NASCAR champion and new McLaren IndyCar signing Kyle Larson joins The Race IndyCar Podcast this week for an exclusive interview on the news he will race in the 2024 Indy 500.
Larson is known for his desire and ability to jump in any machinery and go fast quickly, although he’ll face some unique challenges making his IndyCar debut at the Indy 500.
He joins hosts Jack Benyon and JR Hildebrand to discus what some of those challenges might be, the relevance of the fact he’s already won the NASCAR race - the Coca Cola 600 - that takes place on the same day, what he remembers about watching McLaren growing up, and the involvement of Jeff Gordon in making this deal happen.
There’s also talk of what other challenges Larson might want to take on - including testing and even racing an F1 car - and how he adapted to the new Cup Series car in 2022 for the NASCAR fans of the show.
Don't forget, if you have a question for our hosting team, you can email text and/or voice notes to be included on the podcast by sending them to podcasts@the-race.com

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INTERVIEW: NASCAR champion Kyle Larson on his Indy 500 dream

Analysis, interviews and race reviews from one of the most competitive motorsport series in the world. The Race’s American Editor Jack Benyon is joined by Indy 500 regular and Indy Lights champion JR Hildebrand to dissect the main stories with the help of some of the series’ biggest names

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Alex Palou’s Indy road course win, a host of expletive-filled spats and a look at the Indy 500 starting this week makes up this episode of The Race IndyCar Podcast.
Hosting duo JR Hildebrand and Jack Benyon look at Alex Palou starting May in the same way as last year, with a pole and a win on the Indy road course, what that means for his title rivals and how Christian Lundgaard was hard done by.
Of course, Colton Herta calling his team-mate Marcus Ericsson an “ass” and Romain Grosjean and Santino Ferrucci’s unusual wheel-banging feud are also analysed.
After that, Hildebrand explains some intricacies of how Indy 500 qualifying works, and gives his thoughts on how badly impacted reigning winner Josef Newgarden will be after some of his crew have been suspended ahead of the event.
There’s also a run through the schedule this week and some things to look for as practice unfolds.

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Another ominous Palou win + what to watch as Indy 500 practice begins

It’s a bumper episode of The Race IndyCar Podcast as Theo Pourchaire discusses his new deal with McLaren, and points leader Colton Herta is also interviewed.
Pourchaire will do all of the remaining IndyCar races for McLaren this season apart from the Indy 500, replacing David Malukas who was released after a hand injury.
Pourchaire discusses missing out on an F1 seat (so far at least), the crazy month where he went from “sitting at home” to becoming a full time IndyCar driver, how he's adapting to American culture, and more on his oval test at Gateway earlier this week.
And in our second interview, Colton Herta discusses being the IndyCar championship leader for the first time. He outlines how that’s influencing his approach, the impact of Andretti dropping to three cars for 2024, and what it was like to drive his dad’s 1998 Reynard at Laguna Seca last year.

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Pourchaire on new McLaren deal, Herta discusses points lead

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.
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Our take on the IndyCar scandal, McLaughlin's Barber win, and Malukas' McLaren exit

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.

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Dissecting Dixon’s genius & Pourchaire’s brilliant Long Beach debut

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.

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INTERVIEW: NASCAR champion Kyle Larson on his Indy 500 dream

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