Previewing the Sukup IndyCar Race Weekend At Iowa with Felix Rosenqvist, David Malukas, Conor Daly, Josef Newgarden, Pato O’Ward and Iowa General Manager Kristen Stepinski

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 and insiders 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 this special bonus edition of Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental as we continue our fifth season of giving IndyCar fans an inside look at the most exciting form of racing on the planet, the NTT IndyCar Series. And a big thanks to Penske Truck Rental for helping bring you the inside stories of IndyCar from the paddock to the racetrack to the highways and streets of America. Pit Pass Indy is off to Iowa for this weekend's only doubleheader of the season, the Sioux Cup IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway. The race weekend kicks off on Friday, July 11th with IndyCar Series practice on the 0.875 mile Iowa Speedway short oval, as well as practice and qualifications for the IndyNext by Firestone Series. The schedule for Saturday, July 12th, includes IndyCar qualifications for both races of the doubleheader, followed by the Indy Next by Firestone race at 1.30 p.m. Eastern Time. The first of two IndyCar Series races, Saturday's Sync 275, is scheduled for 5 p.m. Eastern Time. The big race weekend concludes on Sunday, July 13th with the Farm to Finish 275 IndyCar Series race at 1 p.m. Eastern Time. Today's PitPass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental includes exclusive interviews with two of the fastest drivers in last month's test at Iowa Speedway, Connor Daly and Felix Rosenquist. Also, exclusive interviews with six-time IndyCar at Iowa winner, Josef Newgarden, 2022 Iowa winner, Pato Award, and the always exciting David Maloukis. We wrap up this special bonus edition with an in-depth interview with SUCUP IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa General Manager, Kristen Stapinski. Let's hit the track with our first interview with Connor Daly for Pit Pass Indy. Our old pal Connor Daly is back. Connor, you tested at Iowa. You were one of the fastest, if not the fastest driver. So what do you expect we'll see different at this year's Iowa doubleheader than we saw last year when a lot of people were a little disappointed that the style of racing wasn't what they expected? I mean, honestly, I think

Conor Daly: If you haven't got tickets yet, why not? Because with our oval racing that we've seen so far this year, I think it has been outstanding. I thought the race at Indy was still good. The race at Gateway was awesome. And I think a lot of the times, what we have thought going into it was wrong for the race. Gateway, I think a lot of people were like, oh, we don't really know if it's going to be a great race. It was awesome. And so I think I don't like all the speculation that it might be bad. I don't know yet. I mean, I think we've got to get out there because this is a totally new, you know, downforce package and we have not raced like this at Iowa yet before. So, I think at the test we learned a lot. I think Firestone is going to give us a different right front tire as well. So, I think we're going to, you know, have to adjust to that. I don't know what the exact answer is if we're going to see, you know, the best race ever or a better race. I know our car was good. But, you know, the surface is really the thing that, you know, I think IndyCars were doing their best, trying to figure it out, and I still think racing at Iowa is gonna be a lot of fun, but I don't know the exact answer to, hey, is it gonna be the best race ever? I don't know. What did you learn from the Iowa test? You obviously came across a good combination, because you were fast. Well, I think we learned that you can pile a lot of front grip into the thing, and that's important. But yeah, just trying to figure out I guess momentum is big, because obviously there's less power, less boost for this Iowa race. So momentum's important. Keeping your minimum speed up is very, very important. And I'm excited for it. I mean, honestly, I love short ovals, clearly. But I think there are still a few questions as to what is going to be the most ideal package for racing. But IndyCar's done a good job giving us great oval racing so far this year.

Bruce Martin: You're at June Coast Highlander Racing, and both drivers have really had instances on ovals where they've done very well. Stingray Robb led a lot of laps. He's raced his way up to the front. You've led a lot of laps. You led, again, at Indy this year. What do you see as being the improvement on the ovals for the team?

Conor Daly: I mean, honestly, we had a good oval package last year, obviously, as we proved it at Nashville and Milwaukee. But Indy, for sure, we had the car to win this year, which is awesome. And Gateway, I think we had the car to win, too. So that's been a super fun thing for us to enjoy. But, you know, it's just such a different car. The oval car compared to the road course and street course car, it's such a different package that, you know, all of our focus is almost on just road and street course now, because we actually feel quite comfortable at the ovals with what we have, and we kind of know where we need to do our development. So I've been thrilled with what the team has given me, and we obviously want to win at least one of these oval races before the year is over.

Bruce Martin: You love the race, so you're going to get your wish, because Mid-Ohio started a five race and four weekend stretch of the season. How tough is that going to be on the drivers? More importantly, how tough is it going to be on the crew?

Conor Daly: Well, it's a lot, and we appreciate the crew and everyone's efforts. It's incredible, honestly. what they do and what they give us the ability to do is we're super thankful for. But it's going to be tough. I mean, we go mid-Ohio for us. We go straight to the Sim, then straight to Orlando for me for an appearance, then straight to Iowa, then straight to the Sim, then straight to Laguna Seca. It's a wild one, but I said this to one of my mechanics earlier. I said, I've had this taken away from me, and I hate when I'm not doing it. So whether it's so busy, yeah, it is busy, but I'm truly thankful and very lucky to be in this crazy schedule.

Bruce Martin: And IndyCar is truly thankful and truly lucky to have Connor Daly back on the starting grid, back in the races. Connor, good luck over this stretch of the year. Good luck over the rest of the season. And thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy. Thank you. Felix Rosenquist has put together a solid season at Meyers Schenck Racing and is up to sixth in the NTT IndyCar Series Championship standings. Let's hear from the driver from Sweden in this exclusive interview for PitPass Indy. Ruth's. Our old buddy Felix Rosenquist is razzling me about my name, but I didn't pick it, my mom and dad gave it to me, but hey, anyway. Mid-Ohio started a stretch, five races, a four weekend period of time. There's a lot of points available on the line, so how much of an opportunity do you look at that for, you've had a pretty good run of races here lately. How big of an opportunity do you see that as being?

Felix Rosenqvist: It's an opportunity to gain a lot and to lose a lot as well. I think you've got to keep your head on your shoulders here, these five races. There's obviously a lot going on. There's a lot of traveling, a lot of racing, a lot of time in the car, very hot outside. So I think it's just about kind of seeing big picture here, not getting too caught up in the moment and being clever, especially Iowa coming up next week. A lot of points at the table there and that weekend goes by super quick as well. We've come off a pretty strong roll here and we're looking to capitalize on that momentum and I feel like everyone's a bit more confident coming off Road America.

Bruce Martin: There was a test at Iowa a couple of weeks ago. You were fast in that test. You think the racing will be better this year than it was at Iowa last year?

Felix Rosenqvist: It's super hard to say. I'd say at the test on a short oval, normally you don't get the chance to really play with other cars. I think there was some pack running going on, but not enough to really get a clue. I would probably guess a little bit better than last year, because we have reduced power, a little bit more downforce potentially, which should help the racing. But it's still pretty hard to pass, I think.

Bruce Martin: Do you see a lot of improvement across the board at Meyers Schenck? Because there's been some times where Marcus Armstrong's had some pretty good races too.

Felix Rosenqvist: For sure. I think the two cars are super solid right now in terms of, you know, Not only drivers, but everyone from strategy, engineering, pit stops. There's two cars now in the team that can go out and win a race on any given weekend. We've been strong on every kind of track. More than anything, it worked on a lot of the issues we had last year with consistency and had a lot of DNS last year and stuff like that. So I feel like we definitely improved ourselves. Maybe not on ultimate pace, but just being a way better package overall when it comes to any given track. So that's super exciting to be part of that momentum.

Bruce Martin: Mid-Ohio was the one-year anniversary of the Hybrid Assist. Do you think it was a project worth doing?

Felix Rosenqvist: I mean, you know, there's more to it than what I think. You know, you can't control what goes on the car and what doesn't go on the car. You know, it hasn't made a car quicker, but you could argue it's maybe made it racing better in some cases, maybe worse in some cases. I don't know. I think it's made the cars harder to drive, which probably has separated the feel a little bit. I think some drivers struggle with it a lot. Some have really, like Alex Palou, seems to really have figured out how to drive the car when it's heavier in the rear, stuff like that. So, yeah, it's a new challenge. You just got to be, you know, instead of your opinion, it's more about how do you maximize the package.

Bruce Martin: The latest new car is going to be announced as released in 2028. Would you like to see the new car be harder to drive?

Felix Rosenqvist: I mean, I would guess it probably will be easier to drive because everything is kind of purpose-built. That's what I would expect, really. I'm not sure. Like, I literally have no idea what it's going to be like, but I'm very excited. It's coming. I can't wait to see the first glimpse of it. Whenever it goes on track the first time, I'll probably be there just to kind of have a look. Hopefully I'll drive it early on as well. But yeah, super excited. I think it's about time. It's been a long… It's been a good ride with this chassis more than anything. It's been a great race car. It's been generating some fantastic races. But yeah, I think we're all ready to turn the page.

Bruce Martin: And finally, five races in a four weekend period of time. It's going to be tough on the drivers. It's also going to be tough on the crew. So how do they stay fresh?

Felix Rosenqvist: Hydrating, making sure you sleep well, try to optimize the travel plans, squeeze in a day off, even if it's tight. If you can get a day off, some of these guys, it makes a world of difference. And I think us as drivers, we Even if it's very hard mentally, maybe in another way, it's not as tough in terms of work hours as it is for the crew. So we'll be fine. But yeah, the crew members, I try to keep them motivated and crack a joke here and there, because it's a lot of long hours. But they're pros, and our team has been really strong in that sense. And even being in Ohio, which is extra traveling, they've done really well.

Bruce Martin: Well, speaking of pros, you're a real pro. We know you'll get it figured out. But Felix Rozequis, good luck the rest of the way. Thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy. Thank you very much. Thank you, Bruce. We'll be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break.

SPEAKER_00: Hi, I'm Scott McLaughlin, driver of the number three team Penske Chevy. And you're listening to Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Bruce Martin: Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy. Our next two guests are former winners at Iowa Speedway, including 2022 winner Pat O'Ward of Arrow McLaren and Josef Newgarden of Team Penske. O'Ward is third in the championship, 125 points behind the leader, Alex Palou. But with twice the number of points available for the weekend doubleheader, the Arrow McLaren driver can close the gap at Iowa. Here is a short interview with O'Ward. Paddo Ward has joined us. Paddo, there's a great opportunity coming up. Five races in four weeks. Great chance that you can make up a lot of points in the points race. So how much are you looking at this five race stretch as being very important to determining the championships?

Pato O’Ward: It's a very important month. After Laguna Seca, it's going to be a better picture of who's where and what's what. But yeah, we're starting it and we want to be there.

Bruce Martin: A guy like Alex Pohl has a pretty healthy lead, but yet we're going to Iowa, and he admits that's not one of his better tracks. It is one of your better tracks, though, so you have to look at that Iowa weekend. You've got two chances to get into victory lane, and that could really add a completely different dynamic to the championship.

Pato O’Ward: I've never doubled up, so it'd be cool to do it in an Iowa weekend and start it off here in mid-Ohio.

Bruce Martin: You're a young guy, you're in great shape, but the stretch is going to be very tough on the crew guys, so how important is it for them?

Pato O’Ward: It's an intense stretch and I think it's important to keep your mental clarity as good as you can in order to make those decisions when the pressure does come. You want to be as clear-minded and just as objective as possible to be able to make the right ones.

Bruce Martin: The one-year anniversary of the hybrid was at Mid-Ohio. Do you think it was a project worth IndyCar taking on?

Pato O’Ward: Yeah, happy anniversary. We won, so I'd love to do it again.

Bruce Martin: But I mean the whole project itself, do you see value in it? I've said plenty already, so you can be the judge yourself. All right, we haven't talked to you since the NASCAR race at Mexico City. What were your thoughts on it? How well do you think it went?

Pato O’Ward: I don't think it went very well, because from what I'm hearing, it was kind of a bust. So I didn't really see it or pay attention to it, but it doesn't sound like they're going back.

Bruce Martin: And how surprised were you that your racing protege, Daniel Suarez, is leaving track house?

Pato O’Ward: I hope he finds a ride elsewhere. You know, I love Danny. We grew up in the same town together, racing in the same tracks. So we'd love to see him land in a good spot.

Bruce Martin: And finally, 4th of July was at Mid-Ohio. You've spent a lot of time in the United States. What does the 4th of July mean to you?

Pato O’Ward: The 4th of July for me? Ooh, American. Very American. Burgers, barbecue, party, beer. You know, just people having a great time.

Bruce Martin: Pat O'Ward always knows how to find a great time, but good luck the rest of the year. Thanks. We'll catch up with you. Thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy. Josef Newgarden is a six-time winner at the Iowa Short Oval and a win this year would be huge as the Team Penske driver is having a season to forget in IndyCar in 2025. Newgarden crashed out of the July 6th Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio at the start of the race and is 19th in points with less than half the season remaining. The three-time NTT IndyCar Series champion joins me for this exclusive PitPass Indy interview. Our old pal, Josef Newgarden, has returned. Joseph, you're wearing glasses, so the obvious question is, that's a different look for you. What is it? It's just glasses, man. Just glasses, man. Yeah. Is it to improve vision, or is it just you feel like… Well, I'm still talking about Robin, you know, mostly for blue light. Well, speaking of rocking, it's halfway point of the year, and I guess now's the time to get rocking. And how important is the second half going to be for Team Penske? Because I would think even the most optimistic Team Penske fan would say it's been a rough season so far.

Josef Newgarden: Yeah, we've taken a lot of punches this year. I mean, we're just trying to show up and put together some good results. I think we can do that this weekend. We've had the potential all year, so not worried about the speed aspect. We've just got to execute and get something to stick.

Bruce Martin: Speaking of executing and getting something to stick, we're heading to one of your best tracks, Iowa Speedway. You've won a lot of races there. You do very well there. Is that the type of track that you need at this point of the year?

Josef Newgarden: I wouldn't say it like that. I mean, I like everywhere we go. Certainly Iowa has been a historically good track for us. So I'm kind of looking forward to everything. You know, we've got, I mean, there's no event that I don't look forward to. So I'm excited for the second half of the season, trying to put something together.

Bruce Martin: But yet Iowa is a place you've had a lot of success, so in some ways you've got to really feel like that's a good spot for me.

Josef Newgarden: It's always a dangerous way to put it, you know. I mean, I think I look at places where we haven't had any success and get most excited for them to try and turn it around. You know, places where you're strong doesn't mean you're always going to be strong there. So, you know, I kind of stay open-minded on that stuff.

Bruce Martin: Speaking of dangerous, didn't really have much chance to talk to you after the race at Gateway, but that was a dangerous wreck that you were involved in. A, how lucky do you feel that you weren't injured? And B, what do you see as the whole thing that created that? A lot of people seem to think the yellow light didn't come on quick enough. Would you say that was probably one of your scariest wrecks?

Josef Newgarden: No, I mean, surprisingly, I wouldn't. I've had some much bigger ones. This one was big. Yeah, much, much bigger at Texas for sure and a couple others. So, you know, just wrong place, wrong time, unfortunately. You know, I hate to say it's just bad timing, just bad timing. So it was unfortunate. I think we had a good car there and we're in a good position and just, you know, trying to put a result together somewhere that was just one that certainly slipped away like some others. So, yeah, just wrong place, wrong time.

Bruce Martin: At Team Penske, we now have a lot of the crew guys on the team doing a lot of more responsibility. How do you see the progress coming with them in terms of being able to get back in the winning track?

Josef Newgarden: Yeah, I think we're in a good spot as far as always had great depth on our team and trying to reshuffle and rebuild in a lot of ways has been good and excited for this weekend and excited for the future, really.

Bruce Martin: And finally, 4th of July weekend, are you going to dress up like Uncle Sam again like you did a couple of years ago?

Josef Newgarden: Probably not this weekend. I'm going to be a little more reserved and just, you know, focusing on what we can get done on track.

Bruce Martin: Well, it's the new reserved Josef Newgarden. Good luck the rest of the way. It's going to be exciting five races, a four weekend stretch. And thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy. Thanks, Bruce. David Maloukis is a driver in high demand as the AJ Foyt Racing star could be in line for a ride at Team Penske next season if IndyCar legend Will Power signs with another team. Power is at the end of his contract with Penske, and Maloukis has been groomed as potential Penske material for the past several seasons. But Maloukis is also an oval ace, including a second-place finish in the 109th Indianapolis 500 in May. Although the 23-year-old driver from Chicago has not won an IndyCar race, he has a lot of potential for the future. Here is an exclusive interview with Malukas for PitPass Indy. David Maloukas has joined us. David, we're starting a five-race and four-week period. For a young guy like you, that's got to be no problem, but it can be a pretty grueling stretch. So what's your attitude heading into this streak?

David Malukas: You know, we've been on a really good run. We're getting a little bit unlucky on these races. We're qualifying well. You know, when I look at IndyCar, I think the hardest thing is qualifying. It is so hard to be up there, especially with this field. I mean, every driver is just the best of the best. I mean, you go against any single driver. I remember moments back in when I first came in, you look at the groups, you're like, I'm in a good group, I'm in a tough group, easy group. Now there's, doesn't matter, you get in whatever group, you see all the driver names, you're like, okay, this is gonna be hard. It's gonna be hard no matter what. Every driver's on the top of their form right now, so. Qualifying has been good. We've managed to figure out the tough part. Just trying to get some luck and some consistency in these races and to capitalize on these good qualifying results and stay up there in the finish.

Bruce Martin: The David Maloukas Midwest Tour will continue with the Iowa Doubleheader. Instead of driving up I-55, the folks can load up and take I-80 from your hometown over to Iowa, or maybe even a little further north than that, they can take I-88. But in a lot of ways, it's another race where the Maloukas Caravan can head to Iowa. So how cool is it to have that type of sport?

David Malukas: Yeah, I'm very excited heading into Iowa. I know a lot of the guys did a recent test. It seems that things are going to be changing going into this next race, so we'll see what these changes do. We're going to anticipate our car for it, but it's always been a good race. Last year with the repavement, obviously a little bit of a question mark, so we'll see how things change around, but it's a good drive going over there to Iowa. I know there's some special gas station on the way there. It was a big, famous gas station. I don't know what it's called, but I know it's a famous one. There's several. There's one big one from Chicago going to… I-80 truck stop. I think, yes.

Bruce Martin: The world's largest truck stop. Yes. It even has a dentist. So if you want to get a couple of root canals on your way to Iowa… See, that's crazy.

David Malukas: You can get it done at the I-80, the world's largest truck stop. I mean, that's, yeah, see, that's nuts. But very cool.

Bruce Martin: Well, maybe you could, like, get some gold teeth and start a whole new… On the way back. Yeah, we gotta get some gold teeth. But on the racetrack though, how would you say your season's gone? You've had some pretty good runs where you've been running up front. Closing the deal's been the key. How important is it to be able to put a complete race together so that you can be there to fight it out for a win?

David Malukas: Yeah, like I said, this first half of the season went as expected. I was expecting things to click right away. We have to figure out our car, our setup, and after the month of May, we've really kicked it into gear. Things are starting to click for us. I know what I want with the car, and we found a good direction. Like I said, we have good qualifying runs. We just need to try to keep that consistency in the races. places where we start up front and then things don't really go go right for us we make a bad call here there and end up going backwards but Road America put it in the back and then we finish actually up front so it's just kind of the way the racing's been this year and we need to do a better job while anticipating it.

Bruce Martin: But between you and your teammate Santino Ferrucci there's been a great streak for AJ Foyt Racing and what do you attribute that to?

David Malukas: Like I said, I think it's just, there's been a lot of new people from both sides, and coming into the team, everything's brand new, and like I said, month of May, it's, I think, you know, outside of the 500, it's a lot of time that you can spend with the guys. You build chemistry, you can build a relationship, and build a relationship with the car. So I think just from both sides, the teammates as well, me and Santino have gotten along very well, we understand each other, we trust each other when it comes to setup changes, so we're really working hard, and I think it's finally showing. These results are coming in, we've been doing a good job getting the car where it needs to be.

Bruce Martin: Because of the business arrangement between AJ Foyt Racing and Team Penske, naturally your name is being mentioned a lot as a possible Team Penske driver. So how are you addressing all of that? Because I know you've got a season to finish, you've got races to win, and you're building good chemistry at AJ Foyt Racing. But to be in a position where you may end up at a big team like that, how do you handle that?

David Malukas: Well, I mean, it's just, it's rumors are rumors. I mean, last year there were so many different rumors. I mean, the amount of calls I got, oh, you're going to Ray Hall when I signed with Foyt. I mean, it's all just background. It's not what it is. I know what's true to myself. I'm here with AJ Foyt, multi-year deal, and we're building that chemistry. We're building a very good car, and I'm just very happy where I'm at. So, AJ Foyt's a big team, and we're proving that on the road.

Bruce Martin: And finally, how do you expect the Iowa race to go? From the test, they tried a different tire, aero package. Some people thought it was good, others thought it may not be as good as last year.

David Malukas: Yeah, I mean, it's tough to say. I wasn't there for the test, just kind of hearing off of rumors and what other people are saying. It's going to be tough to say until we actually get there and get our car on track.

Bruce Martin: Well, David Maloukas, keep that streak going. We'll catch you at Iowa. We'll catch you at Toronto. We'll catch you at Laguna Seca. Heck, we'll go ahead and catch you at the rest of the races this season. All right. Good luck this season and thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy. Thank you. We'll be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break.

SPEAKER_04: This is Will Power of Team Penske, and you're listening to Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Bruce Martin: Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy. We wrap up today's bonus edition with a featured guest. It's Sukup IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa General Manager, Kristen Stepinski, who is in charge of the doubleheader weekend in 2025. There are some major changes at Iowa in 2025, and Kristen Stepinski fills us in with this exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview. We're pleased to be joined by Kristen Stepinski, the general manager of the Sukup IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway. Kristen, I know it's a new opportunity for you. It's a new opportunity for IndyCar with Sukup joining as the sponsor of the big weekend at Iowa Speedway. What all is going on now is that race weekend approaches.

Kristen Stepinski: Thanks, Ruth. Yeah, it's been a little bit of a crazy few months for for me, definitely. And, you know, just trying to get everything situated here with with our doubleheader weekend here at Iowa Speedway. So, yes, we've got Duke up on board coming on board this year. They've been such huge supporters of IndyCar. here at Iowa Seedway, another, you know, Iowa brand, Iowa company that pretty much anybody here in the agricultural industry knows of. So we've been so excited to work with them and come up with some new and different things. Could you here at Iowa Seedway for the double header weekend? And it's been great. Yeah, I've been having a lot of fun with it.

Bruce Martin: I know that it will be a different looking weekend. In the past with Hy-Vee as the sponsor, we had a lot of big name entertainment acts. This will be a weekend more focused toward the actual racing itself, the grassroots racing. Some of the best in IndyCar happens at Iowa Speedway. So how do you change the storyline on the focus of the event?

Kristen Stepinski: Yeah, definitely. Yeah, definitely a big change this year for sure. You know, we've kind of created this event around some of the big country music and A-list music act the last couple of years. But you said it, you know, the racing here at Iowa Speedway is incredible. And IndyCar does such a great job of putting on a fun show for everybody on track. So, Um, so no, we're excited to excited to let the racing take center stage here this year. We still got our double header weekend going. Um, and we have, we'll have lots of smaller acts here at our stage that we have outside turn four, um, with other kind of fan forums and Q and a sessions and things going on too. So the goal has always been to make sure there's plenty to do here around race weekend, um, which isn't tough to do when you got a double header and in the next is here with us too. In a couple of weeks though. So yeah, we're just trying to pack the schedule as much as we can for everybody.

Bruce Martin: But one thing that I'm sure you want to stress is the fact that it'll be affordable. In the past, some of the Hy-Vee IndyCar race weekends at Iowa Speedway, they were such name acts that performed that there came a cost involved with that. How much can you explain how this will be a more affordable weekend for a lot of the IndyCar race fans that want to journey over to Iowa Speedway?

Kristen Stepinski: Totally, totally. You were paying for a big old concert series in addition to a race weekend, so this year we worked really hard to adjust ticket prices to reflect that and make sure that folks could get out here and enjoy the race weekend and do so for a lower price and a better rate to equal the experience that they're going to have here for the weekend. There are some areas where you can get two tickets for nearly the price of one in certain sections, depending on where you're buying, because you save a little bit of money if you buy it Saturday and Sunday. We also have our Newton Club here. that's open to the public now this year, and it kind of bounced around in past years, whether it was a private space or a public space. And that's our two-day ticket option that folks can get for one price and get out here for both Saturday and Sunday. And we have Free Family Friday back, too. So that was always a big staple of Zendikar Race Week in the last few years. We certainly didn't want that to go anywhere, too. So yeah, we've tried to do everything we can to kind of just do what we can across the board to bring prices down and make it a more affordable experience for folks. folks.

Bruce Martin: And so far, what has the reaction been with a lot of your ticket buyers within the state of Iowa and within the Midwest?

Kristen Stepinski: So far, you know, we've heard tons of great things about Stuka. People were so thrilled to see their name associated with the event. And we've heard lots of really positive things about folks who maybe weren't able to come in in past years or were, you know, Scheduling didn't work out or this that and the other thing we're excited to get to come and enjoy it this year So, you know, we've heard lots of great things so far in the in the market when we've been out and about the last few weeks promoting And everybody seems excited to have IndyCar here in Iowa and to be excited about the doubleheader too.

Bruce Martin: And is one of your main goals as a promoter to really showcase Iowa, what Iowa's all about. Sukup being an agricultural company, builds machines, builds grain bins, builds a lot of things that are used in Iowa and in the Midwest to be able to really showcase Iowa and what Iowa stands for and also how big of a racing state Iowa is.

Kristen Stepinski: It really is. I mean, you can't go, you barely drive down the street without passing some sort of racetrack here in Iowa, which was surprising to me as I started spending more time out here. You know, you just don't realize how prevalent it is and how much racing goes on here in the state of Iowa. So that combined with, like you said, the agricultural community is huge here. And to have a company like SUCEP supporting the event, I think it just ties those two two groups together, and it's been really fun just to hear all the positivity from folks around who are just so excited to have IndyCar here at Iowa.

Bruce Martin: I asked Bud Denker, the president of Penske Corporation, what fans can expect to see different at this year's Iowa race. Over previous years, he says it's going to look a lot like pre-2020, some of the Iowa races that you had in 2019, 2018, which were really Competitive races well attended, but not overly attended. Like maybe we had with the Hy-Vee era where a lot of the fans came out because they heard Post Malone was playing or Carrie Underwood or some of those acts. So how would you describe the difference in the crowd this year?

Kristen Stepinski: No, I think that's pretty accurate. You know, we're hoping to get to those kind of 2019 sort of numbers here. Obviously, 2020 was a bit of a different experience for everybody. But yeah, it'll definitely look a little bit different. But we're, you know, we're excited to get folks out here and get to showcase all the excitement that happens on the racetrack here because there's no place like it on the IndyCar circuit. And that's what I've always loved about Iowa Speedway. is just how incredible the racing is on track and how fast these guys go around, you know, this tiny little short track here in Newton. So I'm excited to see all of that and excited to bring that to the fans too.

Bruce Martin: Well, speaking of that, it's always produced great racing. However, last year, because the NASCAR race was before the IndyCar race, they repaved the lower lanes in the turns to accommodate NASCAR for their race, changed the style of racing to a degree. How much has that been addressed for this year's IndyCar race and what was done to address some of those concerns?

Kristen Stepinski: Yep. Yeah, I know. As you know, we've had a test session out here last week, and IndyCar Competition brought, you know, a number of different aero and tire changes and different things that they're implementing from a competition standpoint that they rolled out here at the test session. And they're going to continue to kind of tweak, hopefully, to improve the racing, what we saw last year. I want to continue to make it better and continue to improve upon it every year. And yes, there's such a long history of great racing here at Iowa Seedway. I know that everybody's goal is to put on the best show that we can.

Bruce Martin: Your race last year was also the first short oval race with the hybrid assist unit. At that time, a lot of people didn't know how it would react. It was a heavier part of the car that was made the weight distribution much different. However, the short oval races after Iowa were blockbusters, whether it be at Gateway or whether it be at Milwaukee or even at Nashville. So how much do you believe the race will look much better this year because teams have started to figure out how to do the weight balance with the extra weight from a hybrid?

Kristen Stepinski: Yeah, absolutely. I think, you know, as you pointed out, as we've continued to race on the shorter ovals here over the last, you know, 12 months since the, the hybrid came to, came to our series, you know, it, the racing is just continuing to improve every time we go. And I think everybody points to the, the gateway race, a couple of weeks ago that you mentioned. It was awesome. It was so fun to watch and it just, I think hoped, hopefully see still all of the progression that's happening. Um, and hopefully both wells for the next short oval, which is going to be our, our double header of year. Yeah, looking forward to it.

Bruce Martin: Now you as a promoter, how difficult is it when the same two drivers have won every IndyCar Series race up through the 4th of July weekend that we've seen this year with Alex Pillow's tremendous dominance and Kyle Kirkwood also winning three races?

Kristen Stepinski: I know, I know. It has been pretty incredible to see. Alex Polo definitely has something figured out. He's winning anywhere and everywhere this year. We'll see how things continue to change and evolve here as the season goes. Kirkwood has definitely shown that he's someone to be contended with this year too. I think everybody tunes in every week and pulls for their favorite driver and you're either happy or you're disappointed with the result at the end of it. But no, Alec Polo is an incredible driver and proving so again this year for sure. We'll just see how things shake out here in Iowa.

Bruce Martin: The state of Iowa does not have a professional sports team. They get great support with college football and college basketball with Iowa, Iowa State. some of the schools around town like drake How much do sports fans in Des Moines and in Iowa and in the upper Midwest really gravitate towards this race? Because it really is a big day on the sporting calendar to have two races, two IndyCar Series races, major racing series competing in the state of Iowa.

Kristen Stepinski: Yeah, this is, that's the one thing that I've also noticed, you know, as I've spent more and more time here these last few months, you know, getting settled into this position is that The Des Moines area and Iowa as a whole is such a great sports town. They love their college football and love the Hawkeyes and the Cyclones. But to your point, you have so many other schools around town too that have great athletic programs. People here just love it. Motorsport is something that I think swapped into that category here of people love you know, motorsport here in Iowa. They love racing, um, whether it's at Knoxville or at the short track down the street, um, you know, they, they just love it. So it's been nice to see all of that kind of carrying over in the conversations that we're having with folks, you know, that might be, you know, a Hawkeyes fan or an Iowa state fan, but they're also big, big into motorsports too, and excited to come out to the track, whether it's for a NAFTA race or for our race weekend here with IndyCar.

Bruce Martin: The majority of your ticket base will be people from Iowa, but how much support do you get from the neighboring states, such as Minnesota, down in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and even Illinois?

Kristen Stepinski: Yeah, we do. I've always been told that this race here in Iowa is one of the most well-traveled races on the schedule. Um, and on the circuit, we get folks from all over the place. So like to your point, like you said, you know, Omaha is just a couple hours away. Minneapolis is just a couple hours away. Kansas city's, you know, the same thing, just, you know, two and a half hours, um, in the car to, to get to Iowa and get the Iowa Speedway for a race, for a race or for an event. So, um, so no, we get a great crowd of folks that, that come from all over for this event and we're going to do what we can to put on a good show for them.

Bruce Martin: And of course, I'm sure you get a pretty large contingent of fans from Indiana. It's a little bit further of a drive to get the Iowa Speedway from Indianapolis, but it is doable. I believe it's probably anywhere between six to seven hour drive to get there, but of your ticket base, how many would you say come from Indiana?

Kristen Stepinski: Oh my gosh, I can't remember the exact number, but it's significantly more than I thought it would have been when I looked at the information when we started, you know, reaching out to folks and putting tickets on sale and kind of targeting the folks that we were going to reach out to with ticket opportunities. So yeah, we do get, it is about a seven hour drive. I've made that trek a couple of times now, but But no, we get a great crowd from Indy too. And I just appreciate that folks in Indy are such big open wheel fans and obviously love coming to the 500, but it doesn't stop there. And they like to travel and go to the other races and come to, you know, the race a few hours away that's on a little bit of a smaller oval.

Bruce Martin: Although this is the first year you've been the general manager of the Sioux Cup IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway, you're not new to motorsports. If you could describe to our listeners what your motorsports background has been.

Kristen Stepinski: Oh, sure. Yeah. So I've been, um, around motorsports now for probably about close to the last 10 years. Um, and mostly in the, the Pinsky family. So I worked on the team side. Um, I worked on the track side at IMS and with IndyCars series. The last couple of years, and then now recently transitioned to this role here at GM in Iowa for the IndyCar race weekend. But yeah, my background comes from mainly partnerships and working with all of our supporters across the series, across race teams that help us go out and do what we do each week. here with IndyCar. So I've been excited and glad to kind of apply as much of that as I can to this job here and to the role as general manager. And it's been fun to learn a lot along the way too.

Bruce Martin: And I imagine you probably had to spend a lot of time relocating to Iowa for the time before and maybe some of the time after the race.

Kristen Stepinski: I have, yes, I've been an Iowa resident now for the last month or so. You know, got a couple more weeks than me before I'll head back to Indianapolis and then kind of go back in force. But no, it's been wonderful. The people in Iowa are absolutely just the best folks I've ever been around. And I can't say enough good things about the states and the market and the people here in Newton and in Des Moines and in Central Iowa in general.

Bruce Martin: Well, the one thing that's always impressed me about an IndyCar race at Iowa is it has a grassroots feel to it. It's really a race for race fans. And I would imagine that's probably one of the greatest selling points that you can do for this weekend.

Kristen Stepinski: Yep, totally. This race is here for the fans, for sure. People in Iowa, like you said, they know motorsports. They see a lot of different types of motorsports here and usually participate in a few different types of races, too. It's been fun to get to put together an event for folk that know what it means and that can support it from all over the place, too. It's been great.

Bruce Martin: And have you heard from any of the people in Iowa that this is really one of the biggest sporting event weekends of the year in the state?

Kristen Stepinski: Yeah, I think so. I mean, you know, like you said, there's lots of sporting events that go on here in Iowa, but we were fortunate to be one of the big summer events for sure. So it's been great. And yeah, it's definitely something that we want to, you know, make sure that we're doing our due diligence to make it as good as we possibly can.

Bruce Martin: And finally, to have Steven Sukup and Sukup Manufacturing as the sponsor, an Iowa-based company, somebody who's been involved in supporting racing for many, many years. What has that relationship been like and how important is it?

Kristen Stepinski: Oh, Steve's been great. I mean, from our very first conversation, on to every single planning call and all of the things that go into preparing for an event like this. He's been there every step of the way, so we can't thank him enough for his support of this event. Like I think we said earlier, he's been a longtime supporter of Iowa Speedway, but especially IndyCar and open wheel racing here. and Iowa too, he supported the Indy Next by Firestone series before. And he's been, he and his entire team has been really incredible to work with. And it's been so fun to see, you know, the Sukup name on the big weekend here for IndyCar as we've had, you know, all these conversations and all this planning that's gone into getting ready to go for the weekend. It's been really cool to see his reaction to all of that and how much he seems to be enjoying it too. So it's been great.

Bruce Martin: And finally, for fans who may not have tickets yet, how do they get them?

Kristen Stepinski: Absolutely, yeah. And they can go to IndyCarAtIowa.com, and all of our ticket options are available online.

Bruce Martin: Well, Kristen Stepinski, General Manager of the Sukup IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway, good luck with the big doubleheader race. It's a pretty big deal to have my only double header on the schedule. Good luck with that. We look forward to being there, paying a visit out there. It's always a highlight of the season for us to go there. And thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Realm. Awesome. Thank you so much, Bruce. 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: And that puts a checkered flag on this edition of Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental. We want to thank our guests, Conor Daly of Juncos Hollinger Racing, Felix Rosenquist of Meyers Schenck Racing, Pato O'Ward of Errol McLaren, Josef Newgarden of Team Penske, David Maloukis of AJ Foyt Racing, and Su-Kup IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa General Manager Kristen Stapinski for joining us on today's podcast. Along with loyal listeners like you, our guests 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 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. Until next time, be sure to keep it out of the wall.