The Race IndyCar Podcast The Race

There's a lot to get into on this episode, with two of the biggest IndyCar stories in recent memory sandwiching a race weekend.
Jack Benyon and co-host JR Hildebrand give their thoughts on the scandal engulfing the series last week as Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin were disqualified from the season opener for illegal push-to-pass usage.
McLaughlin rebounded in the perfect way to give Penske victory last weekend at Barber and the episode breaks down how he did it, as at one point it was certain his unassailable lead had been taken away from him.
Elsewhere this week, the situation surrounding David Malukas being dropped by Arrow McLaren is addressed as he exits without having started a race and without a publicised recovery time. How the situation has been handled and what is next for Malukas and McLaren forms part of the discussion.
Also from Barber, there’s chat about McLaren’s tough start to the year, how its old driver Felix Rosenqvist has scored top 10s in every race and is ahead of Pato O’Ward in the championship, and why a rejuvenated Colton Herta has jumped into an early points lead.
If you want to join The Race Members' Club, click here to sign up, or you can sign up for all of The Race's bonus audio content (but not the other perks of membership) directly in the Apple Podcasts app.

Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook


Check out our latest videos on YouTube


Download our app on iOS or Android



Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode Jack Benyon and JR Hildebrand discuss Scott Dixon’s genius and how it led to a stunning victory in Long Beach.
Dixon’s outrageous victory on the streets of California - underpinned by his insane fuel-saving abilities - drew praise from all corners of motorsport at the weekend. As well as discussing how he won and the qualities that mean Dixon can do things his peers can’t, Hildebrand outlines some memories of racing wheel-to-wheel with Dixon and what makes him great in the process.
Reigning Formula 2 champion Theo Pourchaire’s excellent debut for Arrow McLaren is also analysed, along with his prospects for a repeat performance at Barber this weekend, plus the guys dive into how IndyCar officiated the Josef Newgarden/Colton Herta incident that impacted the finish of the race.

Join The Race Members Club. Click here to sign up or join in Apple Podcast app

Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook


Check out our latest videos on YouTube


Download our app on iOS or Android



Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A crucial test for the Indy 500, an extended injury delay opening the door for the reigning F2 champion and an F1 feeder series juggernaut entering a new two-car team left plenty to discuss on this week’s episode of The Race IndyCar Podcast.
JR Hildebrand and Jack Benyon are back to discuss Josef Newgarden and Team Penske’s form after topping the Indy 500 Open Test, and break down NASCAR star Kyle Larson’s second-fastest time performance with some key insight into how he’s approaching advice for his IndyCar debut as well.
Prema Racing’s two-car team for 2025 is outlined with Hildebrand impressed with how well previous drivers and employees speak of the team.
And of course, who to watch in this weekend’s Long Beach Grand Prix, with F2 champion Theo Pourchaire looking likely to replace David Malukas adding to the storylines. Hildebrand explains why he thinks this is more of a long-term move by the team.

Join The Race Members Club. Click here to sign up or join in Apple Podcast app

Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook


Check out our latest videos on YouTube


Download our app on iOS or Android



Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Thermal $1 Million Challenge non-points race has been widely panned by fans, so The Race IndyCar Podcast does a deep dive into the event this week.
JR Hildebrand joins Jack Benyon to discuss the things we liked and disliked from the event.
Of course, the fact that it was so seemingly universally disliked - at least on social media - triggers a worry for Benyon that IndyCar will be scared to try new things - something it has been criticised for not doing recently.
The venue, heat format, push-to-pass in qualifying, the prize money not being enough and addressing some of the wider problems with the event’s messaging all make up parts of the analysis.

Join The Race Members Club for additional podcast content! Click here to sign up

Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook


Check out our latest videos on YouTube


Download our app on iOS or Android



Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden joins The Race IndyCar Podcast to discuss his perfect start to the year with a pole and a win in the IndyCar season opener, and victory in the 24 Hours of Daytona with Porsche.
Speaking to hosts Jack Benyon and JR Hildebrand, Newgarden goes into more detail than he has before on the mental struggles he went through last year, even admitting there were times that he didn’t want to get into the car.
He also talks about the intricacies of his win in St Pete, and what that might mean for the rest of a campaign in which he's aiming for a first championship win since 2019, despite winning more races than any other driver in that period.
With the Thermal $1 million Challenge event taking place this weekend, Newgarden gives a driver’s insight into the event, while Benyon explains the event’s unusual format with two heat races and a final dash for cash where the winner should earn $500,000.
Finally, Newgarden discusses the ‘bittersweet’ travails of his native IndyCar round at Nashville, which has been moved from its downtown street circuit location to an oval further out of the city.


Click here to take our quick survey about your podcast habits and you could win £/$100 worth of Amazon vouchers

Join The Race Members Club. Click here to sign up

Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook


Check out our latest videos on YouTube


Download our app on iOS or Android



Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Race IndyCar Podcast is back to what it does best - analysing races - after the 2024 IndyCar season got underway in St Petersburg last weekend.
Indy 500 regular and Indy Lights champion JR Hildebrand joins The Race’s Jack Benyon to provide some fascinating insight into Josef Newgarden's victory, and the American driver's comments about how he's struggled to enjoy his racing and the steps he has taken to fix that.
Chevrolet and Penske’s strong starts are also discussed, as are terrible starts to the season for different reasons for two big marquee signings in Marcus Ericsson and Romain Grosjean.
A starring rookie at Ganassi is also name-checked amid a rollercoaster race for that team, while Hildebrand gives his take on what Benyon called a disappointing race from an excitement perspective, and how IndyCar’s current ideological crisis might have been the root cause.

Join The Race Members Club and have a free month on us! Click here to sign up

Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook


Check out our latest videos on YouTube


Download our app on iOS or Android



Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices