Special 110th Indianapolis 500 Preview Edition with Indy 500 Pole Winner Alex Palou, David Malukas and much more leading into the big race on May 24

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. There is no bigger racing event in the history of Team Penske than the Indianapolis 500, as the team has won the world's biggest race a record 20 times. The big day is fast approaching. Race day for the 110th Indianapolis 500 on May 24. It's the moment that sports fans around the world have been waiting for. The biggest single day spectator sporting event on earth is just a few days away. For the second straight year, the Indianapolis 500 is a complete grandstand sellout. Ticket sales for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway infield are also near capacity, and that means close to 350,000 fans will fill the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on race day for one of the biggest, most anticipated, most historic, and traditional sporting events of the year, the Indianapolis 500. This special Indianapolis 500 edition of Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental, is packed with so many interviews, let's just go ahead and drop the green flag and head into turn one on the start of a 500 mile battle to the checkered flag. As we mentioned, the Indianapolis 500 has sold out for the second year in a row and the third time in the last 10 years. Our first guest is IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway president, Doug Bowles, who has helped return the Indy 500 to sold out status with the active promotion from him and his staff. Here is my exclusive interview with IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Bowles for Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental. Joining us now is the busiest man in the state of Indiana, a man who holds presidencies of two different places, IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It's Doug Bowles. Doug, second year in a row that the Indianapolis 500 is a sellout, and it was announced early, a week earlier than it was in 2025. How much do you see interest in the Indianapolis 500 returning?

Doug Boles: Yeah, I think we've seen that over the last several years. And certainly last year, selling the grant stands out on like, I think the Tuesday before the 500 was a pretty big deal. We actually added about 2000 seats this year that we haven't had in the last since 2016. And then to sell it out basically a week ahead of where we were last year is pretty exciting. And that's a testament to our fans. Our fans love this so much. They bring new people back, they continue to come. This race is really about the fans. And this is a way that they thank us and we thank them when we get a chance to sell this out.

Bruce Martin: I would have to say that it's the third time that you've been involved with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that we've had a sellout. The first was 2016, the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. But what's different about this one is you're not celebrating a milestone. This is people that really are out here because they love the Indy 500 and they wanna see the race every year.

Doug Boles: It is, and when I get a chance to talk to fans, the race is so important to them, but it's really all the other things that happen around it, the people you go with, the memories you have of your first time here and all those things are what make the Indy 500 special. It's a race but it's really an event and that's really what people have embraced. And the other thing I think we've seen over the last few years just first-time people who are coming and continuing to come back and people bringing family members is really where we've seen a biggest piece of our growth.

Bruce Martin: You hit a key point earlier when he said a lot of younger fans are coming out. It really seems that the Indianapolis 500 is really cool again with the younger crowd. 10 years ago, 15 years ago, we might have seen a much older crowd come here on race day, but we see a lot of younger people now. And how important is that, this rejuvenation of the Indianapolis 500? Yeah, it's super important.

Doug Boles: I mean, that's the reason the Indy 500 is gonna be here decades from now, is that next generation that's coming in, it can't be, It can't be the older generation that keeps it going, and it really is becoming that younger generation. We have some great young superstars. I mean, Pato Award, some young folks that our fans are really able to embrace and get excited about. I think that's part of what's bringing that young generation around. And even things like our Carb Day, where we're switching the music up to be more of a late 90s, early 2000s, continues to cater to some of those younger folks who will be the ones that soon will be more predominantly seen here than folks my age, for example. So it's really important to start thinking about that next generation.

Bruce Martin: question I've always wondered since you were in charge of both IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway how do you compartmentalize because the challenges are different between each organization.

Doug Boles: Yeah for sure I mean it's definitely a bit of a challenge and I bouncing back and forth across the street from the IndyCar office to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway office but the one thing you always have to keep in mind is The IndyCar series exists because of the Indianapolis 500, and the Indianapolis 500 exists because of the IndyCar series. So as long as we continue to work together to make sure that we're making decisions to help each other, I think that's the good thing about having me on both sides of the fence. It's just building a better communication across both companies as we continue to grow.

Bruce Martin: A key part in the resurgence of IndyCar and the Indianapolis 500 is Fox. How important is it to Fox that the local blackout will be lifted for the third time in the last 10 years, probably the fourth time if you count the rain delayed start back in 2024?

Doug Boles: Yeah, I think it's really important. You know, one of the traditions in this market is for people to come to the race and then go home and watch it in the in the delayed broadcast that happens in the afternoon. I was one that did that as a fan, it was it was really important to do. And fortunately, our local Fox folks will have it live and do that as well for folks that are used to that. But I think it's important in this marketplace, and as we continue to sell out, I think it's also a great tool for us to just continue to get fans and community residents to just be proud that this event's here, whether or not they are part of it. But definitely, if you can get a good TV number in this market, that definitely helps in the overall national rankings.

Bruce Martin: And just a couple of quick questions real fast. Officiating, they've been in the news lately. Some changes have been made. You're going to have a fast 15 round for qualifications because you've got 33 cars. There's no last chance qualifying. That and also the revised policy on the full course cautions.

Doug Boles: Yeah, I mean, unfortunately, we're not bumping this year. That's one of those things that for me, hopefully, one thing I don't want to do is I don't want to call what we're doing this year as bumping because it's not. Bumping happens when you have over 33 cars here. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, Prima not being here, Colton Herta not running because of the F2 change. You know, that took three cars out of the field that would have ultimately had us at 35 or 36. So we just got to deal with what we have this year and focus on getting back to bumping next year. But the new qualifying format, I think, creates some new content for our fans that are here on Sunday. I've talked to the drivers. The drivers are excited because if you have a bad Saturday and you end up in 15th or 14th, you still have a chance to move forward. I think if you have a qualifying run on Saturday that's in the 16 or north, you still have a chance maybe to run again to get into the 15. so you can think about it overnight. So there's some value in that. So that's one of the things I love. And then working with the independent officiating board, we obviously made some changes over the last 72 hours or so coming out of our race to the San Siro Grand Prix. And I think that relationship is working well and we'll continue to get better. And we hear from the fans and we hear from the competitors and just give us a little patience and we're gonna just continue to make the sport better.

Bruce Martin: Doug Bowles, busiest man in the state of Indiana. Congratulations on selling out the 110th Indianapolis 500. Good luck the rest of the IndyCar Series season. Sure, we'll talk more throughout the year, but thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental. Thank you, Bruce. We look forward to talking soon. Pit Pass Indy asked a few of the biggest names in IndyCar their thoughts on another sold-out crowd of 350,000 that will watch them compete for the victory on Sunday. Let's start with the reigning winner of the Indianapolis 500, Alex Pillow of Chip Ganassi Racing. The race was announced as a sellout. Second straight year, you won last year's race. You've won all these championships, four of them. How does it feel to be on top at a time when fans want to be part of the Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar again?

Alex Palou: It's huge. And I think last year it just got announced like Saturday before, right? OK, so we're like a week ahead. So it's big. It's incredible to see that and to be part of it now when there's so much momentum. I feel like we've been seeing that in every single race, but obviously the 500, everything is like five times or 10 times bigger. So, yeah, it's super special as a driver.

Bruce Martin: Because you're the champion and the defending winner of the Indy 500, do you take a little bit of credit in that?

Alex Palou: No, I think people would say the opposite, probably. So, no, I think the series, folks, everybody's doing a great job. We have great personalities, different drivers from different countries that I guess it helps as well. And I think, yeah, it's just a great moment now in IndyCar.

Bruce Martin: Graham Rahal has competed in every Indianapolis 500 since 2008. His father, Bobby, won the Indy 500 in 1986. Here are Graham Rahal's thoughts on the importance of a sold out crowd at the Indy 500. Another sellout, second year in a row, third time in your career. It seems like business is really on the upswing in IndyCar. So how important is that?

Graham Rahal: I mean, I think, yes, I do think it is. And I think yesterday was the most traffic I'd ever seen coming in here on an opening day. I mean, I tried to get in here and I had to text Bulls and get in the back gate because the line to get in was way too long. Maybe 11-ish. I mean, I was It was at least well past the golf course, too wide, whatever. I was like, dude, I am not waiting on that. So luckily I snuck through the golf course. There was nobody at the gate, but somebody was coming out. So I snuck in the back and that worked out. But I do think there's good momentum here. And I get there's no bumping and people are wound up about that. But the bumping to me, It doesn't, it's not really indicative of the health of the sport, and we've all talked about that. It's based on the engine counts and everything. I mean, we could have run, I had several people call us to run more cars. You can't do it, you can't get engines. So, you know, to me, it's great to see the fans supporting, great to see a lot of young people supporting the event, to be honest, too. I think that's a really critical marker to go forward. you know, things are looking good. And honestly, look at the crowds all year. Long Beach was great. Arlington was great. St. Pete was good. Phoenix was obviously blended, you know, with NASCAR, but was way up on what they had over Xfinity or whatever it's called now at O'Reilly's. So the trend is certainly in the right way across the board, and that's what we want to see. It's just a lot of people, which is awesome. It's awesome.

Bruce Martin: Thanks, Graham. Pat O'Ward of Errol McLaren is one of the most popular drivers in IndyCar and is the face of the newer generation of Indy 500 fans that have flocked to the Speedway for the race. Here are O'Ward's thoughts on the sellout. This race is a sellout second year in a row. You're one of the faces of the series. Very popular, the Fox Sports commercials. How much do you feel like the entire country is really taking notice of IndyCar?

Pato O'Ward: Yeah, man. People want to be here. People want to watch the greatest motorsport event in the world, which is the Indy 500. This is my favorite time of the year. I love it. I love driving around here. I love the event. I love everything that goes into it. I consider myself a huge Indy 500 fan.

Bruce Martin: Do you believe you've helped move the needle?

Pato O'Ward: Have I helped the needle? I sure hope so. I mean, I don't really focus on, you know, oh, you know what, what have I done to help or whatever. I just, I, I just try and do what's best and also give opportunities to maybe people that don't, don't always have that opportunity comes and, and just get the word out there.

Bruce Martin: Six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion and 2008 Indianapolis 500 winning driver Scott Dixon has started 23 Indy 500s. May 24 will be his 24th. Dixon is a legend in the sport and gave his thoughts on what the sellout means. Second straight year, third time in the last 10 years the race has sold out. And to see the momentum of interest increase with the Indianapolis 500, you were here during some dark times. Now you're here when things are looking a lot better. So how does it look to you?

Scott Dixon: I don't know if there are any dark times. COVID maybe I think was just kind of the only weird one. But no, like I think the Speedway throughout its history is, you know, been sold out or on the verge of it. And, you know, I don't think that's changed much throughout. So, you know, I think anytime as a driver and as a team, when you get to come here and compete, you know, it's definitely a privilege. So, yeah, I can't say I've had any dark times here. You know, when you lose, sure, but that's one thing, but still being here for this event and being able to be racing in it is something very special.

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

David Malukas: This is David Maloukis, driver of the number 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. A big thanks to Team Penske's David Maloukis for leading us back from the break and into our next interview. It's none other than David Maloukis himself, driver of the number 12 Verizon Chevrolet for Team Penske, who is about to start his fourth Indianapolis 500, but his first as a member of Team Penske. Here is an exclusive interview with Maloukis for Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental. It might be a little bit early in the morning, but we're here at the Indianapolis 500, and keep an eye on our next guest because he's going to be in the fight for the victory. It's Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet driver David Maloukas. David, I brought up an interesting stat a little bit earlier in the general media availability that more first-time winners have won the Indianapolis 500 in their fourth year than any other year that they've started. This is your fourth year. The last driver to do that was Marcus Ericcson when he was at Chip Ganassi Racing. But do you feel in your fourth year you have all the necessary ingredients to win this race?

David Malukas: I mean, yeah, I definitely do. Being here at Team Penske, I got all the resources, everything underneath me to get it done. The only thing I'm missing is more years of experience. I just heard Joseph took him 12 years, right? But seeing how everything is lining up, we are in that good position, so we don't want You know, our hope's too high because there's still a lot of work to get done before we can get into those final few laps trying to fight for the lead, but if everything goes smoothly, we should be in that fight for the end.

Bruce Martin: Of all the teams that you've competed on, starting with Dale Coyne Racing and also with A.J. Foyt Racing, and now Team Penske, it seems like ovals are your strong suit. You've done very well on the ovals. You battled for victory in Dale Coyne's car, Gateway. What is it about oval racing that you have adapted to so well?

David Malukas: Well, it's something I just connected to so early on, you know, even before IndyCar, you know, even IndyNext, I was, you know, getting a lot of wins at these ovals and that's where we were kind of keeping that championship battle close between me and Kyle was because of the ovals. So, I don't know, it's something that really just clicked in my head. I understood him very well and it's interesting to say that now because when I first joined the Road to Indy series, I struggled with ovals and really didn't like them, but once I started to understand them and understand the cadence and the flow, it kind of just took off from there. You know, we want to kind of change that. We want to be known as a good driver everywhere, not a good driver just at ovals.

Bruce Martin: Well, you showed at Phoenix. You were very good in that race, was fighting it out for the victory. You won the pole. That doesn't really translate to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, because this is two and a half miles, where Phoenix is one mile. But just the nature, the precision that it takes on an oval, the timing, the rhythm. Is this a rhythm track?

David Malukas: 100%. Very much a rhythm track. That's actually very well put. It's all about rhythm, just having that cadence. You know, with this track, I think the biggest issue is people trying to turn in early. You know, especially today when we get this boost up, you're really going to want to be turning in early. And I think once you get to that rhythm of turning in a bit later, being right on the edge of where the marbles are just about to pick up, that's the fastest way around this track. But if you can get that

Bruce Martin: Entry turn and right the rest of it kind of flows and you have that rhythm building And then you just take it one step at a time lap by lap corner by corner But how much does that rhythm change in the race because the boost levels won't be as high in the race There may be fuel saving strategy there may be just with the nature of the race Different things you got to do and you got to make those decisions as the race goes on So, how do you adjust the rhythm in the race?

David Malukas: again it's actually really well put that the race is a very different story i remember my first any five hundred race just from even the practice sessions that we've been doing we're so fast for the risk it was a race race fuel saving and i really took me by surprise my first in the five hundred races a rookie at dill coin uh… was just how different the paces and andy i think it's a shock to everybody when you're saying this you know it's slower and as a being It's a completely different setup. You know, when you're at those lower speeds, you're creating less downforce. The setup is being very different and it takes you by surprise. But I think for me going into, what is it, my fourth year for Indy 500 and having this incredible team behind me, you know, we have that information and we know where to put the setup that once that speed slows down, we know where we got to put the car.

Bruce Martin: It's your fourth year at the Indy 500, but your fifth year as an IndyCar Series driver. I hate to bring this up, but in 2024, you were a spectator at this race. And for a driver who has worked his whole career to be at the Indy 500, how much did it really hurt being a spectator that year?

David Malukas: You know, it hurt in many ways, but at the same time, it was very special. Ever since I was a little kid, I haven't been able to experience the Indy 500. And I mean, as a kid, my memory, I can't really remember much, maybe got a lot of car crashes in the Indy car, maybe knocked my memory out. I couldn't really remember much so that year was actually to me the most enjoyable Indy 500 because I was able to experience what it was like to be a fan again and it really gave me that different perception of like how special this race truly is. You know, hearing these things that you don't hear in the car, the fans cheering when you're crossing the line, 350,000 people. I mean, it's crazy. You can't even picture in your mind what that feeling is and it truly, I mean, I got goosebumps. The whole, I mean, this facility is huge. When you have that many people in unison, cheering and screaming. I mean, it's shaking, this whole facility, and that's something you don't feel in the car because you're already behind a motor that's shaking. So for me, it was very special. I loved it. I was able to experience so many different things that I, including also the snake pit, but also gave me that drive to get back into that car, you know, realizing, wow, this race is truly something different than any other race out there. I got to work my butt off to make sure that I can get back into an Indy car and not just back into it, but be performing. where did you watch the race from whose team did you hang out with most stories for me i actually hang out with the indycar media crew uh… i was doing you know not racing the car was in tiktok so it was a bit of a different different game but i will actually so i started the race i got some seats up in turn one so i watched the race from turn one uh… and then after the start watched the first ten laps we went back to the media center just you know they have all the screens there and they can get some insights i was looking a lot of that listening on radio cues uh… and at the end actually we uh… i was just with my friend we ended up just watching right outside here at the media center currently where we are now on this fourth floor just on the balcony we were watching uh… the race start from there and looking at the back because it was also pretty warm day it was very moist from the rain too so for me we were trying to stay in the a.c. a little bit but at the end of the race i mean yeah and then we started running and we wanted to be close because of the victory podium we wanted to be there and we know how chaotic it is so we stayed in that media center just so we could be close to the action you went to the state that what did you think of that i went there at eight a m on race day and i couldn't believe the energy the the people that were there it was it was awesome it was my cup of coffee that morning cuz i was like man i'm up so early it's it's tough to get going but because i was up at four a m i'm not gonna get the driver specialties anymore of being here at the track uh… you know twenty four so i wake up for a try to get into the tracking It was outrageous. It was so cool, so much fun. 8 a.m., having a full-blown concert. It truly kind of got into this sense of, hey, it's 5 p.m. somewhere. Because once I left the snake pit, I was wide awake, and I thought it was the middle of the day. So it was a good energy boost to start everything. What do you think of this year's Snake Pit lineup? I think it's pretty good. Honestly, I knew a few of the guys, but I didn't know many of them. But I know Daley's heavily involved in that stuff, and he knows kind of what's trending, what's not. So he's got that all planned out. Because I didn't know anybody from the 2024 Snake Pit when I went there, but all those guys were fantastic, and obviously everybody loved them.

Bruce Martin: Do you ever sit back and say to yourself, I'm at the Indianapolis 500 driving for Roger Penske, and have that moment of awe of what this role means?

David Malukas: Well, it happens every time he's calling me. I can't believe it. I literally have the Roger Penske calling me on my phone asking me how the racing's been going and giving me advice on where to go, what to do. I mean, it's incredible. Like, this was a dream come true for me and not only me, but my family. You know, they went into the trucking world, they also loved racing, and who else checks those boxes? That really started everything in kind of creating motorsports what it is today, and that is the captain, the Roger Penske. Started from you know, Penske trucking, Penske leasing, all these things, and end up into Team Penske themselves. And my dad, you know, idolizes him. That's who his idol was. He wanted to follow that same path. And again, also helped me with my dream of becoming a race car driver. So it's all special all around. And I mean, my dad still gets so pumped up anytime Roger's calling him or texting him. He's always showing everybody. He's like, look who's calling me. You know, it's so special. It's awesome. And he still does it to me, too. And I'm like, hey, you know, I have his phone number, too. You know, he calls me, too. What do you mean? It's good.

Bruce Martin: When you drive for Roger Penske, you got to buy a lot of dress-up clothes because there's a lot of corporate dinners, a lot of sponsored dinners and appearances. So what's it like to have those end of the month of May scheduled when you're out here all day running laps and practice or getting ready for the race, but you've got a lot of responsibility because being a Team Penske driver is more than just driving the race car.

David Malukas: You know, and going into it, I was like, oh, I've got to do these appearances. But after now experiencing it, it's honestly, I truly enjoy them, because you get to meet so many fantastic people. And now, the amount of contacts I have, it's incredible. I've met so many great people, from friends to also help with family and B2B and all these things. Everybody's also like-minded. They all like racing in that world, and it also gives me another good excuse to start dressing up. You know, now I only had one suit before joining Team Petski, and now I have about five or six. You know, it's cool. And for me, it gives me an excuse. I get to dress up. I get to, you know, play a doll. It's about time. I'm 24 years old, so now I get to feel like I'm finally growing up, so I like it.

Bruce Martin: And what's it like to be able to have Rick Beers as somebody that you can get advice from? And just listen to his stories, because Rick is really, he's one of the legends.

David Malukas: It's like, you know, it's like trying to get this really expensive information in maybe a rare podcast dive where you have to really try to dig in, but now I have him here at the team and I can just talk to him whenever I want. It's truly incredible. already had a conversation with him uh… actually just two nights ago at a dinner and he was telling me all these stories you know the burns you know having all these fires all these things it's it's it's so cool and you know the pit lane stories how there's no pit lane speed back then there's no limit to how the speed was coming in i mean it's unreal the amount of stories that they had uh… and it's also just that the advice that he's been giving me and able to pick up off of it uh… it's special right and for me the whole time it is hard and it reminded me a lot of roger penske that when you first meet them it's a superstar you know you try to meet this person but you're you're you're timid you're scared cuz it's like oh my gosh it's it's the russian president's poets the brick mirrors i'm sitting next to the brick mirrors But he came across as so friendly. It almost made me feel like I was part of the family already. And within five minutes of having a conversation with him, my guard went down, I felt comfortable, and I'm like, hey, it's my friend Rick Mears. And then I left that dinner saying, oh my gosh, it's my friend Rick Mears. How special is it to say that?

Bruce Martin: You're 24 years old. your Generation Z, it seems like that generation has discovered that the Indianapolis 500 is cool. If you'd come to this race maybe eight years ago or come to this race 15 years ago and looked at the crowd, it was an older crowd. Now it's a lot of people your age and even younger. Do you feel that you're the face of that generation on the track? And also, how important is it for that generation to discover how cool the Indianapolis 500 is?

David Malukas: Well, I don't know if it's the face or not, but, you know, for me, it's so important to get this Gen Z audience. And, you know, and I saw that when I first joined IndyCar. I saw that it was slowly starting to get there, but still was a very much of an older crowd. And, you know, I said, you know, this needs to change. We need to get the word out there. IndyCar is so special and people need to see it. I think, you know, through COVID actually was where everything happened. You know, people got stuck inside and I think it wasn't just an interest that built up an IndyCar, but I think it was in motorsports in general. We had a massive explosion and people really got into it. And now you're seeing these younger audiences coming in. Seems like a sold out feel that the Indy 500 now is turning into a normal. And it's something so special and so cool to see. And it makes me really happy to say that, okay, the future, I think for IndyCar, at least for the next, 20 years seems to be solidified with this younger audience coming in and I am very excited to keep pushing forward, you know, and I think speaking with IndyCar, IndyCar Media, Entertainment, all that stuff, seeing everything they've been doing, this is a goal that we need to work on and I think it speaks for itself, right? If that's anything special that we're doing, all we're doing is trying to get the word out there, hey, this is IndyCar and people see it and say, wow, that's really cool.

Bruce Martin: he's the face of generation z in any car but the baby boomers love him too our guest on pit pass indy presented by penske truck reynolds david maloukas david good luck in the hundred and tenth indianapolis five hundred will keep our eye on the number twelve rise in chevrolet and thank you for joining us today on pit pass indy presented by penske truck reynolds thank you bruce that was a good line Another storyline at this year's Indianapolis 500 is Catherine Legge attempting to become the first woman to do the double by competing in both the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Legge is competing in the Indianapolis 500 for HMD Motorsports with A.J. Foyt Racing and in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway for Live Fast Motorsports owned by driver B.J. McLeod. If she is able to compete in both races, she will be both the first woman and the first foreign driver to attempt the double. Here's an interview with Legg from the start of Indianapolis 500 practice earlier this month. All right, you're the story of the hour at the moment, so tell us how it all came together.

Katherine Legge: Well, it's been a couple of years in the making. I knew that at some point in time it would be something that we looked at doing, but didn't anticipate it being this year. I think it's just, it's a very cool opportunity that kind of came up via, you know, obviously Indy was first and when that I don't know, shoe dropped? What am I trying to say? Stone dropped? I don't know what the saying is. Domino fall, thank you Jenna. Then there was a lot of talk about it and we thought, well, why not? It might be the only opportunity I get. It might not be. But I might as well take it while the iron's hot. It's one of those really cool things that not many people get to do. I'm in a very lucky position that I did the NASCAR races last year to be able to qualify, to be able to take part in them. So I'm excited. I'm also a little bit apprehensive because it's going to be a lot of driving. Not really. It was kind of pie in the sky at that point. It had been spoken about, but nothing really solidified until we were at Road America last week.

Bruce Martin: Do you think your endurance racing career will help you in this endeavor?

Katherine Legge: I'm hoping so. I really hope so because I was thinking about it and it's like doing a triple stint at Sebring and then waiting a few hours and getting back in and doing another triple stint only. It's probably way more excessive than that. But I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to eat, because I'm worried I'm going to be hungry of all the things. And how I'm going to stay hydrated, and whether we need an IV on the way to Charlotte, and things like that. And I've been very fortunate that Kyle Larson's been amazing. And he's obviously got all the experience and knows what he's doing, so he can give me all the pointers. So I'm in a lucky position having him to lean on.

Bruce Martin: Legg was asked about the importance of being the first woman to attempt the double.

Katherine Legge: Yes and no. I don't want to be the first woman because at the end of the day I always say I just want to be a race car driver. And it doesn't matter whether I'm black, white, female, male, whatever it may be. I think probably getting the opportunity to do this because I'm a female. So that does not escape me and I'm very grateful for it. And of course I want to do them proud because I know that there'll be a lot of eyes on me. But I think somebody said I was the first non-American to do it. And that's kind of cool, too. So I think being the first to do anything is cool. Being one of very few who gets to attempt to even race at Indy, even race at Charlotte, and then do both on the same day, looking back in 10, 20 years' time, whatever, I'd be like, yeah, that was kind of badass. I think I'm as fit as I've ever been. So I don't think that… should factor into it. I'm just lucky that I'm getting the opportunity to do it while I still have a career and I'm not too old and decrepit to do these things.

Bruce Martin: How open was AJ to having you on the team? He seems to be, he helped Janet Guthrie back in the 70s by letting her test his car. Just how open has AJ been on all this?

Katherine Legge: He's been awesome and Larry's been awesome too and actually there's a few kind of idiosyncrasies that we weren't aware of until this came up which is one of them was 50 years ago exactly this month was when Janet got lent the car by AJ to be able to attempt to qualify and then actually went to do the Coke 600 instead. And John Andretti, who did the double, did it racing with AJ Foyt. So it's like weird, serendipitous things that are kind of neat little facts. But the team have been wonderful. The series have been wonderful. Chevrolet have been wonderful. And of course, Elf. I think it's the energy around the group that we have together this year that is making it possible. Because I was like, are you guys crazy? What are we doing?

Bruce Martin: Have you had any chance with AJ?

Katherine Legge: Yeah, I saw him yesterday. He arrived yesterday on the way in and I obviously thanked him and said hi and saw how he was doing after surgery, so it was good.

Bruce Martin: Of course, logistics are going to be important to make both races on the same day.

Katherine Legge: I wish we did. And honestly, that's kind of above my pay grade, especially when I'm here every day on track 12 to six. I have I'm lucky. I have a bunch of people who are working on all that stuff. I think we have the helicopter sorted. Pretty sure we're close to having the plane sorted. There's also going to be a bunch of people coming with us right on the transition. So It's making sure that we have the space for them and they're well catered for and I have what I need. And, you know, the people on both sides are communicating. And, and so logistically it's a lot. Um, but luckily that's not a Catherine problem.

Bruce Martin: What are legs goals for each of the two races?

Katherine Legge: I think obviously the first aim is to finish both races. I would have said that I was going to have a really good car here. I hope that's still the case, because the AJ Foyt and HMD teams have been working diligently to make that so. We had a really good test. Yesterday didn't go according to plan, but I think we know what the problem is. So I'm hoping to have a good result in Indy. Charlotte will be my first time there in a cup car. I'm still relatively new on Oval, so I think to finish that race would be a result. If I can finish both of them, I think we would have had a really good weekend. Oh, it's already started. I'm looking, but they're never right, are they, Sarah? We'll see. I mean, it will be what it will be. The thing's out of my control, I can't worry about.

Bruce Martin: If it does rain, does the 500 have the priority?

Katherine Legge: Yes.

Bruce Martin: How open was AJ to having you on the team? He seems to be, he helped Janet Guthrie back in the 70s by letting her test his car. Just how open has AJ been on all this?

Katherine Legge: He's been awesome and Larry's been awesome too and actually there's a few kind of idiosyncrasies that we weren't aware of until this came up which is one of them was 50 years ago exactly this month was when Janet got lent the car by AJ to be able to attempt to qualify and then actually went to do the Coke 600 instead. And John Andretti, who did the double, did it racing with AJ Foyt. So it's like weird, serendipitous things that are kind of neat little facts. But the team have been wonderful. The series have been wonderful. Chevrolet have been wonderful. And of course, Elf. I think it's the energy around the group that we have together this year that is making it possible. Because I was like, are you guys crazy? What are we doing?

Bruce Martin: Have you had any chance with AJ?

Katherine Legge: Yeah, I saw him yesterday. He arrived yesterday on the way in and I obviously thanked him and said hi and saw how he was doing after surgery, so it was good.

Bruce Martin: On Sunday, May 17th, Legg officially qualified for the Indianapolis 500 and will start 26th, the inside of row nine, after running a four lap average of 229.456 miles per hour. Here are Legg's thoughts after qualifications. Catherine, you got that part of the Indianapolis 500 out of the way. You qualified pretty well, so how do you feel about that?

Katherine Legge: I know I should be saying everything's wonderful, but honestly I wish we'd qualify better. I think we were unfortunate with the 33rd draw and going out when it was the hottest and the windiest that it's been. But the team have done a phenomenal job getting me a car that's fast and comfortable in normal conditions. And so I think we'll have a really solid race car. At the end of the day, it's not really that relevant over 500 miles, whether you start in P12 or P20. Yeah, to New York, back, and then they keep you pretty busy in Indianapolis for the month of May, you know, with all the media stuff they have going on. And then, obviously, you've got the autograph session and the parade and the drivers meeting, the public drivers meeting. Like, they do a lot of really cool stuff for the fans. So I will be here taking in and soaking in every minute.

Bruce Martin: How big of a challenge will the NASCAR portion of your double be?

Katherine Legge: I mean, I think ask me in about eight days, but I'm anticipating it's going to be a challenge. I'm actually looking forward to it being 600 miles because every time I go out, I learn and I get better because it's also relatively new to me and I've never driven a cup car at Charlotte. I would imagine that over the course of 600 miles, it will sort of become more like second nature to me. I think the car handled really well. I was maybe slightly too proactive with the tools to counter the understeer that builds, typically over a run here. But the car felt pretty good apart from the wind obviously catching it. I think we put too much downforce in to kind of counter the conditions because it felt like we could have gone lighter on downforce. We didn't account for the downforce changing the speed and therefore the gearing. So we were very laggy. And I think that's what cost us more than anything. But you live and learn. And as I said, it's moving on from this to the race. I would say that it's a little bit more edgy on the rear. When you have the feeling that the rear is going to go, it's a little more snappy. But it really hasn't changed it that much, apart from now you've got a whole lot more bums to worry about.

Bruce Martin: Good luck.

Katherine Legge: Thank you.

Bruce Martin: Legg was asked if she had a standby driver that would start the Coca-Cola 600 in the event the start of the Indianapolis 500 is delayed because of rain.

Katherine Legge: Yeah, we're actually talking about who that might be at the moment. We've got a couple of options and we're looking into it. We obviously don't need a reserve driver at Indy because I'll be here before I go there. I'm doing it slightly differently to the likes of Tony and Kyle and everybody else who had full-time NASCAR rides and points and everything else to think about. You know, we're here for the duration and then we'll go over there and see if I can impress some NASCAR folks and get some more races towards the end of the year.

Bruce Martin: And who are the options?

Katherine Legge: Who are the options for what?

Bruce Martin: The fill-in.

Katherine Legge: Oh, I don't know that they've told me that yet, actually.

Bruce Martin: Kiffin Simpson of Chip Ganassi Racing is preparing for his third Indianapolis 500 and will start seventh, the inside of row three, after a four-lap average of 230.883 miles per hour in the number eight Sunoco Honda on Sunday, May 17. Prior to that, I asked Simpson his outlook for the Indy 500. How much better prepared are you for this 500 than when you showed up here, your first couple?

Kyffin Simpson: I feel a lot better prepared, especially compared to the first 500. A lot of development since then and a lot of progress in the right direction. So compared to the first one, it's a big difference. But even to last year, I feel a lot more comfortable and just confident coming into this race.

Bruce Martin: Pit Pass Indy caught up with Simpson after his qualification attempt for this interview. Kiffin, good job making the Fast 12. Obviously, that was your goal, but all three Chip Ganassi cars made it into the Fast 12. So how big of an accomplishment is that for the entire team?

Kyffin Simpson: Yeah, it's great. I think the Chip Ganassi Racing guys did a great job all week and all through the offseason as well to make sure we had fast cars. And they've done that well, and it's showing up today. And now we just got to go put all three cars in the Fast Six. Yeah, it felt solid. I was super comfortable out there and was able to keep my foot pinned from the outlap, so yeah, I'm super happy with it. I'm just praising the Lord for a solid fast 12-foot appearance today.

Bruce Martin: You're going into the Indianapolis 500 driving for Chip Ganassi. You're in a car that won this race back in 2022. How confident do you feel that you could be the winner?

Kyffin Simpson: Yeah, you know, very confident. At the end of the day, I just trust the Lord that whatever happens is His will and we're just gonna go out there and I'm gonna make sure I do my job and I know the team's gonna do theirs.

Bruce Martin: Thank you. Thanks.

Bruce Martin: Ryan Hunter-Reay won the Indianapolis 500 in 2014 and the NTT IndyCar Series Championship in 2012. Hunter-Reay is now an Indy-only driver and this year he is racing for Arrow McLaren. Last year, Hunter-Reay drove for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and led 48 laps in the 200-lap race before running out of fuel on lap 169 while leading the race. After filling the car with fuel, Hunter Ray attempted to leave Pit Lane, but the engine quit after it had been starved for fuel prior to that. Pit Pass Indy asked Hunter Ray how much the thought of last year's race hurt. How much did last year's 500 really hurt? You had a chance to win the race and then it all just came to an end.

Ryan Hunter-Reay: It's hurt more than anything I think I've ever faced in my career. When you consider the fact that I hardly slept over the whole weekend, the team stayed up for more than 48 hours building what was As our primary car burnt down, what was our pit stop practice car with an electric motor in the shop, to put it on track on race day for the first time going through turn one, it ever having been driven in anger, and then to be in the spot to win the Indy 500, it was going to be like, it was going to be a story like, you know, this year's Derby, you know? And to just get that close, considering when you look at the timing of scoring, I would have come out in front of Palou with two lap cars between me and him, That would have been a position that I have the experience to manage, so. And the key point is everything I'm saying is would've, right? It's racing. We got a little greedy on the fuel. We went an extra lap that we shouldn't have. And I knew when I came through turn four to that last stop, I felt it cough and fall on its face. I knew we were done at that point. The engines continued to run at low pressure on the stop, but once I touched the throttle pedal, It was, it was day over. So, uh, yeah, I didn't sleep. I didn't, I probably slept two hours a night for the next like four after that. Just thinking, honestly, thinking of what that would have been, that story that would have been and, uh, seeing my family, you know, in, in Victory Lane and, and, Man, just the emotions behind it, because everybody was just absolutely wrecked before we went into the race, so.

Bruce Martin: Thank you. Thank you. In Sunday's qualifications, Hunter Ray qualified 22nd, the outside of row eight with a four-lap average of 230.202 miles per hour in the number 31 Chevrolet. Here are his thoughts after the run. Ryan Hunter Ray back for another Indianapolis 500. You said that the car's lacking just a little bit. Where is it lacking?

Ryan Hunter-Reay: It's lacking speed overall, mile an hour. I've had that here before. Unfortunately, I'm kind of experienced in that realm, so I know what to do from there, and that's focused on the race car. Not expecting a whole lot from today, but the 31 prize-picks Aero McLaren team, it's been not for any lack of effort. They've kept after it. Chevy's done a great job, and unfortunately, this is just It's the tricky part about this place, you know? I've been here years where I'm on the front row, come back the next year and I can barely keep myself off the back row. So, yeah, strange place and we love it for it, I guess.

Bruce Martin: So you don't believe you have a shot at the fast 12?

Ryan Hunter-Reay: That is an accurate statement, Bruce. Yeah, we lost drive. We lost drive in the gearbox yesterday and, you know, it's just been some stuff that has sidelined us, that kept us from some track time, but honestly, right there, not as trimmed as anybody else out there. It's just, it won't go, so it's how it goes sometimes.

Bruce Martin: The year you won, you came from pretty deep in the field, so you know it can be done.

Ryan Hunter-Reay: Yeah, I mean, the year I won, I came from 19th to win it, but, Last year, I think I qualified 24th to 25th and almost won it, so it's a race, you know? Anything can happen.

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

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

Bruce Martin: Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy presented by Pesky Truck Rental. Rain washed out Saturday's first day of qualifications that would have set the field for the Fast 15 and would have locked in the top nine drivers and positions 16 to 33 in their positions. But with the first complete washout of a qualification day at Indy since 2008, the final 15 round was scrapped, and all three rounds were contested on Sunday, May 17th. That included qualifications for the entire 33-car lineup, with each entry getting one four-lap attempt. Once that was completed, the fastest 12 cars advanced to the fast 12. The fastest six cars in the Fast 12 advanced to the Firestone Fast Six. Because it was a very hectic day for all, we got the thoughts of many of the top drivers after their initial round of qualifications, when all 33 drivers took their four-lap qualification attempt. The first on the track was Scott Dixon, who will start the race 10th, the inside of row four, after running a four-lap average of 230.347 miles per hour. Scott Dixon, your 24th qualification attempt for the Indianapolis 500, but you've never had to do it where there was no, that was the only run that counted. Basically, you didn't have a chance to pull out or go later, this was it.

Scott Dixon: Yeah, and it's gonna be tricky out there, you know. I didn't run the car since, you know, Friday night. Obviously, nobody ran yesterday, and then we decided not to run this morning. You're always hoping for a little more speed. I thought we would have been in the 232s there, but track conditions are definitely a lot different than what we've had, so it's pretty slick out there. The wind's interesting, and the way it's catching the car, and obviously the humidity and a bit of stuff, so it's not ideal conditions, but for us, I think, you know, Kitt's pull to go first was pretty strong.

Bruce Martin: Is it going to get slicker for the cars that go up later?

Scott Dixon: Yeah, like, honestly, track temps should go up maybe another 15 or 20 degrees. You know, the wind's going to pick up a little bit, but then it'll be the same, hopefully, You know, we make the fast 12 and get a crack at, you know, that around 430, it's going to be pretty, pretty tough. It's a lot different when you're going, you know, 240 miles an hour opposed to, you know, maybe a top speed of 224 or something. When you're in race, you know, trim, you've got a lot bigger working window to work in, obviously, because of the downforce and, you know, just to set up the car, the speed's a lot slower. So, yeah, it's, you know, I guess you go into qualifying, hope you make it through turn one, you got a 50-50 shot at it, and today worked out. I don't know, I feel like, yeah, I don't know. I think maybe in my early years we did just the one run, I can't even remember. Even if it's only a one and done, you still want it to be perfect, and we've had years where it hasn't been. Luckily we've been able to go back out. But the downside of if you don't get it nailed in your first one is that typically track conditions get worse throughout the day. So the emphasis is still especially to get it right on that first one. and try not to think about that it's your only shot.

Bruce Martin: Rinas Fike of Juncos Hollinger Racing had another fine qualification effort and starts next to Dixon in the middle of row four after a four-lap run that averaged 229.585 miles per hour in the number 76 Chevrolet. It doesn't really matter the team you're on, you're still fast around here, so how good do you feel about your run?

Rinus VeeKay: As long as I'm with Chevy, yes, for sure. Yeah, that was a good run. They really know what they're doing as well at JHR. The car's fast, the car's really well prepared as well, so I'm not shocked to see us that quick, but it was definitely kind of… I didn't breathe as much during that run as I should have, for sure. It was on the edge.

Bruce Martin: It's going to get hotter and more slick as the day goes on, so do you think that you're in a good position right now?

Rinus VeeKay: Oh, for sure. The draw is turning out to really be a little bit of a blessing, I think. I think we should still be able to make it into the fast 12 anyway, but I think we can comfortably be in now. It's looking pretty good.

Bruce Martin: Thank you.

Bruce Martin: Dennis Hauger of Norway is an IndyCar rookie for Dale Coyne Racing. A few days before qualifying, I asked Hauger his thoughts on his first Indy 500. So how does the rookie feel about his first Indy 500? Excited.

Dennis Hauger: It's good to get these days underway, obviously, and build some momentum. We had quite a few issues on day one, so it was nice yesterday to just kind of build everything up. We know we've had some stuff to work on, so now it's just about trying to, you know, keep improving a bit step by step. But I'm just enjoying the month, having a blast driving around, you know, and over 320 miles per hour, so… Yeah, definitely a dream come true the whole month. And how does a rookie feel about having Romain Grosjean as his teammate? Obviously, never a bad thing to have an experienced teammate. So I think we've been working really well together so far this year. It's been a good team atmosphere and that's important. Yeah, obviously trying to take the bits of learning and looking at him as we go. It's probably the most I've been able to prepare for a race my entire life. I've never been able to do a bunch of test days and stuff before doing a race in any category. And obviously from a normal format, just having two practice sessions is still quite a bit for me from what I'm used to. But yeah, these days it's just such a massive amount of testing things, just trying to tune everything in and obviously at the same time try and keep it safe because if you crash around here it's kind of hard to come back from it in terms of car and all those tunings you've been building up to. Yeah, it's a bit of a different mindset, but still you want to go out there and try and improve every session. Experience, I think that's the main thing. Last year was my first time on ovals and I think I came out on the podium three out of four times, so we still had good pace. But it's just those small things about learning how to be good in traffic that I think takes a bit of time to get that last step up. And also understand what you need from the car to make it happen. So that's been the progress I've been working on. And I think we had a decent race in Phoenix. Obviously, except that spin, we came back from last to 15th. which I don't think was bad so definitely it's just about making it step by step and days like these are super important for me as a rookie.

Bruce Martin: How impressed are you by the knowledge that your team owner Dale Coyne has because he's been coming here for nearly 50 years?

Dennis Hauger: Yeah I mean It's hard, you know, because we have a lot of new people in the team and they've had that for several times every year coming here. So you kind of reset a bit, which I've seen. I think that's also one of the reasons they have struggled there in the couple of last years. So I think we've definitely made a step up from where the team was last year. And it's just about, you know, trying to tune things in and we might not be in the top in qualifying, but I think we can make something happen in the race. So that's always good to see. And having some really experienced guys like Pancho on my spider side, Dale obviously having a lot of experience around there, it's good to listen to them.

Bruce Martin: Thank you. Hauger qualified for the middle of row 10 with a four-lap average of 228.982 miles per hour in the number 19 Honda. Here are Hauger's thoughts after his qualification attempt. Dennis Hauger, you've made it through your first Indianapolis 500 four-lap qualification session. As a rookie, does anything prepare you for what it's really like?

Dennis Hauger: Definitely not. I mean, there is just a different kind of pressure, I think. But I think I'm pretty good at just numbing my feelings and going for it and focus on what I had to do. But for sure, it was a sketchy four laps, definitely fighting the car and being on the limit. I felt like we maximized what we had. It was not much more for us to give. We'll see next week. I think we have a better race car. We have been struggling with qualifying all the time this week. I feel like the team has for the last few years as well. I think we have a better package coming into the race. I'm confident we can move up a bit there.

Bruce Martin: As a rookie, the Dairy Association of Indiana is going to make you milk a cow on Tuesday. So have you ever done that before?

Dennis Hauger: I have not, so I'm looking forward to try it for the first time. Thank you.

Bruce Martin: Owner-driver Ed Carpenter is the hometown hero at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and will start his 23rd Indianapolis 500 on Sunday from the 13th position, the inside of row five. He qualified with a four-lap average of 230.829 miles per hour in the number 33 Chevrolet. Ed Carpenter, your 23rd Indianapolis 500 qualification attempt, but you've never had to do it with a one shot only.

Ed Carpenter: How different was that for you? Yeah, it's different. I mean, I'm used to the one shots in the later rounds. Had a great draw. Just the bounce kind of surprised me on the last lap. I don't know if I, I'm guessing I caught a gust. I went out of two. I had a huge huge load of understeer out of there that I had to lift for that killed the average. We should have been up a little higher, but that's the way it goes. We'll see what happens. It's definitely a difficult day right now, so we'll see where it shakes out. Yeah, I mean, it's obviously, it's harder. The field's so tight. Qualifying probably matters a little more than it used to, but our cars have been really strong, so we've got 500 miles. Wherever we roll off from, I know we'll be able to find our way to the front. I thought we were being on the conservative side. And I think downforce was right. We were just a little off on the balance. If I could do it again, I know what I'd do. And I think my teammates will be in good shape. We should be able to help them. So I feel like they'll have a good shot to make a run at it later today.

Bruce Martin: You can't hear it in the car, but when you hit the track, the fans go wild. So how special is that for you?

Bruce Martin: 51-year-old Elio Castroneves is back attempting to become the first five-time winner of the Indianapolis 500. He starts next to Carpenter in the middle of row five after a four-lap average of 230.811 miles per hour in the number 06 Honda at Meyerschank Racing. Castronetas, you almost made the Fast 12, but you're in the race. You were going to be in the race anyway. How do you feel about your car? How fast was the four-lap attempt?

Helio Castroneves: In your mind, what were you lacking? No, that was actually it. We did several simulations, and that's what we had. Unfortunately, we don't have the speed that the 60 has, but the balance, which I'm really impressed. Every time you went out there and did some changes, the balance has always been spot on. Super excited about that. But now, you know, seeing my teammates over there obviously gets you, like, why he's there. We cannot be there. But in the same time, I'm a team owner, so I'm happy that he's there. Let's fight for that pole position. I know what it is, but unfortunately, we don't have it, so… But at the end of the day, at least we have one car up there, which is great.

Bruce Martin: Did your car feel different with the high boost? Because we've had several drivers say the low boost of their car felt great, but with the high boost, they could never get it to work right.

Helio Castroneves: No, my car felt pretty much good, not only with the low boost and the high boost, same, which normally is not like that. So that's why I'm happy. Thank you.

Bruce Martin: Josef Newgarden of Team Penske won back-to-back Indianapolis 500s in 2023 and 2024. He will attempt to win the Indy 500 for the third time in his career, but will have to race his way up from 23rd starting position. Newgarden's four-lap average in the No. 2 Shell Chevrolet was 230.165 miles per hour. Joseph Dugard, I'm sure you expected a little bit more. What exactly happened on your run? That's what we had.

Josef Newgarden: You know, this place, it giveths and takeths. So, yeah, I'm ready to go racing. Excited to go racing with Shell Car and our team and they've been working hard and we'll keep working hard until next Sunday. Pretty solid. Pretty solid. That's just, that's the speed she wants to go. No, I could tell from the beginning of the week. You know, you know very early at this place, so. You know, it's what it is. Race trim would be a different conversation. Oh yeah, it's the same, doesn't matter. Cool, hot. Yeah, I knew where it was gonna… Maybe a little bit worse than I thought it was gonna be, but I knew it wasn't gonna be good. Thank you.

Bruce Martin: Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Global likes his number 27 Honda in race trim, but was disappointed in the qualifying setup after he ran a four-lap average of 229.607 miles per hour on Sunday. He will start on the inside of row nine. Kyle Kirkworth, certainly not what you expected in qualifying. Do you have any idea what was wrong? Was it lacking speed, handling?

Kyle Kirkwood: Handling was good. The car is very good. It's been good for the past… whatever, since we got here at the test, right? I've been very, very happy with it, very happy with it, and low boost, too. But for some reason, we turn up the boost, and we don't go that fast, and definitely don't understand why at the moment, so I can't tell you much. I mean, we worry about it, right? Because you want to qualify well, but at the same time, it's not going to matter next week, so we can't dwell on it too much. But it is a disappointment, right, to not be able to qualify for them, especially with the efforts that I know this team puts in. They work harder than anybody else out there, and to not be able to show it on the racetrack, it's not a good feeling. So we're excited to get back into race trim.

Bruce Martin: And also with the way this race has evolved, yeah, it matters where you start, but in some ways it doesn't matter where you start, because we've seen guys win this race from pretty far back.

Kyle Kirkwood: I mean, quite honestly, it's not new to us to qualify near the back, right? I've never qualified, and I don't think, inside the top 11 here in my five attempts. So this is nothing new to me, unfortunately, but at the same time, we know we can drive from the back to the front. We've got good race cars to do it, got the best strategists on pit lane, and we were very happy all last week in race trim, so that's what we're gonna go off of. Thank you.

Bruce Martin: Rookie Mick Schumacher qualified for the outside of row nine at 229.450 miles per hour in the number 47 Honda. Originally, the fastest rookie in the race was Keo Collette of AJ Foyt Racing, the 10th fastest after Sunday's qualifications ended. However, Collette's number four Chevrolet and Jack Harvey's number 24 Chevrolet for Dreyer and Reinbold Racing failed technical inspection afterwards. IndyCar officiating disallowed both qualification attempts and moved the two drivers to the back of the field. Colette will start 32nd and Harvey 33rd in the field of 33. Colette would have won the American Dairy Association of Indiana Fastest Rookie Award, but after the disqualification, that honor went to Mick Schumacher. The former Formula One driver was honored at Tuesday's Fastest Rookie Luncheon, where he had to milk a cow before the event. I asked the driver from Germany if he was up for the task of milking the cow. Mick, the big moment's getting here today, as a matter of fact. In a few minutes here, or about an hour, you're going to have to milk a cow at the American Dairy Association of Indiana Fastest Rookie Luncheon. Are you up for the task? Of milking the cow or being a part of the lunch? Well, both, but basically milking a cow. I know it's not, it's not quite as easy as it looks.

Mick Schumacher: I'm sorry.

Bruce Martin: Um, it's a tradition in Indiana.

Mick Schumacher: So there you go. I just wonder how, how, like, how do you know that it's harder than it looks?

Bruce Martin: all they've had the media try it before uh… that's why i have milking machines concern you know kind of speed up the process a bit there's a lot of traditions in this race that being one of them but the fact is you're the fastest rookie this year's indianapolis five hundred and there's a lot of great drivers whose names are on that list and there's also a lot of great winners who never were the fastest rookie so just to have that honor how important that is that to make schumacher

Mick Schumacher: Um, uh, yeah, no, it's obviously amazing and it's great to tell us to be there, but unfortunately, like I still, you know, it's a kind of a bittersweet because I know that I wasn't supposed to be that, um, you know, obviously it came through a disqualification. Um, you know, I feel like we're still. I'm still not quite satisfied about how qualifying went, just because I feel like it could have been a lot better. We had a lot more speed. We were supposed to be a lot faster. And so yeah, hopefully, in the future, we know what to not do, I'd say, or what to do better. So that's the aim. And to come back to the first question, yeah, I'm excited to experience all the traditions that are out here. I think there's a lot of them. Um, you know, I think it's, it's in some ways it's great to, to keep them in the way they are and to experience them, you know, year, uh, year after year. And, um, yeah, we're privileged.

Bruce Martin: Well, because this race is so steeped in tradition and you've driven on some of the greatest race courses in the world. Is it the traditions and the length of this event, something that really do you like it or does it surprise you? Because we've been here for a couple of weeks now. Yeah. Yeah.

Mick Schumacher: Um, I would say personally, I love, um, innovation and I love like going, you know, to the future and to the future of sick things. I know that's something that my dad also really enjoyed and it kind of like brought that into me. Um, you know, talking more about like race cars and stuff like that. Obviously in this event, I've noticed how a beautiful traditions can be. Um, you know, I know that some drivers have a certain tradition. I mean, I call him daily going to. So I think just going to the snake pit every year and it's pretty impressive how still the drivers build their own traditions out here. And I'm curious to see what mine will be. When I come back here, what I'll be doing again and whatnot. I know that obviously the golf course is super close. I really enjoy that. And I think that that could be maybe a tradition to go golfing at some point. And yeah, maybe. riding a bike out on the track.

Bruce Martin: And finally, I know that you won't really experience the full Indy 500 till race day, but so far, is it lived up to your expectations or has it exceeded your expectations? No, it's been great.

Mick Schumacher: It's been amazing to see all the fans here. I feel like they really make the event special. You can see how passionate they are for the sport, how passionate they are also to support the drivers. I think that's something that really stood out to me. I'm obviously very excited to see the whole place booming and full of crowds and go and race in front of them.

Bruce Martin: Well, good luck and maybe you can walk away from here Sunday night with the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year award. Yeah, that would be great. I'd probably prefer the bigger trophy. Paddle award qualified sixth with a four lap run of 230.442 miles per hour in the number five Chevrolet. Well, Pato, how would you assess your run, and are you happy with the car?

Pato O'Ward: No, I think it's the worst qualifying we've had all month so far, so hopefully it's enough to get us into the fast 12. I think we're sitting 8th right now, so I think it'll be tight, but I think we should be alright. We just got to make it better. Obviously, some guys are definitely making it work way better than we can, so there's plenty of room to make it go faster. Was the car loose? Was it twitchy? I'm just sliding around a lot, so that just makes it hard when you want to gain speed, but you can't really trim the car out because you're already sliding. So that's just how Indy goes, man. It can surprise you. Today's been very different to what we felt on Fast Friday. It's probably most representative to Fast Friday last year, but we've got a different compound of tire to set our bases off of, so we can't just translate the car directly. We've got to analyze a little bit harder and make it go faster, make it go better. The balance needs to improve.

Bruce Martin: But let's hear from Andretti Global Driver and 2018 Indy 500 winner Will Power after his qualification run that put him 19th on the grid. Will Power, is that about what you expected in qualifying or did you expect a little more?

Will Power: No, I expected a little less. A little bit better than I thought. I thought we'd be kind of fighting out the last row there just based on practice. It doesn't look like that's the case.

Bruce Martin: But as the track gets hotter and slicker, do you think there's an outside chance you could possibly hang on, or are you figuring 15th or 16th?

Will Power: Well, 15th or 16th would be very good. 20 in the 20s is kind of what I thought, but we'll see. It's been, I guess, more low-key, maybe a little less pressure there. It's been enjoyable, the car's been good, and obviously it was a bit of a surprise to us on Fast Friday how slow we were, but yeah, it's not bad, man. Not bad. The mystery of this place, but I would say, I reckon the wind has a lot to do with it. If you get a good wind and so on, I think that's probably the biggest, like for, you know, McLaughlin to go on the New Garden, be where he is. I mean, what is that? Is that wind?

SPEAKER_30: It's, you know, cars are all the same.

Bruce Martin: Well, you've had a lot of qualification efforts here, but never one where it was one shot only. So how intense was that?

Will Power: It was, yeah, it was just a matter of getting everything right. I was determined to put a really good, just solid four laps together, and we did that.

Bruce Martin: Next up is Andretti Global teammate Marcus Ericsson. Marcus Ericsson, is that 4-lap average about what you expected, or did you expect more?

Marcus Ericsson: I think my first lap was a bit faster than expected, so the car has got some speed there, but it's just been a handful for us since Friday with the high boost. The cars in the team have just been struggling, really. We didn't expect to be super strong in this attempt. But I still think, you know, like I said, I think the speed was a bit better than I expected, but just really a handful to drive was really tough out there. Is the car a bit twitchy or is it loose? Everything. I had everything on that run, so it was, had to work for it for sure to keep that going in the right direction. Yeah, I mean, I feel like our race car in the week practice has been really good. We've been a bit confused as a team, why when we turned the boost up and we went to quality trim, we seemed to lose a lot of performance to the competitors. So, that's a bit of a head-scratcher for us. But now we're going back to race trim and we, like I said, we felt as a team quite confident and competitive in the race situation. So, that makes us excited for next week. Yeah, but you have to remember the conditions today are so different to anything we've run. Open tests all last week, it's so different. We know these hybrids, with the weight back there, when the heat goes up like this, it gets really tricky. I think that's the thing to keep in mind for next week as well. If the race is going to be hot, It's going to be a tricky race. Even last year it was very cool on race day with the hybrids and then people were sort of handling okay. But I think it turns out to be a day like this next Sunday, it's going to be tough. It's supposed to be a day like this next Sunday. But I like that. I think it's fun when it's tough. I think it's challenging. It shows the best drivers, the best teams is going to excel in those conditions. So I think that would be fun and a good challenge. Thank you. Thanks.

Bruce Martin: Speaking of Marcus, here's Marcus Armstrong of Meijer Shank Racing. Hello, Marcus. Another Indianapolis 500 qualification attempt, only this time it was one shot only. So how did you like that? You had to get it right on the first attempt.

Marcus Armstrong: Yeah, I mean, the balance was strong. I think we got it right. Just missing some speed, really. I'm proud of the team. We've found some speed since last Friday, but just missing a bit. Yeah. You impressed by that speed that your teammate had? I'm very impressed with what they found. So unfortunately, we haven't been able to emulate that, but I'm happy for them. They've worked hard for it. I feel strong. Our race car is certainly strong. Yeah, and I don't know where we are at the moment, but I feel like we're sort of mid-pack speed and quality, so I'm confident we can make our way forward in the race.

Bruce Martin: You only do this format for the Indianapolis 500, but is the four laps fun, or is it intense, or is it anxiety filled?

Marcus Armstrong: No, I like it. I really do. It's one of those things where you just got to be pinpoint accurate. You don't have a lot of, you know, you get no chances to really warm up, so you just got to crack into it straight away, and I enjoy that. So it really tests the driver's skill? It certainly does. It tests commitment and accuracy with your lines. And bravery. And bravery, for sure, yes. Well, good luck in the 500. Thank you.

Bruce Martin: Two-time Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing was expected to qualify near the front. Instead, he will start 12th, the outside of row four, after a four-lap average of 230.995 miles per hour in the No. 75 Honda. Takuma, we kind of expected you to be in the fast 12, but more up toward the pointy end. Are you a little nervous?

Takuma Sato: Absolutely. We were in the bubble. Not great feeling to be honest, but really appreciate all the boys done a fantastic job as a team. We were a little bit out of balance and the car felt a bit druggie. Couldn't pull out the speed as we expected, but There's some fast cars lined up behind us, so hopefully we can survive, but not sure.

Bruce Martin: The fact that this was one time only, you had to make sure that what you had is what you had. Is this a day you would have probably liked to have gone out to do a little bit better, or are you just going to wait on it?

Takuma Sato: Yeah, what we have is what we have, everybody in the same condition. So, I don't know, we'll see, we'll see. It's not entirely huge, but we had some mystery things happening on this morning practice session, so at least the cars come back in the ballpark, but not as speedy as we wish.

Bruce Martin: In some ways, this is your bump day, because you're waiting to see whether you get bumped out of the Fast 12. Is that a little bit strange feeling for you?

Takuma Sato: Well, yeah, but I think at one second, oh, OK, so somebody goes faster. I don't know. It's nail-biting, isn't it? It's not great, but what we got is what we got.

Bruce Martin: As far as the race car, though, you're fast, so you gotta feel good about that.

Takuma Sato: Well, I hope so, yes. Yeah, we still need to work on quite a bit for the race car setup, but hopefully we'll be there.

Bruce Martin: Thank you. And now, let's hear the thoughts of Team Penske driver Scott McLaughlin, who will start on the outside of row three after a four-lap average of 230.577 miles per hour in the Pennzoil Chevrolet.

Scott McLaughlin: It was a hard run. It's probably the hardest run I've had here in six years, so super tough, but overall good to finish it, and we'll see where we end up.

Bruce Martin: On your last lap, did you get a little bit close to the wall?

Scott McLaughlin: Yeah, I think every lap I felt like I was close to the wall, so it was fun. just the heat, the wind, the way that the tyre's degged. So, yeah, I don't know. We'll see how it runs, how it holds up. I think it'll be interesting with my teammates here. So, yeah, I think the car's got plenty of pace in it, but we'll try, we'll see what we can do.

Bruce Martin: fact that it's one attempt only. So how hard is it to get that one attempt right?

Scott McLaughlin: Yeah, I mean, I think I was the most nervous I've been today just because it's one shot. I don't mind it, though. It's kind of exciting, but… you know, the tradition we shouldn't go away from, but it's kind of fun to do something different. Look, I said to him, I just wanted to, let's try and do the easiest hybrid deploy type. Sorry, I'm just watching the run. I thought I just wanted to do the easiest deploy ratio. I knew it was going to be difficult out there. It was just a matter of just putting it together. And yeah, I thought we did a good job. I would have liked my last lap to be a bit faster, but beggars can't be choosers.

Bruce Martin: Felix Rosenquist of Meyers Schenck was the fastest driver at the end of the Field of 33 and the Fast 12 sessions. That made him a favorite for the pole. Before we get to that part of the story, here's what Rosenquist had to say after his fast time in the 33 car session. Well, welcome to Fro-Mania, Felix Rosenquist. You really backed up what you had on Friday with the fastest lap so far in qualifications. So how good of a lap or how good of an attempt was that over four laps?

Felix Rosenqvist: It was really good. The car was really quick. The first lap was like perfect. And then I started losing the rear over the run and it got kind of sketchy the last two laps. And at that point, I was just trying to keep it out of the wall. But I knew the run was really good until then. So I was like, let's Let's make this a good one. So I still think we can, like always, you can tune a little bit. You can, you know, I think obviously having the car loose doesn't make it, doesn't make it faster, you know. So yeah, we'll try to go back and focus and see if we can polish it a little bit. Hopefully this one, I think it's going to stand up pretty good. So yeah, we're big, big focus on the big one today.

Bruce Martin: It would take quite an effort for you to not be in the Fast 12, so… But how big of a luxury is that? Sorry? How big of a luxury is that, knowing that you're probably going to be in it?

Felix Rosenqvist: Oh, it's great. I mean, the team did such a good job preparing the car. You know, we were close last year. We were fastest in Fast 12, and then we… Kind of did a miscalculation on the last run, and yeah, hopefully we'll have that shot again. I know it's a very rare thing to have the shot, so yeah, we'll definitely try to make the most out of it. Yeah, you kind of had to go for it a bit more than you normally do. I feel like on a normal day, you at least have the option to go back again, so… I was very committed like I got really loose in the last two laps and it's almost like if it was a normal day you kind of lift but I was just very committed to finish the run and I knew it was a good run as well so just happy I stayed out of the wall and will tune it a little bit and probably be pretty good again for a fast world. I think so I mean as I said I've Two times before, I've been fastest in Fast 12, so yeah, I hope this one could be the one, but I don't wanna, you know, it's still a long day to go here, and that was a tough run. Like, I really had to work in the car to bring her home, so yeah, it's definitely not easy to get it done.

Bruce Martin: If you win the pole here, how big of an achievement would that be in your career?

Felix Rosenqvist: Oh, massive, especially because I've been close before. You know, it's it was really we were annoyed last year. We couldn't get it done because we kind of felt like we had it. And also with McLaren a few years back, it's kind of the same thing. Alex stole it in the last minute. So, yeah, I have a bunch of pulls, but this one would mean a lot more than the others.

Bruce Martin: Thank you. Thank you.

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

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

Bruce Martin: Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy. The fast six was dramatic and it appeared that Alexander Rossi of ECR would hold onto the pole with two drivers remaining after he had a four-lap average of 231.990 miles per hour in the number 20 Chevrolet. But those two drivers were Alex Pillow of Chip Ganassi Racing and Felix Rosenquist, the fastest driver in both previous rounds of qualifications. Leave it to Palou to knock him off the pole with a four-lap average of 232.246 miles per hour in the number 10 DHL Honda. That left Rosenquist the last driver with a shot at the pole, but his speed over four laps at 231.375 miles per hour was only fourth fastest, and Palou won the Indy 500 pole for the second time in his career. His first was in 2023. I caught up with a disappointed Rosenquist for this exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview.

Felix Rosenqvist: and it wasn't happening. So I kind of knew already on lap one it wasn't going to happen. I just tried to execute the run and see, you know, kind of salvage it at that point. So it's kind of weird. I don't know. For me, it's a bit of a deja vu feeling. I've been in this situation two times before, going into P1 in Fast 12 and then not being able to execute in Fast 6. It's annoying. I really want this pole bad, but it's pretty easy to just switch to race mode now. Alex got the pole, big congrats to him. Honda as well, but yeah, just focus on the race now. It's brutal, man. You put everything into it, everyone on the team, and it's just annoying when you don't really know why. It was kind of the same last year. Now we know why, but this one we don't know why yet, so I just have to look into it. I think we did everything right with what we had. We came back very prepped for this one, but for some reason it just wasn't our day in the end. It was pretty similar, to be honest. I think my first one was very loose in the morning, and after that it was pretty good. Good balance. The track condition is pretty tricky. It's not a lot of grip, but it felt like a good run.

Bruce Martin: Did it more or less just look like Alex found speed in his car, or rather than your car, balance went away?

Felix Rosenqvist: No, I would say the opposite, because this condition was actually better than Q2, so we definitely lost speed. Because Q2 was the worst time of the day, we still did way better lap times. Racing can be like that, there can be a million reasons why, but obviously I feel like everyone under 60 deserves the pole today, but we'll be back another time.

Bruce Martin: But when you look at the big picture, you had speed when it mattered, except for that last run. So you got to be pretty happy with the car that you have going in the next Sunday's 110th Indianapolis Five-A.

Felix Rosenqvist: For sure, yeah. Looking from a race perspective, it's great. You know, we're in a really good position. It's just, yeah, I want this one bad. So a little bit disappointed.

Bruce Martin: And it's almost like Alex Bellows is a heartbreaker. He breaks a lot of drivers' hearts in this series.

Felix Rosenqvist: Yeah, I mean, that's what's cool though, you know, he's a very good competitor. He gets everything out of his car every run and it makes it even better, you know, when you, the few times you manage to beat him, it's extra sweet, you know, so yeah, great job to him, congrats on his run, and Ganassi and Honda as well. Yeah, back to race mode.

Bruce Martin: Well, good luck in next week's Indy 500.

Felix Rosenqvist: Thank you, thank you.

Bruce Martin: Here are Rossi's thoughts after he was the second fastest qualifier. And despite a crash in Monday's practice, we'll start the Indy 500 in the middle of row one. Well, Alexander Rossi, you nearly won the Indy 500 pole. It was a little tense there for a while, but you held it as long as you could until Alex went out. But a fantastic effort in qualifying for you. So how would you sum up the day?

Alexander Rossi: It's a good day, very challenging conditions for all of us and we didn't do the same thing once for all three of our runs so a huge thanks to the 20 car guys and girls and a really successful day.

Bruce Martin: You're guaranteed another front row starting position. That's got to be great for strategy. So far, it's been a really good month of May for you. Can it all add up with a second victory next Sunday? We're trying.

Alexander Rossi: We're doing everything we can. And I've got the tools at my disposal to do it. And just hopefully fate chooses us again.

Bruce Martin: Well, congratulations on a fine qualification day. And good luck in next Sunday's 110th Indianapolis 500. Thank you. Santino Ferrucci of AJ Foyt Racing will start fifth after running a four lap average of 230.846 miles per hour in the number 14 Chevrolet. Santino Ferrucci, you didn't win the Indianapolis 500 pole, but you made the fast six. You're guaranteed a great starting position for the 110th Indianapolis 500. So all in all, it's gotta be a pretty good day.

Santinio Ferrucci: Yeah, I mean, we gave it our everything. Really happy with the end result. There's nothing much more we could have done. But yeah, no, it's gonna be great for us come Sunday next week. It's just much better than we thought we'd be starting from.

Bruce Martin: How did the car handle on your run? Cooler conditions, you had the shaded front stretch. Was there any areas of the track where the car got a little twitchy?

Santinio Ferrucci: No, you know, I kind of unwound it a little early out of two just to see if I can get some speed out of it. But we didn't trim. I mean. We don't think we have a 232 in it, so we weren't gonna push our luck and wad one up. So, you know, doesn't pay anything to win today, pays everything to win next week.

Bruce Martin: Did you wake up today realizing that you were gonna be in the Fast Six?

Santinio Ferrucci: You had to be pretty confident about it. No, I woke up thinking I would run once today and put it real close to the Fast 12 and yeah, go racing. But yeah, to run multiple times, to be in the Fast Six, I mean, just shows how hard the guys have been working to get this car where it is, where it needs to be. During the break, did you have a chance to chat with AJ, and what did he say to you? No, I saw him afterwards, though, but he gave me a good handshake and said, great job.

Bruce Martin: So now it's on to the race. We've talked for the last couple of shows about you have this top 10 streak here at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Santinio Ferrucci: Why don't you just cap it off and get a victory? That is the goal next Sunday, so it'll be my 100th start as well, so fingers crossed the stars align and we make it happen. The numbers may add up for Santino Ferrucci.

Bruce Martin: 100th start in the Indianapolis 500. I say go ahead and be up there on that podium and get your face on the Borg Warner Trophy. Sounds like a plan. Chip Ganassi was a happy team owner as the seven-time Indianapolis 500 winning team owner won the Indy 500 pole for the ninth time in his career. Chip Ganassi, another Indianapolis 500 pole, and it's Alex Pillow. The kid, there's not anything he can't do, so how excited are you that he was able to knock off Felix Rosenquist, who looked like he was a prohibited favorite going into the Fast Six?

Chip Ganassi: No question, Rosenquist was up to speed there. I don't know what happened there, but, you know, I mean, it just, it's a testament to the team. It's the guys at the shop that are doing the work. You know, it's all that. It's all, it's the people that, you know, the people that make it happen. It's not me.

Bruce Martin: And there's no reason to believe that Alex Pillow won't be the favorite heading into next week's 110th Indianapolis 500. It's a hard race to win, but he seems to be the guy that is able to make the hard things look easy.

Chip Ganassi: Yeah, I mean, that's for you guys to say, not me. We still gotta go 500 miles, and a lot of things can happen between now and then. How happy are you right now? About as happy as I could be.

Bruce Martin: Well, Chip Ganassi, good luck. Congratulations on winning the Indy 500 poll, and good luck in next Sunday's 110th Indy 500. Thanks, Bruce. Finally, it's time to talk to the man who will lead the field of 33 to the green flag to start the 110th Indianapolis 500. It's Alex Pillow of Chip Ganassi Racing, who joins me for this exclusive interview for Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental, after he won the Indy 500 pole. Hello, Alex. Hello, Bruce. I don't know how you do it, but you always find a way to steal the moment. And you also broke a couple of hearts on pit lane today. There was a couple of drivers, Alexander Rossi and Felix Rosenquist, they thought they had a chance to win an Indianapolis 500 pole. All of a sudden you show up, your car gained speed in the fast six. When you got up today, did you think you could pull that off?

Alex Palou: I didn't know today, no. There's been days where I've been very confident about what we had, what we knew, and what we could do. But today, no. Honestly, I did not expect the speed that we gained in the Fast 6. We changed gears, we changed downforce, like we basically had a different car. because we wanted to get four pole and I'm so glad that it worked out. We saw that there was going to be a lot of wind on the back straight and we thought that it was going to be able to pull a taller gear and it did, it worked.

Bruce Martin: In the full field qualifications that started off the day where you only had one attempt, you had to make it work, and you had drawn 31st, I believe, which was pretty late when it was pretty hot during that session that started at 12 noon. Do you think in a lot of ways that draw helped you because in the fast 12 part of it, it was hot, but the car was properly prepared for it, so it worked in your favor?

Alex Palou: Yes, I think that being on the worst conditions on the first attempt, let's say, just to get in the fast 12 helped us a lot today. We were able to just kind of prepare our car for those conditions, for a really warm track. The conditions were not great on ambient neither, so for sure that helped us. It kind of made it tougher for us to get in the fast 12, that we barely made it. but it helped as you can see also Kiffin that was 12th in the fast 12 on the unqualifying first attempt and then almost made it into a fast six as well.

Bruce Martin: So you sneak into the Fast 12. You could have been starting 13th, but instead you're going to start on the pole. Second time in your career you win an Indianapolis 500 pole. The other was in 2023. You won it last year, I believe coming from 6th position. I was at 7th. But anyway, you won the race last year. How much does it help you by winning the pole?

Alex Palou: It helps a little bit, it helps just because hopefully it's going to be an easier start for us, but it doesn't mean much, honestly. We all know that it's 500 miles after a first pit stop, everything just shuffles a little bit, so it just helps us to have a cleaner start, hopefully, and just go from there, start working on our car. start working on our track position. But yeah, it doesn't, unfortunately, I wish it meant already that we were gonna have an easy win, but unfortunately here the 500 doesn't really mean much.

Bruce Martin: You say it doesn't mean much, but it means a lot to team owner Chip Ganassi. It was his ninth Indianapolis 500 pole, meant a lot to your crew. Yeah. To your team. And to me, yeah. And It's a wild celebration and I was going to say earlier that you've been the face of this race as a defending winner for the last year. Now you're going to be the face of it again for the next week. So just do you see that as the numbers could line up that you could be a back-to-back Indianapolis 500 winner?

Alex Palou: There's nothing I would like more to happen than that. Honestly, we've been working really hard to try and make it. I'm hungrier than ever to win another one, and hopefully we can make it happen.

Bruce Martin: I was standing next to Alexander Rossi and as soon as your first lap speed came up he walked off with his entourage because he knew that at that point he wasn't going to, you were going to knock him off the pole. What was it about that first lap, how did you get such a fast speed and then how were you able to maintain the consistency over the four-lap run?

Alex Palou: That big speed just came from trimming a lot and having a very tall six-gear to kind of help us with the wind. But I didn't know at that time if we were going to be able to pull it off or not. I knew we still had to maintain the car balance and make it to the finish.

Bruce Martin: In qualifications, teams will trim it all the way out to the point where does the driver sometimes start to say, hey guys, this is almost, are we sure it's going to stick to the track? I mean, does it get a little risky when they say, we're going to trim it out so much that you're going to have to really hang on?

Alex Palou: I knew the numbers, like I knew that we were going extreme. that we were going aggressive, but I trust these guys. I trust these guys that if they say this is the number, that's going to be the number. And I knew that we were going to be able to make it happen. They've been doing calls like this over and over and over again in different tracks and especially at this place. So I trust them with everything they think.

Bruce Martin: A lot of people thought, what's it going to take in 2026 to stop Alex Pillow, or at least slow him down? I'd have to say I don't think anybody's come up with an answer.

Alex Palou: Hopefully not. Hopefully not, Bruce. I don't know. It doesn't get easier. It just keeps on getting tougher and tougher. Yeah, we're very happy. We're very lucky for the momentum that we're having. But yeah, it's a lot of hard work.

Bruce Martin: But at some point, with all due respect, the crowd cheered your run, but they did hear a few boos. Yeah. Are you starting to hear a few boos now? Yeah. Because you're so good, you win so much, that eventually the crowd will turn on you because they may want to see somebody else win. But are you starting to hear a few more boos than you may have heard before?

Alex Palou: Yeah, I started hearing them this year, which is fine, it's good, I understand completely, but it just… means that we're doing something really, really good in the tank car at CGR. So yeah, I have to say I have a lot more fans and people that cheer for us than people against us, so that's all I care about.

Bruce Martin: I have to ask you though, I asked you earlier about did you gain more speed or did Felix lose the balance on his car and you responded with that you would gain more speed.

Alex Palou: Yeah, we gained more speed. I think he lost a little bit. Obviously, there's something that happened to him in the Fast 6, but we still gained a lot of speed. I think my best lap was a 32.0, 32.2 in Fast 12 and suddenly we did 32.8.

Bruce Martin: A lot of people like Felix Rosenquist. He was pretty, I don't want to say devastated, but he was down because he just lamented about how much he would really love to win an Indy 500 pole. And he thought this could be his chance. As it turned out, he's going to start on the inside of row two. But in a lot of ways, for you to be successful, you're going to have to break other drivers' hearts and spirits. You're a competitor. I would imagine you probably don't care.

Alex Palou: That's right Bruce, that's right. I've been on the other side as well. other drivers have broken my heart as well. So I'm just trying to enjoy while it lasts.

Bruce Martin: Chip Ganassi Racing got all three of its drivers into the Fast 12. Yep. Scott Dixon and Kiffin Simpson being the other. Everybody knows how great Scott Dixon is. He won the Indianapolis 500 in 2008. He's won six NTT IndyCar Series championships. Do you think a lot of people don't realize that Kiffin Simpson is coming, that he is turning into a pretty good driver.

Alex Palou: Oh yeah, the work he did today and all year, but today especially, like, pretty impressive. He came back, like me, from struggling a little bit and almost made it to the Fast 6. I think he qualified P7, like, it's pretty impressive. So, very happy for him, very happy for the team, getting all three cars up there in the Fast 12. And yeah, we're excited for a good race now.

Bruce Martin: You had Lucia and your wife Esther there to celebrate winning the poll. Is she starting to understand now what her dad does?

Alex Palou: No, she only thinks that my best friend is Firehawk and she loves it. She's like in love and a little bit afraid of Firehawk because she doesn't really understand that there's a person inside but she loves seeing it and she knows that daddy's friends with Firehawk so she thinks I'm super cool.

Bruce Martin: So it's late on poll night. I know that you're not exactly a party guy, but once all of your interview opportunities are over. How are you going to celebrate winning the Indianapolis 500 polls? Is it just going to be having the sense of satisfaction with your family over what you did, or are you going to have to go to celebrate some of it with the team?

Alex Palou: No, I know I have some friends in my family, my dad waiting at the bus, so I'll be there. I'm sure we're going to eat some more pizza and celebrate a little bit, but no crazy celebrations, just spending time together.

Bruce Martin: Don't eat too much pizza because you've got a practice session on Monday.

Alex Palou: I know, I know.

Bruce Martin: And that's going to be important because it'll be a two-hour session. I know. But Alex Below, I have a feeling that we'll be talking to you again maybe next Sunday night.

Alex Palou: I hope so.

Bruce Martin: Congratulations on winning your second Indianapolis 500 poll and good luck in your attempt to win your second straight Indianapolis 500.

Alex Palou: Thank you so much, Bruce.

Bruce Martin: And thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy.

Alex Palou: Thank you, Bruce.

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, Indianapolis 500 pole winner, Alex Pillow, and his team owner, Chip Ganassi. Also, drivers David Maloukas, Alexander Rossi, Felix Rosenquist, Santino Ferrucci, Kiffin Simpson, Scott McLaughlin, Scott Dixon, Rinas VeeKay, Takuma Sato, Ed Carpenter, Elio Castroneves, Marcus Armstrong, Marcus Ericcson, Will Power, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Josef Newgarden, Kyle Kirkwood, Mick Schubanker, Catherine Legge, Graham Rahal, Dennis Hauger, and IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway president, Doug Bowles, for joining us on today's 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 on 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.