Exclusive interview with attorney to the stars Jim Voyles and his remarkable Indianapolis 500 story

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, Auto Week, 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 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 help celebrate Team Penske's 60th anniversary. The month of May has arrived, and every IndyCar fan knows what that means. It's time for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to come to life, with three weeks of action culminating with the 110th Indianapolis 500 on May 24th. It all begins with the Sanzio Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on Saturday, May 9. The Speedway is closed on Mother's Day and the following day before practice begins for the 33 drivers entered in the Indy 500 on Tuesday, May 12th. Fast Friday is May 15th when teams get to turn up the boost for Qualification Weekend. First round qualifications that determine Sunday's Fast 12 are Saturday, May 16th. The 12 fastest cars out of that qualification round return the following day to determine the Fast 6. Out of those six fastest qualifiers, each entry takes one more four-lap qualification attempt around the 2.5 mile oval with the fastest driver winning the famed Indianapolis 500 pole. Carb Day is scheduled for Friday, May 22nd, the final two-hour practice session before the race. Legends Day features the public drivers meeting on Saturday, May 23rd, before the biggest racing event of the year, the legendary Indianapolis 500, on Sunday, May 24. This year's race is about to be sold out, so if you have plans to attend, better act quickly before it's too late. This edition of Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental features an exclusive deep dive interview with one of the top criminal defense attorneys in the United States, James H. Boyles. He also happens to be deeply involved in IndyCar and has represented many drivers and teams throughout the years. Most recently, 2025 Indy 500 winner Alex Pillow in his trial in UK commercial court in a lawsuit filed by McLaren for breach of contract. A judge ruled on that case in January. And after last week's two day Indianapolis 500 open test, Pillow signed a multi-year contract extension to remain with Chip Ganassi Racing. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but it's fair to say the most successful combination in IndyCar this decade is going to remain together for a long time. Our exclusive interview with Jim Voiles will be later in the show. But first, we are going to do a quick wrap-up of last week's two-day Indianapolis 500 Open Test. For a rookie, K.O. Collette of A.J. Foyt Racing is a very fast learner at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Collette left Indianapolis as the fastest driver over the two days of the Indy 500 Open Test. Collette's top speed came in Wednesday's two-hour morning session with a lap at 226.381 miles per hour in the No. 4 A.J. Foyt Racing Chevrolet. Colette, last year's Indian X by Firestone runner-up to champion Dennis Hauger, said speed was his biggest surprise of the two-day session. Two-time Indianapolis 500 winning driver Joseph Dugard of Team Penske finished the open test as the second fastest driver with a lap at 226.23 miles an hour in the number two Chevrolet. That speed also came in the third session. Connor Daly of Dryer and Reinbold Racing was third fastest at 225.394 miles per hour in the number 23 Chevrolet followed by Alex Palou's speed of 225.272 miles per hour in the number 10 DHL Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing in the fourth and final session. Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Elio Castroneves of Meyers Schenck Racing rounded out the top five overall at 225.200 miles per hour in the number 06 Honda. All 33 drivers entered in this year's Indianapolis 500 turned laps over the two days at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and all rookies passed the Rookie Orientation Program. Also, veteran drivers who were not full-time participants in IndyCar in 2025 passed their refresher test, including Catherine Legge, the last driver to be cleared to compete in the No. 11 AJ Foyt Racing HMD Chevrolet. Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental, was at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the test and gathered some quick interviews from several drivers. Let's start with the defending winner of the Indy 500, four-time IndyCar Series champion, Alex Pillow. Hello, Alex. Hi, hi, hi. All right, you're back at the race where you're the defending winner. How much different does it feel for you?

Alex Palou: Not very different yet. I mean, it still feels, yeah, it's still an empty track, right? So I think what makes this event so special and what makes the winners here feel extra special is the people that are around the fans. So, yeah, it just feels like a normal test day so far. Yeah, every year it's the same. Although you prepare yourself, you're like, hey, this is going to happen. Yeah, those first two laps, they still feel really, really fast. Even 2.14, 2.13, like the first lap that you're going flat out, it just feels like you're on the limit. So adding 14, 15 more miles to that on qualifying day, it's going to be huge. But yeah, after a couple of laps, when the car settles in, yes, it's pretty straightforward from there.

Bruce Martin: What do you think of Giant Alex keeping his eye on 16th Street out here at Gate 3 when everybody comes to the track to go to the museum? You're the first person they see on that giant banner.

Alex Palou: It's great. I mean, I had to see somebody else every single year and it's, yeah, you always think about seeing yourself there. So, yeah, yesterday and today I took a picture when I was driving by and sending it to my parents.

Bruce Martin: Palou explained what he hoped to take away from the test when Indy 500 practice begins next week.

Alex Palou: You still can take a lot. I mean, it's tough to judge. Last year, suddenly, it was crazy cold on race day, so you need to be prepared for whatever conditions you might have, but there's still some big areas where you learn if it's 70 degrees or 30. So, yeah, I don't know exactly, but I think for race run, it's not as beneficial, let's say, just because the conditions suddenly make you able to overtake with your faith or when you're six and nine on racing normally that doesn't tend to be that easy but that yeah we still get so many ideas from like mechanical and air balance.

Bruce Martin: Palou won his first Indianapolis 500 in his sixth attempt last year and was asked why the Indy 500 may be the hardest race to win.

Alex Palou: everything everything like you need to have a fast car but only having a fast car doesn't mean anything you need to have great hits but only having that doesn't mean anything you need to be good like depending and being up front and being 7th or 15th like it's such a long race with so many pit stops and things that continue to change that you need to be able to react wherever you are. It's not like a straightforward race where you're top three and you do a good pit stop and you win. It's more of like, hey, you might be leading, but then you're 50th or wide on the outside and you need to survive that. And yeah, I think there's so many things that can go wrong. And as soon as one of those don't go right, you cannot win.

Bruce Martin: Now, let's hear the thoughts of Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden, who won back-to-back Indianapolis 500s in 2023 and 2024. Newgarden and Team Penske are hoping for a great bounce back after last year's troublesome month of May at Indy. Hi, Joseph.

Josef Newgarden: Hi, Bruce. Welcome back to Indianapolis. It's always nice to be here. I love this place. Well, it's practice. What are you going to do? I'm not sure you can look at the scoreboard too much on these days just because it's so… Everyone's just out here running around. It's hard to take much from it. I mean, I really mean that. It's so difficult to take much from what you're seeing on time. I don't feel much different. I feel the same motivation as always. I mean, really, genuinely. I think it's going to be one of the most memorable ones. Because… Because we were coming. We were coming until we weren't.

Josef Newgarden: and where you had to come from.

Josef Newgarden: Yeah, I mean, you know, it made the day more difficult. It made it more satisfying in a lot of ways. And, you know, we just unfortunately didn't get the chance to see it out. I just wish we had the opportunity to see it to the finish. Would have been really nice. With the car not making it to the end? Not really. You know, it's so outside of our control. So, you know, it was like kind of a fluke thing, it seemed like.

Bruce Martin: Former Team Penske driver Will Power is now with Andretti Global. This year will be his first Indy 500 for a team other than Penske Racing since 2008. Here are Power's thoughts in a quick Pit Pass Indy interview.

Will Power: It was actually very similar to the first time I drove at Phoenix. I was like, how's this going to feel? But it felt quite comfortable. We were by ourselves on race downfalls and just doing some various checks. Haven't run in traffic or anything yet, so not much to speak of.

Bruce Martin: Every year you come back to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, do you feel that rejuvenation of youth? Because we know how much you love running this race.

Will Power: I do, yeah. I'm looking for really, really good next two races. Definitely a rough start, but not due to lack of pace. Our pace has been really good. It's actually been interesting. Quite easy to get up to speed.

Bruce Martin: Power was asked if he felt a difference using the Honda engine after so many years in a Chevrolet at Team Penske.

Will Power: No, not really. I don't know, you know, what, like, you know, when you're on race downforce, you drive out of the pits. Not really. I haven't been around other cars. I think that will be sort of the most telling. you know, when we get our race engines and when we're around other cars, when we stack up the pace. Qualifying day, yeah, right now it all feels, you know, it's pretty long gears you're pulling. It's not something noticeable. It's all pretty familiar stuff, but… Yeah, it's probably… It's probably a calmer atmosphere within that team for this race, I think. I don't know yet as we progress, but… Yeah, you know, Panski, a lot of expectation there. If you're one of those drivers that haven't won it, you've really got that pressure on that you must win it, because every driver has driven before that team has. So, you know, I think that's something that… you know, is that weighed on me for a long time there, is that, like, you know, every driver who drives a Penske wins this race, so, you know, I'm classed as successful, and that's, I would say it's different to that dreaded, you know, I don't think that's, they haven't got that Penske history there.

Bruce Martin: Finally, Power was asked why the Indy 500 is so difficult to win.

Will Power: It's a difficult question because it's so complicated how much goes into it. You could name 10 different reasons why you didn't win the past 10 races here. It's unpredictable. You never know what's going to happen on race day. I think the lesson would be is to be there at the end in that front group. If I was to tell myself something over the last 10 times I've done this. You've got to get to the end and be in the front. When you won in 2018, did you think there'd be more by now? I didn't know, yeah. It's just so hard to know when you'll win one or when you'll not win another one. Yeah. Definitely had a couple of chances since then. I would say one time in 19 I had a shot again, but after that they've all been really bad races for me. I haven't had a good… I don't think I've finished in the top 10 since 2019. I don't think. I'm not sure. I don't think I've finished even in the top 10. Yeah, I head down. in the game long enough to know that you just can't dwell on the things that happened to you and how it played out. Because at the end of the day, you're still incredibly lucky to do this as a job. So, you know, good or bad days. I just want to put my head down and give the best feedback possible, put us in the best position. That's really my focus response every time I go out is to have a very good, have something for the engineer to think about what to do for the next day or next run.

Bruce Martin: Did the team celebrate Carson Husserl's victory, since he is a TWG driver at Spire Motorsports?

Will Power: Well, I wasn't actually at the team, but yeah, I should have. Obviously, very excited for that. That's a big deal. Obviously, guys incredibly quick, and the team at Spire is really strong as well.

Bruce Martin: Marcus Ericcson won the Indianapolis 500 in 2022 with Chip Ganassi Racing. Erickson is Power's teammate at Andretti Global along with Kyle Kirkwood. I caught up with Erickson for this Pit Pass Indy interview. Indy 500 winner, Marcus Eriksson. How much do you think of that when you return to Gasoline Alley?

Marcus Ericsson: Yeah, I always have that obviously with me and it brings a certain level of confidence just driving in here and knowing that you've won at this place. You know, I know I've been stronger many other times as well. So, yeah, I feel great about that. I'm very proud of it. But I want to add to multiple Indy 500 guys. I mean, I've been close enough to get my line, so… I mean, this race is pretty hard going, right? It's… It's such a long race, there's so many things that you have to get right, and even when you do get everything right, it's not over until it's over, so it's a tough race to win. But yeah, it's a race you work all year round, or at least I do, to try and figure out how I can be better here, how I can execute better, how I can minimize mistakes, how I can just get back to victory lane, basically. It's what drives me and I think many others.

Bruce Martin: How can you begin to describe the range of emotions you felt last year? You had tears on Pitt Road finishing second. When you wake up the next morning, you find out you got penalized. They moved you to the back. So what was the range of emotions? during that 12-hour period.

Marcus Ericsson: Yeah, it was tough. I mean, it was probably tough for me to finish second and being that close to winning and sort of kicking myself for not being able to win. You know, that was really, really tough. But then, yeah, it was another gut punch in day two because, you know, like… Even finishing second is maybe the worst place to finish here, but it's still a great result. For points and everything, and for the team, it was still a great effort to get that taken away. It was really tough. It kind of set the tone for the rest of the year, unfortunately for us. We had a really tough second half of the season after that. I think that also shows how much this race means for the drivers, for the pit crews, mechanics everyone so yeah it was a tough tough one last year but we're also you know so good and I think that's the biggest thing we need to bring that confidence and bring that knowledge that we we showed last year I mean we miss Marco he's a great great guy and a great driver and it was fun being teammates with him for the last few years I still feel like we have a great lineup with Will coming in. He's a winner here and obviously a fantastic driver. He's already gelled so well into the team. I work really well with Will. We seem to drive cars very similar as well. He's been driving the setup towards a direction that's been suiting me more as well. I really feel like we have one of the strongest lineups in the field. There's no doubt about it. That makes me very excited thinking about the month of May. I think teamwork is one of it. I was very lucky to have Halu, Dixon, TK and a bunch of other guys over the years in Ganasity that really helped me win my 500 and finishing second. But also, you know, working through the steps. It's a long month and you need to do it step by step and be patient. I think that's another key where a lot of people make that mistake to try and push too early. And, you know, I did that in 2024 and that really bit me and sort of ruined my month. It's about being clever out there and doing it step by step. Yeah, I think it's quite similar to be honest. You know, sometimes it changes with regulations and, you know, if the car downforces stuff like that, but now it's been quite similar for the last few years, so I have a pretty… pretty good game plan in my head how I know I can win this race so I'm gonna stick to that and I think that's gonna be good to put me in the mix. Obviously Ovals was something I've never done before but I always was very curious about Ovals. Another thing that I've always been at my best at the biggest events. biggest races when the pressure is on is when I feel like I really thrive and really perform at my best and that's why you know coming here I always felt like the 500 would be something that would suit me because you're in a pressure cooker and it's it's a lot of emotions there for the drivers and I think you know drivers handle that in different ways and for me that's really brings the best out of me so I think that's why I am very good here and I feel like I always get the best out of myself at this

Bruce Martin: Another Marcus in the field is Marcus Armstrong of Meyerschank Racing. The driver from New Zealand explained why the first lap of the year at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval is an attention-getting moment.

Marcus Armstrong: The car feels good. I think we did like 19 laps. But the first lap of the day is always a bit of a, whoa, yeah, we're back. It's some pretty serious speed. Even if it's like a 2.14 first lap, it still feels fast. But it feels fine. got our beautiful Speedway car back after last year's dilemma, and everything feels good.

Bruce Martin: Hey, when you get to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it's a track where the car gets to really stretch its legs. And just how much fun is that for a driver who gets into this for high-speed thrill rides?

Marcus Armstrong: Right. Yeah, no, it's amazing. But, you know, it's so early. We've got obviously two days here. We've got a very long month. I'd say it's more of a mental challenge than anything else because you just have so many variables thrown your way. But what's crazy is this place changes so much from one morning to the afternoon to the next day or whatever because we're going so fast that the wind can just completely throw you off or if it's a little bit warmer than it was then it completely throws you off. These cars are so sensitive to the ambience. It's a real cognitive battle. But I like that. And as well, I'm learning. I know I sound like a broken record, but every time I jump in a car around here, it's a lesson.

Bruce Martin: So when you show up here in May, do you think FAST 12, then we're getting into the FAST 6? Is that the goal for the first week for you, is FAST 12?

Marcus Armstrong: Yes, I think we're certainly capable of it. We had a great car last year before the accident. Felix also demonstrates how fast our cars can be. I don't know where he qualified, maybe P5 or P4 or something like that. So I have high expectations for the first week, yeah. Thanks, Marcus.

Bruce Martin: Romain Grosjean of Delcoin Racing is back for another Indianapolis 500, and he explained when a driver starts to understand the keys to racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Romain Grosjean: When you do it, when you do it, you know. I was telling Dennis, he was like, so how do you do corners? I mean, it's 90 degrees corners, you'll know to do a corner, but you're doing them so often, and during the month of May, you start asking yourself, how should I make the corner? And we know, you know, we're race car drivers, but it's a long month, and every day is different, so some day you feel like a hero, some day you feel like a zero. Hopefully comes race day, you're on the hero side and zero.

Bruce Martin: Grosjean had an interesting experience in the first test session on Tuesday, April 28, when he hit a bird entering Turn 3. It turned out to be a rather messy affair, as Grosjean explains in this interview.

Romain Grosjean: I still have blood on my race suit. There were pieces of the bird on the roll bars. I mean, the helmet stinks, the seat stinks. I didn't get any chicken for lunch. I just had white pasta. It was good. But I called it the bad luck bird, so now it's gone. Just turning into turn three. Yeah, especially I couldn't see where I was going anymore. I was plenty on the aero screen. It was far from ideal, but hey, all good. I don't think I had the time to see that he was going to die, so happy ending for him. I think he hit the pitot tube and then went through the air vent, and some of it went through the air vent and some of it stayed on the aero screen.

Bruce Martin: I wonder if it smelled bad. 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: We wrap up this episode with the story of famed Indianapolis criminal defense attorney Jim Voiles, who has deep connections within the history of the Indianapolis 500 and the NTT IndyCar series. Voiles' wife, Joan, is the daughter of 1950 Indianapolis 500 winner Johnny Parsons, and her brothers are former Indy 500 starters Johnny Parsons Jr. and Poncho Carter. But Voiles was deeply connected with the Indianapolis 500 long before he met his wife. Voiles attended his first Indianapolis 500 in 1953. This year is Voiles' 73rd Indianapolis 500, and he and his family will watch from their longtime seats in Grandstand B on the front stretch of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Over the years, Voiles has developed deep and long-standing friendships with some of the greatest names in Indianapolis 500 history, including the first four-time winner of the race, A.J. Foyt, IndyCar team owner Chip Ganassi, drivers Scott Dixon, Alex Palou, Dario Franchitti, and many, many others. As an attorney, Voiles has represented some very high-profile clients, including boxer Mike Tyson in 1991 when rape allegations were brought by Desiree Washington. driver Tony Stewart, the late owner of the Indianapolis Colts, Jim Erce, former Indianapolis Colts player and current podcasting star on ESPN, Pat McAfee, former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez, and many, many more in a distinguished legal career. Voiles and Mark Bones-Boucher co-authored a book, My Life in Trials with the Famous, the Infamous, and the Misunderstood, which can be ordered through publisher Coastal 181's website. The beauty of hosting Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental is we get a chance to dive deep into the stories of IndyCar, and Voiles certainly has some fascinating stories to tell. Here is my exclusive Pitt Pass Indy interview with Indianapolis criminal defense attorney Jim Voiles. We're going to do something a little bit different today on Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental. We're going to introduce you to one of the top criminal defense attorneys in the United States, certainly in the state of Indiana, but he's a real friend of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Racing in general. It's James H. Voiles, and James has written a new book called All Rise. My Life in Trials with the Famous, the Infamous, and the Misunderstood. A lot of the book is about his famous legal trials, but a significant portion of the book is about his interest in racing, specifically IndyCar racing. Jim, thank you for joining us today. And what was it that inspired you to write a book?

Jim Voyles: Well, thank you very much, Bruce, for inviting me. Well, the real impetus on the book was the fact that I thought that once I'm gone, that my kids will wonder what I did. Joan and I have six kids, four from her prior marriage, two from mine. They think I leave in the morning and I come back at night, but what do you do during the middle of the day? And so, as a result of that, I reached out to Mark Bossier, who's known as Bones, who is a pretty famous a motorsports writer and we went to St. Elmo's, our favorite steakhouse, had dinner and discussed writing a book. And he was enthusiastic about it and said he was happy to do it. So we spent two years in preparation and doing the book. And the way we worked the book was Mark had very little knowledge about what I do for a living. But my uncle, who's really kind of an inspiration for me and one of my law partners, had kept a series of scrapbooks when he was in the 40s, 50s, and 60s, very prominent in this community in his practice. So I thought, you know, that'd be a good idea. If I kept scrapbooks, then maybe when I get to be the age I am now, that I can look back on this career that I've had. And so I did that. And we accumulated about 26 of those scrapbooks, which I then provided to Mark. So I said, here, you can read about it. And then as a result of that, Mark and I would meet every week or every two weeks, and he would record our conversations and then would draft chapters, send them to me, I'd review them and send them back to him. But those books kind of gave him an idea to which case he wanted to talk about and which people he wanted to talk about. So that's how it happened.

Bruce Martin: Was your uncle also involved with the creation of USAC in 1955?

Jim Voyles: Yes, he was. He, at the time, was a big motorsports and also a former magistrate of the Speedway Magistrate Court. And he decided when AAA left the sponsorship of motorsports in this country after all the tragedies that happened in 1955 in motorsports, he and Mr. Holman and Dwayne Carter and three or four other gentlemen, went to the Detroit Athletic Club in December, I think, of 1955, and formed USAC, which set up his first office on Meridian Street in Indianapolis in 1956. So, that's exactly how, and then as a result of that, I really kind of became attached to him on motorsports areas, and would be the beneficiary of news articles and other things he would send me.

Bruce Martin: Of course, for those who don't know, USAC is the United States Auto Club. It sanctions a lot of the midget sprint silver crown races to this day throughout the United States. At one time, it was the sanctioning body for big-time IndyCar racing, which at that time was known as champ car racing. was still involved in IndyCar throughout 1997 was the last USAC sanctioned Indianapolis 500. Then what was known as the Indy Racing League took over the sanctioning and responsibility for the world's biggest race. But USAC was a major player in international racing, especially in the United States. So to be that closely involved with one of the founders of USAC, I imagine that had to really give you a tremendous opportunity to really get to understand and know the deep back story of auto racing.

Jim Voyles: Oh yeah, I saw the first Hoosier 100 in 1954 with my uncle. I saw the first dirt race at Raceway Park when it was dirt with my uncle. I was the beneficiary when we'd go over to Terre Haute of going with my uncle and we'd leave after the race and go to Mr. Holman's Lodge home over by Terre Haute for parties. So yeah, I was happy to go along and I was happy to be in that situation where I was exposed to so much interesting things to me.

Bruce Martin: But of course, for a lot of us, including yourself, our love for this sport is at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the Indianapolis 500. How did that begin for you?

Jim Voyles: It began for me in really 1949, which was the first and only live telecast that was produced by WFBM Channel 6 in Indianapolis, and I watched it at home on my little black and white TV with my family, that Johnny Parsons finished second in that race, and ultimately won the race in 1950. Kind of an interesting side story, my wife, who I met and married in 1978, was on my uncle's bench as a young teenager because Dwayne Carter and my uncle were close friends. And so she actually sat on my uncle's trial bench when he was the judge in Speedway long before I even knew her. So it's been a kind of a… heartfelt interest of mine for years. I saw my first race in 1953. We lived in Michigan City, Indiana, and my father was in the military and had been. He was a veteran of World War II in the Philippines, and I didn't see him till I was three years old when he came home from the war. Went to law school for a short time, but then he went back into the service in the Selective Service Division, and we moved to Michigan City. In 1953, we all packed up and went to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the race. And I missed 54, but I've seen every race, including the COVID race, since 53.

Bruce Martin: How did you and Joan, whose father was the 1950 winner, Johnny Parsons, how did you end up getting involved and ultimately marrying?

Jim Voyles: Well, it's a story we were both married when we met. She was seeking a divorce, asked me for advice. I gave her another lawyer who did that kind of work. And then ultimately, we began seeing each other. And I got a divorce myself. And as a result of that, we got married in 1978. She had four children from her prior marriage. I had two. And we started the Brady Bunch, and there we are.

Bruce Martin: So you marry the daughter of the 1950 Indianapolis 500 winner, but her brothers and half-brothers were also auto racers of note, if you could describe the family tree.

Jim Voyles: Sure, her brother, her natural brothers, Johnny Parsons and her half-brother, as Mrs. Arza Mitchell ultimately became, but she was the mother. They got divorced. She and John got a divorce. Johnny Parsons, the father,

Bruce Martin: uh… she married dwayne carter and then she had poncho carter she had dana carter and then she had tony carter uh… the three brothers so here you are a big fan of auto racing a big fan of usac a big fan of the indianapolis five hundred now you're part of a historic family involved in racing what was that like

Jim Voyles: Well, it's funny. I really wasn't much a part of their family. Jonah and I, the catalyst is the sport. So we both enjoyed the sport. We kind of did our own thing. I ran SCCA for a few years myself on the Formula Bs. with a partner, Rick Kamen, another lawyer. And so we kind of did our own thing. We would go to the races ourselves. Our children are interested in motorsports, but we made a vow that not one of them would ever get into a car. We wouldn't buy motorcycles, we didn't do anything. No go-karts, nothing. Because we, I mean, I've always thought that I was lucky enough to find a profession that fit my personality. And so, we encouraged them and they've all done very, very well. But it had nothing to do with motorsports. You can go watch the races, but you're not going to be a participant. So, that's kind of what we did.

Bruce Martin: You came up in an era before I did, but I also came up in an era before what we have in IndyCar racing today. This could be a very grim sport, especially the Indianapolis 500. When I see the Roadster that was making a run earlier today for a taping of a promotion on Fox Sports, I look at that, and I look at the cockpit, and I look at the car go by, and I just look at the way it's designed. And I mean, at the time, it was state-of-the-art. the people who competed in those cars. Oh, sure. The race started at 11 a.m. They didn't know when they strapped in if they'd see 12 noon.

Jim Voyles: Correct.

Bruce Martin: Because that was just how dangerous auto racing was at that time.

Jim Voyles: There's no question about it.

Bruce Martin: But that was accepted when you came to the Indianapolis 500. Of course, times have changed, and a lot of the danger is no longer accepted, and tremendous safety advances have happened. How do you begin to describe just how difficult, I don't want to say difficult, but just how different the Indianapolis 500 was back in that day.

Jim Voyles: Well, yeah, and I have some personal experience about that. In 1971, I was close friends with Jim Malloy and represented him in some matters. And I walked in with him on the morning of qualifications. And then it rained, and he was in Dan Gurney's Eagle. Great ride, a great opportunity for him. Jim died the next day when he hit the third turn wall. I immediately went to Methodist Hospital, and ultimately my law partner, Denny Zahn, a friend, David Wilhoyt, and I drove his car home for his funeral. And so I tell my friends, it's not bowling. It's a serious sport. And if you are friends with drivers, you have to keep that in mind. that those relationships can take a sudden turn for the bad. But it's a sport that I have really fallen in love with as a child and continue to feel that way, even to the point that Tony George and I took the old Indianapolis Indians ballpark on 16th Street and made it a midget racetrack. for a few years. And so Dave Cassidy, who was one of the employee of Motor Speedway, Tony and I did that and it just strengthened my interest in motorsports. I was there, I met Tony Stewart, I met Billy Boat, I mean all those people who I got to know through owning that racetrack.

Bruce Martin: Who was your racing hero when you were coming up?

Jim Voyles: Well, it started with Jimmy Bryan. Jimmy Bryan was my kind of ultimate at the time. And it hurt a lot when he died at Langhorne in a car he wasn't supposed to be driving or just decided to help them. And then I kind of moved into Foyt, who has become a very close friend of mine. But in 1965, when Jimmy Clark was running, I kind of really got adopted to him in the Lotus car and Cole and Chapman, to the point that I know exactly where I was when he died at Hockenheim in 19… I was painting my to be sons nursery. So I remember listening and I have visited his grave in Dunn, Scotland twice because I was over in Scotland for a vacation. Then I was with a close, close friend of mine, Dr. Ian Hay. from the Mayo Clinic and we were there just two years ago and we went back up to the grave and to the museum. So, it was Clark and then, you know, it's kind of fluctuated and then I'm a real close friend of Scott Dixon and Alex Pillow and Kiffin Simpson because of my association with Chip Ganassi. I was Bill Simpson's lawyer for 20 years and as a result of having that relationship, Bill and I flew to all kinds of races, and I met a lot of Bill's friends, became friends of mine, and that's how I met Chip, is through Bill Simpson.

Bruce Martin: And if you even look at the advancements in safety from the era where we got started watching the Indianapolis 500, I can remember as a five-year-old the vivid picture on the front page of the South Bend Tribune in 1964. And it was two cars in this huge fire in turn four that killed Eddie Sachs and Dave McDonald and even as a five-year-old that memory of that front page is still burned into my mind because it was just it looked like a bomb had gone off.

Jim Voyles: Sure, I was a senior in college and I was sitting in stand J with my roommate and we we drove over every year for qualifications We took the paper during college in Illinois and I watched that happen right in front of me when McDonald lost it and then Saks impacted him and then all the chaos started. And so, we didn't like it. It was tragic, but it was something that was part of racing. And so, I think that if you don't have that kind of understanding, it's a tough sport to watch in that era.

Bruce Martin: Was part of the reason why people look at that era as the golden age of the Indianapolis 500 is because when you think about it, most of the people in the grandstands in that era had fought in World War II, had fought in the Korean War. In many ways, they had seen worse things and Just to use the description, to come to the Indianapolis 500 was a very testosterone-filled sporting event. It was a man's event. It was something where it was life or death sometimes. That in a lot of ways, it was that allure of danger that attracted so many people to this one massive event back in that era.

Jim Voyles: I'm sure that's true. I really, you know, I have seen, this will be my 70, I think my 72nd 500. Joan has seen one more than I have. And it's kind of a family tradition. You know, we do the same things on race day. We park in the same places. We bring the same food. We had an opportunity, Tony George invited me to the suite, the Holman suite. I lasted about 20 laps and when they were starting to ask about what was for lunch, I left because I wanted to eat my chicken in Grand Stambi and watch the race. And that was what was important to me. And so, and Bill Simpson used to call me every race morning from his suite in turn two, begging me to come over to the suite. And he called it the chicken bone section. He said, are you sitting over in the chicken bone section? And I said, I am and I will be. So that's where I sit.

Bruce Martin: Indianapolis was a far different city back then than it is now. In a lot of ways, it pretty much had earned the reputation of Indian-O-Place or Naptown. There wasn't any professional sports going on in Indianapolis back then. Indiana University wasn't the major football power, certainly, that it was this past year. And even in basketball, The revival of Indiana University basketball didn't really happen again after Branch McCracken years. It didn't happen again until Bob Knight showed up in the early 1970s. I always described as growing up in the state of Indiana that in Indianapolis there was two major sporting events. the annual indiana high school basketball championship which was always at hinkle fieldhouse the known as hoosier hysteria single-class every school in the state could participated for the other one was easily the indianapolis five hundred which is that's when the world came to indianapolis It wasn't the big city that it has become. What did it mean to the community back then?

Jim Voyles: Oh, I still feel that all the time. The community and the involvement that the community has always had. I mean, that's how the 500 Festival started. And there was an idea that we needed to have the community more involved and actually participate in a way. And so the 500 Festival started that way. The parade started that way. the mayor's breakfast, all of those things that are part of the festival. And the whole month of May, the mini marathon. I mean, you just come here and it used to be the whole month. Now it's not quite the whole month, but the activities like we'll have the marathon this weekend. We'll start off the month of May and then it brought all kinds of community leaders into the Indianapolis sphere and the 500 and the whole community. Now they even go point, you can have your house decorated. for 500 week and they'll come judge it. And then Doug Bowles, who's the president, I've known Doug since he worked for our mayor. And that's kind of where I met him was through getting the franchise, kind of what they call the RDF thing for the 16th Street Speedway, I met through Doug. And Doug's now really one of the finest promoters and PR people that the Speedway's ever had. Because he's seriously into it as a fan, and that has carried over into his enthusiasm to promoting the race.

Bruce Martin: So for a person who's seen 72 Indianapolis 500s, I guess I'm going to have to ask you, who was your favorite driver when you were young?

Jim Voyles: Well, it started really with Vukovic because of his success here. I mean, I saw Every race he ran, except the 54 race, any races he ran, and maybe 48 or so, I did not see. So he was my first. Then he tragically lost his life in the 55 race. Ultimately, I then moved to Jimmy Bryan, who became one of my favorites, until he again lost his life in Langhorn. Pennsylvania at the dirt race. And then in 1965, when Jimmy Clark came, I was enthralled by the Lotus. I was enthralled with the Ford engine in the Lotus. And in 1964, when he was here, I was in the garage area with my uncle. when they were getting ready to test. And so I got to hear the Lotus in that car with a Ford engine. It was fabulous. And so, and then until Clark was tragically killed. And during that same era, I was also a great fan of A.J. Foyt. And so it would go back and forth, but they're all such tremendous drivers, so much enthusiasm that we would have by watching them. And then we could watch them in the midgets. Then we could watch them in the sprint cars. Then we could watch them in the dirt cars. Then we could watch them in Indianapolis. So we got a full panorama of those drivers.

Bruce Martin: So then I'm going to move it even further ahead. Who are your favorite drivers from the later era that you've been able to come to the Indianapolis 500 and be involved with IndyCar?

Jim Voyles: Well, I'm certainly a huge fan of Scott Dixon. Alex Pillow and I have become close friends. I did some work for Chip Ganassi in the McLaren uh… below matter in london this year and so we became friends kiffin simpson i've known kiffin since he came in the indy car racing uh… we did is emancipation so that he could run the answer is in mid-ohio uh… and so and then uh… i certainly admire willpower uh… caster knows i mean all that kind of current People I've I was on the other side of the contract dispute with award when Those Young men were coming into the sport. So it's hard to really pick a favorite but people I know personally and people I've been around those kind of the group of people You were very

Bruce Martin: Close friends with Tony George and the Holman George family and knew a lot of the members of that family. You even said earlier that you had Ed Carpenter work for you one summer, if you could explain that.

Jim Voyles: Sure. Well, we were running the 16th Street Speedway and Laura George came to me and said she didn't know what Eddie was going to do. between his senior year of high school and his freshman year in college at Butler. And I said, well, we'll hire him. And she's, well, what'll he do for you? And I said, well, he can work in the office. We got all kinds of things. And so all of my more exotic cases that I was involved in, I took Eddie with me. So he got a real education. And so Laura asked me one day, what are you teaching my son? I said, I'm teaching about life, Laura. And so we had a great summer with Eddie.

Bruce Martin: We'll be right back to PitPass 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 PitPass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Bruce Martin: Welcome back to PitPass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental. And now here's the rest of my exclusive interview with attorney Jim Voiles for PitPass Indy. At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway every year, it's a major event. People from all over the world come to it. Over 300,000 spectators, 350,000 expected to be a sellout once again this year. A lot of those people come because it's a big party. A lot of people may party a little too much at the race. And because you are a criminal defense attorney, I'm sure you get a lot of new clients. that night or the day after the race, who may have overdid it either on the grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway or on their way home. So what's it like to be a defense attorney the day after the Indianapolis 500?

Jim Voyles: It's always exciting. We get all kinds of new opportunities, let's say, with people who maybe overindulged or had some trouble here in Indianapolis.

Bruce Martin: And I believe that your motto is, deny everything.

Jim Voyles: Well, I started out by giving people cards that said, stop talking. Because we find ourselves in a situation where people talk to the police more than they should, and then we end up having to worry about that. in defending them for whatever activity they've been accused of. So as we've moved into social media, the card now says stop texting, stop texting, stop emailing, stop tweeting, all the other kind of attributes of social media, along with stop talking.

Bruce Martin: And as a defense attorney, I believe another one of your great mottos is, I represent the misunderstood. That's correct. That's correct. And how many people who do things that may be outside the boundaries of common sense were really misunderstood at the time or really didn't have any idea what they were doing at the time.

Jim Voyles: Well, we say all of them. They're all misunderstood. The police have gotten it wrong somehow. But in all honesty, you know, motorsports is almost kind of like a hobby for me, although I've been drawn in to more of my legal background in motorsports. But, you know, for what I do every day is criminal trial work, major criminal cases throughout the state. And so that's what I do. But the motorsports is like today to be on this podcast. I left the office to come out to be at the track so I could watch practice. And I was here yesterday. And so it's a huge draw for me. When I was in law school here in Indiana University in Indianapolis, I would come out during the month of May before finals and study in the infield. I'd have my books. I would do things that would pull me away from what I was really doing so I could enjoy what I really liked doing.

Bruce Martin: As a graduate of Indiana University in Bloomington, I can vouch for the fact that I did a lot of studying in the infield of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but it wasn't really from books.

Jim Voyles: Mine was from books.

Bruce Martin: Yes, and I don't really want to say what the studying is for fear of self-incrimination, which, as you say, I should probably stop talking now. But as a criminal defense attorney, I'm going to run down some of the lists of your clients. You've represented some pretty big names in sports. I think probably the one that's most famous was the Mike Tyson trial that was here in Indianapolis. You were the original defense attorney of that. And I know that you felt that you had a really good case had he kept you as the main attorney rather than getting outside attorneys as part of it.

Jim Voyles: Well, it was kind of a tough situation. I was what they call local counsel for the case because I was here, and I was a local lawyer, but I did criminal work. So the firm that really tried the case was Williams & Conley, a very, very famous, wonderful trial firm out of New York. And Vince Fuller, who was the main lawyer, brought his team of lawyers, and he was a great lawyer. He had represented John Hinckley, in the Reagan shooting. He had represented Don King in the tax evasion case and both had been successful. And so, but it was a little hard fit for him here in our community. I don't think he'd tried a lot of rape cases in the Midwest. And so it was hard. I stayed with that case for 10 years. I did the appeal with Alan Dershowitz And I'm still in contact with Mike and did some work for him personally out in Maryland when he had a problem long after the case was over. So, yeah, I have always had a great relationship with Mike and I was very disappointed in that verdict of the case.

Bruce Martin: You were also an attorney that was involved in the infamous malice at the palace, the big huge brawl between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons. Correct. Back in 2004, which was probably one of the ugliest incidents in NBA history, what are your recollections of that trial and how your involvement was in it?

Jim Voyles: Well, when that happened, I was unaware that it happened. I didn't see the game. But I was called by Donnie Walsh, the general manager of the Pacers. and asked to come immediately to the field house on the Saturday after the event. And at that point, he indicated that they were going to recommend that Steve Jackson, one of our major players involved in that case, Agent wanted to talk to me about representing him. And we talked, and I agreed to represent Steve. And… Mr. O'Neill was represented by a lawyer who became a friend in California. And the other players all had lawyers from Detroit where the case was. And so it worked out for all of us. The most interesting story about that is we had to leave after the initial court appearance, but we had to go to New York to meet the Commissioner's team because of the violations that they alleged had occurred that would require us to deal with the NBA Commissioner. So we all flew in the Pacer plane to New York. We stayed in the Waldorf Historia and the night before our meeting with the representatives from the NBA, I told Steve I wanted him to take all the big jewelry off and dress conservatively so that we could approach this hearing in a pretty respectable manner. We came down for breakfast. Steve had his canary yellow suit on. And I said, Steve, I thought we had this talk last night. He said, well, this is my sincere suit, Jim. So we went to the hearing with his sincere suit. And they all got summary suspensions for certain periods of time. Ultimately, I represented Jamal Tinsley in a matter and Steve in another matter. So, it was kind of a few years there that the Pacers were in my office frequently.

Bruce Martin: The community in the state of Indiana loves the Indianapolis Colts, but I know that you've had to represent them on numerous occasions.

Jim Voyles: I've had Colts in my office also. Because of the sports situation, the team asked me to come out to speak to explain. young men come to Indianapolis from other states, there are certain rules here that are different from the rules that may be in their home state, and so we would do that, and then if there were a problem, I represented Dominic Rhodes after we won the Super Bowl in a matter, and so, and I've had numerous, really, I represented Quentin Couriot, was a linebacker in a number of players that who are very successful good young men who just were misunderstood.

Bruce Martin: And of course you had to represent Jim Ursae who was the owner of the Indianapolis Colts who tragically because of a lot of physical problems he had an addiction issue with painkillers. So how difficult was that? Because he was a very vital part of the Indianapolis community and the family is still very important charitable and philanthropic individuals that have accomplished a lot in Indiana.

Jim Voyles: No, Jim and I became friends and he was one of the most generous men I ever met. He was an intimate part of the Colts in this community and it was my pleasure to be involved with this matter.

Bruce Martin: In addition to being an IndyCar fan, you're a sports fan. You've got season tickets for the Indianapolis Colts. I see you quite often the few times I'm able to go to a Colts game. I imagine same thing with the Indiana Pacers. How active are you in sports and how important is it that the fact that pro sports in a lot of ways turned Indianapolis from a small town to a big city?

Jim Voyles: Well, I've always been a sports enthusiast. I played a little sports when I was in high school. And so I've always said my kids, I have three boys, three girls, they've all been involved in sporting activities. And so it's a conversation in our house. And so we try to support the teams. We go to Indians ballgames. I mean, it's a very vital part, I think, of a well-rounded life to at least attend or support your local teams, and it's been a fun experience for all of us.

Bruce Martin: I have to bring up the fact that you're representing former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez, who had an incident in Indianapolis last fall. The trial date has been moved out of May into July. I have an understanding why, because there's going to be a lot of media people in the city of Indianapolis during May and anything like that, you probably want to keep it as much out of the spotlight as you can. I know you can't really say much about it. What was your initial reaction when and how immediate was it that that was a case that you wanted to take?

Jim Voyles: Well, whether I wanted to take it or not, I was contacted while I was in London in trial from somebody here in Indianapolis that said they were going to refer the matter to me. I didn't know anything about it because the call came in to me at 3 AM. And so I quickly learned about it and agreed to represent him. And another nice, young, very talented man who We're happy to represent and are representing, along with my law partner, Jenny Lukmeier, and Tim Delaney, another lawyer. And so, yeah, I mean, I'm very lucky in my life that people think enough of me to hire me to do things in their cases or give them advice on certain things. It surprises me sometimes that people seek me out. I certainly try to just think of myself as a simple country lawyer and try to present myself that way. And so it does surprise me sometimes that people call me.

Bruce Martin: When you say you're a country lawyer, though, are you Indiana's version of Ben Matlock?

Jim Voyles: Well, I don't know about that. I don't know. I don't have any white suits.

Bruce Martin: I think you're a little bit more like Perry Mason.

Jim Voyles: Well, I don't know about that.

Bruce Martin: Moving on into more of your legal practice, as a criminal defense attorney, you're privy to a lot of discovery. So I imagine you probably have seen some evidence that the average person would probably be horrified by or blood-curdling. How do you build up the ability to see things, some serious criminal defense things? It's kind of like being a doctor or a surgeon. You're going to see some stuff the average person would probably get squeamish over.

Jim Voyles: Well, you're exactly right. You know, a doctor who is in surgery, which I consider practicing criminal trial law, is in the surgical realm because we're that kind of intensity and stuff that we have to do. Yeah, I mean, when you look at your first autopsy picture that we have to look at in murder cases, yeah, you suddenly went, you know, what am I doing here? But, you know, I've been in this practice for 58 years and I've tried a lot of cases where I've looked at a lot of pictures and all kinds of things that, you know, wouldn't normally talk about at dinner. But you don't become desensitized to it because you're still being a representation for your client in the best possible light. But you may have to look or think about or talk to people that you wouldn't normally do it. But when I started out in the criminal trial practice, I was well, well mentored by my uncle George Ober, Charlie Sims in my firm, and was he and his father were the premier criminal trial lawyers in town. Ray Robinson, Dick Cardwell, all of these people taught me how to be a lawyer. And so hopefully young lawyers who are starting out in this profession have mentors of the quality of the mentors that I had because there's not anything that I do nowadays that I don't believe that I would ever have done differently but for those people. They've all taught me things that I have tried to emulate into my practice and with my partners. I talk to them periodically about the things that Think are the correct things to do and we try to pass that because it's a reputation that you have in the community about What you're doing and how you're doing it? What was your breakthrough case? probably the case that I really think I got more involved with and emotionally and it kind of was a A major case at that time was the case of Mary Winston. She was deemed the Black Bibs Woman of the Year by the Nixon administration, and she had a large janitorial business here in Indianapolis. And in that business, she would clean the Coliseum, all major buildings. Very, very well thought of, very high respected woman in this business. And she was accused of having her husband killed in a contract killing, who was part of the business. And so she selected me to represent her in the case where she was charged with murder. She was kept in jail during the whole pretrial process. We tried the case in Marion County Criminal Court Division 2 and the jury acquitted her. And what I always remember about that case is when the verdict came in, there was half the courtroom was there for Mary and half the courtroom was there against Mary. And she leaned straight back in her chair and yelled out, thank you, Jesus, thank you, Jesus. And I reached over to her and I said, what about me, Mary? And we ended up going to dinner with her at her home that night. My wife, Joan, and I went and became very close to her and her family.

Bruce Martin: What was your first victory?

Jim Voyles: Gosh, I'm not sure I remember that. I did try a case, State versus Ronnie Dale Hopkins down in Owen County, Indiana, where he was charged with a brutal killing of an older woman in her apartment. we got a voluntary manslaughter, which that was, in my opinion, based on the evidence that they had, that we considered that a victory.

Bruce Martin: You've been practicing law for quite a while. I believe you're in your 80s.

null: 83.

Bruce Martin: 83 years old. You're still sharp as a whip. What is it that keeps Jim Voiles practicing such a very important job?

Jim Voyles: I would say it's my enthusiasm and my passion for the practice of law. That's kind of been sustaining to me over the years. I get up every day not knowing what I'm going to do because I don't know what's coming through the door at the office. So you get variety. It's not the same old thing. And I've tried to maintain my health in a way that I can perform because we have cases all over the state sometimes. But I think it's that passion, that determination that I want to keep going for a while, as long as I can, and so my staff has kind of set a target date that they said I ought to slow down, but Angie Mahone, who's my legal assistant, and that's another connection to racing, is Brian Mahone, who's kind of the head of the IndyCar's program here at the Speedway. His wife is my paralegal, and she's been my paralegal for 11 years. Nancy Potter, who is Ralph Potter's daughter-in-law, and she was married and still is to Tracy Potter. She was with me 42 years. Connie Ebinger, 25 years. Cindy Dieter, 20 years. I mean, nobody wants to leave. So I think I feel the same way.

Bruce Martin: Is it a fair question to ask you what you love more, being a defense attorney or being involved in IndyCar racing?

Jim Voyles: Well, you know, there's some similarity. The best day for a criminal trial lawyer is when you're sitting with the jury and the jury says not guilty. That's the best day. But the intensity to try a criminal case, a major criminal case, I think is the same that you have to bring that intensity to that practice. And I see the same thing with a driver. A driver is focused on what he's doing that day completely, not being distracted by anything. and the intensity that he brings. The speed has always fascinated me. The engineering has fascinated me. The mechanics in that, the beauty of a race car, all that kind of combines into my mind as wanting me to come back here.

Bruce Martin: If you were going to use the term unfair advantage to describe a successful criminal defense attorney, would yours be the fact that you see details that other people don't?

Jim Voyles: I don't know about that. I think it's just the benefit of a lot of hard work. Nobody ever wins a criminal case just because they're a criminal defense lawyer. Somebody in that law firm whether it's the actual lawyer trying the case or the backup who's there, second chair as we call them, has spent hours and hours and hours preparing. And what comes out in the courtroom, and then it's, you know, the facts. We can't change the facts. What we can do is the best we can to understand them and to try to put them in our point of view that a jury would accept them. But it's all the work that you do months before a trial that will make a difference.

Bruce Martin: Did the Alex Pillow trial in UK Commercial Court go as you expected, or were you disappointed with some of the outcome?

Jim Voyles: Well, I was disappointed with some of the outcome, but a lot of the case went the way we would like. Alex did an excellent job as a witness in the case. We had a really wonderful barrister, Nick DiMarco. We had a great solicitor, Kevin Barra. And so it was fascinating for me to be in the Kinglish court system, not as a trial lawyer, but as a person who was an observer there on behalf of Chip and the team. And so it was a unique experience. If you don't know English law, everybody thinks we were wearing wigs and silks, but those are only for what I really do as a criminal trial lawyer. That's always done in the Old Bailey, which is the courtroom and the courthouse where they try criminal cases. And I've been there for two cases to watch, but we didn't have to. We could wear suits and ties and didn't have to wear wigs or silks.

Bruce Martin: So back to your book. What are the details? The publisher, we know that Bones Boussier wrote the book. How did people get a copy of the book?

Jim Voyles: It's called Coastal 181, which is the publishing company in Connecticut. And they are people that have a close relationship with Bones. And he suggested them. He said, it's up to you, but these are people I work with. I called them. They couldn't have been better. and very, very easy to work with, wonderful relationship. And so, if people are interested in buying the book, they just go online, look at Coastal 181, and the book's there for them to order. Do any bookstores distribute it? Not to my knowledge. It's all pretty much through the website.

Bruce Martin: And wrapping up here with famed criminal defense attorney Jim Voiles, who's a very important friend of IndyCar and the Indianapolis 500, what is Jim Voiles' lasting legacy?

Jim Voyles: It's an interesting question. Joan and I have already purchased our funeral. arrangements through a funeral home here in town. We purchased our headstones. And so on the back, we tried to think of something. It kind of came out that we've led a decent life. And that's kind of it. I've tried to do the right thing for my kids, my wife. I was married before. I still had a good relationship with her, even after we got divorced. And so did Joan with her. a former husband, and so that's kind of what we want. It's not about my practice. It's not about any about that. It's have I been kind to people? Have I been advantagely taking, make sure that everybody in our family is doing okay? I've tried to do all that, and that's kind of what my legacy will be.

Bruce Martin: well jim boils you certainly are one of the pillars of the legal profession in the state of indiana if not in the united states and you've certainly been a good friend to me and i appreciate all your advice and input and friendship over the years and i know that you've got a deep love and a great passion for the indianapolis five hundred as do i So good luck in the legal matters. Good luck in IndyCar. Good luck at the Indianapolis 500. Thank you for taking the time to tell your story. And thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Jim Voyles: Thank you very much for having me, Bruce. It's my pleasure.

Bruce Martin: And that puts a checkered flag on this edition of Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental. We want to thank our guests, Indy 500 winning drivers Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing, Josef Newgarden of Team Penske, Will Power, now with Andretti Global, and Marcus Ericcson of Andretti Global. Also, drivers Marcus Armstrong of Meyers Schenck Racing, and Roman Grosjean of Dale Coyne Racing. And a very special thank you to our special guest, Indianapolis criminal defense attorney, James Voiles, who told some great stories about his deep connections at the Indianapolis 500 and the NTT IndyCar Series, for joining us on this edition of Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental. 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.

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