Catching Up On The First 3 Races Of IndyCar’s 2026 Season

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

Bruce Martin: IndyCar fans, it's time to start your engines. Welcome to Pit Pass Indy, a production of Evergreen Podcast. I'm your host, Bruce Martin, a journalist who regularly covers the NTT IndyCar Series. Our goal at Pit Pass Indy is to give racing fans an insider's view of the exciting world of the NTT IndyCar Series in a fast-paced podcast featuring interviews with the biggest names in the sport. I bring nearly 40 years of experience covering IndyCar and NASCAR, working for such media brands as NBCSports.com, SI.com, ESPN SportsTicker, Sports Illustrated, AutoWeek and SpeedSport. So let's drop the green flag on this episode of Pit Pass Indy. Welcome to Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental as we continue our sixth season of giving IndyCar fans an inside look at the most exciting form of racing on the planet, the NTT IndyCar Series. We welcome back our friends from Penske Truck Rental who return as the presenting sponsor of Pit Pass Indy. Penske Truck Rental helps Pit Pass Indy bring you the inside stories of IndyCar from the paddock, to the racetrack, to the highways and streets of America. And this season, Penske Truck Rental and Pit Pass Indy will help celebrate Team Penske's 60th anniversary. Team owner Roger Penske began the most successful racing team in history in 1966 out of a small garage in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, along with his driver, engineer, and team partner, Mark Donohue. By 1972, Donohue was the winning driver of the Indianapolis 500, the first of Penske Racing's record 20 Indy 500 wins. After a successful time based out of Reading, Pennsylvania, since 2007, Team Penske has operated out of a massive facility in Morrisville, North Carolina that also includes championship winning teams in NASCAR, IMSA Sports Car Racing, and the World Endurance Championship. The 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season had its first break in the schedule this past weekend after three straight races to start off the campaign. The next race is the Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at the beautiful Barber Motorsports Park near Birmingham, Alabama, Friday, March 27th through Sunday, March 29th. Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental will make the trip to Barber Motorsports Park, and we'll have interviews from that event on next week's show. This week's show, however, reflects on the impressive Java House Grand Prix of Arlington. As we said on last week's episode, we had so many interviews, we decided to spread them out. This week's show catches up with a number of drivers we talked to at the Grand Prix of Arlington, including the previous winner entering the big race in North Texas. It's Team Penske's Josef Newgarden, who scored his first victory of the season in the Good Ranchers 250 at Phoenix Raceway on March 7th. Here's a quick chat I had with Newgarden for Pit Pass Indy, where he quizzes me about my birthday on March 6th and talks about the amazing street course at Arlington, Texas, winning at Phoenix, and seeing his Team Penske teammate, NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney, win at Phoenix on March the 8th.

Josef Newgarden: When could thanks the serenade was the high dinner did you celebrate You went with first and hovis That's a good birthday crowd I approve of that birthday crowd, where'd you go? Durant's.

Bruce Martin: Durant's is an outstanding steakhouse in Phoenix.

Josef Newgarden: Outstanding. It was good.

Bruce Martin: Okay. Back to racing. What do you think of this event? It is very impressive what they've done here. And a lot of drivers think it could be the new Long Beach.

Josef Newgarden: I think it's a beautiful facility. You know, most people know this place very well for this stadium. You know, the Cowboys are one of the most iconic brands in the country and they have a beautiful facility and layout here and they do so much for the fans. So I think it's fitting that we've come here with IndyCar and I think everybody in this community has helped us build a new marquee event that can hopefully be on the calendar for many years to come. But definitely this can be a template moving forward. I think there'll be some learnings. Don't be surprised if some things need to be adjusted year over year. I think that's natural whenever you have a brand new event. Hopefully people aren't too hard on us for the maybe the small shortcomings or adjustments that are needed. But I think for just the first time out, it looks really good. You can tell the effort and the work that went into it. And, you know, let's see how it drives. I'm sure we'll have some feedback. But again, those are going to be adjustments that are, I think, normal in the first year.

Bruce Martin: Roger Penske and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, when those two are involved in a project, you know, they're only going to do it big. And how important was that to have that partnership?

Josef Newgarden: Yeah, it's a great partnership. I think they're very alike in a lot of ways, Mr. Jones and Mr. Penske, and they want to do the best job possible when they're putting their name on something like this, and I think it shows a lot with the facility. So I'm excited. I think everybody's pumped to be here in this market. It's great for IndyCar to be down here. It's another great event for us, and I'm excited to see what it'll bring this weekend. It's great to be back. I mean, I loved the Texas Motor Speedway. You know, selfishly as a driver, I wish you could go everywhere. I would love to race there and here. But if we're not going to be there, I'm happy that we have this event. You know, certainly really pleased with what they put on here. I think this is going to be a beautiful event. Hopefully that stands for a very long time. But we got to be in this market. But you're asking a driver. I would go everywhere. And I miss the Texas Motor Speedway in a lot of ways because it raced pretty well for us towards the end. But very excited to be back here in Dallas.

Bruce Martin: Between me and you and Jonathan Duguid, do you think we really put the pressure on the Team Penske NASCAR program to complete the sweep at Phoenix?

Josef Newgarden: I put plenty of pressure on those guys Saturday night. You can get pretty cocky when you win a race. Certainly in our camp, we like to joke around and push each other in a fun way. And they responded. Ryan did a great job. And he was, in my opinion, he was just the class of the field on the day. Obviously, there was other great cars, but I feel like Ryan won three races last Sunday. I mean, it really felt that way. So he did a great job. He delivered. And it's fun when you tease them and they still get the job done. So I was happy for him. I'm a big Blaney fan. He's pretty good. If you watch NASCAR racing, the guy's on it. He's one of multiple on the team. Joey's incredible. Austin's incredible. And they win races. And they're racing up front. They could have won that race, too, in a lot of respects. I just got a fan of Blaney's style. You can tell how competitive his fire is. So I don't know. I'm just drawn to his, I guess, his racing style. Yeah, it's been fun. We've definitely had some fun milestones along the way, including last weekend, 60th anniversary. And to double up on really a unique weekend. We've never run with Cup on an oval like that, as far as a doubleheader. So it's been cool. We've had a lot of good moments.

Bruce Martin: When you combine two giants, both in business and in sports, like Roger Penske and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, is this just an example of how important that partnership can be?

Josef Newgarden: Yeah, definitely. I mean, it's nice to be partnered with other titans of the industry, like someone like Mr. Jones and the Dallas Cowboys. And I think it can create staying power. The link between these brands can you know, be very complimentary. And I think they can create staying power in the calendar, which is great for us. So I hope we're here for many years to come.

Bruce Martin: Thanks, Joseph. Another driver at Team Penske is David Maloukas, driver of the number 12 Verizon Chevrolet. The 24-year-old racer from Chicago is in his first year with the team and has shown speed and potential of becoming an IndyCar winner. Here are Malucas' thoughts on the great opportunity for IndyCar at the Grand Prix of Arlington. If you win here Sunday, we will call you Big Dave.

David Malukas: Yeah, right? Everything's bigger in Texas. That's the saying, right? That would actually be really good timing for it. Big Dave in Texas. Yeah, that would be cool.

Bruce Martin: That would be very cool. Speaking of everything bigger in Texas, this thing looks huge. What are your impressions of the course, the build, everything here at Cowboy Stadium, AT&T Stadium, and Globe Life Field?

David Malukas: I mean, it's so well done. I think this is a new standard. I mean, just seeing all the renders, I think a lot of drivers were very excited. You know, on their content days, every driver almost said that they're most excited for this race, and now we're here. And I think we're not wrong. I mean, it's awesome. Like, even outside of the track and the track itself, very well done. I think it's going to be very good racing and very interesting and very skillful in how we're going to be able to handle the car. But outside of the track, that pit lane, the hospitality, I mean, it's awesome, man. We're all around. We're at the AT&T Stadium, Cowboys. I mean, it's so good.

Bruce Martin: When you combine Roger Penske and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, what they've done in business and in sports, you would expect something to be this pristine, this immaculate, and this big.

David Malukas: Yeah, very much so. And I think when you look around, that's what you're definitely seeing here.

Bruce Martin: Malukas has one of the top rides in the series and talked about his remarkable turnaround from 2024. Before that season started, he broke his wrist in a mountain biking accident in February, forcing him to the sidelines for Errol McLaren. He never drove a lap for that team as he was terminated after missing the first four races of the 2024 season. Malukas landed at Meyers Schenck Racing for a mid-season opportunity before signing with A.J. Foyt Racing in 2025. As Will Power's contract was concluding at the end of the 2025 season, Team Penske chose Malukas to replace the famed driver on the team. Malukas talked about how surreal it is to go from down-and-out at Errol McLaren in April 2024 to driving at Team Penske in 2026. He also gave his thoughts on IndyCar's one-lap Fast 6 qualification format at Arlington.

David Malukas: Yeah, I mean it is surreal. If I were to even think back to 2024 after my wrist injury to say a few years later now I'm at Team Penske, I got first pole, got a podium here at Phoenix, second race of the season. It's off to a fantastic start and I think it comes down to just being here at Team Penske. This team is, it's It's hard to explain, but it is so amazing. I mean, just, I'm so confident. I'm so comfortable. It's the best environment I've been with, and I've been with many different teams, even from 2024, and nothing even comes close to what I have here at Team Penske. I think it's so cool. I mean, I think that's an awesome idea. I mean, it's gonna be interesting to see how tire procedure, tire warm-up, maybe here it's not gonna be as big of a deal. It's a very long lap, so I think you'll be somewhat warmed up, but I'm thinking if they continue to do this, other tracks, it'll be interesting to see how the warm-up procedure is gonna be. It's so cool, like the pressure, the intensity. I always loved that in oval qualifying where it's one by one and you feel that pressure. Now to have that in Fast Six as well, it's awesome. And it's more strategy play, I think. So, fantastic idea. Yes. And I think it's going to be some pretty big differentials on lap time. I think you're going to see Just even from tire warm-up, are you going to maybe use tires? Is new tires going to be better? And if you finish sixth, I'm assuming sixth is going to go first. So their tires are going to be very warm. And then by the time the first guy goes, your tire's going to be cold. So it's just such a cool idea. And I love the strategy behind it. So who knows? Maybe the strategy is try to get sixth in the fast 12. So you can go over. But that's a hard thing to do. So hey, I mean, it's so cool. I love the idea.

Bruce Martin: Finally, Malukas was asked if he is living up to the great history and tradition of the No. 12 Verizon IndyCar at Team Penske.

David Malukas: Well, I mean, it's still early days. You know, I think for me, I'm living my own legacy. And for myself, I've got my first pole, already got a podium. I think it's the best start of the season I've ever had and even come close to. So we're going to make sure that we keep this momentum going.

Bruce Martin: Thanks, Dave.

David Malukas: Yeah, thank you.

Bruce Martin: Rounding out the three drivers at Team Penske is Scott McLaughlin, the driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet. Although he is from Christchurch, New Zealand, McLaughlin is an avid fan of the National Football League, including his hometown, Carolina Panthers, located in Charlotte, North Carolina. McLaughlin admitted he was quite excited when he met Dallas Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones, who was the co-promoter of the job, a house Grand Prix of Arlington, along with Roger Penske and Ray Davis and Neil Liebman owners of the Texas Rangers.

Bruce Martin: big deal to talk to Jerry Jones.

Scott McLaughlin: Yeah yeah yeah yeah it was cool I mean to talk to to Jerry very powerful man so you know it was pretty amazing but just a testament to IndyCar, Roger and Greg and everyone that put this race on and collaborated with the Jones family and it's not like they're just here for show like this is their place is what they wanted to go well and yeah it's all good.

Bruce Martin: And I know that you're a big Panthers fan and sometimes a Jets fan

Scott McLaughlin: No, no, no, I'm never a Jets fan.

Bruce Martin: You used to be when you first got married, but what do you think of this joint?

Scott McLaughlin: I mean, when you walk in here, it's almost like… It's pretty phenomenal. I think any NFL stadium is incredible, but this is next level. But this is Texas, right? So, no, it's a credit to them.

Bruce Martin: And do you recognize all those names in the ring of honor?

Scott McLaughlin: Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely. Those are some big names. They are, but go Panthers. Thank you. Yeah, no worries. Yeah, man.

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

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

Bruce Martin: Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy. Will Power had a legendary career at Team Penske from 2009 to 2025 before he decided to switch teams and join Andretti Global. Power would go on to finish third in the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington. But when he entered the weekend, he was asked about an incident from the previous race that involved Christian Rasmussen of ECR. At that stage of the race, Rasmussen had the fastest car, but as the two racers were coming out of the second turn, Power's car contacted the front of Rasmussen's Chevrolet. Although both were able to continue in the race, Rasmussen's car faded over the final laps, and it was Josef Newgarden who went on to victory. I asked Power about his thoughts on the incident and other topics for Pit Pass Indy.

Will Power: I'd forgotten about it. I just focused on the weekend. Yeah, it's obviously disappointing when we had such a good race going there. I was just taking a leak, and I looked over, and there's Christian Resmussen taking a leak. I was like, oh, hey, how are you? We had a good conversation. We had a good conversation. Yeah, it was a good conversation, actually. We were both like, yeah, man, it's a pity for both of us. And we both could have done something different there. But that's racing. We're like, yeah, we're both racing for a win. So you're not going to let it go easy. But yeah, the good news is that we were incredibly fast. We went from last all the way to first, and pitch stops were good, and strategy was good. It's all the things I've been saying about this team. I believe it'll be the best team in the next couple of years. Did you hit a bump right before that? I definitely had a couple of moments in that corner. You can see that. And when I actually had a little moment just before we made contact, that's because we're driving on the limit, trying to race for a win. And yeah, just one of those things.

Bruce Martin: The booth speculated that new spotter, it takes a while to get used to a new spotter.

Will Power: He had different terminology, but, you know, I knew he was… I didn't know we'd overlapped quite. I mean, you know, CR Cruz would say, he has a wing on you, which meant there's a wing in front of your rear tire. And I can't remember what my spotter said, but I think he said, on your corner, which, yeah. I mean, that's just, it's not, it was… Obviously, you can see how tight it was for us to actually make it. It was just a matter of inches, to be honest, for that not to happen. Like, you know, two inches almost. Yeah, very close. Just close racing. So what do you think of this course? It looks immaculate. It looks fast. It looks really nice, yeah, very well presented. Man, the chalets, what do you call them? Hospitality suites. The suites look amazing. The way the track is presented, the paint on the track, even the track length, very good. This is, ah man, I think everyone's been looking forward to it and it's really living up to what, you know, expectations. Like when you look at the layout and you look at the, you know, the way it's presented, it's very nice. Probably the nicest street course we're going to do this year.

Bruce Martin: How much do you like that 0.9 mile straightaway?

Will Power: Yeah, I mean, that's, yeah, incredible. It's long. Yeah, you'd be sitting at a high speed for a long time.

Bruce Martin: You're married to a Texas girl. Have you been in the stadium before with her?

Will Power: Actually, yeah, I think I, was there a Super Bowl here? Yeah, there was. Yeah, I was here. Yeah, I was here and Who was blind? Who was it? It's when the Packers won. Yeah, I remember because I was with Briscoe and his wife's a big Packers fan and she was so happy to see that, yeah.

Bruce Martin: Power also talked about the unique aspects of the Arlington Racecourse.

Will Power: Yeah, a lot of information and data for sure on the first, you know, everyone's new to this, very long track, so you don't get as many laps as normal. And what's unique is how long the straight is for gearing and so on, and then how, you know, how tight some of the turns are. So, you know, there's big compromises there. So you're gonna have to, yeah, be a lot of changes done overnight, I'd say, from tonight to tomorrow for most people.

Bruce Martin: IndyCar's next race is at Barber Motorsports Park, a beautiful road course that was created by George Barber, an Alabama dairyman, businessman, philanthropist, and motorsports enthusiast. Barber passed away on February 16th at 85 years of age. Power gave his thoughts on returning to Barber Motorsports Park after the loss of George Barber.

Will Power: I did. Yeah. I really liked George. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, he did a lot for IndyCar. Uh, you know, the way he presented his track, that museum, you know, when you drove into that track, it was, it was the nicest venue that we went to. So, um, And he loved IndyCar, so he was always a great guy. Great guy, very open to many suggestions, and yeah, it was sad to hear of his passing.

Bruce Martin: Another driver with fond memories of George Barber is six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing. Dixon joins me for this quick remembrance of George Barber.

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Scott Dixon: Yeah, I don't remember the first year I met George. It might have been when we first tested there, you know, I don't know, what was that, 20 years ago now or 15 years ago. So, you know, obviously huge for our sport and what he's done for that community. A big loss, but a hell of a person. And what he did, you know, for motor racing, but not also, you know, not just motor racing, but yeah, you know, it's sad to see him go, but, you know, what he's done and his legacy that will live on forever is pretty astounding.

Bruce Martin: Pat O'Ward of Errol McLaren is from Monterey, Mexico, but as an 11-year-old boy, his family moved to San Antonio, Texas. O'Ward attended Texas Military Institute in San Antonio when he was in high school as he began his racing career. Award arrived in Arlington, Texas before the IndyCar race wearing a black cowboy hat and boots as he joined me for this quick pit pass Indy interview and gave his thoughts on what must happen before IndyCar commits to running a race in the future in Mexico.

Pato O'Ward: I definitely don't think it's a matter of do they want to go? I think it's a matter of just the parties involved. We need to see what we see here in Mexico. Everyone doing this this weekend wants it to be a success. Everybody doing this this weekend wants it to look good, to be good. Everyone has skin in the game. Everyone involved wants it to be what it deserves to be. We don't have a race in Mexico because I don't think we've gotten there. I don't think everybody that was going to be involved with the potential of the Mexican race, it was going to be this year. I don't think I saw the hunger and the want for it to be this way there. And that's already a red flag. We should just not go to Mexico if that's how it's going to be. Everyone involved has to be has to be in it, like both feet, man. Not halfway and like, well, you know, no, all of it, come on. And I think we can get there. I will for sure be involved, but I can't do it by myself and me and IndyCar can't do it by ourselves. Like we need everybody like you know, the track and, you know, who's going to do the promotion, like everyone's got to be on it. And not just to, for it to be a business, but to genuinely want it to do well.

Bruce Martin: Next, Award gave his thoughts on the single car qualifications in the Fast 6 at Arlington, a change from the normal six minute qualification format where all cars can run on track during that timed period.

Pato O'Ward: I love that. I think it's going to be great for the fans because actually I ran into Roger when I went to dinner with my family yesterday and he asked me the same question. And I said, sometimes the pole lap. Yes, the pole lap is the quickest lap, whatever. but someone that maybe snuck into the fast six with a car that shouldn't have been there is qualifying third or fourth. And their lap looks more impressive than pole lap because of how the car is alive. Like, I think it's a way to really appreciate everyone's fast lap. And I think it's going to be great for the fans. If I was a fan, that's what I would want to watch.

Bruce Martin: Finally, Award revealed that he recently ate a scorpion. Now for you listeners at home, don't try this.

Pato O'Ward: I ate a scorpion. Um, yeah, I had a, I had an event with Leyenda in Mexico and they had scorpions on like some piece of lettuce and they were like, you gotta have this. And I was like, okay. It did not sting. I can't say the taste has been the best I've ever had, but, um, yeah. Mama didn't. I mean, they said that they're like, you're gonna have the best year of your life. So I was like, all right, I'm into that.

Bruce Martin: Santino Ferrucci is another driver who lives in Texas. The AJ Foyt Racing driver is another IndyCar racer who arrived at the track wearing a cowboy hat and boots. Although Ferrucci is originally from Connecticut, he has become a Texan at heart, as he explains in this quick PitPass Indy interview.

Santino Ferrucci: When you live here, you have all this stuff, so you don't need to buy it for a one-time use weekend. So, it is helpful. I mean, he does technically live in San Antonio, so, you know, I wouldn't be surprised to see him in boots and a hat. He was wearing crocodile boots, so, you know. I'm wearing ostrich a little bit, you know. You gotta wear those in a lot. Make those soft. How do you get the Connecticut out of you and the Texan in you? I moved in 2019 out of Connecticut. You know, still like trucks, though. I grew up in such a rural part of Connecticut. You know, we had horses, chickens, dogs, cats, you name it. We had we had a farm. So I guess when you move to Texas, not that much is different. So I just don't have the farm now. It's just the big 300 pounds worth of dogs.

Bruce Martin: Ferrucci went into detail on what he liked about the street chorus in Arlington. He also had a special helmet featuring Yosemite Sam, a Warner Brothers Looney Tunes cartoon character.

Santino Ferrucci: I've come a couple of times in the past month just to kind of see. Honestly, the track paint stuff's been wild. But, you know, it's really cool. I think what they've done with the tracks is really unique. I think this should be a standard for our street courses moving forward. And I think that, you know, racing here and doing this partnership with the Cowboys and You know, and the Texans is phenomenal. This is an Arlington helmet. So, yeah, it's kind of funny. I've actually done a Wiley Coyote helmet already, so I wanted to pick another Disney character, or Looney Tunes character rather, and, you know, Yosemite Sam, big hat with the, you know, the dual-wheeled revolvers, and put the Texas flag on the top for, yeah, I thought it was a really cool tribute to this place and, you know, to racing here in Texas. I think the horseshoe is going to be one of the more unique spots. I think turns one through three are going to be really technical, just because it's so wide and I think you can take a variety of different lines. The horseshoe, the thing is with the horseshoe, it's just kind of like Road America, where you just lean on the outside front. Here in the horseshoe, that's going to be the biggest factor is when you're really loading up the car. And it's also a tightening radius corner. So you're just consistently just putting more and more wheel into that right front. So I think that'll be more, if we can get it right with setup, will be helpful for there. Probably, it's something you're going to have to give and take, I think. It'll be also really weird to see how the racing goes, since there's no track limits on the paint. So it's going to be really interesting to see what we come up with as drivers for passing people. So we'll see. Kind of. It feels like only my second race, which for other reasons. But we have really good momentum out of Phoenix. So mindset and everything with the team here and morale is really, really high. Obviously, us being in a home race, the team staying at the Lowe's Hotel, which is awesome. I'm staying at home, but I'll be there Saturday night. So it'll be awesome. I have over 100 guests here. So it's going to be a fun weekend. Uh, we ran a scan on the SIM. I didn't like it cause I didn't think it was accurate. So I only ran 10 laps, but as far, honestly, one of the most helpful scans, probably the Firestone scan where they go through and they measure the different types of asphalt, concrete, and the paint. Um, and that tells us kind of the grip level. And I found those to actually be really helpful, especially for me on the oval. So I think they'd be the same thing here.

Bruce Martin: The AJ Foyt racing driver explained what it was like having over 100 guests to entertain at a race as he had at Arlington.

Santino Ferrucci: Oh, that's a great question. You break them up into groups and then you designate one person as a leader for said groups. I have, let's see, working with the track, I have 60 tickets all throughout the, you know, grandstand three, four, one, and eight. I have eight suites, eight people in suites, including my wife. And then I have close to 30 single event credentials for sponsors and some other of my friends on top of everybody in my group that has a season-long hard card. Yeah, it's a lot. It's a lot of fun. I actually have somebody helping me other than Anne this weekend. This race is way bigger for me than Indianapolis and all sorts of other events that we've ever done. The last time I've had a race this big with this many guests was probably Pocono in 2019. So honestly, it's kind of more relieving. I'm just joyed to have people here in my corner and people cheering me on. So it kind of is the opposite.

Bruce Martin: Mick Schumacher is from Germany, but he lives in Texas. And the rookie driver with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing told me about his local commute and other topics in this Pit Pass Indy interview. So do you consider this your hometown race since you do live in Texas?

Mick Schumacher: Yeah, pretty much. I think it's the closest I've ever been to a racetrack. Even that close that I could go back to the house yesterday. So it was pretty interesting. How far are you from here? Depends on traffic. Yesterday it took me well over two hours. Today it took me under an hour thirty. So it depends. I mean, street circuits are nothing new to me. I think what's new is an American street circuit, if you want to call it that way. It's pretty bumpy, pretty rough. I think we have something similar here. But nonetheless, we're excited. I think it's a great track. Everybody here in Dallas try to, I think, make everything really good and try and put everything well together, and I believe they manage that, so now it's about trying it out, see what we can improve, if we have to improve anything.

Bruce Martin: Every time I asked you about your first short oval, you kept saying, we'll see. Well, it's over, so what did you see?

Mick Schumacher: Yeah, I mean, quality went pretty well. I think we're pretty happy with that. As a team, I think we managed to put ourselves in a good position, unfortunately, in the race. It was pretty hectic, like pretty surprising in many ways at the beginning of the race, but then after I found myself in a better spot, unfortunately with pit stops being not ideal, we ended up being in a position that was a lap down and kind of then had not much, or even two laps down and not much possibilities to come back up because every time we pitted on under green, the yellow came out right after, which was not ideal.

Bruce Martin: Was it fun?

Mick Schumacher: It was an experience. I think we learned a lot and now it's about cultivating and understanding what we took from that event to make it better next time.

Bruce Martin: The former Formula One driver was asked what he can take away from the first oval race of the season at Phoenix and apply that to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May.

Mick Schumacher: A lot. I mean, obviously, I guess it's just going to be bigger. And obviously, cars are going to be a bit quicker on the straights than what we had in Phoenix. But nonetheless, I think the whole procedures and some of the approaches that we had to the corners are very similar. And luckily, in Indy 500, we'll have quite a couple of days to drive beforehand.

Bruce Martin: Andretti Global had a visitor at Arlington, former IndyCar driver Colton Herta, who is now in Formula 2 as he attempts to earn enough points to get his FIA super license that would allow him to compete in Formula 1. PitPass Indy was among a group of reporters that caught up with Hurta in the IndyCar paddock at Arlington for this interview.

Colton Herta: This looks like a wicked track, but it'd be fun to get out there and go on. Especially in an Andretti car. You know how good they are. Yeah, I think it's interesting. I think from what I've seen from the outside, obviously I'm not really like in the know. I flew in last night and just getting here today, haven't really looked at anything, but it looks great on TV. And from the hotel this morning, I saw the cars going around. It was nice not to wake up for like an 8 a.m. session. I was like in bed and heard the IndyCars going around. It's weird. Yeah, it's definitely a weird feeling, but it's cool.

Bruce Martin: Hurta also talked about how badly he wished he could have driven an Andretti Global car at Arlington and if he misses IndyCar competition.

Colton Herta: I look good this morning. I know, it's fun. It pains me to watch, especially on a street course. Last year we qualified, I think, in two poles on street courses. I know I could get into the fast six if they gave me a car right now. But no, I'll be on Kyle's stand and I'm going to enjoy watching it. Do you miss us? Of course, yeah, I mean, well, all types of racing, you know, that I've done in my previous years at Slam Mace, especially when you come here and see everybody, you know, it's a lot of fun to watch them. On the other side, how excited are you about the opportunity? Very excited, you know, and I think this weekend's kind of made me realize like how much retirement's gonna suck and how like I just need to take care of my body and prolong that because I don't like watching IndyCar racing and so I'd like to be in Will's position at his age.

Bruce Martin: Hurta gave his thoughts on his replacement in the number 26 Honda IndyCar Legend willpower. Please note this audio has some issues, but we are including it anyway because of the interesting content.

Colton Herta: I don't know, not too much. I think a little bit here and there, but you know, I don't think he needs a lot of it. motivation or words of wisdom. I'm excited to kind of hear his feedback on this weekend and see kind of what he thinks of the car and the team and whatnot and what he thinks is good compared to Penske, what needs to improve on. So when you get a guy like that, like it's so much you can learn from him and I'm sure the team's kind of using all that info.

Bruce Martin: Hurta went into more detail about his transition from IndyCar to Formula 2.

Colton Herta: Oh yeah, that's all we do. It's all we do, right? It's I just ask them how everything is and whatnot.

Bruce Martin: It's like I was saying, the opportunity that you've got.

Colton Herta: How would you describe the way it's going so far? I mean, obviously I wasn't happy with how Melbourne went, but I'm still learning. I think it's so hard when you go to a track that you haven't been to. There's a lot to pick up on and a lot to learn in a very short amount of time. You're doing four laps in practice sometimes. So, yeah, I think still learning, picking things up. I think it'll be a little bit more fluid when we kind of get back to Europe on some of the tracks that I know a little bit more. But still, it's gotta be a quick learning period. It's gotta be a quick, when you get on track, you gotta be ready and on the limit in two laps.

Bruce Martin: I think I'm probably more familiar with it.

Colton Herta: But, you know, at the end of the day, it's… There's little nuances in the words that they use and how they describe things, but it's still racing and it's still, you know, relatively similar at the heart of it.

Bruce Martin: Because of the ongoing military conflict in Iran involving the United States and Israel, Formula One canceled the Bahrain Grand Prix scheduled for April 10th through the 12th and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix set for April 17th through the 19th for safety concerns and instability in the region. That means Hurley has a few extra weekends off in his Formula 2 schedule. Here are Hurley's thoughts on the cancellation and if that means he will attend additional IndyCar races.

Colton Herta: I mean, I haven't seen anything official. So, you know, you still kind of hope that all this stuff can end soon and we can get there. You know, I think we just have to divide our time and wait and see. Maybe I'll have a little bit more of a break than I thought. I mean, I'll be in Sebring next week, so it'll be good to be in a race car with Wayne Taylor and Cadillac and that thing. But yeah, I think it's just a waiting game at the moment. I don't know. I don't know how many races I can come to and watch. I think it was going to be fun this weekend, but I don't know how many I can come to and just watch.

Bruce Martin: How have you been accepted in the new series?

Colton Herta: I think it's been positive for the most part. I haven't struggled with anything like that. But yeah, no, I think a lot of people have been really interested in IndyCar, actually, since they've wanted to hear about it.

Bruce Martin: One of Hurta's teammates at Andretti Global is Marcus Ericsson, who won the pole for the Java House Grand Prix in Arlington. I caught up with Ericsson after he won the poll at Arlington to ask him about Hurta and about sharing the front row with former Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, Alex Palou. Hey, how cool was it to see Colton back?

Marcus Ericsson: Yeah, no, it's always good to see Colton. You know, that was a cool thing, you know, with me, Colton and Cal, I feel like we've been such a… good bunch of teammates, you know, we've been really working well together and we all miss Colton and follow his, you know, F2 things. So it was cool to see him here this weekend and then, you know, he's always welcome to come around, of course. And just, it was almost like getting the old gang back together. Yeah, exactly, exactly. Just need another car, right? So we can be four of us out there.

Roger Penske: Yeah, and also I asked Alex about it. You guys are pretty close with Ganassi. He's pretty happy to see you get a pole. What's it like to share the front row with Alex?

Marcus Ericsson: Alex is the guy to beat. Try what he's done the last few years. It's just amazing. He's one of my better friends as well. We were sharing a driver room in Ganassi for like two or three years and you know became really close and our wives are really good friends as well so uh yeah it means a lot to to share the front row with him and then go race with him tomorrow.

Bruce Martin: Here are Ericsson's thoughts on the driver that replaced Herda. will power. Renas VeeKay of Zoonkos Hollinger Racing made his 100th start in the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington. Here is what the driver from the Netherlands had to say for a pit pass ending.

Marcus Ericsson: Yeah, it's pretty awesome. It's gone pretty quick. It doesn't feel like 100, but Yeah, very, very excited to start this one off in a special venue like this one. Yeah, it seems like it's going to be a really, really cool event. It's already very busy on a Friday morning. So, yeah, just excited for whatever crazy stuff is going to happen.

Bruce Martin: And race number one started right up the street at Texas Motor Speedway.

Marcus Ericsson: That's true. That's true. Something with Texas. Everything's bigger in Texas. So no, it's very exciting. And well, I'm looking forward to have a really good one for my 100th. I did not bring it. I actually forgot it. No, no. That's fine. That's fine. Well, we'll still go to Nashville this year.

Bruce Martin: VeeKay arrived in Arlington just one week after he was involved in a crash at Phoenix early in the race with four-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing. All right, Reynos, you were involved in a key moment of the race.

Bruce Martin: What was it from your point of view? Did Alex close up too soon or what did you see?

Rinus VeeKay: Uh, oh, what he told me is he didn't know I was there and opened up and yeah, we spoke about it. No hard feelings. We, you know, it's, it's one of those incidents. Everybody's view is split on it, which I think it's, it's one of those oval incidents. They happen. And I think we could have both taken part in avoiding the incident. So, uh, Yeah, it's unfortunate, especially unfortunate that it happened with Alex, of all people. But, yeah, also looking at our own results, we had a really good pace. Even being four laps down, our pace on the chart was top five, which pisses me off probably even more. But, yeah, we could have had a great result. Not just us, I think also Alex. So, of course, you don't want that to happen. You want to take every opportunity to do well. But I'll take the lesson, I think Alex does as well, and it might pay off when we get to the 500 in just over a month. Yeah, there's been a few that have been my mistake. Definitely, was it 2023, 500, Gateway. Those were me just being too eager. Yeah, I mean, after the fact, it's easy. In the Netherlands, we say it's like looking at a cow in its butt, after the fact. But it is what it is, really. I mean, you know, whatever happens, whatever hard moment happens, I always try to learn from them. And this might be just a little bit of experience I need to have a greater sold of the 500 in a month.

Bruce Martin: VeeKay believes he can accomplish some big things with June Coast Hollinger Racing in 2026.

Rinus VeeKay: For sure, and I don't think this is the one opportunity. I think we'll be there 99% of the year. I just feel like we have a good street course package. Our oval package is really good. I think our road course package will be good. I think as a team, every session I've driven since Sebring, we've been on the door of top 10. And that's what you need to be successful. And we've had really good race cars. We were quickest in pit lane with the 76 crew in St. Pete. So what we've done, how we've approached the off-season, With my guidance, I think we really approach the right things, and especially throughout a weekend, the track comes towards us more and more. It doesn't shock me. I've never been part of a technical alliance myself, but the way that, how professional they are and the way they approach weekends, the tools they have, they should be very competitive. So I'm actually shocked that they haven't shown this previously. Oh, you know, they've showed signs, but no consistent danger to the top teams, if I would say that. So yeah, I'm really excited to just show how good our package is all year this year. Yeah. Thanks, Rinas.

Bruce Martin: Thank you. We'll be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break.

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

Bruce Martin: Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy. We wrap up today's Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental with Jill Gregory, the president of Andretti Global and the chief operating officer of TWG Motorsports, which owns Andretti Global, the Cadillac Formula One team, Spire Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series, and a Formula Electric team. Gregory has an impressive background in racing, including a long and successful career at NASCAR. Let's get to know Jill Gregory in this exclusive PitPass Indy interview. I think I've asked you this before with your background being mostly in NASCAR, but has coming to IndyCar exceeded the level of fun and enjoyment that you may have thought you'd experience here?

Jill Gregory: You know, I really enjoy being out here in the IndyCar paddock. Like you said, I've been in NASCAR for a long time and I love the people there. They're my family. But I think whenever you change and take a new position, you learn new things. And I think the last year has been really amazing. You know, there's been nothing like seeing, I mean, racing's the core principles are the same. Split the people a little bit different and learning just a whole new side of it has been really rewarding.

Bruce Martin: And business is business. And when you get involved with business, it doesn't matter whether you're working at NASCAR or with an IndyCar team. If you generate business, that's the name of the game in your position.

Jill Gregory: Yeah, absolutely. And I think we've set a really strong goal when I got to Andretti is how can we be the best team on the track? How can we be the best team for our partners and sponsors? And how can we be the most engaging team to fans? And so everything we do, the team that we're building is kind of around that. So we're driving the business forward.

Bruce Martin: Outsider's viewpoint, though, is it looks like the sponsorship on your car still seem to be Dan Towers' companies, the goal obviously would be to bring in new partners. Are the primaries up for bid? So that's a bigger name company or does Dan like to be able to use that to broker his other businesses?

Jill Gregory: Well, I think that while a couple of our sponsors are Dan's companies, it makes good business sense. So Delaware Life on the insurance side has had two of the most successful years they've ever had in the past two years. So it's driving the business. It's not a situation where, hey, we're just going to put one of our own companies on the car. It is driving real business results. And the same with TWGAI on Will's car. We're using TWG AI technology back at the shop with engineering, with kind of data ingestion to make the car go faster. So yeah, we're going to continue to bring in a mix of consumer brands. You know, we'll have Allegra on the car later this year, Sam's Club. We had Chili's last year. So I think we have a good mix of kind of our own sister companies and some of these consumer brands.

Bruce Martin: Do you think the NASCAR people look differently at IndyCar now? Because there was a while there, maybe 15, even 10 years ago, where NASCAR was a giant, IndyCar was struggling. Do you think that the NASCAR people really look at IndyCar a lot differently now? Because If people don't sense the momentum, then they're just not paying attention.

Jill Gregory: No, but I would say even when I was at NASCAR, you know, all of the co-workers and executive team, the growth of more motorsports in the U.S., one sanctioning body or the other, is good for all the rest of them. And we said that in meetings all the time. So, you know, a healthy IndyCar means more people are interested in motorsports. We, as our team, we're doing a ton of crossover between Spire and Andretti. We're going to do a lot of crossover. We did crossover with Andretti and Wayne Taylor Racing. So we see it as a huge plus. And I think both sanctioning bodies see that healthy NASCAR and healthy IndyCar is good for everybody.

Bruce Martin: ask you a unfair question, but would you say that Carson Josevar is the most exciting driver in NASCAR Cup Series racing right now? Of course I would! Yeah, like who are you watching when you're watching a race? Well, like they say, he's the eye of the hurricane, the center of the storm, and I keep telling everybody when he learns how to close a race, He's gonna get a lot of wins.

Jill Gregory: I think the Spire momentum is quite impressive, just given kind of their progression across the garage and what they've done to just build talent around the drive. We have great drivers, but what the team's done to put talent across all positions is remarkable, and it is gonna break here pretty soon.

Bruce Martin: And how about Jeff Dickerson? That team got started up just basically a way to showcase some of his clients, give them a ride, and now it's like, big time charter that could win a lot of races.

Jill Gregory: Oh, yeah. And I mean, Jeff is passionate about this and he wants to win. And, you know, that's what you need to bring to this. No one's in it just to participate. You know, we're not doing it just to be on the track. We want to be in the mix. And I think Jeff's passion, when you talk to him, that comes through.

Bruce Martin: And also, Michael McDowell, this is a guy that I think he's a great guy. He won the Daytona 500. He's won at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Always carries himself in a very positive way. How much has that helped elevate the Spire part of the racing operation?

Jill Gregory: Well, I think that it, you know, it's pretty standard that, you know, when you have a driver stable and you can have a mix of a veteran, a calming influence, somebody that's been there before, knows how to win. And then you bring in the young guns or the personalities that makes for, you know, a good point counterpoint with your driver lineup. So I think Michael's influence on the whole team is just he he's a professional and he shares that with the rest of the team. And then, you know, that just makes the other drivers better.

Bruce Martin: In a Formula One question, with the two cancellations of the races in the Middle East, I would imagine that at this level the Cadillac team really needs to be on track as often as possible. So does that set the progression back a little bit by not having two races to really get the team up to speed?

Jill Gregory: Yeah, I don't think that cancellation is, you know, it's not what anybody wanted to see, whether it's, you know, on track progression, you know, there's some momentum of getting to Melbourne and kind of wanting to keep that momentum going. But the team will have no shortage of things to do, you know, back at the factory and in Silverstone and in Indiana and in North Carolina to use that time to our advantage. So, of course, I think we'd rather be on track, but we're not going to let that time go to waste.

Bruce Martin: And with the transcontinental travel, that has to be one of the biggest things to get used to when you're involved in Formula One. How do you do it? How does Dan do it?

Jill Gregory: Well, I just did it for the first time last week. So I came from Melbourne, went to Indy for two days and then came straight here. So I will say it does take some getting used to. You know, we used to say NASCAR had the most grueling schedule, but, you know, they're going from you know, what we do from Phoenix to Vegas, that's not the same as going from Melbourne to, well, Melbourne to China to Japan is probably a little more manageable, but it's a lot of miles to cover, but, you know, look, you adapt to it, and I'll say the jet lag hit me a little harder on the way home. I was good while I was there, but, you know, as you get more experience, you learn how to manage it. But just as far as the entire presentation of Formula One,

Bruce Martin: You really don't know how big it is unless you're there to experience it.

Jill Gregory: I mean, it is quite an experience. But I mean, I think I look at the backdrop here and what we're doing here in Texas with these new markets. I think that the bar has been raised across the board. So, you know, we're all going to need to make sure that the experience is high as it can be. All right. Well, Joel Gregory, thank you. Thanks, Bruce.

Bruce Martin: That puts a checkered flag on this edition of Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Realm. We want to thank our guests, Josef Newgarden, David Maloukas and Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske, Will Power and Marcus Ericcson of Andretti Global, Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing, Pato Award of Errol McLaren, Santino Ferrucci of AJ Foyt Racing, Also, Mick Schumacher of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Formula 2 driver and former Andretti Global IndyCar driver Colton Herta, Rinas Vike of Juncos Hollinger Racing, and Andretti Global President and Chief Operating Officer Jill Gregory for joining us on this edition of Pit Pass Indy. Along with loyal listeners like you, our guests help make Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental your path to victory lane in IndyCar. On the highways, the raceways, and every pit stop in between, Penske Truck Rental keeps you moving forward. Gain ground with Penske. For more IndyCar coverage, follow me at X, previously known as Twitter, at BruceMartin, one word, uppercase B, uppercase M, underscore 500. This has been a production of Evergreen Podcast. A special thanks to our production team. Executive producers are Bridget Coyne and Gerardo Orlando. Recordings and edits were done by me, Bruce Martin, and final mixing was done by Sean Rule Hoffman and Nathan Corson. Learn more at evergreenpodcast.com. Until next time, be sure to keep it out of the wall.