Pit Pass Indy

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES gets the weekend off after hitting the road at Road America for last weekend’s action-packed REV Group Grand Prix. Pit Pass Indy host Bruce Martin brings IndyCar fans up to speed with the action from Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin and what to expect in the second half of the 2021 season. Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing drove his No. 10 NTT DATA Honda to victory for the second time this season and reclaimed his position as the leader in the championship standings. The Road America thriller featured231 on track passes, the most since the INDYCAR SERIES returned to this beautiful 14-turn, 4.014-mile road course in 2016. There were 194 passes for position, most since the return. There were also 11 lead changes among seven different drivers. Palou and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson are featured guests on this week’s episode of Pit Pass Indy as they join show host Bruce Martin with insightful interviews. Other guests includeformer Formula One driver and INDYCAR rookie Romain Grosjean, six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Scott Dixon and fellow drivers Kevin Magnussen, Conor Daly, Marcus Ericsson, Cody Ware and Oliver Askew. For more IndyCar coverage, follow me at Twitter at @BruceMartin_500.

It’s another action-packed episode of Pit Pass Indy, loaded with content from the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix at Belle Isle from June 12-13 along with a look ahead of the REV Group Grand Prix at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on June 20. Show host Bruce Martin has an all-star lineup of guests including Marcus Ericsson, who scored his first career NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory in last Saturday’s first race of the Detroit doubleheader as well as Sunday’s winner, Pato O’Ward. Martin also catches up with Penske Corporation President Bud Denker, who is also the promoter of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix. Denker recaps the highs and the lows of the weekend from the promoter’s standpoint. Three of the four drivers from Team Penske sit down with Martin for separate interviews including Will Power, Josef Newgarden and rookie driver Scott McLaughlin. Pit Pass Indy catches up with racing legend Dario Franchitti at Chip Ganassi Racing and also with Scott Pruett, who is working with rookie driver Jimmie Johnson as the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series star continues his transition as an NTT INDYCAR SERIES rookie. Martin’s final guest is four-time Champ Car Series champion Sebastien Bourdais of AJ Foyt Racing. For more IndyCar coverage, follow Bruce Martin at Twitter at @BruceMartin_500.

After taking a weekend off following the 105th Indianapolis 500, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES heads to Detroit for a weekend doubleheader in the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix at Belle Isle. It’s back-to-back races Saturday and Sunday, which means another weekend of double points are available to the INDYCAR regulars. Pit Pass Indy looks back at the other drivers in the top five at the 105th Indianapolis 500 as well as Rookie of the Year Scott McLaughlin from Team Penske and looks ahead to Detroit. Bruce Martin’s guests include Indy 500 second-place finisher and current NTT INDYCAR SERIES points leader Alex Palou, third-place Indy 500 finisher Simon Pagenaud of Team Penske, fourth place Pato O’Ward of Arrow McLaren SP, fifth-place finisher Ed Carpenter and 2021 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske. In a special “cross-over” between Pit Pass Moto and Pit Pass Indy, our final guests are the hosts of Pit Pass Moto, PJ Doran, and Dave Sulecki. The history of motorcycle racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway dates all the way back to the track’s opening in 1909. Balloon races were the first events ever held at the Speedway, but later that year, a series of motorcycle races took place before the first auto races were ever held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. More recently, IMS was the site of Moto GP from 2008 to 2015. We compare IndyCar and motorcycle racing in this special “crossover” interview. For more IndyCar coverage, follow Bruce Martin on Twitter at @BruceMartin_500.

The 105THIndianapolis 500 episode features 4-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves as well as Rick Mears, Michael Shank, Simon Pagenaud, Pato O’Ward, Conor Daly, IMS President Doug Boles, Penske Corporation President Bud Denker, 2003 Indy winner Gil de Ferran and Team Penske IndyCar Manager Kyle Moyer. INDIANAPOLIS – It was fast, it was fearless, it was dramatic, and it was historic. There aren’t enough superlatives to describe the 105thIndianapolis 500, but this episode we break down the May 30th Memorial Day Classic with the biggest names in the race. Show host Bruce Martin gives an in-depth interview with race winner Helio Castroneves, who became just the fourth driver to win the Indianapolis 500 four times in his career joining the greats AJ Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears. Bruce also interviews the man who became a four-time Indy 500 winner 30 years ago, Rick Mears, who was one of Castroneves’ mentors when he was at Team Penske. Winning team owner Michael Shank, stops by from the “Yard of Bricks” at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway the day after the race as does Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles. Other guests on this week’s show include third-place finisher Simon Pagenaud of Team Penske, fourth-place Pato O’Ward of Arrow McLaren SP, Indy 500 lap leader Conor Daly, who was out front for 40 laps on Sunday. Wrapping up the show are interviews with Penske Corporation President Bud Denker, 2003 Indy 500 winner Gil de Ferran and Team Penske IndyCar Manager Kyle Moyer.

INDIANAPOLIS – Start your engines early for Sunday’s 105thIndianapolis 500. This week’s episodei s a special preview of the “World’s Greatest Race” at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 30. Host Bruce Martin gives a complete tour of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with guests Scott Dixon, who won his fourth Indy 500 Pole on Sunday; the legendary racing hero AJ Foyt; three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves; two-time Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya; popular driver and 2013 Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan; two-time winner Arie Luyendyk; James Hinchcliffe; Conor Daly; and young racing star Colton Herta, who starts in the middle of Row 1. Also featured are interviews with Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar owner Roger Penske, who has five cars in the starting lineup for the Indy 500 and the drama it took to get all five in this past weekend. Michael Cannon is Dixon’s engineer and stops by to explain the great driver’s success and Penske Corporation President Bud Denker talks about the successful return of fans to this year’s Indianapolis 500 and what to expect the next race, the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.

They are on the track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the “Month of May” for the 105th Indianapolis 500 is underway. The action kicked off last Saturday with 20-year-old Rinus VeeKay of The Netherlands winning the GMR Grand Prix on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. VeeKay started seventh, was able to track down Romain Grosjean of France and use some brilliant strategy and a fast pit stop toward the end of the race to claim his first career IndyCar victory. VeeKay became the sixth-youngest driver to win in IndyCar history. The Dutch driver also gave Ed Carpenter Racing its first-ever victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was also a fitting “Welcome Home” for ECR team partner Tony George, whose family used to own the Indianapolis Motor Speedway before selling it to Roger Penske on November 4, 2019. VeeKay’s win continues a trend that began with Alex Palou getting his first career win the season-opening Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on April 18. Pato O’Ward got his first-career IndyCar win in the XPEL 375 at Texas Motor Speedway on May 2. Now, the focus turns to the 105thIndianapolis 500 as practice for the world’s greatest race began on Tuesday, May 18 and runs through “Fast Friday.”It’s Armed Forces Qualifying Day on Saturday, May 22 followed by the final day of qualifications on Sunday, May 22 featuring Last Chance Qualifying for the final Row 11 from 1:45 p.m. to 2:30 pm Eastern Time. The run for the pole and the starting order for the first three rows will be determined in Fast Nine Qualifying from 3:00 to 3:45 p.m. Eastern Time. A final two-hour practice for the field of 33 will follow from 5-7 p.m. Pit Pass Indy will keep you up to speed on this year’s Indianapolis 500 with another action-filled lineup that includes guests Rinus VeeKay, Scott Dixon, Jimmie Johnson, Arie Luyendyk, Ed Carpenter and Dale Coyne.

Pit Pass Indy is loaded with content this week as the “Month of May” kicks off this weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with three full weeks of activity culminating with the 105thIndianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 30. But action kicks off at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Friday with practice and qualifications for Saturday’s GMR Grand Prix on the IMS Road Course. There have already been two races this May, however. Texas Motor Speedway hosted a doubleheader weekend with the Genesys 300 on Saturday night, May 1 with Scott Dixon driving to another dominating victory for the second year in a row. On Sunday, May 2, 21-year-old Pato O’Ward scored his first career IndyCar win in the XPEL 375. Today’s show will take a look back at the Texas doubleheader. It was going to be the theme of last week’s Pit Pass Indy, but with the passing of three-time Indianapolis 500 winning driver Bobby Unser at the age of 87, we created a tribute to one of the biggest names in Indy 500 history. After the two Texas races we take a post-race “Pit Walk” featuring on some of the biggest stories that came out of the Texas doubleheader including race winners Scott Dixon and Pato O’Ward, Team Penske rookie Scott McLaughlin, four-time Indianapolis 500 winning driver Rick Mears, Team Penske race strategist Jon Bouslog, Graham Rahal, Tony Kanaan, Will Power, Colton Herta and Arrow McLaren SP team owners Sam Schmidt and Ric Peterson as well as team president Taylor Kiel. Our featured guest this week is Penske Entertainment CEO Mark Miles, who discusses the plans for 137,000 fans at this year’s Indianapolis 500, making it the largest sporting event in the World since the COVID-19 Pandemic began last year. We also discuss a variety of interesting topics with Miles.

This week begins with some sad news as three-time Indianapolis 500 winning driver Bobby Unser passed away late Sunday night after a lengthy illness at the age of 87. Upon reflecting on the life of this Indy 500 legend (who is also a 10-time Pikes Peak Hill Climb champion), a line from Dr. Seuss comes to mind: “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” Not only was Unser one of IndyCar racing’s most legendary drivers, he was also one of its greatest personalities. He was fast and fearless on the track, and talkative and controversial outside of the car. He won 37 IndyCar Series races in both the United States Auto Club (USAC) and CART. He also won 52 poles in his career. His Indy 500 wins came in 1968, 1975 and 1981. Once his racing career was over, Unser became part of ABC’s television crew that telecast the Indianapolis 500 and other IndyCar races on TV. His personality and bombastic style made him a fan favorite. The episode of Pit Pass Indy is entirely devoted to Unser as host Bruce Martin gives his highly personal reflections on a driver who was a hero as a youngster and became a close friend in life. Racing legend and 1969 Indianapolis 500 winner Mario Andretti, a friend with Unser for most of his career and one of his fiercest rivals, gives his thoughts on Unser. Also, four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears pays tribute to his former teammate at Penske Racing. Instead of recapping the doubleheader action at Texas Motor Speedway this past weekend, those interviews will be part of next week’s show on Pit Pass Indy.

ST. PETERSURG, FLORIDA – The 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season is off to a flying start and Host Bruce Martin keeps pace by providing interviews with some of the biggest names in the series like Colton Herta, Alexander Rossi, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Conor Daly, and Jimmie Johnson. Two races into the season and it appears that youth is not just served, it’s being showcased in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Twenty-four-year-old Alex Palou won the season opening Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park on April 18. This past weekend, 21-year-old Colton Herta started on the pole and led 97 laps in the 100-lap Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg to score his fourth career victory. That ties him with his father, Bryan, who is on the team’s radio calling race strategy for his son this season at Andretti Autosport. It’s the first time the two have worked together on the same race team and the results have so far been very impressive. Find our full show notes at evergreenpodcasts.com/pit-pass-indy. You can follow Bruce Martin on Twitter at @BruceMartin_500 and read more of his work at www.speedsport.com. Pit Pass Indy is a production of Evergreen Podcasts.

The 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season is underway after a spectacular debut weekend for a new driver at Chip Ganassi Racing. Alex Palou of Spain became just the third driver to score an IndyCar win in his Chip Ganassi Racing debut when the 24-year-old from Sant Antoni de Vilamajor, Spain led 56 of the 90 laps in the race to win Sunday’s Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park. The other two drivers to win in their CGR IndyCar debut were Michael Andretti in 1994 and Dan Wheldon in 2006. Last year, America got to know Alex Palou when the then-rookie driver from Spain had an impressive season with Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh. It certainly impressed team owner Chip Ganassi, who hired Palou to replace Felix Rosenqvist in the No. 10 NTT DATA Honda. In the first race of the 2021 NTT IndyCar Series season, Palou got to know Victory Lane. This was a race where so much attention was placed on a first-time driver for Chip Ganassi Racing. But instead of seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson in the No. 48, it was Palou in the No. 10. He defeated a charging Will Power by 0.4016 seconds. Palou was able to use a consistent driving style to keep Power at bay, as the Team Penske driver had nearly half of his 200 seconds of push-to-pass to use in the final 10 laps. Because Power was able to hit the push to pass button, he tightened the gap to just 1.2300 seconds to the leader as they raced around the picturesque road course outside of Birmingham, Alabama. Palou was able to fend off the pressure and stay 1.8311 seconds ahead of Power’s Chevrolet beginning the final lap. He drove to the first checkered flag of his career as he scored his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory. Palou was one of three Chip Ganassi Racing drivers in the top eight. Six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Scott Dixon was third and Sweden’s Marcus Ericsson was eighth. Pit Pass Indy caught up with Palou Friday at Barber Motorsports Park to talk to the popular Spaniard about joining one of the elite teams in INDYCAR. The featured interview for this week’s episode, however, is Jimmie Johnson. The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion is the first to admit he has a lot to learn and a long time to get there as he switches gears from a legendary career in NASCAR to an IndyCar rookie. Although he struggled with the results over the weekend, he kept the expectations low. He qualified 21st in the 24-car field, avoided a first-lap crash that was triggered when Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden spun, and was able to finish the race 19th, three laps down. Pit Pass Indy had a lengthy interview with Johnson a few weeks ago and he talks about the reason he parked his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in NASCAR to begin a new career in the No. 48 Carvana Chip Ganassi Racing Honda in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Finally, Pit Pass Indy caught up with McLaren CEO Zak Brown, who skipped this past weekend’s Formula One race in Imola, Italy to support his IndyCar effort at Arrow McLaren SP, that includes Pato O’Ward of Mexico and Felix Rosenqvist of Sweden. O’Ward won the pole and was one of the leading contenders in the race. All of that, and more, on this week’s edition of Pit Pass Indy.