100 Days to Indy (2023) s01e02 Episode Script
Knocking at the Door
1
TTEOKBOKKIsubs
Alright. Why don't you start by
introducing yourself
and telling us
what you do for a living?
Yeah. I'm Romain Grosjean.
I'm a French-Swiss
racing car driver.
There's Grosjean.
- Turn one.
- Look at the yellow car.
There's McLaughlin on the right,
and they come together!
- Oh!
- Oh!
McLaughlin holds the lead!
Grosjean goes to the outside.
There's no way he'll
be able to hold him off.
- Is it possible?
- Turn right now.
Grosjean!
And they're both in a crash!
Man, what are you doing?
[Indistinct shouting]
My last race in Florida
was a bit of a shock.
Soyes.
I thought that, today,
I was going to talk to you
as an IndyCar race winner.
Marcus Ericsson
in the Huski Chocolate Honda
is a winner again,
but this time on the streets
of St. Petersburg.
My sport is beautiful and
very painful at the same time.
We just got really unlucky,
and we move on.
Looking back on St. Pete, man,
that was one of the
all-time classic IndyCar races.
- It's total chaos.
- Wow!
We had a lead change
with two laps to go.
Aw. We gave that one away.
Massive accidents, a red flag,
two cars in the air.
- Big fire.
- Huge fire for Josef Newgarden.
Just a bad day. One bad day.
I don't know
what that race didn't have.
Now we head to Texas.
McLaren and Andretti Autosport
are definitely both confident
that they've taken
a big step forward.
Texas Motor Speedway.
This is the first oval
of the season,
and they don't race another oval
before the Indianapolis 500.
The speeds are just tremendous.
And if you're on an oval,
it can be much,
much more dangerous.
- There now.
- There's a big crash!
Texas Motor Speedway
It's [bleep] fast.
So fast.
It's just about flat-out
all the way down on the throttle
all the way around.
Side with the 26.
I'm gonna be honest. It's not
my favorite race of the year.
Anything can happen anytime.
- This is tight!
- This is where you get nervous,
really nervous.
- What do I do?
- Be smart, bud. Be smart.
A lot of drivers had
a bad first race in St. Pete,
and they're going to be looking
to kickstart their season
- in Texas.
- Unbelievable!
♪♪
♪♪
[Engine starts]
♪♪
♪♪
My name is Patricio O'Ward.
Everybody calls me Pato
'cause it's easier.
[Laughs]
I am 23 years old and I get
to drive race cars for a living,
which I think,
it's every man's dream, bro.
[Man singing in Spanish]
♪♪
♪♪
I love coming to Monterrey.
This has been my home
ever since I was born.
It's where I get to spend time
with my family.
There's endless options of toys.
[Horn honks]
Anything you want to do.
You really need to find
a balance of, you know,
dedicating time and energy
into your job,
but you also need time
to recharge
and just get your mind
off of work.
[Speaking Spanish]
Whoo!
Come to Daddy.
Mmm. [Laughs]
I'm in my fourth season
with Arrow McLaren,
my fourth season in IndyCar.
[Laughs] Sí.
There's always been this talk
of the Big Three,
which has always been Ganassi,
Penske, Andretti.
And we're not far, man.
We're right there.
We're right there.
But there's so many factors
outside of your control
that will challenge you.
You have the field, my friend.
Pato O'Ward's going to try
to hang on for this win.
It's not going to be easy.
St. Petersburg was
a roller coaster of emotions
because I got screwed big time.
Hey, guys, problem.
There's something wrong
with him.
And the lead now
has gone to Marcus Ericsson.
We had a bit of an issue
with the engine,
which makes you lose power
for a couple seconds.
O'Ward furious.
The [bleep] engine's
at a stall. [Bleep]
But those couple seconds
are very valuable
when you're defending your lead.
The sneaky Swede did it again.
- [Cheers and applause]
- Yes!
So we had to settle for second.
Pato O'Ward should have won
the season-opening race
in St. Petersburg,
but had a fluke in his engine.
Chevrolet took ownership of it.
But it doesn't change
the frustration
that Pato felt that day.
[Crowd cheering]
He should've won the race.
He absolutely should've
won the race.
But Scott McLaughlin
and Romain Grosjean
will tell you
they should've won the race.
And that's just how racing is.
♪♪
[Chuckles]
I'm confident in the team
that's behind me.
I'm confident in the team
that I get to work with in order
to take it to the big guys like
the Penskes and the Ganassis
and challenge them
every single weekend.
And that's what ultimately
is going to take us
to that first 500 win.
[Engines revving]
Pato O'Ward from Arrow McLaren
and Colton Herta
from Andretti Autosport --
Think those two drivers, outside
the Penske and Ganassi camps,
certainly in 2023,
have the best shots
at playing into
the championship picture.
[Birds chirping]
My name's Colton Herta,
and I am a professional
IndyCar driver.
What do we have here?
We're at my new house.
Just moved from Los Angeles.
Another eagle.
Still don't have Internet.
I haven't had Internet
for a while.
My cellphone doesn't work here,
which has been great.
I've been driving to Walmart
to do e-mails.
This is me right now.
[Laughs]
It's sketchy for sure.
It doesn't look good.
Me and my parents
when I was a baby.
Colton Herta
is such a unique guy.
He's a very
different personality
than a lot of the other drivers
in the IndyCar paddock.
He's just sort of loose, free,
and just bad fast
behind the wheel of a race car.
♪♪
Colton Herta
is an IndyCar winner
a week before he turns 19.
He's the youngest to ever
win in IndyCar.
- Colton Herta has done it.
- Great job, buddy. Way to go.
It's a day I'll never forget.
I had Josef Newgarden behind me.
I was 18 years old at the time.
Holy crap, man. I am worn out.
[Crowd cheering]
That self doubt of
"Should I be here?" --
everything was cleared
in that moment, right?
I knew that I belonged
in IndyCar.
I knew that I had the speed
to win races.
Last year wasn't really the
season that he was hoping for.
So I think the expectation
on Colton is really high.
♪♪
2022 for sure was a letdown
as far as all of our standards.
Colton finished 10th
in the standings last year
and got a huge contract
extension in the off-season.
Many people think that
Colton's the highest-paid driver
in IndyCar right now,
and that's a little bit like,
"Hmm, the 10th-place guy
in the standings
is the highest-paid guy?"
So I think that people
are waiting to see
Colton be consistent.
Doesn't make a difference
to hear
what people think about me,
good and bad.
It doesn't change my drive
or my focus
or what I want
to accomplish in my career.
I will win the 500 this year.
[Birds chirping]
♪♪
Started racing in 1959
at age 19.
The objective was always
to get to the top.
And what was the top
was IndyCar racing.
I love everything about IndyCar.
I don't think there's
another series, truly,
that can give you
as much satisfaction as IndyCar.
My name is Mario Andretti.
I'm a retired racing car driver.
[Engines revving]
The Andretti name
means everything to IndyCar,
but I think
it goes beyond IndyCar.
Andretti went around him
like he was standing still.
I'm not sure there's
anyone with a pulse that
doesn't know the Andretti name,
and that starts with Mario,
who is on the short list
of all-time legends.
Victory number 52.
Second on the all-time list.
The Indy 500 is special,
so special,
because how many sporting events
are over 100 years old?
And here's the checkered flag
for Mario Andretti,
winner of the 1969
500-mile race!
[Crowd cheering]
To win Indy 500,
the best way
I can describe it is
a huge weight is lifted
off your shoulder.
You know why?
Because, fair or not fair,
your career is judged
on winning the 500.
Voilà! [Chuckles]
This is the very last IndyCar
that I drove.
For me in IndyCar,
it ended in 1994.
I didn't want to give up,
but 54 years old already,
so it was time.
[Chuckles]
I think the name Andretti
is just synonymous with racing,
with speed, with winning.
But the last sort of 10 years
for Andretti Autosport
has been a little hit and miss.
They've had fast race cars,
they've won races,
but being able to do it
consistently
over a 17-race schedule,
that's been the weak spot for
that team over the last decade.
Team Andretti is really --
To clear it up,
it's my son's team.
Michael. It's Michael's team.
Roger Penske and Chip Ganassi,
you know, stand right up there.
And I think Michael
[Engine revs]
right up there with them.
You're always trying
to right the ship.
We've worked on a lot of our
weakness over the off-season,
and I think we've improved
our team a lot.
So we're ready to race.
We'll race anybody right now.
♪♪
For a very long time,
Andretti Autosport
was considered to be
in the top three,
but they've not really
matched it
or lived up to it
for several years now.
So Andretti's problem is, how do
we put together a full weekend?
They have Romain Grosjean.
He showed at St. Pete that
he could have won that race.
Race one of the season
was like,
"Wow, we did not expect that."
A season is long, and there's
gonna be good racing,
there's gonna be some bad ones,
but I think the key
is to make sure that
the bad ones are not too bad.
They have Kyle Kirkwood,
who they just brought back
in house.
The paddock thinks
Kyle Kirkwood's real fast.
What's cool
is that we're, like,
I'd say light on the tires.
- Yeah.
- That's positive, right?
- Yeah. For sure.
- That's something.
Ready to go pound some laps?
And then Colton Herta.
He's the youngest driver
on the lineup
and is the most veteran
Andretti driver.
It's cool to be able to drive
for Andretti Autosport
just because
of the history behind it.
My eyes are a little different
than to everybody else's eyes,
because I grew up with them,
right?
My dad drove
for Andretti Autosport.
I've been around Michael
and Mario
since I was 1, 2 years old.
Whoo!
I used to have a mohawk,
and I think Mario called me this
'cause he could never
remember my name,
but he used to call me Spikey.
[Chuckles]
My parents told me,
right from about 4 years old,
I was asking for a go-kart.
They didn't let me get in one
until about 5 1/2.
And that's when I got
my first go-kart,
was that same year,
and ever since,
it's just been my life.
My dream was always to become
a professional racing driver,
and specifically
an IndyCar driver.
So if I didn't make it,
it would just be
the worst thing in the world.
[Engines revving]
Why is somebody
Like, bro
[Car horns honking]
Welcome to Mexico.
[Chuckles]
Dario -- I mean,
you've driven a cart before.
Yes. When I first started,
like, with the powerful
go-karts --
my goodness.
I never,
never drove anything that fast.
- Really?
- Yes.
- [Laughs]
- I got used to it.
I got less afraid,
and I just -- vroom --
- just went all the way.
- [Chuckles]
That's kind of
how it starts, honestly.
♪♪
My grandfather on my mom's side,
he's the one at fault for me
falling in love with race cars.
[Woman speaking Spanish]
He gave me a go-kart
when I was 3 years old,
and I loved it.
The noise and the smells
and the vibration.
"Oh, I could do that."
Said, "I want to try
and do this for a living."
Autódromo Monterrey.
This is where I grew up.
My whole childhood was here.
Dirt bikes, go-karts.
Anything that you can imagine
with two or four wheels,
I was on it.
I remember my first race.
[Crowd cheering]
I won. [Chuckles]
And I won because the guy
that was first, his chain broke.
So that's why I won.
Every time I jump into
the race car. I love it.
It just turned into
something a lot bigger
than what I thought it could be.
You know, I love where I'm at.
I wouldn't change it
for the world.
But I actually wish that
I could go back to those years,
because all you cared about
was just jumping in the cart
and just going as fast
as you can.
And you do it just for
the pure love for motor racing.
It's now a job.
It's now a profession.
Sometimes it takes away
a little bit
of that little boy inside of you
and you remember being
that just wants to go out
and go as fast as possible.
♪♪
[Speaking Spanish]
Let's go!
[Laughs]
- That ass.
- That ass?
- Cloud.
- You remember Cloud?
- Yeah, Cloud.
- Cloud.
The girls in school
would call Pato "Cloud"
'cause he had a very nice
and plump butt.
- Booty.
- Booty.
He liked to eat.
So he was just, like,
a chunkier Pato back then.
He went to this, like,
training camp,
and they tell him
that he needs to lose weight
if he wants to be,
like, a good race car driver.
So they said, "Do some push-ups
and do pull-ups."
Oh, no.
I had never exercised muscles,
ever.
You know, I did [Grunts]
You know?
And then I couldn't go --
I couldn't go down and back up.
And I got mad.
And as soon as I got home,
I started --
It was my first day
of properly working out,
and I haven't stopped
ever since.
He was the most energetic,
adorable, stubborn, hotheaded,
passionate little boy.
"Who is this Mexican?
The fastest duck." [Laughs]
Look at that little face.
Pato is his nickname,
which means "duck,"
if you translate it
just flat out.
He was so good.
He was very good,
even as a young boy.
"For the first time in 12 years,
a Mexican is a top three
in IndyCar."
Elba, his sister, and I
have been there
for every one of his wins.
We're his lucky charms.
In a few days, we'll have a race
in Texas and we'll all be there.
That was his first win,
like his first IndyCar win.
So he's going to have
a lot of support.
We're all excited.
Whoo!
♪♪
Good job, Pato.
There's not another
racing series in the world
that's more competitive
than IndyCar racing.
See if you can get one
in 3/10ths.
There's nothing
that matches it.
And if you would have told me
that my first win
was going to be
at Texas Motor Speedway,
I would have told you, "No way."
Texas Motor Speedway,
it's [bleep] fast.
Go, go, go, go!
Probably one of
the most dangerous tracks
on the calendar
just because of how fast it is.
When things go wrong,
they go very wrong.
But it's a badass track
to drive.
It's a badass track to race in.
And it felt good winning
my first IndyCar race there.
Pato O'Ward is
an IndyCar winner!
Wow!
The win at Texas is
my biggest achievement
in my professional career.
Awesome.
So I'm pumped to get back there
and put ourselves
in that position again
to have that chance.
Ready to pack up.
I probably won't be back
until the end of the season
here in Mexico.
Can't forget my underpanties.
I'm sure as hell going into it
knowing that I can win, yeah.
♪♪
Texas Motor Speedway
is a very important race
because it's the first oval,
and they don't race another oval
before the Indianapolis 500.
They are going to a completely
different style of racing.
On a road or street track,
you're accelerating,
you're braking,
the speed fluctuates.
The ovals, you are going usually
200-plus miles an hour
the whole time.
That means you're covering
over a football field a second.
The last 20 laps
of that race --
Hang on.
You should be standing up.
A typical finish might involve
three cars running side by side,
and the winning margin is
1/100th of a second.
- This is tight!
- This is where you get nervous.
Holy [bleep] [bleep]
♪♪
'Sup, wankers?
It's well proven that
Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing
are the top two teams
in IndyCar.
But I think Arrow McLaren
is saying,
"Hang on, everybody,
we're in the game, too."
Texas, baby.
They have invested a lot of
money, a lot of resources.
They're expanding,
taking drivers,
taking personnel from teams.
They even hired Gavin Ward
away from Team Penske
because they really want to be
in that conversation.
They want to be considered
with Penske and Ganassi.
Looking from afar and seeing
what McLaren are building
was super exciting,
and you could see the momentum
that was starting to build.
But also, you know what?
I've worked
for a lot of racing teams.
I always felt there was
a better way of doing it,
and this was kind of my chance
to just try
and make that happen,
build something.
Do I think there's a better way
to build a racing team
than Penske?
Absolutely. That's what
we're trying to do.
Now we got -- Like, the four
and two combo is like
Yeah, Gavin was a tough loss.
He was a tremendous
race engineer.
He was a really good individual
for team morale.
You know, he understood
the human side of the sport,
no doubt,
and now losing him to McLaren,
I know that they have a strength
that they gained from him.
This year,
McLaren's really come on strong.
They've just expanded
their IndyCar team
from two cars to three.
Driving the 5 car,
they've got Pato O'Ward.
New to the team,
Alexander Rossi.
And Felix Rosenqvist
in the 6 car.
He's been there
for a few seasons now,
but Felix's career at McLaren
really hasn't lived up
to expectations.
So 2023 is going to be a really
important year for Felix.
Hey, how's it going?
- How's it going?
- Thank you so much.
Most racing drivers don't have
a lot of job security.
You're only as good as your
last race or your last season.
If you have a poor season,
it doesn't matter who you are.
Like, people are going to start
looking for something else
pretty quickly.
Now, that pressure is always
going to be with you.
- Hello. How are you?
- You just have to
live in the now
and just focus on
that next time
you're in the car.
♪♪
I just bedazzled a jacket
in the back, a jean jacket.
I was wearing it today.
Isn't it good?
Yeah. Handmade.
I am pretty impressed
with myself on that one.
I hate ovals.
It's not as exciting.
Like, it's actually terrifying.
Like, it's more and more
terrifying.
And now, like,
I can barely watch it.
So, yeah, I'm a nervous wreck.
[Laughs]
♪♪
Excuse me. Sorry.
Hey, you're a pretty big deal.
I heard you're
a pretty big deal.
Shall we go have a wee
and then go to the pits?
Let's go.
Yes. It's a busy weekend
here in Texas
as we're gearing up
for qualifying.
It's the second round
of this 2023 season,
and this is going
to set the grid for us
for tomorrow's 250-lapper
around the one-and-a-half-mile
Texas Motor Speedway.
So who's going to be the biggest
and best cowboy of them all?
It's still pretty stressful
staying here.
What, you don't like
open qualifying?
- I don't like it.
- It's stressful.
Qualifying in Texas
is different than qualifying
in St. Pete.
Here, each car goes on track
one at a time,
runs two laps,
and the fastest average speed
between those laps
qualifies first.
Here is
an Andretti Autosport car --
Colton Herta.
- Green flag.
- Wide open.
- There it is.
- Here we go.
Straight to the top.
That's the whole way.
Felix Rosenqvist
in the McLaren Chevrolet.
And this is what
we've been looking for,
someone to stick it
right on the white line
like Rosenqvist is doing.
Straight to the top.
- What's it worth?
- Checkered flag. Good job, buddy.
Quite a bit. By a good chunk.
Over a mile an hour.
Yikes. Yikes.
- Dude, that's not --
- That's tough. That's tough.
I'd say it's pretty similar
with adjustments we made.
Geez.
Really good sign
for Arrow McLaren
to put that kind of speed down.
Josef Newgarden, will he
celebrate in victory lane
here at Texas Motor Speedway
for a third time tomorrow?
On the line.
Second for Josef Newgarden.
219.8 the two-lap average.
Strong run for Newgarden,
but if you're Felix Rosenqvist
and that Arrow McLaren team,
a little bit
of a chest puff right now.
Well, you did a [bleep] great
job on the car. It felt great.
It just wasn't quick.
Do whatever you want to do
to get up to speed.
Go as soon as they release you.
Let's go.
Romain Grosjean
in the DHL Honda.
He's coming to the line.
How does it work out?
Grosjean -- 219.1.
Look at the consistency
from the Andretti cars.
Rosenqvist is
currently quickest.
Felix Rosenqvist
is not far away from P1.
Realistically,
this is the best shot
to take it away from him.
This is the guy that Felix
is gonna be most nervous about.
Alright, man,
you know what to do here.
Put down a hot one.
It's Pato O'Ward.
♪♪
- Checkered flag.
- 219.6.
That's not going to be enough
to take the fight
to his teammate,
Felix Rosenqvist.
The giggles, the smiles,
they've started already
- at Arrow McLaren.
- Awesome job, fellas.
In his fourth career NT
P1 award for Felix Rosenqvist.
Good job, boys. Yeah!
A phenomenal start for this man
and the entire
McLaren organization.
All three cars in the top five.
How awesome is IndyCar?
All of a sudden,
Arrow McLaren right up there
in the mix now.
Two, three.
[Cheering]
Arrow McLaren just
gave us a weapon today again.
It's a whole different
confidence level,
I think, compared to last year.
So, yeah, let's try
to wrap it up tomorrow.
♪♪
A lot of drivers had
a bad first race in St. Pete,
and they're going to be looking
to sort of kickstart
their season in Texas.
Winning race car right there!
The 5 of P.O.!
Pato wants redemption
from St. Pete.
It's time to go IndyCar racing
in the Lone Star State.
It's round 2 of the 2023
NTT IndyCar Series,
and it is the first oval
of the year.
- Got to love Texas.
- This place is fast,
it's turbulent,
and it's unpredictable.
It throws so many curve balls
at the driver to deal with.
It's stressful and
it mentally is so exhausting,
but physically,
it's tough in the cockpit.
We've put ourselves
in a great position here.
We don't know what's
going to happen out there,
but whatever situation
we find ourselves in,
let's try and make
the most of it.
Just proud of you guys,
and let's go have some fun.
- Oh, you're special.
- And I respect that.
- And you deserve that, Felix.
- Oh, yeah.
- No. He's a very special man.
- Okay? Yeah.
No, he's a big deal.
He's the pole winner.
That's how it works.
Please take me to the losers.
- Thank you.
- Good luck.
St. Pete, Andretti was so good
on Friday and Saturday,
and then they fell apart
on Sunday.
Andretti's got to figure out
how to finish a weekend.
- Hey, driver, you got me?
- Yeah. Copy.
- Promise me, have fun.
- Thanks.
- Bye, Mama.
- I love you. Be safe.
Drivers, start your engines.
[Engines starting]
- Are you so excited?
- Oh, I'm a little anxious.
Agh!
- How was Felix? Was he okay?
- He was good.
Yeah, he was okay.
- He was happy?
- He was happy and excited.
It's been nearly three years
since Felix Rosenqvist
has been in victory lane.
But the 31-year-old Swede
desperately wants
to get back there today.
And he's got a great
starting spot to do it from.
Alright, bud,
just like any other race.
Let's have our wits about us.
Have some fun.
Pump it up.
Pace car's rolling.
♪♪
When you step in the car,
that's where you can
change something.
That's where you show
who you are and what you can do.
You can always think about
"What if?"
"What if I do this?
I have to win a race."
In the end,
all you can do is just perform.
[Indistinct chatter
on television]
Pato, I don't really have
a lot of words of wisdom
for you because,
well, you're pretty good here.
So, you got a good car.
You know what to do here.
So we can go have ourselves
a really good race today.
Sounds good. Let's get it.
Have a look at the most
dominant team up the front --
Arrow McLaren,
with their cars in first,
third, and fifth.
That white and blue car
is Josef Newgarden.
Josef is the highest starting
Team Penske driver,
in fourth position.
Great one-and-a-half-mile
oval here.
Classic IndyCar track,
one of the highest banking
that we have all year long,
which leads to high G forces.
So it's going to be fast and
furious for these drivers today.
Dixon's joining
on your outside there.
High speed. 220 miles per hour.
- Get ready.
- You have to be decisive.
- You ready?
- You have to be brave.
- Ready.
- This is a very demanding race.
Green. Green. Green. Green.
Green in the PPG 375.
Oh, Rosenqvist
with a monster jump.
Look at all the cars dropping
left sides in the grass.
Man, there's a lot of action,
a lot of moving around.
Josef Newgarden's now
taking second place away
- from Felix Rosenqvist.
- Pulling up.
Felix Rosenqvist fell back
from the pole.
Pato O'Ward now
on the high line.
This is the most frantic start.
Josef takes the point.
We're happy to ride
where we are right now.
It should be no surprise that
the two guys up front,
Josef Newgarden for Team Penske,
Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward --
Josef Newgarden
also backing up
They're settled in,
which is nice.
Yes.
Yes.
- Oh, someone's into the wall.
- I think Sato.
- It's Sato.
- [Gasps]
- Sato. Sato.
- Oh, no.
Oh, my God.
- I thought he said "Pato."
- Me, too.
Ay, me, too, -Oh, my God.
Such a shame for Takuma Sato.
This is the same car he is going
to be running in the Indy 500.
For a second, they said "Sato,"
I heard "Pato."
And, like, my heart --
Then I saw the car
and I thought,
"No, that's not Pato."
Whew! The one guy --
The one guy that
has the similar name.
Yellow, yellow, yellow,
yellow, backstretch.
We are on the yellows
here at Texas Motor Speedway.
The first yellow.
The first caution.
A yellow flag
neutralizes the field.
The speed gets reduced.
You fall behind a safety car,
and nobody can pass.
Everybody has to stay in line.
Alright, watch for debris
up here, buddy.
He hit up top right around
there, came down the track.
Get on this lap,
get on this lap.
Copy.
It really can change
the whole complexity of a race.
This is going to
open up the floodgates.
You'll see almost everyone
come down to pit road
in the next few laps.
I need to make another drink.
When it's a yellow
and everybody's safe and okay,
I'm feeling like I get a break.
Like my heart gets
a little break.
So it's a yellow right now,
so I'm a little
I'm breathing,
catching up on my breath.
[Engines revving]
Three, two, one.
Real straight.
Put on the brakes.
When the car pulls
into pit lane,
you get 18.5 gallons of fuel,
four new tires.
All cleared out.
The drivers gotta hit
their marks perfectly.
All six members of the crew
that go over the wall
have to do their jobs perfectly.
And if everybody does that,
they're in and out
in about 7 to 7.5 seconds.
♪♪
- It really is a team effort.
- Our quarterback is our driver.
Our wide receiver might be
the left-front guy
or the lead strategist.
It's all of them working
together to create that win.
- [Engine revving]
- You hear him blast it.
You hear him jump on the gas.
Green, green, green. Here we go.
Racing again in Texas.
- The battle for the lead.
- Okay. Here we go.
O'Ward has caught
Josef Newgarden.
- Clear.
- On guard.
And Newgarden does not want
to relinquish that lead.
O'Ward has something more
to say about it.
Clear. All clear.
Wow. That was a forceful
demonstration from Pato O'Ward.
Josef Newgarden,
you're going to have to reckon
with this young Mexican
all day long.
Hey, Pato, everything looks
good for us at the moment,
so just keep
plugging along here.
Right now, fuel is not
a concern as we speak.
Fuel is not a concern right now.
Let's not get caught up
by a yellow, man.
The pride of Monterrey, Mexico,
Pato O'Ward back to the lead.
They gave him that word
on the radio,
"Fuel not a concern."
Obviously,
if there's a caution later,
that could change the game.
They've lapped up
to ninth place.
Felix Rosenqvist
the pole sitter.
Felix Rosenqvist says that
he doesn't believe in luck.
It's all math. Well, he's going
to need some major math
to make it to victory lane
here today.
That's our teammate.
Pato's on the heater
coming outside.
- That's it behind him.
- Clear, clear.
Pato O'Ward,
he is starting to lead Newgarden
almost by a second now.
About to lap Colton Herta
in sixth place. Crazy.
Clear. All clear.
- And Pato is the leader.
- Pato is the leader.
He looks comfortable,
and he is flying.
You're crushing it
right now, man.
Our strategy right now --
the more distance
you put between Newgarden,
the better for us.
Folks, keep in mind,
this yellow and red car
is running in third place.
- Clear. Clear.
- Pato O'Ward has lapped them.
Josef Newgarden
seven seconds back.
I haven't seen
a performance like this
in Texas ever. This is dominant.
- Clear. Clear.
- You and Josef Newgarden
are the only cars
on the lead lap.
Copy. All is good.
He is in a different
stratosphere right now.
Pato in the lead
and looking
for his second Texas win.
Dude, we got a car in the wall.
This is what happened
last year.
- [Gasps] That was Pato!
- Oh, boy.
- Who is that?
- Oh, no. Is that?
- I think that's Ro--
- No, that's Rosenqvist.
- No!
- No.
Felix Rosenqvist just a little
too high. It's game over.
That is the margin with which
these drivers are working
at 220 miles an hour.
You alright, bud?
I'm sorry, guys.
I know this puts it
a little bit backwards,
but we're all good, dude.
Ah, what a shame
for the pole sitter.
Two years in a row on the pole,
but here's two years in a row
that he's out of the race, too,
for Felix Rosenqvist.
- There was a yellow.
- Someone ran into the wall.
So now everyone gets to save
a little bit more fuel.
We just saw
Pato O'Ward dominate,
but that's when
they told him to go
and "You can drive flat out."
It's going to be
completely different now
with only 72 laps left.
Everyone's kind of playing
a little cat and mouse game
right now.
We'll see.
Pato in the lead
and maybe checking out here
looking for
his second Texas win.
- Dude, we got a car in the wall.
- [Gasps] That was Pato.
This is what happened
last year.
- Who is that?
- Oh, no. Is that?
- Oh, boy.
- I think that's Ro--
No, that's Rosenqvist.
- No!
- No.
Ah, what a shame
for the pole sitter.
Two years in a row on the pole,
but here's two years in a row
that he's out of the race, too,
for Felix Rosenqvist.
- Unfortunate.
- [Speaking indistinctly]
Tough start of the year,
but you can only
move forward, right?
We have to cheer on for Pato now
and hope he gets it done.
Here we go.
Pato, right now,
we are going green.
Pato O'Ward streaks away.
Here comes Newgarden!
- Josef is outside.
- Second to first!
He's on a mission!
He wants that third win
here in Texas,
and O'Ward says not just yet!
You want to see brave racing?
Welcome to Texas Motor Speedway.
Cat and mouse here. We gotta
do what we gotta do here.
The Andretti teammates --
Herta tried to push through
on Grosjean.
The yellow and black and
yellow and red cars right there
center of the screen.
Two wide right there. Grosjean.
How about Grosjean?
Confidence is high
from the Swiss-born Frenchman.
He's loving life in Texas.
Grosjean, peel down there.
There we --
Now straighten the back.
Here comes his teammate,
Colton Herta, on the high side.
Herta right behind you.
At over 200 miles an hour,
Colton Herta goes slamming by
Josef Newgarden
to lead this race
for the first time.
What?
What is happening?
This is nuts.
Grosjean comes racing back.
These guys are teammates,
but you wouldn't think it
by the way
they're racing each other.
It was fun there
for a little bit.
Yeah, it looked like
it was fun.
Pato, we're gonna pit
this lap. Pit this lap.
Newgarden and O'Ward
on pit lane.
Alright, Pato,
nice and easy into our box.
You'll have a clear, and
we are only racing Newgarden
in pit lane right now,
so no need to push here.
Nice and easy.
Three, two, one.
They're going to pit
and try to make this to the end.
Clear. All clear.
All clear. All clear.
"Who is going to win this one?"
is the big question
to be answered.
Alright, Pato,
do what you gotta do.
Do what you've done
really well all day today
and pass your way
back to the front.
Here comes Pato O'Ward
with a monster run.
- I'll get it sorted.
- Let's get it.
Watch out for the ninja.
The man with the fast hands
in IndyCar is on the move.
- Clear. Clear.
- Pato O'Ward in the front.
"I'll pass you. I'll pass you
too while I'm at it. Why not?"
Newgarden is about
to catch Pato O'Ward.
Newgarden behind you.
The two strongest cars all day
run side by side, nose to nose,
with seven to go at the line.
This is just awesome inches
between cars
at 200-plus miles an hour.
Bring it on.
- O'Ward's got a great run.
- He might get to the front.
Four to go. At your bumper.
- They almost hit!
- They almost hit, the front two!
- Josef is still there.
- Still there.
Still there, bud. Two to go.
Both drivers flat out --
Grosjean crashed!
Grosjean!
Romain Grosjean out
for the second race in a row
- in the closing phases.
- Oh. Oh, boy.
[Bleep]
Sorry, guys.
Josef Newgarden is leading
as the yellow comes out
with two to go.
- Yellow. Yellow.
- Guys, that might be the day.
That will be the day.
Every race has a set distance.
So if there is a yellow flag
with only a few laps remaining
and there's not enough time
to have a restart,
once you clock all those laps
out, that's it.
That's the end of the race.
- Follow the leader, my man.
- You are the leader.
[Bleep] yeah, guys.
All you. All [bleep] you guys.
Great job.
Nobody ever wants to see
a race end under yellow,
but a win's a win.
- [Cheering]
- Gonna go to victory lane.
You know the way.
Come on, man!
- Yeah.
- Kick in the balls, my friend.
You had the car to win there.
That's two races in a row
we could have won,
which is a great start
to the year.
We are coming
to the checkered flag.
You'll come to
the checkered flag.
Good job, everyone.
Ugh!
- Let's go!
- Whoo!
- Yeah! Ha-ha!
- So good!
This is a replay of last year.
Josef Newgarden
loves this place,
and he's now
a three-time winner.
Grosjean's had a lot
of wrong place, wrong time
so far this year.
Now, two races in a row
having that kind of pace
but zero results to show for it,
that can start building up
and be frustrating and
may affect future performances.
- The car felt great.
- You did good.
You did what you had to do.
Just
I think Colton can be
relatively happy
with his performance in Texas.
We are in a position that
we probably could have won
one way or another.
So, you never complain.
See you guys.
It was not easy. When the car
needed to be there
Holy [bleep]
When you were coming in,
feeling that heat --
- did a hell of a job.
- The car was fast, too.
- In the high line.
- He could not get by me. Mnh!
They did a great job.
- Great job.
- Thank you.
Good job, man. It was crazy.
- Yeah.
- Dude, they were nuts.
I had a fast car.
- I know. Really good.
- Josef Newgarden,
congratulations
on winning the PPG 375.
[Crowd cheering]
McLaren's confidence as a team
is sky high right now.
They were the story of
qualifying in Texas,
almost won the race,
and that's with two of
their cars out of contention.
I think we've made a statement.
I know we didn't win the race,
but we sure as hell
showed everybody
that we were the class
of the field
together with Josef.
- He needs a hug.
- Yeah, he needs a hug.
Poor baby.
You guys did a marvelous job.
This is the first chance
that we get to see a little bit
of what we're going
to have for Indy.
I like what I see so far.
So, our worst finishing position
this year has been second.
So that's --
I think that's a pretty --
pretty damn good start
to the year,
and on to Long Beach.
There's no doubt
that the people at Penske
are looking over
at what McLaren's doing
and really considering them
a threat.
Arrow McLaren is very close
to Penske and Ganassi.
I don't think it's going to
take much longer
in order
to punch through that wall.
- Pato!
- Pato!
I'm like a dog with a bone.
When I want something,
I make sure that nobody
works harder to get it than me.
When we get that
right opportunity,
we're going to
take advantage of it.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
TTEOKBOKKIsubs
Alright. Why don't you start by
introducing yourself
and telling us
what you do for a living?
Yeah. I'm Romain Grosjean.
I'm a French-Swiss
racing car driver.
There's Grosjean.
- Turn one.
- Look at the yellow car.
There's McLaughlin on the right,
and they come together!
- Oh!
- Oh!
McLaughlin holds the lead!
Grosjean goes to the outside.
There's no way he'll
be able to hold him off.
- Is it possible?
- Turn right now.
Grosjean!
And they're both in a crash!
Man, what are you doing?
[Indistinct shouting]
My last race in Florida
was a bit of a shock.
Soyes.
I thought that, today,
I was going to talk to you
as an IndyCar race winner.
Marcus Ericsson
in the Huski Chocolate Honda
is a winner again,
but this time on the streets
of St. Petersburg.
My sport is beautiful and
very painful at the same time.
We just got really unlucky,
and we move on.
Looking back on St. Pete, man,
that was one of the
all-time classic IndyCar races.
- It's total chaos.
- Wow!
We had a lead change
with two laps to go.
Aw. We gave that one away.
Massive accidents, a red flag,
two cars in the air.
- Big fire.
- Huge fire for Josef Newgarden.
Just a bad day. One bad day.
I don't know
what that race didn't have.
Now we head to Texas.
McLaren and Andretti Autosport
are definitely both confident
that they've taken
a big step forward.
Texas Motor Speedway.
This is the first oval
of the season,
and they don't race another oval
before the Indianapolis 500.
The speeds are just tremendous.
And if you're on an oval,
it can be much,
much more dangerous.
- There now.
- There's a big crash!
Texas Motor Speedway
It's [bleep] fast.
So fast.
It's just about flat-out
all the way down on the throttle
all the way around.
Side with the 26.
I'm gonna be honest. It's not
my favorite race of the year.
Anything can happen anytime.
- This is tight!
- This is where you get nervous,
really nervous.
- What do I do?
- Be smart, bud. Be smart.
A lot of drivers had
a bad first race in St. Pete,
and they're going to be looking
to kickstart their season
- in Texas.
- Unbelievable!
♪♪
♪♪
[Engine starts]
♪♪
♪♪
My name is Patricio O'Ward.
Everybody calls me Pato
'cause it's easier.
[Laughs]
I am 23 years old and I get
to drive race cars for a living,
which I think,
it's every man's dream, bro.
[Man singing in Spanish]
♪♪
♪♪
I love coming to Monterrey.
This has been my home
ever since I was born.
It's where I get to spend time
with my family.
There's endless options of toys.
[Horn honks]
Anything you want to do.
You really need to find
a balance of, you know,
dedicating time and energy
into your job,
but you also need time
to recharge
and just get your mind
off of work.
[Speaking Spanish]
Whoo!
Come to Daddy.
Mmm. [Laughs]
I'm in my fourth season
with Arrow McLaren,
my fourth season in IndyCar.
[Laughs] Sí.
There's always been this talk
of the Big Three,
which has always been Ganassi,
Penske, Andretti.
And we're not far, man.
We're right there.
We're right there.
But there's so many factors
outside of your control
that will challenge you.
You have the field, my friend.
Pato O'Ward's going to try
to hang on for this win.
It's not going to be easy.
St. Petersburg was
a roller coaster of emotions
because I got screwed big time.
Hey, guys, problem.
There's something wrong
with him.
And the lead now
has gone to Marcus Ericsson.
We had a bit of an issue
with the engine,
which makes you lose power
for a couple seconds.
O'Ward furious.
The [bleep] engine's
at a stall. [Bleep]
But those couple seconds
are very valuable
when you're defending your lead.
The sneaky Swede did it again.
- [Cheers and applause]
- Yes!
So we had to settle for second.
Pato O'Ward should have won
the season-opening race
in St. Petersburg,
but had a fluke in his engine.
Chevrolet took ownership of it.
But it doesn't change
the frustration
that Pato felt that day.
[Crowd cheering]
He should've won the race.
He absolutely should've
won the race.
But Scott McLaughlin
and Romain Grosjean
will tell you
they should've won the race.
And that's just how racing is.
♪♪
[Chuckles]
I'm confident in the team
that's behind me.
I'm confident in the team
that I get to work with in order
to take it to the big guys like
the Penskes and the Ganassis
and challenge them
every single weekend.
And that's what ultimately
is going to take us
to that first 500 win.
[Engines revving]
Pato O'Ward from Arrow McLaren
and Colton Herta
from Andretti Autosport --
Think those two drivers, outside
the Penske and Ganassi camps,
certainly in 2023,
have the best shots
at playing into
the championship picture.
[Birds chirping]
My name's Colton Herta,
and I am a professional
IndyCar driver.
What do we have here?
We're at my new house.
Just moved from Los Angeles.
Another eagle.
Still don't have Internet.
I haven't had Internet
for a while.
My cellphone doesn't work here,
which has been great.
I've been driving to Walmart
to do e-mails.
This is me right now.
[Laughs]
It's sketchy for sure.
It doesn't look good.
Me and my parents
when I was a baby.
Colton Herta
is such a unique guy.
He's a very
different personality
than a lot of the other drivers
in the IndyCar paddock.
He's just sort of loose, free,
and just bad fast
behind the wheel of a race car.
♪♪
Colton Herta
is an IndyCar winner
a week before he turns 19.
He's the youngest to ever
win in IndyCar.
- Colton Herta has done it.
- Great job, buddy. Way to go.
It's a day I'll never forget.
I had Josef Newgarden behind me.
I was 18 years old at the time.
Holy crap, man. I am worn out.
[Crowd cheering]
That self doubt of
"Should I be here?" --
everything was cleared
in that moment, right?
I knew that I belonged
in IndyCar.
I knew that I had the speed
to win races.
Last year wasn't really the
season that he was hoping for.
So I think the expectation
on Colton is really high.
♪♪
2022 for sure was a letdown
as far as all of our standards.
Colton finished 10th
in the standings last year
and got a huge contract
extension in the off-season.
Many people think that
Colton's the highest-paid driver
in IndyCar right now,
and that's a little bit like,
"Hmm, the 10th-place guy
in the standings
is the highest-paid guy?"
So I think that people
are waiting to see
Colton be consistent.
Doesn't make a difference
to hear
what people think about me,
good and bad.
It doesn't change my drive
or my focus
or what I want
to accomplish in my career.
I will win the 500 this year.
[Birds chirping]
♪♪
Started racing in 1959
at age 19.
The objective was always
to get to the top.
And what was the top
was IndyCar racing.
I love everything about IndyCar.
I don't think there's
another series, truly,
that can give you
as much satisfaction as IndyCar.
My name is Mario Andretti.
I'm a retired racing car driver.
[Engines revving]
The Andretti name
means everything to IndyCar,
but I think
it goes beyond IndyCar.
Andretti went around him
like he was standing still.
I'm not sure there's
anyone with a pulse that
doesn't know the Andretti name,
and that starts with Mario,
who is on the short list
of all-time legends.
Victory number 52.
Second on the all-time list.
The Indy 500 is special,
so special,
because how many sporting events
are over 100 years old?
And here's the checkered flag
for Mario Andretti,
winner of the 1969
500-mile race!
[Crowd cheering]
To win Indy 500,
the best way
I can describe it is
a huge weight is lifted
off your shoulder.
You know why?
Because, fair or not fair,
your career is judged
on winning the 500.
Voilà! [Chuckles]
This is the very last IndyCar
that I drove.
For me in IndyCar,
it ended in 1994.
I didn't want to give up,
but 54 years old already,
so it was time.
[Chuckles]
I think the name Andretti
is just synonymous with racing,
with speed, with winning.
But the last sort of 10 years
for Andretti Autosport
has been a little hit and miss.
They've had fast race cars,
they've won races,
but being able to do it
consistently
over a 17-race schedule,
that's been the weak spot for
that team over the last decade.
Team Andretti is really --
To clear it up,
it's my son's team.
Michael. It's Michael's team.
Roger Penske and Chip Ganassi,
you know, stand right up there.
And I think Michael
[Engine revs]
right up there with them.
You're always trying
to right the ship.
We've worked on a lot of our
weakness over the off-season,
and I think we've improved
our team a lot.
So we're ready to race.
We'll race anybody right now.
♪♪
For a very long time,
Andretti Autosport
was considered to be
in the top three,
but they've not really
matched it
or lived up to it
for several years now.
So Andretti's problem is, how do
we put together a full weekend?
They have Romain Grosjean.
He showed at St. Pete that
he could have won that race.
Race one of the season
was like,
"Wow, we did not expect that."
A season is long, and there's
gonna be good racing,
there's gonna be some bad ones,
but I think the key
is to make sure that
the bad ones are not too bad.
They have Kyle Kirkwood,
who they just brought back
in house.
The paddock thinks
Kyle Kirkwood's real fast.
What's cool
is that we're, like,
I'd say light on the tires.
- Yeah.
- That's positive, right?
- Yeah. For sure.
- That's something.
Ready to go pound some laps?
And then Colton Herta.
He's the youngest driver
on the lineup
and is the most veteran
Andretti driver.
It's cool to be able to drive
for Andretti Autosport
just because
of the history behind it.
My eyes are a little different
than to everybody else's eyes,
because I grew up with them,
right?
My dad drove
for Andretti Autosport.
I've been around Michael
and Mario
since I was 1, 2 years old.
Whoo!
I used to have a mohawk,
and I think Mario called me this
'cause he could never
remember my name,
but he used to call me Spikey.
[Chuckles]
My parents told me,
right from about 4 years old,
I was asking for a go-kart.
They didn't let me get in one
until about 5 1/2.
And that's when I got
my first go-kart,
was that same year,
and ever since,
it's just been my life.
My dream was always to become
a professional racing driver,
and specifically
an IndyCar driver.
So if I didn't make it,
it would just be
the worst thing in the world.
[Engines revving]
Why is somebody
Like, bro
[Car horns honking]
Welcome to Mexico.
[Chuckles]
Dario -- I mean,
you've driven a cart before.
Yes. When I first started,
like, with the powerful
go-karts --
my goodness.
I never,
never drove anything that fast.
- Really?
- Yes.
- [Laughs]
- I got used to it.
I got less afraid,
and I just -- vroom --
- just went all the way.
- [Chuckles]
That's kind of
how it starts, honestly.
♪♪
My grandfather on my mom's side,
he's the one at fault for me
falling in love with race cars.
[Woman speaking Spanish]
He gave me a go-kart
when I was 3 years old,
and I loved it.
The noise and the smells
and the vibration.
"Oh, I could do that."
Said, "I want to try
and do this for a living."
Autódromo Monterrey.
This is where I grew up.
My whole childhood was here.
Dirt bikes, go-karts.
Anything that you can imagine
with two or four wheels,
I was on it.
I remember my first race.
[Crowd cheering]
I won. [Chuckles]
And I won because the guy
that was first, his chain broke.
So that's why I won.
Every time I jump into
the race car. I love it.
It just turned into
something a lot bigger
than what I thought it could be.
You know, I love where I'm at.
I wouldn't change it
for the world.
But I actually wish that
I could go back to those years,
because all you cared about
was just jumping in the cart
and just going as fast
as you can.
And you do it just for
the pure love for motor racing.
It's now a job.
It's now a profession.
Sometimes it takes away
a little bit
of that little boy inside of you
and you remember being
that just wants to go out
and go as fast as possible.
♪♪
[Speaking Spanish]
Let's go!
[Laughs]
- That ass.
- That ass?
- Cloud.
- You remember Cloud?
- Yeah, Cloud.
- Cloud.
The girls in school
would call Pato "Cloud"
'cause he had a very nice
and plump butt.
- Booty.
- Booty.
He liked to eat.
So he was just, like,
a chunkier Pato back then.
He went to this, like,
training camp,
and they tell him
that he needs to lose weight
if he wants to be,
like, a good race car driver.
So they said, "Do some push-ups
and do pull-ups."
Oh, no.
I had never exercised muscles,
ever.
You know, I did [Grunts]
You know?
And then I couldn't go --
I couldn't go down and back up.
And I got mad.
And as soon as I got home,
I started --
It was my first day
of properly working out,
and I haven't stopped
ever since.
He was the most energetic,
adorable, stubborn, hotheaded,
passionate little boy.
"Who is this Mexican?
The fastest duck." [Laughs]
Look at that little face.
Pato is his nickname,
which means "duck,"
if you translate it
just flat out.
He was so good.
He was very good,
even as a young boy.
"For the first time in 12 years,
a Mexican is a top three
in IndyCar."
Elba, his sister, and I
have been there
for every one of his wins.
We're his lucky charms.
In a few days, we'll have a race
in Texas and we'll all be there.
That was his first win,
like his first IndyCar win.
So he's going to have
a lot of support.
We're all excited.
Whoo!
♪♪
Good job, Pato.
There's not another
racing series in the world
that's more competitive
than IndyCar racing.
See if you can get one
in 3/10ths.
There's nothing
that matches it.
And if you would have told me
that my first win
was going to be
at Texas Motor Speedway,
I would have told you, "No way."
Texas Motor Speedway,
it's [bleep] fast.
Go, go, go, go!
Probably one of
the most dangerous tracks
on the calendar
just because of how fast it is.
When things go wrong,
they go very wrong.
But it's a badass track
to drive.
It's a badass track to race in.
And it felt good winning
my first IndyCar race there.
Pato O'Ward is
an IndyCar winner!
Wow!
The win at Texas is
my biggest achievement
in my professional career.
Awesome.
So I'm pumped to get back there
and put ourselves
in that position again
to have that chance.
Ready to pack up.
I probably won't be back
until the end of the season
here in Mexico.
Can't forget my underpanties.
I'm sure as hell going into it
knowing that I can win, yeah.
♪♪
Texas Motor Speedway
is a very important race
because it's the first oval,
and they don't race another oval
before the Indianapolis 500.
They are going to a completely
different style of racing.
On a road or street track,
you're accelerating,
you're braking,
the speed fluctuates.
The ovals, you are going usually
200-plus miles an hour
the whole time.
That means you're covering
over a football field a second.
The last 20 laps
of that race --
Hang on.
You should be standing up.
A typical finish might involve
three cars running side by side,
and the winning margin is
1/100th of a second.
- This is tight!
- This is where you get nervous.
Holy [bleep] [bleep]
♪♪
'Sup, wankers?
It's well proven that
Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing
are the top two teams
in IndyCar.
But I think Arrow McLaren
is saying,
"Hang on, everybody,
we're in the game, too."
Texas, baby.
They have invested a lot of
money, a lot of resources.
They're expanding,
taking drivers,
taking personnel from teams.
They even hired Gavin Ward
away from Team Penske
because they really want to be
in that conversation.
They want to be considered
with Penske and Ganassi.
Looking from afar and seeing
what McLaren are building
was super exciting,
and you could see the momentum
that was starting to build.
But also, you know what?
I've worked
for a lot of racing teams.
I always felt there was
a better way of doing it,
and this was kind of my chance
to just try
and make that happen,
build something.
Do I think there's a better way
to build a racing team
than Penske?
Absolutely. That's what
we're trying to do.
Now we got -- Like, the four
and two combo is like
Yeah, Gavin was a tough loss.
He was a tremendous
race engineer.
He was a really good individual
for team morale.
You know, he understood
the human side of the sport,
no doubt,
and now losing him to McLaren,
I know that they have a strength
that they gained from him.
This year,
McLaren's really come on strong.
They've just expanded
their IndyCar team
from two cars to three.
Driving the 5 car,
they've got Pato O'Ward.
New to the team,
Alexander Rossi.
And Felix Rosenqvist
in the 6 car.
He's been there
for a few seasons now,
but Felix's career at McLaren
really hasn't lived up
to expectations.
So 2023 is going to be a really
important year for Felix.
Hey, how's it going?
- How's it going?
- Thank you so much.
Most racing drivers don't have
a lot of job security.
You're only as good as your
last race or your last season.
If you have a poor season,
it doesn't matter who you are.
Like, people are going to start
looking for something else
pretty quickly.
Now, that pressure is always
going to be with you.
- Hello. How are you?
- You just have to
live in the now
and just focus on
that next time
you're in the car.
♪♪
I just bedazzled a jacket
in the back, a jean jacket.
I was wearing it today.
Isn't it good?
Yeah. Handmade.
I am pretty impressed
with myself on that one.
I hate ovals.
It's not as exciting.
Like, it's actually terrifying.
Like, it's more and more
terrifying.
And now, like,
I can barely watch it.
So, yeah, I'm a nervous wreck.
[Laughs]
♪♪
Excuse me. Sorry.
Hey, you're a pretty big deal.
I heard you're
a pretty big deal.
Shall we go have a wee
and then go to the pits?
Let's go.
Yes. It's a busy weekend
here in Texas
as we're gearing up
for qualifying.
It's the second round
of this 2023 season,
and this is going
to set the grid for us
for tomorrow's 250-lapper
around the one-and-a-half-mile
Texas Motor Speedway.
So who's going to be the biggest
and best cowboy of them all?
It's still pretty stressful
staying here.
What, you don't like
open qualifying?
- I don't like it.
- It's stressful.
Qualifying in Texas
is different than qualifying
in St. Pete.
Here, each car goes on track
one at a time,
runs two laps,
and the fastest average speed
between those laps
qualifies first.
Here is
an Andretti Autosport car --
Colton Herta.
- Green flag.
- Wide open.
- There it is.
- Here we go.
Straight to the top.
That's the whole way.
Felix Rosenqvist
in the McLaren Chevrolet.
And this is what
we've been looking for,
someone to stick it
right on the white line
like Rosenqvist is doing.
Straight to the top.
- What's it worth?
- Checkered flag. Good job, buddy.
Quite a bit. By a good chunk.
Over a mile an hour.
Yikes. Yikes.
- Dude, that's not --
- That's tough. That's tough.
I'd say it's pretty similar
with adjustments we made.
Geez.
Really good sign
for Arrow McLaren
to put that kind of speed down.
Josef Newgarden, will he
celebrate in victory lane
here at Texas Motor Speedway
for a third time tomorrow?
On the line.
Second for Josef Newgarden.
219.8 the two-lap average.
Strong run for Newgarden,
but if you're Felix Rosenqvist
and that Arrow McLaren team,
a little bit
of a chest puff right now.
Well, you did a [bleep] great
job on the car. It felt great.
It just wasn't quick.
Do whatever you want to do
to get up to speed.
Go as soon as they release you.
Let's go.
Romain Grosjean
in the DHL Honda.
He's coming to the line.
How does it work out?
Grosjean -- 219.1.
Look at the consistency
from the Andretti cars.
Rosenqvist is
currently quickest.
Felix Rosenqvist
is not far away from P1.
Realistically,
this is the best shot
to take it away from him.
This is the guy that Felix
is gonna be most nervous about.
Alright, man,
you know what to do here.
Put down a hot one.
It's Pato O'Ward.
♪♪
- Checkered flag.
- 219.6.
That's not going to be enough
to take the fight
to his teammate,
Felix Rosenqvist.
The giggles, the smiles,
they've started already
- at Arrow McLaren.
- Awesome job, fellas.
In his fourth career NT
P1 award for Felix Rosenqvist.
Good job, boys. Yeah!
A phenomenal start for this man
and the entire
McLaren organization.
All three cars in the top five.
How awesome is IndyCar?
All of a sudden,
Arrow McLaren right up there
in the mix now.
Two, three.
[Cheering]
Arrow McLaren just
gave us a weapon today again.
It's a whole different
confidence level,
I think, compared to last year.
So, yeah, let's try
to wrap it up tomorrow.
♪♪
A lot of drivers had
a bad first race in St. Pete,
and they're going to be looking
to sort of kickstart
their season in Texas.
Winning race car right there!
The 5 of P.O.!
Pato wants redemption
from St. Pete.
It's time to go IndyCar racing
in the Lone Star State.
It's round 2 of the 2023
NTT IndyCar Series,
and it is the first oval
of the year.
- Got to love Texas.
- This place is fast,
it's turbulent,
and it's unpredictable.
It throws so many curve balls
at the driver to deal with.
It's stressful and
it mentally is so exhausting,
but physically,
it's tough in the cockpit.
We've put ourselves
in a great position here.
We don't know what's
going to happen out there,
but whatever situation
we find ourselves in,
let's try and make
the most of it.
Just proud of you guys,
and let's go have some fun.
- Oh, you're special.
- And I respect that.
- And you deserve that, Felix.
- Oh, yeah.
- No. He's a very special man.
- Okay? Yeah.
No, he's a big deal.
He's the pole winner.
That's how it works.
Please take me to the losers.
- Thank you.
- Good luck.
St. Pete, Andretti was so good
on Friday and Saturday,
and then they fell apart
on Sunday.
Andretti's got to figure out
how to finish a weekend.
- Hey, driver, you got me?
- Yeah. Copy.
- Promise me, have fun.
- Thanks.
- Bye, Mama.
- I love you. Be safe.
Drivers, start your engines.
[Engines starting]
- Are you so excited?
- Oh, I'm a little anxious.
Agh!
- How was Felix? Was he okay?
- He was good.
Yeah, he was okay.
- He was happy?
- He was happy and excited.
It's been nearly three years
since Felix Rosenqvist
has been in victory lane.
But the 31-year-old Swede
desperately wants
to get back there today.
And he's got a great
starting spot to do it from.
Alright, bud,
just like any other race.
Let's have our wits about us.
Have some fun.
Pump it up.
Pace car's rolling.
♪♪
When you step in the car,
that's where you can
change something.
That's where you show
who you are and what you can do.
You can always think about
"What if?"
"What if I do this?
I have to win a race."
In the end,
all you can do is just perform.
[Indistinct chatter
on television]
Pato, I don't really have
a lot of words of wisdom
for you because,
well, you're pretty good here.
So, you got a good car.
You know what to do here.
So we can go have ourselves
a really good race today.
Sounds good. Let's get it.
Have a look at the most
dominant team up the front --
Arrow McLaren,
with their cars in first,
third, and fifth.
That white and blue car
is Josef Newgarden.
Josef is the highest starting
Team Penske driver,
in fourth position.
Great one-and-a-half-mile
oval here.
Classic IndyCar track,
one of the highest banking
that we have all year long,
which leads to high G forces.
So it's going to be fast and
furious for these drivers today.
Dixon's joining
on your outside there.
High speed. 220 miles per hour.
- Get ready.
- You have to be decisive.
- You ready?
- You have to be brave.
- Ready.
- This is a very demanding race.
Green. Green. Green. Green.
Green in the PPG 375.
Oh, Rosenqvist
with a monster jump.
Look at all the cars dropping
left sides in the grass.
Man, there's a lot of action,
a lot of moving around.
Josef Newgarden's now
taking second place away
- from Felix Rosenqvist.
- Pulling up.
Felix Rosenqvist fell back
from the pole.
Pato O'Ward now
on the high line.
This is the most frantic start.
Josef takes the point.
We're happy to ride
where we are right now.
It should be no surprise that
the two guys up front,
Josef Newgarden for Team Penske,
Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward --
Josef Newgarden
also backing up
They're settled in,
which is nice.
Yes.
Yes.
- Oh, someone's into the wall.
- I think Sato.
- It's Sato.
- [Gasps]
- Sato. Sato.
- Oh, no.
Oh, my God.
- I thought he said "Pato."
- Me, too.
Ay, me, too, -Oh, my God.
Such a shame for Takuma Sato.
This is the same car he is going
to be running in the Indy 500.
For a second, they said "Sato,"
I heard "Pato."
And, like, my heart --
Then I saw the car
and I thought,
"No, that's not Pato."
Whew! The one guy --
The one guy that
has the similar name.
Yellow, yellow, yellow,
yellow, backstretch.
We are on the yellows
here at Texas Motor Speedway.
The first yellow.
The first caution.
A yellow flag
neutralizes the field.
The speed gets reduced.
You fall behind a safety car,
and nobody can pass.
Everybody has to stay in line.
Alright, watch for debris
up here, buddy.
He hit up top right around
there, came down the track.
Get on this lap,
get on this lap.
Copy.
It really can change
the whole complexity of a race.
This is going to
open up the floodgates.
You'll see almost everyone
come down to pit road
in the next few laps.
I need to make another drink.
When it's a yellow
and everybody's safe and okay,
I'm feeling like I get a break.
Like my heart gets
a little break.
So it's a yellow right now,
so I'm a little
I'm breathing,
catching up on my breath.
[Engines revving]
Three, two, one.
Real straight.
Put on the brakes.
When the car pulls
into pit lane,
you get 18.5 gallons of fuel,
four new tires.
All cleared out.
The drivers gotta hit
their marks perfectly.
All six members of the crew
that go over the wall
have to do their jobs perfectly.
And if everybody does that,
they're in and out
in about 7 to 7.5 seconds.
♪♪
- It really is a team effort.
- Our quarterback is our driver.
Our wide receiver might be
the left-front guy
or the lead strategist.
It's all of them working
together to create that win.
- [Engine revving]
- You hear him blast it.
You hear him jump on the gas.
Green, green, green. Here we go.
Racing again in Texas.
- The battle for the lead.
- Okay. Here we go.
O'Ward has caught
Josef Newgarden.
- Clear.
- On guard.
And Newgarden does not want
to relinquish that lead.
O'Ward has something more
to say about it.
Clear. All clear.
Wow. That was a forceful
demonstration from Pato O'Ward.
Josef Newgarden,
you're going to have to reckon
with this young Mexican
all day long.
Hey, Pato, everything looks
good for us at the moment,
so just keep
plugging along here.
Right now, fuel is not
a concern as we speak.
Fuel is not a concern right now.
Let's not get caught up
by a yellow, man.
The pride of Monterrey, Mexico,
Pato O'Ward back to the lead.
They gave him that word
on the radio,
"Fuel not a concern."
Obviously,
if there's a caution later,
that could change the game.
They've lapped up
to ninth place.
Felix Rosenqvist
the pole sitter.
Felix Rosenqvist says that
he doesn't believe in luck.
It's all math. Well, he's going
to need some major math
to make it to victory lane
here today.
That's our teammate.
Pato's on the heater
coming outside.
- That's it behind him.
- Clear, clear.
Pato O'Ward,
he is starting to lead Newgarden
almost by a second now.
About to lap Colton Herta
in sixth place. Crazy.
Clear. All clear.
- And Pato is the leader.
- Pato is the leader.
He looks comfortable,
and he is flying.
You're crushing it
right now, man.
Our strategy right now --
the more distance
you put between Newgarden,
the better for us.
Folks, keep in mind,
this yellow and red car
is running in third place.
- Clear. Clear.
- Pato O'Ward has lapped them.
Josef Newgarden
seven seconds back.
I haven't seen
a performance like this
in Texas ever. This is dominant.
- Clear. Clear.
- You and Josef Newgarden
are the only cars
on the lead lap.
Copy. All is good.
He is in a different
stratosphere right now.
Pato in the lead
and looking
for his second Texas win.
Dude, we got a car in the wall.
This is what happened
last year.
- [Gasps] That was Pato!
- Oh, boy.
- Who is that?
- Oh, no. Is that?
- I think that's Ro--
- No, that's Rosenqvist.
- No!
- No.
Felix Rosenqvist just a little
too high. It's game over.
That is the margin with which
these drivers are working
at 220 miles an hour.
You alright, bud?
I'm sorry, guys.
I know this puts it
a little bit backwards,
but we're all good, dude.
Ah, what a shame
for the pole sitter.
Two years in a row on the pole,
but here's two years in a row
that he's out of the race, too,
for Felix Rosenqvist.
- There was a yellow.
- Someone ran into the wall.
So now everyone gets to save
a little bit more fuel.
We just saw
Pato O'Ward dominate,
but that's when
they told him to go
and "You can drive flat out."
It's going to be
completely different now
with only 72 laps left.
Everyone's kind of playing
a little cat and mouse game
right now.
We'll see.
Pato in the lead
and maybe checking out here
looking for
his second Texas win.
- Dude, we got a car in the wall.
- [Gasps] That was Pato.
This is what happened
last year.
- Who is that?
- Oh, no. Is that?
- Oh, boy.
- I think that's Ro--
No, that's Rosenqvist.
- No!
- No.
Ah, what a shame
for the pole sitter.
Two years in a row on the pole,
but here's two years in a row
that he's out of the race, too,
for Felix Rosenqvist.
- Unfortunate.
- [Speaking indistinctly]
Tough start of the year,
but you can only
move forward, right?
We have to cheer on for Pato now
and hope he gets it done.
Here we go.
Pato, right now,
we are going green.
Pato O'Ward streaks away.
Here comes Newgarden!
- Josef is outside.
- Second to first!
He's on a mission!
He wants that third win
here in Texas,
and O'Ward says not just yet!
You want to see brave racing?
Welcome to Texas Motor Speedway.
Cat and mouse here. We gotta
do what we gotta do here.
The Andretti teammates --
Herta tried to push through
on Grosjean.
The yellow and black and
yellow and red cars right there
center of the screen.
Two wide right there. Grosjean.
How about Grosjean?
Confidence is high
from the Swiss-born Frenchman.
He's loving life in Texas.
Grosjean, peel down there.
There we --
Now straighten the back.
Here comes his teammate,
Colton Herta, on the high side.
Herta right behind you.
At over 200 miles an hour,
Colton Herta goes slamming by
Josef Newgarden
to lead this race
for the first time.
What?
What is happening?
This is nuts.
Grosjean comes racing back.
These guys are teammates,
but you wouldn't think it
by the way
they're racing each other.
It was fun there
for a little bit.
Yeah, it looked like
it was fun.
Pato, we're gonna pit
this lap. Pit this lap.
Newgarden and O'Ward
on pit lane.
Alright, Pato,
nice and easy into our box.
You'll have a clear, and
we are only racing Newgarden
in pit lane right now,
so no need to push here.
Nice and easy.
Three, two, one.
They're going to pit
and try to make this to the end.
Clear. All clear.
All clear. All clear.
"Who is going to win this one?"
is the big question
to be answered.
Alright, Pato,
do what you gotta do.
Do what you've done
really well all day today
and pass your way
back to the front.
Here comes Pato O'Ward
with a monster run.
- I'll get it sorted.
- Let's get it.
Watch out for the ninja.
The man with the fast hands
in IndyCar is on the move.
- Clear. Clear.
- Pato O'Ward in the front.
"I'll pass you. I'll pass you
too while I'm at it. Why not?"
Newgarden is about
to catch Pato O'Ward.
Newgarden behind you.
The two strongest cars all day
run side by side, nose to nose,
with seven to go at the line.
This is just awesome inches
between cars
at 200-plus miles an hour.
Bring it on.
- O'Ward's got a great run.
- He might get to the front.
Four to go. At your bumper.
- They almost hit!
- They almost hit, the front two!
- Josef is still there.
- Still there.
Still there, bud. Two to go.
Both drivers flat out --
Grosjean crashed!
Grosjean!
Romain Grosjean out
for the second race in a row
- in the closing phases.
- Oh. Oh, boy.
[Bleep]
Sorry, guys.
Josef Newgarden is leading
as the yellow comes out
with two to go.
- Yellow. Yellow.
- Guys, that might be the day.
That will be the day.
Every race has a set distance.
So if there is a yellow flag
with only a few laps remaining
and there's not enough time
to have a restart,
once you clock all those laps
out, that's it.
That's the end of the race.
- Follow the leader, my man.
- You are the leader.
[Bleep] yeah, guys.
All you. All [bleep] you guys.
Great job.
Nobody ever wants to see
a race end under yellow,
but a win's a win.
- [Cheering]
- Gonna go to victory lane.
You know the way.
Come on, man!
- Yeah.
- Kick in the balls, my friend.
You had the car to win there.
That's two races in a row
we could have won,
which is a great start
to the year.
We are coming
to the checkered flag.
You'll come to
the checkered flag.
Good job, everyone.
Ugh!
- Let's go!
- Whoo!
- Yeah! Ha-ha!
- So good!
This is a replay of last year.
Josef Newgarden
loves this place,
and he's now
a three-time winner.
Grosjean's had a lot
of wrong place, wrong time
so far this year.
Now, two races in a row
having that kind of pace
but zero results to show for it,
that can start building up
and be frustrating and
may affect future performances.
- The car felt great.
- You did good.
You did what you had to do.
Just
I think Colton can be
relatively happy
with his performance in Texas.
We are in a position that
we probably could have won
one way or another.
So, you never complain.
See you guys.
It was not easy. When the car
needed to be there
Holy [bleep]
When you were coming in,
feeling that heat --
- did a hell of a job.
- The car was fast, too.
- In the high line.
- He could not get by me. Mnh!
They did a great job.
- Great job.
- Thank you.
Good job, man. It was crazy.
- Yeah.
- Dude, they were nuts.
I had a fast car.
- I know. Really good.
- Josef Newgarden,
congratulations
on winning the PPG 375.
[Crowd cheering]
McLaren's confidence as a team
is sky high right now.
They were the story of
qualifying in Texas,
almost won the race,
and that's with two of
their cars out of contention.
I think we've made a statement.
I know we didn't win the race,
but we sure as hell
showed everybody
that we were the class
of the field
together with Josef.
- He needs a hug.
- Yeah, he needs a hug.
Poor baby.
You guys did a marvelous job.
This is the first chance
that we get to see a little bit
of what we're going
to have for Indy.
I like what I see so far.
So, our worst finishing position
this year has been second.
So that's --
I think that's a pretty --
pretty damn good start
to the year,
and on to Long Beach.
There's no doubt
that the people at Penske
are looking over
at what McLaren's doing
and really considering them
a threat.
Arrow McLaren is very close
to Penske and Ganassi.
I don't think it's going to
take much longer
in order
to punch through that wall.
- Pato!
- Pato!
I'm like a dog with a bone.
When I want something,
I make sure that nobody
works harder to get it than me.
When we get that
right opportunity,
we're going to
take advantage of it.
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