Enjoy!
It felt like we were short track racing on a street course this past weekend in Detroit. Conor Daly returns to Speed Street this week to join Producer Bobby in recapping the recent IndyCar Detroit Grand Prix. Despite another Alex Palou victory, we saw a lot of compelling action throughout the field, including an on-track brawl between former Penske teammates Scott McLaughlin and Will Power. There was a moment when it looked like Kyle Kirkwood had the goods to win, but an unfortunate caution played in the favor of the Palou 10-team allowing him to stretch out to victory in the late stages of the race. Seventh place finisher Louis Foster joins the show to talk about Rahal Letterman Lanigan's steady improvement this season, and how the race officials' quick decisions on yellows in Detroit had several drivers annoyed. They also discuss the Month of May and what Louis is looking forward to on the horizon of the rest of the season. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
ON TODAYS PROGRAM… PALOU WINS IN DETROIT!!!…SCHUMACHER P21 IS TOTO HAVING FANTASIES OF A KIMI AND MAX SUPER TEAM FOR THEIR SUPER CAR! WOULD THE TIFOSI WEAR ORANGE TO HELP FERRARI GET MAX? ZACK BROWN TOOK LANDO NORRIS TO THE SPEEDWAY THE DAY AFTER THE 500 LARGEST MOTORSPORTS SPECTACLE IN THE WORLD AND…FERNANDO SAYS: I WILL ATTEMPT THE INDIANAPOLIS 500 ONE MORE TIME!….mention MAX and competition. THIS WEEK'S NASIR HAMEED CORNER WE HAVE: A MOMENT IN MOTORSPORTS HISTORY WITH CIAO COLLET FROM 2023 WHO CRASHED IN THE INDY 500 WITH 8 LAPS TO GO!! AND A LITTLE HISTORY ON THE MICHELIN TYRE!! Palou Prevails Amid Chaos, Varying Tire Strategies in Detroit. DETROIT (Sunday, May 31, 2026) – Four-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou prevailed in a full-contact race filled with various tire strategies, winning the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear on Sunday for his fourth victory in eight races this season. Pole sitter Palou drove his No. 10 HRC Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to a 3.0584-second victory over the No. 27 Sam's Club Honda of Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood. It was the 23rd victory of Palou's career in 106 starts, a remarkable strike rate of 21.7 percent, and he has won 12 of the last 25 races (48 percent win rate) dating to the start of the 2025 season. SEE: Race Results “It feels like the first time, honestly” Palou said. “It was a tough one, a very tough one. But the team did an incredible job once again with the strategy. The pit stops were incredible. Incredible run, incredible start of the year, but it was tough.” The victory extended Palou's championship lead to 62 points over Kirkwood, more than a race's worth of margin. The Spaniard is aiming for an INDYCAR SERIES record-tying fourth straight title. Graham Rahal finished third in the No. 15 Fifth Third Bank Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, his third podium finish of the season. Arrow McLaren teammates Pato O'Ward and Christian Lundgaard finished fourth and fifth in the No. 5 and No. 7 Chevrolet-powered cars, respectively, at General Motors' home event. Palou led 71 of the 100 laps, but this wasn't a stroll down Easy Street. He took the lead for good on Lap 69 when Kirkwood pitted from the lead for the last time and stayed out front on restarts on Laps 72, 76, 83 and 93 after full-course yellows bunched the field. The move to the front was paved a few laps earlier when strategist Barry Wanser and Palou decided to make their final pit stop at the end of Lap 63, switching from the faster but less durable Firestone Firehawk alternate tire to the primary tire. Wanser saw a variety of jousts for position unfolding on the tight, nine-turn, 1.645-mile street circuit and wisely didn't want Palou to get caught on track under caution and lose track position. Wanser's decision proved prescient on Lap 66 when Santino Ferrucci's No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet of AJ Foyt Racing nudged the rear of Rinus VeeKay's No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet into a spin in Turn 5. Kirkwood was leading but still had to make his final stop, which he did under yellow on Lap 69 and was forced to use a set of Firestone Firehawk alternates per INDYCAR rules that require at least two sets of the softer rubber to be used in street-circuit events. Palou rocketed away from Alexander Rossi's No. 20 Java House Chevrolet of ECR on the restart on Lap 72. Rookie Mick Schumacher and David Malukas were engaged in an intense duel for third on the restart, with Schumacher missing the corner in Turn 5 and nosing into the barriers in his No. 47 ENVE Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Malukas had nowhere to go and ran wide in his No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, with the incident triggering another full-course caution on Lap 73. By this point, Kirkwood had worked his way back to third after his final pit stop and had to make the most of the added early grip of the alternate tire before the increased durability of Palou's primary tires prevailed in the closing laps. Kirkwood passed Rossi and then set sail for Palou, knowing this was his best chance to win. Kirkwood pulled to within two car lengths of Palou on Lap 79 and appeared to be ready to pounce for the lead when Ferrucci's car slowed in Turn 4 with a mechanical problem, triggering the fifth full-course yellow of the race on Lap 80. “We took a little bit of a gamble on tires there, being the only guy on reds (alternates) at the end,” Kirkwood said. “It nearly paid off. It was so, so close. There were two untimely yellows. “We almost covered Palou when we were on primes, which would have been phenomenal, and then we had that other yellow where I had him lined up. I was ready to make a dive on him, and, of course, (the yellow) comes out after I burned 10 seconds of overtake. From there, we just didn't really have another shot at it. I think I just used up my tires too much to make that one pass.” Palou kept the lead on the restart on Lap 83, but Kirkwood continued to push and forced Palou into a flat-spotting tire lockup on Lap 88. But Palou gathered himself and his car and started to pull away, building a lead of 1.8929 seconds by Lap 91. But there was one more restart for Palou to manage after Rossi clipped the rear of the No. 18 BMax Honda driven by Romain Grosjean of Dale Coyne Racing and sent Grosjean into the outside wall approaching Turn 3 on Lap 91. That triggered the last of six full-course yellows, but Palou pulled away from Kirkwood and the field on the Lap 93 restart and was never threatened despite the 173 on-track passes today, a high for a street circuit this season. “Being able to be up front was key,” Palou said. “On the first stint, I started struggling and kind of put myself in a bad spot and lost two positions with Lundgaard and (Scott) McLaughlin. I lost us positions there, but the team made a great call to be safe with the yellow. It kind of worked out for us.” Fittipaldi Wins Motor City Thriller, Takes Series Lead. DETROIT (Sunday, May 31, 2026) – Enzo Fittipaldi returned his famous last name to Victory Lane in Detroit for the first time in 35 years, winning the INDY NXT by Firestone Detroit Grand Prix despite driving nearly the entire distance with a damaged front wing and nose cone. Series rookie Fittipaldi won the race, originally scheduled for 45 laps but switched to a timed event, under caution in the No. 67 HMD Motorsports car after starting seventh. It was his second victory of the season and vaulted him to the championship lead in the INDYCAR development series, seven points ahead of Nikita Johnson of Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR and eight ahead of HMD teammate Tymek Kucharczyk. SEE: Race Results The victory also was the first by the legendary Fittipaldi name in Detroit since his grandfather and two-time Indy 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi won INDYCAR SERIES races on a different downtown street circuit in the Motor City in 1989 and 1991. “I just pushed as hard as I could,” Enzo Fittipaldi said. “I found pace. I was really, really fast. Just so happy to get the win. I love to race; I'm a racer.” Series veteran Myles Rowe finished a season-best second in the No. 99 Abel Motorsports with Force Indy machine, with rookie Kucharczyk rounding out the podium finishers in the No. 71 HMD Motorsports entry. Rookie Max Garcia tied his season-best finish by placing fourth in the No. 12 Abel Motorsports machine, with veteran Seb Murray rounding out the top five in the No. 27 Megatron car of Andretti Global. Frenzied action started from the drop of the green flag on Lap 1, as Lochie Hughes made an aggressive move into the Turn 3 hairpin with his No. 26 Andretti Global car, punting pole sitter Alessandro de Tullio into a spin from the lead in the No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing entry. Hughes received a drive-through penalty for avoidable contact. Fittipaldi nudged another car in that chain-reaction melee, which damaged the right side of his front wing and punched a large hole in his nose cone. Kucharczyk took the lead from that point, keeping it on the restart on Lap 8. Kucharczyk built a lead of 3.324 seconds over Fittipaldi by Lap 13, with Rowe climbing to third by Lap 18. Rowe dove under Fittipaldi for second on Lap 20 and started to chase down Kucharczyk. By Lap 21, Rowe pulled to within .5477 of a second of leader Kucharcyzk, slicing 1.6 seconds from the Polish driver's lead in just three laps. But the complexion of the race changed on Lap 26 when the second of four full-course yellow flags in the race were unfurled for debris on the nine-turn, 1.645-mile temporary street circuit. The restart came at the end of Lap 27, with Rowe trying to dive under Kucharczyk for the lead immediately after the green flag, in the Turn 3 hairpin. But the move forced both cars wide, leaving an opening along the inside curb for Fittipaldi. He took it, squeezing past Rowe and Kucharcyzk and never trailing thereafter. Fittipaldi stayed out front on another restart on Lap 34 after Niels Koolen nosed his No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing machine into the barrier in Turn 8. “I got it done,” Fittipaldi said. “I knew Myles was going to go for a lunge there, and I just prepared my mid-(corner) to exit of Turn 3, and he went on the lunge on Tymek, and I was able to do the crossover and got the lead. I had the pace to stay there, and I was actually pulling away.” The decisive move was one of 141 on-track passes, including 124 for position, in the exciting race – both INDY NXT records for any circuit on which the series has competed in the Motor City. Fittipaldi expanded that gap to nearly six-tenths of a second when Andretti Global's Max Taylor also nosed into the barrier in Turn 1 in his No. 28 Susan G. Komen car with about four minutes, 20 seconds left in what had become a timed race, triggering the final caution. Taylor's car could not be cleared in time to restart the race, with the field finishing under yellow. “I was losing quite a lot of time through (Turns) 6 and 7,” Fittipaldi said of the damage to his car. “It was quite difficult. Down the straight, I could feel the air coming through my legs and I said: ‘Man, this is not good. We're definitely dragging a lot on the straight.' It was hard to keep that lead and keep up with the guys.”
It was the closest finish in Indianapolis 500 history as Felix Rosenqvist overtook David Malukas in a last straightaway dash this past Sunday. But before that, our resident open wheeler Conor Daly was in the mix, leading laps and trading the top position with the likes of Alex Palou, Scott McLaughlin and Malukas. Conor fills Speed Street listeners in on how his race played out, and how ultimately pit strategies left him mired in traffic for the final restarts. Race winner Felix Rosenqvist joins the show to chat about his media week so far, and how the race unfolded from his vantage point. Felix admits that it all still hasn't sunk in yet, but hopes to be able to continue his momentum and take the fight to points leader Alex Palou down the stretch of the 2026 season. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The motorsports world had heavy hearts as it embarked on its biggest day of the year. Fittingly, it rained in both Charlotte and Indianapolis all weekend as NASCAR and IndyCar competed in two of its biggest events. Motorsports reporters Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi were both on the scene and covered the races. They hit the airwaves LIVE Memorial Day morning to speak on the loss of Kyle Busch and what unfolded in the Indianapolis 500 and Charlotte 600. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
ON TODAYS PROGRAM… GEORGE'S MERC GOES KABLAMO WHILE IN THE LEAD GIFTING ANTONELLI THE WIN! MCLAREN MAKES ONE. BLUNDER AFTER ANOTHER… GOOD FIGHT BETWEEN MAX AND LCH FOR P2 AND… FELIX ROSENQVIST WINS THE INDY 500 BY A NOSE!!! SUPER SAD NEWS…KYLE BUSCH GONE AT 41… THIS WEEK'S NASIR HAMEED CORNER WE HAVE: A MOMENT IN MOTORSPORTS HISTORY WITH FRANCOIS CASTAIN!… Rosenqvist Earns Epic Victory in Closest-Ever Indianapolis 500 Finish INDIANAPOLIS (Sunday, May 24, 2026) – Felix Rosenqvist capped his magical May by edging David Malukas in a last-lap drag race to the Yard of Bricks with the highest stakes, winning the 110th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the closest finish in the century-plus history of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Rosenqvist rode the high line against the concrete wall exiting Turn 4 on Lap 200 in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda of Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian and powered past the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet of David Malukas to prevail by .0233 of a second. The previous closest finish in “500” history came in 1992, when Al Unser Jr. held off a charging Scott Goodyear by .043 of a second. SEE: Race Results “Unreal; I still don't believe it,” Rosenqvist said. “It kind of worked out the right way when I got back to third, and then I just had to flat-out lap on the high line, and it stuck,” Rosenqvist said. “It was just the coolest way you can finish and win an Indy 500.” The breathtaking race featured an event-record 70 lead changes over its 200 scintillating laps, breaking the previous mark of 68 set in 2013. With his second career NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory, Rosenqvist became the third Swedish driver to win “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” joining Kenny Brack (1999) and Marcus Ericsson (2022). Meyer Shank Racing also earned its second NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory – both coming in the most prestigious race in the world. Helio Castroneves captured his record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 victory in 2021 for the Ohio-based team. The victory capped a remarkable month for Rosenqvist. He and his wife, Emille, welcomed their first child, a daughter named Stella, on May 4. “I really miss my wife and my newborn child, Stella,” Rosenqvist said. “I wish they were here with me. This whole month, becoming a dad and winning the ‘500' … We joked about it in the beginning: ‘Maybe you'll win the ‘500' and have a baby.' It's just unreal.” Scott McLaughlin finished third in the No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet, as the fabled team placed two drivers in the top three but fell just short of a record-extending 21st Indy 500 victory. Pato O'Ward placed fourth in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, his fifth career top-four finish in seven “500” starts without a victory. Marcus Armstrong rounded out the top five in the No. 66 Acura Honda of Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian despite taking the green flag in the lead on a one-lap shootout for the victory after a late caution. An incredible .4360 of a second separated the top-five finishers. Rosenqvist's average speed was 162.021 mph. The one-lap dash to the checkered flag and immortality was set up when rookie Mick Schumacher brushed the SAFER Barrier in Turn 2 in his No. 47 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda on Lap 197. Racing resumed at the end of Lap 199, with Armstrong leading to the flag stand with the white flag in the air and one lap remaining, with Malukas in second and Rosenqvist third. Malukas powered to the lead entering Turn 1 and started to pull away on the backstretch of the 2.5-mile oval with teammates Armstrong and Rosenqvist running side by side in a joust for second. Rosenqvist, running the high line around the oval, nosed ahead of Armstrong in Turn 4 and set his sights on Malukas. With the checkered flag in the air ahead, Malukas drove his car toward the pit wall to try and break Rosenqvist's aerodynamic tow. Malukas then moved toward the center of the track, and Rosenqvist quickly swung his machine back toward the top of the racetrack, just barely avoiding contact. The two cars were side by side yards from the finish line when Rosenqvist nosed ahead and crossed the Yard of Bricks first by about a half-car length, the capacity crowd of 350,000 pulsating in delight. It was the most important of the 629 on-track passes in the race, including 567 for position. “I don't know what else we could have done,” Malukas said as he choked back tears in his pit box. “We were the fastest car that whole race. I gave it 150 percent. I mean, I almost crashed this damn car every lap, and we still ended up with a P2. “I just can't believe it. I don't know what else I can give. So close. This place, we're going to come back and bring it everything. We're going to give it 160 percent the next time.” Said Rosenqvist: “Good job to Marcus and David at the end. They raced really cleanly. It's because of drivers like that you get really good racing. Unbelievable.” McLaughlin, O'Ward and Armstrong then crossed the Yard of Bricks three-wide in the sprint for third, capping a race for the ages. The spellbinding finish was the final act of a dual-strategy drama that unfolded over the closing laps. O'Ward, Armstrong and Rosenqvist made their final pit stops on Laps 164, 165 and 166, respectively, right at the edge of the fuel window to finish the race without another stop under green-flag racing. Meanwhile, Malukas, McLaughlin and pole sitter Alex Palou in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda were among a group of cars that were on a different sequence and had to make their final stops on Laps 175 (Malukas) and 176 (Palou and McLaughlin). Malukas took control of that chasing group, but they were more than 20 seconds behind O'Ward, Rosenqvist and Armstrong with less than 25 laps to go. Rosenqvist, with two more laps of fuel than O'Ward, was content to ride in the draft of the Mexican and save even more fuel as both lapped nearly 10 mph slower than the chasing pack to ensure they could make it to the finish. Rosenqvist finally pounced past O'Ward for the lead on Lap 185 and was headed toward Easy Street. The chasing trio of Malukas, McLaughlin and Palou appeared to be running out of laps to catch O'Ward, Rosenqvist and Armstrong, but the field was bunched on Lap 192 when rookie Caio Collet slammed the SAFER Barrier in Turn 2 in the No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet of A.J. Foyt Enterprises, triggering the sixth of seven caution periods in the race. Race officials immediately red-flagged the event for accident cleanup, with all cars pulling into the pits. “It was the perfect situation for us before that,” Rosenqvist said. “We kind of had everything lined up. Pato was struggling with fuel, and we were pretty rich (on fuel) to the end. I was like: ‘This is going to be great. At some point you're just going to pass him and hopefully cruise to the win.' But then in the end, everything flipped upside-down. “But you just have to reload. I was a little negative at first. I was like, ‘Of course, this happened.' But then you just had to think forward. It actually was good when I got back to third because it felt like I was hunting instead of being hunted.” Rosenqvist led the field to green flag on the Lap 196 restart after the 10-minute red flag period, with O'Ward second and Armstrong third. But Armstrong powered to the front in the four-wide restart with a bold outside move in Turn 1, with Malukas riding his aerodynamic coattails to second. But then Schumacher made contact with the SAFER Barrier to bring out the final caution on Lap 197, setting up the one-lap dash for glory. NTT P1 Award winner Palou led a race-high 59 laps but finished seventh. Adding his 12 bonus points for earning the Indy 500 pole, Palou leads the series standings by 42 points over Malukas entering the next event, the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear on Sunday, May 31 on the streets of Detroit. Kimi Antonelli First of all, massive commiserations to George. I feel very sorry for him as he was leading the race and was super strong. We were having a great battle in that first stint and very close on pace. I am sure it would have gone right until the end of the Grand Prix, and I am disappointed we didn't get the chance to continue that. It was not an easy race for us. The wind was very tricky and with the low temperatures, it was hard to get the tyres working. We had several lock-ups, particularly in the early stages, but fortunately were able to keep it on the track and get to the chequered flag first. It is of course not how we want to win but we will take it. We now get ready for the European portion of the season and six races in eight weekends leading up to shutdown. It will be an intense period, but we are looking forward to it. George Russell I am proud of my weekend, no matter that it ended in a retirement today. I took pole for the Sprint, won that race, took pole for the Grand Prix and was leading before we had the Power Unit issue that finished our race. I know there is nothing more I could have done this weekend to perform and that fills me with confidence moving forward into the rest of the season. It is of course a painful way to finish our Canadian Grand Prix weekend, but I will leave here satisfied that I did my best. Up until lap 30, I was thoroughly enjoying the race. I loved the battle with Kimi, and I am sure he did too. It was like going back to karting days where you are racing wheel-to-wheel, swapping the lead multiple times. I hope everyone enjoyed watching it as much as I enjoyed being in it. I just wish we could have continued it until the end of the Grand Prix. MAX... We made the right calls and didn't leave anything on the table! Finish Position: 3, Start Position: 6 "It's great to be back on the podium. It was a little bit of a surprise, but we made the right calls and didn't leave anything on the table. We had a very good first stint on the Soft tyre, and that gave us the gap we needed. The Medium tyre was more difficult because managing the temperatures, combined with going in and out of Virtual Safety Cars, made things more challenging. I enjoyed the last few laps battling with Lewis, and I pushed hard to take the position back. Over the last two weekends, we've been a lot closer, and there have been positive steps forward. It's also our first podium with our own powertrain, which is a great milestone for the Team, so credit to everyone for getting us here.”
MIke Broughton is the game director of the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star game and he gets the show started talking to coach Lovell on the busiest time of the year for him and the game organizers. He explains why this tradition has remained important to the people and players from both states. Then, voice of the NTT IndyCar Series, Mark Jaynes, reflects on the honor of calling the Oscar Meyer Weenie 500 Friday afternoon. Jaynes previews the field and the biggest storylines heading in. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The biggest weekend in auto racing is upon us! Motorsports reporter Jeff Gluck is here to look ahead to the Indianapolis 500 and the Charlotte 600 on this edition of the Gluckcast. He also sits down with fellow journalist Nate Ryan to unpack the recent NASCAR Hall of Fame voting session and what the future may hold for NASCAR racing in Southern California. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The field of 33 is set, and our resident open wheeler Conor Daly is starting in the middle of row three. After a heroic run in the first round of qualifying, Conor rocketed himself into the Fast 12. Changing track temperatures throughout the day proved challenging for the drivers, and Conor would ultimate qualify eighth, failing to advance to the Fast 6. Conor unpacks the practice sessions of the week and what it was like qualifying on the edge. He and Producer Bobby also discuss tow/non-tow speeds and what techniques teams use to transition from qualifying setups to race trim before making some Indianapolis 500 podium picks. Get closer to the INDY 500 with Racing Electronics! Don't just watch-experience every moment. Hear uncensored driver audio, team strategy, white-knuckle passes, and every second of pit road chaos! Rent now: www.RacingElectronics.com/lndy500 Pick up trackside race weekend. Quantities are limited; this will sell out! Connect with Racing Electronics on: http://www.RacingElectronics.com X: /REradioz Facebook: /RacingElectronics lnstagram: /reradioz YouTube: /@racingelectronics Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The biggest month in motorsports is officially here. This weekend the NASCAR All-Star Race at Dover is on tap, along with qualifying for the Indianapolis 500. But before we get there, motorsports reporter Jeff Gluck is here to chat with one of the most popular racers in the sport, Kasey Kahne about his monumental first World of Outlaws sprint car victory and his views on NASCAR and his career today. Jeff also chats with Richard Childress Racing crew chief Danny Stockman about his experience with Cleetus McFarland and longtime, legendary writer Jenna Fryer about her decision to leave the Associated Press and the current state of motorsports journalism. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
It was the caution (or lack there of) that was heard around the world, or at least in the world of IndyCar racing. Alexander Rossi coming to a halt on the front stretch turned the Indianapolis Grand Prix on it's side, and Christian Lundgaard was able to capitalize on the chaos to bring home his first win of the season. Conor Daly and Producer Bobby are back on Speed Street to recap the action from the race and weigh in on the full course/local yellow debacle, plus they look ahead to the week of Indianapolis 500 testing. Race winner Christian Lundgaard also joins the show to talk about what the victory meant to his team and how he and Arrow McLaren are chasing legacy this May. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
ON TODAYS PROGRAM… FIA APROVE MORE REG CHANGES FOR 2027 SO… IS FERRARI STUCK IN A LOOP OF MEDIOCRITY? HONDA MAKING SOME PROGRESS IN RELIABILITY WOULD VERSTAPPEN BE TOO MUCH FOR MOTORSPORTS IF HE LEAVES F1 AND… FERNANDO SAYS PATIENCE IS MY STRENGTH WITH HINTS OF NO RETIREMENT ANY TIME SOON!! THIS WEEK'S NASIR HAMEED CORNER WE HAVE: ROBIN FRINJS WHO JUST WON THE WEC RACE AT SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS! AND, HANNES VAN ASSELDONK! BONUS: DAVID COULTHARD AND LONG TIME F1W LISTENER... CHRISTOPHER DEHARDE. ISACK HADJAR THRILLS CROWD AT GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE HISTORIQUE HOMECOMING Isack Hadjar roared the 2011 championship-winning RB7 past a sea of French fans as he returned to home soil for the first time as an Oracle Red Bull Racing driver at Circuit Paul Ricard. In front of an adoring home crowd, Isack paraded around the iconic track allowing him to soak up the electric atmosphere, before taking part in the ‘Fast and Famous' demo run alongside legends of the sport. Joined by CEO and Team Principal Laurent Mekies, Isack was cheered on by a passionate sell-out crowd of 25,000 fans, as he completed demonstration laps around Le Castellet for the first time since claiming victory there in the Formula Regional European Championship in 2021. Headlining the 2026 Grand Prix de France Historique, Isack took to the 5.8km Grand Prix course, returning RB7 to the historic Formula One layout, waving to his fans as their roar from the grandstands rivalled the deafening thunder of the car's V8 engine. Isack later joined fellow French F1 driver Esteban Ocon in the ‘Fast and Famous' segment, which placed cars from several decades of F1 history against one another in a celebration of legacy. Earning the biggest cheer of the afternoon, Isack raced Ocon down the Mistral Straight. Sharing the track with four-time World Champion Alain Prost, Isack followed in the slipstream of one of his childhood heroes around Circuit Paul Ricard while also driving alongside Jean Alesi, Philippe Alliot and René Arnoux, amongst some of the most celebrated names to race under the French flag. Capping off a memorable afternoon under the Le Castellet sunshine, Isack was given the honour by waving Le Tricolore to signal the start of the ‘Historic F1 race', featuring an extraordinary collection of World Championship-winning drivers and decades of iconic F1 machinery. Isack Hadjar, Oracle Red Bull Racing driver, said: "Being here was the perfect day. It was my home Grand Prix here in France and it was my chance to feel the support from so many fans today. I had a lot of fun, both on track and in the paddock. The roar of RB7's V8 is iconic and it felt so light around this circuit which made for a lovely drive. The atmosphere was unreal, you can get so close to the fans and enjoy special moments with them. Coming here brought back a lot of memories from winning races in F4 and to drive around Paul Ricard in an F1 car was a full circle moment." Laurent Mekies, CEO and Team Principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing, said: "Today has been an incredible event, it's the first time Oracle Red Bull Racing have shown up in this way for the Grand Prix de France Historique and it felt like a really special occasion. Isack's popularity here has been through the roof, you feel an extraordinary sense of passion from the French fans for their motorsport and Isack. He had a great afternoon having a good go on track against cars from so many different eras of our sport. Our heritage team and Showrun programme is so unique to Red Bull, it's our way of bringing Formula One to those that haven't been able to experience a Grand Prix atmosphere before and today they got that." Kucharczyk Breaks Through for First INDY NXT Win at IMS INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, May 9, 2026) – Tymek Kucharczyk was Mr. Consistency for the first five races of the INDY NXT by Firestone season. But now he's a winner. Series rookie Kucharczyk, the first Polish driver to compete in the INDYCAR development series, earned his first career victory by holding off Max Taylor to win Race 2 of the Indianapolis Grand Prix doubleheader Saturday on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. SEE: Race Results “What a special day,” Kucharczyk said. “To do it here, coming back to November in my first test in an INDY NXT car, now a winner here at Indy, it's spectacular. I'm so grateful to my sponsors, to my team. It was a tough race. It was really, really hard to hold Max behind me. He was pushing me for the whole race.” Kucharczyk was the only driver to record a top-five finish in the first five races this season, but his best was third place, three times. He finished fourth in Race 1 of this doubleheader in mixed conditions Friday. But Kucharczyk climbed from fifth to the lead after the first two turns on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile circuit, leading all 30 laps in the No. 71 HMD Motorsports car. He took the checkered flag .6273 of a second ahead of Taylor in the No. 28 Susan G. Komen machine of Andretti Global after a taut, race-long duel in the caution-free race. Enzo Fittipaldi, who won Race 1 Friday, prevailed in an exciting three-way fight over the last 10 laps of the race for the final podium spot in the No. 67 HMD Motorsports machine. Lochie Hughes placed fourth in the No. 26 Andretti Global car, with Alessandro de Tullio rounding out the top five in the No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing entry. Series leader Nikita Johnson placed sixth in the No. 21 Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR car. Kucharczyk climbed to second in the standings with his win, 11 points behind Johnson. There were two main flashpoints in the race, which took place under sunny skies in a contrast to the wet conditions at the finish Friday. The first came at the green flag. Taylor started from pole and went side by side with Josh Pierson's No. 29 Starchive Andretti entry of Andretti Global, with both cars going wide. Kucharczyk snuck through the opening for the lead, with Taylor clinging to second. Kucharczyk maintained a gap of six- to seven-tenths of a second for the next 16 laps before the second main incident of the race. Kucharczyk locked his right front wheel braking for Turn 1 on Lap 17, creating a large flat spot on his Firestone Firehawk tire. “Other than the lockup that I made midway through the race, it was a pretty flawless execution,” Kucharczyk said. “I don't think we had probably the fastest car on the grid today, but the first lap helped me massively. Max was pushing really hard, so I had to save the Push to Pass at the end, as well. It's all good. I made it happen, so super, super grateful.” Taylor pulled to within .4807 of a second on Lap 23, and it appeared the flat spot on his tire may have started to sap speed from Kucharczyk. But the Pole managed his tires and saved enough Push to Pass engine boost to increase the gap to .7830 of a second on Lap 25. He maintained a steady gap to the checkered flag. “That was everything,” Taylor said of his effort. “I thought we were going to catch him. I messed up on the start, I think. So, something to look over. But still good points, decent points this weekend, and a lot to take away and a lot to improve on if we want to win this championship.” Taylor is third in the standings, three points behind Kucharczyk and 14 behind Johnson. The next INDY NXT by Firestone race is the Detroit Grand Prix on Sunday, May 31 on the streets of Detroit. Lundgaard Breaks Long Drought To Win Sonsio Grand Prix INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, May 9, 2026) – Christian Lundgaard prevailed in a race filled with thrills, incidents and enough pit wall decisions to prematurely age strategists to win the Sonsio Grand Prix on Saturday on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory in nearly three years. Lundgaard drove his No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet to his second career victory by 4.6713 seconds over the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet of David Malukas. Lundgaard's first career win came at the Honda Indy Toronto on July 16, 2023, while driving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. This victory ended a 47-race winless drought for the Danish driver, and he became the third McLaren driver to win in the INDYCAR SERIES, joining Johnny Rutherford and Pato O'Ward. SEE: Race Results “Very happy,” Lundgaard said. “I really didn't expect this today. I hoped for it. This was a long wait for this win, especially around this place. You know how fast I've always been around here, and it's just been time after time after time disappointments. Now we're here. Let's go! “We did it. Let's go. Good start to May.” Graham Rahal was the final podium finisher today, third in the No. 15 Fifth Third Bank Honda to tie his season-best result. Josef Newgarden placed fourth in the No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet to put two Penske cars in the top four. NTT P1 Award winner Alex Palou, who led every session he was on track this weekend entering the 85-lap race, rounded out the top five in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Lundgaard, who started fourth, took the lead for good with a scintillating pass of Malukas on Lap 68. The two drivers raced side by side through Turns 3 and 4 before Lundgaard slipped through a small opening in the Turns 5 and 6 chicane leading to the backstretch of the 14-turn, 2.439-mile circuit. Then Lundgaard, who last pitted for the final time one lap earlier than Malukas on Lap 65, pulled away over the closing laps. Malukas led a race-high 27 laps, four more than Lundgaard, as he fell just short of earning his first career victory. “We were very strong in those middle stints, and then toward the end, we maybe made the wrong decision on wing (adjustments) there,” Malukas said. “We were just falling apart. I was doing everything I can just to survive, and Rahal was coming from behind. “But either way, that is a fantastic result. We went into this weekend knowing it was going to be a struggle for us. We thought we wouldn't even make the (Firestone) Fast Six (in qualifying), and here we are P2 on the podium. We're one step closer to getting that win.” Chaos and snap decisions from strategists reigned from the drop of the green flag until the race settled into a rhythm after the final round of pit stops for the field with 20 to 25 laps to go. Palou led into Turn 1 at the start, seeking his fourth consecutive victory in this road race that opens the Month of May at IMS. Behind him, O'Ward in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, Scott Dixon in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, Felix Rosenqvist in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda and Caio Collet in the No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet were collected in a chain-reaction accident as the 25-car field funneled from the front straightaway to the tight Turns 1-2 complex. That incident helped Malukas jump from fifth to second and triggered the first of three full-course cautions in the race. Many teams began to adopt alternate strategies to cope with the early field shuffle, entering for tires and fuel when the pits opened on Lap 3. Meanwhile, Palou stayed on track and began to pad his lead. Kyle Kirkwood drove his No. 27 JM Bullion/Gold.com Honda of Andretti Global past Malukas for second place on Lap 7, and the top two drivers in the series point standings started to pull away and possibly set up a one-on-one duel for victory. The race turned on its head on Lap 22 when the No. 20 Java House Chevrolet driven by Alexander Rossi of ECR stopped along the pit wall near the Yard of Bricks start-finish line on the front straightaway with a mechanical problem. Many other cars had started to pit before the full-course yellow, but Palou and Kirkwood did not from the top two spots. Palou and Kirkwood entered the pits on Lap 25, dropping them to 19th and 20th, respectively, when they returned to speed. Palou and Kirkwood just avoided calamity on the restart on Lap 28, darting around another chain-reaction collision – this time in Turn 13 – between Rosenqvist, O'Ward, Sting Ray Robb in the No. 77 Juncos Hollinger – Goodheart Chevrolet and Kyffin Simpson in the No. 8 Sunoco Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Kirkwood's chances at contending for victory ended during his pit service on Lap 39, when a slow right-front wheel change resulted in a 15.2-second stop. Palou's stop was 7.2 seconds on the same lap, allowing him to continue to march toward the front. But he never got any closer than fifth, ending up 14.3630 seconds behind winner Lundgaard. Palou's two-race win streak this season ended, but he still padded his series lead over Kirkwood to 27 points. Kirkwood finished ninth. Lundgaard will try to repeat Palou's 2025 “double” of winning the Sonsio Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge when the 110th edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” takes place Sunday, May 24. Practice on the fabled 2.5-mile oval opens Tuesday, May 12.
Indiana Sports Talk Host Coach Bob Lovell, along with Network IN’s Updates Anchor Caleb Zuver, begins this hour sharing about tonight’s rain delay for the IndyCar Series qualifying at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mark Jaynes, voice of the NTT IndyCar Series and the Indy 500, joins to share about that, tomorrow’s Sonsio Grand Prix, and how some of the drivers have impressed him so far. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Benjamin Pedersen cut his teeth in motorsports on the open-wheel racing ladder both domestically in F4 and F3 Americas as well as in the UK racing in the British F3 Championship. After multiple race wins and podium finishes he graduated to Indy Lights and then to the NTT IndyCar Series racing full-time for AJ Foyt in 2023. Moving to the LMP2 prototype class the following year in both IMSA and European Le Mans Series (ELMS), Pedersen joined the Vasser Sullivan IMSA GTD program this year and won the 2026 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach in only his third start! Aaron Telitz is in his eighth season with the team and in addition to being the 2020 Sprint Cup driver's champion, he also helped the team secure the team and manufacturer's championships in the same year. Telitz also worked his way up the open-wheel ladder having raced in karts for many years before moving into the U.S. F2000 National Championship earning a win and six podiums. From there, he won the 2016 Pro Mazda Championship beating current Indy car start Pato O'Ward. Wins continued in Indy Lights and he earned the honor of testing on Indy car for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. He joined the Vasser Sullivan team to drive in the endurance races which included a second-place finish at Daytona before becoming a full-time driver for the team. We caught up with both of these winners just after their winning post-race press conference at the 2026 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Enjoy!
You heard the hints and its finally here: Daniel Ricciardo invades Speed Street. He joins Conor Daly to reveal their collaborative merch drop through Enchanté to honor and commemorate Conor's upcoming Indianapolis 500 start. Not only this, but Daniel reveals he'll be attending the Greatest Spectacle in Racing for the first time ever this year, to which he admits he's relieved he won't be wearing a firesuit. The guys catch up on Daniel's life outside of the race car and how the F1 paddock views IndyCar racing from afar. Also: they've released the names. In light of the recent push-to-pass malfunction at Long Beach, IndyCar has released the names of the 12 drivers who used P2P during the blocked out portions of the race. Conor and Producer Bobby react to the news, the new rule change which will go into effect at the Indianapolis Grand Prix and make their podium picks for this weekend. Get closer to the INDY 500 with Racing Electronics! Don't just watch-experience every moment. Hear uncensored driver audio, team strategy, white-knuckle passes, and every second of pit road chaos! Rent now: www.RacingElectronics.com/lndy500 Pick up trackside race weekend. Quantities are limited; this will sell out! Connect with Racing Electronics on: www.RacingElectronics.com X: /REradioz Facebook: /RacingElectronics lnstagram: /reradioz YouTube: /@racingelectronics Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The month of May is finally here.!Conor Daly kicks off the greatest time of the year by reporting to Speed Street on the recent Indianapolis 500 Open Test, which saw him clock fastest time on day one. He explains how practice went over all for the Dreyer Reinbold team and dives into the recent, polarizing announcement that IndyCar will be restricting non-charter entries in events outside of the Indy 500 starting next season. Get closer to the INDY 500 with Racing Electronics! Don't just watch-experience every moment. Hear uncensored driver audio, team strategy, white-knuckle passes, and every second of pit road chaos! Rent now: www.RacingElectronics.com/lndy500 Pick up trackside race weekend. Quantities are limited; this will sell out! CJ Connect with Racing Electronics on: www.RacingElectronics.com X: /REradioz Facebook: /RacingElectronics lnstagram: /reradioz YouTube: /@racingelectronics Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The crown jewel drew big ratings! Conor Daly is back on Speed Street after his trip to Long Beach, and he joins Producer Bobby to share everything he saw at IndyCar's latest event. The guys talk about Felix Rosenqvist's strong showing throughout the weekend and how Alex Palou and the Chip Ganassi Racing 10-Team continue to execute when it matters most. Felix joins the show to chat about the much needed breakthrough he and his Meyer Shank 60-team had in LBC and how they'll use the runner-up finish as momentum heading into the Month of May. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
ON TODAYS PROGRAM… DOMINICALI NOW LISTENING TO MAX! RED BULL LOOSING TALENT FASTER THAN YOU CAN SHAKE A STICK! WILL MIAMI BRING MORE GRID CHANGES… TALK OF NEW ENGINE PROPOSALS COULD TAKE US BACK TO V8'S FAIRLY QUICKLY! AND… FERNANDO SAYS…I AM A PATIENT MAN!! TOYOTA BEATS FERRARI AT THE 6 HOURS OF IMOLA! Race car driver Juha Miettinen (66) has passed away following the severe crash on the Nordschleife. The race understandably did not continue. Deepest condolences to his family and friends.THIS WEEK'S NASIR HAMEED CORNER WE HAVE: JEAN ERIC VERGNE, ESTEBAN GUTIERREZ... F1 Academy Champion Doriane Pin Breaks New Ground with Maiden F1 Test Doriane Pin has taken the latest, and one of the most significant, steps in her career by completing her maiden F1 test yesterday (Friday April 17) at Silverstone. The Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team Development Driver drove the world-championship winning W12 from the 2021 season and impressed with her pace, feedback, and technical understanding. The 22-year-old completed 76 laps of the 2.639 km Silverstone National Circuit for a total of 200 km of running on the day. Driving an F1 car for the first time today was unreal. “Driving an F1 car for the first time today was unreal. I am very grateful to have been given this opportunity and to be surrounded by this incredible team. It was a unique opportunity and I made sure to enjoy my day to the fullest, along with doing the best job I could. Whilst being a female driver doesn't define me, it was great to show what we can do. It was an extremely emotional day and I'm also thankful I was able to share this experience with my family. “The W12 is obviously really different from the other cars I've been able to drive. Everything is different, bigger and more powerful. I am glad I was able to build confidence lap after lap and show what I was capable of.” Her preparation and professionalism has impressed the whole team and she should be really proud of what she has achieved. In preparation for the test, the affectionally named ‘Pocket Rocket' spent extensive time in the team's simulator, integrating closely with engineers and refining her understanding of the necessary procedures to drive the W12. Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director, commented: “It's been great to have Doriane complete a day of testing with the W12 today. It marks another major step on what is proving to be a very exciting and promising career and also makes her the first ever female driver of a Mercedes F1 car. “Her preparation and professionalism has impressed the whole team and she should be really proud of what she has achieved. Whatever series you come from, it is always a massive step when getting into an F1 car but she looked at home from the very first laps and was able to enjoy driving the car on the limit.” Today, it is even more unique as Doriane is the first ever woman to drive a Mercedes F1 car. Gwen Lagrue, Driver Development Advisor, said: “It is always really special for a young driver to drive an F1 car for the very first time. Today, it is even more unique as Doriane is the first ever woman to drive a Mercedes F1 car. “We are very proud to show to the next generation of female drivers that driving an F1 car is achievable. I am sure we will see a woman driving in F1 in the coming years and as a team, we would be incredibly proud if we were to achieve that goal with someone in our team. Doriane can certainly act as an inspiration for those following in her wheel tracks as she continues her career and role as Development Driver with our team.” Doriane becomes the latest female talent to get behind-the-wheel of a modern F1 car, highlighting the value of series such as F1 Academy, in which Doriane became last year's champion. The test also underlines the team's continued commitment to nurturing talent and opening pathways, while showcasing the progress being made in creating meaningful opportunities for women at the highest level of motorsport. Doriane's assured performance on such a significant stage further highlights the impact of the team's long-term investment in her growth. She will now continue in her Development Driver duties, which include simulator development, additional activities at the factory and trackside, attendance at several Grands Prix and her support and mentorship to the team's 2026 F1 Academy driver, Payton Westcott. Quick Pit Work, Pace Help Palou Run Away to Win at Long Beach! LONG BEACH, Calif. (Sunday, April 19, 2026) – Alex Palou got the break he needed and fast work from his Chip Ganassi Racing pit crew, and then he ran away with a victory Sunday in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Palou earned his third victory in five races this season, the 22nd victory of his career and his first win at prestigious Long Beach in the No. 10 OpenAI Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, beating the No. 60 SiriusXM/Acura Honda of NTT P1 Award winner Felix Rosenqvist to the finish by 3.9663 seconds. Palou also took the series lead by 17 points over Kyle Kirkwood as he aims for his fifth series championship and series record-tying fourth in a row. “It's huge,” Palou said. “Super proud of everybody's job but especially this crew. Incredible to finally win here at Long Beach.” Six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Scott Dixon rounded out the podium with his best result of the season in the No. 9 PNC Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, as CGR produced two of the top three finishers. Kirkwood finished fourth in the No. 27 JM Bullion / Gold.com Honda of Andretti Global, with Pato O'Ward placing fifth in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Pole sitter Rosenqvist controlled the race from the green flag. He led the first 31 laps, with Palou climbing from his third starting spot to second by passing O'Ward on Lap 2. Rosenqvist and Palou pitted for the first time in tandem at the end of Lap 31, with the MSR crew helping Rosenqvist win the race out of the pits after both drivers started their second fuel stint with their mandatory second set of Firestone alternate tires. Rosenqvist had built a three-second lead over Palou, who admitted he struggled a bit on the softer Firestone alternate tire. But Palou got the break he needed on Lap 57 when a large piece of debris was spotted on track, triggering the only caution period of the 90-lap race. The entire field pitted on Lap 59, led by Rosenqvist and Palou as a showdown loomed between the MSR and CGR crews. Rosenqvist and Palou each took four primary Firestone tires and fuel on their last stop, but Palou escaped his pit box ahead of Rosenqvist to take the lead for the first time. CGR serviced Palou's car in 7.3 seconds on the final stop, while MSR needed 8.4 seconds for Rosenqvist's stop. Palou rocketed away from the field on the restart on Lap 61. It was checkout time, as he never trailed from that point. “The OpenAI car was super, super fast, but it was that yellow, that pit stop with all the pressure that these boys were able to do it and execute it perfectly,” Palou said. “From there, it was just managing the tires. We didn't know how the primaries were going to be.” The primary tire suited Palou just fine. The Spaniard expanded his lead to 2.4 seconds on Lap 68, with the gap mushrooming to 5.5 seconds with 12 laps remaining. Palou played it safe during the final two trips around the 11-turn, 1.968-mile temporary street circuit, but Rosenqvist never got close. Still, the Swede, who led a race-high 51 laps, earned his first podium finish since placing second in June 2025 at Road America. “A little bit of a bittersweet race,” Rosenqvist said. “I lost a little bit on the stop. Alex is obviously going to be 10 out of 10 almost every stop, so I don't think it was necessarily that our one was slow, but they probably had a great one, as well. That's how it goes. “At the end of the day, we've got to celebrate this one. P2, plus the points and podium – that's where I want to be.”
We've had a couple of weeks off but it's finally race weekend again, and it's a crown jewel at that. The Long Beach Grand Prix is on tap, the final event before the month of May. Conor Daly and co-host Producer Bobby take a look at the historic street race, make some podium picks and ponder the crown jewel status it holds on the IndyCar schedule. Also, the race to a 33-car grid for this year's Indianapolis 500 has been in the news, and the guys update listeners on the latest developments and speculation. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
PIT PASS INDY PRESENTED BY PENSKE TRUCK RENTAL – SEASON 6, EPISODE 14 – Christian Rasmussen Goes To Washington, plus NASCAR Great Kevin Harvick April 14, 2026 Show host Bruce Martin and Pit Pass Indy Presented By Penske Truck Rental has another big episode has the NTT INDYCAR SERIES prepares to head to the West Coast for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Martin's guests include an exclusive, deep-dive interview with NASCAR great Kevin Harvick, now with FOX Sports. Also, Christian Rasmussen, who spent Friday April 10 in Washington, D.C. to check out the streets that will make up the layout for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix August 22 to 23. Also, several drivers remember the late Jim Michaelian, longtime President and CEO of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach who passed away on March 16, and George Barber of Barber Motorsports Park, who died on February 15. Those drivers include Alex Palou, Felix Rosenqvist, and Kyle Kirkwood. Also, Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin and Arrow McLaren's Nolan Siegel look ahead to Long Beach. For more INDYCAR coverage, follow Bruce Martin at X, previously known as Twitter, at @BruceMartin_500
For the first time in a couple of seasons, we're seeing Alex Palou be challenged for the IndyCar points championship. Beneath the surface of Palou's dominant 2025 campaign, a new crop of racers began to show glimpses of the year-long consistency needed to take down the monolithic Chip Ganassi Racing 10-team. One of those drivers, Christian Lundgaard, joins Speed Street this week to discuss his strong start to 2026, which currently finds him third in the standings. He and Conor Daly break down Arrow McLaren's strengths and areas for improvement, as well as look ahead to Long Beach and the Month of May. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
PIT PASS INDY PRESENTED BY PENSKE TRUCK RENTAL – SEASON 6, EPISODE 13 – Special Borg-Warner Trophy Edition With 109th Indianapolis 500 Winner Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi and BorgWarner's Michelle Collins April 7, 2026 Show host Bruce Martin and Pit Pass Indy Presented By Penske Truck Rental get caught up with a big event that happened just before the start of the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season. It's the “Baby Borg” Trophy presentation that took place at the Unser INDYCAR Open Test at Phoenix Raceway on February 17. Martin's guests include 109th Indianapolis 500 winning driver Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing, seven-time Indy 500 winning team owner Chip Ganassi and Michelle Collins, BorgWarner Global Director Marketing and Public Relations. For more INDYCAR coverage, follow Bruce Martin at X, previously known as Twitter, at @BruceMartin_500
After a busy weekend of racing, Phil and Josh return for E309 of the GSP to cover IndyCar, NASCAR, F1, and more! Alex Palou continues his greatness with another win at Barber in the NTT IndyCar Series, while Graham Rahal got his first podium in three years. The guys go over the race and other key players as the drivers and teams get a welcome rest before Long Beach. Dennis Hamlin dominated another race at Martinsville, but William Clyde Elliott ended up getting Hendrick Motorsports and Chevy their first win of the 2026 Cup Series season at the paperclip. Other stories included Darrell Wallace, Jr., and Carson Hocevar's incident and other drivers' struggles as they take the week off for Easter. The O'Reilly Series race was carnage-filled, but Justin Allgaier's momentum continues with another win. Lee Pulliam made an emotional debut and had a chance to win the race for JRM. Andrea Kimi Antonelli became the youngest driver ever to lead the Formula 1 World Championship after winning a second consecutive race at the Japanese Grand Prix. McLaren finally showed up with Oscar Piastri, while Ferrari saw their usual ups and downs with Lewis Hamilton losing a podium but Charles Leclerc picking up the pieces. With a month off between this race and Miami, the guys look at who goes in with and without momentum. The GSP Roundup reviews Indy NXT, MotoGP/Moto2, Supercross, World Superbikes, and Super Formula before Phil and Josh come back to make picks for Trucks and O'Reilly (possibly Cleetus McFarland) at The Rock. Josh lets us know all things going on in iRacing in the Sim Segment before Show Close. Like, comment, and subscribe!
You know the competition in IndyCar is tough when a race win comes down to a bad pitstop. That's exactly what happened in Barber over the weekend, as the Arrow McLaren team came up short on Christian Lundgaard's final stop allowing Alex Palou to cruise to his second victory of the season. Conor Daly and Producer Bobby are back on Speed Street to break down the action of the race, and they're joined by podium finisher Graham Rahal to hear about his day and outlook on the 2026 season so far. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
ON TODAYS PROGRAM… KIMI WINS AGAIN WITH A LITTLE SAFETY CAR KARMA! GEORGE GETS HIS CAGE RATTLED BY ANTONELLI MCLAREN QUICKLY CATCHING UP WITH MERCEDES. RED BULL CLEARLY A MID PACK TEAM. DID THE NEW RULES CONTRIBUTE TO OLIE'S BIG CRASH? AND…FERNANDO HELD BACK GP2 ENGINE aaahhh! THIS WEEK'S NASIR HAMEED CORNER WE HAVE: CHRISTIAN KLEIN. 2026 Japanese Grand Prix - Sunday Kimi Antonelli It feels great to get my second win! I made a bad start from pole and was kicking myself that we lost so many positions. When we were in free air on the Medium tyre though, I was able to improve my pace quite a lot. We were fortunate with the timing of the Safety Car and that put us in the lead; it made my life a lot easier! Who knows what would have happened without that, but I felt like we had the speed today to challenge for the win without it. This is the best way to head into this mini break in the season. I am going to enjoy the moment but use the time well to work on where I can improve. As a team, and despite winning the first three races, we know we need to keep raising our game too. We had a real battle today and we know that it's not going to be easy to keep up this run of form. We're looking forward to using the time ahead of Miami well and hopefully putting ourselves in a strong position once the season resumes. George Russell We've had a lot of bad luck this weekend and that is unfortunate as we were definitely in the fight for the win today. After a difficult start, we'd managed to get ourselves back to P2 but stopped just one lap before the safety car was deployed. That changed the complexion of the race and unfortunately, after taking the restart in P3, we lost two more positions as a result firstly of hitting the harvesting limit and then an unexpected superclip. It was pretty frustrating but that's the way racing goes sometimes. It's clear from this weekend that our competitors are beginning to optimise their cars much more now. We have enjoyed a great start to the season, but our rivals are hot on our heels as we saw today. The upcoming gap in the calendar will also give everyone a chance to develop further so we know that, once we're back on track in Miami, we are in for a proper fight. Toto Wolff, CEO & Team Principal We had an exciting race today with plenty of overtaking which hasn't always been the case here at Suzuka. It's a new way of racing where you have to think strategically in order to both pass and then make sure it sticks. It's a great challenge for both the drivers and the teams and it makes the race very unpredictable. Sometimes you need the luck to go your way in racing and that was the case with Kimi today. He lost positions at the start but was able to get them back with a fortunately timed safety car. Whilst that was helpful to him, his pace in the second half of the race showed what he was capable of. George was on the flip side of that equation and lost out having pitted just one lap before the safety car came out. He then lost more positions, firstly on the restart as he hit the harvesting limit and was low on deployment and then secondly with an unexpected superclip. He fought hard to get back to P4, but he's certainly had more than his share of bad luck this weekend. Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director Well done to Kimi on his second win. He had really strong pace and, whilst he benefited from the safety car to put him into the lead, he was able to comfortably control the race once he was in that position. Kimi's fortune was George's misfortune. Had we stopped George a lap later, he would have retained the lead for the restart. As it happened, he dropped to P3 and lost a further place to Lewis when he hit the harvesting limit too early in the lap and had insufficient battery for the restart. He then had another frustrating issue where a bug in the software code, triggered by a button press and a gear shift at the same time, caused the power unit to go into superclip and charge the battery which allowed Charles to pass. He battled back to P4 but it was a frustrating afternoon for George. Clearly there is a lot that we need to work on and understand in the next few weeks. We've made a great start to the season, but our competitors are closing in. Happily, we have several areas of improvement and we will make the maximum use of the gap in the calendar to develop in the places where we are not strong enough. Palou Dominates To Win in Another Barber Beatdown BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Sunday, March 29, 2026) – Alex Palou appears to be running wild again after another dominant victory at Barber Motorsports Park. Four-time and defending NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Palou earned his second victory in four races this season in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, starting from the pole and winning the Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst by 13.2775 seconds over the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet of Christian Lundgaard. Palou led 79 of the 90 laps on the 17-turn, 2.3-mile road course. SEE: Race Results “Incredible day,” Palou said. “I told you qualifying was one of the best car balances I've ever driven. Today in the race, it was pretty good in the beginning, really good at the end, but we suffered a little bit on the used blacks (Firestone Firehawk primary tires) that we had to use. “Another win here. Love this place, love the fans. What a great day.” Graham Rahal placed third in the No. 15 First Third Bank Honda fielded by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, his first podium finish since August 2023 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. “I felt like this was coming,” Rahal said. “We're pretty pleased with this. Feels good.” David Malukas continued his consistent start to his Team Penske tenure by finishing fourth in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Malukas has placed sixth or better in three of his four starts with the fabled team this season. Series leader Kyle Kirkwood rounded out the top five finishers – all from different teams – in the No. 27 JM Bullion/Gold.com Honda of Andretti Global. There's something about this rolling, picturesque circuit and recent dominance by Palou, who earned his third career Barber win. He won last year in 16.005 seconds. The first of his 21 career victories also came here in 2021, but by a scant .4016 of a second. One more ominous fact about Palou's victory for the other 24 drivers in the field: He has gone on to win the Astor Challenge Cup as series champion in the same season as both of his prior Barber victories. Palou stayed in second in the 2026 series standings with this victory but trimmed the gap to leader Kirkwood from 26 to two points as he tries to win a fourth consecutive title. While the margin of victory was the biggest in an NTT INDYCAR SERIES race since Palou's crushing victory last April at Barber, the final gap might be a bit misleading. Palou led by 7.2 seconds on Lap 52 while running on a used pair of Firestone Firehawk primary tires, but Lundgaard started to chip away at that gap, gaining nearly a half-second on some laps on the quicker but less durable alternate tire. The gap was trimmed to three seconds when Palou made his final pit stop at the end of Lap 65, taking another set of used primary tires for the run to the finish. Lundgaard inherited the lead during Palou's last stop and stayed on track for another four laps, trying to gain more time on Palou and perhaps land within striking distance of Palou after Lundgaard's last stop. Lundgaard entered the pits at the end of Lap 69 for his final service. But calamity struck, as the right-rear wheel change was slow. That produced a 17.8-second stop, about nine seconds slower than normal. Lundgaard returned to the track in third, behind Rahal. Game over. Palou was home free. “I think so,” Lundgaard said when asked if he could have caught Palou. “We know the pace that we had and just how we were catching him. It's unfortunate. The guys have done an amazing job, and I don't think that's (mistake) ever really happened. One in almost 100 starts, I think it's OK.” Palou led Rahal by 10.8 seconds after that pit drama and cruised to the finish in the caution-free race. But Lundgaard and Rahal engaged in a spirited joust for second over the closing laps, with Lundgaard finally diving under Rahal in Turn 5 for second with three laps to go. That was the last of 11 on-track passes during the race for Lundgaard, including seven for position in the top 10 – both race highs. “At the end of the day, I wanted to go out there and repass Graham,” Lundgaard said. “Just to make up for that (pit mistake) and put a statement to, ‘We got it.'” Rahal then held off a charging Malukas to keep the precious podium spot for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. The next NTT INDYCAR SERIES race is the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 19.
The 2026 IndyCar season is off to a sensational start, both on track and off. For the first time since the IRL/Champ Car merger in 2008, the first three television broadcasts of the year exceeded one million viewers. Conor Daly and Producer Bobby crunch the numbers and compare to the last few seasons. They also look ahead to this upcoming weekend in Barber and weigh in on the latest Indianapolis 500 entries. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The IndyCar Series traveled into new territory this week as it embarked on the inaugural Arlington Grand Prix in Texas. Our resident open wheeler Conor Daly was on the scene, and he reports back to Speed Street with what he witnessed during his time in the Lone Star State. He and Producer Bobby discuss how the event made a great first impression and continued IndyCar's strong start to 2026. They also break down the action that saw Kyle Kirkwood continue his reign of supremacy on the street courses, beating out Alex Palou and taking over the point standings lead. Kyle joins the show to talk about the excellent start Andretti Global has gotten this season and how Will Power joining the team has been an asset to their overall program. He also discusses taking the step to becoming a championship contender and what tracks he needs to improve at in order to be at the top of the podium at the end of the year. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Jen Garrett sits down with seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, Jimmie Johnson, to explore his remarkable journey from a one-way ticket to North Carolina at eighteen to becoming one of motorsports' most successful and respected figures. Beyond the checkered flags and championships, Jimmie opens up about building a winning culture, transitioning from driver to team owner at Legacy Motor Club, and the power of authentic relationships in achieving sustained excellence. This episode also takes a special turn as Jimmie discusses the upcoming Anduril 250 "Race the Base" in San Diego. For Jimmie, returning to his hometown to race on an active military base at Naval Base Coronado is a "bucket-list" full-circle moment. He shares his excitement for this historic weekend—celebrating the U.S. Navy’s 250th anniversary in his own backyard and how he's using his "Legacy" to bridge the history of the sport with its innovative future. About Jimmie: Jimmie Johnson is a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, tied with Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty for the most championships in the sport’s history. He remains the only driver to win five consecutive Cup titles — a historic run from 2006 to 2010 that redefined sustained excellence in modern motorsports. Inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2024, Johnson has evolved from championship driver to team leader and owner of Legacy Motor Club, continuing to shape the future of the sport from the ownership level. After stepping away from full-time NASCAR competition following the 2020 season, Jimmie embraced a new competitive chapter in the NTT INDYCAR Series, earning 2022 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year honors. In 2009, he became the only race car driver in history to be named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year — recognition that placed him among the most accomplished athletes across all sports. Beyond competition, Johnson and his wife, Chandra, founded the Jimmie Johnson Foundation in 2006. With a focus on strengthening public education and supporting families in need, the foundation has directed more than $13 million to schools and charitable initiatives nationwide. In 2026, Johnson continues to compete in select NASCAR Cup Series events, driving the No. 84 Toyota Camry XSE. Key Takeaways:- Success isn't just about talent—it's about surrounding yourself with the right people- Trust and authentic relationships are the foundation of winning cultures- Your "delayed arrival" might be your greatest strength- You can be both competitive and kind; integrity isn't weakness- Building a legacy means thinking beyond personal achievement- Face-to-face connection beats any digital alternative STAY CONNECTED WITH JIMMIE:
ON TODAYS PROGRAM… CONGRATULATIONS TO KIMI FOR POLE AND THE WIN! MERCEDES CLEARLY AHEAD OF THE PACK! WITH FERRARI RIGHT BEHIND FERNANDO SEES THE END OF RACING WITH DRIVING SLOW IN THE CORNERS TO HARVEST KILOWATTS… LAWRENCE STROLL CLOSE TO THE BRAKING POINT COULD SELL ASTON MARTIN TO BYD! UNLIKE MAX…LCH LOVES THE NEW CARS! AND…. THIS WEEK'S NASIR HAMEED CORNER WE HAVE: ARVID LINBLAD AND UGO UGOCHUKWU….ENJOY! Kimi Antonelli became the second youngest F1 winner of all time, beating Mercedes team-mate George Russell into second place in Shanghai, while Lewis Hamilton claimed his first ever podium for Ferrari. But it was another chaotic, controversial grand prix under these new 2026 regulations. Neither McLaren made it to the grid, world champion Lando Norris and team-mate Oscar Piastri both suffering from unspecified technical gremlins. After his crash on the formation lap in Melbourne last weekend, Piastri becomes the first driver since team founder Bruce McLaren back in 1969 to fail to start successive races. But they were hardly alone. Williams' Alex Albon and Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto also failed to start, while Red Bull's four-time world champion Max Verstappen was one of three more drivers who failed to finish. Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso had to retire due to excessive vibrations from his power unit – the same vibrations he was worried might lead to “permanent nerve damage” in Australia. The controversial new 50–50 hybrid power units for this season, combined with active aerodynamics, have completely split fans and drivers. Some are enjoying the lack of reliability and hugely increased overtaking, with drivers able to deploy “boost” and “overtake” modes. Others, notably four-time champion Max Verstappen, decry the action as “artificial”, comparing this new era to computer games such as Mario Kart. You certainly cannot accuse these new rules of failing to produce action. China, the second race of the season, was meant to herald a return to something more “normal” after an extraordinary120 overtakes at the season opener in Australia last weekend. But it was just the same. A wild start, in which the fast-starting Ferraris surged to the front from the second row. A wacky first stint, in which the Ferraris and Mercedes battled for supremacy. And then – after a safety car came out on lap 10 when Aston Martin's Lance Stroll retired – Mercedes gradually pulling clear. Antonelli, 19, eventually won by 5.5sec ahead of Russell to become the first Italian winner of a Formula One race for 20 years, since Giancarlo Fisichella at Sepang in 2006, and the second youngest grand prix winner of all time behind Verstappen, while Hamilton was another 19.7sec back, having emerged victorious from a furious tussle with team-mate Charles Leclerc in which they repeatedly swapped positions and went wheel to wheel. Leclerc said it was “fun” while Hamilton called it “one of most enjoyable races” he has ever had. Fans will be split on that sentiment. Briton Oliver Bearman was an impressive fifth for Haas, just shy of his best ever finish, fourth place in Mexico last year. Kimi Antonelli... What an incredible day! This win is a fulfilment of one of the dreams I've had ever since I first drove a go-kart. I want to say thank you to my amazing family and the incredible team at both Lauda Drive and Morgan Drive. I couldn't have done this without any of them, and it means so much to take my first victory in F1. It was a very special moment for all of us. The race itself wasn't easy. I lost a position at the start and had to fight back to get ahead. We then had to manage the Safety Car restart which wasn't easy on the Hard compound. It was difficult to get the tyres working but fortunately we were able to before we were under threat from those behind. This has been a great way to close the first double-header of the season but there is lots of work ahead. We aren't taking anything for granted and will make sure we work hard ahead of Japan and arrive in Suzuka in the strongest position we can. George Russell... Firstly, huge congratulations to Kimi on his first victory in F1. He drove a great race, and it was brilliant to be up there on the podium with him. I am sure it is a moment he will never forget and to do it with the team scoring a 1-2 is fantastic. My own race was not straightforward. I lost positions both at the start and then at the Safety Car restart as we struggled to switch the Hard tyres on. The Ferraris were quick, particularly in the early stages, and we had to get back past them twice. They were fast in all the right places and that made our job a lot more difficult. Happily, we were able to do it each time, but it cost us the chance to fight for the win. It has been a great way to start the season, and we are definitely the team to beat at the moment. We have been put under a lot of pressure at these first two races, and we need to keep pushing hard. The package is strong though so I'm looking forward to heading to the next race in Japan. Kirkwood Outduels Champ Palou To Win Arlington, Take Series Lead ARLINGTON, Texas (Sunday, March 15, 2026) – It's been a long time since a rival driver made Alex Palou blink, but Kyle Kirkwood achieved that rare feat to win the inaugural Java House Grand Prix at Arlington on Sunday. Kirkwood took the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship lead and earned his first victory of the season despite a sluggish final pit stop by his Andretti Global crew, driving his No. 27 JM Bullion/Gold.com Honda to victory under caution over the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda of four-time series champion Palou, who has won the title the last three seasons. SEE: Race Results “That was so incredible,” Kirkwood said. “Man, did we have some pace. This JM Bullion Honda, Andretti, all these guys right here, they gave me the tools today. It's because of this race car we won today, because of teamwork. “One-three-four (finish) for Andretti; we're just so stacked here. I'm so stoked.” Andretti Global placed three drivers into the top four at the finish of the 70-lap street-circuit race around AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, and Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers. Will Power placed third in the No. 26 TWG AI Honda for his first podium finish at his new team after 16 full-time seasons at Team Penske. Marcus Ericsson, who earned his first career pole Saturday, finished fourth in the No. 28 InPwr Honda. Pato O'Ward rounded out the top five finishers in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, the highest-placing Chevrolet-powered driver on the 14-turn, 2.73-mile circuit. “This Andretti Honda camp is fricking strong on street courses,” O'Ward said. “We've got a lot of work to do if we want to start winning races on outright pace against them.” Pure pace helped Kirkwood, who started seventh and overcome a tepid final pit stop to overhaul Palou down the stretch. Palou and Kirkwood were running first and second, respectively, when both made their final stops on the preferred three-stop strategy on Lap 49. The Chip Ganassi Racing crew completed Palou's stop in 7.7 seconds, while Kirkwood's service took 9.5 seconds due to a slow change of the right rear wheel. When both drivers returned to full steam on their out lap, Palou led Kirkwood by 2.2 seconds. But Kirkwood used the speed that helped him lead the pre-qualifying practice Saturday, pulling to within .323 of a second of Palou at the start of Lap 55, with both drivers on the more durable Firestone Firehawk tires in a straight-up duel for the win. Kirkwood didn't waste any time flexing muscle, diving under Palou from a long distance in Turn 13 near the end of Lap 55 and making the daring pass stick for the lead. “He did an awesome pass; hats off to him,” Palou said. “It was super clean, and it was pretty impressive. We'll get them in a couple weeks.” Kirkwood then started to pull away, building a five-second lead by Lap 66. Then that margin evaporated when ECR driver Christian Rasmussen nosed his No. 21 Java House Chevrolet into the tire barrier at pit exit on Lap 68, triggering the first full-course yellow of the race. That bunched the field for a one-lap dash to the checkered flag. Kirkwood pulled away on the restart and was able to exhale early in the final lap when the second and final full-course yellow flew due to a collision between the No. 18 BMax Honda of Dale Coyne Racing's Romain Grosjean and the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet of Nolan Siegel deep in the field. “Not today,” Palou said when asked if he thought he could have caught Kirkwood on the final lap. “I was pushing really hard on the first and second stint, and I could see that the 27 (Kirkwood) and the 12 (Power) were a little bit faster than us. I was like, ‘Oh, man, it's going to be quite hard.'” Kirkwood then cruised around the circuit one last time under yellow to cheers from the capacity crowd at this event, a joint venture between Penske Entertainment, the Dallas Cowboys and REV Entertainment, the official events partner of the Texas Rangers. He leads the standings by 26 points over second-place Palou after three of 18 races. “It's only race number three, so I'm not looking at the championship,” Kirkwood said. “But it is nice to say it's the first time I've ever led the championship in the INDYCAR SERIES.” The taut nature of the race, with its varying strategies about how often to stop for tires, resulted in terrific parity up front. Kirkwood, Palou and Power each led 16 laps to tie for the race high, with Ericsson fourth with 15 laps led. Caio Collet was the top-finishing rookie, 12th in the No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet fielded by AJ Foyt Racing. Phoenix winner Josef Newgarden, who entered this event in the series lead, fell to third after finishing 15th in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet. After three consecutive race weekends to open the season, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will get a short break before resuming with the Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst on March 27-29 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.
As NASCAR moves on from Phoenix to Las Vegas, motorsports reporter Jeff Gluck sits down with two drivers who find themselves at opposite ends of the new points format: Chase Briscoe and Shane Van Gisbergen. They both discuss how their teams are strategizing for the new format, including having an average point total goal for each week to help keep them above the Chase cut-off line. Jeff also chats with reporter Bob Pockrass to learn more about the upcoming IndyCar Series events in Arlington and Washington D.C. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
It was a great weekend for motorsports in Phoenix as IndyCar had a successful return to the desert as part of its doubleheader with NASCAR. Conor Daly was in town to take part of the festivities, and he's reporting what he saw on a new edition of Speed Street. He joins Producer Bobby to break down the action from the high paced one-mile oval, debate who was wrong in the on-track collisions and celebrate the enthusiastic environment surrounding the event. They also look ahead to the Arlington Grand Prix this weekend and give some picks for the series' inaugural trip to Jerry Land. Race winner Josef Newgarden joins the show to discuss his 2026 season so far, which currently finds him atop the IndyCar points standings. A sneaky good day in St. Pete and a closeout victory in Phoenix gives the two-time champion a five-point margin over Kyle Kirkwood. The guys discuss using the high line on ovals and how a love for high-speed corners has led to Josef ranking seconds on the all-time IndyCar oval wins list. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
PIT PASS INDY PRESENTED BY PENSKE TRUCK RENTAL – SEASON 6, EPISODE 9 – Team Penske sweeps Phoenix Winning both INDYCAR and NASCAR Races with Josef Newgarden and Ryan Blaney. Also, Big News on Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. March 10, 2026 Show host Bruce Martin and Pit Pass Indy Presented By Penske Truck Rental was at the big INDYCAR-NASCAR Doubleheader Weekend at Phoenix Raceway the weekend of March 6-8 and has a double-packed episode of Pit Pass Indy Presented by Penske Truck Rental. Martin's guests include Team Penske and INDYCAR Owner Roger Penske, Good Ranchers 250 at Phoenix INDYCAR winner Josef Newgarden of Team Penske, NASCAR Cup Series winner and 2023 series champion Ryan Blaney of Team Penske, three-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Joey Logano of Team Penske. Also, two-time and defending NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports, two-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kyle Busch of Richard Childress Racing, three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing, 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports, 2021 Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell of Spire Motorsports, Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing. Also, IndyCar drivers Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske, Christian Rasmussen of ECR, and Graham Rahal of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Finally, Penske Corporation President Bud Denker, who gave an extensive interview on the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. for joining us on this edition of Pit Pass Indy Presented by Penske Truck Rental. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is on the way to Arlington, Texas for the March 15 Java House Grand Prix of Arlington and Pit Pass Indy Presented by Penske Truck Rental will be there for all the great action on next week's episode. For more INDYCAR coverage, follow Bruce Martin at X, previously known as Twitter, at @BruceMartin_500
What didn't Team Penske win this weekend in Phoenix? After David Malukas captured the pole and Josef Newgarden brought home first place honors in the IndyCar portion of the doubleheader, Joey Logano laid down the quickest lap and Ryan Blaney captured the win in the NASCAR Cup Series. Our resident NASCAR reporters Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi were on the case, and they took to the airwaves post-race to unpack what ended up being a chaotic, tire-cutting affair in the desert. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
ON TODAYS PROGRAM… FIRST PROBLEM…THE F1 TV COVERAGE IS STINKO! LOOKS LIKE MERCEDES IS GOING TO GET AWAY WITH IT AGAIN! FERRARI LOOK FAST BUT THE BAD DECISIONS CONTINUE AND ASTON MARTIN LOOK TO BE IN TROUBLE FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON! THIS WEEK'S NASIR HAMEED CORNER... WE HAVE A CANADIAN BONANZA! TEDDY YIP JR., DANIEL MORRAD AND ROBERT WICKENS! George Russell... That wasn't a straightforward afternoon, but this win feels very sweet! Congratulations to the whole team; they've done an incredible job and this victory is for them. We had a difficult and chaotic start and from there, were yo-yoing with the overtakes between Charles and me. I could have perhaps used my energy more smartly to defend when I first overtook him and that cost me when he passed me back. It was quite stressful from in the car but hopefully meant we put on a good show for the fans. We stopped quite early on when the Virtual Safety Car was deployed and knew we were going to have to manage our tyres from there. We were not clear on whether the one or the two-stop was going to be quickest or which one was the right decision to help us take victory. The strategy team made a great call though and I am really happy we could take the victory and the 1-2. It's a perfect way to start the season and we will enjoy this moment, but it is still very early days in the championship, and we know our rivals will be trying to close the gap quickly. It wasn't easy for us so let's see how we perform in China next week. Kimi Antonelli What an afternoon and what a weekend! It has not been easy on my side of the garage here in Melbourne, but we've come away from here with a great result. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone at Lauda Drive and Morgan Drive; they've produced a really strong car and a platform for us to build on. This 1-2 is for them and due to all the hard work and effort they've put in over several years. Coming to the grid, I had a lower battery level so the start was very stressful! We obviously made a slow launch but from there our recovery was good and our pace was strong. That enabled us to fight our way back to the Ferraris and ultimately, after we went through the pitstops, to take a 1-2 for the team. There is a lot we've learned about our car and how to operate within these new regulations this weekend. Whilst we were the strongest team in Melbourne, we are going to have to work really hard to stay ahead. I'm now looking forward to China and seeing what we can do in Shanghai. MAX... “The first laps were pretty hectic and we just needed to stay out of trouble. I had some issues at the start with the battery so as soon as the clutch was dropped, I had no power so that is something we need to understand. We then got quite cleanly through the field, did some decent overtakes and learned a bit about what we could do. We settled into our own race but unfortunately had a little too much degradation; the tyre behaviour was surprising as we had a lot of graining on the Hard compound, which of course compromised our stints and meant that we couldn't really fight for more. So, this is something that we need to go back and understand a bit more. We also tried everything at the end to overtake again and gain a position but when we got close my tyres opened up. Overall the Team still did a great job: it was a decent comeback from P20 and we will work as a Team to close the gap further.” ISACK... "Today was frustrating. I was confident that we could challenge for the podium so this result is a shame. I felt really strong off the line but unfortunately the issue we had came up straight away. The reliability we had throughout the weekend was good, but of course, the race is different and I could feel that there was a problem quite early on. The car was making a funny sound and I knew that we weren't going to make it to the end. It's frustrating, but these things can happen and we're so early on in our journey. We quickly go onto China with a short turnaround but I'm confident that we're going to learn from this.” Newgarden Hunts Down Victory, Takes Series Lead at Phoenix AVONDALE, Ariz. (Saturday, March 7, 2026) – It took Josef Newgarden 17 races last year to earn his only victory of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. That winning box already is checked this year, two races in. SEE: Race Results Two-time series champion Newgarden earned his first victory of the season and 33rd of his illustrious career by closing down and passing leader Kyle Kirkwood with seven laps remaining to win the Good Ranchers 250 on Saturday at Phoenix Raceway. Newgarden, who started second, drove away to a 1.7937-second victory in the No. 2 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet over the No. 27 JM Bullion/Gold.com of Andretti Global driver Kirkwood. “I'm very surprised,” Newgarden said. “In the middle of the race, I don't know that I was fully believing that we had the capability to win. We just kept working through it, and I'm like, ‘Look, if we get another opportunity, we're going to be aggressive, we're going to be on the offense.' “We took tires, and the thing was like a rocket ship when it needed to be, right at the end of the race. Hats off to the whole crew. I'm pumped.” NTT P1 Award winner David Malukas finished third in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet as Roger Penske's legendary team celebrated its 60th anniversary season with two podium positions. Pato O'Ward finished fourth in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, with Marcus Armstrong rounding out the top five in the No. 66 ROOT Insurance Honda of Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian. INDYCAR's first race in Phoenix since 2018 – Newgarden and Team Penske also won that event – featured plenty of action throughout the field, as there were 565 on-track passes, an INDYCAR record at the 1-mile desert oval. But a combination of tire strategy and deft maneuvering in traffic delivered the victory to Newgarden, who also won the season-ending race last August at Nashville Superspeedway to avoid a winless 2025. Kirkwood made his last stop on Lap 192 and was running fourth behind teammate Will Power, Christian Rasmussen and O'Ward on Lap 207. Power and Rasmussen were engaged in a ferocious duel for the lead, with the left front wing end plate of Rasmussen's No. 21 ECR Splenda Stevia Chevrolet making contact with the right rear tire of Power's No. 26 TWG AI Honda exiting Turn 2. That impact cut Power's tire, triggering the final caution period of the race and ending his chances of an improbable victory after starting last in the 25-car field. Rasmussen's car also was damaged. During that final caution period, Newgarden and a handful of other drivers near the front entered pit lane for fresh Firestone Firehawk tires, as tire grip was a far bigger strategic factor in this race than fuel management. Rasmussen, Kirkwood, Malukas and Armstrong were among the drivers who decided to stay on track, opting for track position over traction. Rasmussen led at the final restart of the 250-lap race on Lap 218, but his damaged car ended up being no match for Kirkwood, who drove past Rasmussen for the lead on Lap 242. Rasmussen faded in the last eight laps with car damage and worn tires, placing a bitterly disappointed 14th after thrilling the large crowd with many daring passes to get to the front five times for 69 laps. “We were the class of the field today – best car out there,” Rasmussen said. “It's so frustrating because we should have won the race today.” Kirkwood led Newgarden by six-tenths of a second when he took the lead, but Newgarden's tire advantage was obvious within less than a lap. Newgarden gnawed into Kirkwood's lead and drove under Kirkwood in Turn 4 for the lead for good just two laps later, on Lap 244. “We thought about it, but we were talking about it, and the pits opened,” Kirkwood said about the possibility of pitting during the late caution. “(Staying out) was the right thing to do at the time.” As a bonus in this young season, Newgarden became the first driver other than four-time series champion Alex Palou to lead the standings since June 2024. Two-time Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Newgarden leads Kirkwood, 78-73, after two races as he tries to win the series crown for the first time since 2019. “Do we really have the lead?” Newgarden said. “Two races in, so I wouldn't read too much into it. But momentum is a big deal. It's very difficult to understand how things work. Sometimes things go against us, sometimes they go for us. It was just great execution by the team.” Palou placed 24th, completing just 21 laps in No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, after side-by-side contact with the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet of Rinus VeeKay led to a trip into the SAFER Barrier. It was Palou's worst finish since he placed 25th last June in Detroit after contact eliminated him from that street race.
The 2026 IndyCar season is officially off and running, as the series put on a thrilling season opening in St. Pete. Conor Daly was on the scene, taking part as a spotter for Chandler Smith in the companion NASCAR Trucks event and fulfilling his duty as a reserve/developmental driver for Juncos Hollinger Racing. He and Producer Bobby unpack all of the action from the weekend and look ahead to this week in Phoenix. Race winner and defending series champion Alex Palou also joins the show to discuss how his Chip Ganassi Racing 10 team continue to operate in championship form and his takeaways from opening weekend. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
PIT PASS INDY PRESENTED BY PENSKE TRUCK RENTAL – SEASON 6, EPISODE 8 – IndyCar Heads To Phoenix With Alex Palou, Will Power, Josef Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin, Romain Grosjean And Ron Ruzewski March 3, 2026 Show host Bruce Martin and Pit Pass Indy Presented By Penske Truck Rental is off to a flying start with another great lineup of guests after the season opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 1. Martin's guests include St. Pete winner and four-time IndyCar Series Champion Alex Palou, Team Penske drivers Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin, Romain Grosjean of Dale Coyne Racing, former Team Penske star and current Andretti Global driver Will Power and Andretti Global Team Principal Ron Ruzewski. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is on the way to Phoenix for the March 7 Good Ranchers 250 and Pit Pass Indy Presented by Penske Truck Rental will be there for all the great action on next week's episode. For more INDYCAR coverage, follow Bruce Martin at X, previously known as Twitter, at @BruceMartin_500
…ON TODAYS PROGRAM… ASTON MARTIN ALREADY PONDERING... THE SEASON IS ALL BUT A WASH! WILL MERCEDES PASS A COMPRESSION TEST IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE RACE? FERRARI MUST KICK OFF THE SEASON WITH A WIN IN MELBOURNE. AND… FERNANDO COULD BE IN F1 FOR ANOTHER FOUR YEARS! THIS WEEK'S NASIR HAMEED CORNER…MORE VINTAGE BANTER BETWEEN THE HOST AND NASIR…THIS WEEKS SPECIAL GUEST: ADRIAN ZAUGH AND F1W LISTENER BURAQ SARTAG FROM TURKEY! Champ Palou Opens Season with Dominant March to St. Pete Win ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Sunday, March 1, 2026) – Alex Palou picked up right where he left off in 2025, opening the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season with a dominant victory in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Palou won his third consecutive and fourth overall series championship last season by a whopping 196 points, an advantage of more than three races, and he and Chip Ganassi Racing showed the same swagger on a sun-splashed Sunday in Florida. SEE: Race Results Reigning event winner Palou, from Spain, cruised to his 20th career victory in just his 99th start, driving his No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to a 12.4948-second victory over the No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet of NTT P1 Award winner Scott McLaughlin. “This team keeps on improving, keeps on making new changes, and they just keep on raising the bar,” Palou said. “It's pretty impressive. It's a long season in front of us, but what a great way to start the season.” Christian Lundgaard, who started 12th, rallied to complete the podium finishers in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Kyle Kirkwood dropped from second late in the 100-lap race to finish fourth in the No. 27 JM Bullion/Gold.com Honda fielded by Andretti Global. Pato O'Ward put two Arrow McLaren cars into the top five after finishing fifth in the team's No. 5 Chevrolet. This was the first race in which INDYCAR rules mandated the use of at least two sets of the softer Firestone Firehawk alternate tire with red sidewalls, throwing an additional strategic element into the racing mix. And, as usual, Palou and longtime strategist Barry Wanser made all the right calls. The decisive moment of the race came on Laps 36 and 37. Team Penske called leader McLaughlin to the pits at the end of Lap 35, with Marcus Ericsson assuming the lead from second in the No. 28 Delaware Life Honda. Andretti Global summoned Ericsson to the pits at the end of Lap 36, with Palou taking the top spot. But instead of calling Palou to the pits on the next lap, Wanser and Palou decided to stay out until the end of Lap 38 on their original set of alternate tires in an “overcut” strategy. It worked. Palou blended back on the 14-turn, 1.8-mile temporary street circuit in front of McLaughlin and Ericsson. Once the rest of the leaders cycled through their pit stops, Palou found himself out front by Lap 42. He would only surrender the top spot during pit stop cycles to finish the race, leading 59 of the 100 laps. There was a bit of suspense when Palou made his final pit stop at the end of Lap 67 with a 14-second lead on McLaughlin. Palou had used the required two sets of Firestone alternate tires in his first two stints and opted for the harder, but slower, Firestone primary tires for his final run to the finish. Kirkwood and McLaughlin made their final stops at the end of Laps 65 and 68, respectively, both taking the softer but faster Firestone Firehawk alternate tires. That tire choice offered a glimpse of hope that Palou could be reeled in after he took the lead on Lap 70, but Kirkwood never got closer than 5.5 seconds in his pursuit despite the more grippy tires. Palou, who started fourth, then pulled away at an astonishing rate over the closing laps to win by the largest margin in the 23 editions of this event. “Those Firestones were like everlasting,” Palou said. “They would just keep going. I had an amazing car today.” There was drama in the final 10 laps as McLaughlin and Lundgaard both took advantage of fresher tires to pass Kirkwood for the second and third positions on Lap 94. “Our Chevy was fast, but it's just a mixed bag on what tire you start on,” McLaughlin said. “Maybe we come back here again, and maybe you start on reds (alternate) and just get them out of the way. Overall, made the passes we needed to make at the right times, and I thought we maximized our day.” Dennis Hauger, who qualified an impressive third, was the top finisher among the three rookies in the race, 10th in the No. 19 Ault Block Chain Honda of Dale Coyne Racing. ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO UNVEILS LIVERY FOR 2026 F1 ACADEMY CAR AMRTC, Silverstone, 24 February 2026: The Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team has officially revealed its F1 ACADEMY car livery, which will be driven by German talent Mathilda Paatz in her debut year of the all-female series. The sleek design features the signature Aston Martin racing green and mirrors the team's elegant AMR26 livery, proudly carrying the Aston Martin Aramco identity on the F1 ACADEMY grid. Mathilda, who represents Aston Martin Aramco as a member of its Driver Academy, drove the liveried F4-spec car operated by PREMA Racing during the first official F1 ACADEMY test, which took place at Shanghai International Circuit between 11-13 February. Mathilda Paatz, F1 ACADEMY and Aston Martin Aramco Academy Driver: “Seeing the Aston Martin Aramco livery on the car for the first time was really special - it looks incredible and instantly made me feel part of the team. Driving the car for the first time during pre-season testing in Shanghai, I learned a lot. It was something new for me to adapt to, and I'm working well with the team at PREMA to become more familiar with the car. There were challenging moments across those three days, but as a team, we're pushing hard in preparation for the first race in China. By day three, I was already becoming more comfortable on track, and so I'm keen to get racing next month. I'm not setting my expectations too high, but I'm feeling confident - my goal is to do my best and have a clean weekend that I can be proud of.” Mathilda Paatz Biography Mathilda, 17, from Cologne, Germany, joined the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team Driver Academy in November 2025, and was announced as the team's F1 ACADEMY representative for the 2026 season, competing with PREMA Racing. In addition to her full-season debut with Aston Martin Aramco in F1 ACADEMY this year, which gets underway at the Shanghai International Circuit on 13-15 March, Mathilda continues to compete in the Formula Winter Series and F4 CEZ Championship, showcasing her adaptability and dedication across categories. Mathilda brings an impressive racing background. She began karting in 2019 at age ten, swiftly showing promise with third place in the 2020 ADAC Kart Masters - Mini category. In 2022, she claimed victory in the ADAC Kart Masters - Ladies Cup and finished third overall in the standings. Stepping into single-seaters, she became the first female driver supported by the ADAC Motorsport Junior program in 2024 with ADAC Formel Junior Team in F4 France. She built further momentum in 2025, securing four wins in the E4 Championship - Trophy Woman and multiple class podiums in the competitive Italian F4 Championship. Her F1 ACADEMY debut came as a Wild Card entry in Montreal in June 2025 with Hitech TGR, following a solid F4 Central European Zone (CEZ) Championship campaign where she achieved a podium (second place at the Red Bull Ring) and finished eighth overall with several top five finishes. This progression positions her as the second F4 CEZ graduate to enter F1 ACADEMY, highlighting her rise on the international stage. Palou Unveils 110th Indianapolis 500 Ticket INDIANAPOLIS (Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026) – Four-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou unveiled the ticket for the 110th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Tuesday, Feb. 24 in Indianapolis. Palou earned his first victory in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” last May in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, and one of the many honors bestowed upon the winner is unveiling the ticket for the next year's race. Featuring the winning driver on the next year's “500” ticket dates to Mauri Rose's appearance in 1948. Spain native Palou received a special DHL delivery at K1 Speed in Fishers. He opened the DHL packaging to reveal an enlarged version of the colorful ticket, featuring a photo of his jubilant celebration standing on his winning car following the victory. “I always had to sign the ticket as a driver, and I always wanted be on the ticket,” Palou said. “It's amazing. I love it. It was probably the coolest day of my life, and I cannot wait to see it on a small scale all around IMS. It's going to look good.” Designed in house by Senior Art Director Mandy Walsh, the ticket celebrates the excitement of Palou's first “500” victory with his full-color image superimposed over an overhead shot of his car crossing the famed Yard of Bricks. The ticket also features a patriotic flair to celebrate the nation's military, which is honored throughout the storied event held annually during Memorial Day weekend, and the 250th birthday of the United States this year. Palou will defend his victory in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on Sunday, May 24 in the 110th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with live coverage starting at 10 a.m. ET on FOX, FOX One, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network. Johnson Feasts on Home Cooking To Earn First Win at St. Pete ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Sunday, March 1, 2026) – Nikita Johnson earned his first INDY NXT by Firestone victory Sunday, winning his hometown Grand Prix of St. Petersburg after prevailing in a duel of talented teenagers. Johnson, from St. Petersburg, delivered his first victory in just his fourth career start in the INDYCAR development series. It also was the first INDY NXT victory for Cape Motorsports, which Johnson joined this offseason after a part-time foray last season in the series with HMD Motorsports. SEE: Race Results “I can't thank the boys from Cape Motorsports enough and everyone from ECR who has been helping us,” Johnson said. “It's a pretty amazing feeling to get my first win in INDY NXT and Cape's first win in INDY NXT. I can't wait to see all my friends and family.” Series rookie Johnson, 17, drove his No. 21 Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR entry to victory by .6990 of a second over pole sitter Max Taylor, 18, in the No. 28 Susan G. Komen car of Andretti Global. Rookie Tymek Kucharczyk rounded out the podium finishers in his first INDY NXT start by placing third in the No. 71 HMD Motorsports entry, 5.055 seconds behind Johnson. Andretti Global took three of the top five spots. Seb Murray placed fourth in the No. 27 Prosperity machine, while Lochie Hughes rounded out the top five in the No. 26 car. Johnson wasted no time asserting his command of this race, scheduled for 45 laps but halted on time after 55 minutes. He started second and used a bold, sweeping move to the outside of Taylor in Turn 1 at the start to grab a lead he would never relinquish. “It was pretty straight up,” Johnson said. “I reviewed some video from previous years on YouTube, the INDY NXT channel. I knew I wanted to get up front quickly, and I did just that. I went into Turn 1 and knew what he (Taylor) was going to do before he did it and just went around the outside. After that, I kept it pretty simple, tried to keep a nice gap.” Caution periods ended up being Johnson's biggest foe besides Taylor. The race was slowed by four full-course yellows, but Johnson held off Taylor on each of the restarts. Perhaps Taylor's best chance came on a restart on Lap 20. He tried the same move Johnson used to gain the lead on Lap 1, but his attempt at a sweeping, outside pass was unsuccessful. “All the restarts were pretty difficult,” Johnson said. “He (Taylor) caught on at one point, and I had throw in a little curve ball and change it up.” Taylor maintained pressure on Johnson for the entire race, never trailing by more than a second and keeping his car usually within six- or seven-tenths of the leader. But Taylor also never got close enough after restarts to mount a serious challenge to the race lead. The two teens traded blows over the closing laps. Johnson turned his quickest lap of the race on Lap 38, but Taylor countered with the speediest lap overall on Lap 39. “Good race overall, good points,” Taylor said. “Showed a lot of pace but just messed up on the start. “The restarts were very difficult to get right. Just kept trying to apply the pressure, trying different things. Probably could have had an opportunity to pass him there, but you live and you learn.”
This week's episode: Our 2026 NTT IndyCar Series predictions plus a preview of the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
It's a 200th episode celebration here on Speed Street. Conor Daly gives an update on his 2026 ride search and his pre-season power rankings for the IndyCar grid. He and Producer Bobby also look ahead to the season opener at St. Petersburg and make some podium predictions. Meyer Shank Racing driver and friend of the show Marcus Armstrong stops by to get in on the festivities and weigh in on how he can take his IndyCar efforts to the next level. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Today’s Best of Features: (00:00-05:13) – ESPN.com’s Stephen Holder makes a brief appearance on Query & Company to discuss the news that he recently that the Indianapolis Colts have given Anthony Richardson permission to seek a trade. Does this mean that the Colts feel like they are going to strike a deal with Daniel Jones? Why would the Colts let Richardson and his agent seek a trade versus doing that on their own? (05:13-22:08) – Team Penske’s newest driver, David Malukas, joins the program to preview the start of the NTT IndyCar Series this weekend down in St. Pete. Jake asks David if he prefers to race in on an oval, street, or road course and he shares how he thought his racing career was over following the bicycle accident that resulted in his contract being voided with Arrow McLaren. Finally, he answers some rapid fire questions so that you can get to know him better. (22:08-40:03) – Tony East from Locked On Pacers, Circle City Spin, and Forbes Sports joins Query & Company to discuss how likely it is that Obi Toppin plays tonight for the Indiana Pacers, explains the different roles that we have seen from Jarace Walker this season, and plays some Query Family Feud.Support the show: https://1075thefan.com/query-and-company/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
(00:00-27:56) – Query & Company opens on a Hump Day Wednesday with Jake Query highlighting some things that stood out from Chris Ballard’s conversation on the Fan Morning Show. Plus, he expresses his frustrations with IU basketball after a brutal loss to Northwestern last night. (27:56-33:35) – ESPN.com’s Stephen Holder makes a brief appearance on Query & Company to discuss the news that he recently that the Indianapolis Colts have given Anthony Richardson permission to seek a trade. Does this mean that the Colts feel like they are going to strike a deal with Daniel Jones? Why would the Colts let Richardson and his agent seek a trade versus doing that on their own? (33:35-44:32) – The first hour of the show concludes with Jake and Eddie providing an update on the NBA standings after another Pacers loss last night and Jake giving a shoutout to Miami Ohio for maintaining their undefeated season last night. (44:32-1:09:19) – Team Penske’s newest driver, David Malukas, joins the program to preview the start of the NTT IndyCar Series this weekend down in St. Pete. Jake asks David if he prefers to race in on an oval, street, or road course and he shares how he thought his racing career was over following the bicycle accident that resulted in his contract being voided with Arrow McLaren. Finally, he answers some rapid-fire questions so that you can get to know him better. (1:09:19-1:23:23) – Last night the Indiana Hoosiers lost to the Northwestern Wildcats for the sixth consecutive game. Lamar Wilkerson was very frustrated postgame and Jake thinks his frustration is something to discuss. (1:23:23-1:33:05) – Hour number two of Query & Company concludes Jake running the Lamar Wilkerson comments through the company elixir. Plus, he mentions the ongoing saga between the Pacers and NBA. (1:33:05-1:57:33) – Tony East from Locked On Pacers, Circle City Spin, and Forbes Sports joins Query & Company to discuss how likely it is that Obi Toppin plays tonight for the Indiana Pacers, explains the different roles that we have seen from Jarace Walker this season, and plays some Query Family Feud. (1:57:33-2:10:52) – Earlier in the show, Stephen Holder broke the news that the Colts have given permission to Anthony Richardson and his representatives that they can seek out a trade. Should Richardson want to look for immediate playing time or somewhere that can develop him more? (2:10:52-2:19:11) – Today’s show closes out with JMV joining Jake Query to preview his show!Support the show: https://1075thefan.com/query-and-company/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
One more test and we're going IndyCar racing in 2026. Conor Daly is out west at Phoenix International Raceway on site to check out IndyCar's two-day test ahead of the series' return to the famed oval in March. He fills listeners in on the overall speed charts, which are filled with the usual suspects as well as some surprise results. In other news, Dale Coyne Racing finally went official with "TBA" and IndyCar continues to make wise moves for their future with Chevy and Honda. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
What does it really take to dominate modern IndyCar in an era of spec cars, hybrid power, and razor-thin margins?In this exclusive Race Industry Week by EPARTRADE interview, Mike Hull, Managing Director of Chip Ganassi Racing, delivers rare insight into the championship culture, leadership philosophy, and execution mindset behind one of the most dominant seasons in recent NTT INDYCAR SERIES history.
We have IndyCars on track this week! Conor Daly checks into Speed Street to follow the results coming in from the two day Sebring test. He also weighs in on the latest news regarding Prema and the official announcement of the Grand Prix of Washington DC. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
…ON TODAYS PROGRAM… TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER DESIGNATING INDY CAR RACE THRU THE STREETS OF WASHINGTON DC! CELEBRATING THE 250TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE USA!! WITH BARCELONA TESTING BEHIND US…WHO IS AHEAD? MERCEDES and FORD! FERNANDO SAYS…WE LEARN SOMETHING FROM ADRIAN NEWEY EVERYDAY! THIS WEEK'S NASIR HAMEED CORNER…MORE VINTAGE BANTER BETWEEN THE HOST AND NASIR…THIS WEEKS SPECIAL GUEST: JOHN WATSON!!! John Watson's Formula 1 debut at 1973 British Grand Prix Watson's first F1 car was a March-Cosworth 721 which he drove on the non-championship Victory Race at Brands Hatch. A year after, he was ready to move up to F1, making his debut in the British GP where he drove a Brabham BT37, and after that competed in the US Grand Prix with Brabham BT42. He retired in both races. In 1974, he drove for Goldie Hexagon Racing team with a Brabham BT42 and BT44, scoring his first world championship point with a sixth place at Monaco. He scored a total of six points that season. He failed to score points in the following year when he drove for Team Surtees before switching to the American Penske squad. First Formula 1 victory with Penske at Austrian Grand Prix He secured his first podium with the third place at the 1976 French Grand Prix. Later that season came his first victory, driving for Penske in the Austrian Grand Prix. After the race, he shaved off his beard, the result of a bet with the team owner Roger Penske. In 1977 and 1978, Watson raced with Brabham-Alfa Romeo machinery, in the first year for Martini Racing and in the second for Parmalat Racing Team. In 1977, problems with the car, accidents and a disqualification resulted with Watson racing the full distance in only five of the 17 races. In 1978, he reached three podiums and notched up 25 points to earn sixth place in the championship. In McLaren Team since 1979 For the season of 1979, Watson moved to Marlboro McLaren Team. The next two seasons were without any victories, and finally in 1981, at British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Watson secured his second F1 win. It was a maiden victory for the trend-setting carbon fibre composite monocoque McLaren MP4 car, designed by John Barnard, and managed by the team's new boss, Ron Dennis. New monococque saved his life. Later in the season, the strength of the carbon fibre monocoque was demonstrated when John had a fiery crash at Monza during the Italian Grand Prix. He started seventh on the grid and raced for 19 laps. Watson lost control of the car, coming out of the high speed Lesmo bends and crashed backwards into the barriers. The car was halved but Watson walked away unhurt. Similar accidents had previously proven fatal, but Watson was uninjured, and that lucky break proved the strength of the new carbon fiber construction. Third place in the 1982 F1 championship His most successful year was 1982, when he finished third in the drivers' championship, winning two Grands Prix (Zolder and Detroit). Most impressive was his victory at the first ever Detroit Grand, on a tight and twisty track that was difficult to pass through. Watson worked his way from the 17th starting position on the grid and charged through the field scoring a victory. Master-class victory at Long Beach Watson made a similar master-class victory the following year at the final Formula One race in Long Beach (USA). On the street circuit, he started from 22nd on the grid and succeeded to win the race. Watson's final victory also included a fight for the position with his teammate Niki Lauda, who had started the race at the 23rd spot, but Watson ultimately finished 27 seconds ahead of his famous teammate. ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO COMPLETE BARCELONA SHAKEDOWN Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain, 30 January 2026: The Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team continued its Shakedown programme at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya today, with Fernando Alonso getting behind the wheel of the AMR26 for the first time. Fernando headed out on track at approximately 09:30 and completed running across both the morning and afternoon sessions, with the team focused on mileage accumulation and initial reliability checks. He completed a total of 61 laps across the day. Across the two days of running in Barcelona, both Fernando and Lance Stroll have now driven the AMR26, allowing the team to build an early baseline understanding of the car. The team now concludes its Shakedown programme and looks ahead to the season launch and livery reveal on 9 February, followed by pre-season testing in Bahrain in a couple of weeks, before final preparations begin for the opening round of the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship in Melbourne on 6-8 March. Fernando Alonso: “It's always a special moment driving a new car for the first time, especially at the start of a new regulation cycle. Over the years I've experienced many changes in Formula One, and you quickly get a sense of the direction the car is taking. We completed a solid programme with strong mileage, which is the main priority at this stage. It's still very early days and we have a lot of work still to do before we head to Melbourne in March.” Lance Stroll: “It was a huge effort across the team to get the car ready, so I really appreciate all the hard work that went into getting us on track. My running was limited, but it was good to get behind the wheel for the first time and start to get a feel for the car. I look forward to getting to Bahrain and driving the car again.” Mike Krack, Chief Trackside Officer, Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team: “Getting a new car on track for the first time is always an important step. Bringing the AMR26 to life here in Barcelona has taken a big effort, both back at the AMR Technology Campus and from the team working trackside. I want to thank everyone across the team for the work that's gone into getting us to this point. Having both drivers in the car and providing valuable feedback and data is an important part of our pre-season preparations. It's also been helpful as we continue building our working relationships with new works partners, including Honda. We'll now take what we've learned and keep developing the AMR26 ahead of Bahrain testing.” Presidential Announcement of Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, Jan. 30, 2026) – An executive order signed today by President Donald J. Trump directed the White House Task Force on Celebrating America's 250th Birthday to designate a race route through Washington, D.C. and the National Mall for the purposes of conducting an NTT INDYCAR SERIES race on August 21-23, 2026. The event will recognize the historic milestone of America's independence in addition to celebrating the unparalleled tradition and legacy of America's motorsports industry. “INDYCAR racing is a source of pride and entertainment for our Nation, which is why I am pleased to announce the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C.” said President Trump via the executive order. “This race, the first motor race ever to be held in our Nation's capital near the National Mall, will showcase the majesty of our great city as drivers navigate a track around our iconic national monuments in celebration of America's 250th birthday.” The full executive order can be viewed here: Executive Orders – The White House. The event will be administered by INDYCAR in coordination with the taskforce, U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of the Interior, and Washington, D.C.'s Executive Office of the Mayor. “For over one hundred years, American INDYCAR racing has set the pace for motorsports,” President Trump continued. “With speeds topping over 200 miles per hour, the cars and drivers inspire awe and respect in all who watch this quintessentially American sport.” For more than a century, INDYCAR has hosted the iconic Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on the Sunday before Memorial Day, annually the world's largest single-day spectator sporting event. “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” serves as a singular and powerful tribute to the United States Armed Forces, with a crowd of more than 350,000 people gathering to show respect and gratitude for the service and sacrifice of our military heroes. Legends of INDYCAR span multiple generations from racing greats like Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt to the stars of today like four-time SERIES champion Alex Palou and two-time Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden. “President Trump has bestowed an incredible distinction upon our sport, and we're grateful for his trust and support as INDYCAR prepares to honor our country with a tremendous racing spectacle,” said Roger Penske. “This will be a truly memorable event that celebrates our country's independence and the legacy of patriotism, innovation, and excellence that powers motorsports across America.” “Freedom doesn't ring, it revs! INDYCAR is about competition and pushing limits — the same things that have always defined America,” said United States Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy. “There's no better place to celebrate our 250th anniversary than bringing that energy to the nation's capital and showcasing Washington, D.C. to the world.” "The Department of the Interior is proud to help bring the historic Freedom 250 Grand Prix to Washington, D.C. to showcase our treasured public spaces through a monumental event that captures the America spirit in the heart of our nation's capital," said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. "Like the sport of racing itself, this administration, under President Donald J. Trump, is moving at record speed to make life better for all Americans and ensure that the United States marks its 250th birthday with the celebration that it deserves. Start your engines, America!" “Soon-to-be the home of every major sports franchise, Washington, D.C. is the undisputed Sports Capital,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser. “But we don't stop there and work to attract major events. That's why I am thrilled to welcome the Freedom 250 to the Nation's Capital this August. The race weekend will rev up the economic engine of D.C. by filling our hotels and restaurants and by showing visitors, residents and the sports world that there's no better city, people and backdrop for major sports events. I invite all sports fans to come enjoy the Freedom 250 and all that Washington, D.C. has to offer.”
There may be snow on the ground in Indianapolis, but that doesn't mean that things aren't hot behind the scenes in the IndyCar world. Conor Daly stops by Speed Street for a new year update on the heels of the Rolex 24 and the first round of new IndyCar ads from Fox Sports. He also touches on IndyCar content day and why Prema Racing being absent may be a sign of major moving and shaking in the paddock. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Tonight, on the 2026 premier of Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee, they talk about the relationship between Josef Newgarden and Will Power since they are no longer teammates. They also talk about the upcoming content days for the NTT IndyCar Series. They later talk about who could be the next stewards ahead and the future of Honda for the new season. They also talk about Meyer Shank Racing’s new partnership with Bitcoin Max and how it will sponsor Helio Castroneves’ car for the 110th Indianapolis 500. They even talk about the latest rumors for the last Dale Coyne Racing seat, a potential return of Romain Grosjean, and an increase in leaders' circle money. In the second segment, they talk about the latest on the Chili Bowl. They later answer fan questions about who becomes the next first-time winner of IndyCar and the Indy 500, along with first-time winners. To wrap up another edition of the show, Kevin answers more fan questions on the latest from Prema Racing’s status, why no one has broken up Alex Palou’s team, and fixing the offseason and schedule. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Conor Daly returns to Speed Street with a special Christmas gift for listeners: the 12 Drivers of Christmas. After catching up on some off-season IndyCar news, such as Rahal Letterman Lanigan's signing of Mick Schumacher and the formation of the independent officiating board for 2026, Conor chats with 12 racers from all over the motorsports world, asking each of them a holiday question. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Tony Kanaan takes Rossi through the evolution of his job at Arrow McLaren, talks about the fourth car at the 500, and more. +++Off Track is part of the SiriusXM Sports Podcast Network. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, please give a 5-star rating and leave a review. Subscribe today wherever you stream your podcasts.Want some Off Track swag? Check out our store!Check out our website, www.askofftrack.comSubscribe to our YouTube Channel.Want some advice? Send your questions in for Ask Alex to AskOffTrack@gmail.comFollow us on Twitter at @askofftrack. Or individually at @Hinchtown, @AlexanderRossi, and @TheTimDurham. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.