Latest / The Central Indiana Sports Report / The IndyCar Report with Elijah Poe (Aug. 21, 2025; Podcast 2.4.4)

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The IndyCar Report with Elijah Poe (Aug. 21, 2025; Podcast 2.4.4) · The Central Indiana Sports Report

• 0:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: Thank you so much for tuning in to the Central Indiana Sports Report's Indie Car Report with Elijah Poe.
• 0:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: On this week's Indie Car Report, we're gonna be previewing Milwaukee talking, Mark Assam strong will power out below, and how much we admire Roger Pinski for what he's turned Indie Car into.
• 0:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: Also, we do this two or three times a week during the season.
• 0:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: Indie Car Report, Race Preview, and then Race Reaction.
• 0:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: And once a week during the off season, please subscribe and tune in every week to the Indico report.
• 0:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: You are listening to the Indico report with Elijah Poe.
• 1:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: And here's your host, Greg Minkel.
• 1:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: Welcome, Indie Car fans to Central Indiana Sports Report, and this week's Indie Car Report, you're gonna be either Wednesday or Thursday every week, we're gonna try to get a steady date, but the season's so close to the end that for the rest of this Indie Car season, we're probably gonna be Wednesday or Thursday, but just wanna let everybody know that we are here every week talking about Indie Car, even in the off season, if there's any news,
• 1:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: We are going to talk in the car.
• 1:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: Elijah Poe, welcome back to the indie car report.
• 1:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's been a while.
• 1:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: Thanks for having me.
• 1:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: It has been a little bit of time and it's nice for hitting the stride of central Indian sports podcast, but unfortunately it is
• 1:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: the last two weeks of the in the car season, but the in the car season never really stops as most fan of those.
• 1:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: Especially after we end up at Nashville here in a couple weekends, I expect there to be some pretty big news.
• 2:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: Obviously, we all know I'm mostly talking about will power and where people are going to end up.
• 2:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: I can't wait to get a full year into the bill.
• 2:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: And we will do our full Milwaukee preview on Saturday after qualifying, but
• 2:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: We're going to talk a little bit about it now because it might be the second best track in the series.
• 2:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: You could make some arguments for some others.
• 2:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: But not only the tradition, the only existing track that's older than the Indian Apple's motor speedway.
• 2:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: By six years, in fact, nineteen oh three was the first time they were racing and Milwaukee.
• 2:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: But it's also, it also makes for great racing always has and Milwaukee is a great venue and a great indie cart town.
• 2:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: It was a shame that we lost it for a little while.
• 2:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's one that needs to be on the series.
• 2:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I think Elijah, we need some kind of triple crown of three different types of ovals.
• 3:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: And Milwaukee needs to be part of that.
• 3:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I would say so as well.
• 3:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: Milwaukee had two races last year.
• 3:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm really interested to see that crowd with one race.
• 3:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like you said, Milwaukee is a really great market and that track will really compares to the racing style.
• 3:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: I almost look at it kind of like gateway where man, there's just so much action all the time.
• 3:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: That was.
• 3:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's one of the things we get affectionally of Nashville.
• 3:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think that's what everybody's hoping for.
• 3:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, it should be just such a great race and I love the fact that Indie cars ending their season.
• 3:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: with a potential bang because you've got this lead up to Milwaukee Mile which have done a great job but it feels like indie cars done a lot to promote the finale at Nashville here in a couple weeks and I think that's going to do the series great as they end off the season strong and hopefully some of that fan base can roll over into twenty twenty six this is race number seventeen that means we've had sixteen races this year and I think fifteen of them have been good
• 4:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, they really have.
• 4:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: You look at a thermal club, which we don't even really count here on this podcast, has been the only part of it as much as we can.
• 4:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: Thermals have been the only really big stinker of the season, and other than that, the racing, especially post- five hundred.
• 4:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: I feel like it's been just on another level.
• 4:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: We talked after Alex below Climch to his fourth indie car championship, but we haven't talked about it since.
• 4:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: We talked about how competitive the series is just an amazing, amazing series season he's had.
• 4:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: And he can close it out with another oval win in the last two weeks.
• 4:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: It would make it even, I think it would just be a cherry on top.
• 4:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: And with how that number ten crew is running, I would not be surprised at all to see them win.
• 4:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: Obviously, having picked up an oval win earlier this year, I mean, sitting at eight wins right now, that that foot record.
• 4:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: He feels like it's out of reach because, you know, these ovals are so unpredictable, but even if he's able to get the nine wins, and the season he's had in the caliber of drivers that are in Indie Card nowadays, it's truly unprecedented in what he's doing.
• 5:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think it's, he makes a really strong case for being, you know, arguably the best Indie car season anybody's had.
• 5:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: Not only that, but he's legible.
• 5:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think everyone in the paddock likes him.
• 5:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: We're very fortunate to have him in Indie Card.
• 5:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, couldn't have said it better.
• 5:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm having a premier talent like that at the top of your sport that is also likable, promotable, and it's so great with fans.
• 5:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: I've seen countless stories on people waiting two hours for autographs and he'll get them after media sessions or stuff like that.
• 5:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: And that's what you want for IndieCar because these drivers are marketable.
• 5:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: IndieCar and the teams just have to market them because people are gonna really love these drivers who they are.
• 5:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: Alex Flo did not win at Portland.
• 5:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: That was Will Power.
• 5:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: Big win for him.
• 5:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: Big win for Pinsky.
• 5:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: I would have bet anything Elijah the Pinsky was going winless this year.
• 6:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: So a big win in a lot of ways for Will.
• 6:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: It is an entering that contract next year.
• 6:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm obviously having David Malukus run the Gallagher sponsor at Portland.
• 6:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think the signs are on the wall and it really feels like in the way how will is talking and from other reporters as well.
• 6:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: It really feels like Malukus is a pretty done deal for twenty twenty six and obviously we could be wrong.
• 6:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, never know, will power could
• 6:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: hammer out a win or two here in these last two races in Elijah in the past.
• 6:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: Pinsky could have added a car and kept willpower and gotten David Moulukus, but from what you're saying that's not allowed anymore.
• 6:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, it's a famous car as brought this charter system in to play where a team is really only able to run three cars unless another team happens to leave in the car say maybe you don't have that twenty seven number completely full, but right now it's more of an engine dealership issue with who's getting those engine supplies and stuff.
• 7:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: But, I mean, I think we would all love to see Will Power stay at Penske.
• 7:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: And if there wasn't option to run for, I mean, just thinking of a team with Joseph Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin, Will Power and David Malukis, that is a scary lineup.
• 7:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: It really is.
• 7:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: No matter where power ends up next year, somebody's getting a good driver.
• 7:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think Sunday proved that.
• 7:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's still got the speed.
• 7:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: Obviously, I'd be interested to see where he may be able to perform if he was on a different team this year because he's been clear cut.
• 7:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think we can definitely say he's been the clear cut best driver at Penske this year.
• 7:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: The only way that you say that Will Power's been a disappointment is by comparing him to Old Will Power.
• 7:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that's probably not a fair thing to do.
• 7:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: But it'll be interesting to see what happens there.
• 7:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think he's going to end up somewhere and a team that's going to go, oh, we'll take that in a heartbeat.
• 8:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and with the way things have played out in silly seasons so far, I was the Marcus Armstrong has assigned for another contract with Meyer Shane Gray, so that lineup of Felix Rosenquist and Marcus Armstrong is here to stay, which is honestly great for them.
• 8:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: But I think that leaves a really big spot for Will Power to possibly go to Ray Hall, Letterman land again, is the only real viable solution I see him landing at unless they just straight up switch.
• 8:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: I would race indie and see what was out there.
• 8:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: Maybe drive sports cars do something like that because will power should not be going down to the miners.
• 8:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: And again, nothing gives a fight in Ray Hall.
• 8:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: They're the miners.
• 8:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let's be honest.
• 8:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: No, it's just the truth of Indicol right now.
• 8:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: You've got this top level of teams where as an organization standpoint, they've just got it down better.
• 9:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: And that's just the point we're at in the sport.
• 9:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's not saying those teams can't climb up.
• 9:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: because I think if the sport does get bigger and there is more funding there, I think we could have an even more competitive series than we already have, which is a crazy thought to think.
• 9:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: But yeah, you're right.
• 9:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's seeing power, leave, pensky.
• 9:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think it would just be wrong.
• 9:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's done so much for that program.
• 9:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's got the only win of the year.
• 9:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: I get it, but again, if you're one of the other teams of competitors, that'd be looking at him hard.
• 9:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely.
• 9:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: He definitely deserves that top seat.
• 9:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I know you mentioned Dennis Hauker.
• 9:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: We can get into that rumor a little bit.
• 9:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: We've got some talks that he's potentially signed a contract to whom goes haling a racing, which we would then put Connor Daily and Stingray Rob into question.
• 9:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: I guess my question is to you, is who would you like to see beside him?
• 9:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: I know this is all hypothetical.
• 9:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: But who would be a really strong partner next to Dennis Howard there at home, Goslinger?
• 9:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: Again, if someone like premise, someone like who goes hollinger, if they could go out and give will power some big money, you know, they're the miners right now too, but there is some promise with those teams.
• 10:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: Those teams have been struggle for years and years.
• 10:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: And as you've mentioned before, Prima is a not standing organization.
• 10:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: I was thinking my or shank, of course, and I want to talk more about Marcus Armstrong here in a minute.
• 10:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and I'm hoping if things don't work out on the indie car side that he's able to secure a nice seat in sports cars, although he does not have
• 10:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: Experiencing sports cars like quite like you know Scott Dixon does per se, but you know nobody has Scott Dixon's experience in sport cars But you know you talked about premen.
• 10:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think I would really like to see him end up there either alongside I lot or Schwarzenegger.
• 10:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think both are on contracts for next year So it might be out of the question, but in a hypothetical situation I could see him really Really almost leading that team even though he isn't quite a
• 11:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, a leader that we think of, I think you could maybe change that around and lead a young organization through through their first couple years in any car.
• 11:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: Didn't bring up McClare and they would also be smart to go after will power, but that's not happening.
• 11:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: All right, we're talking about Mark and Armstrong and you brought up the his key made his Felix Rosenquest and
• 11:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: You have to look at it from this way.
• 11:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: Those two guys know that they're the future of this sport.
• 11:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: They're a big part of it for them to put their trust in my or shanks.
• 11:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: There's a lot about my or shank and also my or shank is very fortunate to have these guys.
• 11:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: It gives them a chance to be a legit contender on the on the second level.
• 11:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: It does, and you know, there's not a lot of teams or the bigger teams, especially all around these three car driver lineups.
• 11:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: But if you look at this driver lineup with Marcus Armstrong and Felix Rosenquist, I would argue that it might be not these strongest, but it's definitely in the top three team wise.
• 11:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: Just in how this organization has run in the second half of the indie car season, they just look so rapid, not only in qualifying, but in also in race pace as well.
• 12:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, both drivers are sitting in the top ten and the points in the championship, which is just astounding for a team that is only running those two cars.
• 12:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: It really is, and not just that they're only running those two cars, but how new they are.
• 12:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think people forget that because they won the five hundred, but it's been less than a decade that they've been around.
• 12:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, it's incredible the things they do in the sport.
• 12:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I'm going to be really interested to see how they can take a step up in the next couple of years.
• 12:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, they've had these few years of laying their groundwork in a new car and it feels like they're really now hitting their stride.
• 12:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: So they're going to be very fun to watch here in the next couple of seasons and what a driver line up to do it with.
• 12:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: And it's possible that Conner Daly will be out at whom goes Hollinger.
• 12:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: We hope not because it seems like it's been a good fit.
• 12:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: But you know that he's going to get a ride because he's so good on ovals, which means if you hire him, you have a chance to win Indy.
• 12:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely.
• 13:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I would honestly be shocked.
• 13:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: If Punko's Hollinger didn't resign him, you know, he's well above the points.
• 13:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: Exactly.
• 13:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: And he's well above that cut off Mark and the leader circle.
• 13:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: points wise in nineteen place.
• 13:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I'm not sure if you're a team like whom goes hollinger, you're going to get points anywhere you get them and you know Connor daily is going to score points on ovals.
• 13:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: I was looking at it today and he's seventh overall on oval points if you take away all the road courses and really he'd be higher than that if it wasn't for some bad luck.
• 13:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: Exactly.
• 13:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I would just be shocked to see him out of a seat.
• 13:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: Because I think he's really almost taken a little bit of a learning curve this year.
• 13:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: And for his benefit, I think he's just a better driver overall than we've seen him in years past.
• 13:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: And yeah, I just love to see him back in that seat.
• 13:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: And once again, I want to shout out Roger Pinsky because he could have made the rules whatever he wanted.
• 13:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: And why he decided to do was make the rules the best for the sport.
• 14:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: despite him being having the best team and that is more than commendable.
• 14:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's probably a rare quality in a man that someone would do that and applause once again for that man.
• 14:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely.
• 14:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: All credit is a deserve the way he's taken Indie car in these past couple years, you know, signing that contract with Fox, not only on television, but now having Fox being investor and Indie car itself.
• 14:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: It really feels like this sport maybe can can can can turn some of this momentum around in lack of viewers and lack of attention on the on the sport as a whole.
• 14:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: And he is doing the right things.
• 14:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: We'll just have to wait and see if it is the right thing.
• 14:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I think you'll agree that a big part of the future success is rely on good overall racing and it's looking like Chicago land speedway may be on the schedule next year.
• 15:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: I really do hope it is we've got NASCAR going back there for the first time and what seems like forever.
• 15:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: Another oval in the Midwest is, you know, it's playing right into their fan base and it should pull in really great numbers and not only great numbers but it should provide a great race.
• 15:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: It wasn't too long ago that Indie car was there.
• 15:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I'd be really interested to see them with the new arrow packages coming in.
• 15:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: And you know, this car has evolved since the last time it's been there.
• 15:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: So I'm really interested to see how that they could race on that.
• 15:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: But I'm just hoping they pick up more ovals.
• 15:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, we still don't have a schedule for twenty twenty six, which is a tad worrying.
• 15:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm assuming they I might release it.
• 15:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: It might be a good thing for setting things up.
• 15:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: I guess you can look at it both ways.
• 15:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: You can look at it as you see them set things up and make sure everything is locked on, or you can see it as them kind of scrambling for tracks, which you hope is not the case, but there's been a lot of track news recently, NASCAR is jumping around, you know, next year at St.
• 15:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: Pete, we're going to have the truck series the day before IndyCar, which tracks would be pretty cool.
• 16:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: This Saturday, the penultimate race of the season, it all begins Saturday instead of Friday.
• 16:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: At eleven a.m.
• 16:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: it is the first indie car practice that's on F.S.
• 16:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: One, qualifying the one-on-clock on Saturday that is also on F.S.
• 16:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: One.
• 16:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: the final practice, five, thirty on Saturday and then you and I will preview Sunday's race on Saturday after qualifying and then we will react to Sunday's race which we expect to be a really good one starts at one twenty so probably six, six, thirty we'll probably have others on with this Elijah and look forward to this one Milwaukee
• 16:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: top three or four of races that I look forward to every year and the one that I need to get to at some point.
• 16:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think you said it best.
• 16:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: We're just really looking forward to some shorter oil racing with this indie car arrow package and the way these drivers are racing.
• 17:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: Every oval they've been to this year has been has been really really solid and even in the races there hasn't been a bunch of passes.
• 17:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: It just looks good on an oval.
• 17:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: The product just looks good on an oval.
• 17:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: Thanks so much to Elijah for joining me once again to talk some indie car.
• 17:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: Please join us again on Saturday when we have our Milwaukee Preview following Qualifying.
• 17:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: Thank you so much for listening.
• 17:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: Please do as a huge favor and share this podcast with an indie car fan in your life.
• 17:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: And help spread the word that the central Indian esports report is here talking about central Indian esports every single day.
• 17:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: Thanks again.
• 18:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: This central Indian esports report is a product of ITG media and I love Susie.