Alex Palou making a mistake is big news in the IndyCar Series, especially when it costs him a win, and that’s a huge talking point on this episode of The Race IndyCar Podcast.

JR Hildebrand is back to discuss why this incident won’t matter for Palou, and also triggers a fascinating debate on what Palou’s form means for Scott Dixon’s career in light of his Mid-Ohio win.

Hildebrand and The Race’s Jack Benyon also discuss Penske’s woeful form and its interesting decision to spurn outside help and promote from within to replace the senior leadership team it fired after the Indy 500 debacle.

After hooning up Pikes Peak in a 1998 Hot Wheels NASCAR, Hildebrand provides an update from that event. And the hosting duo confirm that Hildebrand is scaling back his appearances on the pod for other opportunities, but he will be back!

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After an insane Road America IndyCar race, 2012 series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay joins from the ground in Wisconsin, but is also here to tell us about his incredible Indy 500 bid which really could and should have ended with victory.

Hunter-Reay and host Jack Benyon look at Palou returning to form and how likely it is anyone can stop him after winning six races halfway through the season.

Key storylines from Road America are also delved into before Hunter-Reay tells the story of how a pitstop practice car - drafted in after his primary car caught fire in practice - nearly won the 500.

It’s the kind of incredible story which makes the Indy 500 one of the best races in the world, and we hope you enjoy it.

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Fox Sports analyst and six-time IndyCar race winner James Hinchcliffe joins Jack Benyon onthis week’s episode to review a brilliant Gateway race, discuss Will Power’s future and more.

After being at the track, Hinch gives excellent insight into why this race - not normally an event he marks on his calendar - was a real thriller.

And, with Will Power bagging a first pole since 2023, we discuss the two-time champion’s future, including why it’s such a complicated story and what might be causing any hold-up in a new deal.

There’s also discussion of AJ Foyt Racing’s recent form, Christian Rasmussen bagging a first ever podium, and a look forward to next week’s race at Road America.

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This week’s episode of The Race IndyCar Podcast tackles a typically wild street course weekend, with Detroit throwing up plenty of controversy on and off track.

Matt Beer joins Jack Benyon to break down Kyle Kirkwood’s win, assess his credentials as Palou’s closest rival long-term, and work out how he went from being rammed in practice to a barnstorming series of overtakes to win.

Speaking of Kirkwood being rammed, the duo analyse IndyCar’s decision not to penalise Will Power for being the perpetrator.

Santino Ferrucci’s post-race weight-rule infraction spurned a discussion over IndyCar penalties more generally, while there’s also time to chat about Rinus VeeKay and the “Einstein” of IndyCar...

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Live from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and overlooking the yard of bricks, Alex Palou joins The Race IndyCar Podcast just hours after he became the winner of the 109th Indy 500.

Palou - with a croaky voice after all of the screaming after the win - breaks down the race winning move and how it was shaped by his 2021 loss to Helio Castroneves.

But we also get into his career path from being discarded on the ladder to F1 and identifying IndyCar as a future option, and how his dad, Ramon, fit into that journey.

We also discuss what's next for Palou in the long-term (winning a third championship in a row) and in the more immediate future (breaking the funk for Indy winners in Detroit), plus there's chat about Chip Ganassi’s role in identifying Palou’s talent, giving him the tools to succeed, and backing him through a rollercoaster few years where Palou tried to leave but eventually recommitted to the team.

JR Hildebrand also joins right after the race to break down Palou’s success, Josef Newgarden’s incredible run in the race, David Malukas’s breakthough podium and more.

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Getting two of your three cars thrown to the back of the Indianapolis 500 grid is a bad look for any top IndyCar team. When you’re the team whose owner also owns the championship and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it’s even more complicated.

Matt Beer borrows The Race IndyCar Podcast Jack Benyon’s host chair so he can quiz Jack on the dramatic developments since Indy 500 qualifying in a bonus mini-podcast.

Exactly what Penske did, the crisis over series regulating the fallout from it has created, whether the bumped Jacob Abel deserves one of Penske’s places on the grid and penalised pair Josef Newgarden and Will Power’s chances of victory from the back of the grid are all debated.

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After a stunning Sunday of Indy 500 qualifying action, Robert Shwartzman and Prema Racing gave us one of the storylines that will go down in the event’s long history, and he’s here to tell us about it.

Shwartzman discusses the difficulty in putting his lap together, how the team went from nothing to being in contention for pole, what set up up to be able to achieve this, and more.

JR Hildebrand - who calls Shwartzman’s Fast 12 run one of the most incredible things he’s seen at the Speedway, listen to find out why - joins to give a fascinating and in-depth look at how the hybrid unit has revolutionised this year’s event as well as breaking down Shwartzman’s performance.

There’s also a run down of some of the other key storylines from qualifying. Please not this was recorded just as the news of two Team Penske cars being put to the back of the grid was announced, so that will be properly addressed in the next episode.

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IndyCar dominator Alex Palou joins this week’s The Race IndyCar Podcast, which also includes a full preview of the first week of Indianapolis 500 action as the event starts this week.

Alex Palou - who has now won four of the first five races of the 2025 season - discusses what it would be like to win the Indy 500, how the new hybrid unit could effect the quality of the racing on track, and how the recent test shaped his expectations for his level of competitiveness at this year’s event.

Indy 500 ace JR Hildebrand - now working for Arrow McLaren for the month - also joins to preview the event in more detail.

He gives his take on how the hybrid unit is being viewed by teams and how it will work in practice, Palou’s recent form, and he and Jack Benyon run through some underdogs and storylines to keep an eye on.

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