The Race IndyCar Podcast

Alex Palou making a mistake is big news in the IndyCar Series, especially when it costs him a win, and that’s a huge talking point on this episode of The Race IndyCar Podcast.JR Hildebrand is back to discuss why this incident won’t matter for Palou, and also triggers a fascinating debate on what Palou’s form means for Scott Dixon’s career in light of his Mid-Ohio win.Hildebrand and The Race’s Jack Benyon also discuss Penske’s woeful form and its interesting decision to spurn outside help and promote from within to replace the senior leadership team it fired after the Indy 500 debacle.After hooning up Pikes Peak in a 1998 Hot Wheels NASCAR, Hildebrand provides an update from that event. And the hosting duo confirm that Hildebrand is scaling back his appearances on the pod for other opportunities, but he will be back!Want ad-free listening? Enjoy a 7-day free trial to The Race Members' Club on Patreon today - we even have an 'F1-only' tier! Check out the new items in The Race Shop - members get a 15% discount! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fox Sports analyst and six-time IndyCar race winner James Hinchcliffe joins Jack Benyon onthis week’s episode to review a brilliant Gateway race, discuss Will Power’s future and more.After being at the track, Hinch gives excellent insight into why this race - not normally an event he marks on his calendar - was a real thriller.And, with Will Power bagging a first pole since 2023, we discuss the two-time champion’s future, including why it’s such a complicated story and what might be causing any hold-up in a new deal.There’s also discussion of AJ Foyt Racing’s recent form, Christian Rasmussen bagging a first ever podium, and a look forward to next week’s race at Road America.Want ad-free listening? Join The Race Members' Club on Patreon today. Head to patreon.com/therace Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Live from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and overlooking the yard of bricks, Alex Palou joins The Race IndyCar Podcast just hours after he became the winner of the 109th Indy 500.Palou - with a croaky voice after all of the screaming after the win - breaks down the race winning move and how it was shaped by his 2021 loss to Helio Castroneves.But we also get into his career path from being discarded on the ladder to F1 and identifying IndyCar as a future option, and how his dad, Ramon, fit into that journey.We also discuss what's next for Palou in the long-term (winning a third championship in a row) and in the more immediate future (breaking the funk for Indy winners in Detroit), plus there's chat about Chip Ganassi’s role in identifying Palou’s talent, giving him the tools to succeed, and backing him through a rollercoaster few years where Palou tried to leave but eventually recommitted to the team.JR Hildebrand also joins right after the race to break down Palou’s success, Josef Newgarden’s incredible run in the race, David Malukas’s breakthough podium and more.Want ad-free listening? Get 75% off your first month when you join The Race Members' Club on Patreon today. Head to patreon.com/therace Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a stunning Sunday of Indy 500 qualifying action, Robert Shwartzman and Prema Racing gave us one of the storylines that will go down in the event’s long history, and he’s here to tell us about it.Shwartzman discusses the difficulty in putting his lap together, how the team went from nothing to being in contention for pole, what set up up to be able to achieve this, and more.JR Hildebrand - who calls Shwartzman’s Fast 12 run one of the most incredible things he’s seen at the Speedway, listen to find out why - joins to give a fascinating and in-depth look at how the hybrid unit has revolutionised this year’s event as well as breaking down Shwartzman’s performance.There’s also a run down of some of the other key storylines from qualifying. Please not this was recorded just as the news of two Team Penske cars being put to the back of the grid was announced, so that will be properly addressed in the next episode.Want ad-free listening? Get 75% off your first month when you join The Race Members' Club on Patreon today. Head to patreon.com/therace Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Romain Grosjean joins this week’s episode of The Race IndyCar Podcast to discuss his plan to turn his reserve role at Prema into a series return, while James Hinchcliffe joins to break down Long Beach.Grosjean discusses how he’ll help Prema’s drivers, how he’ll balance giving away his secrets against potential future on-track rivals, his desire to get back into the series, plus he even gives his plan for what IndyCar’s next car should look like (if he was in charge!).Elsewhere, Hinchcliffe helps host Jack Benyon analyse Kyle Kirkwood and Andretti’s position as a rival to Alex Palou, they look at Christian Lundgaard’s rapid assimilation at McLaren, break down how crucial strategies played out at Long Beach, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two stars of IndyCar’s season opener join this week’s episode of The Race IndyCar Podcast, with Christian Lundgaard and Will Buxton joining the show.There was plenty of talk surrounding Lundgaard and what he’d be able to achieve entering a McLaren team built around Pato O’Ward, and he discussing that and the expectation he placed on himself before his eighth-place finish which was basically the worst result possible in a weekend that could have been even better.He discusses his affinity with Barber after a recent test and his transformation there in 2023, plus how the epic first weekend impacts his season expectations.Buxton joins off the back of making his debut as Fox’s lead commentator for the IndyCar Series. He breaks down how the first weekend went with behind the scenes insight, talks about what to expect for the rest of 2025 and talks season and St Pete storylines with host Jack Benyon.LAST CHANCE: Get 90% off your first month when you join The Race Members' Club on Patreon today. Head to Patreon.com/therace Follow The Race on Instagram, X and FacebookCheck out our latest videos on YouTube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Race IndyCar Podcast is back to preview the St Petersburg race which promises to start a new era of the championship and its future.Jack Benyon is joined by JR Hildebrand as they assess the impact of Fox Sports taking over the series’ TV coverage and the massive amount of additional promotion that’s allowed for.To help preview St Petersburg, Benyon asks Hildebrand to name who he thinks will win, who'll be on pole, who'll spring the biggest surprise, and which of the drivers who are absent he'd liked to have seen racing - which somehow spurs a tangent on Sebastien Bourdais! SPECIAL OFFER: Get 90% off your first month when you join The Race Members' Club on Patreon today. For ad-free listening and bonus episodes, head to Patreon.com/therace Follow The Race on Instagram, X and FacebookCheck out our latest videos on YouTube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.