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 skirt 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 Speed Sport. So let's drop the green flag on this episode of Pit Pass Indy. Welcome to Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental as we continue our fourth season of giving IndyCar fans a behind-the-scenes look at the NTT IndyCar Series and the drivers and teams that compete in the Indianapolis 500. The 2024 NTT IndyCar Series season ended on September 15th, but some big news for the series moving forward was announced on Monday, September 23rd. For the first time in NTT IndyCar Series history, it will operate with a charter system. Ten teams have accepted charters for 25 entries to compete in the series. The charters were extended to team owners based on full-time entries over the previous two seasons with a maximum of three awarded per team. The breakdown includes Andretti Global, Arrow McLaren, Chip Ganassi Racing, Ray Hall Letterman Lannigan Racing, and Team Penske with three charters each. Teams that received two charters each are AJ Foyt Enterprises, Dale Coyne Racing, Ed Carpenter Racing, Junkos Hollinger Racing, and Meyer Schank Racing. A chartered entry is guaranteed a starting position on the grid at all NTT IndyCar Series races, excluding the Indianapolis 500. An entry also must be chartered to qualify for the annual NTT IndyCar Series Leader Circle Program, an annual award program which compensates the 22 top finishers in the prior year's NTT IndyCar Series Championship. The terms of the initial long-term charter agreements are committed through the end of 2031. Let's hear more about the charter system from Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles in this exclusive interview for Pit Pass Indy. Some really big news was announced by IndyCar on Monday, September 23rd. For the first time in IndyCar history, there will be a charter system, 10 team owners, 25 charters. Joining us now is Penske Entertainment CEO and President Mark Miles. Mark, if you could explain why the charter system is so valuable to the health of IndyCar.

Mark Miles: Well, I think it creates some value for the charter team owners. over the long term and it aligns us on our trajectory of growth. And so in many respects, it's it's kind of foundational for the health of our teams and for their future investments in the sport.

Bruce Martin: For a lot of the people who don't understand how it works, how would you describe it to them?

Mark Miles: Think of it as an asset that the charter teams own. It gives them something they can sell if and when they decide to exit. They would sell it on the open marketplace. The amount of its value would be set by the seller and the buyer. And beyond having equipment and shops and the like that they could sell, they have this right to be an IndyCar and this right to access certain benefits. Those benefits include the fact that the 25 cars will automatically be into all of our races. Except for the 500 where they'll continue to have to qualify as they have in the past And it will mean that they have the right to compete annually for payments under our leader circle program so You know that today is over a million dollars a year and it's something that we expect will grow as as IndyCar grows so it's it's official in terms of the certainty that they know they can get into our races going forward and it provides them access to a revenue stream under our leader circle program.

Bruce Martin: And also I believe you're going to cap the starting lineups at 27. Open teams are allowed to participate in however many IndyCar races they want, but could you explain the 27 car cap in regards to the 25 charters that you'll have?

Mark Miles: Yeah, the first thing to know is that the number of cars that we allow to be in a race is not prescribed in the charter agreement. That's something that IndyCar will set from time to time as conditions change. If we have additional OEMs and a greater supply of engines for cars, that's one thing. But we have said that for 2027, excuse me, for 2025, we will limit the size of the starting grids to 27. So the 25 charter cars know that they will be in and not subject to a possibility that additional open cars wish to get in and present themselves to race. And if more than two more, if there were three or more open cars, then those cars will have to qualify for the two spots that would be available next year beyond the 25 that the charter teams will take.

Bruce Martin: Now, for somebody that's not good at math, explain why you didn't just come up with either 22 charters or 25 leader circle payments.

Mark Miles: Well, in the first instance, we felt like the 25 cars that were selected deserved to have charters. Um, and did not want to have to reduce that number down to say 22, as you posited in your question. So, um, those are the 25 cars that raced full time last year, meaning 2023 and this year, meaning 2024 less two cars, uh, which are over the limit of three charters per team owner. So there were 27 cars that raced every race in 2023 and 2024. But when you apply a limit of three charters per team owner, that drops you down to 25 because one team owner raced, uh, five cars throughout the year. So that's kind of how we got to the 2025 number for a number of charters. Uh, As to the leader circle, we just feel like that's something that has worked well. We like the idea that even the charters have to compete for that revenue stream annually. But there's a value to them because if they're not charters, then they aren't eligible to compete to get in the 22.

Bruce Martin: There was an expectation level that Prima was going to be one of the chartered teams when they announced they were going to join IndyCar in 2025. But I see in the agreement that was issued today, they were extended to teams based on full-time entries over the previous two seasons. When was that policy agreed upon and what does Prima now have to do if they want to be considered for a charter?

Mark Miles: We've been pretty focused on the 25 number for some time now. There was really never a scenario where an additional team was likely to get a charter in the initial group of charters that have been granted. Saying that we've had lots of communication with Prima, that's not news to them. They've understood that. So the answer to the second part of your question is if they wish to have the benefits of a charter, they will have to buy them. And I'm sure there's been some conversation between Prima and some of the IndyCar teams that are getting the initial charters. And if there's a willing seller and they're a buyer and they can agree on a price, then that's a way in. Until that's the case, then they'll have to run as open teams.

Bruce Martin: So how is this different than, in some ways, CART used to have a franchise system way back when. Go even earlier than that, the Indy Racing League had proposed the 25 and 8 rule, which was going to include the Indianapolis 500. There were some team owners that would have felt safer to be able to go to their sponsor and tell them they were guaranteed being in the Indianapolis 500. How early did you remove any locked in those Indy 500 starting positions out of any talks of the charter system?

Mark Miles: You're right that the teams to a great extent, but certainly not universally, wanted to see and advocated for their guaranteed entrance into the 500. It's been I don't know the exact date but seems like it's been probably a year or so since that was part of the discussion. We ultimately, we at IndyCar said, you know, we're not going to do that. We think we learned something from the past in the history when that became a very contentious issue and we listened to our fans and we simply said we're not going to go there. I will say that while It would have created some value for every team that was getting a charter. Not every team that's getting a charter, uh, felt like that was a good idea. Several of them understood the importance of the history of qualifying in the 500, the kind of ethos that that creates for our sport and our biggest event and understood why we weren't going to do that. So it's been months, many months since that was part of the discussion.

Bruce Martin: What were some of the minor changes that are tweaks that you had made to this agreement over the last couple of months?

Mark Miles: Well, we went through lots and lots of details. Could a charter have, uh, could a charter team owner be, uh, a sovereign fund, which lots of sports are dealing with as a, as an issue or a question. Could a charter team owner be a public company, a publicly traded company? Our two examples of issues that we talked through conferred with our owners and ultimately decided our position on. There are lots of others, but those are two that come to mind.

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

Will Power: This is Will Power of Team Penske and you're listening to Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Bruce Martin: Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy. Here's the rest of my exclusive interview with Penske Entertainment President and CEO Mark Miles for Pit Pass Indy. Talked to a couple of team owners at Nashville for the final IndyCar race of the 2024 season. Both Zach Brown and Chip Ganassi both said that this is a really good first step. that the charter system will probably evolve. What are some of the ways that this could evolve? Your goal is to bring more revenue into IndyCar. Once that is achieved, then maybe the team owners can share a little bit more in that revenue. But with this being a good first step, how can this agreement evolve further?

Mark Miles: Well, the first thing to know is that all the charter agreements are the same. Subject to the specific filling in of the blanks of which car numbers are owned by a charter team owner. uh, and the like, but the terms and conditions are identical. Across the board for the 25, the agreement that is the charter agreement goes through 2031 and will not change during that timeframe, unless IndyCar proposes a change and two thirds of the charter team owners vote to support a change. So it won't change unless or until IndyCar believes there's something that should be done that's an improvement. And that idea would have to have broad support among the team owners. The other way it will change is a couple of years before the end of the current term, we'll start negotiations with those 25 charters, those 10 team owners, or however many there are at the time. And we'll talk about the extension of it for all of them and what terms and conditions might be appropriate at that time.

Bruce Martin: That was going to lead to my next question, what happens in 2031? But in a charter system, how much can you see an agreement such as this really change? Would it just be the amount of that the teams would be able to share in or does it go deeper than that?

Mark Miles: Well, if you're talking about at the end of the term of this agreement, I can't predict what might make sense at the time, what the teams might want, and what IndyCar might be open to having as amendments for the next generation of charters. It's just too far out there. We just finished this one.

Bruce Martin: So how do you encourage participation from newer teams?

Mark Miles: I think there's a lot of ways. One is our ladder system. So I think teams will continue to want to develop drivers and their own teams and their own personnel through IndyNext and the rest of the latter series. And then they will either bide, well basically bide their time until a charter becomes available, until a charter holder is interested in selling. I think there is still more interest witness the PREMA part of our discussion that we've just had than there are supply of charters, and I think that's likely to be the case for some time. As IndyCar grows, I think it'll be more likely that more prospective team owners want to enter into IndyCar and will be willing and interested in buying charters.

Bruce Martin: And also, what about the Indianapolis 500? That's not affected by the charter system, so is the limit on entries basically the same as it was, however many engines Chevrolet and Honda can provide to their competitors.

Mark Miles: Yes, there's nothing in these charter agreements which provides for any change for what our fans expect and know as they approach to the Indy 500.

Bruce Martin: michael the managing director of target chip ganassi racing recently told me one of the important things about getting the charter announcement out early is because this is time of year where finishing up contracts with their sponsors for upcoming seasons how valuable is this agreement to eighteen when they speak to a sponsor to line up sponsorship these teams for the most part have

Mark Miles: Not really been faced with uncertainties about their futures as they've approached, uh, sponsors, but to the extent that that could have been an issue, they now know that they have this property, right? This asset. And that they, uh, assuming they, they continue to meet all the conditions of, of, uh, prescribed in the, in the charter will, will have the right that I described earlier in the conversation. And. If that's helpful to them in the sponsorship market, then terrific. I don't know that it's been a real limiting factor to date, but it can only be positive.

Bruce Martin: But the key part of the charter is now teams have a value that if Chip Ganassi 15 years from now decides that he's going to retire on a yacht somewhere, decides to sell the team. Now that team has a value attached to it, whereas before it didn't necessarily work that way.

Mark Miles: I think that's the foundation of the value. That's right. If a team wants to exit, they have this charter, which is the portal. It's the entry system for new teams that want to be full-time entrants into IndyCar and have all the benefits, including that asset to sell themselves someday, prospectively, the certainty that they will be able to get into our races other than the 500, and the opportunity to compete for the leader circle, which We have every expectation we'll grow in annual distributions to charter teams as IndyCar grows.

Bruce Martin: What is the value of a charter system to IndyCar, the sanctioning body?

Mark Miles: I don't think there's any direct economic value. We're not monetizing it in that sense. I think to the extent that the teams are stronger and in better shape and that there's more demand to come into the system. That's a positive, but it's not a direct economic dividend that IndyCar will harvest in the near term.

Bruce Martin: With a new TV partner joining in 2025 with Fox and all the races, including two rounds of Indianapolis 500 qualifications being aired on Fox, can their exposure, increasing value, increasing people noticing IndyCar really increase the value of these charters?

Mark Miles: I think so, but I think the value of the charters is influenced significantly by the overall growth of IndyCars. So the arrangements we have for increased exposure, more viewers through our agreement with Fox beginning next season, but other things, other very positive things that we'll be announcing in the coming months will also contribute to the momentum and the growth. And ultimately the value of IndyCar and therefore the teams that are charter owners.

Bruce Martin: And when you look back over the 2024 season with a new TV partner and all with the charter system being announced, those are a couple of big swings that IndyCar had to take. So how do you describe the importance of this year looking down the road at IndyCar?

Mark Miles: I think those are two really important things that get us to the place where I believe and I'm confident. that IndyCar is about to enter into a period of great growth and great momentum. We've had a period of years where we've had steady growth, but I think the rate of growth will increase. The understanding of the growth of IndyCar in the sports marketplace will grow, and I'm very, very bullish about IndyCar's growth going forward. Arrangements are important to that. The charters allow the charter teams to take advantage of the growth that's coming, but there'll be other additional announcements that will be important to our momentum.

Bruce Martin: So now what's next on the list? New car, some new races on the schedule. What is the next thing that Mark Miles is going to devote his energies to?

Mark Miles: Well, we're, we have been for some time working on a strategy, which we articulated some time ago that we want to begin to add new races in what you might call hot growing urban markets. So we're looking forward to some of those coming home to roost and being able to announce them and ultimately include them in future schedules. I think that's, that's going to be really key. In addition to that, you mentioned the new car and there'll be news about that in the coming months. And I think It'll add great value to IndyCar and therefore our teams. So, uh, those are some of the things, but it's not one each, right? There's a, there's a number of developments in those two categories that will be, uh, really, really positive developments for us.

Bruce Martin: Well, I've always described you as a man without any off season, but Mark miles CEO and president of Penske entertainment, which owns the Indianapolis motor speedway, the Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar. Congratulations on getting this charter system established. Good luck in the future. And thank you for joining us on pit pass. Indy.

Mark Miles: Thanks Bruce. Pleasure.

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

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

Bruce Martin: Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy. Christian Lungard bid farewell to his sponsor, Hy-Vee, as the driver has left Rayall Letterman Lanigan Racing to join Arrow McLaren in 2025. Lungard and Hy-Vee shared a close relationship that included a trip to Victory Lane when Lungard scored his first IndyCar Series victory in the 2023 Ontario Honda Dealers IndyToronto. Hy-Vee has proven to be experts at activation and helped make Lungard the face of its IndyCar program in 2023 and 2024. Here is my exclusive interview with Lungard prior to the September 15th Big Machine Music City Grand Prix at Nashville's Super Speedway. Joining us now on Pit Pass Indy is the driver of the Hy-Vee Honda. Christian Lungard. Christian, it's your last race for Hy-Vee. As you look back on your two year experience with the sponsor, there was a lot of really good times and in many ways they kind of made you a recognizable face. So what's it like leaving Hy-Vee after two years?

Christian Lundgaard: It's never nice to leave, I would say. You know, everything Hy-Vee has done for me. What I think really to remember is what they're doing for the sport, and for the series, and for Iowa Speedway in general. And joining to that list, Milwaukee, what they did to help out there. It made it into a very successful race weekend, and I think They've shown what they can do for the sport and I've just been lucky to be a part of that journey and be a part of such an amazing brand and what they do for the communities and for me in general. We've had ups and downs on the racetrack. We've had good results, we've had bad results, but at the end of the day, we've all stuck together, so it is a bit of sweet feeling leaving. But it's a new chapter for me as well, and I'm as excited to see what the future brings.

Bruce Martin: And in some ways, Hy-Vee was a little bit of an activation partner with the Nashville race because they are going to open some stores in the Nashville area. They've really been successful in utilizing IndyCar as a vehicle to help them spread their message and their brand. And how important has that been from your standpoint to help deliver the message for them?

Christian Lundgaard: It's been massive, and again, I've been the father figure that's been on the ground for the brand, for Hy-Vee, and to go out to places and represent them, to help them with the bigger picture. And at the end of the day, IndyCar has, yes, been a part of their journey of exposure across the country, and I'm glad to have had them on board with me and to have been on board with them.

Bruce Martin: The highlight, obviously, is your victory at Toronto. It happened one week before the Hy-Vee IndyCar race weekend at Iowa Speedway in 2023. What was that whole weekend and the ensuing week like? Because it went right from Victory Lane off to Iowa for you.

Christian Lundgaard: Yeah, I would say it was pretty cool, you know, showing up, being the man of the show for two different reasons. You know, being the previous winner and showing up as the face of the brand at their home event. But again, at the end of the day, every race is a race you want to win. I think for me, Iowa was probably the race I wanted to win the most, other than the 500, to really give them back for what they're giving us. We haven't been in that position as a team to perform well enough at the tracks where we really felt like we needed to. It's unfortunate. It certainly is a chapter that will close with a little bit of a bittersweet feeling, but to be a part of Hy-Vee has been one of the bigger highlights.

Bruce Martin: And in many ways, Hy-Vee has shown IndyCar how to promote. They've raised the level of promotion in IndyCar. It's great how a regional supermarket has been able to have a national impression on IndyCar, how to promote and market its events.

Christian Lundgaard: No, absolutely. I think if every single driver on the grid you ask, they will say the same thing. I think Hyvee raised the bar for how to promote a race and how to really put on a show. And I don't really think there's much more to say to it than that. Everything that they do and that they've done and continue doing is the complete new benchmark for every single promoter.

Bruce Martin: And from a team standpoint, Rahal Letterman-Lanigan Racing gave you your big chance in IndyCar. You made the most of the opportunity and how much do you take away from having that relationship with the people at Rahal Letterman-Lanigan?

Christian Lundgaard: You know, at the end of the day, everything I know is because of them at this point within the series. Understanding the cars, understanding the ovals, how to approach everything and It's been a ride. We've had ups and downs, for sure. I'm happy with some of the results we've had. I'm disappointed with others. But at the end of the day, we win as a team, and we lose as a team, and we've stuck together. And then there's one more to go, so we want to finish this one high.

Bruce Martin: And finally, next year you'll be with Errol McLaren, and I'm sure a lot of hopes and expectations come from a new chapter in your career. How excited are you about that?

Christian Lundgaard: I mean, obviously, I'm very excited to start something new, to see what it brings, to see what the future entails. But at the end of the day, I'm also going to approach it with an open mind of it's still a learning curve. I need to still improve. but I think the resources they have and me coming there and having the background from Europe within the F1 world and obviously SAC still being in the European world with F1 and really just trying to put those two together and see what we can achieve over here in America. IndyCar is where I want to be, so I think them having all of that as the only team on the grid is great for me and I think it will just excel me even more.

Bruce Martin: Well, Christian Lungardi, you've certainly been a champion off and on the racetrack, especially representing Hy-Vee. Good luck in your future, and thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy. Thank you so much. Another driver bidding farewell to his racing team was 23-year-old David Maloukas, who joined Meyers Schenck Racing in June. Malukas has signed a multi-year agreement to race for AJ Foyt Racing beginning in 2025. I had this exclusive interview with Malukas at Nashville Super Speedway for Pit Pass Indy. Joining us now is David Malukas of Meyers Schenck Racing. David, it's your last race with the team before you head over to AJ Foyt Racing. So in a lot of ways, bittersweet feelings because they really did help you get back into a car in 2024.

David Malukas: No, of course. I mean, like I've said so many times, Michael Schenck and the whole crew, the whole team, they're the ones that kind of changed my life around. You know, at that stage, people can forget you pretty easily, and they took the risk with me and my injury and gave me a really good car to show my performances. And so it's a big thank you to them that I'm still in this series. But from this last race, I mean, yeah, it's definitely going to be bittersweet. I'm trying to think of it till the end, you know, to say the goodbyes and the farewells, because we still have a lot of work to do. You know, it's getting pretty tight with the leader circle, so we want to finish strong here.

Bruce Martin: And not only that, did they give you another chance, but you really made the most of that chance with some pretty good races up front. So that had to really make you feel like you still had it after the long layoff.

David Malukas: No, of course. You know, in that long duration, I mean, month of May, from my perspective, yes, it was fun. But man, watching everybody go around and I'm not out there, it lets your mind overthink. I was thinking so much of, am I going to be driving the same? You know, there's so many people telling me different things. It let my mind race and I didn't know if I was going to be the same driver and to go back in as early as we did and clear those overthinking thoughts, I think it made a big difference on how my driving became and my potential.

Bruce Martin: So you've been on three different teams in your career. How would you judge Meyers Schenck Racing? They seem to be a really good group of guys that are all racers.

David Malukas: I think they've really done a good job of hitting their sweet spot of being a performance team, but also being very family oriented. You know, my first time I came into the team, they all treated me like family. I felt super welcomed. It all just felt like You know, it's just one big family there, and they've really hit that sweet spot of having the performance, being perfectionists, and being very strict on that perspective, but also just having a good time at the end of the day, no matter what results we were getting. Bad luck, good luck. Gateway, for example, I mean, the guys were just, they're really happy for getting these good results, and it just motivates the driver that much more to go out there and get that car up there.

Bruce Martin: Did that remind you a little bit of your first team with Dale Coyne Racing?

David Malukas: Yes, you know, it did. It reminded me a little bit of that, but like I said, they've just managed to do a sweet spot with that team. It is an incredible team. Really good guys.

Bruce Martin: Now you're gonna move to another family-oriented team, AJ Foyt Racing, so your hopes and opportunities running there, especially now you're gonna be teammates with Santino Ferrucci.

David Malukas: Yeah, I think it's gonna be a pretty good duo, and it's gonna be pretty interesting. I think from that perspective, it's gonna be another good teammate, and from my age, I'm still 22, gonna be 23 here pretty soon, and man, there's still a lot of learning for me to do, a lot of potential, and the more drivers and the more info I can get, the better I'll become.

Bruce Martin: And having run laps on the concrete surface at Nashville Super Speedway, how does it compare to any other track that you've run on?

David Malukas: I would say from a setup perspective, it just kind of numbs everything a little bit. Just with it being a lot less grip, you can almost just feel like the whole car is sliding in a perspective. So I think once we get into the race, it's going to be pretty interesting to tell on where the tire deck is going to be at, so we can keep pushing.

Bruce Martin: Are you still going to be able to have the type of races that we saw at Gateway in at Milwaukee to a degree, or do you think it's going to be a little slicker?

David Malukas: Well, I mean, I'm also biased because Gateway I think is the best oval. But coming from this track, I don't know. It seems like that second lane is going to be really tough. Hopefully the highline practice can change something. But as of right now, it really looks like it's going to be another single file race.

Bruce Martin: David Maloukas, congratulations on your return to IndyCar midway through the season with Meyers Schenck Racing. Good luck next year with AJ Foyt Racing, and thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy. Thank you for having me. 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 Rental.

Bruce Martin: Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy. Let's wrap up today's episode by talking to the two drivers at Juncos Hollinger Racing. First up is Romain Grosjean of France, who completed his first full season with the team in 2024 after spending the two previous IndyCar seasons with Andretti Global in the 2021 season with Delcoin Racing with RWR. The highlight for the former Formula One driver was a fourth-place finish for the team in the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey on June 23rd. Here is my exclusive interview with Romain Grosjean. Hello, Romain. Romain Grosjean has joined us now. I guess you'd have to look back and say it was a pretty solid season for you in 2024.

Romain Grosjean: Oh yeah, 100%. I think the team has grown a lot. I've done a very decent job behind the wheel. Still mad at myself for Portland, but I think for the rest of the year it's been fantastic. So I'm proud of my guys, proud of my season, and excited for this weekend.

Bruce Martin: And have you ever raced on concrete before? Because the track surface here at Nashville Super Speedway is unique to any other oval that we've run on.

Romain Grosjean: I guess Detroit, but that's not an oval, so no. It's a first, but it's a great place. I'm happy to be here. I think, you know, hopefully those grandstands get more and more full during the weekend. But for sure, IndyCar has had amazing races, and it's good to be here.

Bruce Martin: And to be able to get back in a situation like you have here at Juncos Hollinger Racing, it has to give you some high hopes and goals for 2025 that that could be the year that you get into victory lane, maybe win a few races. Hey, still a chance tomorrow. That is true. But all in all, when you look back at the season and basically a fresh start here, as I said earlier, you have to go into the offseason feeling really good.

Romain Grosjean: I feel good. As I said, I'm proud of Hunkerslinger Racing. I'm proud of the work that's been done by Chevy this year to give us, you know, all we had from simulator to reliability to good power on track. And yes, I mean, the future is not set in stone yet, but I'm hoping that I get to do more in the kind of future.

Bruce Martin: And how fun has it been to have Conor Daly as a teammate the last couple of races?

Romain Grosjean: Oh, he's an amazing character. You know, Conor was the first one to look after me when I came into the States in 21. So for that, I would always be very, I don't know how you say it in English, but grateful.

Bruce Martin: And we're always grateful to have a chance to talk to you. Romain Grosjean, good luck during the offseason. We'll see you next year.

Romain Grosjean: Thank you, sir.

Bruce Martin: And now let's hear from Connor Daly, who joins June Coast Hollinger Racing for the final five races of the 2024 season. The highlight for the driver from Noblesville, Indiana was a third place finish in the first Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s at the Milwaukee Mile. Daly joins me for this exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview. So Connor Daly has joined us now. Connor, you've run a lot of ovals in your career, but you haven't run at Nashville Super Speedway. What was your thoughts on the track?

Connor Daly: Yeah, interesting, man. It's a real challenge in 3.4, but it reminds me kind of like of the IndyCar racing that I used to watch, you know, as a kid. You know, really cool, like, high-intensity oval racing. But 3.4, the bump, I wish that wasn't there. I feel like we could be a little bit more aggressive. if we didn't have that. But yeah, it's kind of wild so far.

Bruce Martin: Were you a Sam Hornish fan growing up? Of course. He used to say that he could make the bumps work for him. How difficult is that for a driver to make a bump like that work for them?

Connor Daly: That's a great question. I think it's more you have to get lucky because honestly, man, you never know where you're going to end up when you land off the other side of it. So our car has definitely improved over the bumps. We're definitely going to need to work on it for like a long stint and heavy fuel loads are going to be real tough, too.

Bruce Martin: Is this track gonna race like Gateway or is it gonna race like Iowa?

Connor Daly: That's a great question. I really don't know. Part of me is optimistic and I don't want to be unoptimistic.

Bruce Martin: Speaking of optimism, are you optimistic that what you've been able to show here with Juneco's Hollinger Racing can earn you a full-time gig in 2025?

Connor Daly: We can only hope so. I would love to be here. I would love to continue the work that we've already started. But we gotta figure out the financial side of it and put some partners together to make it happen. So hopefully we can find the right folks to get involved and work together as a group to make it happen, but we'll see.

Bruce Martin: But in a lot of ways, it looks like you found a team that supports you very well.

Connor Daly: Oh, it's been awesome. It feels like home. So I'm very, very lucky to be here with Chevrolet too. It's super nice, so thankful.

Bruce Martin: Well, Connor Daly, good luck during the offseason. Hopefully we see you in a full-time right in 2025.

Connor Daly: Thank you. That would be nice.

Bruce Martin: And that puts a checkered flag on this edition of Pit Pass Indy. We want to thank our guests, Penske Entertainment President and CEO, Mark Miles, Kristen Lungard of Rayall Letterman Lanigan Racing, David Maloukas of Meijer Schenck Racing, and the Juncos Hollinger Racing duo of Romain Grosjean and Conor Daly for joining us on today's podcast. Along with loyal listeners like you, our guests help make Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental, your path to victory lane in IndyCar. On the highways, the raceways, and every pit stop in between, Penske Truck Rental keeps you moving forward. Gain ground with Penske. For more IndyCar coverage, follow me at x, previously known as Twitter, at BruceMartin, one word, uppercase B, uppercase M, underscore 500. This has been a production of Evergreen Podcast. A special thanks to our production team, executive producers are Bridget Coyne and Gerardo Orlando. Recordings and edits were done by me, Bruce Martin, and final mixing was done by Dave Douglas. Learn more at evergreenpodcast.com. Until next time, be sure to keep it out of the wall.

Roger Penske: you