RaceSchool.com: Recent Episodes
RaceSchool.com - FastLane
FastLane (www.raceschool.com) operates an SCCA Accredited racing school in Southern California with facilities at Buttonwillow Raceway Park and Willow Springs International Raceway. For the past 30 years, we have been trainers to the celebrities of the Long Beach Grand Prix. Our pro coaches have a wide range of experience from Formula, Indy, Nascar, IMSA, and more.
Our podcast will include interviews with current and former motorsports drivers, mechanics, business owners, students, and enthusiasts. Your feedback and involvement is appreciated!
Emilie Amante is the sales and marketing chief for AVCO Art. This company specializes in unique automotive and racing artwork that is customized to the owner’s car (plane or boat) and puts it into a unique background. The sky’s the limit here with what they can come up with. I met Emilie at the 2025 San Marino Car Show where she showed me some of AVCO’s interactive artwork. This company’s work is so unique, we decided to go more in-depth with a formal interview which we did a few weeks later. In this interview, you can follow along with the photos below to learn about these artistic renderings and the inspiration behind them. There’s also a short (1 min. 7 sec.) video that covers these photos, but has the benefit of sound and light for the special effects portion of the artwork. Enjoy!
NOTE: This is the third of four, female-focused interviews during our “Women in Motorsports” month of September. Stay tuned to www.raceschool.com for our weekly podcast. Our women interviewees this month have job titles with nothing in common, yet they are all drawn to the four-wheel machines we love and have fascinating roles in the exciting world of motorsports.
Julia Price is a front-end mechanic on the Rahal Letterman Lannigan NTT IndyCar Series team. She’s new to the position this year and in this interview on race day morning of the 2025 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach weekend, she takes a few moments out of her busy schedule to tell us what she’s responsible for on the cars and also how she got into the sport in the first place. She’s very petite, yet very strong, and driven to do an excellent job. She’s a hard-working mechanic who thoroughly enjoys what she does. You can hear it in her voice. Enjoy!
NOTE: This is the second of four, female-focused interviews during our “Women in Motorsports” month of September. Stay tuned to www.raceschool.com. Our interviewees’ job titles have have nothing in common, yet they are all drawn to the four-wheel machines we love and have fascinating roles in the exciting world of motorsports.
Jennifer Symington leads the marketing division for both the Honda and Acura brands. During the media day for the 2025 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, we had the opportunity to sit down with her and hear how she has made a successful career for herself doing what she loves. You can tell that she is a strong supporter of the brand and tells us how that came to be. She also gives advice to young girls (or anyone for that matter) on how to craft the career you want. We did this interview shortly before she was going to get a ride in the Acura Integra Type S pace car and she was gracious enough to grant us a part two interview (included here) so she could tell us what that ride was like. Enjoy!
NOTE: This is the first of four, female-focused interviews during our “Women in Motorsports” month of September. Stay tuned to www.raceschool.com. Our next three interviewees have widely differing and fascinating roles in the exciting world of motorsports.
The Martin Auto Museum is a fantastic place to visit if you’re ever in the Phoenix (Glendale), Arizona area. We took a road trip and marveled at the extensive and amazing collection of such a wide variety of vehicles there. Cars from the very beginning of the automotive age to today are displayed along with a nice selection of race cars, movie cars, custom cars and classics. Additionally, there are trucks, micro cars and a cool collection of model cars too. For those interested in researching vehicles, or are looking into doing their own restoration, there’s a small library with shop manuals available to peruse in addition to getting the opportunity to gaze under the hood of a car similar to what might be of interest. A fine example of classic automotive tools and diagnostic equipment is also on display. For the young, and young at heart, there’s even an arcade to play free video games! Finally, if you’re looking to host your own automotive event/wedding reception/business meeting or other type of event in such a cool place, the museum has plenty of options for you with small to super-large rooms. If you’re ever in the area, make it a point to visit, you’ll love it!
NOTE: Joe Bridgewater is the general manager of the museum and he was nice enough to spend some time with us to not only show us around, but also engage in our podcast interview, where he talks about some of the highlights of this fantastic venue. For more information, please visit: www.martinautomuseum.org.
Conor Daly has enjoyed a long career in auto racing from the USA to Europe and back. Although he’s jumped around to numerous teams in the Indy car paddock, you’ll usually find him running up front during the Indianapolis 500 (he led the most laps there in 2021). In this interview (taped during the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach weekend), we go into a deep dive of what it’s like to race at the “500,” the details about the preparation for what the car needs, and what Daly likes for his car set-up for qualifying and the race. It’s a fascinating look into some real insider information that most race fans don’t get a glimpse of. A bonus question at the end has Daly sharing what it’s like to race with Type 1 diabetes and how his new sponsor helps with that. Enjoy!
NOTE: Conor Daly hosts his own podcast called “Speed Street with Conor Daly” on YouTube and wherever podcasts are found. He does a really good job with these as they are also short form interviews and very timely with his guests and recent events.
Tim Coffeen enjoyed a long career with Newman-Haas Racing as a mechanic on their Indy cars. We caught up with him at the 50th Anniversary Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where he was reunited with, and working on Newman-Haas machinery that graced the streets of Long Beach, and for that matter, the entire season. In this interview, he tells us about the legendary drivers and champions that he worked with and what set them apart from the others. He also tells us about his progression into higher roles and responsibilities at the team. Being able to hear about these famous and successful drivers is a real treat – especially from a guy that was an insider at the time. Enjoy!
Jordan Roddy is the proud owner of Sebastien Bourdais’ 2006 Aura Grand Prix of Long Beach race-winning Lola Indy car. Roddy, who hails from Australia, took some time before going on to win his second race of the weekend at Long Beach (in the historic open-wheel races) to tell us about it. In this interview, he gives us a bit of background on this car and why it’s significant. He also tells us how he acquired it along with some other cool cars he owns. For those that were at the races, they had a real treat to see (and hear) this car driven in anger again and made some folks nostalgic to bring back this kind of race car to Indy car racing. Enjoy!
Brian Redman is one of the top drivers of his era and also the winner of the inaugural Long Beach Grand Prix back in 1975. On the 50th Anniversary of the event, we got a chance to sit down with him at the media luncheon and have him reflect on how he got to Victory Lane that day. He also regales us with racing stories of the 60’s and 70’s and how he coped with the extreme danger of those times. He also reveals to us his favorite race track and race car. A true gentleman and icon in the world of international motorsport, he exudes class, enthusiasm and passion. Enjoy!
Vince Tjelmeland is a race car driver with a vast array of experience in multiple categories. We caught up with him at the press day for the 2025 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where he brought out his beautiful Lola T332 F5000 car (ex Danny Ongais) for everyone to see and hear in preparation for his race at the 50th Anniversary of the Grand Prix where he’d be running with other historic cars in his class as well as F1, and Indy cars. A very friendly and humble guy, he tells the story of how he got into racing and how he came into possession of this historic and classic car. He also gives us some eye-popping statistics that further reinforce how cool this car really is. Enjoy!
NOTE: For more information on HMSA, please visit their website at: www.hmsausa.com. For more info on Tjelmeland, please visit: sabinadrives.com
Cris Vandagriff is the president of the Historic Motor Sports Association (HMSA), an organization that helps bring historic racing cars to race fans and tracks today in their period-correct configuration and livery. If you ever hear the stories of “the good ole’ days” and how great the race cars sounded and looked at phenomenal race tracks, Vandagriff’s organization brings those sights and sounds to old (experienced) and new fans alike, and the living history of these historic machines is unprecedented. World champion drivers are just some of the people who wheeled these cars in anger back in the day. Today, these cars are mostly driven by enthusiasts with the means to acquire and race them. However, some current top drivers also relish the chance to get behind the wheel of these fabulous machines. In this interview which was done at the media day event for the 2025 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, Vandagriff shares his background and interesting stories of his family’s racing roots, and the famous drivers he’s known throughout the years and much more. A wonderful trip down Memory Lane that if you’re a fan of where this sport came from, you’ll certainly hear some interesting stories. Enjoy!
NOTE: For more information on HMSA, please visit their website at: www.hmsausa.com.
In what has become an annual feature prior to the Fourth of July holiday on the raceschool.com podcast, we interview CHP officers to get safe driving tips and some insight into what the officers do and look out for while helping to keep motorists safe on the roads. This year, we met up with previous raceschool.com podcast interviewee (and FastLane alumnus) officer Craig Mosley, and for the first time, Seargent Dan Keene. These two officers represent the CHP with class and professionalism while giving out good advice and helping us to understand their roles better. Enjoy!
NOTE: This Fourth of July weekend will be a maximum enforcement period for the CHP. Please drive safely! For driver’s training, join us at FastLane Racing School! www.raceschool.com
Some race car drivers make a splash and then fade away. Others make such an impression that you recognize them throughout their career and still talk about them long after they’ve retired. One of those drivers is Paul Tracy. A kid from Canada who made his presence felt in the junior formulae, he went on to become a Champ Car Champion winning numerous races along the way. Some of his detractors didn’t like the way that he raced, but everyone who watched him knew that he had one speed – flat out! We got a chance to get a quick interview with him at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach when Racer Communications held a press conference announcing his new podcast on their TV network. We talk about some of the highlights and lowlights of his career and how he plans to use his experience behind the wheel and behind the microphone to get the stories that matter to you. Enjoy!
NOTE: From the press release and conference at Long Beach, here’s some info on the PT podcast: “RACER . . . announces the launch of its latest original podcast series, 'Racers Unchained with Paul Tracy.' Hosted by the famously fearless Paul Tracy – the 'Thrill from West Hill' – the twice-monthly podcast . . . will feature raw, revealing conversations with the people who’ve shaped the sport from the inside out.” The podcast which launched in May has already featured guests such as: Tony Kanaan, Bobby Rahal and Jimmie Johnson. The podcast will be featured on all major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. In addition to audio versions of the show, each episode will be videoed, edited and subsequently released across RACER Network (formerly MAVTV), RACER Select (formerly MAVTV Select), RACER+ (formerly MAVTV GO) and RACER’s YouTube Channel.
Will Power is the King of Qualifying! He extended his all-tme record in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES when he earned career pole number 71 at World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR) near St. Louis. During the media luncheon at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, I was able to sit down with Power and ask him about his secrets of success to qualifying. He explains how difficult it is and what it takes to get it right. He also explains what it takes to get the Firestone alternate tire in the right window to maximize the lap. Enjoy!
NOTE: Unfortunately, a punctured tire deflated Power’s chances for a victory at WWTR. He made contact with the wall and that ended his night.
Colin Braun has raced multiple classes of cars over his career and, for the most part, has been successful in everything he’s driven. We caught up with Colin at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Media Day where he was giving pace car rides and also evaluating an new Acura track day road car (we’ll have a walkaround podcast on this one in the future). He started off the year with a second place podium finish at the Rolex 24 Hour race at Daytona in his Meyer Shank Racing Acura GTP car and followed that up with three top ten finishes in the next four races. In this interview, he fills us in on what it was like to race the MSR Indy car, how that compares to his GTP car, and the intensity of racing at Long Beach. He also tells us how challenging it is to share the track with different classes of cars and gives us his thoughts on how he manages that challenge. He’s a humble guy but an incredible racer. Enjoy!
NOTE: Colin Braun will be racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this weekend in an LMP2 car.
Santino Ferrucci has been on a roll lately. Another great finish at the Indianapolis 500 (5th), and his first real podium* at Detroit (2nd) have kept him in the championship points hunt again this year. Ferrucci is a fun-loving guy and really enjoys his racing with AJ Foyt. This year he has a new teammate in the highly-touted David Malukas. We caught up with Santino at The Thermal Club where he showed us another one of his helmet designs. Compared to last year’s Tom and Jerry cartoon themed lid, this one is much more serious and business-like. He goes into the details of what he likes best about this new design. But don’t worry, there will be more to come. Enjoy!
NOTE: After the Detroit race, Ferrucci’s car was found to be out of compliance in regards to driver’s weight ballast. According to the series, “During post-race inspection of car No. 14, INDYCAR discovered the driver ballast needed to bring the combined weight of the driver and driver ballast to 185 pounds was underweight and not within the driver ballast weight tolerance of 0.00 to + 1.00 pounds.
However, also during inspection, the series found the weight of car No. 14, itself, was 10 pounds over the minimum weight for road and street circuits of 1,785 pounds and competed over the minimum weight requirement on-track.”
- I say “real podium” because even though he finished third at Indy in 2023, there is no podium there, only the winner’s circle.
Marcus Ericsson is the 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner. He came to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES from Formula One. Spending most of his career stateside at Chip Ganassi Racing, Ericsson scored multiple wins for the team, of course, none bigger than Indy. He joined the Andretti Global team in 2024 and in the first race at St. Pete he qualified in the Firestone Fast Six. We caught up with Ericsson at the following Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach media luncheon where he would earn a fifth place finish. He talks about what happened at St. Pete, hybrid testing, and getting back to the Speedway. A humble and friendly guy, this driver is really good on street circuits and at the Brickyard. He’ll be aiming for his second win at Indy in just over a week. Enjoy!
Jack Harvey had a stellar run in the junior categories of open-wheel racing on his way up to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. He’s a former British F3 champ and is a winner on both the oval and road course at Indianapolis in the INDY NXT by Firestone series. In the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, he spent the majority of his time at Meyer Shank Racing before he moved to the Rahal Letterman Lannigan team. Unfortunately, the promise showed at MSR was never realized at RLL. In 2024, Dale Coyne rang up Harvey to offer him a ride which he happily took alongside a revolving line-up of co-drivers. We caught up with him at the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where he was celebrating his birthday and his new ride. In this interview, he talks about the importance of how to develop relationships within a team. He also recalls the incredible run to be the final Indy 500 qualifier the year prior. Fast forward to 2025, and he’s now a pit reporter on the Fox TV race broadcasts, however, he’ll also be back behind the wheel for this year’s Indianapolis 500 with Dreyer and Reinbold Racing with Cusick Motorsports. A talented driver, a true gentleman of the sport, and also quite talented behind the microphone, Jack Harvey is one to watch both on the track and off. Enjoy!
In our last podcast we learned how Roberto Guerrero climbed the European racing ladder to Formula One and then hopped the pond to race Indy cars. This week he talks about the transition from a road racing background to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In 1992 he earned pole position there in a Buick-powered Lola but never took the green flag! In 1987 he had a terrible crash during a tire test at the Speedway. He explains what happened and how he got back behind the wheel again! What’s he up to these days? He fills us in on that too. Enjoy!
Roberto Gurrero had an incredible motorsports career climbing the European open-wheel ladder to make it to the pinnacle of worldwide motorsports – Formula One. From there, he came stateside to race Indy cars for some of the biggest names in the sport from the team ownership side as well as design and engineering. We sat down with him at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach media day where we found him to be friendly, engaging, and humble. In this Part One of a two-part interview, we’ll get the stories that brought him through an incredible career including a special day in Monaco on a yacht! A true family man, he’s been married for over forty years; he also gives us his secrets to marriage success! Enjoy!
Chris Pook is the former travel agent who had the wild idea of staging a Formula One race through the city streets of Long Beach. Between himself, Dan Gurney, Jim Michaelian and a number of others who were critical in getting this event started, they all overcame numerous obstacles in trying to make his dream a reality. This iconic event will celebrate its 50th Anniversary on April 11-13, 2025. At the 2024 Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame ceremony (where he has also been inducted), he was gracious enough to spend some time with us and tell us about the challenges the event faced getting off the ground, some of the key moments that made it a success (including key people), and how it’s endured all these years. In looking forward to this incredible 50-year milestone, there’s nobody more qualified to talk about it than he is. Enjoy!
Felix Rosenqvist has been fast in every race car and series he’s ever been in. Joining up with the Meyer Shank Indy car team in 2024, he started nicely with a heat-race win in the non-points Thermal Grand Prix race and he followed that up with a pole position at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. We caught up with him at the press luncheon just a couple of days before he earned that pole. In this interview he tells us about starting the new season strongly, how he’s gelled with the team and also gave us a little insight about testing at Indianapolis and his experience racing Formula E and how that translates into the hybrid Indy car (which made its racing debut later in the season). Enjoy!
Tim de Silva is a race car driver who races not only in Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) club racing, but also in the Historic Motor Sports Association (HMSA) where he races vintage Indy cars and Formula One cars. He’s raced around the world in some of the most iconic and wonderful cars like these and more in vintage racing. We caught up with him at the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where he was competing (and winning!) in his and his dad’s incredible Firestone Lola Indy car that Scott Pruett made famous by winning the Michigan 500 in the return of Firestone to the Indy car championship. De Silva talks about his racing background and how cool it is to race these fantastic machines. Enjoy!
Dave Looper is the chief mechanic for John Sweeney’s Pennzoil, John Andretti/Jim Hall Indy car. His day job though is as an employee of Doran Racing who’s work in professional motorsports is known worldwide. In last week’s podcast, we spoke with Sweeney about what happened to his car at Long Beach and how Looper was instrumental in getting the car ready to get on track again. This week, Looper gives us the inside story on how everything unfolded and then came together to make a successful repair on the race car. He also tells us a bit about how people in motorsports work together to achieve success. Enjoy!
John Sweeney is a race car driver who competes in the Historic Motor Sports Association which requires the cars to be historically correct based on the period of time the cars raced in. That means that the memories of the fans who watched these cars raced back in the day, get to see them in the glorious liveries that they remember. We caught up with Sweeney at the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where he was scheduled to compete in the Pennzoil Indy car that John Andretti originally raced for Jim Hall. His story at Long Beach is quite convoluted on many fronts and includes yours truly getting some fantastic pit work from him and his crew! John explains everything well and is one of the friendliest people you will ever meet. The respect he has for his crew and the sport is impressive. Enjoy!
In last week’s podcast, we had the opportunity to interview Santino Ferrucci in the driver’s lounge of the AJ Foyt Racing transporter. While we were there, I noticed that he had a very unique design on his helmet. He was nice enough to spend more time and talk about his colorful and fun design and hint of some other designs to come. Unlike some drivers who keep the same design through their entire career, Ferrucci loves to change it up! This is certainly something extra for fans to pay attention to during the racing season. Enjoy!
Santino Ferrucci drives the famed, number 14 Indy car, for AJ Foyt Racing in the NTT IndyCar Series. At the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, we were fortunate to be invited into his race weekend inner sanctum – the transporter driver’s lounge, for an interesting interview where he fills us in on the Team Penske technical alliance, driving the new hybrid system, and a deep-dive into the Indianapolis 500 where he led the race and finished third in 2023. Enjoy!
NOTE: Ferrucci qualified sixth at the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 and go on to finish eighth. He would earn his first pole position later in the year with a run to the top spot in Portland. He’s re-signed with Foyt for 2025 and is certainly one to watch.
Dennis Firestone went from humble beginnings racing in Formula Fords in the California Sports Car Club (Cal Club) region of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) to climb the racing ladder and reach the pinnacle of American road racing making numerous starts at the Indianapolis 500. His first trip there had Roger Penske helping him. From the highs of highs of winning racing and championships, to essentially a career ending crash. This interview takes us through a time capsule when innovation and passion were key elements of motorsports in America. Firestone was nice enough to tell us his story during the press day for the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Enjoy!
NOTE: Dennis Firestone said he will be back with his Eagle Indy car for the 50th Anniversary of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach April 11-13, 2025.
Rodney Klausmeyer drives the number 14 transporter for AJ Foyt Racing in the NTT IndyCar Series. He also has many other duties with the team throughout a race weekend. At the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, he was kind enough to take us on a tour of not only his rig, but also the two others connected to it in the paddock area. It’s one thing to see these gleaming rolling billboards in the paddock area or cruising down the highways of America, but they’re much more than that. They are a serious place for spare parts, tear down/rebuilds as well as engineering, VIP hospitality, and driver’s lounge. Follow along with the photos below and get an insider’s tour of this rolling work of art. Enjoy!
NOTE: Just before this podcast with photos was uploaded, the AJ Foyt Racing Team updated all of their transporters. We’re scheduled to get another visit and tour and see what’s changed for 2025. We’ll have more photos and a new podcast scheduled for spring. Stay tuned! For more information an A.J. Foyt Racing, please visit: www.ajfoytracing.com
Chuck Lessick is a chaplain with INDYCAR Ministry and travels with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES (and their support series) throughout the year to help support those in the paddock. He works with his wife Jacqui and chaplain Jason Holt in this endeavor. We caught up with him at the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach after the Sunday morning 5-Minute “Pit Stop Devotional” service where he fills us in on how the attendees’ group has grown quite substantially from the year before. He also fills us in on how they help provide support to this community. Finally, with Easter right around the corner, he gives us an uplifting Easter message. Enjoy!
Copyright © 2025 Larry Mason
Tom Blomqvist has been one of the quickest drivers in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competing in the top level GTP category. We caught up with him just prior to the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where he filled us in on his transition from IMSA GTP to the NTT IndyCar Series with Meyer Shank Racing (MSR). It’s a fascinating conversation as he candidly talks about the challenges of switching categories and the key differences between the two types of race cars. It’s a real insiders look at the technical side of racing in layman’s terms. Enjoy!
NOTE: At Long Beach, he qualified 15th while his teammate was on pole. Blomqvist finished in 22nd while Rosenqvist finished 9th. Unfortunately for Tom, the opening lap of the Indy 500 saw him spin and crash with other cars involved. After that, he was replaced as a driver on the team. However, the team owners still believed in his immense talent and retained him for the year. Starting this weekend at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, he’ll be back behind the wheel of an MSR GTP car looking to score another Rolex 24 win.
Roman De Angelis is one of the top drivers in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competing in the GTD and GTD Pro categories. We caught up with him just prior to the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where his teammate started from pole position the previous year. It was a good year for the “Heart of Racing” team as De Angelis and Marco Sorenson won three races. In this interview, he talks about what happened at Long Beach the previous year, some of the iconic races he won, how he got started in racing, and his expectations for Long Beach and beyond. He also does a nice job of breaking down the difference between GTD and GTD Pro and the whole driver ranking system. Enjoy!
NOTE: At Long Beach, he qualified fourth and got into third during the race. Unfortunately, another competitor hit his teammate in the second half of the race which led to a DNF (Did Not Finish). Coming up is the IMSA Roar Before the 24 test, and the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona on January 17-19 and January 22-26, 2025.
Parker Thompson and Ben Barnicoat race a Lexus RC F GT3/GTD car for Vasser/Sullivan in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. We caught up with Thompson twice during the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. We first talked to him immediately after his pole position press conference and then with him and his teammate right after their post-race victory press conference. The two were certainly happy and proud of their accomplishments winning on the biggest stage of the sprint races during the year. It’s interesting to hear about how they describe the team dynamic and the key to victory. Enjoy!
NOTE: The IMSA Roar Before the 24 test, and the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona are coming up on January 17-19 and January 22-26, 2025.
Andy Lee is a professional race car driver and coach and competes in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as well as the SRO Americas GT Championship with his teammate Elias Sabo. During the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, Andy took the time to give us a walkaround on the IMSA GT3/GTD Aston Martin Vantage race car and then gave us another walkaround on the SRO GT4 AM Vantage. During the walkarounds he talks about the differences and key features of each race car. The photos below are put in order so you can follow along and see some of the key features of each race car. Enjoy!
NOTE: Please see previous podcast for overall photos of the two different cars on track. The IMSA Roar Before the 24 test, and the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona are coming up on January 17-19 and January 22-26, 2025.
Elias Sabo and Andy Lee are teammates in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in an Aston Martin GTD (GT3) car. Sabo also drives an Aston Martin GT4 car in the SRO Americas championship. At the press day luncheon for the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach we caught up with them to ask about their gorgeous race car and how they became teammates among other things. Sabo was pulling triple duty during race weekend with a single race in the GTD car (sharing with Lee) and two races in the GT4 car. Enjoy!
NOTE: Next week, we’ll have Andy give us a walkaround on each of the two different Aston Martin race cars. The Roar Before the 24 test, and the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona are coming up on January 17-19 and January 22-26, 2025. Also of note, after a challenging start to the season, the team switched manufacturers in August to the BMW M4 GT3/GTD platform looking for their results to improve for 2025.
Photo credit: Bob Chapman Autosport Image
Jason Holt is the director and a chaplain with IndyCar Ministry. We caught up with him right after his 5-Minute Pit Stop Devotional at the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. In this interview he tells us about the message he gave race morning and also talks about how the number of attendees has grown to take part in these early Sunday morning meetings during race weekends. He gives us insight into the realities of what the attendees are going through and how this message is important. Knowing that this interview wouldn’t air until right before Christmas, he also gives us a special message for this time of year. Enjoy!
NOTE: For more information on IndyCar Ministry, or to donate, please visit: www.indycarministry.org.
Romain Grosjean has raced in Formula One, Indy cars and much more. Coming to the NTT Indy Car Series after his horrific crash in the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix, he hasn’t slowed down at all.
After enjoying a podium finish at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach for Andretti Autosport in 2023, we caught up with him just prior to the 2024 event where he talks about switching to the small Juncos Hollinger Racing Team, his testing experience with the new hybrid, and how that compares to F1. I also asked him about a comment he made last year at this event about his
confidence as a driver and he gives a very real and raw answer. By the way, if you speak French, he has a special message for you at the end. Enjoy!
Breaking News: Juncos Hollinger announced their driver lineup for 2025 with Conor Daly and Sting Ray Robb behind the wheel. That currently leaves Romain Grosjean on the sidelines. Will
he return to Dale Coyne Racing where he began his NTT IndyCar Series career? Only time will tell. He is still contracted to race for Lamborghini in their IMSA hybrid GTP car and had the quickest lap during one of the sessions at a recent Daytona test. Stay tuned.
Karmel Humphrey is the partnerships manager of Cooler Master. At this year’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, he had space in the Expo for multiple simulator rigs. During the weekend, there would be a contest to see who would be the top-three fastest drivers on the simulated Long Beach street course. Cooler Master provides a variety of sim components and Humphrey talks about how they compare price-wise. Christmas will be here before you know it so if you want one for yourself or want to buy one for someone else, now’s the time. Enjoy!
NOTE: For more information on Cooler Master, please visit: www.coolermaster.com
In this interview, JC talks about family, Pikes Peak, the Unsers and Andrettis, and how their paths have been intertwined for decades in motorsports. He also gives us some background into his dad “Aggie” and how he became a car owner. He talks about the Turkey Night Grand Prix (an Agajanian Production) which is coming up this Thanksgiving weekend at Ventura Raceway. If you haven’t bought tickets yet for this fantastic event, don’t wait as it was a sellout last year. JC’s wife Franci has a brief cameo in this where she describes a fantastic Armenian dish that is simply delicious. Enjoy!
NOTE: For more information and tickets for the upcoming Turkey Night Midget Grand Prix (Nov. 29, 30, 2024), please visit www.VenturaRaceway.com.
Also, if you’re interested in trying the Lahmajune Armenian dish Franci talked about, here are three bakeries around the greater Los Angeles area recommended by Chris Agajanian where you can buy them: Koko’s Bakery, Pasadena – Dream Bakery, Valley Glen – Taron Bakery, Los Angeles.
In this interview, JC tells the story of how Evel Knievel and JC Agajanian (Sr.) came together to enjoy a long-lasting, positive, business and personal relationship. Some of Knievel’s jumps are remembered including the infamous Snake River Canyon jump. What was Knievel like in person? Listen in and let JC take you for a trip down Memory Lane. Enjoy!
NOTE: For more information on Evel Knievel, please visit: https://EvelKnievel.com.
In our last podcast, we met professional race car driver Paul Gerrard. He was preparing to take JC Agajanian Jr. and his wife Franci for a hot lap around the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach street circuit. JC Agajanian Jr. has been involved in motorsports for decades as a promoter including the legendary Turkey Night Grand Prix (now held at Ventura Raceway). In this installment, we get to hear from both JC and Franci right after they got out of the 630 horsepower AMG Mercedes and they describe what it was like. To me, seeing the looks on their faces and hearing the joy in their descriptions was priceless! Enjoy!
Paul Gerrard is the chief instructor for the AMG Experience which is a traveling road show both domestically and internationally. His racing career started when he won a Winfield scholarship in Europe where he went on to race formula cars. He parlayed that success and did the same here in America. He transitioned to sports cars and has raced at tracks all around the world. He’s earned national championships and besides his instructor duties, he’s also a presenter, vehicle evaluator and has worked on a number of different TV car shows such as Top Gear (US and UK), MythBusters, Ultimate Factories and more. We caught up with him at the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where he was giving hot laps to VIPs in a 630 horsepower Mercedes GT63. He fills us in on his background, some of his favorite race tracks around the world and more. Enjoy!
NOTE: JC Agajanian Jr. makes a cameo appearance in this podcast as he and his wife Franci would be riding with Paul just a short time after this interview was completed.
Tony Kanaan has enjoyed a long and successful career in motorsports. Indy 500 winner, and series champion, are just a couple of the titles to go along with his long career. Known for always being in great physical condition to race cars, he’s also parlayed that into multiple Ironman World Championship Triathlon finishes too! We caught up with TK at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach press day where he filled us in on how excited he is to be driving “Lone Star JR’s” (Johnny Rutherford’s) Indy-winning McLaren, his preparation going into the weekend with the team’s newest replacement driver Theo Pourchaire, and his official role with the team now that he's technically retired from racing. He also gives us a behind-the-scenes story about one of his favorite moments here in Long Beach. Enjoy!
Pipo Derani has made a name for himself in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship by being a tremendously fast racer and especially so in qualifying. In fact, he earned pole position for the first three races of the year (Daytona, Sebring, and Long Beach). He’s a four-time winner of the 12 Hours of Sebring and he’s also won the 24 Hours of Daytona. We caught up with Derani at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach right after his post-race qualifying pole position press conference and conducted this interview leaving the media room and walking with him on the way back to his transporter. There’s a slight interruption in the interview as a fan stops him to take a selfie as we navigated our way through the crowd. It’s a short interview but he fills us in on his mindset in qualifying and racing and how things change between sprint and endurance racing. Enjoy!
NOTE: It was announced during the 2024 season that Derani would not be back with his Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R GTP team for 2025.
Where will he end up? Stay tuned. . .
James Nazarian Jr. is the Large Project Leader Commercial Motorsports for Honda Racing Corporation located in Santa Clarita, California. At last year’s 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, he gave us a walkaround on “the Beast” Honda CR-V race car. This year, he did the same for their all-new Acura Integra Type S DE5 race car designed to be raced in the SRO TC America Championship in the TCX class. This event was only a few days after the Integra made its racing debut at Sonoma Raceway where it earned a couple of podium finishes! Nazarian talks about that and also some of the details that make this car special. You can follow along with the photos below. Enjoy!
NOTE: For more information on Acura Racing programs (including this Integra), please visit: https://www.acura.com/motorsports
Ricky Taylor has amassed championships and race wins in the top level of sports car racing. Currently driving for Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti in the Acura ARX-06 GTP car, he scored a victory at the 2024 Detroit Grand Prix and a podium with his co-driver Felipe Albuquerque at Road America. We met up with Ricky at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Media Day where he was kind enough to give me a few hot laps in the Acura Integra Type S DE5 race car.
Being a Fast Lane instructor, I’m always learning something whenever I get on the racetrack either as a driver or sitting right seat. In this instance, I learned that this top level professional driver is human after all and can make a mistake. I asked him about it, and he admitted it and gave the reason why and what happened. He is a true professional, humble, polite and extremely talented. His “debrief” of this session is fascinating and he explains how he’s learning a new race car on a race track that’s only used once a year. A real insider’s look into a track session debrief. Enjoy!
NOTE: Ricky Taylor and his teammate will be going for victory in the Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on October 12, 2024.
Felipe Albuquerque is a multi-time championship winning driver and races the Acura ARX-06 GTP car in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (with teammate Ricky Taylor). We caught up with Albuquerque at the media luncheon just prior to the race at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. In this podcast interview, he gives us a fascinating insight into simulator prep work and specifically for this event. He goes into some detail between the Honda Driver in the Loop (DIL) sim versus iRacing.
This is also a good interview for kids to listen to as he talks about how valuable his education was and how it has impacted his racing career. Enjoy!
NOTE: Albuquerque and Taylor would go on to win the Detroit Grand Prix this season and score a podium (third) at Mid-Ohio in August. Going into the final race of the season, the Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on October 9-12, 2024, he currently sits sixth in the championship standings.
Samantha Tan is a Canadian race car driver in the GT America Powered by AWS professional sports car racing series. We caught up with her at the media luncheon for the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where she was getting ready to race a BMW GT4 car and has a cool story to tell about how she got to where she is today. She came home from that event with two good results – a fifth in Race 1 and a podium second place in Race 2 in the GT4 class. She’s won numerous championships over her career and she also fills us in on the preparation she goes through to get ready for an event. She’s had a competitive season and has multiple wins and podium finishes in the Pro-Am class with her co-driver (Neil Verhagen) in a BMW GT3 car. Her next race is fast approaching – the Indianapolis 8-hour scheduled for October 3-6, 2024. Enjoy! P.S. For more information on Samantha Tan, please visit her website at: https://www.st-racing.org/
NOTE: This is the fifth and final in a series of interviews of women for www.raceshool.com and our “Women in Motorsports” month of September. This has now become an annual tradition. We’ve heard from women with various roles in the motorsports industry from team owners, drivers and more. Thanks for checking in!
Tina Patel is a TV reporter for KCAL 9 and CBS 2 here in Los Angeles. In the news business there is no typical day when you’re on assignment in different locations every day. At this year’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach media day, we got an opportunity to chat with Tina after she had ridden in the IndyCar 2-Seater and the Acura NSX pace car. She tells us what it was like, what impressed her the most, and how fun it was. She also takes us back to how she got started in the news industry and what the best part of her job is. Did this experience make her want to become a race car driver? Listen in and find out. Enjoy!
NOTE: This is the fourth in a series of interviews of women for www.raceshool.com and our “Women in Motorsports” month of September. This has now become an annual tradition. We’ll hear from women with various roles in the motorsports industry from team owners, drivers and more. Check back weekly to find out who’s next!
Beth Paretta is the CEO and team principal of Paretta Autosport. She’s also a co-founder (along with Lyn St. James) of Women in Motorsports North America. She has an interesting background on how she got involved in auto racing and her story about how she met Roger Penske is a classic. She’s experienced success with SRT Motorsports and she talks about how she got there and the programs that she ran. I first met her back when she was doing that with the factory Viper program. She’s elevated herself in the motorsports world and continues to be a very successful business woman and team owner. During this interview, she also clues us in with what’s happening with her driver, Simona de Silvestro.
As a side note, the fourth annual Women With Drive Summit will be held in Indianapolis on December 9-11, 2024. For more information on the summit, please visit: www.womeninmotorsportsna.com.
Enjoy!
NOTE: This is the third in a series of interviews of women for www.raceshool.com and our “Women in Motorsports” month of September. This has now become an annual tradition. We’ll hear from women with various roles in the motorsports industry from team owners, drivers and more. Check back weekly to find out who’s next!
Jacqui Lessick is one of the nicest people you’ll meet in the NTT IndyCar Series paddock. She can also be found in the paddock of all of the support series to IndyCar. Typically, she’s there as a support to her husband, Chuck (who is a chaplain with IndyCar Ministry), however lately she’s been reaching out to the women in racing who vary from drivers, engineers, wives, and more. Sometimes it takes a woman to really understand what other women are experiencing in their lives away from home in this traveling circus known as professional auto racing. Jacqui has just the right demeanor, knowledge base, and more to assist in helping to support these women. In this interview, she breaks down how this all came about, what her role is, and looks into where it’s going. Enjoy!
NOTE: This is the second in a series of interviews of women for www.raceshool.com and our “Women in Motorsports” month of September. This has now become an annual tradition. We’ll hear from women with various roles in the motorsports industry from team owners, drivers and more. Check back weekly to find out who’s next!
Clara Harter is an award-winning reporter for the Southern California News Group. We caught up with her at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where she had just finished riding with Davey Hamilton in the INDYCAR Experience Two-Seater. Her smile and enthusiasm for what she just experienced were off the charts. She gave us her take on what it was like and also what she normally covers for her employer. A fun interview with a talented woman in the news industry. Enjoy!
NOTE: This is the first in a series of interviews of women for www.raceshool.com and our “Women in Motorsports” month of September. This has now become an annual tradition. We’ll hear from women with various roles in the motorsports industry from team owners, drivers and more. Check back weekly to find out who’s next!
For more information on Clara Harter, please visit: www.claraharter.com
Davey Hamilton has had a long career in motorsports racing sprint cars, midgets and silver crown cars on dirt tracks across the country. He’s also been a fixture in the NTT IndyCar Series and has 11 Indy 500 starts under his belt with a best finish of fourth. These days, Hamilton is still driving Indy cars – specifically the INDYCAR Experience Two-Seater giving fans and VIPs a thrill ride before the start of series races. With all his experience behind the wheel, he’s parlayed that into a career behind the microphone as well being a color commentator on the IndyCar Radio Network. In addition to being on the ownership side of things in racing, Hamilton, as you can imagine, is a very busy guy. We caught up with him at the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Press Day where he fills us in on his association with Kingdom Racing and how that organization is helping those who have experienced hard times and loss. He also talks a bit about last week’s guest, Sting Ray Robb. Enjoy!
NOTE: For more information on Kingdom Racing, please visit: www.kingdomracing.net
Sting Ray Robb has the coolest name in motorsports. As an up and coming driver in the NTT IndyCar Series racing for AJ Foyt, he’s looking to build on his junior level career experience and work towards getting to Victory Lane. At the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach this year, we had the opportunity to chat with Robb in the driver’s lounge of the team’s transporter. He tells us how he got his name, his background in racing as well as highlighting his new sponsor for this year. He tells us how important his faith is to him as well as the rest of the paddock.
Enjoy!
Sting Ray Robb will be driving the pray.com car for AJ Foyt Racing in 2024
Takuma Sato is a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and also won the 2013 Grand Prix of Long Beach for AJ Foyt Racing. At the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame Induction ceremony he (along with Katherine Legge) became the latest inductee. Sato has won races all over the world when he competed in F3 including a British F3 championship and a win at the prestigious Macau Grand Prix. His Formula One career was mainly with underfunded teams however he managed a podium finish at the USGP at Indianapolis. Sato has always been a popular guy at Long Beach. We caught up with him soon after the LBMWoF ceremony and he filled us in on his preparation for the Indy 500 with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, stories from the past, and his preparation for this year’s ‘Greatest Spectacle of Racing.’ He also gave us an update on ‘With You Japan’ which started as a relief effort due to the effects of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan back in 2011. He’s humble, respectful and nice off the track, yet his “No attack, no chance” attitude on the track makes him a fierce competitor. Enjoy!
Chris Forsberg is a three-time Formula Drift champion and has amassed the most head-to-head victories and podium finishes in Formula Drift history. Along with his friendly demeanor off-track, this driver has a knack for acquiring and retaining sponsors. Read More...
Theo Pourchaire is a French Formula 2 champion that was drafted into the Arrow McLaren NTT IndyCar Series team on short notice. He made his debut at the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach (subbing for the injured David Malukas) where he qualified 22nd and finished 11th.
We caught up with him at his first race in Long Beach and spoke with him immediately following the Sunday warm-up. He’s a really enthusiastic and friendly guy that exudes happiness that few drivers do. A multi-time racing champion, Theo Pourchaire is the real deal. Enjoy!
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Mario Andretti is one of the greatest race car drivers of all time. His son Michael has not only had a successful driving career, but has also been extremely successful on the business side of racing. Andretti Global is working hard to get on the Formula One grid with their own team having Cadillac as their manufacturing partner. Although the FIA has approved their application, Formula One Management (FOM) has rejected their application. Starting an F1 team from scratch and trying to put everything in place is extremely complicated, time consuming and expensive.
At the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, Andretti was in the media center along with George Levy - president of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA), reminiscing about his success as a driver here, especially with the Newman/Haas team.
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Ed Ross has been a fixture in pit lane at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach for many years working as a fire marshal. His vast experience over the years has kept him working for the top teams to assist when emergencies happen. We caught up with him this year just off of pit lane during some down time to get his story on how he got started, hear about frantic moments, and also some of his favorite memories over the years. He’s always there to greet you with a warm smile and friendly “Hello” and he encourages other fans to get closer to the action by joining him or others in different worker specialties at the track. Cool stories from a cool dude - Enjoy!
Copyright © by Larry Mason
American driver Alexander Rossi left Formula One and made his mark in the NTT IndyCar Series by winning the Indianapolis 500 as a rookie in 2016. He’s also dominated other races like the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where he won back-to-back in 2018 and 2019. We caught up with him there this year and he filled us in on the differences and what it’s like to transition from Formula One to Indy car and his thoughts on the new Indy car hybrid technology. He then goes in-depth about qualifying for the Indy 500 with the tools he has available to maximize performance. At Long Beach he qualified 13th and finished 10th. That’s a very respectable result as he was punted really hard from behind by his teammate (Pato O’Ward) going into the fountain on lap three. That resulted in an unscheduled pit stop to change a flat tire. The next race will be at Mid-Ohio on July 7th and will feature the series debut of hybrid technology. Enjoy!
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By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2024 Larry Mason
In what has become an annual RaceSchool.com tradition, we like to kick off the summer vacation driving season with safety tips from the CHP. This year at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach we met up with officers Alec Pereyda and Bobby Eurine. Between the two of them they give us their insights on safe driving tips, things that they are looking for on patrol, and specific information regarding teen drivers. Additionally, they inform us about what to do in case of a flat tire or other mechanical car issues. This timely information is great not only for holidays but year ‘round as well. Enjoy!
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Nolan Siegel is a rising star in the NTT IndyCar Series. He’s raced and won in a variety of cars coming into the 2024 season and made his racing debut in the Indy car at the Thermal Club event in March where he put on a very competitive drive just missing out on a transfer spot to the final shootout. A California native only19 years of age, we caught up with him at the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where he was making his first points-paying start in the series. In this interview he tells us about his racing background, preparing for this event and also how his first trip to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway went where he completed his rookie test. He went on from here to try to qualify for the 500 but unfortunately crashed out trying to go ‘flat-out’ during his qualifying run. At Long Beach, he went quicker in every practice and qualifying session and ultimately finished 20th after starting 27th. He got a late call-up to fill in for Augustin Canapino at Road America where he jumped out of his Indy NXT car and completed the weekend in the Indy car finishing 23rd. This driver is certainly one to watch in the future and has received positive reviews from his peers in the series which is always satisfying. Enjoy!
Interview Copyright © by Larry Mason
Cover Photo credit: © INDYCAR PHOTO Joe Skibinski
Will Power has won just about everything there is to win in the NTT IndyCar Series such as the most pole positions in Indy car racing history (70), the Indianapolis 500, the series championship (twice) and multiple races along the way. However, his last race win came in June of 2022 at the Detroit Grand Prix on Belle Isle until this year’s race in June at Road America. We had a chance to chat with Power in the media bullpen for the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach in April, where in this wide-ranging chat, he talks about his wife’s life-threatening illness, his off-season prep, favorite and most challenging parts of the Long Beach circuit (where he’s won twice before), karting, and Indianapolis hybrid testing. Power is thoughtful and forthright with his answers. Enjoy! Read More...
Interview and photos Copyright © by Larry Mason
Josef Newgarden has been on an emotional roller coaster this year. It started with the high of winning the 24hrs of Daytona, followed by another win in the NTT IndyCar Series season opener at St. Pete. However, during the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach weekend it was found that he and his team had used the “Push to Pass” (P2P) system in St. Pete when they weren’t supposed to have had it available. The series disqualified and fined him and he lost all his points. After an emotional press conference at the Barber Motorsports Park event, Newgarden went about re-focusing on what he knows best which is driving fast and winning
races. This all culminated with a win at the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500. We caught up with him at Long Beach before any of the drama had ensued to get his take on his season so far, a preview of the Indy 500 and he also answers a RaceSchool.com Podcast listener’s question as well! Read More...
Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and six-time Grand Prix of Long Beach winner, Al Unser Jr. is no stranger to racing fans. We had the opportunity to chat with him following the media luncheon for the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. He tells us about how Long Beach was so good to him, and also the family struggles and triumphs at Indianapolis. Specifically, he recalls his two victories and how different the circumstances were. His humble demeanor belies the fact that he’s won so many iconic races and championships over the years. It’s no secret that he also had addiction struggles and he talks about how he’s doing now and what he’s up to in “retirement.” A fabulous chat with a legend in the sport. Enjoy!
Note: The book, Al Unser Jr. A Checkered Past, is available wherever good books are sold. For more information on the Unser museum collection, please visit: www.museumofamericanspeed.org.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2024 Larry Mason
Renger van der Zande has been winning races in IMSA for 11 straight years. Sebastien Bourdais has been winning races and championships in Indy cars and multiple races in IMSA. Together they are teammates in the Cadillac VSeries.R IMSA GTP car for Chip Ganassi Racing. We caught up with the champagne soaked duo just after their 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach winning post-race press conference. The two share what the key to victory was, how their team dynamic works and what happened here last year at the start. Bourdais also talks about the future of the program and also seeing his McDonald’s Indy car that he won with here years ago. Honest, straightforward and humorously entertaining. Enjoy!
Note: Cadillac announced that this year will be the last for their IMSA GTP program.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2024 Larry Mason
Scott McLaughlin is a three-time champion in the Australian Supercars Series. Team Penske brought him over the pond to pilot an Indy car alongside champion drivers Josef Newgarden and Will Power. That decision has paid dividends as McLaughlin has taken to these vastly different cars like a duck to water. In this interview (during the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach) he talks about how fun and challenging these Indy cars are to drive and makes a quick comment on a new driver coming into the series. He also talks about how he prepares in the off-season as well as what it’s going to take to do well at Indianapolis. Unfortunately, his Long Beach weekend ended prematurely with a gearbox issue, however the following weekend at Barber Motorsport Park he qualified on pole position and earned his second consecutive victory there! He exemplifies that laid-back Australian personality, yet he’s highly dedicated to success. Enjoy!
Note: McLaughlin was disqualified from his third-place finish at the season opening race at St. Pete due to Team Penske having the “Push-to-Pass” system enabled when it wasn’t allowed and was activated by both himself and Newgarden (who was also DQ’d). Will Power was docked 10 points for having the system enabled but he never used it. The breach was discovered during the Sunday warm-up at Long Beach and the penalties were applied that week.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2024 Larry Mason
Stand by race fans, the countdown to the 49th Annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is almost over. In just a couple of days the city streets of Long Beach will be shut down to everyday traffic and the sounds of roaring engines will reverberate off of the buildings around the convention center, arena, Hyatt hotel and Aquarium of the Pacific. Headlining the event this year will once again be the NTT IndyCar Series with practice and qualifying on Friday and Saturday, while a Sunday morning warm-up and main-event race will be on Sunday. Once again IMSA will be the headline race on Saturday afternoon featuring the GTP cars and GTD (GT3) cars. No GTD Pro category this year which means that some of the pro teams will drop down to the Pro/Am category to have another shot at a win.
Heading into Long Beach on a roll is last year’s Indy 500 champion and 2022 AGPLB winner, Josef Newgarden, who won the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona this year in a Penske Porsche and the season’s first Indy car race at St. Pete. Two-time NTT IndyCar Series Champion Alex Palou is also a winner this year at the non-points Million Dollar Challenge at Thermal Club last month by romping away from his competition. Former Long Beach winner and pole-sitter Colton Herta also won the 12 Hours of Sebring while his teammate and last year’s winner here, Kyle Kirkwood, also won his class at Sebring.
This long-standing event is rich in the team’s data books so trying to carve out an advantage over the competition is always difficult. Expect to see some scraped up race cars and white-walled tires as every driver will be pushing to the extreme limits to try and find lap time in qualifying.
New for this year’s schedule will be the historic Indy cars. There are numerous entries spanning decades in the sport with incredibly interesting history and pedigree. Dennis Firestone (who was 1980 CART rookie of the year) will be racing the Dan Gurney AAR Eagle that he raced at the Indy 500 back in 1982. Tony Kanaan will be racing an Offy-powered McLaren and has promised to push hard to win! SRO GT America racing will take the place of the Porsche Carrera Cup this year with a wide variety of manufacturers in the field such as Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Calloway Corvette, Lamborghini, Mercedes, and Porsche. Robby Gordon’s popular high-flying trucks return along drifting.
This year’s Saturday night concert has country music on tap featuring country stars Gretchen Wilson, Eddie Montgomery, and David Lee Murphy. Don’t forget Thunder Thursday on Pine on April18th which is Free to the public where there’ll be a pit stop competition and much more. For more information, please visit: www.gplb.com.
Note: Jim Michaelian is the president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach. During this year’s press day, we had the opportunity to hear directly from him on what to expect this year and the challenges of putting on such an event now in its 49th year. Enjoy!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2024 Larry Mason
Katherine Legge was announced yesterday (April 9th) as a driver in the 2024 Indianapolis 500 for Dale Coyne Racing with RWR. On the same day she was at the press day for this year’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where we got to sit down with her and chat about her new opportunity. She was also very candid in discussing the incident with Stefan Wilson last year along with how and why it happened. Legge is super talented and was the first female to win a professional open wheel race when she made her debut at Long Beach in the Formula Atlantic series in 2005. Our interview was kept a bit short as she had to get to the airport and catch a flight back to Indy to be able to get on track at the Speedway today for the open test today and tomorrow. Enjoy!
Note: In the Rookie Orientation Practice (ROP) and veteran refresher session at the Brickyard this morning, Legge was second quickest behind former “500” pole sitter Marco Andretti. Next week on April 18, 2024, Legge will be inducted into the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame. She’ll be the first female inductee there ever.
Ed Klotz is a familiar face around the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, after all he’s been volunteering with the Committee of 300 for over 40 years! During press day prior to the 2023 event we thought that we’d get an insider’s view on what the C300 does and how Ed decided to join and continue with the organization for so many years. He’s a man with a heart dedicated to volunteering and enjoying his time doing so. If you happen to run into him during race weekend, please say “Hi” and thank him for his years of service. Enjoy!
Note: For more information on C300, please visit: www.committeeof300.com.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2024 Larry Mason
If you happen to bump into Jason Holt at the race track, you might be inclined to think he’s just another surfer dude from Southern California. The reality is that although he does indeed like to surf, just like the ocean is deep, there’s much more to this man than meets the eye. His commitment to the Indy car community (and associated support series) is very near and dear to his heart. In this interview, we learn about his surfing and racing background as well as how he had his life changed to move into the ministry. With Easter this weekend, we thought it would be the perfect time to air this interview which took place at the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Enjoy!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2024 Larry Mason
Davy Jones talked to us in Part One about his early days in racing and how he moved up to win at the highest levels of sports cars. This week in Part Two he continues to tell us about his career with stories about racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans both with and without the chicanes on the Mulsanne Straight. He also tells us about that fateful day in Florida where a horrendous crash at Walt Disney World Speedway almost ended his career and life. He tells us about his remarkable return to racing and how he did it with the challenges involved in his rehabilitation. He also tells us about balancing life in general, what he’s up to these days, and how important family is to him. Enjoy!
NOTE: In between the interviews of Parts One and Two, Jones narrates a hot lap of the Long Beach circuit in an Acura NSX pace car starting at the exit of pit lane to returning a short time later. That audio file is the introduction to Part Two.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2024 Larry Mason
Davy Jones has enjoyed a long career in auto racing. From small open-wheel race cars to the Indianapolis 500, multiple sports car wins including the 24 hours of Le Mans and more, Jones has achieved more than most in the sport. We met up with Jones at the media day activities for the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where he was nice enough to spend some time with us talking about his new ride that day (the Acura NSX pace car) and more. We split the interview into two parts as he also gave me a hot lap in the NSX. In Part One he talks about his early days in racing and how he moved up through the ranks from Formula Fords to Formula One. He also shares what it’s like to win at the highest levels of prototype sports car racing. In Part Two next week he continues to tell us about his career including that fateful day in Florida that changed his life. Enjoy!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2024 Larry Mason
Devlin DeFrancesco raced for the Andretti Autosport team in the NTT IndyCar Series in 2023 and consistently improved during the season including an incredible start and a dominating run to the front of the field at the Indianapolis road course before fading back due to tire blisters. We caught up with him just off the red carpet at the premier of the “100 Days to Indy” TV show on the CW network at the Long Beach Convention Center just prior to the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. In this interview he talks about the TV show experience, his off-season preparation regimen, and how he also prepared for this race at Long Beach (as this is his second time here). A unique insight into how an Indy car driver prepares for specific events gives listeners a bit of information that they might not have considered. Enjoy!
NOTE: DeFrancesco qualified 20th at Long Beach and moved up a bit to finish 16th. At the end of the season, many changes took place at Andretti Autosport including shrinking the team down to three cars. For 2024, DeFrancesco will be competing with the Forte team in a Lamborghini in the IMSA Endurance Cup. He’s also planning on a return to the Indy 500 in May, the 24 hours of Le Mans and some other European racing events. For more information, please visit: www.devlindefrancesco.com
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2024 Larry Mason
Colton Herta has demonstrated his speed by beating his competitors in the NTT IndyCar Series and track records alike in the last five years. Thanks to showing his capabilities in harnessing a high-horsepower car on the track, he was rewarded in the 2022-2023 off-season to a Formula One test with the McLaren F1 team. At the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach media luncheon, we sat down with Herta and he told us what that experience was like. He’s an accomplished young man with a very bright future. Enjoy!
NOTE: Herta races for the Andretti Global team. That team has been working to field their own F1 team with Cadillac and went through the lengthy process to be approved. That approval was denied in January 2024, however the team remains vigilant to become an F1 entrant as soon as possible (which F1 deems the first opportunity to be in 2028).
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2024 Larry Mason
Colton Herta burst on to the NTT IndyCar Series with a win in his first full year of competition at the tender age of 18. Now a veteran of five (full-time) years in the series, his speed and racecraft continue to improve. We caught up with him at the “100 Days to Indy” premiere just prior to the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where he talks about his season so far, how the Long Beach track might evolve based on temperature, and his thoughts heading into Indianapolis. He also proved to be a great prognosticator when it comes to talking about his teammate Kyle Kirkwood (who went on to win the race and Herta finished just off the podium in fourth). Enjoy!
NOTE: In Part Two next week, we sit down with Herta at the media luncheon the next day and he talks to us about his Formula One test in the off-season.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2024 Larry Mason
James Nazarian Jr. has an enviable job perk in his role as Large Project Leader Commercial Motorsports for Honda Performance Development (HPD, now Honda Racing Corporation HRC) in that he gets to drive a beast of a Honda CR-V – the CR-V Hybrid Racer to be exact! This conglomeration of part Indy car and part NSX GT3 IMSA GTD car was conceived and designed in Santa Clarita and is a super cool engineering marvel. From the hybrid powertrain, to the suspension, to the advanced aerodynamics, this vehicle (that includes some stock CR-V parts) is ready to blow your mind at a race track near you. We met up with Nazarian at the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach media day. In this interview, he takes us on a walkaround of the “Beast” and points out some of the unique features. Besides that, he also tells us what it’s like to drive. There are lots of pictures to go with his words, so feel free to scroll through each one as we get our personal tour. Enjoy!
NOTE: The 2024 NTT IndyCar Series was supposed to start their season with hybrid powertrains, however that has been delayed until after the Indy 500. The Beast gives you a preview of what it will be like. For additional information and to see this vehicle on track, please vist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kpMARRd-Ac to see Honda’s development story.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2024 Larry Mason
Davey Hamilton currently drives the Indy car two-seater giving rides to VIPs during NTT IndyCar Series race weekends. When he’s not behind the wheel, he’s also a driver analyst for the Indy car radio network. Growing up he raced all kinds of cars on dirt and pavement before he earned his way into Indy cars. He continues racing sprint cars today. He’s also a team owner running numerous race cars. We caught up with him during the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where he had just given a bunch of thrill rides in the two-seater. In this interview he talks about his racing career including the horrific crash he had at Texas Motor Speedway in 2001 and how he came back from that. He also tells us about the transition into the broadcast booth and his plans going forward. Enjoy!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2024 Larry Mason
Ricky Taylor has been winning races and championships for years and is well known in the IMSA paddock. At the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach media luncheon, he happened to be sitting next to me at the lunch table. After lunch, he was gracious enough to spend some time answering multiple questions and filling us in on how he prepares for winning races – mentally, physically, and with specialized nutrition. He also lets us know about how the team uses the Honda driver-in-the-loop simulator to enhance performance. Incredibly detailed information that most people don’t know about, he makes you an insider in the exciting world of IMSA GTP racing. Enjoy!
Note: Taylor was running second at Long Beach with an opportunity to win with just two laps remaining. He made the pass on the Porsche going into Turn 1 but couldn’t hang on and ended up in the tire barrier. He and teammate Felipe Albuquerque were classified in 7th place. Although the team surprisingly went winless in 2023, they still ended up 2nd in the championship. You can see Taylor in action at the Rolex 24 at Daytona January 27-28, 2024 where he’s qualified sixth. Go to: IMSA.com for more information and air times.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2024 Larry Mason
Marco Sorensen is a three-time FIA World Champion and has won legendary races such as the 24hrs of Le Mans and 24hrs of Daytona. We caught up with him right after the IMSA qualifying press conference of the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where he had just put his Aston Martin Vantage GT3 GTD car on pole! This was impressive as this was his first time driving the Long Beach circuit. A humble guy outside of the car, he certainly knows how to get the job done behind the wheel. In this interview he tells us how he accomplished this feat and also gives us some background on his racing career. Enjoy!
Note: Sorensen and his co-driver (Roman De Angelis) finished second at Long Beach. You can see Sorensen in action at the “Roar Before the 24” test session and qualifying at Daytona on January 19-21, 2024 and then again as he attempts to repeat his win in the Rolex 24 at Daytona January 27-28, 2024. Go to: IMSA.com for more information and air times.
Jason Hart is a championship winning race car driver and has raced and won in multiple classes. His background is incredibly diverse, racing sprint cars and all manner of sports cars, including a Ferrari at the 24hrs of Le Mans. He’s even won his class in the Baja 1000! We caught up with Jason at the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where he was competing in the Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America Series. His story of perseverance in racing to make it as a professional is inspiring and raw at the same time. If he’s on track, you can count on him to be in the fight near the front of the field. Enjoy!
Note: His weekend at Long Beach didn’t go well as he was caught up in a Turn 8 shunt that ended his weekend prematurely. Later in the season he scored a win at the historic Watkins Glen track in upstate New York. For more information on Jason, please visit: JasonHartRacing.com
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2024 Larry Mason
Oriol Servia is a familiar face in the NTT IndyCar Series paddock. After winning the 1999 CART Indy Lights championship, he went on to race for a number of Indy car teams, including Newman-Haas, where he scored a win in Montreal and finished runner-up in the championship to teammate and four-time champ Sebastian Bourdais. Servia has raced in Formula E and currently drives the pace car during Indy car weekends. He’s one of the few drivers in the paddock with a mechanical engineering degree and has used that knowledge to his advantage over the years. We caught up with him at the press day for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach this year where he was nice enough to spend some time with us. He’s not done racing yet as you’ll hear in this interview. Enjoy!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
Chuck Lessick is a chaplain with IndyCar Ministry and travels to most races and test sessions during the year. On Sunday morning of race weekends, Lessick leads a “5-Minute Devotional” with individuals from race teams, workers, sanctioning body staff, media and anyone else who wants to attend. During the week, he also leads a “life group” or “church group” at the Dallara factory in Indianapolis. In this interview, we learn about Lessick’s racing background where he’s worn multiple hats (including that as a driver). He talks about the challenges that the racing community faces, specifically with the high-pressure environment that team personnel are under (and how to effectively deal with those challenges). As Christmas is just around the corner, this is a gift to our listeners that hopefully you can take this message with you throughout the holidays and into 2024. Enjoy!
NOTE: For more information, to donate to IndyCar Ministry, or to contact Lessick, please visit: www.indycarministry.org
Ziggy Harcus is a name that might not ring a bell to the casual race fan, but he is well-known within the sport of auto racing as a key team member in the NTT IndyCar Series. His roles with multiple successful teams include his skills as a mechanic, team leader, and more. His winning resume’ is an enviable one. At the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach after a long day at the track, Ziggy was nice enough to give us an interview as we walked with him leaving the track. He’ll share with you some of the famous names he’s worked with, some of the great wins that he’s been a part of, and talk about the pros and cons of working in this sport. If there’s ever a guy you want on your team to bring it to the top level, he’s the man! Enjoy!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
Michael Etrick is a talented artist that has created automotive art for many years. We were fascinated with the beautiful sculpture he had on display at this year’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. We were able to learn nuances from him that when you see the sculpture, fascinates you even more. The subtle details in his artwork keep impressing you as the sculpture can be modified as you’ll see in the pictures below. For those of you who are having a hard time figuring out what to get the automotive enthusiast who has everything, a special gift for Christmas this year, contact Etrick and he’ll certainly help solve your challenge. Enjoy!
NOTE: For more information on Michael Etrick’s artwork, please visit: www.etrickart.com
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
Sebastian Saavedra has had a long career in motorsports that so far has culminated with an IMSA LMP2 class win at the Rolex 24 hours of Daytona. He also has multiple NTT Indycar Series starts under his belt including a pole position at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. We caught up with him at the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Press Day where he was giving rides to celebrities (hear their stories here) and VIPs in the IndyCar Two-Seater. These days he’s also heavily involved in young driver coaching and management. Having a mentor that can show you the ropes early on in your career can make a huge difference in how far you progress in motorsports. A friendly guy off the track, you can tell that his heart is definitely yearning to get back on track to do what he knows and loves. Enjoy!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
or anyone who grew up in Southern California or Indianapolis, the Agajanian name is synonymous with auto racing. In Parts One and Two, JC Agajanian Jr. gave us a fascinating look into his family history in auto racing along with some incredible stories throughout a timeline from the 50’s through today. He also filled us in on some of the famous drivers that drove for them as well as some current advice for young drivers. In our final installment here in Part Three, JC tells us about those fancy Indianapolis 500 winner’s rings on his fingers and about the drivers who made it to Victory Lane! Personal stories about Parnelli Jones and more will surprise and delight you! He also fills us in about how one of the longest running and successful feature races for over 80 years – Turkey Night – continues, along with an invitation for you to come out to the races at Ventura Raceway, coming up this Friday and Saturday - November 24th and 25th. Enjoy!
NOTE: Turkey Night Ventura Raceway (at the Ventura County Fairgrounds) is this Thanksgiving weekend with action on both Friday and Saturday. For more information on Ventura Raceway, please visit their website at: https://venturaraceway.com/
To purchase tickets, please go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/82nd-annual-turkey-night-grand-prix-tickets-629591554287?aff=oddtdtcreatoror anyone who grew up in Southern California or Indianapolis, the Agajanian name is synonymous with auto racing. In Parts One and Two, JC Agajanian Jr. gave us a fascinating look into his family history in auto racing along with some incredible stories throughout a timeline from the 50’s through today. He also filled us in on some of the famous drivers that drove for them as well as some current advice for young drivers. In our final installment here in Part Three, JC tells us about those fancy Indianapolis 500 winner’s rings on his fingers and about the drivers who made it to Victory Lane! Personal stories about Parnelli Jones and more will surprise and delight you! He also fills us in about how one of the longest running and successful feature races for over 80 years – Turkey Night – continues, along with an invitation for you to come out to the races at Ventura Raceway, coming up this Friday and Saturday - November 24th and 25th. Enjoy!
NOTE: Turkey Night Ventura Raceway (at the Ventura County Fairgrounds) is this Thanksgiving weekend with action on both Friday and Saturday. For more information on Ventura Raceway, please visit their website at: https://venturaraceway.com/
To purchase tickets, please go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/82nd-annual-turkey-night-grand-prix-tickets-629591554287?aff=oddtdtcreator
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
For anyone who grew up in Southern California or Indianapolis, the Agajanian name is synonymous with auto racing. In Part One, JC Agajanian Jr. gave us a fascinating look into his family history in auto racing along with some incredible stories throughout a timeline from the 50’s through today. In Part Two, JC talks about how his family got involved with Indy car racing at the Speedway, some of the famous drivers who drove for them there and how their relationship continues with the Andretti name today. He also gives some heartfelt advice to young drivers getting started in the sport on how to best represent your sponsors and team. This is good advice for any race car driver out there. Good news we’ll have him back for Part Three next week. Enjoy!
NOTE: Turkey Night at the Ventura Fairgrounds will be coming up on Friday and Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend. For more information you can go to the Ventura Raceway website at: https://venturaraceway.com/
Or to buy tickets, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/82nd-annual-turkey-night-grand-prix-tickets-629591554287?aff=oddtdtcreator
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
For anyone who grew up in Southern California or Indianapolis, the Agajanian name is synonymous with auto racing. ASCOT Raceway in Gardena was a staple in dirt oval racing for decades. The Agajanian family were the promoters of that prolific race track from the early days until its closure. In Part One, JC Agajanian Jr. gives us a fascinating look into how his family got involved in auto racing, some of the famous drivers that drove for his dad, and he also weaves these stories throughout a timeline from the 50’s through today and even a look into the future. An incredibly entertaining guest with a tremendous amount of knowledge in this sport, you’ll find yourself wanting to hear more from JC. Good news we’ll have him back for Part Two next week. Enjoy!
NOTE: Turkey Night at the Ventura Fairgrounds will be coming up on Friday and Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
A.J. McKee is a friendly looking guy in street clothes, but you wouldn’t want to get in the ring with him! As an MMA fighter with a 20-win record and only one loss through 2022, he is one tough guy. We caught up with him at the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach press day where he talks about his background, the thrill of being at the track and his fleet of cool cars. He’s no stranger to auto racing as he was born and raised in Long Beach and has been attending and watching this race for years. Enjoy!
NOTE: For more information on McKee, please visit: https://twitter.com/ajmckee101?lang=en
Sam Carrick and Adam Henrique are two of the stars on ice for the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks. We caught up with them at the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach press day where they were treated to rides in the Indy car two-seater and Sam also enjoyed riding in “the Beast” Honda CR-V which is powered by an Indy car engine combined with hybrid technology. They both had big smiles after their experience. They fill us in on how auto racing and hockey compare and their appreciation of how the professional drivers are top level athletes. Enjoy!
NOTE: For more information on Carrick and Henrique, please visit: nhl.com/ducks/roster
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
Riley Dickinson is an up and coming professional American driver in the Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup Series. The series uses identical Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Type 992 race cars producing 510 hp. The series features Pro, Pro-Am and Amateur drivers with the majority being Pro drivers. He started off the 2023 season in Victory Lane at Sebring (twice, in the two race format) and his success has continued by winning nine races so far and clinching the season championship before the final round. We caught up with him early in the season at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach press luncheon where he fills us in on how he got started in racing, where he’s competed up until now, and his plans for the future. His career path in motorsports is one step closer to his dream job and only time will tell whether he reaches that goal. Enjoy!
NOTE: Riley Dickinson won Race 1 at Long Beach and earned another podium with third place in Race 2. He will be finishing out the last two races of the season October 20-22, 2023 at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX as a support race to the FIA Formula One World Championship.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
Renger van der Zande is teamed with Sebastien Bourdais in the IMSA WeatherTech Series racing a Cadillac GTP car for Chip Ganassi Racing. We caught up with him for this interview during a cold and rainy press day for the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Besides being a multiple winner at the Rolex 24hrs of Daytona, Renger has successfully competed in multiple classes around the world. In this interview, Renger talks about the differences to the new (for this year) hybrid powered Cadillac compared to last year, gives props to his teammate in regards to their race at Long Beach last year and talks about his thoughts on what the strengths of his race car is and how he wants to get back to the winner’s circle. A true gentleman and supremely talented race car driver; it didn’t take too much longer before he found himself in Victory Lane at Laguna Seca Raceway in May. Enjoy!
NOTE: Renger will be racing in the season finale this weekend (Oct. 11-14, 2023) at the Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
Colin Braun is a highly talented race car driver that’s been around for years racing in multiple classes including in the SCCA. He signed with Meyer Shank Racing this year to race their IMSA GTP Acura ARX-06 and started off the year with a win in the Rolex 24 hours at Daytona. We caught up with him at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach media luncheon just prior to the race. He talks to us about his background in the sport and his recent visit to the HPD headquarters as a factory team driver to get a behind-the-scenes tour. Additionally, he describes the phenomenal SCCA Runoffs program he was involved with to break the track record at Road America – shocking statistics! Enjoy!
NOTE: Colin Braun will be competing in the season finale Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta October 13-15, 2023. It was announced on October 3, 2023 that this will be the last race for MSR with the IMSA Acura GTP program.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
Cathy Shumaker is a pit lane fire marshal that works with multiple teams in a number of different sanctioning bodies including: NTT IndyCar Series, IMSA, NHRA, NASCAR, SCCA and more. She’s been enjoying her work with how she helps keep the drivers, crew, and others safe in the hectic and potentially dangerous area that is really her home away from home. We caught up with Cathy at the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where she tells us how she got started, how she’s developed relationships with drivers and teams and how young girls can get started in racing. There are a variety of roles they can fill if they are interested in having “the best seat in the house” outside of the race car. A true professional and one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet, Cathy is always a welcome sight at the race track. Enjoy!
NOTE: This is our final podcast in a series of “Women in Motorsports” interviews in September. This has been the month that Fast Lane Racing School has highlighted the diversity of roles that women play in the motorsports industry. Also, as a reminder, the Women with Drive Summit III is coming up November 7,8, 2023 at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, AZ. For more information, please visit: www.womenwithdrivesummit.com.
Maria Serrao is one of the hardest working reporters you’ll find at sporting events around southern California – particularly at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. We caught up with Maria (hard to do!) in the media center lunch room during the event this year and sat down to chat about her background and some favorite stories she’s covered here over the years. For women interested in getting involved in this industry, she gives some advice on what it takes to be successful.
In Part One, we chatted with Maria about her background in the sport. In Part Two, we find out what put her in a wheelchair, her challenges of that from a young age, and how she’s overcome that disability to follow her dreams. She’s highly motivated and doesn’t let the chair get in the way of how she lives her life every day. She inspires people with how she lives her life. If she has her mind set to do something, she won’t let anything or anyone stand in her way and telling her she can’t. She also does this with grace, humor, warmth, and has a way of connecting with people that puts them at ease. For more information or to watch Maria at work, go to: www.PlayingTheFieldTV.com Enjoy!
NOTE: This is just one in a series of “Women in Motorsports” podcast interviews. September is the month that Fast Lane Racing School will highlight the diversity of roles that women play in the motorsports industry.
Sheena Monk is racing in the IMSA WeatherTech Series this year sharing her GTD Acura NSX with Indy car and sports car ace Katherine Legge. We caught up with Sheena during the media day press luncheon for the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. She fills us in on how racing has been interwoven throughout her life, yet her real start in racing didn’t happen until just a few short years ago. We learn about how she and Katherine work together, including car set-up, as well as the mental and physical aspects of driving this fabulous race car. At this event, they earned a top ten finish (ninth) and Legge set the fastest race lap in the class. FYI, Sheena will be racing this weekend (Sept. 15-17, 2023) at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the penultimate round of the season before the “Petit Le Mans” final event at Road Atlanta (Oct. 11-14). Enjoy!
NOTE: This is just one of a series of “Women in Motorsports” podcast interviews. September is the month that Fast Lane Racing School will highlight the diversity of roles that women play in the motorsports industry.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
Mary Bignotti Mendez is a multi-talented lady who has been involved with the NTT IndyCar Series for many years. In fact, she comes from Indy car royalty as her dad, George Bignotti, won the “500” seven times as a chief mechanic! Her dad also married Kay Meyer whose father Louis was the first, three-time winner of the Indy 500. These days you’ll find her in the media/press room writing stories about the series on her laptop, or in the pit and paddock area running her RPM Tours business. With that, she gives VIP tours to team sponsors and others that really want to learn about what makes this sport tick from the inside. We sat down with Mary at the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where she gives us her background, some cool and interesting stories, and also gives some advice to young women looking to get involved in the sport. Enjoy!
NOTE: This is the first in a series of “Women in Motorsports” podcast interviews. September is the month that Fast Lane Racing School will highlight the diversity of roles that women play in the motorsports industry.
Jack Harvey has won nearly a dozen championships in his career including the prestigious British F3 championship in 2012. He finished runner-up in the Indy Lights championship in both 2014 and 2015. He’s one of only six drivers to have won on both the Indianapolis road course and the oval where he took those wins in Indy Lights. Moving from the Meyer Shank NTT IndyCar Series team to Rahal Letterman Lanigan has proven to be quite challenging for both him and the team. We caught up with Harvey as he was taking some photos of his girlfriend Gracie Norton just off of the red carpet at the 100 Days To Indy Premiere just prior to the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. He talks about the mental aspect of staying positive and how he wants to continue to motivate the team, work hard, and be competitive for the rest of the season. Candid and stoic, you can tell that Harvey is extremely motivated to return to qualifying well and finishing on the podium. Enjoy!
NOTE: At Indianapolis, major drama unfolded as he bumped his teammate Graham Rahal out of the race with time expiring on the clock to qualify 33rd. After the August 12, 2023 road course race at Indy, Harvey was released from RLL with three races left to run in the season. Part of the team statement from Bobby Rahal reads: “First, I would like to thank Jack Harvey for all of his efforts on behalf of RLL for the last year and a half. He committed fully to the team, but for whatever reason, we weren’t able to achieve the results that he or the team deserves, and we wish him well in the future.” Where will he end up? Only time will tell. We wish him the best.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
Former Formula One driver, and now Indianapolis 500 champion Marcus Ericsson, has really come on strong in the NTT IndyCar Series over the last couple of years winning races every season. We had the opportunity to check in with him at the media luncheon just prior to the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where he takes us through his incredible journey to being part of Indianapolis history. He also talks about some really special moments after the win. Finally, he shares his expectations heading into the Long Beach race and Indianapolis. His predictions for both Long Beach and Indy proved to be spot on as he scored Top 3 finishes in each. A true gentleman who is humble, grateful, and can bring a car home consistently at or near the front, Ericsson is one cool guy. Enjoy!
NOTE: It was announced on August 23, 2023 that Ericsson would be moving from the Ganassi team to Andretti Autosport for 2024. He’ll have more fast teammates at Andretti with Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood (whom he shared a podium [3rd] with at Long Beach). As of this date, we don’t know if he’ll race alongside or replace Romain Grosjean. . .
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
Mike Hull has been employed by Chip Ganassi Racing for over 30 years. During that time he’s had a very successful relationship as the strategist for six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion - Scott Dixon. We caught up with him at the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach as he was walking back to his hotel after a long day at the track. He was gracious enough to give us some time where he talks about the quality of his driver, figuring out strategy based on data versus experience, and what makes his team so successful.
Enjoy!
NOTE: Scott Dixon started his 319th consecutive NTT IndyCar Series race on August 11, 2023 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course where he earned his 54th race win and extended his streak of winning at least one race for 19 consecutive seasons. Mike Hull was on the pit box calling the strategy that saw Dixon go from getting hit from behind in Turn 7 on lap one, spin out to last place, then come back and score that remarkable victory.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
Romain Grosjean is a veteran Formula One racing driver who transitioned into the NTT IndyCar Series three years ago. He joined Dale Coyne Racing for his rookie year where he impressed Andretti Autosport enough to hire him the following year. It’s been up and down for the man they call the “Phoenix” (after his fiery crash in Bahrain), especially this year where he’s qualified in the Firestone Fast Six five times, yet only converted that into two podium finishes. We caught up with Grosjean for a brief interview just following the post-race press conference at the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where he had just finished second behind his teammate, Kyle Kirkwood (who just won his first race in the series). A podium finish followed this event in Alabama, but since then he’s had a number of poor finishes until a Q6 and P6 qualifying and finishing position on the streets of Nashville. Will he stay with Andretti into 2024? He has four races left in the season to help seal the deal for next year. Enjoy!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
Tony Kanaan is the 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner, 2004 IndyCar champion and 1997 Indy Lights champion. He’s won races for decades and has had real staying power in this tough and sometimes brutal sport. Off track, Kanaan is known for his supreme fitness. He’s dedicated himself to that by competing in numerous triathlons, including the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii, twice! This year he joined the Arrow McLaren Indy car team for one race - the Indy 500. He remains with the team as a driver consultant and team ambassador. We caught up with him just off the pit lane at the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where he gave us his thoughts on fitness, nutrition and balancing family life in this dynamic sport. Enjoy!
NOTE: After qualifying ninth quick out of the field of 33, Kanaan finished the “500” in 16th place just behind his lifelong friend and rival Helio Castroneves.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
Owen Snyder is the mechanical manufacturing and car assembly supervisor for Dallara (the chassis supplier to the NTT IndyCar Series). He also does race track support. Prior to joining Dallara, he worked for a number of different racing teams and organizations as well as with some great racing drivers. Two Indianapolis 500 victories are just part of what he’s experienced first-hand. In this interview (conducted in the technical inspection area of the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach), he shares some of those experiences with us, and the behind-the-scenes aspects of who and how they made it happen. A true legend of the sport of Indy car racing and one of the most humble and forthright people you’ll ever want to meet. Enjoy!
NOTE: Dallara manufactures multiple types of race cars for worldwide use. For more information, please visit www.dallara.us
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
Santino Ferruci has had some strong finishes in the Indy 500 driving for a number of different teams both part-time and full-time. This year he’s full-time with AJ Foyt Racing. We had the opportunity to chat with him at the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach press luncheon. He’s very down-to-earth and honest in his approach to racing. He talks with us about his preparation for Long Beach and gives us his insight preparing for the Indy 500. He also fills us in on how simulation work is key to being ready to go fast right away. Enjoy!
NOTE: Santino Ferruci would go on to finish 11th at Long Beach after starting 18th. He put a huge smile on AJ Foyt’s face when he nearly won the Indy 500! He ultimately finished third.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
Simon Pagenaud has an enviable record of winning the Indy 500, along with championships in the NTT IndyCar Series, and sports cars in ALMS. The 2023 season started with him earning a Rolex watch for the overall win at the 24hrs of Daytona, but so far, his Indy car season has suffered from a lack of competitiveness. We spoke with Pagenaud just off the red carpet at the “100 Days To Indy” reality TV show premiere in Long Beach this past April. He candidly talks about what he’s gone through and how he’s looking forward to turning the situation around and getting back to his winning ways. He also talks about the mental aspects of preparing for a race weekend, working with his engineers and his thoughts going into the Indy 500. Enjoy!
NOTE: Pagenaud’s season didn’t get much better after we spoke. A mediocre finish at Long Beach (15th) followed by a DNF (crash) at Indianapolis along with some other poor finishes has plagued his season this year. His best finish so far is 13th (Detroit) which is not good for a guy who is accustomed to being competitive. It got worse at Mid-Ohio when he lost his brakes in practice doing about 180 mph. He literally flew (about 150 feet) off the track, then barrel-rolled six-and-a-half times, before coming to rest upside down stuffed into the tire barrier. He was able to walk away but due to IndyCar’s concussion protocol he was not allowed to race there or at Toronto. Here’s hoping that the second half of the season brings Pagenaud some better luck and results.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
Graham Rahal has been winning races since his very first race in the NTT IndyCar Series back when he was only 19 years old. That was a long time ago and his winning ways have been on hiatus for a while too. A super talented guy like that doesn’t forget how to drive fast and win. This series is super competitive and everything has to be perfect (or you have to be super lucky) to get on the podium these days. We had the opportunity to talk with Rahal at the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach about the challenges of going through the non-winning times and how he deals with it while also working to motivate those around him. He also talks about how he works with his teammates on set-up and balance of the race car. Being a family man (married to drag racer Courtney Force), Rahal also talks about balancing his life outside of racing. Enjoy!
NOTE: Graham Rahal finished 12th at Long Beach after qualifying 24th. The real drama came on bump day at Indianapolis where his teammate Jack Harvey bumped him out of the race! The next day, Stephan Wilson crashed and broke his back at the Speedway and Rahal was tapped to fill in for the “500.” Although he started last in 33rd, he finished 22nd. On a more positive note, Rahal qualified on the front row for the race at Mid-Ohio on July 2nd. Unfortunately, a stuck wheel during a pit stop slowed his momentum yet he still finished in the top ten (7th).
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
Officer Alec Pereyda is a Public Information Officer for the CHP and spent some time with us in the expo at the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. With the Fourth of July holiday coming up and lots of summer road trips, he was able to give us a lot of valuable safe driving tips including what to do if you see those flashing lights behind you. He also shares with us a crazy story about a high-speed pur
Alex Palou is the 2021 NTT IndyCar Series Champion and is currently leading the points for the 2023 season based on three victories so far (as of June 18th). We had a chance to chat with him during the press day ahead of the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach and in this wide-ranging interview he talks about his season so far, his adaptation from a road racing background to getting comfortable on the ovals, and his recent McLaren Formula One test. Additionally, he reflects on his calm demeanor despite all of the distractions outside the race car (especially last year with a very public and heated contract negotiation. You’ll almost always find him with a smile on his face and a very warm and personable manner, but when he gets behind the wheel, watch out. This guy can destroy the morale of an entire field of champions with his speed and skill. He put that on full display at last year’s season finale where he dominated with a 30 second margin of victory! Enjoy!
NOTE: Alex Palou would go on to finish fifth at Long Beach after starting fourth. So far this year his worst finish is eighth. His recovery drive after getting hit in pit lane at the Indianapolis 500 leaving his pit area to finish fourth was an incredible testament to his talent (as well as the strength of the Ganassi team he’s driving for).
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
Pato O’Ward and Josef Newgarden have both had strong starts to the season. We caught up with them just off the red carpet at the “100 Days to Indy” premiere at the Long Beach Convention Center on Wednesday evening just prior to the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. O’Ward talks about his focus after two, second-place finishes to start the year. Newgarden talks about how competitive the series is as a whole and his strategy for Long Beach. They both chime in on their aspirations for success at the Indy 500 which (when this was taped and the interview was briefly interrupted by James Hinchcliffe) was only 50 days away. Enjoy!
NOTE: Josef Newgarden went on to win the “500” while O’Ward led the most laps before crashing out with seven laps to go.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
Pato O’Ward and Josef Newgarden have both had strong starts to the season. We caught up with them just off the red carpet at the “100 Days to Indy” premiere at the Long Beach Convention Center on Wednesday evening just prior to the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. O’Ward talks about his focus after two, second-place finishes to start the year. Newgarden talks about how competitive the series is as a whole and his strategy for Long Beach. They both chime in on their aspirations for success at the Indy 500 which (when this was taped and the interview was briefly interrupted by James Hinchcliffe) was only 50 days away. Enjoy!
NOTE: Josef Newgarden went on to win the “500” while O’Ward led the most laps before crashing out with seven laps to go.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
In last week’s podcast, we learned how Lyn St. James started with humble beginnings and progressed to the highest levels of professional auto racing. This week St. James will tell us about the Women in Motorsports North America program. From the interesting origin of WIMNA, to where they’re going in the future. The bottom line is that this organization is designed to advance opportunities for women throughout the motorsports industry. Their big event of the year is the Women with Drive Summit III coming up on November 7-8, 2023 in Avondale, Arizona. For more information on the summit, go to: www.womenwithdrivesummit.com. For more information on the organization, go to: www.womeninmotorsportsna.com. Women have played a key role in motorsports for many years in a multitude of roles. St. James (as usual) is at the forefront of helping drive the return on investment for those she works with. Enjoy!
NOTE: Lyn St. James will be part of a panel discussion at the Petersen Automotive Museum on May 24th, 2023 – “A Tribute to Paula Murphy.” There will be a screening of the Paula Murphy: Undaunted documentary, followed by the panel discussion and a silent auction. Paula Murphy also broke barriers for women in motorsports. She set multiple land speed records, was the first woman to drive a jet dragster and much more. This will be a great opportunity to see her and St. James in person and to hear some great stories. Ticket information (TinyUrl.com/PaulaMurphy) and more is below:
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
Lyn St. James is an American icon in the world of professional auto racing. After humble beginnings racing in a showroom stock Ford Pinto, she would go on to set multiple world speed records and become the 1992 Indy 500 rookie of the year! We sat down with Lyn at the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where she talks about how she progressed through her career. She also talks candidly about her big crash at Riverside International Raceway in an IMSA GTP car, the people that helped her along the way and what it’s like to turn laps at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Enjoy!
NOTE: In Part Two, St. James talks about her involvement with the “Women in Motorsports North America” program as well as an upcoming special event. We’ll also preview another special event that will be for locals in SoCal at the Petersen Automotive Museum on May 24th, 2023 where she’ll be part of a panel discussion. Be sure to check it out next week for more information!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
Dan Siegel is just one of the many people who work in the NTT IndyCar Series in the technical inspection area. At the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach he shared with us the procedure of how they inspect the race cars, how they inspect safety equipment before and after a crash and also how they ensure a fair, competitive platform, so that the teams can have a level playing field going into the race competitions. A fascinating journey behind the scenes. Enjoy!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
Kyle Kirkwood is the only driver to win consecutive Road To Indy ladder series championships consecutively. He spent 2022 driving for AJ Foyt Racing where he had a best finish of 10th at Long Beach. This year he’s racing for Andretti Autosport and he started the year off qualifying in the Firestone Fast Six at St. Petersburg. At the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, he qualified on pole and led 53 of the 85 laps to win his first-ever NTT IndyCar Series race. We had a chance to talk with him before his glorious weekend at the media luncheon on Thursday of race week. He talks about the changes going from last year’s team to this year’s team, driving styles with his teammate Colton Herta, and his preparation going into the Indy 500. Enjoy!
NOTE: Kirkwood traveled to Indianapolis after Long Beach and finished fourth on the speed charts out of 33 drivers that took to the track at the open test on April 20th.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
It was another successful and classic (in more ways than one) Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. The Grand Prix Association of Long Beach reported that it was the best crowd (192,000 fans) since the reunification of CART and the IRL. The last of the remaining grandstand seats sold out Saturday night. What started off as a cold and drizzly week, morphed into mild and mostly sunny weather that helped keep everyone comfortable throughout the weekend.
In the headlining NTT IndyCar Series, Kyle Kirkwood earned his first NTT Pole Award on Saturday in the fantastic Firestone Fast Six qualifying session. Last year’s Indy 500 winner, Marcus Ericsson, joined Kirkwood on the front row. At the drop of the green flag, Kirkwood kept his lead into Turn One. Last year’s winner Josef Newgarden moved up four places within the first few laps and was running strong all race until he made his last pit stop before all the other leaders. Perfect strategy if there’s a caution, although none came and with his forced fuel save, he dropped to ninth at the end. Kirkwood had no such problem with fuel and earned his maiden victory in the series followed home by his teammate Romain Grosjean (who qualified third) who had plenty of push-to-pass left but since he pitted a lap earlier (and was saving fuel), was unable to use it. Ericsson closed in over the last few laps but had to settle for third.
In the IMSA WeatherTech Series Sports Car race, Felipe Albuquerque stormed to the pole position in his Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-06 GTP car by 0.674 seconds over the similar Acura of Meyer Shank Racing. He mentioned that he was glad he was starting the race and Ricky Taylor would be driving second because the Michelin tires were taking a long time to heat up. Prophetic words indeed as the Penske Porsche 963 team of Nick Tandy and Matthew Jaminet chose not to change tires at their single pit stop and parlayed that into the first victory for the new Porsche GTP car. In GTD PRO Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat took their Lexus RC F GT3 to Victory Lane while Madison Snow and Bryan Sellers stood on the top step of the podium for the third-straight year with their BMW M4 GT3.
In the Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup races, Riley Dickinson earned the pole for Race 1 and brought his Porsche 992 home for the win. In Race 2, Will Martin enjoyed the first win of his career in this series.
In the Historic Formula One Challenge races, Patrick Long made it a clean sweep winning both races driving a 1983 Williams FW 08C. These races were truly fan favorites as the sights, sounds and smells of the classic F1 cars were spectacular. Two of the cars in the field were powered by 12-cylinder engines including local SoCal driver Tim DeSilva who qualified second for the first race in the same Alfa Romeo that Andrea de Cesaris put on the pole at Long Beach back in 1982. Most were powered by the venerable Ford Cosworth DFV V8. Other sensational marques from the past included BRM, Lotus, March, McLaren, Penske, Shadow, Surtees and Tyrell.
All-in-all, it was another fabulous weekend of racing. Stay tuned as we’ll have upcoming podcast interviews with some of the winners and others who help make the world of racing go ‘round.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
TJ Fischer started out in racing as most drivers do today – in karts. He made the jump to cars in SCCA road racing in a Formula Mazda. Now racing in the Porsche Carrera Cup, Fischer is enjoying success in this highly competitive series and is hungry for more. We spoke to him just after the conclusion of his second race at the 2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach to find out his background and how he’s had important mentors to help him move forward in his career. Enjoy!
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NOTE: Fischer ended up with two, third-place podium finishes in Long Beach.
Kay van Berlo started his racing career in Europe and is now enjoying success in here in the USA. We caught up with Kay at the media luncheon just prior to the 2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where he was entered in the Porsche Carrera Cup event. He fills us in on his background, his approach to his first street race in this car and plans for the future. He had a sensational race weekend at the AGPLB. We followed up with him after Sunday’s Race #2 with a Part 2 interview where he tells us how great his weekend was. Enjoy!
NOTE: Kay ended up finishing as the champion runner-up in the 2022 season.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
Kay van Berlo started his racing career in Europe and is now enjoying success in here in the USA. We caught up with Kay at the media luncheon just prior to the 2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where he was entered in the Porsche Carrera Cup event. He fills us in on his background, his approach to his first street race in this car and plans for the future. He had a sensational race weekend at the AGPLB. We followed up with him after Sunday’s Race #2 with a Part 2 interview where he tells us how great his weekend was. Enjoy!
NOTE: Kay ended up finishing as the champion runner-up in the 2022 season.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
Matthew Brabham has a last name steeped in motorsports history and glory. Matt himself has racked up a pretty good racing resume’ himself. We chatted with him in the Stadium SUPER Truck garage in Long Beach last year and he talked to us about a number of things including how he manages crossing over from Indy Lights to the trucks, his ambition to win the Indy 500, along with his fitness and simulation regimen. Enjoy!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
Robby Gordon gives us a quick intro/cameo where he talks about the logistics of why he’s
getting the trucks back to the United States from overseas. His son Max Gordon is a chip off the
block of his dad, Robby. At only 14 years of age, he’s been racing for years. We caught up with
him at the 2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where he was racing in the SPEED Energy
Stadium SUPER Truck Series. He talks with us about he approaches the jumps and how much
fun it is to race these trucks. Enjoy!
NOTE: Max would go on to win Race #1 and finish just off the podium in fourth in Race #2 at
Long Beach in 2022.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
Robby Gordon has been winning races in a wide variety of racing cars and trucks for decades. These days, you’ll still find him racing in his Speed Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks Series. These high-flying trucks put on an exciting show wherever they compete around the world and they are truly a fan favorite on the streets of Long Beach during the grand prix weekend. We talked to Robby at the media luncheon and he fills us in on the history of these super cool trucks as well as their specifications – including “reverse aerodynamics!” The series has been a springboard for other drivers in different series and he gives us the scoop on that as well. Enjoy!
NOTE: Robby would go on to finish second in Race #1 and win Race #2 at Long Beach in 2022. This is the first of a two-part interview. Next week we chat with Robby’s son Max.
Tom Long has been racing sports cars successfully for many years. He worked his way up from SCCA Spec Miata to become a factory driver for Mazda in their DPi class, he’s driven an incredible array of race cars over the years. We caught up with him at the 2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where he was getting ready to get behind the wheel for the first time in the amazing Mazda RX-792P IMSA GTP car from 1992. He shares his insight and comparisons of the newer and older Mazda race cars. He’s also been racing in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge GT4 GS class and the Lamborghini Trofeo Series. When he’s not at the race track driving, he spends a lot of his time coaching drivers. Enjoy!
Note: Before the actual interview with Tom, I recorded the engine sounds of the Porsche 962, twin-turbo V6 Jaguar, and the four-rotor Mazda RX-792P IMSA GTP cars near the end of Shoreline Drive. This Mazda screams excitement!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2023 Larry Mason
Jimmy Vasser is known in racing circles as a championship winning driver (IndyCar 1996), and as a teammate to some of the most well-known racing drivers in the world, including Alex Zanardi and Juan Pablo Montoya. After retiring from his extremely successful career as a driver, Vasser became a team owner (with Kevin Kalkhoven) and won the 2013 Indy 500 with Tony Kanaan as their driver. Now with co-owner James Sullivan, he runs the Lexus factory racing program in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in both the GTD Pro and GTD categories. We caught up with him during the weekend of the 2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where he gave us some interesting tales about Alex Zanardi. He also talks about transitioning from driver to team owner, and specifically, his factory Lexus team. Enjoy!
NOTE: At Long Beach, both of Vasser’s team cars finished on the podium (#14 in 2nd, #12 in 3rd). Overall, his team won three GT races in 2022, including the first win for Lexus in the GTD Pro category at Road America. Combined with nine podiums and four pole positions throughout the year, the team won the season finale (Petit LeMans at Road Atlanta with third driver Kyle Kirkwood) to give Lexus its first endurance win in the GTD Pro class.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Jimmie Johnson came into the 2022 racing season as a sophomore NTT IndyCar Series driver after spending most of his first year competing on road and street circuits. This season he would compete at every round. Coming off of his open-wheel career best finish at Texas Motor Speedway (sixth), he came into the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach with a bit more confidence than before. He talks with us about that, the physical aspect of racing an Indy car, and his eagerness to compete at the Indy 500.
Incidentally, he would go on to place third in multiple practice sessions at the ‘500’ and also earned a fifth place finish on the oval in Iowa.
Enjoy!
NOTE: Johnson announced that he would not be returning to the NTT IndyCar Series for 2023. Instead, he’s taken a part-ownership role in the Richard Petty GMS NASCAR team which has been re-branded as Legacy Motor Club for 2023. He will also return to racing for the team in a select number of events starting with the Daytona 500 on February 19, 2023.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Kyle Kirkwood came into the 2022 season with a lot of promise as he’s the only driver to win all three championships on the Road to Indy ladder system in consecutive years. We chatted with him prior to the 2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach about his preparation for this year’s event, the Indy 500 and how he’s been able to learn from veteran Sebastien Bourdais who was in this seat last year. Driving for the four-time Indy 500 winner, A.J. Foyt, Kirkwood talks about the dream coming true to finally race at the Indy 500. Enjoy!
NOTE: Kirkwood had his best finish of the year at Long Beach with a 10th place. It was announced at the end of the season that he would be moving to Andretti Autosport to compete for a championship there in 2023. Kirkwood also raced with the Vasser Sullivan Lexus team for the endurance rounds in IMSA. He and his co-drivers won the season finale at the 2022 Petit Le Mans (Road Atlanta). Kirkwood also was at the top or near the top in the Thermal Club Spring Training IndyCar test in early February 2023.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Conor Daly has enjoyed racing success on the Road to Indy and has exhibited a tough determination to find his place in the NTT IndyCar Series. After multiple seasons of driving for multiple teams, Daly found a full-time home in 2022 with Ed Carpenter Racing (ECR). He spoke with us about that, his simulator set-up at home and how it has changed, and how he’s looking forward to working with the same engineer and crew for the entire season. Enjoy!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Sebastien Bourdais captured four straight championships in an Indy car and has won in numerous other classes too. Going into the 2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach would be the first time he’s been to the event not racing an Indy car. He spent time with us at the pre-race media luncheon to talk about the Cadillac DPi car and the differences with Indy cars, LMP2 cars and World Endurance Championship (WEC) LMDH Hypercars. He also explains how different types of tracks in the IMSA WeatherTech series suit his Cadillac better than the competitor’s cars and vice versa. A wealth of knowledge and skill – Sebastien Bourdais. Enjoy!
NOTE: Sebastien Bourdais would go on to earn the pole position at Long Beach and lead the first six laps before a slight miscue with a backmarker in the hairpin would drop him to last in class. In one of the best comeback drives ever, he put his head down and made it back to the lead, handed off to his teammate who brought it home to win the race! In 2023, he continues to drive for the Chip Ganassi Cadillac GTP team and was the fastest Cadillac qualifier for the season-opening Rolex 24hrs at Daytona.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Madison Snow is no stranger to Victory Lane. In fact he enjoyed spending some time at the top step of the podium at the 2021 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. That was then when he was racing a Lamborghini. A late switch to the BMW M4 GT3 GTD car in 2022 caused his Paul Miller Racing Team to miss the opening race of the season at the Rolex 24hrs of Daytona. However, the team got the car in time for the Sebring 12hrs and promptly put it on pole! After a fifth place finish there, he came to Long Beach and put his M4 on pole again and won the race! We caught up with him just after the post-qualifying press conference and he tells us about his racing history and the challenges on the streets of Long Beach. Enjoy!
NOTE: Madison Snow and his teammate Bryan Sellers finished the 2022 season as the IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup champions.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Alex Lynn spent his early racing career on the road to Formula One. A mid-career switch to sports cars and Formula E continued to prove his driving worth to teams as wins and good results followed. He made the switch to Chip Ganassi’s IMSA WeatherTech DPi Cadillac program for 2022 and scored a victory in the grueling 12 Hours of Sebring. Coming into the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach weekend, we got the opportunity to chat with Alex about his previous racing exploits and how that will benefit the CGR Cadillac team going into 2023 with the rules switch to hybrid powerplants. He also talks about his preparation for Long Beach specifically. Enjoy!
NOTE: Lynn was named to Ganassi’s World Endurance Championship (WEC) team for 2023. He will also contest the 24hrs of Daytona on January 28-29, 2023.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Connor De Phillippi raced a BMW M4 for Rahal Letterman Lanigan in the GTD Pro category in 2022. This was the first year for that class as he had been competing in the IMSA GTLM category before that class was phased out. In this interview taken on the Thursday before the 2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, he talks about his early open-wheel career versus GT racing, how GTD differs from GTLM and his preparation for the race weekend. After a penalty in qualifying relegated his team to start last, De Phillippi carved his way through the field to the lead before another penalty during a pit stop dropped them down the order again. De Phillipi is a talented driver who’s always looking forward to improving his craft and going after wins. Enjoy!
NOTE: De Phillippi has been chosen as one of the drivers to hit the track in 2023 in the all-new BMW GTP car. After some testing towards the end of 2022, the new season kicks off with the 24hrs of Daytona on January 28-29, 2023.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Simon Pagenaud has won the Indianapolis 500 and an NTT IndyCar Series Championship. He’s also been a champion in the ALMS Series and Champ Car Atlantics. He started 2022 off in Victory Lane at the Rolex 24 hour race at Daytona in an IMSA prototype. We caught up with him in the paddock at the 2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach and what started off with a bit of small talk morphed into a fascinating lesson about the preparation, strategy and other intricacies of practice, qualifying and racing at the Indy 500. A true gentleman and badass racer, Simon Pagenaud has an engineering mindset that serves him well. Enjoy!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Chuck Lessick is a chaplain with IndyCar Ministry and travels to almost every race of the year. This is his seventh year doing this and he is truly passionate about what he does. As this ministry has evolved over the years, they found that it’s more conducive to attract people to them on race weekends by cutting down their length of service. Lessick calls it a “Pit Stop Devotional” and about 30 people typically show up for the abbreviated sessions. I attended a session at the 2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach and then spoke with him afterwards. It’s interesting to learn how he manages his time as a small business owner along with his traveling schedule with the NTT IndyCar Series. He has a positive message to share with us and this interview has been saved to be posted right before Christmas. Enjoy!
NOTE: For more information, to donate to IndyCar Ministry, or contact Lessick, please visit: www.indycarministry.org
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Frank Rico is an expert in auto racing simulators. His company Ricmotech Racing Simulators has supplied sim units to drivers in the NTT IndyCar Series, NASCAR and many other professional racing series. In Part 1, we learned about how Rico got started in the industry, the basics of sim systems, how it benefits drivers and how it’s evolved over the years. Here in Part 2, we’ll take a deeper dive into data acquisition, driver coaching and how multiple race team members can benefit. There’s also a video of his top of the line system in action. We’ll see the ground-breaking SlipSense and gSense motion feedback systems in operation. Enjoy!
NOTE: For more information on Ricmotech, please visit them online at: www.ricmotech.com
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
It goes without saying that racing is expensive. It’s also clear that there’s no substitute for seat time – or is there? The use of racing simulators has been increasing over the last few years and really exploded when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The beauty of using a racing simulator is that you’re still able to get “seat time” but at a substantially lower cost than actually hitting the track. Not only do you save time and money, but the results can be astounding. Drivers have learned race tracks to such an extent that the very first time they visit; they come home in Victory Lane!
Frank Rico is an expert in auto racing simulators. His company Ricmotech Racing Simulators has supplied sim units to drivers in the NTT IndyCar Series, NASCAR and many other professional racing series. Amateur racers and gamers alike have also used his racing equipment to improve their skills behind the wheel. In Part 1, we learn how Rico got started in the industry and he gives valuable insights into how it’s evolved over the years. He shares his experience with the hardware, software and how best to use it to your advantage. Enjoy!
NOTE: In Part 2, Rico explains how data acquisition is also part of today’s simulator experience and how driver coaches work with their drivers to improve their craft. We’ll also have video of his top of the line simulator that’s available for racers to rent or purchase.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Romain Grosjean is a multi-time champion in European junior formulae, multi-time Formula One podium finisher, and after sustaining burns in a fiery crash at the 2020 season ending F1 Bahrain Grand Prix, moved to the NTT IndyCar Series where he’s also scored multiple podium finishes. Grosjean has always been quick in a race car - provided that his race car was up to the task. This interview took place just moments after he got off-stage of the post-race press conference at the 2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. He finished on the podium there in second place. This is a special place for Grosjean as he was also announced as the driver of the DHL entry for Andretti Autosport at this event last year. By the way, if you speak French, there’s a special treat for you at the end of the interview. Enjoy!
NOTE: Grosjean was on pace (up by 0.2 second) in the Firestone Fast Six to earn pole position (with only 2 seconds left in the session) when he clipped the left rear corner of his car in Turn 4 and then couldn’t make Turn 5 where he nosed it into the tire barrier. The only good news is that he hit the DHL banner for extra TV coverage. . .
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Rinus VeeKay is a rising star in the NTT IndyCar Series. Driving for Ed Carpenter Racing (ECR), VeeKay got his first victory in May of 2021 at the Indianapolis road course. Less than a month later, his season was interrupted by a cycling accident that broke his collarbone and caused him to miss one race. We spoke with him at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach to get an update on his condition, his stunning win last year, and how he’s looking forward to the Indy 500 with one of the best teams at Indy. Enjoy!
NOTE: VeeKay started the 15th at Long Beach after not advancing from Round One of qualifying by less than a quarter second. After the first race re-start, he had slight contact in the Turn 11 hairpin. In addition to getting hit from behind on lap 60, he was just trying to get into some kind of a rhythm to move up. After a late race caution, his ECR team put a set of Firestone “Reds” on his car and he moved up three positions in four laps to finish 13th.
Interview and photos Copyright © by Larry Mason
Colton Herta won the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach in September, 2021 after starting 14th (due to a crash in qualifying) and having contact early on in the race. He came back to the 2022 version and promptly dominated every qualifying session by turning times well under the track record. The race was going well until he pushed too hard and made contact with the wall exiting Turn 9 ending his race 30 laps too soon. We spoke with him on the Thursday prior to the event and he re-capped how he was able to win the race last year after contact and you can see how calm, cool and collected he is. Enjoy!
NOTE: Herta has signed a contract extension with Andretti Autosport during the off-season that will keep him with the team through 2027.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Scott McLaughlin is a multi-time Supercars Series champion and Bathurst winner. He’s part of the three-driver lineup in the powerful Team Penske organization in the NTT IndyCar Series and got his first win in St. Pete at the first race of the 2022 season. He narrowly missed backing that up in the second race of the season when his teammate just pipped him to the line at the high-speed Texas Motor Speedway oval. It’s rare for a driver to leave tin tops and go to top level Indy cars and McLaughlin has surely set a high standard for doing that. He spent some time with us at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach and explains his success and his motivation moving forward. Enjoy!
NOTE: McLaughlin’s weekend was interrupted by an engine change right after the Sunday morning warmup and then a slight kiss of the wall at the Turn 11 hairpin during the race which dropped him back to 21st position. He fought back to finish 11th.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
A six-time NTT IndyCar Champion, Indianapolis winner and pole-sitter, not to mention plenty of other wins throughout his career, Scott Dixon is a very humble yet extremely talented race car driver. Always a good interview, Dixon took time to tell us about his season so far at the 2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach (another race he’s won) and also his thoughts about going back to Indianapolis to have another crack at the win. Dixon has honed his craft every year and always extracts the most from his machinery as evidenced by his 16th place start in Long Beach and sixth place finish. After starting on pole at Indy this year, a speeding penalty dropped him way down the order but he was able to salvage a top 10 finish (ninth) to keep him in the championship hunt for the remainder of the season where he ultimately ended up third overall in points. Enjoy!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Lucille Dust is a writer for the website AutoRacing1.com and has worked in the IndyCar paddock for many years working a wide variety of jobs that has helped her understand the nuances of the sport. In this interview she talks about her background and how she ended up where she is today. She also mentions one of the drivers whose car was featured in a previous RaceSchool.com/blogs podcast. She is a delight to be around and really knows the IndyCar scene inside and out. She also offers up some advice for those looking to enter into this world of racing excitement. Enjoy!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
A four-time Indianapolis 500 winner on track, Dancing With The Stars champion off-track, Helio Castroneves is known for being an effervescent ambassador in the world of auto racing. After racing full-time for Penske Racing in the NTT IndyCar Series for nearly 20 years, Castroneves was given the option to race the Acura DPi sports car for Penske in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship. He won that championship in 2020. Since then, he’s left Penske and joined the Meyer Shank Racing Indy car team and after winning the 2021 “500” as a part-time driver, he’s gone back to racing full time in IndyCar with MSR. Along the way he’s picked up two victories at the Rolex 24hrs of Daytona and also branched out this year and took the season opening victory in Tony Stewart’s SRX stock car series. Always a busy guy, we caught up with him at the 2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach just as he was getting ready to ride his scooter to another appointment. He talks about the details of seat fit and also reuniting with his former Penske teammate - Simon Pagenaud. Enjoy!
NOTE: Helio finished off his 2022 season by co-driving to an overall victory in the Motul Petit LeMans 10hr endurance race at Road Atlanta On October 1, 2022 in the MSR Acura DPi.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Marie Fornoro works in public relations and also manages the social media accounts for the A.J. Foyt Racing Team. During the 2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach we had the opportunity to talk with her about how she came into this role with the team and what she does to highlight the drivers, sponsors and team overall. Of course every team at this level does something in this realm so it was interesting to find out her thoughts on what she thinks works best for the fans tuning in. During the interview, a couple of the drivers give her a bit of grief as they walk through the transporter.
Enjoy!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Zoey Edenholm is a high-fly act in the Stadium Super Truck Series put on by Robby Gordon. In this interview taken right after her first race of the weekend during the 2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach she talks about what happened in her race and how she’s looking forward to future races. With an extensive background in open-wheel and sports car racing, she also has advice for up and coming female racers. Enjoy!
Note: You can follow Zoey’s racing exploits via social media at: @zoeyracing
A four-time Indianapolis 500 winner on track, Dancing With The Stars champion off-track, Helio Castroneves is known for being an effervescent ambassador in the world of auto racing. After racing full-time for Penske Racing in the NTT IndyCar Series for nearly 20 years, Castroneves was given the option to race the Acura DPi sports car for Penske in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship. He won that championship in 2020. Since then, he’s left Penske and joined the Meyer Shank Racing Indy car team and after winning the 2021 “500” as a part-time driver, he’s gone back to racing full time in IndyCar with MSR. Along the way he’s picked up two victories at the Rolex 24hrs of Daytona and also branched out this year and took the season opening victory in Tony Stewart’s SRX stock car series. Always a busy guy, we caught up with him at the 2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach just as he was getting ready to ride his scooter to another appointment. He talks about the details of seat fit and also reuniting with his former Penske teammate - Simon Pagenaud. Enjoy!
NOTE: Helio finished off his 2022 season by co-driving to an overall victory in the Motul Petit LeMans 10hr endurance race at Road Atlanta On October 1, 2022 in the MSR Acura DPi.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Danielle Shepherd is a race-winning engineer on the number 2 Cadillac DPi-V.R prototype car for Chip Ganassi Racing in the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship. At the 2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach we got to spend some time with Danielle in the race transporter where she gave us her background and she was also kind enough to answer a bunch of RaceSchool.com listener questions from a data analytics grad student! She breaks down those answers in a very simple manner and provides insight into how she helps her team and drivers focus on maximizing performance to get to Victory Lane. She did that at the second race of the season at the 12hrs of Sebring. Enjoy!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Kate Davis came from the NASCAR world to join the NTT IndyCar Series in 2019. In this interview, taped at the 2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, she discusses her roles and responsibilities and how that can be ever-changing throughout the weekend. It’s interesting to find out how pre-planning can help tackle multiple scenarios throughout the weekend. It’s also important to be flexible and be ready to modify things depending upon what happens on and off the track. Enjoy!
NOTE: Jimmy Johnson had an incident during the weekend that required medical care. Davis talks about the logistics of getting the message out to the assembled media on hand – including the live TV broadcast, IndyCar radio and the throngs of journalists assembled in the media center.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Will Power is a former Indianapolis 500 winner and is now a two-time NTT IndyCar Series Champion. This interview was conducted during the weekend of the 2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. He’s won at Long Beach twice and was inducted into the Motorsports Walk of Fame in front of the Long Beach Convention Center. A very successful veteran of the sport driving for Roger Penske, Power is more relaxed this year as he’s relying on his team and his experience having raced Indy cars for so many years. He talks about the start of his season, the challenge of having fast teammates, his outlook going into this year’s Indy 500 and more. Enjoy!
NOTE: Power finished fourth at Long Beach and got his first (and only) win of the season at the Detroit Grand Prix. However, he scored nine podium finishes and three additional Top-Five finishes during the season to earn a spot near the top of the points tally for most of the year. He entered the final race of the year at Laguna Seca earning pole position and breaking a tie with Mario Andretti for the most poles ever! That extra point for pole and his third place podium finish sealed his 2022 championship.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Marie Fonoro works in public relations and also manages the social media accounts for the A.J. Foyt Racing Team. During the 2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach we had the opportunity to talk with her about how she came into this role with the team and what she does to highlight the drivers, sponsors and team overall. Of course every team at this level does something in this realm so it was interesting to find out her thoughts on what she thinks works best for the fans tuning in. During the interview, a couple of the drivers give her a bit of grief as they walk through the transporter.
Enjoy!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Tatiana Calderon is the first female driver to campaign for the A.J. Foyt Racing Team in its 56-year history. She brings a tremendous amount of experience into the cockpit. She’s been a test driver for the Alfa Romeo F1 Team for the last four years and has also raced in British and European F3, F2, GP3 and Renault Series Formula V8 3.5 where she became the first female to stand on the podium in 2017. In the two seasons prior to this year, she honed her craft in the Super Formula Series in Japan, as well as the World Endurance Championship. The plan for 2022 has been to compete in all of the road and street courses in the NTT IndyCar Series for Foyt. In this interview she talks about how the different classes of cars she’s raced compare to each other and how she prepares for her races. Enjoy!
NOTE: Just over halfway through the season, a sponsor issue saw Calderon sidelined. Hopefully she can return to her seat, if not this year, then next year. . .
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Felix Rosenqvist has been winning races and championships in a wide variety of cars throughout his career including being a winner and multiple pole-winner in the NTT IndyCar Series. Fresh off of his first oval pole position at Texas Motor Speedway for his Arrow McLaren SP racing team (AMSP), he spent some time with me before the 2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach (where he qualified fourth and finished in 11th after some tire degradation issues and getting hit by Alex Rossi). In the interview, he gets into the details of using a simulator and how that helps prepare him for going fast right away on the race track. Enjoy!
NOTE: Rosenqvist loomed large in the silly season rumors as he was re-signed to a contract extension with Arrow McLaren SP. AMSP also signed Rossi for 2023 and perhaps Alex Palou. Where does that leave Rosenqvist? Possibly, staying where he’s at, moving to the team’s Formula E program or???
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Alex Palou is the 2021 NTT IndyCar Series Champion. He clinched that championship last year at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach season finale with a steady and controlled run from 10th to 4th. Coming into the 2022 season, Palou had already been on the podium in St. Pete (2nd) and had a Top 10 (7th) on the oval at Texas Motor Speedway. In this interview prior to the 2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, Palou talks about how he works with his team to extract the most out of his car and himself. He also talks about the challenges of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and how he recovered from a crash in 2021 before the race to finish second. Enjoy!
NOTE: Palou finished 3rd at Long Beach and was running up front at the Indy 500 before he got caught out by an untimely yellow flag. He’s also earned three more podium finishes through Nashville on August 8th. This last podium celebration was a bit unusual because about halfway through the 2022 season, controversy arose with conflicting news of him signing a contract extension with Ganassi and also a press release saying that he had signed with Arrow McLaren SP for 2023. As of right now, this case is scheduled to be heard in a US district court and (hopefully) should be brought to a resolution before the end of the season. If not, there’s a timeline of legal proceedings to take place September 14th through October 31st.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
This is the most eclectic museum I’ve ever been to! “It’s more than a museum . . . it’s a journey,” says the brochure. Yes, the name is Tallahassee Automobile Museum, however there’s much more to see and discover inside this two story treasure chest of over 160 cars. Besides race cars, show cars, classic cars, movie cars and antique cars, there are also pedal cars, horseless carriages, motorcycles, bicycles, tractors, trucks, boats, canoes, model airplanes and spaceships! If you like classic and antique things, you’ll be happy here perusing the collections of brass fans, adding machines, cash registers, typewriters, cameras, dolls, action figures and more. If you like weapons, you’ll find knives and guns. If you like golf you’ll find multiple sets of clubs with real wood drivers. For those that are nostalgic about things of their youth, you’ll find Wheaties boxes, baseball cards, baseballs, basketballs, footballs and golf balls. Posters and pictures abound throughout with many sports heroes and icons gracing the walls of this museum. What, you say you like music? How about a grand collection of one-of-a-kind Steinway grand pianos – yes, this place has it. Did I mention the safes and early dental equipment? You say you’re more of an avid outdoorsman? How would you like to see a collection of Native American artifacts, outboard motors and fishing lures?
Here are some of the most popular vehicles on display: A hearse (one of the six original) that carried Abraham Lincoln on his journey to be buried. The duck car that the “Penguin” drove in the Batman movie franchise – not to mention numerous Batmobiles. There’s even a car made out of wood that actually drives. Speaking of which, all vehicles in the collection are kept in driving condition.
Up front when you first walk in is a tribute chopper to an American serviceman killed in action that is remarkable for its paintwork and craftsmanship. The bottom line is that there’s something for everyone to see here. Bring the whole family, split up and arrange to meet an hour or three later and everyone can take their own personal journey through this incredible museum.
For more information visit: www.tacm.com.
NOTE: While I was there, I spent a bit of time (after I perused the museum) with two of the ladies (Tamara Jung and Dianna Beal) who work there to get their take on the facility. In this short interview, they talk about some of the events that the museum hosts and items that have caught their eyes as well.
Photos and interview Copyright © 2022 by Larry Mason
In this final interview with docent Dave Seyse, we get to go into the restricted area of the MSHF to see one of the most fascinating SCCA Can-Am cars of all time. To go along with Dave’s stories, check out the photos below to get a better appreciation for this super cool car. There’s also a bonus via his special access about another race car that is not to be missed. Enjoy!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
In Part 2, we had a personal tour of the MSHF by its president George Levy. During that tour, he introduced me to a couple of the knowledgeable docents to get even more behind the scenes stories. In this interview, you’ll hear from docent, Jim Coleman, who talks about “The Fabulous Hudson Hornet” that’s on display and interesting stories behind that car. He also talks about a Southern California racing legend, Hershel McGriff. Enjoy!
NOTE: Next week we’ll have the last installment of the MSHF with more behind-the-scenes stories by another one of the friendly and knowledgeable docents.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
In Part 1, we had an introduction to the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHF) from the Hall’s President George Levy while at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. As it turned out, Daytona Beach was in my travel plans so I had the opportunity to not only visit with George again, but also get a personal tour of this fantastic facility. In this interview you’ll come along with me while George shows off some of the distinctive vehicles and stories that resonate with him and visitors. By the way, you can follow along with the tour by looking at the photos below as we navigate around part of the facility. Enjoy!
NOTE: Upcoming, we’ll have two more parts to this tour as I was given some behind the scenes stories by two of the friendly and knowledgeable docents. For more information on the MSHF, please visit: www.mshf.com
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
During the 2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, there was more than just racing action on the track. On Saturday of race weekend, the “Racing Goes Safer, Driver Safety Seminar” was held in the Long Beach Convention Center. This almost annual (not held during COVID) seminar is hosted by the Stand 21 Safety Foundation. This year, a video featuring Romain Grosjean kicked off the meeting, and then special guest and racing champion, Tommy Kendall, was invited to not only speak about what he went through in his horrific crash at Watkins Glen, but also to MC a very special announcement during the seminar. The announcement was the 2023 class of inductees into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHF). This Hall of Fame is very unique in that it represents all forms of motorsports from cars to bikes to planes to boats. Two of the inductees (doctors Terry Trammel and Stephen Olvey) have been instrumental in racing safety and helping Indy car drivers in particular. I was able to get a short interview here with the president of the MSHF, George Levy. A true gentleman and passionate supporter of all forms of motorsport, the interview left us wanting to visit the MSHF museum and speak with him again. As it turns out, we were able to do that (Part 2 next week). Here’s a short interview that will give you an overview of the MSHF and also some of the inductees for the class of 2023. Enjoy!
NOTE: In Part 2, we’ll have a personal tour of the MSHF and also some nice photos from the fabulous facility. In the meantime, for more information on the MSHF and the 2023 inductees, please visit: www.mshf.com.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
During the weekend of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, I stopped by the California Highway Patrol display in the Expo area. Officer Craig Mosley works for the CHP and as it turns out is a former student at Fast Lane Racing School. We had a nice chat about his experience at Fast Lane and how that’s helped him and his fellow officers when it came time to pass the Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (EVOC). With the Fourth of July holiday weekend coming up, he gives us some safety tips for city and highway driving and also what to do just in case you see those flashing lights in your rear view mirror. He’s truly a dedicated and professional officer. Enjoy!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
When the history books are written, one name will stand out amongst the greatest SCCA Trans Am drivers of all time – Tommy Kendall. Moreover, he’s had success in a number of different categories of race cars during his career and has raced with and against some of the greatest names in racing history. His comeback from massive lower extremity injuries suffered at Watkins Glen Raceway in June of 1991 proved his desire and determination to succeed no matter what. He won multiple championships after that shunt. Now retired (for the most part) from racing, he parlays his knowledge behind the microphone and in front of the camera to the delight of legions of racing fans.
After his duties as an MC during the “Racing Goes Safer, Driver Safety Seminar” hosted by the Stand 21 Safety Foundation at the 2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, we had a chance to catch up with Tommy and hear some incredible stories from his racing career. Enjoy!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Josef Newgarden is a two-time NTT IndyCar Series Champion and a former Indy Lights Champion. He sat on the pole for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach in September 2021 and finished second. This year (2022) he qualified second and won the race! After the post-race press conference I walked with him back towards the paddock to grab this interview. He talks about his Indy Lights experience here, his new crew for 2022 at Team Penske and how he thinks his win at Texas Motor Speedway will help him going into Indy. Newgarden is on a roll. Enjoy!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Marcus Ericsson won two races in 2021 and so far this year, the biggest race in the world – the Indianapolis 500! We spent some time chatting before Indy this year during the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach weekend. In Part 1, he talked about his injury at the Grand Prix last year and his preparation coming into the new season. Here in Part 2, we focus exclusively on the Indy 500. He talks about his first laps ever at the Speedway and also what it’s like to qualify there using the tools within the cockpit. Enjoy!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Your 2022 Indianapolis 500 Champion, Marcus Ericsson, spent some time chatting with us before Indy this year during the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach weekend. In this conversation he talks about what happened with the shunt at the AGPLB last year and what he’s done in the offseason to prepare to make 2022 another winning season with a shot at the championship. He also previews the Indy 500 and how his preparation is enhanced by his teammates and experience. He is as nice and unassuming as you’ll find in the IndyCar paddock and is now an Indy 500 winner. Enjoy!
NOTE: He crashed out in this year’s AGPLB with 19 laps to go when he got sideways between Turns 4 and 5 and ended up parking his damaged race car in the worker’s compound in almost the same spot as last year. He started the month of May off well with a fourth place finish on the Indianapolis road course. In Part 2 of the interview, you’ll hear details about what it’s like to qualify at the Speedway and much more.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Ed Carpenter has enjoyed a lot of success at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He’s earned the pole position three times, had five front row starts in seven years, and his team placed three cars in the Firestone Fast 9 in 2019. He won the Indy Lights race at the Brickyard in 2003. Carpenter also has three wins at other tracks in the NTT IndyCar Series. He’s also led a race in 14 of the last 15 years. Ed Carpenter Racing (ECR) always seems to have their cars dialed in to go fast at Indianapolis. Ed took time out of his busy schedule and joined us on a Zoom call interview to talk about what the April open test would mean to their team and how they approach the Speedway for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Without getting into trade secret details, he opens up about aerodynamics and other ways they prepare their cars for the challenge of going fast reliably at Indianapolis. Enjoy!
NOTE: It was announced soon after this interview was completed that Paretta Autosport with driver Simona de Silvestro have formed a technical alliance with Ed Carpenter Racing. ECR will supply a car and several crew members to augment Beth Paretta’s team from last year’s Indy 500. They tentatively have three races planned for this year starting in June. Additionally, ECR driver Rinus VeeKay, won the pole at Barber Motorsports Park and finished third. ECR driver Conor Daly qualified in the Firestone Fast Six at the Indianapolis road course two weeks before the “500” and finished fifth – good momentum leading into the “500.”
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Pato O’Ward came into last year’s 2021 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach with an outside chance to clinch the championship. After contact early that ultimately led to his car’s retirement; that put a sour note on the ending of an otherwise strong, two-race winning season. In fact, his race wins earned him a McLaren Formula One Team test during the off-season. Leading into this year’s race, O’Ward had disappointing finishes on the street circuit in St. Pete and on the oval at Texas (where he had a fast car). He was hoping to have better luck here on this picturesque seaside street circuit where he receives a lot of fan support around the track (especially the Mexican fans). We spoke before the race weekend and he shared his thoughts on a number of subjects leading into this race (where he would end up finishing in fifth place). That was good momentum for him going into the remainder of the season. Enjoy!
NOTE: In the next race at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama, O’Ward would go on to make a decisive pass late in the race and take the victory. He’s now won on a street course, permanent road course and an oval. Keep your eyes on this young lion.
Interview and photos Copyright © by Larry Mason
Christian Lundgaard made a very positive impression in the NTT IndyCar Series when he was hired to pilot the Rahal Letterman Lannigan entry at the Indianapolis road course in August 2021 by qualifying fourth quick in his series debut. That drive made a strong enough impression that he was brought on full-time by the RLL team for 2022. At the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, he endured a tough weekend in practice, qualifying, warm-up and the race. We spoke with him on the way from pit lane back to the paddock immediately after the warm-up session and he was frustrated with his qualifying position and pace in the warm-up session. After winning multiple karting championships in Europe, he went on to race cars winning a championship in F4 and winning races in F3, F2 and became an Alpine F1 junior racer. Any driver who’s had that kind of success is certainly not going to be happy when they’re not up front. It’s interesting to hear what he has to say about it.
NOTE: In the race, he ran out of fuel at pit entry which ultimately put him two laps down at the finish. It was a truly tough weekend.
Interview and photos by Larry MasonInterview and photos by Larry Mason
On a recent road trip, Larry Mason happened to meet Spencer Bayston, a young driver in the super challenging World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series (WoO). Bayston was gracious enough to give us time for a quick interview that sheds light on his type of racing. This interview was done on March 21, 2022. He’ll be racing in Bakersfield, CA on Friday the 25th and in Perris, CA on Saturday the 26th. If you’re able to make it out to either track, we think you’ll be impressed by the spectacle of flat-out sprint car racing. To follow his career please visit: www.SpencerBayston.com. For the full WoO schedule, please go to: www.WorldofOutlaws.com.
Enjoy!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
A fan favorite at the Grand Prix of Long Beach over the years was the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race. Fast Lane was the official school to get all of the celebrities up to speed for their first time racing. In 2012 Adam Carolla won the event as a celebrity. He returned the following year as a Pro and won the event back-to-back! After his second race win I had a chance to talk to him about how it went and found out that a very unusual thing happened to him during the race that he had to overcome. Listen to his story and enjoy!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Cara Adams is the chief engineer for Bridgestone Americas Motorsports. She and her team play a key role in the reliability and performance of the cars in the NTT IndyCar Series. In Part 1, Adams gives you her background and intro into racing and delves into some of the details about race tire construction including the mechanical and chemical aspects and how that changes depending upon tracks and car configuration. In Part 2, she discusses how Firestone communicates with teams during race weekends to maximize performance and what happens to the tires once they come off the cars and more. Enjoy
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Cara Adams is the chief engineer for Bridgestone Americas Motorsports. She and her team play a key role in the reliability and performance of the cars in the NTT IndyCar Series. In Part 1, Adams gives you her background and intro into racing and delves into some of the details about race tire construction including the mechanical and chemical aspects and how that changes depending upon tracks and car configuration. In Part 2, she discusses how Firestone communicates with teams during race weekends to maximize performance and what happens to the tires once they come off the cars and more.
Enjoy!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Cara Adams is the chief engineer for Bridgestone Americas Motorsports. Her mechanical engineering degree is key in her understanding of how to build reliable, performance-oriented tires that supply the entire field of the NTT IndyCar Series. In Part 1, Adams gives you her background and intro into racing and delves into some of the details about race tire construction including the mechanical and chemical aspects and how that changes depending upon tracks and car configuration.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Oriol Servia was inducted into the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame just prior to the 2021 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. His resume of work includes being an Indy Lights Champion and race winner in the Champ Car World Series. He’s raced for some of the best Indy car teams in the sport including Newman/Haas and Team Penske. Servia has also raced in Formula E and prototype sports cars. Besides being inducted into the LBMWoF, he was also in Long Beach to drive the Acura NSX pace car for the Grand Prix. Servia has a reputation as a driver who is quick and can also be counted on to bring the car home in one piece. He’s been called in at the last minute to substitute for injured drivers multiple times and has delivered strong results. He’s also been very competitive at the Indianapolis 500 and feels that he can still win it. Servia talks about this and his preparation including simulators. He also shares his prediction for who would win the 2021 NTT IndyCar Series Championship. Enjoy!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2021 Larry Mason
Katherine Legge (of England) is one of the fastest race car drivers around. She is also female (which is not the novelty that it used to be in the world of auto racing). We caught up with her in the morning before her IMSA WeatherTech GTD race at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach – a place where she earned her first North American win in her Toyota Atlantic Championship debut! She has competed worldwide in an extremely diverse range of racing cars including Indy cars, Formula E, NASCAR, DTM, the Delta Wing and many, many more. She has an extremely pleasant and humble personality outside the car which by no means diminishes her fierce determination to wring every last bit of performance out of any race car she steps into. Enjoy!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2021 Larry Mason
photo by Brad Bernstein
Oliver Askew was one of the most successful drivers on the Road To Indy where he won multiple championships (USF2000 and Indy Lights) and earned his way into the NTT IndyCar Series. Unfortunately a shunt at Indy caused a concussion and ultimately a job loss at his previous race team. In 2021, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing picked him up for the final three races and Askew produced with a superb Firestone Fast Six qualifying spot (5th) the weekend before the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. We caught up with him in Long Beach and had a nice chat. In this interview Askew talks about how he prepares to go racing at the drop of a hat and the importance of team building from a driver’s perspective.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2021 Larry Mason
Interview and photos by Larry Mason
Willy T. Ribbs has forged his way to success in professional auto racing like no other man in his chosen sport. From being the first African American to race at Indianapolis to testing Formula One cars and winning multiple IMSA GTO races, he’s also driven for or been sponsored/supported by some of the biggest names in and out of the sport - Dan Gurney, Jack Roush (via Ford Motor Company), Bill Cosby and many others. They all believed in Willy enough to help him forge his path of success. He was inducted into the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame just prior to the 2021 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach and spent some time talking with us after he had popped in a quick “Hello” during fellow LBMWoF inductee Will Power’s interview. I would’ve liked to have spent more time interviewing him, however he was interrupted during our chat and told that he had to get to another commitment. Enjoy!
Interview and photos by Larry Mason
Copyright © 2021 Larry Mason
Ferrari F1 test driver Callum Ilott was picked by Juncos Holinger Racing to finish out the last three races of the 2021 NTT IndyCar Series. He will also be driving for them full time in 2022. Ilott talked with us about how Indy cars compare to the Formula One and GT cars he’s been driving. He also compares the nuances of the Long Beach track to the streets of the Monaco Grand Prix. With essentially a new team and a new (to the series) driver, Ilott qualified P18 (out of 28) for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach which is quite good considering he’s never been here before and how tight the grid is here (he ran as high as sixth before retiring with a mechanical). He certainly has the potential to make a big name for himself here in the states with his skills. Sit back and enjoy this interview!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2021 Larry Mason
Ricardo Juncos came to the United States years ago as a go-kart mechanic. Living the American dream, he’smade it all the way to the NTT IndyCar Series as a team owner. This year Brad Hollinger came over from being a part-owner of the Williams Formula One team to join Juncos creating Juncos Hollinger Racing. Running the last three races of the 2021 season, the team willcompete full time in 2022. They both spent some time talking about their partnership and plans for the futureand why now is the right time to be in the NTT IndyCar Series. Incidentally, Ferrari F1 test driver Callum Ilott (who finished out the last three races of the 2021 season for JHR) was just announced as their driver for the 2022 season and he will be featured with his own interview in our next installment!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2021Larry Mason
Judy Kouba Dominic is Chevrolet Racing’s trackside communications representative. For over a decade Judy has been the go-to person for members of the media to get information about Chevy racing teams and drivers. She brings a fascinating background to her position and is one of the most professional, passionate, hard-working, and caring individuals you’d ever want to meet. We sat down and had a nice chat just outside the media center at the 2021 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2021 Larry Mason
Photo courtesy of Judy Kouba Domenick
Wayne Taylor was a very successful driver in his time in IMSA. He’s now one of the most successful team owners as well. Perhaps his greatest achievement is the fact that he’s raised two sons that race and win consistently. Jordan Taylor is the driver of the Chevrolet Racing Corvette IMSA GTLM car and he’s won just about everywhere he’s raced. He spent some time talking with us at the media luncheon for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach about the driving differences between last year’s front engine Corvette and this year’s mid-engine version, compromises with having a co-driver and data analysis. He also had a little subtle ribbing of his teammate sprinkled in here too!
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2021 Larry Mason
Interview and photos by Larry Mason except as noted.
James Hinchcliffe, aka the “Mayor of Hinchtown” has checked off many of the boxes of being one of the top drivers in the NTT IndyCar Series. He’s a multi-time winner and pole-sitter in addition to big performances like winning the pole for the Indianapolis 500 one year after almost losing his life in a horrific shuntthereand winning the crown jewel of street courses at the Grand Prix of Long Beach. Additionally, he also finished second in the “Dancing With The Stars” TV show. His easy-going personality doesn’t diminish the fire in his belly for success. In this interview, Hinchcliffe opens up about how he prepares for racingboth physically andmentally and also how the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach circuit gets him pumped up.
Note:James Hinchcliffe raced for Andretti Autosport at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. It was announced after the race that he (along with his teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay) wouldn’t be returning to theteamfor 2022.
Copyright © 2021Larry Mason
Ex Formula One driver Marcus Ericsson has had a break-out season this year winning two races. His transition to the NTT IndyCar Series has taken longer than he would have liked but he’s certainly enjoying the journey this year. Marcus took time in the “media bullpen” at the 2021 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach to discuss that transition, the physical differences between F1 and Indy cars along with his preparation away from the track. With Formula One drivers having a reputation of being aloof and cold, Marcus was the exact opposite with a warm and humble disposition.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2021 Larry Mason
Charlie Kimball who hails from Camarillo, California, spent some time talking about getting back into an NTT IndyCar Series race car for the first time since his heartbreaking disappointment of not qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 this year. His last street course race was October 2020 at St. Pete.
How does he prepare mentally and physically for the challenge of navigating the concrete jungle and mean streets of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach? Listen here and find out!
Note: Charlie Kimball was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in his junior racing career. He has since gone on to be an NTT IndyCar Series winner along with winning in IMSA and being a beacon of hope for others as he pursues his passion and dream of racing Indy cars.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2021 Larry Mason
Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner (and Formula One veteran) Takuma Sato discusses the challenges of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach circuit as well as other topics right after qualifying. Sato was not happy with a 16th place qualifying position and his Sunday morning warm-up was one position further back in 17th. However Sato’s motto, “No attack, no chance” served him well in the race as he raced his way to a top ten finish (9th) holding off some of the best Indy car drivers in the sport.
Note: It was announced after the grand prix that Sato would not be returning to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing for 2022. Sato is looking to sign with another team and as of press time nothing has been announced.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2021 Larry Mason
Zach Veach has had an incredible professional auto racing journey. He climbed the open wheel ladder system and made it all the way to the NTT IndyCar Series. After three seasons with Andretti Autosport, Veach transitioned to the Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 GTD program in IMSA (International Motor Sports Asscociation) and is adapting well to his new “office.” In this interview he talks about his journey and transition into “tin tops” as well as how he prepares for his race weekends.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2021 Larry Mason
A four-time IndyCar Champion and former winner at Long Beach, Sebastien Bourdais was hired by AJ Foyt Racing to help get that team further up the grid for the 2021 season. Although he struggled in qualifying (listen why) and got hit on the first lap of the race to knock him down to dead last (28th), he recovered to finish in the top ten (8th)! This interview took place just after the morning warm-up where Bourdais was not feeling confident, but was hopeful, going into the race.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2021 Larry Mason
Winner of seven NASCAR Cup Championships, Jimmie Johnson “retired” from NASCAR and has embarked on an NTT IndyCar Series career with Chip Ganassi Racing. In 2021 Jimmie competed in all of the road course races and concluded his season at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach – essentially his home race for the El Cajon, California native. In this interview before the race, Jimmie talks about the differences in the physicality of NASCAR vs. IndyCar and competing here at Long Beach.
Indianapolis 500 winner, NTT IndyCar Series Champion, Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach winner and Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame inductee - Will Power, took some time to talk about his 2021 season and the intricacies of the Long Beach circuit. He also talks about simulators and how they benefit him and his team. A surprise guest walks by for a quick “hello” during this interview. RaceSchool.com will have an interview with that guest in a future episode.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2021 Larry Mason
Known during his racing career as “High-Speed Herta,” Bryan has been just as successful off the track as a team owner in the NTT IndyCar Series winning two Indy 500s and multiple championships in sports car racing. Bryan Herta Autosport currently campaigns the factory Hyundai effort in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. He’s also the race strategist for his son Colton Herta who won both of the last two Indy car races at Laguna Seca. We caught up with Bryan right before his son would go on to win the season finale Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach!
Interview by & Copyright Larry Mason for FastLane.
Fresh off of his win at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Colton Herta shares his insights heading into the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. His confidence was well founded as he won the race!
Colton Herta waves to the fans before the start of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. He might as well have been waving goodbye to the other 27 competitors as he stormed his way from 14th to 1st!
Herta pushing hard through Turn 9 extracting all the speed from his Andretti Autosport Dallara Honda.
Herta’s rear wing is becoming a common sight to his competitors!
It wasn’t exactly a drive through the park for Herta. He started 14th and had contact with his teammate early on exiting the hairpin. However, he certainly made it look like a nice Sunday drive.
Interview by & Copyright Larry Mason for FastLane.