You're listening to the back home network, presented by home
field apparel, welcome back to Crimson, Cask ale and clavius
cot Caulfield joining me. Here it is Memorial Day weekend
even though it's only Thursday Scott, I don't know.
Know that there's another week that's quite, like, Memorial Day
week, leading in because it of all the holidays.
I feel like, regardless of most of the places you work, there
are certainly exceptions. This one starts, the earliest
and feels like it lasts the longest and in a good way, you
know, because Fourth of July always moves around, you never
know, example, sometimes it's on like a Sunday and that kind of
ruins everything and you get that with most other holidays,
but Memorial Day being a fixed date at essentially, the Genin
of Summer, it's always on a Monday.
You're guaranteed, a three day weekend.
It's not like Labor Day where everybody's back in school.
It feels like, I mean, you almost feel compelled to take
two or three extra days off before to really stretch it out.
And especially we're in the midwest here you get weather
like this and you're like, well yes, I'd like to spend as much
time outside doing something other than work as much as I
possibly can. And that's certainly I think
where I'm at right now with things about you Yeah, I mean
it's just it's too bad if you haven't seen the story in the
Indy star today. It's like, you know, the see
Indianapolis in the state of Indiana needs five more
Memorial. So we can lift the black out of
Memorial Day so it's like I really would love to celebrate
it but we can because they're blacking out the holiday until
we get five more Memorial lifting.
No, it's no, it's great. This is the like we've talked
about before this is kind of the end of just an epic run every
year of sports that goes from you know, the Super Bowl or the
the NFL playoffs to the Super Bowl into college basketball
into March Madness into, you know, the Masters and start of
the NBA Playoffs into the IndyCar, you know, month of May
and Indy 500 and then, and then you get to the point now, where
it's like, after this, it's kind of like, all right, now we're in
summer and now I can kind of, you know, a little bit NBA
finals and I can check out and then, you know, pick back up in
the fall. Yeah, that mean it is.
The, as you mentioned, it's the tail end of what I've always
considered my favorite stretch. Sugar of sports.
And and it's funny because it almost is the end of the NBA and
NHL playoffs this year too. Because, you know, two of the
series of already ended in sweeps.
A third one is probably going to end in five.
So we're gonna have this huge break self-imposed because of
the television schedules for both of those.
So this really does kind of feel like we're pushing off from the
shore and getting into the lake of Summer.
And this is like the last late spring thing that will perience.
And we got such a positive reaction to the last podcast we
did about doing something on the Indy 500.
Granted, we just kind of you know, complained most of that
podcast. So we wanted to come back and do
another one where we weren't complaining instead talking
about the Indy 500, which is coming up this weekend, you
know, big race and really should be a secret.
Well, I mean well but you know I think for some of our audience
it's just kind of this thing that happens but you know this
Here in particular and this is something that we want to talk
about. It is looking like everybody has
also decided that this is a big race and they're going to be
participating as Spectators really fascinating time.
We're looking forward to going both of Scott and I are not
going together but we're both going.
So we're going to talk about that.
We're going to talk about what to expect as far as what's in
the race If You're Expecting IU content in this.
I'm sorry. You're not getting it.
We will come back with more IU content when there's something
to talk about because there really isn't right now.
Now, but we're going to dive into that.
First of all, just a reminder that we are part of the back
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And the back home network is brought to you by home-field
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Not just College Fashions. But also some Pro there's been
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wow I've got $80 Worth of free stuff order, which is it's just
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psychologically, but there it is and I'm always appreciative of
it. So check out home field
apparel.com and also be sure to follow them on social media,
Instagram, Twitter, and whatnot. So Scott Indy 500 this weekend
and we had an interesting qualifying set up this past
weekend as You know, one of the rarer things we've ever seen no
crashes in practice last week. No, crashes during qualifying
that unfortunately, our luck ran out big time this week, which
we'll talk about in a minute, but this was actually a really
good qualifying weekend. I thought you had some really
good speeds. You have an incredibly tightly
packed field. You had, you know, what, I
thought was some compelling drama with the fast 12 and then
the Fast 6, and then you had a bump day.
Bump our, I guess it was that also had a lot of drama.
Graham Rahal ends up kind of stranded in his car at the end.
While Jack Harvey goes out and qualifies on a last-ditch
attempt and you know, that ended up capturing a lot of compelling
visuals and just being a really fascinating thing to watch all
the way around. What was your impression of what
we saw on qualifying days? Both one and two.
Yeah, I joked with you before that, it's like my son who's
into IndyCar. Which I don't know if I'm doing
the right or the wrong thing by getting him into a sport like
this, that is so unique, but it's like, he's like, asking
what's the format, Mike, we'll figure it out.
We're going to figure out together because, like, they
continually change the format every year and I was joking.
Like, it's for something as easy as like, hey, we're just going
to, you know, who are the fastest, 32 33 cars.
It's like they make this very confusing.
This goes back years where it was like you know, sometimes the
pole sitter was on the fastest car in the field for the way
they did it. All that said, someday was if
you're a race fan An IndyCar fans something was actually
really good. Like I left being like that was
a great, like three and a half hours of going from the fast 12
to break it down to 62, then straight into bump and then
straight into the Fast 6. It was like, wow, this is
really, it made sense. It was well put together, I hope
they keep this setup again, but I agree with you.
It was a, it was wild. It was, it was also interesting
seeing, you know, not only Graham Rahal get bumped.
But by his own teammate, which Was just interesting and, you
know, Jack Harvey doing the back-to-back runs and, you know,
we you and I were joking to. It is funny when they're like,
you know, it's like, man, you know, Harvey got it out of the
car like Grandma's got, it's like, we're talking about like
1/10 of one second. Like, it's like, these are
really small small different sizes, but unfortunately, I said
in the end, it doesn't matter because G real still in the
almost like that's a bizarre change to go from a different
team to a Manufacturer like I'm not.
Well seen that before. No, I haven't either.
I'm sure it's happened. And but I'm sure everything but
but part but but Sunday was great.
Yeah, no Sunday was great. I mean, and congrats to, I mean,
there's a lot of I guess there's a lot of congrats to hand out.
I mean, certainly congrats to ganassi who ends up.
Climbing the pole. Barely Alex pulao.
I mean let's talk about a guy who looks like he is in the
absolute early Prime of his career.
You know what, pal? Lo has done over the course of
the years that he's been an IndyCar, that's really been
impressive. But look, you know, Ed carpenter
racing almost puts a car on the pole.
They get, you know, they get the middle of the front row, which
kind of ECR, kind of reminds me a little bit of those Menard
teams from back in the day, except they're actually
competitive during the races themselves, you know?
And that's for a relatively small outfit.
I think they really punch above their weight McLaren, gets it.
And I would say, I would say, for that, I think it's mostly
VK. I mean, like your Like, you look
at a guy who is also a man, his starts and into your 43-32.
I mean, that's, that's a guy who has qualifying speed.
He hasn't taken in two finishes. Yeah.
But that, that's somebody you, I would agree with you on pillow,
but it does feel like VK is coming into his own as an indie
driver, and might just need to find a better team than gonna
ask for your arrow McLaren, which will probably, which will
probably happen. I mean, you know, this is
something we're seeing I think where there's just such a
Wellspring of really talented drivers and the machinery.
Is all good enough and relatively even enough at the
top. And you know, I the two teams
that really I think though, deserve special note, our first
of all, McLaren who ends up with the 3rd 6th and 7th qualified
drivers. And look it's I mean no one
would ever accuse McLaren of being an underdog but it is
after all of these years it's been really fun to watch another
team, kind of formed together and figure out a way to be this
competitive. And have this sort of a stable
of drivers. I mean, rosenquist paddle award
and Alex Rossi. That is a dynamite combination
of guys, all who all of them do something, really good at
several several things, sometimes, different things,
really good. But the other one Scott and
probably the one I think that needs to get the most mention is
for tracing. I mean, to get Santino, ferrucci
who certainly had a bit of a checkered history, thus far with
with racing in general, let alone IndyCar.
But, you know, he looked like he was going to be on the front
row. And then Benjamin Peterson, who
I don't think anybody expected to be a competitor ends up in a,
pretty good qualifying position. What is he middle of roof for?
You know that's a great showing for a four-team that frankly has
been less than an afterthought when it comes to the actual race
itself. Now we don't know how that's
going to translate but I didn't see anything in what they were
doing that. Led me to think that that
wouldn't translate to the race itself.
I think that that's a team now with two drivers in the top
fifteen that He has a shot at being in the mix as the race
goes along and that's for that team.
I think that's a great accomplishment.
Knowing that team has had, you know, they had Sato as a driver
and they've had good drivers. It seems like a team that can't
put it together and to me this is what I think is interesting
about this year's. I also I really like ferrucci.
I've liked him for a while he is.
You look at his, he's been in the series since 2018 and just
he's kind of unfortunately bounced around some of the
bottom end teams like he's gone from Dale Coyne.
Coin to Rahal Letterman to dryer Reinbold, to hunt ghosts.
Now, to a.j. foyt, which is kind of like, that's normally.
Like, you Circle the Drain and then you're out of Indy car.
When you hit those five teams, but he's had some strike, it was
One race. I think it was Texas, like two
or three years ago where he just was not, you know, not driving
and then it's hopped in the car and finished ninth or something
like he's had a couple of good runs.
He also has kind of been mid-pack but he had a ton of
speed at indicate. He was the fastest for most of
the day on Saturday. He came in with a ton of Speed
and know. It's it's great to see AJ for
tracing and it's wild to think that foyt put two cars up there
and Penske is like nowhere to now found in this.
So yeah. No, it's great.
And the larger point is, it does feel like, you know, you and I
are big fans of watching the races, from the 70s, and the 80s
and the 90s on YouTube as we get, ready for the 500 and
watching those knowing how people's careers, turn out, you
kind of see this like, the mid-80s Where you have this, you
know, you have like, you know, Johnny Rutherford and, uh, a
Foie and Mario Andretti, kind of the Old Guard and you start
seeing them, you know, get pushed back in the field and you
see young people, like, you Al Unser jr.
And, you know, Michael Andretti. And at the time young the time
and you kind of said, oh this is the we're changing over now
here. Bobby rahal's like in like 83 is
like you know qualifying the top three.
You see that? It feels like we're definitely
in that mode. Now where you have guys like
pulao VK rosenquist for Ruchi padow award, you know, even
Ross. To an extent kind of these
younger generation of guys up at the front and then you know it
feels like it felt like in the mid 80s.
You have a lot of these, you know, more experienced drivers
like you know willpower but you know like Castroneves Simon
passion o like former winners. A lot of experience kind of in
the back. End of the feel that it does
feel like we're, at that point where were kind of resetting
IndyCar, where you're getting a lot of these younger drivers,
who will take the sport forward for the next 15-20 years?
Yeah. Well, and there's something.
I mean, historically, and even I think to some degree in a lot of
the races, the last 10 to 15 years, like there was always a
shelf of teams that could legitimately compete for the
race. I mean, qualifying the separate
bird and that's something that I think a lot of people who are
relatively new to Indy car and and the 500 don't always grasp
like going fast in qualifying, is not.
It's one piece of the puzzle. I mean, you have to have that
sort of speed but race trim and setting the car.
The actual race is very different and yes, you mentioned
Penske like they didn't, they did not qualify well, they
barely get willpower in the fast 12 and he ends up being the
slowest of those cars. And then their next qualifier
is, you know, got McLaughlin but Penske, we know, even though the
Machinery wasn't great for qualifying, has such an airtight
operation in terms of the pits and every year, we see a lot of
teams that do qualify well who don't have a great operation in
terms of their pits and there's Strategy.
Just not as we worry about with foyt.
Like yeah, absolutely fruit. You going to be great and then
like have like a stop or they don't have the tires out or
something, but it's also the so much of this race is about luck,
you know? It's like the Graham Rahal
thing. What was it?
Was it last year or two years ago where he's looking like, one
of the favorites is the race is going on and I just randomly
gets hit by a tire and and he's out of the race.
And you know, there's a couple of things that we've seen you
know, Conor Daly as been up front and then things will fall
apart. Some of that.
Is just luck and as much as we try and sports to you know
basically assign credit based upon results.
I don't think that you can watch IndyCar over the course of time
and honestly say that the quote-unquote best driver won
every race or the best team won every race.
A lot of times, it's just who was in the right spot at the
right time. Who avoided the accident?
Who-who's pit strategy that they just randomly decided upon Not
randomly, but decided upon an on lap 50 based upon what was going
on actually ended up working out.
Because there's this, there's this entire sequence of events.
The Indy 500 is essentially, the race itself plays out like, it's
it's just a random number generator is really the best way
to think about it. Like you do not know what the
next thing is that's going to happen and so you make the best
decisions based upon what you see at the time and even taking
stuff, Pit Crews and and stop times and stuff like that.
Out of it. It's something sometimes.
It's as simple as where were you on the track when a yellow flag
came out, you know, we're you did you get into pits before
they close them? Did did somebody in front of you
check up and you end up having to go and, you know, the wrong
direction and it scrubs your speed off.
Or does it hurt your tires? There's just so many random
variables that, you know, you all you can do is put your car
in a position where if you can survive and not crash and not be
in a position where you have a mechanical failure, Or to be in
a spot to do something towards the end of the race.
We've just seen that time and time again and so it's cool to
watch these qualifying results and I thought the drama was
sufficient. Shall we say on Saturday and
Sunday? But it is something, go ahead.
No. And back to that like any, I'm
assuming most people who are listening to us or relatively,
you know, in to Indy cars. So I'm not going to talk down.
But, you know, this is where I think, you know, this is where
ganassi has been doing, has had so much has been able to do.
So well in the race I think for them and arrow McLaren is going
to have a good Sunday because you know ganassi does a great
job of like they bifurcates our strategy.
So as you said like you know you get to a point in the race for
it's like 70 laps left. It's like all right do we stop?
You know the yellow flag and it's like it's almost like a
Choose Your Own Adventure. Like all right do we pit here
and hopefully you know, you know that's kind of how Rossi were
not how he won but like in 2016 when he won the hundred, that's
like a lot of teams were not doing fuelsave.
He did fuel-saving, it turned out You'll say was the right
answer. We're ganassi has this this this
great pieces like they have so many cars up front that you can
basically take a couple of FrontRunner make.
All right, pillows, get to know when you Choose Your Own
Adventure at that point said, all right, we'll do pulao one
side and do Dixon the other and it's like they kind of are
covered on both faces. That's where it hurts teams like
Carpenter and weird to say Penske because it's like you
don't have that many cars up front.
You only got one dice and so you got one shot.
It's like willpower is going to take our one strategy and we'll
see where it goes and everybody else.
I kind of have to go with it and so that that's what I think is
interesting is how this broke is you basically have two teams and
ganassi and arrow. McLaren were it's like all
right. We each team has a couple of
fast cars and they can basically start breaking up strategies and
cover. All you basically put bets on
the entire crap table. It's like no matter what
happens. We'll have one of those cars on
that strategy. Let's talk a little bit about
the incident that happened this week.
Obviously unfortunate incident all the way around a chain
reaction of checkups, and and things like that.
Leads to Stephen Wilson, having to get into the brakes, which
leads to Katherine Legge to end up, hitting Wilson in the back
and Wilson ends up breaking a vertebrae and has to go in for
surgery. The surgery was successful just
happened yesterday. So Wilson, not going to be
racing, they end up putting G. Rahal in the car which you
mentioned earlier. First of all, just you just hate
to see that for Stephen Wilson, you know all the guys you know
his brother passes away in a IndyCar race was at 66 years ago
I think it was now and you know he's kind of been on the fringes
of competing with teams and you just you hate to see that be a
factor in anything and it's not that usual you know, to have a
driver knocked. Like that the week before the
race after qualifying happens. It does happen occasionally, but
certainly, our thoughts with him, and hopefully his recovery
is Speedy is able to get back in the car at some point soon.
It's all so weird with these, I've always found it.
Interesting with these wrecks were like, you know, it looked
like both the cars had the same impact that's like the capitol
leg walks away. And Stephen does it.
And that that's just, that is IndyCar, but I'm always amazed
at that. We're both cars, just smack the
wall, and it's like that, you know, we're kind of accustomed.
Like everyone is getting up and walking out, and it's weird that
That anyway, you know, I agree with you.
There's no other way, it sucks, but it is, it was odd with like
I joke with you. Like well, you know, because you
know when grammar hell didn't make us a car?
Well, he's gonna take Katherine Legge spot because they're on
the same team, you know. It's like I said earlier it's
just I've no I can't remember a situation where a driver changes
teams and changes in your engine, manufacturers.
That's something again. If you're not initiated this a
lot of these guys and I don't know exactly the affiliation but
I know a lot of these you know to misato Is a Honda driver.
Like he'd he has, you know, connections with Honda that he
will not drive a Chevy and so sometimes the engine
manufacturer connection is even deeper than the team connection.
So to see Graham Rahal do all that and also leave the team
that he's like, oh oh yeah the namesake of its it is it is what
the way he's been talking look. It's like the first step in a
journey he was already planning on taking but yeah, it's The
end. It's interesting.
We can talk about it now. Like this will all lead to
nothing because he was slow and you know, unfortunately just he
was having a rough go of it. And it's not like Stephen
Wilson's car was like he's not going into the pole sitting car
like that was like probably gonna be that.
So yeah, yeah, but just to clarify because I wanted to get
the day try. Justin Wilson's accident was in
2015 which It seems impossible that it was eight years ago, but
here we are. But yeah.
No, the real thing is fascinating, I mean, you know,
there was something Walk. After Rahal was bumped it.
First of all, we need to talk about that because you and I
went back and forth on this on text, we're watching The Bump
Day broadcast and you know there's that our where you've
got the four cars trying to qualify and you know the all
four cars go out and make an early attempt and Jack Harvey is
in last. And they make the the
broadcasters are really focused on these comments like well you
know, you can't just take the car back out again, the car's
got a cool down and You've got to get the Machinery where it's
at and if you don't, you're just not going to get the speed and
this is something that they're repeating consistently over the
course of the next 30 minutes because there's nothing
happening. And then right Harvey gets in
his car goes out, doesn't qualify on that attempt, brings
it in and then his out three minutes later for a final shot
and does qualify. And I'm just, I'm still a little
bit baffled because as much time as they spent talking about the
need to cool the car down. They made no mention of it.
When Harvey takes a hot car back out on the track and qualifies
and it's kind of like, I mean, you do need that, we know that
you have to cools, cool, the cars down but I'm fascinated.
How that went from being a key plot point of the broadcast to
being a non plot point of the fact that Harvey went out and
qualified now they got all consumed obviously with the
grammar, a whole piece of this. But I mean, do you have any
clear sense now than you did at the time?
Scott about, like, Like why that's suddenly became less of
an issue than they claim that it was no and did.
You're the one who teaches broadcasting say this is more
you. But it I've often thought about
this too. Like I've been at the Indy 500
where they red flag the race, they stopped the cars, and then
they restart the cars, and then they go.
And it's like, it's funny because like I was telling you,
it's like they they treat quiet and again, I understand
qualifying Trim in the cars are set up differently in the race,
but it's not like their qualifying jeeps and racing and
Ferraris like they actually Like the qualifying car is this like
unbelievably High tune piece and it's like, you know, next week
these cars are going 500 Miles, there's going to run the hell
out of these things. It's like, but no, from a
broadcasting point. It was interesting because
they're building this up at you can't do it.
You can't do it. You can't do it.
And then he does it. And like I said, there's no
mention, not even like a point where like, oh my God, he's
doing this on a hot car. Like you think that at some
point Townsend Bell would yell like it's a hot car.
This is amazing. We never see this.
That's like oh yeah, like he did it like way to go, like the guy.
The gut and then it all becomes about the gut and the guile and
it's like, I don't I think he just probably like to hit the
corner right one time better than he did last time.
Like you're talking about. Tiny differences.
Yeah, but then it's also wild. It was like, 30 years after
Bobby Rahal. Yeah, didn't didn't make the
race, which I was a Bobby Rahal fan.
That the first race I went to was 86.
And so that was kind of just like, oh, that's my guide.
Little did I know I should have picked.
Somebody else was gonna smell like, I, I remember just
distinctly going to the race of my dad 93 and there were cut out
like real. Had a huge campaign that you're
think that's his first year in the Miller Lite car.
He had just won the series the year before and like they were
cut outs of him with like I'm Bud, Lotto Miller light displays
everywhere and the people were just putting stickers, like, not
making it or like, with a speech bubble, I, where Emma is, I
remember that. It's just wild the, the
connections that do kind of happen were 30 years.
After his dad doesn't make it g, doesn't doesn't make it but then
makes it. Yeah, I mean, I mean it's it's
so the whole thing plays out in this kind of interesting way
where you've got. Now, a situation where the you
know, gray a lot of thought was rails going to buy his way in
Allah, Ryan hunter-reay, a decade ago.
And a lot of people were looking at Catherine legs car and is
like yeah that's probably gonna end up being real Scar and do
rails credit. He said I'm not going to do that
and then it ended up not mattering.
But as you mentioned, kind of unprecedented the way that all
this came together In terms of transferring got a lot of people
I don't think fully grasp how proprietary these relationships
are in terms of sponsors in terms of engines and
manufacturers and whatnot. It's it is very unique, you
know, look it's good that you get Graham Rahal in the race
obviously even if he's going to be in a backup car that hasn't
seen action in quite a while, It might end up being a better
thing than the car that he was driving, because that car
clearly was not up to par, but it is kind of a weird scenario.
And I'm not sure that we'll see something like that again, in
the future simply because it's, at some point, manufacturers, I
will just get to a point where it's like, Well, we'd rather not
but that said, there really weren't a lot of other options
because the interesting thing was, you know, Jr.
Hildebrand was getting talked about quite a bit as a potential
replacement, but because he hadn't run any Pop's.
He was going to have to go do essentially a Shakedown set of
laps to even demonstrate that he was able to handle the car.
I mean, I think it would have been fine, but who's going to be
really complicated to try to get all that in before Carb Day?
And so, this ends up being the best solution.
I'm glad they were able to figure out a way to make it
work. The last thing I'll say on this
and I mention this in one of our discourse, it's like think this
is what I love IndyCar because little things come out.
Wait, what? Wait, like I wish there was more
explanation like they're Going to the Dreyer & Reinbold about
that, you know, the backup car that g going to be racing in
there. Like oh yeah, we gotta set it up
like we had it in the shop. We just had a go-kart engine in
it and like that that was it. That was the whole quote.
It's like wait why do you have a backup Indy car with a go kart
has? I guess maybe you're just like
see if it can move around. That's like that's like the
difference between go-kart engine and the Indy car engine.
Like it's just like I'd love to know more like what are you
doing with these backup cars? Are you digging around on a
go-kart track? Like well you know I mean
looking at Lewis Hamilton out there talking about how To drive
a vintage Indy car. Maybe this is like a preliminary
plan for that for like twenty thirty six or something, I don't
know. But now, look, I mean, I think
what he's thinking vintage is not thinking of Dreyer &
Reinbold backup car. But yes, yeah, you know, I mean
anyway, so I'm glad that everything worked out and I'm
glad that that real ends up being in the race.
It'll probably be the last time we talked about Graham further
for the day so now we can go back up to the front of the
Rhino kidding. So so anyway, let's let's let's
talk about the race itself. I don't really know what to
expect out of this. I mean, I think clearly, you
have to look at either the ganassi or McLaren teams and say
the likelihood is the winners probably going to come from one
of those two teams because both of them are running really well
right now and just in general, in the series, both of them
ganassi, especially has, you know, really fine-tuned
operation. And when you look at what,
you're likely to see is the race.
Goes long. I think that, you know, the cars
out of those teams that are in the top 12 and then you got six
total out of those two. You got pulao Dixon Erickson,
rosenquist actually got seven. I'm sorry, award Rossi and then
Tony kanaan who people are kind of forgotten about is on the
outside of Row 3. Like that is a tremendous
collection of drivers, you know, you've got Sato trying to, you
know, pull off the weird kind of Bobby Unser ish.
You know, three wins sort of thing you've got can on trying
to pull off a second one. You've got two completely
different setups there. In terms of, you know, of engine
manufacturers, obviously ganassi running Honda's.
You've got McLaren running, Chevy's, we haven't really seen.
I didn't notice a whole lot of difference, at least in
qualifying, trim between those. But, you know, Scott, I think
the thing to me, that's overriding just how close this
field is in terms of demonstrated speed thus far.
Yes, I think the little details will probably But I don't know
that there's, like, a clear honest to God.
Like, you know, bet your farm on, you know, a particular
driver option here. Not because I don't think pulao
or, you know, one of these other teams is likely to win.
But with the cars all this close, I really do have some
questions about like we may get a really unexpected winner out
of this simply because there's not a whole lot distinguishing
these teams in terms of what their cars can do.
Do at their top end. No and it's been that way for a
couple of years and it does seem to come down to like last year
it's like Scott Dixon. Just misses the pit speed
limiter. It's like that.
Opens it up for Marcus Eriksen. I want it real quick hit on
cannot and Sato because I think they're interesting because
obviously everybody's trying to win the 500 but you do get these
scenarios where it's like you know to you know the definitely
always a Penske thing like two teammates are going for.
It's like they go for it but as also like even ten laps left,
you kind of see Team. Happening.
Like all right. Like, you know, you know passion
was our best shot, you know. Pageant is gonna go for it.
Kind of thing. It's interesting that you have
a, you know, normally you have the guys like the former winners
race in their last time or kind of like in the Elio passion of
Kapoor, they're kind of in a third-rate team.
So, two speakers kind of off to the side.
Like you have kanaan and Sado with two of the top teams it,
you know, ganassi at Arrow McLaren, but, you know, they Try
to think of the right way to say this, but like those two guys,
it's going to be interesting if they're in it near the end
because not that like people do team orders and just you know,
let somebody else win the 500. But those guys are gonna be
like, who cares? If you're can on like one of the
best audios from his win in 2013, was when it's like the
last lap and he's just like, hey man, I'm going for.
It's All or Nothing. Like okay Tony but it sounds
good. Like if your toe if your earring
with Claire and you're like, hey like you know you and Rossi.
You're like if I'm Tony has turned the radio off like I
don't care what you have to say. Like, I know.
What I have to do and I don't give a shit.
If feeling broken rosenquist is on the strategy.
Like I'm doing what I got to do it.
So I think that's really interesting that I think they
they could go Rogue in an interesting way where it's like
Sato and kanaan don't care about the season, they just care about
winning a 500. Whereas again rosenquist wants
to win but he's also got like a full-time ride this year.
Yeah I find that really interesting.
You know you sent out a there's a Google doc that's on the
Reddit that's just fascinating with just like That's it's funny
like there's not a lot of places to go get IndyCar staff.
Well yeah, this is and palm. Yeah, of Indy car.
But you know when you look at the winds by Rose, you know, it
drops off pretty quick but the fourth row, you know, you get
ten wins in the first row obviously, although it just
never feels like that really ever happens even though it
happens a lot. But like the fourth row has the
most number of wins outside of the front row.
So if you look at the fourth row this year, you have sorry.
It's a yeah. Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter,
Scott McLaughlin. Oh, I'm sorry, Marcus Marcus
Ericsson Benjamin Peterson, and willpower and willpower, you
know, so you look at that as like, it's weird because I just
did maybe power because of the team with Penske if you're
looking at Row 4. But I'm with you, I think this
is going to. Here's my thing with the 500 is
that, unfortunately, it's gotten to a place where, you know, we
don't want to see, Rex, I'm not there to see Rex, but if there's
not a yellow in the first five or six, Apps.
Unfortunately what happens is it?
Kind of turns into. All right, we're through that.
Now, let's wait to lap 160 to do anything and that's
unfortunately we're this is kind of gone.
Is you get a lot of Follow? The Leader for 150 laps, and
then everyone kind of figures it out with 60 to go but you know
and what you'll have is a couple people will drop out because of
mistakes, things like that. Unfortunately, it always seems
to be like the rinas VK is the ferrucci based on, you know, the
team's not able to execute pit stops correctly and then guys
get shuffled back so that that's right.
But then it's also happy. It also happened like Scott
Dixon where it's like yo he couldn't figure out the pit
speed and you end up with a situation where a guy who
probably should have won the race.
Didn't what I think is fascinating alongside of all
that. We've had four different teams
win the last four races, you know, in 2019 the last precoded
race Penske wins with passion. Oh Sato wins.
The Laid race in 2020 and he's driving for Rahal Letterman
Lanigan. Then obviously two years ago,
Elio wins and he's driving for Meyer shank and then last year
Erickson wins with ganassi, you know?
So this is where the McLaren things really interesting to me
because it would be fascinating and I think maybe the first time
in a while that we would have five different teams winning at
500 in a row, you know, I mean, I think it happened a lot more
back in like the, the 70s and 80s, but You look back.
I mean, you go back to 2004 it's like it's real, then and ready.
Then Penske then and ready, then can ask you then Penske, then
get a d then you get a c then heard up / and ready, then
ganassi, then KV racing which was cannons Andretti Penske and
ready and ready Penske Penske. But that beauty that lasts pesky
is where we get this run of different teams and so I am
going to be really fascinated, you know, in the team seems so
close. Especially those top three top
Four teams in terms of what they've been able to do in
qualifying. But this is where I look at foyt
and I'm like, well on the one hand, you can say voice.
Probably, you know those those two drivers probably are able to
measure up for the whole race, but I don't know that anybody
would have gone in, you know, and said for, you know, yeah,
sure. Meyer Shanks, going to run 200
laps and be able to successfully hold off Penske at the end.
And yet that's exactly what happened that.
So your comment about like it is not an early yellow, I'm also
really fascinated to see, you know, Know what exactly does
happen in terms of how the climate of the day affects the
race cars in the first that first stretched before the, the
pits that happen, which will Norm.
I think it normally happens like like between iCloud left, 30,
and 35, when we're going to have different climatological
conditions for this particular race.
I mean, right now, I think it's going to be a little bit
overcast, which will certainly help in terms of track
condition, but we don't totally know.
We know the temperature is going to be in the low. 80s which
isn't ideal in terms of fast. So, does that actually
disadvantage some of the top teams whose biggest advantages
that they have? A slightly better amount of
speed on the straightaways? Does that bring everybody down a
little bit to a little lower level.
That's going to be a really interesting thing to watch.
And that's where I think some of the teams that haven't won races
so far, either an indie or this year, might have a puncher's
chance where they might not have otherwise.
Yeah, it's interesting. As your mentioned, the team's
there it is. It is interesting, the team.
We haven't talked about yet and it's kind of fallen into this
weird middle spot is Andretti, Autosport, whatever.
It's just like they're not bad, they're not good.
They're just, they're kind of eating up laps, which is wild
because Colton, Herta has been unbelievably fast because he's
started fifth tenth seconds and now he's starting 25th and it
just feels like Andretti. Autosport is just like they're
they're not anywhere. There's right in the middle and
you it doesn't feel like they're even going to be a threat to be
bad or good on Sunday. Yeah.
That is, it's not a surprise given what's happened with
Andretti? I mean you know what are we on
now the last time and ready one of 500 was Sato in 2017 you
know. And they had one at that point,
three of the last four races with with hunter-reay and of in
14 and then Rossi with the fuel strategy win and 16.
So I do Wonder a little bit like, you know, do they have
something up their sleeve because you know, the one thing
you can say About 180 is that they do know how to run.
Indie, like, they, they probably more so than Penske even though
it hasn't shown up in the winds have at least been competitive.
They've managed to figure out a way to get their cars in the top
10. And this might be the race where
that ends up being a worthwhile approach as opposed to trying to
lead and trying to get yourself out there.
I need to update the weather forecast because it's got two
changes. Every time I check the weather
app so now that no no 77. Now the projected high with And
East Northeast East Wind at 8 miles an hour.
Gusting to 15, we have not had a race day like this in quite a
while where there's a breeze of note and the temperatures under
80 degrees that'll be a cooler track, especially when the race
starts, then when it finishes because, you know, it's probably
not going to get into the upper 70s until the latter stages of
the race, which is going to throw some other monkey wrenches
into the process in terms of you know, not Nest, not just Tire
degradation. But the cars are going to
legitimately change the way that they A handle on the track as
the track gets warmer over time and then you got the wind along
side of that. You know, that's, that's always
a little bit of a challenge, especially in the back of the
pack where you have a bunch of drivers, who haven't necessarily
gotten a lot of experience racing it in the, in those
conditions, I have a question for you.
This is something, you know, for a while there in the mid 2010's
you had a spot where like Dario was winning a lot.
Dan Wheldon had one, unfortunately passed away, but
One of the races there was only like two former winners or three
former winners in a race just because everything was like
Dixon and Dario as like the same guys were winning and then like
guys like Sam Hornish jr. Would win and leave.
This is, I don't know the most number of former winners in a
field, but this has got to be up there.
Pretty close. You have nine former winners in
the field. I'm curious to ask you, do you
think that's like, almost a third of the field?
Do you think we see a repeat winner or a new winner this
year? I would put money if those are
my binary options, I would put money on a new winner, you know?
I you know, the the drivers that I am, I think most attuned to
our pulao, it feels like everything's kind of coming
together. I felt the same way about
passion o back in 2019 it's just got that a similar sort of vibe.
You know I think Pat award is another driver that I really
feel like the vibe is there for him.
You know, honestly I think rosenquist is, is the third one.
And I feel like to some degree Erickson winning last year, has
kind of made people forget that rosenquist is also a really good
driver. You know, if you're going to
compare like you know Nordic drivers in IndyCar, I almost
feel like he's kind of Fallen under the radar a little bit as
much as one can sitting on the outside of Row one.
But look I also think you know if you wanted me to grab a
driver from the last two, Two-thirds of the field.
I'm really fascinated with Kyle Kirkwood's chances in this race
that mean that's a guy who's had a really good season so far.
He is kind of young enough that I don't think he knows what he
doesn't know and that often times you watch enough IndyCar
over the years it's almost easier to win when you're not
overthinking the track and I think he's still young enough
that he's in that mode and you know, frankly he's probably the
best I would say he's maybe the best option of that.
Gaming group of race car drivers.
I was I was really thinking that grosjean might be a good choice
here, but it just doesn't feel like the month has gone.
Well for him and bad vibes. Rarely do do drivers and teams
that are having that bad vibes do particularly well in this
race. Bad luck, seems to follow you
around and good luck seems to do the same.
So those are kind of what I'm thinking, but I, you know, I
wouldn't, I certainly wouldn't be shocked if we saw Dixon or
Rossi or Sato, or cannot or Erickson win or willpower for
that matter if we're looking at the, the top four rows, but I
just had a sneaking suspicion that we're going to get a new
winner this year. I would agree with you.
I think you hit all the targets. There's not much more to say the
other. This is what I do best on.
This podcast is take all of Scott's material.
So yeah, so let me, let's talk about Christian long guard, a
little bit. Give me some David malukas
thoughts, come on. I was actually looking at
malukas, I went to the race in St.
Louis last year with my son and malukas like finished third,
like he's been really good. Nobles, but this gets us to
another binary discussion. You have an Indy car is Honda
versus Chevy and outside of ganassi the rest of the field
that's Honda is in the back of the field.
Yeah. Like there's definitely an issue
with Honda unless you are a ganassi team and so as I was
looking at malukas, like I think there's a world where he has the
talent to do really well on an oval and he's been fast on these
ovals but I just don't know if a Honda team that isn't ganassi is
going to be able to get there and so You look at like her to
like I think heard is good, but it's just, you the back half of
the field, you go to row, you know, six on it's all Honda's
except for Graham Rahal on are seeing Orson and that's not a
good thing. Well, and that's that's the one.
That's why Kirkwood was the one that I spotted because I mean he
was the one that qualified his Honda best and I don't know.
I mean, I would, I would probably lean, you know, like I
said, either a ganassi car or somebody driving a Chevy.
I mean, if you're looking down the road, this is where Penske
Has a bit of an advantage in that your they're running,
they're running Chevy, so I wouldn't be shocked.
If they were able to put something together, that we
aren't necessarily expecting based upon their qualifying
position, but I will do that. I will look at all look at like,
you know, New Garden because I think New Garden has run.
Well, here, it feels like he's hitting a bit of a lull in the
last two years where he was, he was starting front row for a
couple of years there and then he's kind of got falling off.
Pace. He is the, you know,
third-highest Penske, I think McLaughlin is run pretty well
too, but New Garden is kind of in that point is when he's won a
championship, he's won some races.
You know, the last thing on his bucket list is kind of Indie and
I think this is a race that he obviously that he that he wants.
But you know I would look at that McLaughlin newgarden combo
as you know they're going to have that Penske machine behind
him. But the thing is that new Garden
is kind of their their number one driver even though power.
Race. The fastest, you know, New
Garden is kind of the number one driver on that team most years
in and out. I think it was got the guys
always pissed. And so I would, I would look at
New Garden to is just somebody who's interested.
You know, go for it, by the way, gambling on the 500s fun.
Like just go ahead and bet on like three or four different
winners. There's sometimes FanDuel have
like you can bet the different thirds and you can normally find
a couple of things where the odds are definitely in your
favor, especially some like you know, this driver that.
There's a lot of ways you can bet it but a lot, you know, it's
fun. Just to throw a couple bucks on
a couple guys to win and see what happens.
Yeah, that's the thing. I mean, and odds wise, if you
are of the gambling disposition, I mean, if you think Alex below
is the option, you're still getting.
I think plus 600 odds on polo right now, despite being the
pole sitter. And that's, I mean, that's
pretty good. I mean, if you look at Value and
this is again where the spreadsheet that this gentleman
put together has been of immense help because I certainly, We
didn't calculate any of these things myself, but be a pulao,
followed by a ward, followed by Dixon, followed by VK or kind of
considered the four best values of everybody in the field pulao
at plus 600 award at plus 750. And that to me if I was looking
at like, the best combination of value and real, read it
reasonable chance of winning. He'd probably the one I'd go
with but Dixon's plus 800. And what vk+ 1,000 you know so
that you've got a lot of options there.
And again yeah it's like you don't have to bet a lot of money
on any of those but it would it's fun to have something
writing on it. It's just such a this is the
thing and I having bet on Indy car a couple of times like it
just it this race especially it just kind of feels like you're
just playing roulette with things.
Yeah, there's but at least you've got a little bit of an
idea of what the weighted odds are with some of these teams, I
do think that that's, that's a good thing to evaluate well,
That's what's so funny. It's fun and probably immensely
frustrating about this race is that, you know, the reason that
you want to qualify up front is because yeah there's a wreck in
the first lap normally. It's just it can take out just
like a wide swath of Road 428. But if there's not then it's
like, all right. Well that doesn't matter.
And now it's like a car from her awaken win.
It's like, if if this happens then this is good or bad.
And that's what's Wild is like all the things we're talking
about. Like New Garden could easily win
this race but if they're, you know, if let's say, you know,
Benjamin You're still a rookie just gets into it with you and
Carpenter and turn one. It takes out new Gardens like
well, yeah, of course that's my new Garden couldn't win because
you're in the back and that's what's it's like so much of this
is dependent on other things happening or not happening.
And that's what I love about the race.
But it's also immensely frustrating.
I'm sure for teams and drivers. It does feel like I don't want
to jinx it, but it feels like we've had a good number of
years. Whereas not been a turd, a lap
one incident. It feels like we're getting
Really close to do for it, but I'm not sure because when you
look at the top starting four or five rows, you only have one
rookie you have gosh, three, four, five, six, former winners
in the first four rows. Like it does feel like there's
enough experience there that nobody is going to have any
issues. Yeah well and there's also I
mean outside I guess of the ray whole cars there's just there's
not a situation where you feel like somebody's so entirely off
the pace that they're going to Any problems, even those drivers
in the back, I think of acquitted themselves pretty
well. Overall this season, you know,
no one's been a danger on the track and look what I think has
been fascinating from my perspective, is it feels like
the professionalism level of the drivers in terms of how they
handle this race, like top to bottom is so much better than it
was 10 15 years ago where it felt like, in some cases, there
was a legitimate concern about whether People really understood
what they were doing and how they should handle themselves.
And also, you'd have some relatively not safe, moves by
people in front, trying to, you know, over like, do more than
they should. And it does feel like I feel
about his good about this collection of drivers as I felt
about an Indy race in a while, just in terms of, I don't look
at anybody in the race right now and think, well, gosh, that's
gonna be a problem as the race goes.
Along, I'm laughing because I agree with you.
Your percent and this is going to lead to a lack.
Now, turn one right now. It's just this is the way the
Indy 500 is like I'm just I'm waiting for that first lap for.
It's like eight Carter and I shouldn't have said anything.
I'm sorry. Do you like, but do I agree that
sitting here? I everything you said makes 100%
sense but it never seems to work out that way.
And Indie like it just doesn't and you are right, like bad luck
follows teams. And then again, it's all looking
back. But when you look back and
stuff, it's like oh that makes sense like that.
As passion has year in 2019, like he won the Triple Carrillo
won, the Grand Prix, won the pole won, the 500.
Think that was his that was his weekend and it will feel that
way, looking back now. But I'm with you, you know, it's
hard to pick winners but it does feel like pulao is writing some
some high here in. Like this is kind of his coming
out moment, where it's like, this guy is legit.
This guy is really good and people are going to take note of
it. It does feel.
That way I'm being I would again, it's all the guys that
you mentioned like, I'd love to see Santino ferrucci win.
I have a really hard time seeing an AJ foyt team.
Just put it together for an entire race.
Unfortunately, same thing with VK like they that Carpenter team
has really good speed but it seems like they they lose the
ability to keep their speed throughout the race just time
and time. Again it's a carpenter has been
up there and then it's like oh he's not good in the last 15
laps like this don't make the adjustments that At some of
those other teams that are winning do.
Yeah. This is, you know, I know with
arrow McLaren what I'm very curious to see as you have a lot
of talent you have, you know, former winners on that team but
are they able to you know, make those adjustments or they able
to actually you know seal the deal and win a race?
And that's that's going to be very interesting as it looks
like they're a well-oiled machine.
Looks like they have it all together but we've seen that
before from teams kind of like in the end ready you know elk
where they Great, that he gets the race and suddenly it's like,
they're just falling off and they're not able to keep it
going throughout the race. I'm getting very curious to see
if are okay because of Arrow, McLaren comes in and kicks ass
on Sunday and like they win, maybe, you know, get to, you
know, get 1st and 3rd or 1st and 4th and 6.
It's going to be like, wow, this is this is a real team that is
now like competing for ganassi to be the number one team in the
series. Yeah, 100%.
Anything else on the race itself before we move to the stuff
surrounding the race, in our last 10 minutes, Here.
Let's go surrounding the right. So we mentioned the weather.
We also need to mention. There was just a tweet from
Jennifer, I right before we started that there's only five
thousand reserved seats remaining.
We're not going to get into black guys.
Like extortion, feels like it's extortion.
We're not gonna do blackout talk.
This time. We're going to keep it positive
but still Scott. We're gonna black out the
blackout talk. There you go.
You know the the 100th running back in 2016 was a big deal.
And everybody came and Really felt like an event.
This is going to be essentially the same number of people going
to this race and you want to tell me we'd already talked
about the weather. This looks like a.
If Speedway had a chamber of commerce, I'm sure they do.
Actually, this would be a chamber of commerce day.
This is exactly the kind of conditions you would like, for
the Indy 500. This is, I think this good.
This is the kind of thing that India needs like they need these
sorts of races with this type of weather.
With this competitive of a Filled with several different
drivers and teams that people can get behind and I'm really
excited. I'm also really fascinated to
see. I mean it's fascinating to think
that the three races ago there was nobody in the stands you
know? Because it covid and then you
had half the number of people in the stands and now we're back up
to around three hundred and twenty-five thousand.
I mean as much as we have talked about the need to grow new fans
and I still believe that in terms of not, you know, not
having the blackout. The fact that they keep
attracting this number of people is is obviously a great sign.
I think for the series and for the race itself and I'm really
excited to see how that affects the energy in the speedway
because I think it's going to be pretty amped, and it's going to
be a like from about 10:00 in the morning as people really
start filtering, and what are you looking forward to?
I've said this before, I'll say it every year, like honestly,
one of the favorite 45 minutes of the year for me.
Me is from like 12 15 to like 12:45 like that period, where
it's when I went to the Kentucky Derby, ten years ago and I was
excited because he only had they have the call to post and think
My Old Kentucky Home and it's funny, you go there.
It's like they do the call to post.
She's seeing My Old Kentucky Home and then you wait for 45
minutes and it's like, this is a bit is just like Dead considered
obscene of their deal with horse and stuff.
There's a, there's kind of a cycle 2nd, where once, you know,
they walk the military On the backstretch.
It's like, all right, we are on like, it's from there to God
Bless America to Taps, which gives me goosebumps every time
straight into the, you know, national anthem, the flyover.
And I'm a sucker for all of those things.
But again, to me, it feels like we are in, we're kind of turning
over Leafs were now. You're at a point where, you
know, they have, you know, we're no longer doing the balloons on
back home. Again in Indiana, but they did a
flyover last year that was unbelievable.
Like just, you know, the Thunderbirds, you know, doing
the the arrow thing you have now Jim Cornelia.
I said, who's like he is are back home again.
Guy for the next 15-20 were selling bobbleheads of him in
the gift shop when we went last Friday.
Yeah, it's amazing. No, he spent what it's it but
it's amazing. You think 10 years ago they're
showing a video of Jim Nabors doing it because it's like they
just didn't. And again that was a tough
transition but it, it does feel like we're kind of solidifying
what the field as we were saying is going to look like for the
next 10 or 15 years of pulao and VK and, you know, rosenquist
guys like that. But it does feel like we're kind
of solidified, all right. Like now if your To the 500.
Like it's not like oh you know used to be neighbors and now we
don't know. It's like no, this is
cornelison. Like he's doing it.
You have a good I think Jewel will do great on the national
anthem. I'm always excited for that
period. I still remember Jewel singing
the Super Bowl national anthem before the Broncos Packers game.
It's weird and it's good for her that she's still Braille event.
Almost what 20, 26 years later now?
I mean that's wild anyway. Sorry.
Go ahead, Ellen. And again merging, you know,
things that I love with the Pacers.
It's kind of like. All right, Tyrese Albert and
like the city is yours. URS like last time we did this
we gave they let Victor Oladipo drive the pace car and that
didn't go out. So hopefully Tyrese isn't like I
want to go to Miami look after he drives the face car but no
that 45 minutes of pre-race ceremony I'm excited for but it
is cool that it it you know it feels like we're getting things
solidified like this is going to be our church you know
traditions for people coming years fast and it.
So I have a couple friends who the first time they're going to
be going is this year and it's like, I'm excited to tell him
like you're gonna love. Like get in your seat early.
If you're going for the first time, you know be in your seats
by like 11:30 you start hearing you know cars to grid and the
driver introductions you'll you should be there get there.
So for me that's what I'm excited for the thing I would
love to see is you know, unfortunately it's like I said
before it's just there comes a point where as 100 laps we're
kind of just becomes all right like as much as excited I am
it's like I love the beginning and then it's like all right we
get to the last 15 laps because this is like just follow the
leader but What I'm excited for. What about you?
Well, I mean, all of the things you just mentioned, certainly.
I mean, it's so it's funny. We had someone and I'm trying to
find the Tweet but someone tweeted at both of us asking if
we had parking recommendations because I guess they're normal
parking location had fallen through and I'm afraid to give
any recommendations this year because of how many people are
going to be going. My one recommendation is to get
there like earlier than you think you need to because it's
unless you have a spot that you know for sure You're going to be
able to park in, I wouldn't count on it.
And the last thing you want to do and I say this from having
been in this experience, you do not want to get caught in
traffic on like 30th Street hoping that you're going to find
a parking spot somewhere down the road there because it's
probably not going to materialize in the way that you
think but now I mean look I am I think I'm the most excited for
the build-up like you said that that to that hour and a half or
two hours leading into To when they do all of the pageantry and
then they get the cars fired up and on their way, the thing I
will, I guess try to pass along for anybody that's planning on
going that hasn't been before this is without question.
In my mind, the most physically demanding Fan Experience in
sports. So true, it's and it's always
always gets underrated. I don't care where you are, you
can be in the infield, you can be in the snake pit, you can be
in a And you can be after the, you know, maybe the pagodas,
well, said, the one exception, but like so, you know, I'm going
my wife's going, my wife's family's been going since the
late 60s and they have a whole pattern down and I respect their
pattern and it's a great pattern, but it requires us.
You know, getting up driving up getting to the parking spot at
like, 7 a.m. tailgating for three hours and then walking
over. And that's up, you know, it's a
15 20 minute walk your walk. I'm through neighborhoods, I
could probably do it blindfolded.
Now I've done it so many times, then you're in the speedway and
you're just in the speedway. There's nowhere to go.
If it's too hot, if the sun's too bright, if you didn't bring
enough to drink, I mean you can go buy stuff at the concession
stand. But you really have no outs and
then it is it kind of used to be a little bit easier because when
the race started at 11, a.m. what you did for many, many
years, you know, you'd have obviously a very early morning
but the race would be over by 2:30 now with the Green flag
dropping at 12:45, like you're there till 4:00 and maybe a
little bit later and it is just there's so much exposure to the
elements that you don't think of you like, oh, it's a beautiful
day. It's going to be 75, whatever
degrees will be a light Breeze. I'll be fine.
And unless you work outside for a living, you're probably not
condition it to that experience and so bring more water than you
need, don't wear short sleeves. Only if you do bring some kind
of backup or you can cover, were up your arms at some point where
a hat wear sunglasses, and just realize that this is absolutely
a marathon and not a Sprint or a middle distance race because you
really don't want to have to check out early.
Because as you said, yes you've got that long kind of flat
period of the race where unless you're really into the strategy,
it's not going to resonate quite as much, but there's a big
payoff at the end and we get that pay off every year now
because the races are tight. And that's the one thing about
India. Now, that wasn't like, it wasn't
like that. Years ago where it was a shock.
If it car was on the lead lap with that was or the car that
was winning. Now it's a shock if there aren't
15 cars on the lead lap at the end all of them vying for at
least you know, a better spot than they might have been
otherwise. So it's got you hit that on the
head? It's perfect.
It's, it's funny. I've been, you know, my 10 year,
old son has been in 2nd car, I take him to the Grand Prix, he
wants to go to the 500, I'm thinking for next year but it's
no you if you haven't gone, like the thing that I keep telling my
son, One is like you got to be prepared and like there comes
points, you know, whether it's we're going in or were in
traffic or like if you're there when the race ends, like I don't
care if your arm is off and you're bleeding like we're not
getting home for two and a half hours like there is.
No like let's just duck out and beat the track.
Like there is none of that their lunch.
There is no be to your chance. Yeah, the gears.
Just your head and like it if you I guess if you left in the
middle of the race you could probably beat traffic but
there's there's points where it's like if you're there,
you're there for nine hours like whether you want to or not like
that's Going to be a full day and I'm just not sure my son's
ready but no it's yeah. And the other thing is fun too.
If you're going for the first time like I was talking with
another friend, yesterday who sits out near you on Turn 3,
it's like there is no perfect place to watch the race like you
there, every place has advantages and has
disadvantages. And you have to kind of figure
out what what you want to see, what's important to you and what
you're okay, not seeing because that's that's the point with the
track being so big. Yeah, I'm weird.
It's always a fun day. Day on Sunday because I'm always
pushing to leave earlier. My wife's always like, we can
make it a little later. I will let you know, I'll see
how this goes. I, I have a way out of the track
that I've been very proud of finding.
It's all about for me. A couple little ways where,
like, I know you can turn left on one street and then it's
like, for me, it's a getting away from 465.
I actually drive under 465 and then go in the back roads.
Like I'm at least moving. I'm gonna try the way in because
I you normally take for 65 down and then I get stuck on the
Tenth Street, exit and it's just, it's a slog to get like
half a mile and so I'm debating changes.
This is probably bad advice for myself.
I'm, I'm thinking of coming in a different way and just driving
back roads and not even hitting 465 to come in and do came in on
21st Street. Hi, I'm going to, I'm going to
say, do this on the condition that you get a camera mount in
your car, and you record a vlog of yourself doing this and then
you post it on the account because I predict Rarity for the
rest of us watching you get pissed off at deciding to take
the back roads and ending up in like a four hour traffic jam.
I feel like I need the video from this.
If this is actually I understand, I just go the route
that I know Works where, I know, I'm looking at a 30-minute
traffic jam. Anyway, if we weren't expecting
325,000 people, I would say, yeah sure.
Scott, try something different. But I mean, the number of people
who aren't going to know where they're going, who are going to
have the same thought process of his you as I better not take.
The main roads, I better go this other direction.
I just, that's the worst kind of jam to get into and that's what
I'm concerned about. Knock out.
All right. Not now I'm thrown off.
I'm off. I'm off kilter.
I'm embracing right now. My I will say My Philosophy.
In general. Has been to just avoid 465, it
all possible, but there are other ways in that aren't back
roads that but a lot of it just really depends on.
Like, how early are you getting there this?
I mean, I was watching, I was looking at the IndyCar subreddit
and someone was like, so how I really should I get there?
8:00 a.m. and like no no no no. That's did you try to get if
specially if you're going to park immediately around the
speedway. Getting there at eight is a
great recipe for being in your car till 10:45.
You know, I think if you're you're trying to park near and
you don't 100% know where you're going, leave even earlier than
you think you need to because it look worse comes to worse, like,
you know, pack some breakfast, and some drinks and find a place
to park early and then chill. If you don't have you too.
TV. You can put TV on your phone and
take it with you and watch it wherever you go.
Except that this is kind of like going to a huge music festival.
I mean this is in you know the speedway itself will be the
second largest city in Indiana from about 8:00 in the morning
until 6:00 7:00 at night and I would Echo the same thing if
you're trying to leave unless you have an ironclad, exit
strategy and you know, where to go and how to get out, don't be
in a rush to leave. Go down like walked out, you can
they're not going to stop you like walk down to, you know, to
the pit area was like, you'll find things to do, you'll find
drivers. Occasionally, they're just kind
of walking around. You'll, these are the kinds of
experiences. I think, if you try to treat
this like, don't be like, you know, every every Gen X or, and
early, Millennials parents, who that, you know, they're well, we
got to beat traffic. So we gonna do this or that,
don't do that. Like, you're not going to beat
traffic. If you try traffic will beat you
like a drum. Okay.
It will, it will absolutely pulverize you so true.
So just, you know, do not think that you can like, you know,
tame the tiger here, accept your position and just take it all in
because especially if you've and if you know we're preaching to
the choir people who have been before but he's never been
before. You really do want to soak up
the enormity of the speedway and honestly I have done this a few
times half the time against my will but half the time on
Purpose being inside the track after the race is over.
It's really kind of this fascinating Vibe like it almost
there's this catharsis that happens after the race and the
watching people Shuffle out and watching the sun like slowly
start to descend a little bit on the horizon.
There's always this kind of weird orange glow that settles
in over the speedway. Scott knows what I'm talking
about. Those are those are the things
that I actually think about. As I think about my time at the
Way over the course of the, you know, 20 or so years that I've
been going, and that's what I would recommend you do.
Especially if it's your first time like, so call that in, you
may wonder why you're doing it at first, but you won't wander 5
or 10 years down the line. No, and I can't stress enough.
We like to get there early and just chill and like, what we
normally we can leave our house at.
Like I try and leave it, like 7:15, we're normally parked by 8
and then we're normally in in the IMs by like 9:00, you know,
950 we park pretty far. We have a bit of a Walk but I
love it all. Like I love walking with people
and it's like I love walking through Speedway the area that
we walk through because like I've stopped at houses and you
people got come out of use the bathroom like you you Parker
people and they're like I'm from New York.
He just it is like you said this when we were there on Friday
it's like it's like the world's largest county fair.
But everybody is so nice and friendly and one year, I
distinctly, remember my wife, I just sat in the infield and we
just sat there and like, we're by the pits, but we weren't in
anywhere special. And it's like, Saw Graham Rahal
drive by we saw Bobby Rahal, we saw Emerson fittipaldi and then
we like a guy sat next to us and was like, showing us like he
princess his own spotter guy which he laminates, which I now
do every year. It's just like the people
watching his great. You'll see, you'll see random
stuff like it especially if you're in.
We like to walk inside the track Before the Race, just kind of
bounced around, you'll see stuff like the, you know, the the
marching band that plays the bagpipes after the winter.
Like they're just walking around play, like, you will see Cool
stuff. So you haven't been if you've
been you, this is all preaching to the choir, but you haven't
been do your best to kind of check it out.
But just know if you're like, hey, I got a buddy sitting in
turn four, and we're in turn to. It's like, that's, that's a
tough putt. Yeah, it's a, it's a 45-minute,
the diversion and you're going to be stuck, like, even on a day
like Friday Gail and I were there, it's like only 10,000
people are there. It's like, we beat the
landmarks. Like, where's the big
inflatable? This?
That's like 80 people in there. Is this.
I wish I wish everybody had heard Scott, my trying to find
each They're in a very small space.
We could not find each other. It was away.
I will say this. It get yours that you're like.
Where is he? I'm actually Apache helicopter.
I don't see it going there it is.
There is something to be said for getting there early and
walking around because that cuz look a lot of times I'll do
that. I'll get out.
We'll get in there at 10:30 and it's like, well, the race is in
two hours and 15 minutes. What are we gonna do?
Sit in the stands. And so, you know, walking
walking under the tunnel getting inside the track.
Yes, it's a A lot of walking but you're going to be sitting for
the whole race. You might as well go see some
stuff while you're there is My Philosophy.
Anyway, we've gone over. We need to go ahead and wrap
things up, any final thoughts. Got no man, we hit it all.
It's great. It's one of my favorite days of
the year. It's a Christmas.
I look forward to it and we'll chat after the race.
Sounds good. Yes.
And we hope that those of you who are going, have a great time
and you probably won't see us because there's three 325,000.
The straightaway being gay wasn't turned three wave at him
will wave back but whatever you do before during after the race,
be safe. Be you know, watch out for
yourself, watch out for the people who you're with, watch
out for strangers because they may not be watching out for
themselves and just have fun should be a great weekend.
Always my favorite part in Memorial Day Weekend whether I'm
watching on TV from a distance or whether I'm going to the race
up close. So for Scott I'm Galen our
thanks to our friends at the back home network or thanks.
To our presenting sponsor home-field apparel, we will be
taking a weekend break and we'll come back next week.
Maybe some I use sports news, maybe some Indy 500 rap, we'll
see what happens. Anyway, we'll catch you folks on
the flip side, so everybody To our presenting sponsor
home-field apparel, we will be taking a weekend break and we'll
come back next week. Maybe some I use sports news,
maybe some Indy 500 rap, we'll see what happens.
Anyway, we'll catch you folks on the flip side, so everybody