Rides & Drives Team Radio

While the drivers are on track for two days of practice, we've been studying up on what makes the Indy 500 different from every other race on the calendar. Today we talk about the car, and the preparations teams make to get their cars ready to run in the fastest, longest race on the calendar.Check out this week's episode of Rides & Drives Team Radio to start your Indy 500 preparation.

The calendar says it's still April, but in our minds it's May and we're all about the two upcoming races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Today we take a look at the driver's who are entered in the 500 who are not regular drivers in the series. We also add fuel to the Katherine Legge rumors, because, why not!?Stay tuned for more content as we get closer to the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing!"

After yesterday's qualifying we were stoked for the green flag to fly at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Unfortunately the race turned out to be in Scott Dixon's words, "Just a bit blah." We blame Firestone. They did their jobs too well and now the alternate tires last too long and aren't really that much faster than the primary tires.Still there was a lot to like and a lot to unpack for the last race before we head to Indianapolis for the month of May. We go through the good and the bad of the race, give the results to our Victory Lane predictions game, and update our Rides & Drives IndyCar Team Championship standings.Check it all out on this episode of Rides & Drives Team Radio.

There were some big surprises on the streets of Long Beach today. None bigger than Felix Rosenqvist taking pole position for tomorrow's race. How will that and Pato O'Ward's strong showing shape the season going forward? We start to peel back that onion and talk about the strategies we're likely to see play out during tomorrow's Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on this episode of Rides & Drives Team Radio.

It's race week, and America's premier open wheel series is headed to the west coast. The Long Beach Grand Prix is special, not just for IndyCar, but our publisher attended his first IndyCar race there. We go into the history of the Long Beach Grand Prix, Talk to Christian Lundgaard from McLaren, and talk about the different strategies that we're likely to see given the fact that the teams will have to run two sets of the alternate tires this year.It should be an exciting race and we can't wait to cover it all on Rides & Drives Team Radio.

Caio Collet, Dennis Hauger, and Mick Schumacher make up the rookie class of 2026. We're four races into the season so we thought it would be a good time to check in and see how they new kids are adapting to the unique challenges of IndyCar. While they've all had their ups and downs, there's a reason to see big thing from all three. We break it all down on this episode of Rides & Drives Team Radio.

We're planning our coverage for the 110th running of the Indy 500. We'll be there from Fast Friday through the checkered flag on May 24th and we'll be covering it all - driver interviews, team profiles, histories, track info, and more... What would you like to see from us at the Brickyard? Let us know in the comments or shoot us a note via email or any of our socials.

Alex Palou and Chip Ganassi Racing have been so good for so long, even when things don't go right they know how to make them work. That was the story at Barber today, when they didn't have enough new tires to run a clean race, but won by 12 seconds anyway.This resourcefulness puts pressure on their competition, which often seem to crack under the pressure of perfection. Christian Lundgaard had a chance to take the lead with 25 laps to go, but his Arrow-McLaren pit team didn't handle the pressure, costing him 10 seconds due to a slow tire change.We break it all down and talk about who had a good day, and who was less than successful during the IndyCar Children's of Alabama Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park on this episode of Rides & Drives Team Radio.

It was an action packed qualifying session today, starting with Will Power's early exit. Fortunately IndyCar's excellent safety systems mean he'll be on the track tomorrow instead of the hospital. While Alex did what Alex does and earned pole position, others struggled including McLaren, and Sting Ray Robb, who almost robbed Romain Grosjean of a place in the Fast 12. We talk about that and more, plus give your predictions for tomorrow in this week's Victory Lane game. Join us for another action packed episode of Rides & Drives Team Radio!

Kyle Kirkwood sits atop the standings heading into IndyCar's first road course of the season with Alex Palou nipping at his heels. Will Power is chomping at the bit to challenge the leaders as are Pato O'Ward and Josef Newgarden. There will be a lot of action this weekend at Barber Motorsports Park. We preview it all on this episode of Rides & Drives Team Radio.

With F1 taking the month of April off because of the war in Iran, we thought we'd do a primer on IndyCar to help F1 Fans in case they want to tune into the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach to get their open wheel racing fix. Also the good news, if you enjoy Long Beach and want to watch more IndyCar even after F1 resumes, most days you can do both. We often enjoy Sunday breakfast watching F1 and then catching the IndyCar race in the afternoon.We call that a win/win!

We had a sense they'd be strong, but who could have predicted the near dominance Team Andretti displayed at the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington? Kyle Kirkwood drove a masterful race with a bold pass of Alex Palou a few laps from the finish to secure the win. Will Power made up for his early season struggles to finish third. To top it all off, the event was a big hit, with full grandstands at the course that wove its way around AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field. Our only regret? We had to give Jerry Jones (owner of our hated Dallas Cowboys) for raising the standard of IndyCar street races.All this and more on this episode of Rides & Drives Team Radio.

Qualifying at the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington answered a few questions, but raised several more that will only be answered at tomorrow's race. Can Marcus Ericsson convert pole into victory? Will Scott McLaughlin be able to move up to the field and overcome his qualifying error? And how bit a factor will tomorrow's predicted high winds play in the race? We'll have to tune in to get all the answers, but that doesn't stop us from speculating.In addition you can play along with our Victory Lane Challenge game and hear about our newest idea, the Rides & Drives IndyCar Team Championship. All that and more in the latest episode of Rides & Drives Team Radio!

It's always interesting when racers head to a track for the first time. It will be fascinating to watch the different way each approaches it during practice. Every IndyCar driver has driven the new Arlington circuit in the simulator, but what will it really be like IRL. We got some good insights from Rossi and Rassmussen who are both being sponsored by Java House for the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington. Let's hope for a race that's as caffeinated as the sponsor!

Josef Newgarden finds his footing in the late stages of the race after Christian Rassmussen and Will Power tangle out of turn 4. This was a classic IndyCar battle, unfortunately Fox didn't do a great job of capturing it for the TV audience. We go into that and more on this episode of Rides & Drives Team Radio.

Little Dave Malukas and his Penske teammates had a great day on the oval in Phoenix. They'll be lining jup first, second and fifth for the start of the Good Ranchers 250 tomorrow afternoon. Maybe even more surprising were the performances put on by RLL's Graham Rahal and Mick Schumacher who will start third and fourth. Ganassi, Andretti, and Arrow McLaren each had disappointing days, with Alex Palou starting 10th on the grid. the big question is who will have the pace on what looks to be a warm and windy afternoon in the desert tomorrow. We'll be online to wrap it all up tomorrow evening.

Yeah, we said it. Next to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Phoenix Raceway is the best oval on the circuit (and we love Milwaukee, Nashville, and St. Louis). It's unique shape produces some great racing so we're happy to see it back on the Calendar.Join us as we preview the track, the competition, and other important details for this dual IndyCar/NASCAR weekend in the desert.

IndyCar is back and the season started off with a bang at St. Pete. Alex Palou laid down the gauntlet and looks ready to defend his title, but Team Penske looks like they'll have something to say about it. Fox had some hiccups on the broadcast, while the experience in person was off the charts. And Caz jumps into the lead with a fast start in our predictions game, Victory Lane! We break it all down on this episode of Rides & Drives Team Radio!

Talk about surprises. Dale Coyne Racing and Penske each put two cars in the top five positions on the grid with rookie Dennis Hauger sitting third! Alex Palou doesn't win the pole, and none of the Arrow McLaren cars made the Fast Six. What does it all mean? We break it all down on this episode of Rides & Drives Team Radio from St. Petersburg.

The NTT IndyCar season kicks off this weekend and we'll be there getting a first hand look at the teams and asking the big questions. We have a few going into the first race of the season. Testing has shown there's a lot still up in the air and nothing really matters except what happens between the time when the green flag flies and the checkered flag falls. Find out who we'll be watching and what we're looking to find out as the cars take to the track for the first time in 2026!

We're ready to start the 2026 IndyCar season. Are you? Join us three times a week during race weeks starting tomorrow!WednesdayWeekend Preview: The stories coming into the week. Insider info on the track and the town and how to get the most out of your IndyCar weekend.SaturdayPost qualifying reactions: Predictions for the race. Join us and prove your IndyCar knowledge by making your picks for the Rides & Drives Team Radio Victory Circle game.SundayPost race reactions: what happened, why it happened and what it means for the season going forward.We're looking forward to having you join us for every race during the season.

25 Dallara DW12 cars in their bright, shiny new liveries took the the 1 mile oval in Phoenix this week and now we're even more excited for the 2026 season to begin. Ganassi is strong. Andretti looks POWERful. Penske is back. And ECR may be the surprise team of the season. But testing isn't racing and Phoenix isn't St. Pete. All we know is we can't wait for the green flag to fly in 9 days.

What does IndyCar's new engine deal with Chevy and Honda entail and more important, what does it mean for the sport? We're also taking a look at the track test at Sebring and see if we can glean anything from those results. And in other news Romain Grosjean still keeps showing up without a contract with Dale Coyne Racing, Alex is free from his law suit with McLaren, and there are some stunning new liveries on the grid. Check it all out in this week's episode of Rides & Drives Team Radio.

When it comes to the legends of Indy, none are larger than A.J. Foyt. He's the first four-time Indianapolis 500 champion, has a record 67 wins in an Indy car, and 7 series championships. He also won the Daytona 500, 24-Hours of LeMans, numerous sprint, midget, and other sports car races. And at age 57, he set the closed course speed record of 267 miles per hour.But his legend extends well beyond the track. To find out more about A.J. we sat down with Art Garner, the author of an exhaustive biography of Super Tex titled, "A.J. Foyt, Survivor, Champion, Legend." The first volume is over 600 pages long with a second coming out at the end of May this year. Join us as we dig into the history and impact of one of the best racers ever to get behind the wheel of a car, the one and only, A.J. Foyt.

We spent the past two days at the IndyCar content days, hearing from the drivers and IndyCar about the upcoming season. Given what we heard from Alex Palou, Will Power, Pato O'Ward, Graham Rahal, Josef Newgarden, David Malukas and others, this looks to be an even more competitive season than last year. Also, news about the D.C. Race in August, a Romain Grosjean sighting, and a prodigal son returning to Penske. Buckle your seat belts, it's time for another episode of Rides & Drives Team Radio!

IndyCar has a long history with the 24-hours of Daytona, or as it's now known, the Rolex 24. From A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti, to Dixon, Tony Kanaan, Helio Castroneves, and Scott Dixon, Indy regulars have been coming to Florida and winning America's premier sports car race since the 1960s. With 13 IndyCar drivers in this year's field, how will they do? Will Alex Palou begin another magical season with a win? Is Will Power going to lay down the gauntlet in GTD and let people know he's a force to be reckoned with this year? All we know is that we'll be watching the first major race of the 2026 season because our IndyCar heroes are in the field.

Merry Christmas all. In the spirit of the season, we're sending our holiday wishlist to Indy Claus. What do you wish for in the upcoming IndyCar season? We've got quite a few!

It's the holiday's. It's time to count our blessings think about ways to help others. Most IndyCar drivers and teams are aligned with charities so one way to support your favorite drive and team is to support a cause that's important to them. With a little research it's easy to find out who they're working with. Andretti Global started CheckIt4Andretti after John Andretti passed away from colorectal cancer. You can see what they're doing and help support their cause here. Alex Palou drives for the American Legion's "Be The One" campaign to raise awareness of veterans mental health issues and suicide prevention. And there are so many others.At Rides & Drives, we've been heavily involved in Operation Frodo, an annual mission to rescue beagles from the Midwest where they are overbred in puppy mills, used in medical experiments, or abandoned in the field after the hunting season. We work with automakers to arrange transportation for the dogs from Omaha, Nebraska to Salt Lake City, Utah, Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington, where they have homes waiting for them. This year's operation begins on Sunday, December 14th and we'll be posting from the road, sharing stories about the dogs and and the trip. We hope you will follow us along the way and if the spirit moves you, donate a little money to help us rescue more dogs next year.Happy holidays no matter which holiday you celebrate!From Caz & Harvey

We love movies and we love racing. So how do we feel about racing movies? In this episode, we review three racing movies: the 1971 classic, Le Mans; Ron Howard's F1 biopic, Rush; and probably the worst racing movie ever made, Driven.In the immortal words of Meatloaf, two out of three ain't bad.

We discuss the recent updates that were tested on the Dallara DW12 chassis as well as the pros and cons of a single chassis series. Harvey longs for the days when multiple manufacturers were involved adding another layer of interest to the competition, while Carolyn argues that the single chassis makes for more competitive and interesting races. What's your take on this feature of IndyCar? Let us know what you think in the comments.​ @indycar ​

It's that time of year, when the action off the track is as interesting as the racing. We look at which drivers have found new seats, who are still looking for rides, and the latest from the rumor mill. As an added bonus, you get a impromptu review of the Brad Pitt movie, F1.

We kick of a new series with a profile of IndyCar legend Bobby Rahal. Spend a few minutes with us to learn more about his amazing career as a driver and team owner through all the changes across his 40 year career.

From Mid-Ohio to Nashville and all the races in between, we saw some great action on the track and have a few take aways from a very competitive second half of the IndyCar season. What was your favorite race of the season? And based on the last 8 races, what do you expect to happen in 2026?

IndyCar released the 2026 Schedule today and we're already excited for the start of the season. We have two new venues, one classic track returning, and our least favorite track on the calendar last year goes away. We have 5 street circuits, 6 ovals, and 6 road courses and end the season on one of America's most iconic venues. Give this episode a listen to see why we're all in on IndyCar for 2026.

The 2025 NTT IndyCar season was a tale of two halves. We take a look at the first nine races, from St. Pete to Road America and highlight some of the themes that began to emerge. And no, Alex Palou winning almost everything was not the only theme we discuss. This is a long one, so grab a beverage, settle into your favorite comfy chair, and enjoy the show.

Well, that didn't take long. Released from Penske on Tuesday, Will Power fills the vacancy at Andretti created by Colton Herta's move to Cadillac F1. We were planning on a Power/Penske retrospective but this news changes everything. We'll tell you what we think and how this will shake up the 2026 NTT IndyCar season.

What is Team Radio and who is Rides & Drives, we answer those questions and more in this for minute introduction of our podcast for IndyCar fans.

We were hoping for a cracker to close out the 2025 IndyCar season and we got one. The Music City Grand Prix in Nashville was a race for the ages. It had everything. 284 passes for position, 20 lead changes, an epic battle for third, and a great redemption story as Josef Newgarden raced to the front to win his first race of the season. It was so good, it took us 46 minutes to wrap it all up in a bow. Enjoy our final race podcast of the season. We'll be back next week to do a full season wrap up. Happy Labor Day, everyone!

Some big surprises among the top slot of the grid for tomorrow's Music City Grand Prix thanks to a big showing by teams running Chevy engines. Is it a fluke or will the continue to run up front in the race tomorrow. We talk about that, who has the most to win in this final race, and we make our final predictions for podium, biggest mover, biggest loser, bad bad boy, and wildcard picks. Can you beat us? Give our podcast a listen and let us know what you think is going to happen in the final IndyCar race of the season tomorrow.

We're sad to see the season drawing to a close, but will savor every minute of the final weekend in Nashville. What did we learn this week leading up to the race? That Alex Palou won't be going to Red Bull. That the term superspeedway can apply to a wide variety of tracks, and that Chip Ganassi is the kind of boss we'd like to work for. All that and more as we get ready for the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix.

It was a great race in Milwaukee with lots of passing, excellent wheel to wheel action, and a little weather just a few laps from the end that created the beautiful chaos that David Malukas predicted. We break it all down and tell you how we did with our pre-race predictions.

We expected an exciting qualifying session and the day didn't disappoint. While Alex Palou did what Alex Palou does and swept in at the last minute to take the pole, there are a lot of driver's in contention for what's sure to be an exciting race tomorrow. Give our podcast a listen and find out why David Malukas feels the Snap-On Milwaukee Mile 250 will be "Beautiful Chaos."

There's a lot to like about this weekend's IndyCar race in Milwaukee. Historic racetrack? Check! Great racing? Check! A fantastic city with world-class dining, accommodations and entertainment? Check! If you're coming to Milwaukee this weekend, make sure you listen to this podcast to set you up for a great time.