It’s a busy episode for The Race IndyCar Podcast which has the Portland race to review, a look ahead at the Laguna Seca season finale and one of its drivers edging closer to an F1 chance to consider. Hosts Jack Benyon and JR Hildebrand look back on a less eventful than expected Portland race, running out of superlatives for touring car convert Scott McLaughlin who netted his third win of the season, and examining the strategy call that could end up costing Josef Newgarden the title. Will Power’s...
Sep 06, 2022•1 hr 10 min
We've got something a little different for you on this week's episode of The Race IndyCar Podcast, as hosts Jack Benyon and JR Hildebrand are joined by former F1 and CART ace Mark Blundell to reminisce on one of the all-time great open-wheel races in North America: The 1997 Grand Prix of Portland. Long-term fans might remember that Blundell won that race by just 0.027s from Gil de Ferran, with Raul Boesel just 0.055s back in one of the series' closest and most dramatic finishes. On this episode ...
Aug 31, 2022•41 min
This week's episode of The Race IndyCar Podcast features a chat with rookie sensation David Malukas, fresh off the back of his barnstorming run to second place at Gateway. The Dale Coyne Racing driver shares his thoughts on his incredible last stint, what it was like to be on the podium with Josef Newgarden as a fan of IndyCar, and the effects of being linked with the top teams he has dreamed of driving for in the silly season. He also discusses some of the trials and tribulations he's endured i...
Aug 23, 2022•54 min
The Race IndyCar Podcast delves into controversial crashes, a winner from a lap down with a broken car and Nashville’s place on the calendar with the divisive kind of racing it produces on this week’s episode. Co-hosts Jack Benyon and JR Hildebrand analyse how Scott Dixon went from being hit and losing a significant chunk of his downforce to winning the Nashville race, and the context of how impressive that is given everything impacting the Chip Ganassi Racing team this year. Hildebrand breaks d...
Aug 09, 2022•56 min
This week’s pod looks back on an exciting weekend at Indianapolis which saw Alexander Rossi finally ended his win draught and mixed fortunes for this year’s title contenders. Hosts Jack Benyon and JR Hildebrand discuss how Rossi and his Andretti Autosport team were finally able to pull together a whole weekend without bad luck or mistakes to deliver a popular win. They also outline why the victory leaves a nagging sense of what might have been for Rossi, based on the potential he's shown over th...
Aug 03, 2022•1 hr 1 min
Josef Newgarden's rollercoaster win and crash, Alex Palou being sued by Ganassi and who is the best racer in the IndyCar Series? These are all topics investigated by The Race IndyCar Podcast this week. After a double-header weekend in Iowa, co-host JR Hildebrand outlines the procedure drivers have to go through to return to action after race one winner Newgarden crashed out heavily from the second race. JR and co-host Jack Benyon also bring listeners up to date on the factors determining whether...
Jul 27, 2022•1 hr 15 min
This week’s The Race IndyCar Podcast examines the latest in the Alex Palou saga, as McLaren and Ganassi continue to fight over his services in 2023, and provides reaction to Scott Dixon’s composed Toronto victory - a win which gets his season back on track. Coming into the weekend, Dixon had finished in the top 10 in all but one race this year but it wasn't until Sunday that he finally reached the top step of the podium again, capturing the 52nd victory of his career to equal Mario Andretti on t...
Jul 20, 2022•1 hr 13 min
This week's episode of The Race IndyCar Podcast is a busy one, with our annual episode ranking the top 10 drivers of the season so far, an interview with Marcus Ericsson, plus the latest on the Alex Palou saga. Both Palou’s current team Chip Ganassi Racing and McLaren have laid claim to the Spaniard for 2023, with Ganassi announcing a contract extension this week shortly before McLaren and Palou countered suggesting he would be moving there at the end of the season. Hosts Jack Benyon and JR Hild...
Jul 14, 2022•1 hr 48 min
Andretti’s on-track team-mate collisions, Scott McLaughlin’s brilliant victory and another masterclass drive in 2022 from Will Power make up the key topics of this week’s The Race IndyCar Podcast. Co-host Jack Benyon and JR Hildebrand break down the turmoil suffered by Arrow McLaren SP which had a good chance to win with either of its drivers before a double retirement, and marvel at Scott McLaughlin’s ability to win in one of the toughest open-wheel championships in the world despite his single...
Jul 06, 2022•1 hr 9 min
IndyCars at Pikes Peak, which international races should be added to the calendar and lap records at the Indy 500 are among some of the queries answered on a special listener questions episode of The Race IndyCar Podcast. The Race’s IndyCar correspondent Jack Benyon and driver-turned co-host JR Hildebrand were on hand to answer all manner of questions relating to the series, and even took a question from double IndyCar champion and series star Josef Newgarden, although that question was in turn ...
Jun 28, 2022•1 hr 30 min
Whether it’s winning three of eight races and $1 million, having his first baby or helping to rebuild his #2 Penske team back up almost from scratch, it’s been a wild year for Josef Newgarden who joins this episode of The Race IndyCar Podcast. Newgarden earned the $1 million - with $500,000 going to charity - for completing the trifecta of wins on a road course, street circuit and an oval over the first eight races, before any other driver even managed to win more than one race. However, he disc...
Jun 21, 2022•40 min
Are you interested in what makes the most sophisticated racing cars on the planet tick? Then our new podcast The Race F1 Tech Show could be for you. Each week, host Edd Straw and former F1 technical director Gary Anderson dive headfirst into the wonderful world of F1 technology, discussing the sport’s big technical talking points, getting into the nitty gritty of car design and engineering, and answering fans’ burning tech questions. So far we've had episodes on copycat F1 car designs, whether t...
Jun 17, 2022•2 min
The Road America IndyCar race offered lots of overtaking, multiple crashes (including one between the points leader and his team-mate), and a $1 million winner in Josef Newgarden. Hosts Jack Benyon and JR Hildebrand are here to look back on all the action in the latest episode of The Race IndyCar Podcast, as Newgarden earned a huge prize for taking victories on a road course, street circuit and oval in just eight races this season. The duo ask whether the American is now the title favourite, and...
Jun 14, 2022•47 min
Will Power’s mindset is the big talking point in this week's episode of The Race IndyCar Podcast, which looks back on the Aussie's superb victory in the Detroit Grand Prix. Power’s 16th to first drive is just another example of him overcoming adversity this year, and co-hosts Jack Benyon and JR Hildebrand analyse what Power’s said about his approach and how it’s enabling him to succeed in 2022 as he reclaimed the championship lead. Hildebrand also discusses Power's revised outlook some thought f...
Jun 07, 2022•1 hr 7 min
Freshly-crowned Indianapolis 500 winner and new championship leader Marcus Ericsson of Chip Ganassi Racing joins this week's The Race IndyCar Podcast. With just a couple of hours sleep after the night of the race, Ericsson outlines how he celebrated the biggest victory of his career, before detailing how his team have supported his success and what he was thinking in the closing stages when he made a crucial victory push overtaking three key cars. There's more joking about Ericsson's omission fr...
May 31, 2022•1 hr 6 min
On the 30-year anniversary of his last Indianapolis 500, Penske legend Rick Mears joins The Race IndyCar Podcast for a special episode. The four-time Indy 500 winner discusses his dirt-racing roots and how that helped him carve out almost immediate success at the Speedway, winning just three years after his first attempt in which he failed to qualify for the race. He discusses turning down Bernie Ecclestone's offer to race for Brabham in F1, his wait for a second Indy 500 win and how the burns h...
May 26, 2022•26 min
The fastest Indianapolis 500 pole winner ever Scott Dixon joins this episode of The Race IndyCar Podcast to recap his stunning qualifying run. Chip Ganassi Racing driver Dixon breaks down the feeling behind the wheel going 243mph, how he knew the pole laps would be fast and what he did after the day was done, which included Taco Bell. He also discusses the challenges of the first half of the season, having five poles but only one win at the 500, and how he feels about the Ganassi team's chances ...
May 24, 2022•1 hr 8 min
We’ve got a double header for you in this week’s The Race IndyCar Podcast, with a lookback on the tumultuous Indy road course race in the wet followed by a special drivers’ eye insight into the Indy 500 schedule. With Colton Herta taking an audacious win in changeable conditions, many title contenders hitting trouble, and strategy calls deciding the end result, host Jack Benson enlists the help of The Race’s F1 correspondent Edd Straw - immersed in the Indy paddock all weekend - to look back on ...
May 16, 2022•1 hr 22 min
Graham Rahal and Romain Grosjean’s collision and subsequent post-race spat is the main topic of conversation on this edition of The Race IndyCar Podcast, which looks back on an epic weekend at Barber Motorsports Park. JR Hildebrand breaks down Grosjean and Rahal’s wheel-banging incident from a drivers’ perspective, while co-host Jack Benyon gives his view on why Rahal went too far in his post-race comments - even if more rivalry between drivers in IndyCar is welcome. The boys also discuss Arrow ...
May 03, 2022•1 hr 21 min
We’ve got another special guest for you this week, as reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou joins the latest episode of The Race IndyCar Podcast. Despite winning last year's championship, Palou tells hosts Jack Benyon and JR Hildebrand how he and his Chip Ganassi Racing team redoubled their efforts to improve in the off-season. He addresses why some may have underestimated the start of his title defence - he sits third in the standings after big improvements at tracks he didn't perfect last year ...
Apr 19, 2022•34 min
In a jam-packed edition of The Race IndyCar Podcast, hosts Jack Benyon and IndyCar racer JR Hildebrand look back on a great weekend of action at the iconic Long Beach street course. They discuss how Josef Newgarden was able to secure a second consecutive win for Penske, despite sustained late pressure from ex-F1 man Romain Grosjean, whose own performances for new team Andretti Autosport are also evaluated. The team also give their thoughts on whether Colton Herta can rebound from another street ...
Apr 13, 2022•1 hr 3 min
Scott McLaughlin's story was already one of the most incredible motorsport career change tales in modern history. But now he's winning IndyCar races and putting himself firmly in championship contention, it's become another step more remarkable. The three-time Supercars champion turned Penske IndyCar star joins Jack Benyon and JR Hildebrand on The Race IndyCar Podcast for a very open chat about his story so far. In particular McLaughlin talks about the mental challenges of 2021, as he went from ...
Mar 31, 2022•26 min
Texas podium finisher Marcus Ericsson joins The Race IndyCar Podcast to break down all the action from IndyCar’s first oval of the year, where Ericsson sealed his 11th top 10 in his last 12 series starts. Ericsson is bullish about his #8 Chip Ganassi Racing team taking a step up this year and discusses Texas and his season opener at St Pete. He also discusses oval rookie team-mate Jimmie Johnson’s excellent sixth place finish and what that might mean moving forward to the Indy 500. Regular podca...
Mar 24, 2022•55 min
One of the breakout stars of IndyCar and a driver consistently linked to a Formula 1 drive, Colton Herta, joins The Race IndyCar Podcast this week. The 21-year-old driver has recently been connected to practice outings with McLaren in F1 and addresses his chances of jumping in the top-level machinery. Herta is also constantly linked to F1 through Andretti's dedication to racing in the series, now set on scoring a new team for the 2024 season, but this hasn't phased Herta or distracted him from I...
Mar 11, 2022•21 min
The Race IndyCar Podcast is back as the championship’s hotly anticipated new-season kicked off with drama aplenty last weekend at St Petersburg. Whether it was falling out of his car in victory lane, doing a shoey or tearfully praising his parents who he hasn’t seen since January 2020, Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin was an endearing maiden winner and forms the crux of the podcast. Overcoming an eventful rookie year and the gravity of his achievement coming from tin-tops to one of the world’s mos...
Mar 01, 2022•50 min
We're getting excited for another year of IndyCar racing with a special episode on everything you need to know ahead of the 2022 season starting at St Petersburg this weekend. Co-hosts Jack Benyon and JR Hildebrand run through the driver and team changes, evaluating some of the most interesting swaps and moves. Rule changes and bargeboards are also part of the run-down, while the drivers desperate for a strong year ahead of being on the market in 2023 form part of the discussion. Hildebrand and ...
Feb 21, 2022•54 min
The Race IndyCar Podcast returns from a short winter hiatus with double series champion and Team Penske star Josef Newgarden headlining this episode. Having narrowly missed out on the last two championships to Chip Ganassi Racing rivals, Newgarden joins The Race American Editor Jack Benyon and podcast co-host JR Hildebrand to assess his chances this season. Newgarden is quizzed on the loss of his engineer Gavin Ward to rivals Arrow McLaren SP, the Penske squad shrinking from four cars to three a...
Feb 07, 2022•39 min
This week’s episode is all about you, with a special episode dedicated to answering listeners' questions from the world of IndyCar and American motorsport. JR Hildebrand and The Race’s American Editor Jack Benyon take on topics like ‘which drivers are not in IndyCar that should be’, ‘what should IndyCar do to stop the demise of ovals’ and JR talks about what it feels like to race in the Indy 500 and the emotions building up to it. More of the topics on this week’s episode: -Blue flag rules which...
Nov 24, 2021•1 hr 6 min
Having both revealed their rankings for the top 10 drivers of the year, The Race IndyCar Podcast hosts JR Hildebrand and Jack Benyon explain their respective orders on this week's special episode. Each host’s top 10s are merged and averaged out to create a joint top 10 ranking for the season. Hildebrand and Benyon explain their respective rankings, what impressed them (or didn’t) about the drivers in the list, and they debate about the performances of the drivers that excelled this season. Do yo...
Nov 01, 2021•1 hr 3 min
This week we're joined by David Salters, the ex-Ferrari Formula 1 engineer now heading up Honda’s American motorsports division. Salters, who became President of Honda Performance Development in late 2020, joins to reflect on a second straight season of the firm winning the IndyCar title and the Indianapolis 500 in the same year, extending its series streak of manufacturers' title wins to four in a row. Salters outlines what he has brought to this role from his past experience at Cosworth, Ilmor...
Oct 15, 2021•32 min
