This week’s episode of The Race IndyCar Podcast wraps up all the awards, battles and fights from the IndyCar season finale at Laguna Seca, with plenty to discuss on and off the track.

With JR Hildebrand alongside host Jack Benyon, the pair discuss the contentious penalties and how they perhaps reflect a wider problem with officiating this year, with eventual winner Scott Dixon’s shunt with Rinus VeeKay and Colton Herta’s rocket start being used as case studies.

There’s also a look at whether this was a good race or not, as it descended into a farcical mess at times but also delivered the kind of unpredictability a Formula 1 fan could only dream of. 

There’s also the manufacturers’ championship, Rookie of the Year, Indy NXT title, Leaders’ Circle ‘winner’ and the latest from the silly season to get into.

Finally, the pair describe where the introduction of the hybrid unit for IndyCar is, with some whisperings that getting it ready for 2024 is going to be a struggle for the series.

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Freshly-crowned 2023 IndyCar Series champion Alex Palou joins this episode of The Race IndyCar Podcast within hours of sealing his second title.

The Chip Ganassi Racing driver discusses his evolution as a driver and how he didn't want to win this title through consistency alone - something he's certainly managed, with his fifth win of the season in Portland sealing the title.

Palou also addresses the fact that he could have been at a different team if his move to McLaren had come off last year, and admits, while he wishes things had played out differently, he wanted to win the title to reward his Ganassi team.

JR Hildebrand joins Jack Benyon to break down more from the Portland race, including a rare Scott Dixon rant, whether IndyCar's caution rule is correct, if Palou should have had a blocking penalty, and more backmarker questions.

There's also a silly season update with McLaren and Meyer Shank set for moves, news of a very special CART car test this week involving Bryan and Colton Herta, the latest on Indy NXT, and what to watch for in the nearly $1 million contest that's still to be decided at a resurfaced Laguna Seca.

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A stunning Gateway drive gave Scott Dixon a second win in a row and left his rivals marvelling at his untouchable skills, making sure The Race IndyCar Podcast has plenty to talk about on this week's episode.

Why more people didn't go for Dixon's three-stop strategy, and what it means for his title charge are discussed by co-hosts, The Race's Jack Benyon and Indy 500 regular JR Hildebrand.

Whether Pato O'Ward is outperforming his car or he's a lost title contender after a rollercoaster year is also debated, while Hildebrand gives a fascinating insight into how drivers analyse and try to improve when they are proving inconsistent like Josef Newgarden and Team Penske have been this year.

Outside of Gateway, there's news on Marcus Ericsson, Juri Vips and Tom Blomqvist amid a busy silly season.

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 [email protected].

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Ahead of the race where he earned his best IndyCar result last year, and amid rumours over his future, David Malukas joins The Race IndyCar Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation.

The 21-year-old discusses his decision to leave Dale Coyne Racing and the reasons behind it, why this year has been a struggle for the team, and his belief that his talent could secure a better seat for 2024.

He also talks about the changes he's made to his physical training and diet, and why he's using a mental coach as he looks to improve his performance in his sophomore campaign.

Following the interview, host Jack Benyon brings you a round-up of the latest IndyCar news, including McLaren initiating legal proceedings with Alex Palou over his future, the latest 2024 hybrid engine test, and what's going on in the driver market silly season.

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How Scott Dixon pulled off a win from crashing on the first lap and the restart of the Alex Palou/Ganassi/McLaren fight headline this The Race IndyCar Podcast episode.

There's only so many ways drivers can save fuel and yet Dixon is the absolute master, combining that with brilliant tyre management to shock everyone and deny Graham Rahal victory on the Indianapolis road course. JR Hildebrand gives you a behind-the-visor look at how and why Dixon's so impressive in these scenarios.

Is Rahal underappreciated, or underrated? The hosts debate that, looking at his six years without a pole or win, the former being broken this weekend, and also examine Josef Newgarden's title chances after his nightmare weekend.

Finally, the blockbuster news that Zak Brown claims Alex Palou has gone back on an alleged contract with the McLaren team and won't race for it in 2024, and the chaos that ensued in the aftermath, is well covered.

We answer how and why this has all happened, some of the reasons behind it, and what might be next for McLaren which seemingly needs to find a new elite driver ASAP.

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 [email protected].

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This week's episode of The Race IndyCar Podcast looks back on Kyle Kirkwood’s second win of the year in Nashville and features an in-depth interview with debut star Linus Lundqvist.

Hosts Jack Benyon and JR Hildebrand debate Kirkwood’s progression in the series after his second win, discussing his sometimes questionable racecraft but also his outstanding pace that has put him above ace team-mates Colton Herta and Romain Grosjean this season.

Lundqvist, meanwhile, gives his first interview since being confirmed in the Meyer Shank car in place of the concussed Simon Pagenaud for a second week. He discusses some of the reasons behind his fast start, doing his first ever pitstop, how the weekend has impacted his chances of a 2024 drive, and how racing under that pressure impacts his mindset and performance.

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 [email protected]

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The winners of the last three IndyCar races are guests on this episode of The Race IndyCar Podcast , which sees hosts Jack Benyon and JR Hildebrand in conversation with Josef Newgarden and Christian Lundgaard.

Newgarden completed a sweep of the Iowa double-header the weekend before last, and joins to talk about that weekend, his winning of eight of the last 10 oval races, and joining an amazing club of three drivers to win five-straight oval events.

He also discusses how tough in-season development is in IndyCar and how likely a title fight is with Alex Palou given the 80-point gap.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s Lundgaard, meanwhile, shares his thoughts on his first-ever IndyCar race win at Toronto, how it's impacted what people think about him as a driver, and what it means for the second half of the season.

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This week's episode of The Race IndyCar Podcast reflects on Josef Newgarden's Iowa double and how it impacts his title fight with Alex Palou.

Ace oval racer JR Hildebrand breaks down the skills that have taken Newgarden to six career victories at the circuit, and gives his take on Newgarden’s post-race outburst about traffic.

JR and co-host Jack Benyon also discuss Palou’s podium recovery and how he managed it with a “bad” car. The hosting duo also look at what it takes to come from Europe and excel on ovals, as a pair of sophomores starred, and give their verdict on a late Felix Rosenqvist charge and the pair of disqualifications in race two.

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A wet qualifying made for a jumbled order, but even in the dry the Toronto IndyCar street race provided plenty of talking points for this week’s episode of The Race IndyCar Podcast, including a maiden win for Christian Lundgaard.

Can Lundgaard now be considered one of IndyCar's elite drivers? And how much will the momentum from this win impact his peaky Rahal Letterman Lanigan team? Those are two questions expertly answered by Indy Lights champion, Indy 500 regular and our co-hoist JR Hildebrand.

JR and co-host Jack Benyon also analyse Alex Palou’s 15th-to-second drive through the field, and bring listeners up to speed on the latest silly season rumours - including how Palou represents 'the cork in the bottle'.

The guys also discuss how Tom Blomqvist faired on his maiden IndyCar weekend after being thrown in at the deep end, and preview the Iowa double header, debating whether track specialist Josef Newgarden might use the event to erode Palou’s championship advantage.

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The Race IndyCar Podcast delivers its annual top 10 drivers of the season at the championship’s mid-way point, with one enormous twist.

This year co-hosts Jack Benyon of The Race and Indy 500 regular JR Hildebrand have gone for a top 11 to reflect the foregone conclusion of runaway championship leader Alex Palou being the most obvious number one in racing ranking history.

The co-hosts pick their top 11 of the season - or their top 10 without Palou, if you prefer - and then an average of the two is taken, with tie-breaks being decided by number of wins.

Among the biggest surprises are the co-hosts picking different 'number 1s' behind Palou, putting Pato O’Ward four-places apart in their rankings, and also managing to place a driver who is behind Marcus Ericsson in the points standings ahead of him in their rankings.

You can also contact the show via [email protected] where you can send written or voice note questions for the hosts, request special guests and tell us more of what you want to hear.

NOTE: This episode was recorded before Simon Pagenaud was ruled out of racing in Toronto.

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