I'm frightened.
[Laughter]
I'm so sorry.
It's my first day
in show business.
[Laughter] Hello?
- Have I been queued? Oh.
- Yes.
- I was?
- We can start.
Okay. I need
I need one of these.
- I got you.
- Okay.
♪♪
What you need to understand
about the Indianapolis 500,
there's something about
the place that you notice
when you're on
the starting grid.
It's gonna be a great day.
Nice to be part of history.
You're minutes away
from watching an event
that has been posted
for more than a century
and causes the hair on the back
of your hands to stand up.
♪♪
And then they fire the engines,
and suddenly,
what was an audible,
palpable hum becomes
a violent shriek of thunder.
Drivers, start your engine!
♪♪
- Do a good job.
- Copy that.
That's the Indianapolis 500.
The greatest spectacle
in racing!
The Indianapolis 500
is our Mecca.
It's our Super Bowl.
Indy is one of the greatest
spectacles in all of sport.
This place chooses
the winner every time.
And you got to earn it.
I want to be the guy to beat,
and I want to beat
all the rest of them,
so bring it on.
Marcus Ericsson wins
the Indianapolis 500!
I think this 2023 season
is going to be tough.
Real tough.
For 17 races, we got to go out
and do our jobs.
It's very easy
to doubt yourself, for sure.
We're risking our lives,
but it's what we want to do.
It's what we love.
IndyCar is just so,
so competitive.
If you make one little mistake,
there are 26 other cars
out there,
and they will beat you.
I'll do, like,
anything to win the 500.
We've actually had a very
poor performance
at the Indy 500.
It's unacceptable.
[Engine revs, tires screech]
When I want something,
I make sure that nobody
works harder to get it than me.
It's dangerous, but that's
the thrill of it, as well.
Enh!
[Cheers and applause]
- Let's go, Grosjean.
- Thanks.
The Indy 500 is the one event,
I think, in the world
that can take your name
to an entirely new level.
This is no exaggeration.
If you win the Indianapolis 500,
you're going to be immortal.
[Indistinct conversations]
So cold. [Claps]
- I always suck at that.
- We missed.
- Yeah.
- The Danes missed.
Drivers if I can get
the drivers here
and get you to the ready room
right on the other side
of the stage,
and then they'll call you out
from there.
Thank you all
for being here tonight.
So, the first guy,
one of the fastest guys
in the NTT IndyCar Series,
he's going to be
in victory lane soon,
Christian Lundgaard.
Great for Christian Lundgaard.
Huge congratulations
to Christian Lundgaard
and Rahal Letterman
Lanigan Racing.
[Cheers and applause]
Colton Herta, who's gone
from the kid to the guy
that's leading one of
the best teams in the paddock.
22-year-old Californian
Colton Herta,
one of the young faces
of IndyCar.
Pato O'Ward. Fans love him.
We love him. He loves our sport.
He's super fast.
And one day,
I'm certain his face
will be on
the Borg-Warner Trophy.
Pato O'Ward is back in
the championship mix.
Way to go, boys. Way to go!
There it is, baby.
Checkered flag.
Nice job. Nice job.
And this guy
still dominates today.
He's a two-time
IndyCar champion.
He still wants to win
the Indianapolis 500,
maybe more important
than he wants
to win another championship.
Multi-time winner.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Josef Newgarden.
Yeah! [Shouts]
Here comes Josef Newgarden
on the high side!
- Oh!
- Newgarden on McLaughlin!
Newgarden has done it!
Let's go! Good team!
The one, the only,
the four-time winner,
the only guy in our field
that has a chance to win five
Indianapolis 500s.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Hélio Castroneves.
[Cheers and applause]
Hélio Castroneves
has won the Indianapolis 500!
A three-time Indy 500 champion.
Welcome to the Four-Time Club,
Hélio Castroneves!
[Cheers and applause]
And 100 days out from
defending his championship,
ladies and gentlemen, our 2022
Indianapolis 500 champion
Marcus Ericsson.
[Cheers and applause]
Marcus Ericsson
wins the Indianapolis 500!
You are an Indy 500 champion.
Here he is, everyone
Marcus Ericsson.
Ericsson has won Indy.
I'm gonna start right out
with a question
that really relates to you,
Marcus.
Hélio, I want you to tell Marcus
what he needs to know
to win two in a row. You did it.
What's he have to do
to win again this year?
He's not gonna tell me that.
Why
Why am I gonna tell him that?
[Laughter]
I'm still racing.
- No, I'm not gonna ask him that.
- Okay.
I have to say, he's a
He's okay.
He knows how to do it.
He doesn't need any advice.
I can tell you that.
So, Josef, every year,
is the pressure more
to pick up an Indy 500 win?
We just have to be better
than than what we were
the last two seasons.
There's no doubt about it.
It is so special.
It is so difficult.
You know, you get
You get one chance every year
to win this race, and hopefully
we'll have a good shot this year
to to to be up there
with these guys.
And let's hear it
for all these guys
for spending time
with us tonight.
100 days to
the Indianapolis 500.
- Yeah!
- Whoo!
There you go.
♪♪
When you're in IndyCar,
you know, living and breathing
the Indianapolis 500 is a big
part of the whole equation.
The 500 always comes first.
♪♪
We've actually had a very poor
performance at the Indy 500
the last two seasons,
which for us at Team Penske
is just it's unacceptable.
♪♪
You know, growing up
playing baseball, basketball.
My life really shifted
when I was 13.
I just started racing karts.
Then, you know, my life really
became consumed with racing.
Oh, yeah. I know what's next.
♪♪
I've done this 11 years now,
as far as racing IndyCar
full-time.
So this is going to be
my 12th attempt
at trying to win
the Indianapolis 500.
It's absolutely a year where
we've got to turn that around.
We all know it,
and we all want it.
♪♪
He's being cool with you guys.
Who are these people?
Who are these people, dude?
I struggle to leave the
professional side at the track.
If it wasn't for having
a family, it wasn't
especially now having Kota,
my young son,
like, I just would not stop
thinking about racing.
It's It consumes me.
Oh, is this
But this is your thing?
Um yeah.
So, you pop that over
Like, you literally
You pour it in into here?
Yeah.
You want to be the brave one?
- Oh. Okay, I'll try.
- You waste it,
then it's your fault. [Laughs]
- Oh.
- [Chuckles]
- Oh, beautiful.
- It's fine.
It's going just fine.
I met Josef.
I was working at Disney World,
actually, funny enough.
I was in entertainment,
so I was a princess.
I was trying to stay
in character,
but we were flirting
back and forth, and I left.
And then, all of a sudden,
the waiter came
and gave me an e-mail address.
Who leaves an e-mail address?
And come to find out
it was his dad
that left the e-mail address
because he could tell
that Josef had, like,
a little crush on me.
So, he was our wingman.
Yep. [Laughs]
I'm gonna try and see
if he's hungry.
Yeah.
Ash, you should just see
He's just kicking his legs.
Josef is very dedicated,
very serious.
But he's also
He has this flip side
of being
incredibly silly and goofy.
[Gasps] Get over here.
He's definitely gonna be
the fun parent as a dad.
[Laughs]
Yeah.
You know, you hear
all these things
about being a parent
for the first time,
and it's it's just impossible
to understand it
until you do it.
You know, there's people,
I think, in sports
that that think you slow down
or that things change,
and and it hasn't.
And nothing negative
has been noticeable to me.
Dun dun, dun dun, dun ♪
- Have you tried it?
- No. That's all you, dude.
I don't know.
It tastes like wine, yeah.
It's kind of how I feel.
I definitely get nervous
watching him race.
I think it's terrifying.
I want a lot more out of life.
I mean, I I want to expand
our family even more,
but I also want him
to extract everything
that he can
from his career, too.
There will be a point in time
when this is not all-consuming
and this is not everything
he thinks about.
- But for right now, it is.
- Wah!
Has he ever talked
to you about the 500?
He's definitely talked to me
about the 500.
[Chuckles]
They always say it's like
the monkey on the back.
Every year that goes by,
it just gets a little
Just stings
a little more every time.
He's very passionate
about it, but
I think his time
is going to come soon.
But [Chuckles]
[Gasps]
The star of the show.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
The IndyCar season really
starts at the thermal test.
It's kind of like
the first day of school.
Everyone's back
from their winter vacations.
It's time to get back to work.
Testing is just practice.
They only get three days
of testing
from the end of last season
to the beginning
of the next season.
It's crazy.
You probably don't need
that much, but
[Laughs]
[Machines whirring]
- My man. Let's go, man.
- How are you?
- You good?
- Good.
Ready?
♪♪
You know, it's kind of
like first day back at school.
Everyone kind of excited
to be back.
A lot of us are friends,
but we all want to beat
each other
at the end of the day.
So it's kind of
an awkward thing at times
where you want to hang out,
but you also want
to kick each other's butts.
- Isn't that right, Pato?
- Kick each other's butts?
Kick each other's butts.
[Laughter]
Kick each other's butts.
Like this kid.
- And you. You've been pumping?
- Yeah, man.
I'm too big right now.
I got to lose some weight.
- 180?
- Yeah, like too much muscle.
What a guy.
See you out there.
♪♪
Three, two, one.
Track is clear. Track is clear.
♪♪
The test of thermal is
the only time
before the season starts
where all the drivers
are going to be on track
at the same time.
So it's the first look
into sort of where you rank
and where you stack up.
And we are red flag.
We are red flag.
- I can taste your spin.
- [Bleep] I was like
I think I swallowed like
a whole sand castle.
- You alright, though?
- Yeah. I'm good.
I got the front in place.
But it's it's probably
how they're doing this pit.
No way you get it squared.
Alright. Lots of work to do.
IndyCar's goal
is competitive balance.
But the last decade
of this sport,
two teams far and away have been
the best at doing it
Team Penske
and Chip Ganassi Racing.
John Sullivan III
has won the Indianapolis 500!
Roger Penske, now is the time
to celebrate.
Scott Dixon with a win
at the Indianapolis 500!
Chip Ganassi headed
to Victory Lane.
There's more than
a dozen IndyCar teams,
but the lion's share of
the winning goes to Team Penske
- and Chip Ganassi Racing.
- The party is on
- for Team Penske.
- Team Penske has 18 500 wins.
Chip Ganassi is a winner.
Chip Ganassi
has 5 Indy 500 wins.
Every year, you know
who the top two teams are.
♪♪
Chip Ganassi Racing
Their top unquestioned driver,
Scott Dixon,
also their teammate Alex Palou,
and then you've got
Marcus Ericsson,
someone who's
incredibly consistent, reliable,
and he won
the Indianapolis 500 last year.
It's true.
[Laughs]
They're 100% going to use that
on the documentary.
One of the biggest dreams
and goals I've had
is winning the Indy 500.
It's the biggest race
in the world.
There's nothing like it.
So it sort of puts all the work
and all the sacrifice
that you put in your life
for this
it's all worth it winning
a race like that.
Marcus Ericsson wins
the Indianapolis 500!
Such a cool moment for a driver.
The coolest one you can have.
[Cheers and applause]
It's really, really special
to win the Indianapolis 500.
It's really why we're here.
You know, that's why
they call it IndyCar racing.
So that's the race
you want to win.
Okay, Marcus, It's a great
left there, mate. Great job.
I've really been disappointed,
you know, with our performance
the last three years
when you win like we have.
On one hand,
we win the championship.
We won 9 races in 2022 and
didn't win the Indianapolis 500.
To me, it's not about
are we going to win,
it's how we're going to win
and we got to execute.
We have two dominant teams.
And why is that?
Well, I will say
it starts with money.
In racing, you will
find a way to spend
every dollar you have.
Bigger budgets just mean you can
spend more money on people,
getting the best drivers
Engineers, mechanics.
You know, the smaller teams,
they're always
trying to improve,
catch up to the teams
in front of them.
Andretti Autosport,
they're always
knocking on the door.
McLaren's really come on strong.
There's a lot expected of
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
this year.
If you're a Penske,
if you're a Ganassi,
you're showing up and the
target's already on your back.
On the Penske Racing team,
you've got the reigning champion
Will Power.
Josef Newgarden.
He's a two-time champion.
A good starting point.
Yeah, a really good
starting point.
He's hungrier than ever.
And Scott McLaughlin, who's been
on a crazy upward trajectory
since he joined the
IndyCar Series two years ago.
People are expecting
big things in year three.
My wife would k*ll me how,
uh dirty it is.
I just throw things in my bag
and I worry about the creases
or, like, the iron one day
or whatever.
Everyone wants to be
in a Penske car,
but there's only three drivers
to get them and I'm one of them.
Team Penske is the Yankees.
Let's say the Boston Red Sox
are probably Ganassi.
Penske and Ganassi in IndyCar
have been going against
each other for years.
It's competitive.
I don't care who I beat.
I just want to beat every
[bleep] out there.
[Laughs] So I don't care.
[Laughs]
Yeah.
Oh. Better turn the car off.
[Chuckles]
♪♪
I'll do, like, anything to win
the 500 with this car
and that
It would, like, make my life.
Now in my third year, I feel
really comfortable
with where I'm at.
My third Indy 500.
I know what it's about.
You know, hopefully we can
turn that vision into a reality.
It stinks in here.
You should've shut the door.
It stinks.
You guys smell like [bleep].
- [Indistinct]
- It probably is Josef.
He's a stinky boy.
- [Laughter]
- That's true.
- That's true.
- Yuck, dude.
I need to get out there.
Stop being a wuss, man.
I wanna go down slight heater
this morning.
Copy. Heater. Cool.
- Let's go.
- Let's go.
Let's go! Thirsty Threes.
Thirsty threes!
We call ourselves
the Thirsty Threes.
- What's up, America?
- [Laughs]
We're just thirsty for wins.
And when we win, we get beer.
Donuts. [Laughter]
See, that's the mentality
of this crew. No dramas.
We have a We have a blast.
We have a blast.
[Engine revving]
Scott McLaughlin came to IndyCar
with no experience
in any car like this before.
He was driving closer
to a stock car in V8 Supercars.
The first couple of races,
a-as you might expect,
it was a little bit difficult.
But last year the light came on
and it was, "Oh.
This guy is pretty good."
From pole to Victory Lane!
Scott McLaughlin does it!
- Got the win.
- [Cheers]
He won the first race
of the year at St. Petersburg.
We won. Oh, my God, boys.
We won.
He has to be one of the best
race car drivers in the world
to be able to take up
an entirely new discipline
and basically figure it out
in about a year and a half.
McLaughlin very much will be
in the mix for the Indy 500.
I think we're in a good spot.
Like, I feel really good.
Fit, you know, and then smash it
and come St. Pete.
Hopefully "doub" up a little
bit. Like, try
Hopefully we go back to back.
There's nothing stopping us
from having a good season.
We've just got to focus
on our stuff,
dot our I's, cross our T's,
and at the end of it
hopefully, we're
We're kissing the trophy.
[Machines whirring]
♪♪
So, let's keep the intro
somewhat concise,
like two minutes,
something like that.
This is what happens.
I talk. I just ramble.
Well, Scott has so many
good things to say
that unfortunately we just
We keep talking.
- Yeah.
- And it's great.
- Do we have the same sunnies on?
- No, no, no, no, no.
They're different. We're going
to talk about that, too.
[Machine whirring loudly]
Wait. Can you keep that
on the whole time?
- That'd be great.
- [Chuckles]
- They're pumping [bleep].
- [Bleeping]
That's what he thinks
of our show.
Well, we're going to be tasting
[bleep] this whole show.
Smells bad!
Hey, everybody,
welcome back to Bus Bros.
It is our first IndyCar weekend.
Very excited to be here.
Technically, Bus Bros number one
for the season,
for the IndyCar season,
and if you look at the end
of the season
Josef, pretty cool
to be his teammate.
We have a YouTube
series together.
We have a lot of fun together,
quite good friends.
He's my Bus Bro.
Bus Bros!
I have a great relationship
with Scott.
It's a very
conflicting relationship.
Do you guys like cows?
[Eagle cries]
I enjoy him. He's a good friend.
But I want to beat him
more than anything.
I know he's the same way.
What about Scott McLaughlin?
- You like him?
- Never heard of him.
Never heard of him?
Why does no one know you?
This competitive nature
between us?
Not only us, but our whole team.
- The greatest day of my life.
- It only took half a year.
This hatred to losing to them.
I have to beat them.
What is that? A baseball mitt?
Oh, it's a it's a shell.
Are they clams?
Are they steamed clams?
Josef Newgarden wants
to beat everyone.
He particularly does not like it
when it's his teammates
beating him.
- Chowder.
- Yes!
- Yes! Super!
- So I asked Josef.
I said, "Well,
what are you going to do
when Scott starts
challenging you each week?"
And Josef's like,
"That's a great question.
I'm probably going
to break his leg."
You know, he was joking,
but the reality is,
I wonder how that friendship is
going to withstand the rivalry
that is going to develop out of
both of their fierce desire
to win races
and win the championship.
- Good to be back.
- We're back, baby.
- We'll see you on the next one.
- St. Pete. St. Pete, come at us.
- Bus Bros.
- Bus Bros.
Perfect.
It still stinks like [bleep].
[Laughs] Oh.
♪♪
♪♪
- Thank you so much. Good luck.
- Thank you.
[Indistinct]
[Laughter]
St. Pete is one of the best
places you could start a season.
It's just got such
a cool atmosphere,
such a cool energy to it.
You want to make sure
that you're bringing your A-game
and that you can compete
at the front
and stay at the front
all season long.
♪♪
Typical race weekend
is usually a four-day affair.
So you'll go in on a Thursday.
You'll do a track walk.
You'll do engineering debriefs
with your team,
make sure everybody's
on the same page
for what the plan
is for the weekend.
Friday's
your first day on track.
There's a laundry list of things
that the teams want to test,
a laundry list of things
the driver wants to practice
to try and improve on
to make sure
that you can have the best car
when it comes to qualifying.
Saturday, all you're thinking
about is speed
because that's when
we're going to do qualifying.
That's what's going to set
the grid for the race on Sunday,
which is the big day,
and it usually brings
some action.
♪♪
We're in a good spot. We had
a really good practice session.
Nothing to worry about.
I think we got the speed.
There's spots where I missed
and it could be better tomorrow
for qualifying
because tomorrow
is, like, money day, so
I feel good.
But I could be paying the price
for saying that now.
But anyway
I'll I'll do this every
every race and every driver,
honestly.
Every driver down here
will be doing
exactly the same thing.
Maybe not next to a barbecue.
[Sizzling]
- That looks good, J. Oh, my gosh.
- Looks good, right?
Oh, yeah.
We've started a thing this year.
We're going to call it
Taco Fridays.
Because I've had I've had
my weigh in today.
- I weighed in good.
- That's good.
Yeah, it's good because
I was a bit worried
halfway through the off season,
- and now I'm back.
- That's right.
Just a few more onions.
We're a big onion family.
You also need some
rosé while you cook.
- Definitely.
- [Sighs] Right, Mother?
[Chuckles]
Me and my wife, Karly, we met
in Vegas at of all places.
I was hell bent on just
having a a boys weekend,
having fun doing the things.
And I met Karly
the very first night.
I didn't leave her sight
and she didn't leave mine
for a good four and a half days.
[Sizzling]
What is on your head?
Oh, my God.
[Indistinct]
How are you supposed to see
the meat if you're not cooking?
- It's all done.
- I love it.
You know, my father-in-law,
my mother-in-law,
they are invested
and love the sport.
I've never even thought
of watching racing.
Oh, my God,
my son-in-law's a racecar driver
- and an excellent one at that.
- I couldn't be more blessed.
I mean, honestly, could be
champion of the world someday.
For me to be able
to have a family here
as well as overseas
is a pretty cool thing.
- Are we doing this?
- Come on, babe.
Alright, Dad,
thank you for cooking
- a beautiful meal.
- My pleasure.
- Cheers to a repeat in St. Pete.
- To a safe and happy, uh
- Repeat in St. Pete.
- Repeat in St. Pete.
To a successful weekend.
Repeat in St. Pete.
- Yeah.
- Love that.
Yeah. Love that.
[Birds cawing]
I'm so starving, actually.
- What are we having then?
- We're always sharing.
But you can choose.
No, but I just think
I really want this one.
The egg breakfast.
- Yeah.
- Yeah, it should be good.
St. Pete is always special.
It's almost like
there's something in the air
being the first race
of the season.
It have that sort of feeling,
all the drivers and teams,
that this is a new season.
Everyone is super excited.
How's it look?
Looks very good.
Being the Indy 500 champion,
I'm super motivated and focused,
and it's important
to start off strong,
so we need to have a good
St. Pete, no doubt about that.
Since he won the Indy 500,
I think he's annoyed
when you start saying,
"Oh, the championship
contenders this year
are Scott Dixon
and Scott McLaughlin
and Josef Newgarden
and Will Power"
and you never say
Marcus Ericsson.
And he's very much
aware of that.
I don't think I know
that Marcus Ericsson
has got a chip on his shoulder
about "why am I never part
of the conversation?"
On a beautifully warm
and somewhat windy Saturday,
cars are rolling.
Welcome to go-fast day.
Saturday is
a very important day,
and that's when the pressure
is really on for the first time.
The Indianapolis 500 winner
of 2022.
This should be a good lap.
He's flying.
Well, that's very good
for Marcus Ericsson
And the top Chip Ganassi
Racing entry.
Nice work. We'll be P4.
Qualifying is what sets the
grid for the race on Sunday.
Fastest car starts up front,
slowest car starts at the back.
So being able to execute on the
day is just so, so challenging.
- Kyle Kirkwood.
- He's not out of stickers.
He's out of qualifying.
- Sorry, I hit the wall.
- That's a bummer.
It is all over for the driver
of the AutoNation Honda.
You have to execute absolutely
every time you're on track.
If you make one little mistake
or one thing's not perfect,
there are 26 other cars
out there
that are going to do it right,
or one of them
is going to do it right
and they will beat you.
♪♪
Like last year,
I think Team Penske
is still the benchmark
for durability over a stint.
[Engine revving]
Newgarden on a lap presently.
Not a particularly good
one though, guys.
I've got to go quicker.
[Bleep]
Nothing frustrates
Josef Newgarden
more than what has
just transpired in qualifying
when he doesn't achieve
what he feels he should.
Frustration to start the season.
Could this man here,
Scott McLaughlin,
defend his pole of a year ago?
[Indistinct]
Let's go get pole. Come on.
Let's go get poles.
[Engine revving]
Okay. You're good to go
as hard as you want now.
♪♪
Now we're starting to see
the fast laps kick in here
as they build the speed.
♪♪
Oh! McLaughlin!
♪♪
- Sorry, boys.
- Scott McLaughlin
will be relegated to fifth.
- Just a tough break.
- [Bleep]
Wow.
What caused the off
from your perspective?
Just a driver screw up.
[Chuckles] Yeah, I just
I knew I was close to the wall
at nine, and I'm like,
"Maybe I should
bring it back a little bit."
And then I went
into the turn very hard,
and then I just charged through
the last corner and spun out.
- So anyway, she's all good.
- We'll see you tomorrow.
Cheers, man. Thanks.
Go, Scotty!
[Engine revving]
Look at this. Romain Grosjean.
Does he go to the top?
You betcha he does.
Nice job, buddy. Nice job.
P1 right now.
Look at Romain Grosjean.
He's thrilled.
The first NTT P1 Award winner
for 2023.
Man, what a great start to
the season for Romain Grosjean,
starting on pole position
here in St. Pete.
Alright.
Let's bring in Marcus now.
Good start for you
for the season.
Very good start.
We worked really hard
in the off season
on the setup, trying
to be better prepared
for for qualifying.
And, uh, I think that
really shows today
and I'm extremely happy with P4.
We can definitely win
from there.
[Men chanting indistinctly]
[Cheering]
I didn't need to do that.
I didn't need to do that.
I didn't [bleep]
need to do that.
[Indistinct]
You deserve a pole, though.
- Sorry.
- No, no. We're good. We're good.
You're right.
We're shaping up for
a phenomenal race tomorrow.
Nobody can top
Andretti Autosport so far.
We're good.
We'll get them tomorrow.
Get your sleep because
you're going to need it.
Tomorrow is going
to be a big day.
Tampa Bay is sparkling
as much as the tens
of thousands of fans.
What an ideal spot
for the season opener.
♪♪
Team Penske
and Chip Ganassi Racing.
If you're not part
of those two organizations,
you're trying to stop
their stranglehold
on this championship.
[Men chanting indistinctly]
- Instagram.
- Yeah, we're sorry.
Every single race on
the schedule counts in IndyCar.
There aren't enough.
Yeah. We gotta get going.
I'm locked in. We're good.
[Indistinct] this morning.
There's a lot
of cool storylines,
but generally speaking,
they emerge.
It's really about waiting to see
what those storylines are,
who's going to stand out,
what teams are going
to be really fast
and who's going to come in
and surprise us all.
[Jet engines roaring]
Get up in on that tape there.
Athlete.
Drivers to your cars,
drivers to your cars.
[Cheers and applause]
This is one of the beautiful
things about this sport.
You have the highest life form
on the planet
operating the most
technically advanced
bit of transportation equipment
on the planet.
♪♪
Before you start the race,
if you're not nervous,
that's a bad thing
because I think
when you're nervous,
you know that your senses
are are heightened
and you're ready to go.
The race is where
the money's made.
You know, a lot of people,
they can crack
- under that pressure.
- You know what we're trying
to do here
to start this thing off?
- You do you.
- There's no reason
we can't run this race, man.
You make 1,000 decisions
in a race,
and if you make one wrong
decision, that's your day done.
You've got to be perfect
across the board.
We are about to go
racing here in St. Pete.
Oh, what a long off season
it has been.
[Engines revving]
It's ready to go
for a new racing season
here in St. Pete.
- Get ready for the start.
- Green, green.
♪♪
- Grosjean launches!
- That's what you want.
Try to get clear of all those
animals coming from behind.
- They're filing through.
- Oh!
So many problems. And contact
already for a McLaren.
- Oh, my goodness.
- Oh.
Crashing.
- The track is total chaos.
- Whoa!
[Indistinct] Multiple cars.
[Indistinct]
It's behind you.
Big crash behind you.
Do you see the red flag?
That's the right call.
They'll pull all the cars
into pit lane.
Holy [bleep]. That was bad.
Are they okay?
Yeah. Just a lot of debris
and stuff.
There's the 06 of Hélio
Castroneves climbing out.
Thank goodness Devlin
DeFrancesco got out okay.
The most savage crash.
Watch Devlin DeFrancesco
get launched. That was violent.
I've never seen a hit
quite like that.
♪♪
We get back to a happier story,
and that involves the Frenchman,
Romain Grosjean,
- leading the way.
- Good job on pace.
Just keep doing
what you're doing.
Go, go, go, go, go,
go, go, go, go.
Way back,
Josef Newgarden now in 16th.
Now it will be fun to watch
Josef Newgarden try
and cut his way up through
the field from down in 16th.
We're going to catch that pack,
but we just got to make sure
we can go another lap or so.
Scott McLaughlin,
he wants to vehemently defend
his victory of a year ago.
You were the second
quickest car last lap.
- McLaughlin on the charge.
- Here he comes.
Here comes
the defending race winner.
Go by. Go by.
Hard as you can go.
Everything starting to
fall into play
for our defending race winner.
You're doing fantastic.
♪♪
It doesn't really
get easier being the wife.
I mean, you always worry
about their safety,
but I'm more so just worried
for him to do well just for him.
I want him to be happy
with himself.
But I'm very you know,
I believe in his capability.
The beginnings of the races
are always the hardest,
but during it, you know,
alcohol definitely helps.
[Laughs] And, yeah.
And my friends
definitely helped, too,
and my mom being here.
It's you try
and distract yourself
as much as possible
and then just see what happens.
This is a great drive
from Scott McLaughlin
- doing exactly what he has to do.
- Oh!
That's McLaughlin
and Romain Grosjean.
Grosjean's going to have to go
for the move here.
McLaughlin
won't let him through!
Scott McLaughlin out front.
Do you think
that Scott McLaughlin
wants to defend his win
from a year ago?
- You betcha.
- Just keep doing
what you're doing.
You are the leader.
Okay.
This is the year
where I think you're going
to see Scott McLaughlin
go to an even higher level.
♪♪
[Indistinct] Oh!
We've got a car up and over!
Huge accident.
♪♪
Ahh!
I'm okay, but car is not.
There has been so much
transpire here
on the streets of St. Pete
and we're not
even halfway through.
Grosjean to start
putting some moves
potentially on Scott McLaughlin.
Keep pushing him.
Pit this lap. Pit this lap.
Here comes Scott McLaughlin.
It should be
a relatively quick fuel.
Three, two, one.
The pressure's
on the Thirsty Threes.
Grosjean is over into turn 10.
- Let's go.
- Okay, wide open.
You're probably going
to meet Grosjean here.
This is the race.
Hard as we can go here.
- There's Grosjean!
- There's Grosjean, turn one.
Look at the yellow car.
There's McLaughlin on the right!
Exit. You see him.
There at speed!
They may come together!
- Whoa!
- McLaughlin holds the lead!
This is now basically
a straight up fight.
Push like hell. Push like hell.
- [Indistinct]
- Grosjean goes to the outside
and on the preferred line.
Is it possible?
- No, it's not!
- Contact!
It ends in both of them
crashing!
And the w*r goes through.
Pato O'Ward to the front.
- Damn it!
- I'm sorry.
[Indistinct]
Can you believe what you've
just seen here in St. Pete?
- Oh, my goodness!
- [Indistinct]
Scott McLaughlin
in a DEX Imaging Chevy
leads the way over
Romain Grosjean.
- Oh, my God! Oh [bleep]!
- No!
The top two in this race are
into the tire barrier!
Neither willing to relinquish
that top spot.
[Indistinct]
Look at the disappointment,
both of them having
such a strong day.
Devastating result.
Romain Grosjean there,
and just look
at the frustration.
I apologize.
I mean, I raced hard.
I always race clean,
and I feel like today
it's not a testament
to how I race.
But, yeah, I just
I will go see
See Romain, apologize, at least
have a chat, man to man,
and try and get over this.
You have the field, my friend.
Car number five, Pato O'Ward
looking for career win
with number five.
But he's got to hold off
Marcus Ericsson.
Just keep doing
what you're doing, man.
Marcus Ericsson,
he is hunting him down.
Hey, Marcus, be smart here.
He's starting to use
his overtake.
You're faster than Pato.
Keep it up.
- Oh!
- Trouble for Josef Newgarden.
- Big fire.
- Huge fire on the left rear.
You got a fire
in the left side there.
Fire in the left side there.
- That is not a great sign.
- No!
I mean, he's out fast.
Fire extinguishers ready.
Go ahead and shut it off.
Shut it off.
Penske crew looking after
Josef Newgarden and that fire.
What a shame.
His day's coming to an end.
Not going Team Penske's way
today.
We look okay right now.
Just keep trucking.
Pace is very good.
0.2 quicker Ward
Pato O'Ward, Marcus Ericsson.
Just four laps left.
It is tight. Just half a second.
Setting up for another
nail-biting finish here
at the Grand Prix at
St. Petersburg.
- Keep pushing Pato.
- Yep. Go back.
Oh, there's a problem!
There's something wrong
with him!
And the lead now has gone to
Marcus Ericsson!
Oh, yeah!
- O'Ward furious.
- [Bleep]
[Indistinct]
And just a small
little issue there
cost Pato O'Ward the lead
of the race with two laps to go.
Okay, Marcus.
The push, push, push.
Everything you got.
Can Marcus Ericsson, the Indy
500 winner of a year ago,
guide Chip's team to victory
here in Florida?
Gap to award 1.5 white flag.
Bring it home.
And on
a chaotic day by the water
with the boats in view,
it's been a steady hand
on the tiller for Ericsson.
- Checkered flag.
- Marcus Ericsson
in the Huski Chocolate Honda
is a winner again,
but this time on the streets
of St. Petersburg!
Delivers Chip Ganassi the first
victory of a new season!
[Cheering]
Hell of a drive.
Way to get this thing started.
Let's go!
Yes!
[Cheers and applause]
The sneaky Swede did it again.
How about that?
[Cheers and applause]
[Men chanting indistinctly]
♪♪
- How about that, girl?
- Oh! Yeah!
[Indistinct cheering]
How about it? Very good, huh?
And we just got wheel
to wheel, and I apologize.
- Yeah. I'm sorry.
- Thanks for coming.
Yeah. You know, I don't race
like that, so
I know you don't.
All good.
[Cheering]
- Get up. Get up.
- Great job.
[Cheers and applause]
You got robbed.
You got robbed, man.
- Next time, man.
- Yeah, it was a disappointment.
Things just didn't go our way,
especially after I crashed.
That sucked.
Going for the win.
That's a win right there.
That's what we want.
We want you doing that, man.
We don't want somebody
to come back out of [bleep].
You didn't back out of [bleep].
You know, you just
go back to work.
You work together.
You just get going.
And there's a whole heap
of determination right now
to make sure
that we don't repeat that again.
Let's welcome our race
winner, Marcus Ericsson!
[Cheers and applause]
St. Pete showed
that the competition is fierce.
It is very, very fierce.
And it's not just fierce
to win the Indy 500.
- It's fierce to win every race.
- Bad day. Sucks.
Alright, brother.
I regret the outcome,
but I don't regret the chance.
- Yeah. Thanks, Ma.
- You approve?
This is the stuff
people want to see.
I think it's going to be
a good season
because I do believe
Penske and Ganassi
are going to be challenged.
We showed that it wasn't ready.
We're going to be
We're going to be up there.
People want to beat me.
But I like that, to be honest.
You know, I want to be
the guy to beat.
I'm just ready for it.
Bring it on.
♪♪
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01x01 - Crowded at the Top
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American sport television docuseries about the IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis 500 automobile race.
American sport television docuseries about the IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis 500 automobile race.