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 impress ..read more

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 w ..read more

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 20 ..read more

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 Gros ..read more

James Hinchcliffe and Jamie Chadwick are the star guests on this episode of The Race IndyCar Podcast, which previews the 2024 IndyCar season-opener at St Petersburg. After a long off-season, the series is back and as a former race winner at St Pete and one of the series' TV commentators, 'Hinch' is the perfect person to help preview the race alongside hosts Jack Benyon and JR Hildebrand. Hinch analyses the track, paying special attention to Turns 3 and 14, and also talks about what winning at St Pete in 2013 - his first IndyCar victory - meant for his career. Hinchcliffe also picks out some of ..read more

We're delighted to welcome a special guest to The Race IndyCar Podcast this week, as Indianapolis 500-winning engineer Angela Ashmore of Chip Ganassi Racing joins the show. From watching short-track racing as a child to engineering in NASCAR, Ashmore has a diverse resume that most recently led her to winning the 500 with Marcus Ericsson as his assistant engineer, before being promoted to lead engineer for Marcus Armstrong at the team in 2024. Ashmore discusses how well the job of assistant prepares you for the lead engineering role, and looks at some of the key areas where there’s big gains to ..read more

With the start of the 2024 IndyCar season a little over a month away, it's time for us to pick out five things to watch this year. Indy Lights champion and Indy 500 regular (and hopeful for 2024) JR Hildebrand is back alongside The Race’s Jack Benyon to break down some of this year’s most interesting storylines, including whether anyone can stop reigning champion Alex Palou. They also get into Andretti shrinking to three cars and Marcus Ericsson’s title hopes, a superstar debut at the Indy 500, what Romain Grosjean can do with his second shot at a rebirth in IndyCar, and whether Rahal Letterma ..read more

It’s a mammoth episode of The Race IndyCar Podcast this week as Romain Grosjean’s IndyCar reprieve at Juncos after being dropped by Andretti is analysed in detail. Indy Lights champion JR Hildebrand is back alongside The Race’s Jack Benyon, as they assess Grosjean’s time in IndyCar and if he did enough to earn this second-chance opportunity. Could it be that he’s found the perfect level here? How Grosjean might adapt to his new team off-track and how the social media abuse Callum Ilott received during his stint there might impact him are also discussed. Hildebrand also goes into detail on what ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more