191 - Power Rankings - Alex Palou Recounts His Historic 2025 Championship Season

The off-season continues, only now we know where the NTT IndyCar Series will be racing in 2026. Conor Daly and co-host Chase Holden reconvene on Speed Street to react to the Tuesday morning reveal of the 2026 schedule. They break down where they felt the schedule improved and what they hope to see more of in the future. Also, after digging into the schedule, the guys go over their 2025 power rankings and compare to the pre-season ranking from episode 163.IndyCar champion Alex Palou joins the show to reflect on his dominant season in 2025 and all of the factors that led to his run away points victory. Alex explains that during a season as full of highlights as this, it’s hard to hone in on just one great memory. Alex refers to his win in the Indianapolis 500 and his first short oval victory at Iowa, which he feels is one of the hardest accomplishments in his career. The guys also talk about the blockbuster news that Colton Herta will be leaving IndyCar to pursue Formula One next year, and Alex gives insight from his time spent in Europe earlier in his career. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The 2025 IndyCar season may be complete, but silly season is fully underway. Conor Daly and co-host Chase Holden are back on Speed Street to react to last week’s blockbuster news that Colton Herta will be departing from the IndyCar paddock to pursue Formula One, and his replacement will be none other than the legendary Will Powers, fresh off his long-time contract with Team Penske. Aside from the Penske 12-car, there are many other rides in question, and the guys make some educated guesses as to how the rest of the field will shake out for 2026. Conor and Chase also go through the season’s points standings and recap each driver’s performance on ovals and road courses. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The IndyCar season is officially in the books, and our resident open wheeler Conor Daly brought home his best finish of the year in Nashville. He joins co-host Chase Holden to break down his captivating dash from the back of the pack to 5th place and what changes the Juncos Hollinger Team had to make after a disappointing qualifying effort earlier in the weekend. Conor explains that the key to finding his way to the front was running in clean air in the third and fourth high grooves on the speedway, higher than the other competitors. An untimely caution brought out by Scott McLaughlin temporarily slowed Conor in his tracks though, allowing his tires to cool and preventing him from a possible return to the podium. Ultimately, Conor was happy to bring the team their best effort of the season, especially in his partnership with All American Rejects.Race winner Josef Newgarden joins the show to discuss his long awaited return to victory lane after a tumultuous 2025 season. Josef says that after starting the race wrecking loose, Team Penske was able to make changes that helped the car come around in the middle of the race. Once he was in position on the last restarts of the race, he was able to battle to the lead and hold on to victory. Josef also reacts to the breaking news that Will Power will not be returning to Team Penske in 2026 and reflects on what it's been like having the all-time great as a teammate. Conor and Josef also chat about the overall emotional journey of the season, the current day difficulty of competing in IndyCar and what is to come in the future. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

With two races left on the 2025 IndyCar schedule, the series returned to the famed Milwaukee Mile, and our resident open wheeler Conor Daly had an up and down day. He joins co-host Chase Holden to discuss how difficult pit box selection made the afternoon challenging in a race where track position was key. Conor explains he felt the 78-team had top-10 speed, but the lack of passing ability on the flat one-mile oval made it difficult to navigate around lapped traffic on the last restart, which relegated him to a 13th place finish. The guys preview the upcoming season finale in Nashville, react to some Formula One rumors and the announcement of the upcoming iRacing/IndyCar console game.Milwaukee race winner Christian Rasmussen joins the show to chat about capturing his first career IndyCar victory. The feat makes him just the second driver in history to win championships in the lower three series of the Road to Indy and a points-paying event in the top division, along with Kyle Kirkwood. Christian reflects on what the accomplishment means to his career and talks about the amount of well-wishers from his past that have sent him messages of congratulation. The guys talk about the major improvements Ed Carpenter Racing has seen this season, especially on ovals thanks in part to their new partnership with Heartland Foods. The guys also break down the decision to pit late in the race for tires even though track position was so crucial, and how Christian was able to make it through lap traffic to pass leader Alex Palou to roll on to victory. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

IndyCar may have had the weekend off, but our resident open wheeler Conor Daly is in full preparation mode for the Milwaukee Mile. He joins co-host Chase Holden to discuss what is in store for the series’ trip to the historic oval this weekend, what he needs to do to return to the podium and who he hopes will be joining him in the top three. Conor fills listeners in on his meeting with Christian Rasmussen to unpack their on-track incident in Portland. The guys also react to the breaking news that Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy is set to ride in the Fastest Seat in Sports at the season finale in Nashville.IndyCar veteran Graham Rahal joins the show to reflect on his recent 4th place finish in Portland, which was his best effort in the 2025 season. He gives listeners an update on the state of Rahal Letterman Lanigan, which he feels is right on the cusp of elevating to a new level of competition. Graham weighs in on the level of aggression seen throughout the field this season and how the level of parity is pushing drivers to the limit. He and Conor also discuss Fox Sports investment in Penske Entertainment, and what that means for both a driver and future team owner. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It was a weekend to forget in Portland for Conor Daly, but not by his own doing. He joins co-host Chase Holden on Speed Street this week to unpack what could have been a promising weekend but ultimately ended up being disappointing in many regards. Conor explains that after racing with Juncos Hollinger at Portland last year, the team had plenty of data to build upon, and they unloaded with a good amount of speed. An unfortunate tire mishap in qualifying buried them in the pack, but Conor was still optimistic that he could make his way forward during the race. Conor gives listeners an in depth breakdown of his on-track altercation with Christian Rasmussen and explains why he feels there are inconsistencies in how avoidable contact penalties are being issued.The race winner of the weekend Will Power joins the show to chat about how he was able to go back to back at Portland and pick up Penske’s first win of the season. Will reflects on being in his contract year and not feeling sure of what the future holds with Penske. He explains that he feels he’s at the peak of his driving career and hopes to continue on in a competitive seat. Conor and Will chat about the increasing aggression in IndyCar driving etiquette and how competitive the field is this season. Will describes the 2025 season as being bizarre, but the future looks bright for the IndyCar series thanks to Fox and increasing parity across the field. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Conor Daly and Chase Holden return to Speed Street to unpack the major news that the Fox Corporation has purchased a one-third interest in Penske Entertainment. Conor and Chase discuss how this and the news that Fox has extended their ownership of IndyCar media rights for the next five years will impact the series going forward. The guys put together their wishlist for what they hope to see as far as crossover with other sports in the Fox umbrella and what they hope this could mean for the IndyCar schedule and breaking into mainstream culture. The guys also preview this weekend’s upcoming race in Portland and make some podium picks. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The elbows were out this past weekend as the IndyCar Series did battle at Laguna Seca, and our favorite open wheeler Conor Daly brought home his best road course result of the season. He joins co-host Chase Holden to unpack his team’s weekend, and how struggles with the primary tire and a lap one collision had them battling uphill all day. Despite this, Conor was able to survive some “argy-barginess” and found himself in position for a 14th place finish. He and Chase weigh in on opening lap contact between Kyffin Simpson and Felix Rosenqvist, as well as the new beef between Kyle Kirkwood and Rinus Veekay which has spilled onto social media. Ed Carpenter Racing driver Christian Rasmussen joins the show to discuss his strongest IndyCar season to date, which includes his recent first career podium at Gateway and a series of top 10s finishes. Christian recounts his strong showing at Laguna Seca and how he was on track to have a 7th-place day before dropping his tires off course and losing a couple of positions. He and Conor discuss their love for the highline at the short ovals this year, and how the IndyCar paddock has adopted an aggressive mentality as the season winds to a close. The guys also discuss their recent golf outing at Pebble Beach and other hobbies away from the track. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The IndyCar Series made its annual pilgrimage north of the border, and our resident open wheeler Conor Daly held on for a 15th place finish. He joins co-host Chase Holden this week on Speed Street to discuss the challenges that street courses like Detroit and Toronto bring to the Juncos Hollinger Racing team. Conor explains that the slick surfaces that are found throughout the courses make it difficult to generate mechanical grip, and Toronto is especially tricky with its mixture of tarmac and concrete. He fills listeners in on what his team’s strategy was and ultimately how the late race caution helped salvage a 15th place finish. The guys also look ahead to Laguna Seca where Conor expects to have more competitive pace.Friend of the show Rinus Veekay returns to celebrate his second place finish and return to the IndyCar podium. Rinus dives into the recent engineering hires that Dale Coyne Racing has made, mainly Michael Cannon and Mike Ciccarelli, and how they are boosting the team’s performance week in week out. Rinus feels his stock as an IndyCar racer is at an all time high, and Conor makes the argument for him being deserving of a high-profile ride in the series. Rinus has elevated the team to an 11th place position in the points standings, far above several of the top runners in the series. The guys look ahead to the final four races of the season and Rinus lays out his expectations of how he’d like to finish out the year. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Race fans got double the IndyCar short oval action this past weekend in Iowa, and our resident open wheeler Conor Daly was putting on a high line clinic. He joins co-host Chase Holden to unpack the action from Iowa Speedway and how he delivered Juncos Hollinger Racing’s best qualifying effort on a short oval to date. Conor explains that he was combating right front temperature issues in the first race but a late caution put him in position to bring home a seventh-place finish. In race two, an untimely caution for Colton Herta ended up ruining his team’s strategy, which trapped him two laps down late in the running. Conor expresses his heartbreak from the situation, as had the race run green he would have been in contention for a top-five finish and great points effort.Winner of the first race and the first driver to park a Chevy in victory lane this season Pato O’Ward joins the show to debrief with Conor about their time together in Iowa. The guys chat about the strategy in race one and how moving to the high line as soon as possible was key for making up track position. Pato talks about struggling to get around lapped traffic but how overall the racing product was twice as better this year as last season’s doubleheader. Despite this, the guys discuss the low attendance and television ratings and try to come up with solutions for bringing fan interest back to the Iowa short oval. The guys also take a look at the rest of the season and Pato’s championship hopes.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.