IndyCar Goes To The White House With Alex Palou And IndyCar And Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles At The NASCAR Hall Of Fame

Roger Penske:

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

Bruce Martin:

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. As the host of Pit Pass Indy, I'm honored and humbled to be recognized for outstanding achievement as the 2026 Society of Professional Motorsports Journalist On-Air Broadcaster of the Year, presented at this year's 110th Indianapolis 500. The award is for the hard work all of us at Evergreen Podcast and Front Porch Media have invested into making Pit Pass Indy one of the leading podcasts in the motorsports category. And a special thanks to our loyal listeners who continue to help Pit Pass Indy grow. On Monday, July 13th, four-time NTT IndyCar Series champion, along with 110th Indianapolis 500 winner Felix Rosenquist and Team Penske's David Maloukas, went to the White House for an event hosted by President Donald J. Trump to showcase the August 22nd to 23rd Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. Others at the special White House ceremony included IndyCar owner and Penske Corporation founder and chairman Roger Penske, Penske Corporation president Bud Danker, Fox Sports CEO and executive producer Eric Shanks, General Motors president Mark Royce, and secretary of transportation Sean Duffy. It included a pit stop demonstration from Team Penske's pit crew on West Executive Avenue between the West Wing of the White House and the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Pillow presented President Trump with a special personalized Freedom 250 Grand Prix racing helmet. After the public portion of the event concluded, the three drivers, along with the other VIP guests, were given a tour of the White House and the Oval Office by President Trump. Shortly after touring the Oval Office and other parts of the White House, Alex Pillow joined me for this exclusive interview for Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental. Joining us now is no stranger to Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Reynolds, four-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Alex Pillow of Chip Ganassi Racing. However, what he did on Monday, July 13th, It's probably a once-in-a-lifetime, first-time experience for our driver, if you could tell our listeners what you did.

Alex Palou:

Yeah, it was the first time that I've been in the White House. It's pretty incredible to To get to introduce and to expose to all the fans the new race that we're going to have these This year at Washington and it was Just an incredible experience for me personally, just to be

Bruce Martin:

Able to be in the White House in D.C. for the first time, and yeah, very excited for the race. To be able to do that as an IndyCar driver just shows how far IndyCar has really come in the last couple of years, that we're going to have a race. on the streets of Washington D. C. around the National Mall. You spend a lot of your time in the United States, you're from Spain, but it really shows what a great historical event this is going to be, especially in a year where America celebrates its 250 th anniversary, and how proud are you that IndyCar is going to play a role in that celebration?

Alex Palou:

Oh yeah, super. I mean, just looking here at what the event is going to be. How big is it going to be? I'm just so excited. Yeah, so I'm super excited, especially seeing all the work that everybody in IndyCar has put in. Just to make this race happen. It's a one-off race, right? It's a celebration. for the 250th anniversary. Hopefully we can get it more in the future, but at least we know we're going to get this. for now, and it's going to be a lifetime experience for all the drivers and all the fans that will be involved.

Bruce Martin:

So, you were there with Indianapolis 500 winning driver Felix Rosenquist, and you were also there with David Malukas, and you were there with IndyCar owner Roger Penske and Penske Corporation President Bud Denker, Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks, General Motors President Mark Royce, also Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy. To be able to stand out there when the doors open and out comes the President of the United States, how do you describe that feeling? I don't care who it is that's in office, you realize this is somebody important that's coming out the door.

Alex Palou:

For me, it was just like being on a movie, honestly. The White House and I've seen... Obviously, the Oval Office and Presidents working on movies. Yeah, it was just It felt like I was in a movie being part of it. So for me it was A very... a special moment. Um, just having the opportunity to do this. I think I've been very very lucky in my career to go through a lot of cool stuff, but yeah, for sure it was one of those days that I'll forever remember.

Bruce Martin:

And it wasn't just meeting the President of the United States, there was a pit stop with an IndyCar at speed right outside the White House. Who would have ever thought that?

Alex Palou:

Yeah, and David Malukas actually did it, and he left a good burnout there. Which was pretty cool to see. So yeah, one of those things that you never I think that would be possible. And that I will go to experience and see for myself. So yeah, just very cool.

Bruce Martin:

How quickly did this trip come together?

Alex Palou:

Very quick, actually. It was, I would say, a couple of weeks ago that started talking about it, seeing if I was going to be able or not to make it and yeah. Honestly, as soon as they said: The dates. It's like we made it happen. So yeah, it was very quick.

Bruce Martin:

After the public display was over, where the president gave a short speech and introduced the dignitaries and also the pit stop demonstration, He invited you back into the White House. What did you get to do? when you went back there.

Alex Palou:

Bruce Martin: Yeah, I mean, I got to be at the Oval Office. Just another crazy moment. I got to get a small Let's say around the offices there and he was just super cool moment once again. Just to be in those offices and those areas that Again, that I've seen as a kid in... in movies, and it was just part of it. So yeah, it was a great experience.

Bruce Martin:

What did you think when you saw all the history, and also when you realize what goes on in the Oval Office, all the decisions that have to be made, and when you see the portraits of former United States Presidents? Like I said, you're originally from Spain, so a lot of those faces, you may be learning about them, but they're very important people in the history of the United States. What was it like? How do you describe that feeling that you got?

Speaker 12:

Yeah, I mean, one of the most incredible stuff was just seeing the Oval Office and the Cabinet Office as well, and like All the decisions that over the the history of the United States has been taking there. And just for me to be able to see it in person and just walk around, it was just breathtaking.

Bruce Martin: Is there anything you can share in the conversations that you had with the president once you were privately with him in the Oval Office?

Alex Palou:

I mean, no, we just talked about obviously the race and How excited he was to see the race cars and Indy cars around the big streets here in Washington. He was just very excited talking about how good the UFC fight was and how excited he was to see how fast we're going to be able to go on our IndyCars.

Bruce Martin:

The race is a little bit more than a month away. Are you already starting to feel the anticipation building up in the city of Washington, D.C. for that big event?

Alex Palou:

Yeah, absolutely. I think it's getting close and close now. At the same time, I'm obviously very excited today, but I'm trying not to get too excited yet and be focused on the next. There are a couple of races that we have. Coming up this week in Nashville, and then we have a couple more before DC, so yeah, hopefully you can get that dialed in and then get an attack for DC.

Bruce Martin:

That's a good point because beginning this weekend will be the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix on the Oval at Nashville Super Speedway. As you've said in the past, oval racing isn't necessarily your best form of racing, but you've done pretty well there in the past. How do you view the way, what you could do this week? It's going to be a big event because it's going to immediately follow the World Cup Championship game on Fox. Chance for a lot of people to see Indy Car that may not have seen them before.

Alex Palou:

Yeah, I mean, we're trying and we're working hard. It's going to be a tough weekend, very fast weekend, one of those weekends where We know we're not going to get enough time, right, to test and to Get everything together. So we've been doing a lot of work to try and start with the right food, but I think we have had good cars there in the past, so hopefully we can make it.

Bruce Martin:

And what's it going to be like following the World Cup Championship game to know that on the same network that this is a chance that it's going to open up the sport of IndyCar racing. To maybe some people that haven't watched it before.

Alex Palou:

Yeah, can't wait, man. Hopefully, Spain is involved as well in the final. But yeah, I mean, it's going to be great. Hopefully, a lot of people in the U. S. like it's. It's been a huge World Cup and a great World Cup to see from all the other teams, but hopefully there's going to be, as you said, people that don't really know the sport, they'll have the opportunity to discover IndyCar.

Bruce Martin:

If Spain is in the championship game and you're getting ready to go out and race after the game is over, How do you separate your feelings between preparing for the race and And watching your homeland have a chance to win the World Cup.

Alex Palou:

At the end of the day, it's pretty easy, honestly. I like to follow the sports. I get excited about it, but when it's game time to race, I just get locked in. There's nothing that matters outside of racing. So, uh, although I'll be cheering and. Hopefully, we can fight and get to a final and hopefully fight for it. Yeah, I'll still be locked in in the race.

Bruce Martin:

And final question for Alex Palou, the four-time NTT Indy Car Series champion for Chip Ganassi Racing: Did you ever think when you got involved in motorsports that it would take you not only to victory lane in the Indianapolis 500 as you did in 2025, But also to the White House to meet the President of the United States?

Alex Palou:

Yeah. No, absolutely not. It's been... For sure, not in my cards, not in my bingo cards. Yeah, I have no words for the opportunities that this sport and everybody in IndyCar and CGR has given me. And, uh, I'm ready for more, man. I'm ready to continue to, uh, To push to win and to get more crazy experiences like this.

Bruce Martin:

Well Alex Blow, as someone who's been to the White House twice, went there when Buddy Rice won the Indianapolis 500 in 2004 and also Sam Hornish Jr. when he won it in 2006, it is an unforgettable experience, especially when the door opens and a president walks through. Enjoy that moment. It's going to be a career highlight of your life just because of what it means in the United States. Good luck this weekend at Nashville Super Speedway. Good luck the rest of the season. You look like you're in pretty good shape to win another Indy Car Series championship. And thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Alex Palou:

Thank you so much, Bruce.

Bruce Martin:

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

David Maloukas:

This is David Maloukas, driver of the #12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, and you are listening to Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Bruce Martin:

Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental. In keeping with the presidential theme, our next guest is president of two different organizations. It's Doug Bowles, who's both the president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the president of IndyCar. Bowles was in the Charlotte, North Carolina area on July 7th and 8th to honor past winners of the PPG Brickyard 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This is the 30th anniversary when NASCAR great Dale Jarrett began the unique tradition of kissing the bricks after he won the 1996 Brickyard 400. It quickly became a tradition, such as the famed bottle of milk that goes to the winner of the Indianapolis 500 and has become part of the victory celebration for all winners at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. But at its roots, kissing the bricks was a NASCAR tradition, and that is why Bowles and several key members of his staff came to the home of NASCAR last week to individually honor the past Brickyard 400 winners. This year's PPG Brickyard 400 is Sunday, July 26th at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I caught up with Indy Car and Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Bowles at the NASCAR Hall of Fame on July 7th for this exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview. Joining us now is an individual we normally speak to at the world capital of auto racing, Indianapolis, but today we're at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. It's Doug Bowles, the president of IndyCar and also the president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Today he's doing his ladder job as the president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He came down in North Carolina to present a paint can to the former winners of the Brickyard 400 because this is the 30 th anniversary of when Dale Jarrett won the Brickyard 400 and then started the tradition of kissing the bricks, so how did you come up with this idea?

Doug Boles:

Well, you know, we've got PPG as our presenting sponsor, so we took a paint can and we actually branded it around the Brickyard, so all kinds of things related to The Brick Yards, certainly the 30th anniversary of Dale Jarrett's Kissing of the Bricks and inside that can is not paint, but a brick, a commemorative brick that we've been given to past champions of the NASCAR Brickyard 400 at the Speedway, doing that today and tomorrow. It started out this morning with Bobby Labonte, got to see Ricky Rudd, Brad Keselowski. It's been a fun trip so far.

Bruce Martin:

The Indianapolis 500 is full of traditions that have carried on for decades and decades. Some of them, nearly a century, such as the Borg-Warner Trophy and the bottle of milk. That'll happen in 1935, or 1936, I should say. But that is a tradition that got started in a NASCAR race. It has now found its way to all the other events that have happened at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. So when you think about it like that, how special is that tradition?

Doug Boles:

Well, the best thing about traditions for me are those traditions that start organically. You know, oftentimes you can sit around and go,"Hey, do we want to do X, Y, and Z to try and start something?" But the bottle of milk, Louis Meyer said,"I need buttermilk," and it started from there. And then you've got Dale Jarrett saying,"Let's kiss the bricks to celebrate the win," and it went from there. In fact, I talked to Ricky Rudd this morning. I said,"So in 1997, did you guys kiss the bricks? Did you know?" He said,"Oh, yeah, I thought we'd been doing it for years." So even Ricky Rudd in 1997 didn't realize that it was a Dale Jarrett thing that started it, and it's continued, and it's part of every victory celebration we have now, not just the NASCAR celebration.

Bruce Martin:

When the Brickyard 400 began, Tony George wanted to keep certain celebrations and traditions separate. For instance, you don't award the winner of the Brickyard 400 a bottle of milk. There are different things that happen. You don't sing"Back Home Again" in Indiana at the Brickyard 400, but what was it about kissing the bricks

Doug Boles:

That made everybody feel like this can become an Indianapolis Motor Speedway tradition. I think the uniqueness of the fact that it is the Brickyard, most of those 3.2 million bricks that were put down in the fall of 1909 are still under the racetrack. And when you think about just sort of celebrating, it's a great way to celebrate. It highlights the bricks that are so much a part of who we are. And really, like I said, it's a tradition that was really started by drivers and teams and it's continued by drivers and teams. Now we sort of orchestrate some of it now because we know that it's going to happen. But for a long period of time, it was just something that the drivers that won and the teams that won wanted to do. It's a good one to share across all of our events, not just the Brickyard and the 500, but even our IMSA event and our Indy 8 RSRO event and even some of our smaller SVRA events. People want to go out and kiss the bricks.

Bruce Martin:

Now, if memory serves me correctly,

Doug Boles:

When this tradition got started in 1996, were you working for the mayor of Indianapolis at that time? Yeah, I was actually working for the mayor of Indianapolis at that time when that tradition started. So that was really your last job before becoming full-time in the sport of auto racing, isn't it? Yeah, I started full-time in the sport of auto racing in 1997, so yeah, that was my last real job, if you want to say, before I got involved in motorsport.

Bruce Martin:

So when you look back at the Brickyard 400 from those days, it was a huge, huge, huge event. Times have changed, of course, but what are some of the things that you see where the interest is starting to renew a little bit in that event?

Doug Boles:

I think the fact that we're back on the Oval, we spent a few years where we were on the road course, but going back to the Oval's been helpful, the racing has been better, the crowds are coming up, obviously we're not selling 235,000 permanent seats to the Brickyard, but we are selling the same number of seats that you might have for a sold-out Colts game, so it's a significant crowd, I think that's good, and just having them continue to come back, seeing the racing better. The new stars in NASCAR, I mean Kyle Larson coming on, a lot of the younger drivers coming up, it's even fun watching, not yet in Cup, but watching guys like Connor Zilich and other drivers who are going to be those Jeff Gordons and Dale Earnhardts of the next generation, so I think they've got a lot going for them, and certainly been a great partner for us, and we really enjoy working with them, and had an opportunity to work a couple times this year with them, even on the IndyCar side with the trucks at St. Petersburg and IndyCar Cup together at Phoenix.

Bruce Martin:

I've talked to a lot of NASCAR drivers and they actually say that winning at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway shows just how good The whole package has to be that if they were going to pick a race that was harder to win it would be that at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as opposed to their crown jewel, the Daytona 500, because circumstances can really play a major factor in a drafting race. So when you hear the NASCAR Hall of Famers like we honor here at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, How does that make you feel about When you win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, you've accomplished something.

Doug Boles:

Well, it really from the beginning at the Brickyard for NASCAR, it really showcases the driver that can get with their crew and set the car up best, and it's a track that takes not just the driver's talent, but it takes the ability to have that car that you can actually push to the level of really high speeds down the front stretch, low aero downforce in the corner, so you have to balance through that, so that's really important. And if you look at the history of drivers who've won at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, most of them are NASCAR champions. They are people who are really, really good at their craft, and I think that's one of the things that the track highlights, and it's not lost on the drivers. Certainly, from a fan standpoint, if you've got a driver that's hooked up with his car that's hooked up and he's going, It gets a little frustrating maybe when you don't have that passing there, but it really does highlight the drivers and the crews that on that day can get everything right.

Bruce Martin:

Because we're both heavily involved in Indy Car and we know that the start of the Indianapolis 500 is such a thrilling experience, but I tell people, the start of any race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway can be a thrilling experience. When you see the entire 40 car field in NASCAR come out of Turn 4 and get ready, it's a different type of start because they don't accelerate as quickly, but it's still a thunderous sound that you hear when they're at full throttle.

Doug Boles:

You're right, every start at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, no matter what it is, is important, and the Brickyard start is a great one, just because you've got 20 rows of cars, the color, the size of the cars, yes the speed is slower, but they all run right together going into Turn 1, the sound of an entire NASCAR field reverberates in that front stretch, it is a really special moment, I think the drivers would tell you the same, but certainly from a fan perspective, outside of the start of the Indianapolis 500, it's probably the second best start we have all year.

Bruce Martin:

Now Indianapolis, of course, is the home of Indy Car. Most of the shops are located in that area.

Doug Boles:

Today you went to some race shops in the Charlotte, North Carolina area. What do you think of the two centers of each sport? I think it's really, we're fortunate as Indianapolis area and we're fortunate as the Charlotte area to have these economic, business economic engines located in both these states and in these communities. And I think when people think racing, oftentimes they just think of what they see on TV when they tune the TV in on the weekend. And really there are so many great jobs, so many talented people that put all these together. So it's really, coming down here isn't really unlike being around Indianapolis and going to the different race shops. Some of them down here are a little bit bigger maybe than a traditional Indy Car shop. But it is a lot of fun and it feels sort of like being at home. And I love the fact, even when I was back in the mayor's office, the city of Charlotte, the city of Indianapolis and the city of Columbus were all kind of the same size and all sort of competing for the same businesses when businesses were relocating. And the nice thing about racing is, You know, Charlotte's got a lock on NASCAR, we've got a lock on Indy Car, and those are great sales tools for both of our communities when we're trying to get other businesses to relocate. I believe you said earlier today you were at Hendrick Motorsports, and when you see that campus, it's very, very impressive what Rick Hendrick has built out there. Yeah, it's an impressive facility, all the different buildings there, being able to see the Chevy Tech Center there, the dealership, and then all of the race shops and the museum. It's a really, really amazing, amazing facility. And I got there today and they were having a staff cookout, so having all the staff interacting together is kind of cool to see. And, you know, it is really impressive when you get a chance to see these shops and see what goes into really running these race teams. So what have you been presenting the former winners of the Brickyard 400? So we've been bringing these cans of PPG paint without the paint, and on the can is a lot of information about the Brickyard, how long it's been around, how many laps it is, it's got a little can opener, like a paint can opener on the front with a wing and wheel on top of it, and then when you open it up, it's got some red, white, and blue confetti celebrating the 250th anniversary of our country, and then a commemorative brick inside it, just representing the 2026 Brickyard 400 presented by PPG. And seeing some of the great names in NASCAR's history that have won the Brickyard 400, what's their reaction been like? The fact that they still get honored after winning the Brickyard 400 long after they retire. You'll remember from a few years ago when we brought back as many of the Brickyard 400 winners as we could, Brickyard Weekend, had them all do a photo on the front stretch, really since then we've had a great relationship with all of them because I think in a lot of ways they're known for being a champion or maybe winning the Daytona 500, but the Brickyard is one of those crown jewels so when they know that we care enough to continue to talk about them, remind them of what they did at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is pretty special. You know, guys like Ricky Rudd today just sitting, talking to him, not just about the Brickyard, But about his racing career, how he started in go karts and his love for road racing, we talked about, we got to get him at the Speedways. Never run the road course at Indianapolis. Love to have him out there. Just give us his opinions of those things. So it's really kind of fun to have a conversation with these drivers who know how important it was and what it meant to win at the Brickyard. But I think they also care that we do. The Speedway cares about them and our fans care about them.

Bruce Martin:

Are there things that you've seen that NASCAR does with the way they conduct business that you do some of the things in your line running IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway?

Doug Boles:

-Well, I think we all learn from each other. We've all got great relationships across the track. In fact, one of my favorite people in NASCAR is Greg Walter from Charlotte Motor Speedway. We talk often about that day that we both own on Memorial Day Sunday and how I hand it off to him, and he goes and takes care of the Charlotte 600. And then we're always in contact with NASCAR. I mean, you don't see things like the doubleheader weekend we had the Speedway and COVID or the races that we've already had this year together, really without being able to work together and learn from each other. And I think a lot of times people think that we compete against each other when really at the end of the day we're cheerleading for each other because we want NASCAR to succeed and they want us to succeed. Both of us succeeding is a great thing for the sport.

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, presented by Penske Truck Rental. In the previous segment, we heard from the president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as he prepares for the PPG Brickyard 400 NASCAR Cup Series race on July 26th. In this segment, we talk to the president of IndyCar. It's Doug Boles, who is president of both operations. Here's the rest of my exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview with Doug Bowles from the NASCAR Hall of Fame, but in this segment, we switch the focus to Indy Car. Now, because this is Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental, we've got to talk a little bit about IndyCar, and I guess you could say that last week certainly was not a slow news week.

Doug Boles:

No, it was an interesting week, having Pato Award pick up that win, which I know a lot of people have been waiting for Pato to get in victory lane, and then with all the driver seat changes going on, Felix leaving his team that he won the Indianapolis 500 with this year, and then the announcement yesterday when you had the McLaren team for next year, bringing Scott Dixon for the first time to come IndyCar racing without being on the Ganassi team is a pretty big deal. Pairing with Felix Rosenquist, a big deal. Pato is a big deal. So that's really shook up the paddock a little bit, so it'll be interesting to see what other fallout. Obviously, Marcus Armstrong staying at Meyer Schenck, but they still have an open seat there, and the dominoes, I think, will continue to fall over the next few weeks.

Bruce Martin:

Were you surprised to see Scott Dixon leave Chip Ganassi Racing after 25 years?

Doug Boles:

I don't know if"surprise" is the right word. I think a lot of us, it's like Tom Brady going to the You know, leaving and going and playing for the Buccaneers, or Peyton going to the Denver Broncos. You know, I think at some point in time, You know, you get to a point in your career where you decide,"Look, I'm gonna go try something different. I've done everything I can do here. I'm the second-winningest driver in history, more polls than anybody in history. Let's go see if I can do that with somebody else." So I think there's probably some significant motivation for him to try and prove that somewhere else, and we'll see what happens. And certainly, Scott Dixon will still be one of the greatest of all time, no matter where he retires from. Now it creates a mad scramble who ends up in which cars. So how intrigued are you, as the IndyCar president, to see that develop? Well, I guess I'm a little intrigued maybe, but I think more importantly we're just trying to get through this season, focus on what do we have in 2027, we've got an announcement coming up soon I hope with the 2028 car, a lot of work being done on 2028 car, 2028 engines, that's really important for our paddock and for our sport, so my focus is there. The team owners and the drivers will sort themselves out, I have no doubt. On Independence Day evening at the National Mall, we saw a massive celebration with fireworks and everything, but unfortunately the weather got involved and the area had to be evacuated. Washington, D.C. in August is known for some thunderstorms and lightning strikes, so is there anything that your staff or Bud Danker and Penske Entertainment staff learned by observing how all that worked on 4th of July in Washington, D.C. that may come into play with the Freedom 250 at Washington, D.C. on August 23rd? You know, I think operationally, Washington, D.C. in the mall will be a little bit of a challenge just because of where it is, but we worry about weather at every event. You saw it in 2024 at the Indianapolis 500 where we had to ask 163,000 people who had already scanned into the facility, asked them to leave, and then all 300,000 plus came back. So we're used to that, and even at Arlington with the wind we were worried about, you just have to be prepared to communicate, make sure everybody knows what their job is, and then figure out how that decision is going to be made and ultimately who will ultimately make that decision. So, you know, I think we'll be fine, it's just a matter of communicating, and hopefully the sun will shine on that race. Thank you. You mentioned the new car. How far away do you think we are from seeing it, and when do you hope to test it? Well, we'll certainly see it before the beginning of the 2028 season. You know, we are really close to getting it unveiled and getting it on track.

Bruce Martin:

And then putting next year's schedule together,

Doug Boles:

We're almost at that point in time where instead of talking driver changes, we talk about what next year's schedule looks like. Do you see some significant changes or some readjustment of the schedule, or do you think that the schedule has worked pretty well this year? Yeah, I think our schedule's worked pretty well this year. I think we'll focus on the same kind of start where you have the multiple races right together at the beginning of the season just to create that momentum I think is really important, so we'll continue with that. Obviously the DC race is likely just a one-year event, so that one takes us back down to 17, and then we'll just see if there's anything new that we add. It's the first year of the Independent Officiating Body. So far, what do you think of the job Indy Car Officiating has done? I can tell you I sleep better knowing that I don't have to get involved in all of these decisions when something goes wrong, and I think that in and of itself is... It's good for the paddock to just get... Get all of us who actually work at Indy Car out of the decision-making process. Honestly, I think it's been going pretty well. I've been talking to team owners to see how they feel about things and I described it to one of the team owners today on a phone call as I'm hearing nothing negative and at some level some lukewarm positive conversation and nobody's gonna jump up and down and say it's the greatest thing in the world, I don't think, but the fact that there just hasn't been anything negative and some lukewarm positivity I think is really great.

Bruce Martin:

Fox has delivered with some big ratings this year, I believe the peak number for the Indianapolis 500 was higher than the peak number last year. The overall rating was down slightly. The one that really impressed me was 1. 8 million watching the Road America race. I'm not sure a lot of people saw that number coming.

Doug Boles:

Yeah, I think part of the value of Fox is helping put the IndyCar series in front of people, at the right time. So one of the things, it's not just Being on network, it's being on network at the right time and we've been able to do that whether we're leading into an event or on the back end of an event which allows new eyeballs to pay attention to us and hopefully we keep some of them around.

Bruce Martin:

And there's another opportunity coming up at Nashville, because the World Cup Championship game will be the lead into that race, and I know you guys are willing to wait in case the broadcast goes over a little bit to get that race started. Can you not help but dream of what the prospects of that rating might be?

Doug Boles:

Well, we're hopeful that it'll help for sure. We would have certainly liked to see the United States in that game. Obviously, that won't happen, but, you know, again, it just goes back to Fox thinking about one of the ways to help our sport grow is to have new people see the sport. The racing's fantastic when folks see it, and the way you do that is put it in on the front end or on the back end of some of the bigger programming, and in addition to all that they're doing where you see all the advertising and the commercials they do across all of their live sports.

Bruce Martin:

-On November 4th, 2019, you walked into your office, what was it, 6:00 in the morning, 6:30 in the morning, and without even knowing it, you were met by Roger Penske. -Yeah, Mr. Bowles. I bet you didn't know, you think you'd see me here. Yes, sir, I saw him. -Yes, but I know you had said, you thought, You were out of a job, you didn't realize you were really going to end up with two major jobs at that point. When you reflect back to where Indy Car was at that point in time to where it is today,

Doug Boles:

Even people who criticize Indy Car have to admit it is far stronger today than it has been in quite some time. Definitely. The growth of the series has been fantastic. Roger's been fantastic, and, you know, we're a race series that needs our fans. Our fans are really the engine that drives us, and even the fans that are critical, oftentimes they're critical because they're passionate about the sport, and I love that That we create that. What would be worse if people didn't care enough to even comment. You got to listen to what they have to say and you just keep plugging away and look at your metrics and you know we're growing the sport and we're going to continue to grow the sport and we're really fortunate that Roger Penske bought the Speedway and the series and has really allowed us to grow it.

Bruce Martin:

And final question with Doug Bowles, who's both the president of IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. As you've gotten to know the Charlotte area and been around downtown Charlotte, do you see similarities? 'Cause I tell people all the time, Indianapolis and Charlotte probably have more similarities than differences. Yeah, I think when you think about it, we're not huge cities, Indianapolis and Charlotte, yet we're huge sports cities. We're really proud of the cities where we

Doug Boles:

Where we live, that's how come we all have great conventions and great opportunities in these cities. And as I said earlier, when I was in the mayor's office, when we were competing for jobs to come to Indianapolis, we often were competing against Charlotte, North Carolina because cities are the same size, the friendliness of these cities. So certainly when you walk around Charlotte or you live in Charlotte, you get the same feeling that you get in Indianapolis. And the beauty of it is you get that beauty of motorsport being such a part of the fabric in Charlotte and Indianapolis. If you're a motorsport fan, If you're looking for a place to live in the United States, there's two great places to be in Indianapolis and Charlotte, and they're pretty similar.

Bruce Martin:

I grew up in Indiana, spent the first 23 years of my life, graduated from Indiana University, first job was in North Carolina, haven't left since. But I do believe that there's a lot of some, when you get in the rural areas especially, there's a lot of similarities between a Hoosier, someone from Indiana,

Doug Boles:

And a North Carolinian, and do you see that same type of attitude? I mean, just driving down here, people let me in when I'm trying to merge over. You know, the things that happen in Indiana, you go to the northeast coast or you go to the west coast, you don't get that feeling. So people care about people in these communities. Well, Doug Bowles, enjoy your time here in my adopted home state.

Bruce Martin:

Congratulations on having a great Indy Car Series season so far, good luck with the Brickyard 400, and thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental. 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:

And that puts a checkered flag on this edition of Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental. We want to thank our guest, four-time NTT IndyCar Series Champion Alex Pillow on his trip to the White House on July 13th, as well as IndyCar President and Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Bowles for joining us on this edition of Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental. Along with loyal listeners like you, our guest helped 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 Indy Car 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.