Speed Street

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140 - Every Second Counts - Portland Winner Will Power On How to Manage a Big Lead Aug 28, 2024

Show notes

As the IndyCar teams travel back east from Portland, Conor Daly returns to Speed Street to report on how his weekend in the Rose City unfolded. He joins co-host Chase Holden to unpack the race and react to Santino Ferrucci’s monster qualifying lap which rewarded him his first career pole and brought A.J. Foyt Racing back to the top of the charts. They also chat about how Portland’s record for first lap full-course yellows was upheld, but this time it wasn’t in turn one. Conor breaks down what happened between Scott Dixon, Kyle Kirkwood and Pietro Fittipaldi, a crash that took Dixon out of the championship battle. Finally, Conor details his own contact with Pietro and how the spin cost him valuable time in a race that ran mostly under green.

Race winner Will Power joins the show for the third time this season after his dominant victory over points leader Alex Palou. Will marvels over how close the IndyCar paddock is this season, as qualifying saw the field separated by mere tenths of a second. He also explains how he and Santino discussed the start of the race on the grid beforehand and the move that gave him the early lead. Will gives listeners insight as to how difficult it is mentally to maintain a large lead in a race like Portland, where he is constantly analyzing data and watching what second place is doing behind him. While it may look easy, there are many factors at play such as conserving tires and fuel that he needs to concentrate on for the duration of the event. Will weighs in on his championship chances as the IndyCar season moves into its final three races and what he needs to do to further close in on Palou.

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139 - Data Transparency - Conor and Gateway Winner Josef Newgarden Discuss IndyCar’s Restart Challenges Aug 21, 2024

Show notes

It was an eventful night as the IndyCar Series held a showdown at dusk in St. Louis, and after a chain reaction spin-out in the beginning stages our host Conor Daly rebounded to a well-fought 13th place finish. He joins co-host Chase Holden to chat about the weekend at Gateway and how he felt his new Juncos Hollinger team struggled to find the pace they had at the hybrid test a couple of weeks ago. They also analyze which drivers looked to be on the brink of disaster during qualifying and how Team Penske seemed to be at ease behind the wheel. Conor delivers an in depth play-by-play breakdown of what caused his early spin and some of the other on-track calamity he raced around. He also dives into the controversial late race restart and illustrates how the stack-up wasn’t completely the leader’s fault.

Race winner Josef Newgarden joins the show to give his side of the events. He reflects on the power Team Penske showed and gives credit to his team for bringing such a strong fleet of cars to the track. He also details his mid-race spin and how he was able to rebound from it to find himself in victory lane. Josef gives listeners insight to what took place from his perspective on the late race restart that claimed his teammate Will Power, Alexander Rossi and others. Josef explains that while he feels bad that Will and others were caught up in a mess, he did nothing wrong except try to execute a race winning move that would protect his lead from a charging Scott McLaughlin. Josef would love to see more transparency from IndyCar in the way of in-car analytics, similar to how SMT data is available in the NASCAR world. He and Conor also debate the ongoing problem with aggressive restarts in IndyCar and what measures can be taken to prevent future crashes of similar fashion.

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138 - Big News Day - Conor’s Back Behind the Wheel and David Malukas Discusses His 2025 Plans Aug 14, 2024

Show notes

It’s officially race week again in the IndyCar world, and Conor Daly is on Speed Street with a big news drop. He joins co-host Chase Holden to reveal the details of his deal to drive the Juncos Hollinger number-78 NTT IndyCar for the rest of the 2024 season, starting this upcoming weekend at Gateway. Conor chats about how he felt on-track during the recent hybrid test at the Madison, Illinois oval and what he’s looking forward to most about working with the new team. The guys also react to the news bombshell that David Malukas will be joining the A.J. Foyt Racing team for a multi-year contract starting in 2025. They discuss how the potential charter deal may cause the rest of the IndyCar roster to shake out for next year.

The man of the hour David Malukas joins the show to chat about his new deal to join the historic Foyt team and what his goals are for the rest of his time with Meyer Shank Racing. Conor explains that when he initially reached out to schedule an interview with David, it was to check in with him after his tumultuous beginning of the 2024 season, and had no idea of the impending announcement of his new contract. David gives a lot of thanks to the Meyer Shank team who he explains took a chance on him after his hand injury and gave him a platform to return to the racing spotlight. The guys also discuss David’s online social media presence and what he’s doing to connect with Gen Z and help introduce them to IndyCar racing.

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137 - Landscape Development - Silly Season Continues and Formula 2 Champion Théo Pourchaire Stops By Aug 07, 2024

Show notes

Nothing stops the IndyCar silly season, not even Olympic summer break, and our resident open wheeler Conor Daly is in the thick of it. He joins co-host Chase Holden to react to the late breaking news that Juncos Hollinger Racing has parted ways with Agustin Canapino leaving the 78 car vacant ahead of the upcoming race at Gateway. Conor was recently seen testing the car at the St. Louis-based track and he fills listeners in on what the latest developments are for the ride. He also gives some insight to how the test went, which saw him turn the fourth fastest lap of the session behind the three Andretti Global entries. The guys also react to the news that Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing will field a fourth car for Yuri Vips at the upcoming event in Portland.

Former Arrow McLaren racer and 2023 Formula 2 Champion Théo Pourchaire calls into the show to chat about his stint in the IndyCar Series this year and what is on the horizon in his promising career. Théo gives listeners a better picture of his racing background as he discusses his time spent in the Formula 2 and 3 ranks. He also talks about his transition to IndyCar and how he feels he may have underestimated the difficulty of the series. Théo reflects on his favorite parts of American culture he experienced during his time in the States and what it was like attending the Indianapolis 500 Month of May festivities. Finally, Théo speculates on what may be next for him in motorsports and how he hopes to return to the IndyCar paddock for another shot at a full-time season.

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136 - Stay Vigilant - NASCAR Xfinity Racer Riley Herbst and Olympic Field Hockey Player Nicci Daly Jul 31, 2024

Show notes

As the motorsports world settles into its Olympic summer break, Conor Daly and Chase Holden keep you up to date with another episode of Speed Street. To help further recap his recent NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Conor invites the winner of the event Riley Herbst to the show to give his perspective from the front of the pack. Riley provides listeners with insight to how the race played out for him in the final laps, and how he felt like he lost the race going into turn four after light contact with Aric Almirola. Conor also asks Riley about the aero strategy that is prevalent in the Xfinity Series and how drivers methodically pack dirty air onto an opponent’s rear spoiler to help make passes. Finally, the guys look ahead to the upcoming NASCAR events at Michigan International and speculate what this speedway package’s on-track racing product will look like.

It wouldn’t be Olympic coverage without chatting with an actual Olympian, and Speed Street just happened to find one who has connections to the IndyCar world. None other than Conor’s own cousin Nicci Daly joins the show to discuss her time at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with the Ireland women’s Field Hockey team. Nikki explains that the process to qualify for the Olympics was actually more difficult and time consuming than competing in the actual summer games, and just making it to the big stage was a major accomplishment in itself. Nicci shares some hilarious stories from the Olympic village and what it was like interacting with other athletes from all over the world. Nicci also fills listeners in on her current position working for Turn 3 Motorsports in the USF Pro2000 Series as a data engineer.

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135 - Planes, Trucks and Stock Cars - Toronto Winner Colton Herta and Conor’s Indy Double Jul 24, 2024

Show notes

Continuing his recent trend of racing anything anywhere, Conor Daly is back with another weekend adventure on this episode of Speed Street. He joins co-host Chase Holden to chat about his flight troubles while trying to get to and from Charlotte for some Toyota sim time in preparation for his race weekend as well a test in a GT3 sports car at Virginia International Raceway. More flight issues on the way home made him late to prepare for his Indy double: racing a NASCAR Truck at Indianapolis Raceway Park and an Xfinity car at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After an impressive practice session Friday afternoon in the stock car at the big track, Conor had a police escort to IRP where he would end up driving from the back of the pack while learning the ropes of NASCAR short track racing. Finally, Conor gives an in depth breakdown of his Saturday spent at the Brickyard mixing it up with the NASCAR Xfinity crew, where he came home in 14th place.

The guys also dive into IndyCar’s weekend at Toronto, where Penske teammates Will Power and Scott McLaughlin had an on-track dust-up and Santino Ferrucci went for a wild ride. Race winner Colton Herta joins the show to discuss Andretti Global’s prowess at the Toronto street course and how the team has it circled on the calendar every year due to its continued success there. He gives a lot of credit to teammate Kyle Kirkwood who helped keep the Ganassi teammates Scott Dixon and Alex Palou at bay while they cruised to a one-two victory. Colton and Conor also chat about this year’s Indy 500 and what led to Colton’s lap 86 crash. Finally, Colton weighs in on what growth he’s seen for the IndyCar Series this year and how he sees more fans at the race track than ever before.

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134 - “Are You in Iowa?” - Conor Fills in for Jack Harvey and Penske Sweeps the Weekend Jul 17, 2024

Show notes

IndyCar’s return to Iowa this past weekend brought plenty of surprises as Speed Street host Conor Daly was called last minute to fill-in for Jack Harvey at Dale Coyne Racing. He joins co-host Chase Holden to detail how he got the call Friday night and boarded Roger Penske’s plane Saturday morning to be on stand-by as the situation developed by the minute. While the IndyCar rulebook kept him out of the driver’s seat for race one, due to his lack of seat time during the event weekend, he was granted a special session Sunday morning to help him prepare for race two. He and Chase recap both races and break down how the recent track repave and additional weight from the new hybrid system led to an overall lack of racing action.

Race winners Scott McLaughlin and Will Power both joined the show this week to discuss how Team Penske utilized fuel strategy and quick pit stops to sweep the weekend. Scott laid down a lap fast enough to break the track record and captured the pole for the second race, but found his way to the front during race one to capture his first ever IndyCar oval victory. He explains that it was apparent early on in the race that the second lane would be ineffective, and he credits his pit crew with helping him overtake Colton Herta. Will Power started farther back in race two and immediately went into fuel saving mode to help chop his way through the field. Another quick Penske pit stop helped him get by Alex Palou and he held on for his second win of the 2024 season.

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133 - Balancing Act - Mid-Ohio Winner Pato O’Ward Ushers In the Hybrid System Jul 10, 2024

Show notes

The hybrid era is upon us, and Conor Daly had boots on the ground at Mid-Ohio to take in this historic moment in IndyCar history firsthand. He joins co-host Chase Holden to chat about what unfolded in the race, which saw Pato O’Ward take a hard fought victory home over the dominant Alex Palou. Conor shares the observation that many drivers seem to be struggling with how the hybrid system changes the balance of the race car and that he noticed more pit road stalling than ever before. The guys also make a case for better IndyCar victory lane celebrations and help listeners get ready for the upcoming weekend in Iowa by making their podium predictions. Also, Conor shares some exciting news that he’ll be back behind the wheel next weekend in Indianapolis for some NASCAR competition.

Mid-Ohio race winner Pato O’Ward joins the show and fills listeners in on how he was able to overtake Alex Palou late in the race and hold him off for his sixth career IndyCar victory. He explains that the new hybrid system doesn’t give the same indication that the driver is in first gear as they are used to, causing Palou to be delayed in leaving his pit stall and allowing Pato to get by into the lead. Pato also shares the fascinating story of how his racing career nearly came to an end when he was denied a FIA Super License and how he ended up taking the seat he currently occupies at Arrow-McLaren. Finally, Pato shares insight to his heartbreaking defeat in this year’s running of the Indianapolis 500 and how he was able to wrangle an ill-handling racecar to nearly winning the Greatest Spectacle in Motorsports.

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132 - Backflips and Van Races - Conor Hangs with the Channel 199 Crew and Mid-Ohio/Hybrid Preview Jul 03, 2024

Show notes

Conor Daly reports from Pastranaland and joins co-host Chase Holden to chat about his adventurous weekend and to preview the upcoming new era of IndyCar. If you’re hearing this episode, there’s been another change in the Arrow-McLaren paddock, as it is reported that Alexander Rossi will be replaced by Christian Lundgaard in the 2025 season. Conor and Chase speculate where Alexander may end up, and how his Indianapolis 500-championship resume ensures he’ll likely land in a competitive ride. They also discuss the recent Iowa Speedway test that saw Colton Herta top the charts and many drivers exceed the previous track record thanks to this year’s repave.

Conor offers listeners a basic breakdown of how the new hybrid system will work in IndyCar and how it will promote a new level of strategy amongst the drivers. He also talks about teaming up with Travis Pastrana and the Channel 199 crew for some off-kilter racing activities at the Hartford and Kalamazoo Speedway facilities in Michigan before retreating to Pastranaland to create some new death-defying content. The “four minutes of fun for the four-4-time Indy 500 champions” segment returns and Conor details a recent Delta Airlines nightmare he experienced. Plus, the guys preview Mid-Ohio and make their not-so-perfect podium picks.

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131 - Beef Count - Laguna Seca Winner Alex Palou and Looking Ahead to the Hybrid Era Jun 26, 2024

Show notes

As the IndyCar season rolls to its midway point and prepares for the introduction of the new hybrid system, Conor Daly and co-host Chase Holden are back on Speed Street with all the latest news. This past weekend saw the IndyCar paddock take on the famed Laguna Seca Raceway and friend of the show Alex Palou once again found victory lane. Conor and Chase recap all the action, which included some teammate beef, off-roading, uncharacteristic Penske struggles and a whole slew of penalties. They also discuss how David Malukas and Nolan Siegel fared in their returns to IndyCar action and how NASCAR’s rain delay in New Hampshire ultimately affected IndyCar’s weekend ratings return.

Race winner Alex Palou joins the show to discuss how he returned to victory lane for the third time this season after capturing the pole position. Conor asks how Alex managed to stay in front on the late restarts and hold off charges from Colton Herta and the rest of the field. Chase inquires if Alex has had any off-road moments at Laguna Seca in the simulator and how he’s feeling about his chances at the upcoming oval races. They also chat about Alex’s Indianapolis 500 performance and the upcoming debut of the hybrid system at Mid-Ohio. Finally, the guys ask if Alex would consider a new victory lane celebration and how he is enjoying fatherhood.

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