02x01 - Show Me the Money

[bunniefuu]

[Marcus]: I felt very confident
going into the fire,

and last year,
I felt like I knew how

I had to drive the race to put
myself in a position to win.

But then, you know, the
speedway always lives its own life.

You know, I felt like
I had the race one there.

We are racing in front of
the biggest crowd in sports.

We want to create excitement.

[announcer]: The greatest
spectacle in racing!

[Marcus]: But at the end
of the day, it is a sport.

And I felt we were dancing
on that line

between sports
and entertainment.

And in my world,
we maybe went over that line.

It still frustrates me
thinking about it.

[announcer]:
It's time to bring the action

at the Indianapolis 500!

All kinds of action in the pack.
What's gonna happen now?

Can Marcus Ericsson defend
his victory of a year ago?

[tense music]

Oh, unlucky!

I don't know if there's enough
time for a red flag.

I think we have a back-to-back
Indy 500 winner.

[crowd clamouring]

[announcers]: Another red flag.
I stand corrected.

Oh, my goodness!

Marcus Ericsson, the defending
champ in front at the red.

[James]:
Last year, the Indy 500.

That race ended in
one of the craziest fashions

I think we've ever seen.

Coming out of the pit,
straight to the green flag,

one lap to settle the biggest
race in the world.

It was insane.

[announcer]: Green flag
flies on the speedway!

[announcer]: Are we seeing a
special piece of history unfold here?

Newgarden with a monster
run off, Turn 2!

- [radio]: Clear, clear, clear.
- [announcer]: And he's ahead!

Josef Newgarden is

taking the lead at
the Indianapolis 500.

Is this the moment
when the pain ends?

Or does Marcus Ericsson
have something?

It's Josef Newgarden! Finally
wins the Indianapolis 500!

[crowd cheering]

[Josef]: Ah, finally!

[James]: The whole saying
of Indy chooses the winner,

every driver
that has competed there,

I think feels that
to a certain extent.

- [announcer]: Felix in the wall!
- [Felix]: I think last year,

we were the ones to beat

and it turned so quickly and it
was just a big kick in the nuts.

[announcer]: Oh, no!
Kirkwood upside down!

[Kyle]: We had an amazing shot.

Up until we were upside down,
sliding on our heads.

When I came out of the pits,
I said, "I'm [beep] winning."

Well, it didn't end very nicely,
I can tell you that.

[announcer]: Pato O'Ward
has crashed out

on the Indianapolis 500!

[Alex]: I had everything
I needed to win the race,

but it's the only race
that I know

it's probably not in
our hands to win it.

[announcer]: Palou just
got hit by Rinus VeeKay.

Are you kidding me?

I think every driver
goes into the 500

with the belief that they have
a shot to win that race.

[Alex]: You can be very pissed
because you were really close

and you feel that
it's not right.

[Felix]: I had
the best car in the 500.

Yeah, that's how it was.

I had the car
to win that race.

Good. Show me the ring.

[dramatic music]

You know, I'm sorry.

I wish I could be more
generous about this.

[lady]: Here's to Scotty
winning the 500!

[cheering]

[Letterman]: It's 500 miles.

It's cars going


on a two and a half mile
asphalt track.

If you're expecting everything
to go your way

despite your best efforts, then,
you know, pick another sport.

[birds chirping]

[Ashley]: Go find Dada!

[gasps]
What is that?

What's this?

Is this a car?

You want to sit on here?

Well, we finally won
the Indy 500.

I've been there 12 years

and it took 12 attempts
to finally win the race.

Kota, can you put
your feet up here?

Oh, we're definitely getting it.

[both gasp]

[Ashley]: I think when
he crossed the finish line,

I was so relieved after
so many years of heartbreak.

- He'd finally done it.
- Listen to Dad. Go here.

[Ashley]: Oh, look!

[Josef]: Look, if I was Marcus,
I would be pissed too.

Him being pissed off
about it is totally...

It's understandable.

Whoa!

- Car.
- Car.

[Ashley]: Car!
Do you want to go fast?

Beep beep.

- Beep beep!
- Beep beep!

You know, we had a right

to have the opportunity
to win that race.

And I think we won
in a fair way. I really do.

- Push it.
- Push!

- [Josef]: Whoa.
- [Ashley chuckles]

Whoo!

Go fast! Go fast!

[Kevin]: One word to describe
last year's Indy 500?

Controversial.

The crash on lap 196.
Four laps to go.

[announcer]:
That's probably going to be it.

Marcus Ericsson is credited
with leading at the moment

with four laps to go, guys.

I think we have a back-to-back
Indy 500 winner.

[Kevin]: You're thinking
if the race goes caution,

the race is over.
And when the yellow came out,

Marcus Ericsson thought
he had won the Indy 500

for the second straight year.

[announcers]: Another red flag.

- I stand corrected.
- Oh, my goodness!

Oh, and look
at the Chip Ganassi squad.

They can't believe it.

[Kevin]: But they decide
to red flag it again.

That leads to the unprecedented
one lap dash to the finish.

[announcer]:
They will come off pit lane,

go down the back straightaway

and take the green for one lap.

Okay. There's a, there's
a lot of issues with this.

[Scott]: Even though
I've raced here for, you know,

I don't know, 23 or 24 years,

that was the first time
I'd seen a finish like that.

[announcer]: After 199 laps,

it's going to come down to one,
a sprint to the finish.

[Christian]: I understand
that they want to finish

on the green, but I think
how IndyCar ended the race,

I don't think was the right way.

[crowd cheering]

[announcer]:
Marcus Ericsson in the lead.

Here comes Newgarden,
making a run.

Josef Newgarden has the lead.

[Kevin]: The rules of the rules,
the scenario is what it is.

Josef Newgarden earned this one.

[announcer]: Josef Newgarden
wins the Indianapolis 500!

[Alex]: Josef, I think
he deserved the win.

They had the car and he did
everything he could to win, and he won it.

[announcer]: Finally!
Newgarden is an Indy 500 champ!

[screeching]

[Jenna]: I think that Marcus
losing the Indy 500,

I think he was pretty bummed
the way that the race ended.

I think he didn't think
it was fair.

I think that he disputed that

that's the way that it was done.

- It's a [beep] set up!
- [beep]

[Alex]: If I was Marcus,

I would be very pissed
personally.

In my opinion,
Marcus won the 2023 Indy 500.

[announcer]: When it finally
really, really mattered,

this guy right here grabbed
the brass ring and took it home.

[Kevin]: I'd be interested,

sitting in this chair,
what Marcus says.

[Marcus]: They used to think
the way we sort of

change things up
for the first time

in 100 plus years of history.

For me, that's the one that's
like hard to swallow

and hard to get over
because I think, you know,

if that race would've been
called like it's done

for over 100 years,
I would be sitting here

as a two-time back-to-back


[Boisson]: So this part
of the shop is basically

where all the trucks
and pit stop practise.

This is where the guys,
you know, spend enough time

practising pit stop.
Like I said, we talked before...

[Marcus]: I think the end
of the season was just a bit

disappointing for me in general.
I didn't really finish off strong.

Do I want more? Yes. You know,
I was in a contract year

and I was, you know, focusing

and thinking a lot
about my future.

You know, Ganassi had the chance,
but they didn't really take that chance

to sign me up and then
was sort of waiting it out.

And then Ganassi came with
an offer, and a good offer.

But at that point, my mind was
already sort of set on Andretti.

Looking good.

[Jack]:
Andretti took Marcus Ericsson

from Chip Ganassi Racing,
the 2022 Indy 500 winner.

It's a massive story that
they've signed

an Indy 500 winner again.

It's been so long since
Andretti has won an Indy 500,

he can really make an impact
in this team.

[Marcus]: I wouldn't have
changed if I didn't believe that

we were capable of challenging
and beating Ganassi and Penske.

We're making all the stuff
needed to do that.

But yeah, it's gonna require
a lot of hard work

and that's what we need
to focus on.

Every season, at the end
of the season,

I give my engineers a helmet
if they do a good job.

- So no pressure, no pressure.
- Pressure's on!

- No pressure.
- I have to work pretty hard.

And now I know which one
you prefer, so yeah.

[laughing]
You better do a good job.

- You might have it at home.
- Alright, alright, alright.

That's a deal. I'll make sure
we win all three seasons.

Good motivation here,
you know? Yeah.

Once you win the 500,
then I know I'm gonna get

- the helmet later.
- Yeah. Okay.

- Boisson]: You'll be alright.
- [Marcus]: Deal. Deal.

[Boisson laughs]

[pensive music]

And the banana pancake
is a freestyle recipe.

- Banana, protein powder...
- [Iris chuckles]

...some eggs.

But I think I need
some cinnamon.

A lot of things happening
on a personal level.

Buying a house and all that.

So it's been... yeah.
It's been a year with

a lot of things happening,

but all in a very,
very positive way.

[Iris]: Marcus Ericsson's
protein pancakes.

[Marcus]: Yeah, I'm
a bit worried about this...

[Iris]: You're worried
about a lot, I have to say.

Do you wanna...?
You can use this pan.

Do you want to use this one?

[Marcus]: For me it was
very clear when I met Iris

and started to, you know,
be in a relationship with her,

my career really changed.

I became a different driver,
I think.

And this is performing
on a higher level.

It's actually not too bad.

Slightly burned
special pancakes.

[Iris]: When I started
dating Marcus,

we knew that we wanted
to buy a house together.

So actually,
to now sit in the house

and to start furnishing it,
it feels amazing.

I mean, we were looking
for houses for like a year.

Yeah.

And we couldn't really
find something we like.

And then we...

this house popped up and...

It was just... I remember that
our realtor send us the house

during the 500, was it?

- Mmm.
- So we didn't have a look at it

because you were so busy.
And then one month after,

we were, like,
"Oh, we really like this house."

I was a bit disappointed,
the way the 500 ended last year.

I don't think we talked a lot.

We just like sat down

and still, to be #2.

And so close, back to back.

Marcus was very sad.

There were some
sleepless nights.

I don't think you ever
will get over it, right?

You'll never get over
being so close

to get back to back
at the 500.

It was a tough one to swallow,
I have to admit that.

[Marcus]: Last year's 500,
I think, you know,

it still pisses me off.

"Angry" is maybe not the right
word, but it's... yeah.

It irritates me for sure.

[trainer]: Deeper into
this stretch, every time.

[Marcus pants]

Good.

Last one.

[Marcus]: It would mean
everything to win another 500.

I'm as hungry as ever
to win that race again,

especially after what happened
last year.

That has just got me
every day and night.

You know, I work and I have
that goal in my mind

to win that 500 again.

[birds chirping]

[Ashley]: One more time.

There. Hold both hands.

Swing.

- Whoa! Go try it.
- [Ashley]: Whoa!

You go get it.

Yeah, I'm not home super often.

And Kota notices it now. Like,
he knows when I'm not home

and notices when I get back,
and is very happy when I'm home.

Very happy when both of us
are home together.

This was supposed to be in.

I'll put it back.

That's the tough part
about winning the 500 is that

you're getting pulled in
a million directions

after you win this race,
which is

probably the hardest
thing to deal with.

Come on, slugger.

Yeah, let me hold. Oop!

- Nice!
- Nice work!

[upbeat music]

Keep the bubble!

[Ashley]: Like eating a banana
in the morning...

- Part of the day.
- Part of the New York Stock Exchange.

What a day.

[indistinct]

Is that salad?

It feels very official.

Look, if you're gonna choose
winning the 500 or not,

you're going to choose
winning it.

There's the rock. It came
the other day, so...

- Yeah?
- [indistinct]

You win the race
and you're getting

no alone time for weeks,
probably even a year.

[host]:
Now we have Josef Newgarden,

winner of the 107th Indy 500.

It's a huge honour. I don't think
there's a bigger race in the world

that you could win
as a racing driver.

I don't have the big guy, but
I got a little baby one at home

and it is my prized
possession now.

[host]: Great job!
That was awesome!

[Josef]: You know,
if I was to choose, though,

I would choose winning it
and being busy.

I think that's the better way
to have it.

[clapping]

[bell ringing]

- [indistinct]
- It's cool!

We'll probably never
do this again.

- I rule this kingdom!
- [laughing]

[woman]: Hello, president.
[laughing]

- You will do as I request!
- [laughing]

[woman]: You could be in
Game of Thrones, you know.

[Josef]: Winning the 500 had
a really interesting effect.

Beforehand, I thought, well,
if you win the race,

now you're satisfied.
But when you go through

that high of a high,

you want nothing more than
to just experience it again.

[reporter]: Sweet!
Thank you so much.

- You got it, no worries.
- Thank you.

Thank you, thank you.

I won't speak on contract
details, um...

on any part of it.

Company sends the jet,
you don't say no.

You just show up.

[Jack]:
So Josef Newgarden is about

the most predictable driver
in the world when it comes

to answering questions
about his driver contracts.

He's not gonna talk about them.

What we do know is that
Josef Newgarden's contract

is set to expire at the end
of the 2024 season.

His value, his stock has
just gone through the roof

because he is
an Indy 500 winner.

He's added everything
he possibly could to his resume,

and the only thing that's left
for Josef Newgarden to do

is win more than he has already.

That's not a bad position
to be in a contract year,

but even saying all that,
Josef Newgarden won't be happy.

He definitely puts a lot of
weight on his own shoulders.

[Josef]: I'm not taking
anything for granted.

You know, you've got
to have the mentality

that it's a win
or it's nothing.

And that's what we need to be.
It's not a...

we're finishing second or
we're finishing top 5.

It's like, we're winning
the race or it's nothing.

It feels like we're
kicking off, you know?

We're, like, getting ready
for the big show.

St. Pete's gonna be a big deal.

And then obviously we're
leading to the month of May.

It's just, there's no guarantees
anymore in this championship.

So...

you gotta stay ready.

[plane engine whirring]

[upbeat rock music]

[Jenna]: St. Petersburg's
been scheduled a long time.

It's a really popular race.

It's a great way to open
the season because

it's been six months, right?
It's been six months

since everybody
has been together.

♪ I'm here to take
what's mine ♪

♪ I've been fighting
all my life yeah ♪

♪ Can't stop me now ♪

♪ You can tell
I'm coming at ya ♪♪

[man]:
Thank you very much.

Have a great weekend.

[Pato]: Yes. I agree.

- Oh, really?
- Say hi for me.

She loves saying your name.

- [laughing]
- It's a nice thing to hear.

[laughing]

It's a good confidence boost
for the weekend.

Oh, yeah, absolutely.

The big theme for 2024 is
new faces and new places.

Marcus switching teams,

I think, caught a lot
of people by surprise.

He needs to prove that
he can win races

in more than just
a Chip Ganassi car.

The pressure on Marcus
is tremendous.

[race cars buzzing
in the distance]

- This is on you, this building.
- Oh, it is?

[overlapping chatter]

- It's apartments or...?
- Yeah. It looks really cool.

Yeah, that's good for you.

[Marcus]: You know, this weekend
is always a bit special.

Everyone is a bit more tense,

a bit more excited in a way.

You know, coming back
as the defending winner

is definitely a good feeling.

So, you know, we're here to win.

The Andretti cars are
really good at this track.

And I'm pretty good around
this place

as I showed last year, so, yeah.

It's... it should be a good one.

- How are you feeling?
- [Michael]: Good.

And the track
in three and four,

- it's like slick there.
- Oh, it is.

But I'm thinking
it should grip up.

So hopefully, that will help.

Just gotta be careful, the
inside might not as much, right?

This is a weird place.
You gotta be loose the first day

- and then the track comes to you.
- It's weird. Yeah.

Michael is a legend
in the sport.

[announcer]: Michael Andretti
has won his first IndyCar race!

The luck is about to change
for Michael Andretti

as he takes the checkered flag.

[announcer]:
Looking for his 41st career win.

The checkered flag's out.

The crowd is going crazy!

[Marcus]: To have an owner

that has that sort of racing
mentality in his blood,

I think it's a great asset
for us as a team.

If we are consistent
and always are in the mix...

Yep.

...you know, that's
when we're gonna make it.

Like, we just have to be...

If we're always there
in that top group,

we're gonna win our races,
we're gonna, you know,

we're gonna be right there
all the time.

- Exactly.
- That's what I say,

we have all the ingredients.

- We just have to...
- Just gotta execute, execute,

- execute.
- Yeah.

I feel good. I've never--

I haven't felt this good
in a long, long time.

[seller]: Right here, right
here, right here, right here!

Coldest beer in the world!

Cold beer! Cold water!

Don't wait! Hydrate!

Yes sir!

When you win an Indy 500
for a team,

win a couple races,
and they're not even willing

to give you a proper pay cheque,
you don't feel appreciated.

And look, that matters.

Andretti Global saw
an untapped talent

and a huge resource
in Marcus Ericsson,

and offered him a big contract
to switch teams.

Yeah!



Josef Newgarden, whoo!

[James]: Like, we're finally
getting back to a place

where these drivers are earning
what they deserve.

But that's not been the case
for the last few years.

So if you're coming off
a multi-year deal

like we know Josef Newgarden is,

he's seeing what Colton Herta
is pulling in.

He's seeing what Alex Palou
has generated.

He's seeing what Pato
is now earning,

and he's thinking, "Hey, guys,

I'm a two-time champion,
an Indy 500 winner.

I got to get paid."

It's going to be very,
very interesting to see

how this plays out because
there's a lot of teams now

paying the drivers
a lot of money,

and any one of them would love
to have Josef Newgarden.

I'm feeling good, you know.

It's Go Fast Day. We gotta be
on it in a good qualifying spot.

Little bit of nerves.

It's a good thing, though.
I like feeling a little nervous.

See how we go.

- Hey, you alright? Sorry.
- Sorry. Thank you.

- Good luck this weekend.
- Yeah, thanks.

Thank you.

[cackling]

So we got our body scans

and we all came out
with our asses,

way bigger fat percentage than
the rest of our bodies parts.

Yeah, look at that a*s!

[cackling]

[Alexander]: He has none.

[Callum]: Yeah,
I agree with that.

He is a skinny, skinny,
skinny boy.

[Callum]: I'm sorry, that's...

I know you wanted some a*s
in here, but I ain't got it.

[Jack]: Coming into St. Pete,
there's a lot of questions

about McLaren and how far

they've been able to step
forward and whether

they can take it to Penske,
and Ganassi, and Andretti.

See you guys out there.

- [man]: Have fun out there.
- [Pato]: Yeah, you know it.

We know Pato O'Ward's got
a significant salary increase.

In 2023, they didn't win a race.

And this is not lost on Pato.

He believes he should be first.

He doesn't like
to finish second.

He hates it more
than most people.

[announcer]: It's a beautiful
day here in Florida for qualifying.

It's Go Fast Day for the
Firestone Grand Prix of St. Pete.

There's muscle everywhere you
look right now in this field.

[radio]:
All clear. All clear.

[race cars buzzing
in the distance]

[announcer]: Excited about
this first quali' session

of the year here on the streets
of St. Petersburg.

It's gonna be interesting.

[fan]: Marcus!

[Marcus]: Street courses, as
always, qualifying is important.

Your chances of getting
involved in accidents

go down quite a lot
if you're further up the grid,

so that's the plan.

- [man]: Fighto!
- Fighto.

[chuckling]

[James]: Qualifying
is all about setting

the single fastest lap
that you can.

Every driver in the field
gets a chance to go out

and set those fastest
single laps.

We narrow the field down
to just six drivers,

the Firestone Fast Six,

whose times are wiped clear,
and they go back on track

for a shot at the pole position.

St. Pete being a street course
lined with concrete walls,

it's very narrow,
it's slippery offline

and it's very hard to pass.
The winner at St. Pete has come

from the first three rows
almost every time.

[announcer]: Look how close
it is for Scott McLaughlin!

Two 1,000th of a second
to make it into six.

He does not improve, sitting
down in ninth place right now.

[indistinct]

[imitates whirring]

[announcer]: The six drivers
in the Firestone Fast Six.

Josef Newgarden,
Felix Rosenqvist, Colton Herta.

Grosjean in.

Marcus Ericsson in.

Pato O'Ward in.

[intense rhythmic music]

Here is last year's winner here
in St. Pete.

This is Marcus Ericsson.

Ericsson backing up
the investment

that Andretti Global made
in bringing him to the team.

Marcus Ericsson sits sixth.

[announcers]: Pato O'Ward hasn't
had a fall since Mid-Ohio 2022.

We'd love to get the season off
to the right start.

Nice and smooth there.

End of the lap here
for Pato O'Ward

with authority dives
across 59.65!

[dramatic music]

How about the driver
of the number two, Joe New!

Newgarden going quick.

Flat out. It looks like

that number two
is pretty hooked up.

Newgarden, extremely
motivated in 2024.

Yes, he won
the Indianapolis 500 last year.

But the big stat
that stuck out to him,

"Zero poles," he said.
That has to change this year.

[announcer]:
He goes up there!

Felix Rosenqvist
with authority

in the Bon Jovi Radio Honda.

And Rosenqvist
not far behind

- on 3/100th of a second, only P2.
- Oh!

- 6/1000th of a second there!
- Wow!

Look at that!

Josef Newgarden grabs
the NTT P1 award.

[Josef]: P1!

[announcers]: Josef Newgarden,
the pole position winner.

[crowd cheering]
Look at him. He's jacked!

He talks about wanting
to improve qualifying

and he's done that opening with
authority here in St. Pete.

[Josef]: You know,
it's an elevated level

when you start out the year
'cause you just don't know...

You have no idea if
you're gonna keep coming back

and producing results. It's...

it's very difficult.
You saw how tight it was.

And we're here to go
after it every weekend.

[announcer]: Last year,
he started 14th here.

Tomorrow, he starts first.

[cheering]

- 2 Crew!
- Let's go, Greg!

[laughing]
Greg, buddy. Get over here.

Oh, my God!

Who's gonna get the ball?

You got the ball, you know why?

You're right here! Right here!

Number one, this guy right here!

- [Josef]: It's Greg, baby.
- Oh!

- See you later!
- I couldn't, um...

[indistinct]

[indistinct PA announcement]

[Ashley]:
I think I already [beep] up.

- [Josef]: No, you didn't.
- No, I like half grinded.

- And then, now it's like...
- That's okay. No, no, no.

He also has one
of these things.

Do we even know
what this does?

Not really, but I
think it's professional.

[laughs]
I'm pretty sure pros use that.

Whatever the pros use,
I have it.

- We have it!
- Doesn't mean I know how to use it.

Actually, I'm very much not
a good barista,

but it's one of the things
I want to get better at,

so I'm working on it.

- That's his offseason hobbies.
- Coffee.

[chuckling]

[Josef]: You know, I think we can
win today. I think we have that potential.

You know, I know that I've done
what I needed to do to prepare.

So I just feel sort of relaxed
to just go do my job.

I tried to pare down, you know,
what I was focused on.

I got into racing because

I loved trying to be the best
at the racetrack.

That's simply put,
that's what I like to do.

And I want to get back to
that core enjoyment,

see how we get through today

and then what we can be happy
about the weekend.

[tense music]

[Jenna]: I do not think
winning the Indy 500

will have any effect on Josef
Newgarden's performance in 2024.

He's kind of lessening his load

and moving his focuses
to more important things.

I think that part of that

probably stems from
the competitiveness.

[Tim]: Did you guys see
the tire sheet come out?

You know, there's not a lot of
differentiation in the field.

I think our play is going to be
to figure out what our gap is.

When the second stop to
determine if we move

with the revs on the second stop
or the third stop.

From our perspective,
it's basically to do our best

to get through the first corner
and all the rest of it.

We just need to do our job
and have a solid day.

[announcer]: What a gorgeous
day we have for you here.

Packed house record crowd

all ready to see 27 Indy cars

roaring down the streets
of downtown St. Pete.

[indistinct conversations]

Easy on the right foot, boy!

- Good luck.
- [indistinct conversations]

- [announcer shouting]
- [crowd cheering]

- It's gonna be interesting.
- Yeah.

I'll see you at the front.

- You look planted.
- You look good.

- Yeah?
- You look quick.

Hi. Jon.

Good luck, y'all be safe.
Go fast. It'd be great.

- [laughing]
- My suit's tight.

[laughing] - It is a little
tight, I'm not gonna lie!

[rhythmic music]

[announcer]: Josef, you got
in the riding, Indy 500 champ.

He is on the pole here.

Six different teams represented
in those top eight positions.

That's the kind of stuff
we want to a new racing season.

[indistinct chatter]

- Do you always complain about this walk?
- Yeah.

- Nah, we're from down under.
- Down under boys!

- We're scary. We like it tough!
- [chuckling]

[James]: St. Pete has a tendency
to throw some curveballs,

just being the first race
of the year.

Any sport momentum
is a real thing.

And coming out of the St. Pete
weekend with a strong result,

it just lifts everybody
in a team up.

It gives them the confidence,
it gives them that momentum

for that first part of the
season to really perform well.

[announcer]: 27 drivers
with high hopes.

They all think they have
the magic solution to win here.

[suspenseful music]

What are we going to have
this year?

So much to talk about,
so much change

with drivers changing teams.

And an Indy 500 champ leading
this field to green.

The NTT IndyCar series is
underway here in St. Pete!

[race car buzzing]

Newgarden leads the field.

But watch that orange and black
car, Pato O'Ward on the inside.

Couldn't quite get there.

Look at Felix Rosenqvist

in that pink and white
AutoNation SiriusXM.

He is trying to take
the lead away from Newgarden.

Look at this. Look at this.

Pressure early.

Erickson, five.
McLaughlin, six.

Newgarden in control

and enjoying his time out
on the track.

Alright, here's a new colour
scheme and a new number

that you've got to get used to.
It's #28 for Andretti Global.

It's Marcus Ericsson.

He's the winner of the Firestone
Grand Prix a year ago.

And he's off to a promising
start with his new team.

Anything can happen. Wait till
you cross that finish line.

- Anything can happen.
- I know! I know.

It could be so pretty,
and something happens. Just...

- It's gonna be alright.
- Until he's at the checkered.

[announcer]: Josef Newgarden
who has led all 21,

make it 22 laps thus far.

Oh! That was a wallop.

Under caution for the first time

on the streets of
St. Petersburg, Florida.

Unfortunately, it is for
the 23-year-old New Zealander

Marcus Armstrong.

Off the race,
he looked pretty tidy

and strategic
in the first 26 laps.

Hang on, because everybody
about to come to pit lane

and this is when
things get nuts.

They're all thinking right now,

"My best chance to make moves
is going to be on pit lane."

And there you see
the crews are ready.

[tense music]

[Josef]: Pit stops are critical
in IndyCar.

I mean, a pit stop can totally
change your day.

You can go from a mediocre day
in a race car

to winning the race to last.

[announcers]: For six months,

these crews have been
practising

for exactly this moment.

This is what it's about.

Teamwork on the line
right here, right now.

It's almost a collision there
on pit road.

And Josef Newgarden, who has led
every lap to this point,

will lose a lead here
on pit road.

Newgarden, something went wrong.

He went a little long
stopping hiccups.

And Rosenqvist, the race off pit
road and Rosenqvist wins it.

Newgarden makes the move on.

Colton Herta takes that position
back that he lost in pit lane.

And Newgarden says, "Alright,
you came after me, Rosenqvist.

Now I'm coming after you."

- Newgarden now trying!
- Wow!

Newgarden not able to get the
pass done on Rosenqvist there.

[tense music]

Newgarden now is gonna go
at Rosenqvist.

[overlapping chatter]
And he's done it... Race lead!

Josef Newgarden just making up

for the time lost
on pit lane there.

Absolute attack.

[screaming and cheering]

Approaching the halfway mark
of the 100 laps.

Problem for Marcus Ericsson,
the winner last year.

Not the way that
the Swedish driver

had expected his season opener
to go.

Oh, boy.

[indistinct, bleep]

[race cars buzzing]

Alright, we're into the second
half of this one.

Marcus Ericsson just started
losing positions

and has come in here.

Not the way that
the Swedish driver

had expected his season opener
to go.

Marcus Ericsson has climbed
out of the car,

losing power while running up
near the front.

Any idea what happened?

[Marcus]: No. I think
we're still investigating

some kind of power issue.

I don't know if it's engine
or electronical or something.

Dewey is taking it back
and will see a bit more.

Thank you, Marcus. No chance
to defend his win here today.

It's one of those things
that's part of racing, right?

We were having a solid weekend
and then [beep] happened, so...

you can't really dwell on that.

You need to look
at the positives

and then move on from there.

So, you know, it's
disappointing, but it'll be alright.

[announcer]: 70 down,


in this Firestone Grand Prix
of St. Pete.

Can anybody do anything
about Josef Newgarden?

Look how quickly McLaughlin
has got up to the back

of the #5 car, the black and
orange machine of Pato O'Ward.

If he gets by O'Ward, it's gonna
be a Penske shootout

on two different tire compounds.
McLaughlin on the soft,

Josef Newgarden
on that harder tire.

And it's just Pato O'Ward in
that black and orange McLaren

that's stopping this from
being a Penske one, two, three.

I mean, it really does look like
both McLaughlin and Palou

had a little bit of lap time on
him, but he's doing a great job.

Nobody can even get close
to the Indy 500 champ.

Newgarden leads
and leads easily.

[tense music]



What a way to start
a new championship season.

Indy 500 winner,
St. Pete winner

for the third time!

The Firestone Grand Prix
of St. Pete

belongs to Josef Newgarden!

[cheering and screaming]

What a way to start the season

for Josef Newgarden
and Team Penske.

He admitted to me on Friday,

the end of 2023
was rough for him,

but the start of 2024
is pretty good.

[Josef]: We didn't have the speed we
needed around the street courses last year,

and I think we brought
that speed.

We had the execution,
as always, you know.

You know exactly what
you expect from Team Penske.

You know, we can move on from
here and at least enjoy this first victory.

[man]: Ain't no party
like a Newgarden party!

[man shouts indistinctly]

[cheering]

[James]: When you look at
how many races Josef's won

over the last few years,
there's no doubt that

he has a ton of leverage
when he's trying to negotiate

his salary
for the next contract.

Joseph can demand pretty much
any salary he wants.

[Iris]: Of course,
you're disappointed

that you are not able
to finish the race,

but it's on
to the next one and...

I know you'll still be fine.

[James]: It's definitely
too early to assess whether

Marcus made the right decision
to leave Ganassi for Andretti.

Both sides of that equation
still have a lot of time

to prove to one another that
they both made the right choice.

[fans cheering]

[Pato]: Pretty good start for
the season, I'm happy with that.

It's gonna be tight. Every year
just gets harder and harder,

and I think it just really
pushes you... you gotta win.

And when you're not winning,
you gotta be on the podium.

[indistinct]

- No big deal.
- It was an easy day.

Like, I don't want to say that,
but it felt easy today.

[announcer]:
With his first victory here

at the Firestone Grand Prix
at St. Petersburg,

Josef Newgarden!

[crowd cheering]

[James]: The thing
about any car racing

is you cannot look at a data set
of one race

and make any conclusions
whatsoever.

Yes, it was a dominant
performance

from Penske and Josef Newgarden,
but at the same time,

there's a lot of racing to go
before we get to the 500.

[♪♪]