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Austria GP Predictions · The Apex

• Meredith: Hello everybody and welcome back to another episode of the Apex Podcast. My name is Meredith and I am joined by my wonderful co-host Paul who's taking the obvious weekly selfie. How are you today, Paul? Paulie :D: I am doing good. How are you today? Meredith: I am great. Sorry if my voice is a little raspy, y'all. I was at a work conference Sunday to yesterday talking all day, speed dating conference rounds every 15 minutes. So voice is a little off, but we are missing our third of our trio today. Josh is off on a big adventure, going to watch a FIFA World Cup game. And he is our number one soccer fan on this podcast, even though Paul loves it too. Josh has hardcore committed to going to this FIFA World Cup, and we are super excited for him. So We cannot wait to get his predictions for the Austria Grand Prix this weekend, but more importantly, to get his photos and texts about his FIFA World Cup experience. But we are so pumped for him to be going to that. Didn't he say he's going with his dad too? Like what a cool experience to have. Paulie :D: Yeah, hi him and his d him and his dad him and his dad like to travel and go out soccer games together. Meredith: That's awesome. I absolutely love that. So we're super thrilled for Josh. We'll be missing him. But whenever he sends us his predictions, I will we'll do a little video about his little FIFA World Cup experience. Not little, his big FIFA World Cup experience and his predictions for this weekend. But we do have plenty to talk about this week. It is F1 race week in Austria. We have some F1 breaking news. We have some IndyCar or IndyCar Road America recapping to do. We've got NASCAR at San Diego recapping to do. So Let's jump right off and start with the F1 breaking news that I woke up to today, where the FIA has officially passed the removal of term limits for the FIA president. So what are your thoughts on it, Paul? Paulie :D: It's it's it's fucking stupid. It's dumb. I I don't get it. It it's this FIA president has been awful. I I don't like him. I think he's I don't think he's been good for the sports and the fact that now he can't like how how how d they can't vote him out? Does he just have to quit on his own? Like or does a majority rule? So Meredith: Yeah, I think it would be one of those things that he has to be voted out or leave of his own accord. It ⁓ or like or I mean, like he has to pursue additional terms. So, like that's it first, right? Like he has to say he wants to keep pursuing additional terms, but with them removing the term limits, like, okay, I want to keep going in this, they would they would be supportive of that. So he would either have to resign or be voted out, or like not, you know, I think it's too soon for me to know all the ins and outs, but I think there's just one glaring implication, which is that it basically continues his reign. And he's already had a highly controversial reign during his presidency. So I don't know. I I think there are gonna be ripple effects from this, but I think it removes some of the fairness of a sport governing body. Just like there are term limits for presidents for a reason, there were term limit term limits for the FIA presidency for a reason. And I think it removes that layer of fairness because when you're doing something for so long, how do you be impartial? You know? I just don't I I think it it just makes it even more political than it's already become in the FIA. Paulie :D: Sport without new fresh ideas coming in. You've created a dictatorship where it's gotta be his way or the highway, and clearly you have the governing body or whoever the voting people are in your pocket because they all they all voted to approve this. So Meredith: Yeah. And even the other candidates who said that they were going to be seeking a presidential campaign for the FIA, I mean, they fell off like flies. Like they dropped like hot flies. So it's like, unless there is a crazy new candidate that gets a massive backing, I I just don't see it changing for a while. Paulie :D: Didn't And and y we we've heard these stories, you know, back when when Seno was there, we saw recently with Pado and the reason he didn't get a super license. So it's like the sport is doing nothing to clear its image out of controversy and it's all about who's got the be deeper pockets and that's it's a shame that that puts a black cloud over a sport that it's so fun and beloved to watch. Meredith: Yeah. I would love it if there was an additional step now that they've removed the term limit. I would love it if they established maybe a review council every certain set of years, you know. Maybe maybe now that, you know, term limits are gone, maybe there's a certain review period where there's a governing body that helps review, you know, it like is this still a viable, eligible president candidate, like about the decisions that were made, penalty, all this stuff, you know, I I think they're There has to be some review process in place now that the term limits are gone. There has to be some sort of checks and balances. Yeah. Paulie :D: Yeah. There has to be some sort of checks and balances because we can't let this individual have full reign of the sport without anybody checking him. And it just I don't know. Maybe it's too soon to tell how it's all gonna play out, but so far I am not a fan and and I don't know if you've seen it on your timeline, but on mine you have seen people like Will Buxton saying how this is awful for the sport. You've seen other people that are huge in the F1 world that are saying how bad this is. This is an awful idea. Meredith: Yeah. And I think there's implications even beyond Formula One because the FIA is a governing body over multiple sports, you know? Like I think like WEC, Formula E, Formula Two, Formula Three. Like this is more than just Formula One. The FIA is a governing body over many motorsport series. And so I think it removes some of that impartial, you know. I mean it like it it the it just it creates so much more bias and and politics in in all the motorsports and the the fanship and is just massively growing across many motorsports. And so it it does make me concerned. But like you said, it's it's very early days. We've only had, you know, 12 hours of this breaking news. I will be interested to I and know it will be talked about this week. And I'm interested to hear it on the broadcast and and be able to hear the thoughts of people who have far more knowledge than I do. So it'll be interesting to hear their takes. I'm sure drivers and teams will be asked about it this weekend. So, you know, I wouldn't be surprised if we see him come up and touch Lando's hair again this weekend, you know, just really make his mark. Paulie :D: Yeah. God. Even even even him as a whole, he's just a cringe worthy person. I've n he doesn't seem very likable. I've never I I don't know. I've I've only ever s Meredith: Yeah. Yeah, maybe I would, you what, that's a really good point. Cause like, how would I feel if I really liked him? Like, how would I feel if whoever was elected the FIA president, if I really liked them and they were doing a phenomenal job and I really believed in them and the fairness and the equity of decision making, maybe I would feel differently about that term limit being removed. But I this is an open call for anybody who listens, anybody who hears this. If you see a positive to this, please explain it to me. 'Cause I don't. I don't see any positives yet. So if you see it, know it, know anything more about it, please come at me. Come at me. I'm just a dumb girl that loves motorsport Paul. Paulie :D: Yes, please tell us. I would love to know. How dare you? How dare you be a dumb female that likes motorsport? Meredith: Ugh, okay, well, I'm sure we'll hear about it this weekend, but let's get right into it. Austria, I'm super pumped. Our resident track talk nerd is out, but have no fear. Chat GPT prepped something for me. But before we get into some like track info and our predictions and all that, like, Paul, what are your general sentiments towards Austria? I was trying to like go back in my memory and think about our Austria conversations last year. I can't remember. What are your thoughts and views on this track and this race in general? Yeah. Paulie :D: Cause you've been there, right? You've been there. The Red Bull Ring. It's a fun circuit, a very fast circuit. ⁓ you know the orange people show up, you know Max Verstappen fans show up. I think it it's just overall it's a great track. One, I love that F1 is back because anytime we have an off week from F1, it's kind it's kind of weird. Feels feels like there's a piece of me missing, but you know, F one is back, so that's awesome. And no better place than the Red Bull Rink. Overall, I'm super pumped for this. ⁓ can Ferrari keep going. Meredith: Love that orange army. Paulie :D: With what they've been doing? Can Lewis Hamilton continue this streak of podiums? What's Kimmy gonna do? What's George gonna do? I mean, there's so many narratives going into it. Can Red Bull somehow figure out a way to do something in their quote-unquote home race? So there's so many narratives going into this that I'm super pumped for. Meredith: Yeah. I think it's gonna be a really exciting weekend. And like I just feel like the vibes in Austria are always amazing. Like, first of all, it's just such a scenic backdrop with so much history and racing, it being Red Bull's home race, the orange army, the fog, the giant bull set in the Austrian mountains. Like it is just a beautiful, incredible race. The elevation changes on the track. Long high-speed straights, just make it one of those that I really love. Not even just for Formula One, for other racing too. Moto GP is probably the craziest racing I think you can have at that track. It is absolute mayhem. But I love, love, love Austria weekend. If you ever are considering going to a European race, I will tell you that we found the Austrian Grand Prix to be one of the most affordable ones if you pair it with like the camping experience. A lot of people like to stay in Vienna or in Graz or in maybe some of the other small towns nearby. But Joe and I had an absolute blast doing the camping experience. Now, those Dutch party. That orange army does not stop when they are leaving the racetrack. They get back to their campgrounds and they party all night long. And Joe and I did our best. We did our absolute best to hang in there. But there's only so much Jaeger and beer you can drink when you've been drinking all day. But the camp. is ⁓ incredible. I think all in for our camping ⁓ tickets. And we did three-day tickets in the Red Bull grandstands ⁓ and the camping. And I think ⁓ in all, that was ⁓ like $850 total. And when you compare that to what we we spend on general admission for Circuit of the Americas, which is about $350 per ticket, okay, so now you're talking $450, $500 a ticket. Paulie :D: That's not bad at all. Meredith: And that includes your your lodging in a tent, which not bad. And the showers there were nice and air conditioned and stuff. So if you're considering a a European race, the Austria race is pretty affordable and the camping experience is really fun. Highly recommend. Paulie :D: Sounds like you get the most bank for your buck, because listen, I spent a whole lot at at Coda last year, so I can only admit I was like, whoo, when I got back to Memphis, I was like, my God. ⁓ Meredith: Yeah. Hello, bank account. Yeah. No, it was definitely a really incredible one. And it's also just such a beautiful place in the world to see. Austria is one of the most beautiful countries I've ever seen. And it rained half the time we were in Austria. And it's still one of the most beautiful countries I've ever seen. So that's my little plug for go to Austria. ⁓ and if you're wondering, we did it through P1 travel. So most of our European races, this is not a promo code ⁓ at all. This is me just sharing. For those of you who are considered going to a European race, but the idea of all the logistics is too much, like it is for me. We book almost all of our European races and global races and around the world, around the world through P1 travel because you can bundle your ticket and your hotel option. And usually it also includes the transportation to and from the track. So one stop shop, easy. They're wonderful to work with. Love them. Love them. P1 travel. Okay, let's talk some Red Bull ring. Fast facts, love chat GPT for this. It is in Spielberg, Austria. Track link is 2.688 miles, 10 corners, 7 right, 3 left. The race distance is 71 laps. It is a clockwise direction. The elevation change is one of the biggest on the calendar, with it being a 213 feet or 65 meter elevation change. And your lap time is around one minute and five to eight seconds. What's interesting about Paulie :D: Yeah, I like that. Meredith: That lap time is that it makes it one of the shortest on the F1 calendar. But more importantly, it makes the qualifying laps absolutely critical. Those qualifying lap times are super, super close if you are off in qualifying, like basically your SOL for the race. So ⁓ the track in general, 10 corners, it makes it pretty simple, but that means the mistakes have a bigger impact when you make it. key overtaking spots, turn one, which is the fast uphill breaking zone. Lap one, turn one, chaos, super, super common in there. ⁓ turn three is the biggest passing opportunity, though. It is the heavy uphill braking from over 320 kilometers an hour into the slowest corner. ⁓ and that's one of the best overtaking ones. Turn four is another one because it's a breaking zone after a straight. ⁓ and then this is a tire and brake story. So even though it is a short lap. Heavy braking and turns one, three, and four work the brakes really, really hard. And the repeated acceleration zones push those rear tires so tires can wear out fast. And rear track rear traction because of that is one of the biggest differentiators. One thing that I found really, really interesting here is that because of all of the track conditions, how short ⁓ how ⁓ how it's only 10 turns, how fast it is, the braking zones and everything. ⁓ Chat GPT says that this is one of the tracks where the power unit performance is the absolute most critical. So tire strategy, power unit performance, per sa ⁓ Mercedes power unit drink, Paul, Mercedes power unit drink. Yeah, those are kind of like the key facts. We sat right coming down the strait, right where turn three is. absolutely impeccable. We were there in 2024, the year that Max and Lando were going at it. And when they in fact collided at turn three, ending Lando's race, puncturing his tire to ending Lando's race when he had overtaken Max for the lead. So absolutely chaotic. Paulie :D: Chaotic carnage. Meredith: Absolute carnage, but I'm super, super psyched for it. ⁓ as I'm even more psych it given the lack of reliability in the power units this year. You know, Mercedes has had mechanical failures. We've seen George be impacted by it most. Kimmy in the last race was impacted by it. We've seen Mercedes have mechanical issues. You know, Lord knows Ferrari has their fair share of issues, but yeah, I think it's gonna be really interesting to see can these cars make it and last. Paulie :D: Can Charles you know s can his brakes survive? Because he's been having brake issues, so. Meredith: can't talk about it. Everything has been Charles's brakes. And if braking is really, really critical because of these high speed straights, slamming it in the brakes coming around those turns, I am I am very worried for Charles. But I am hope I am hoping that ⁓ it's not actually the brakes and that it was just blaming the brakes because he was actually mentally breaking down. You know, that that's my thoughts though ⁓ Paulie :D: Absolutely. Meredith: Yeah, I don't know. I think it's gonna be really interesting to see how some of the teams do here with the with the lack of consistencies in the mechanical performances. and I I think one thing I'm really excited about with Austria that I was actually very concerned about at the beginning of the season was how are these cars going to handle these high speeds coming down then into these corners and turning, you know, with with all the new regulations and the way the cars are structured now. I was really worried about that at the beginning of the season. But now I think I think they've kind of got it figured out a little bit more. I don't think we're gonna see as many people sending it off the track or into the corners. They've they've kind of got their breaking down a little bit more with the with the new regulations. What are your thoughts overall? Paulie :D: Yes. L like I said, I'm super pumped for this. There's so many storylines going into this. ⁓ whatever team you follow, I think there's a good storyline for you. ⁓ you know, can Ferrari keep up their thing? Can is Mercedes still not holding their hands and seeing Kumbaya together? What's gonna happen there? What is McLaren doing? Because it seems to be like they're a bit of on the on on their heels. Have they found something? Can you know have we found something for Max? And is Red Bull gonna do anything? What about the midfield teams? Is Alpine gonna continue their tear that they've been on recently? ⁓ you know, the things with Haas, you know, it seems like all all the rumors are starting to ⁓ heat up that asterinocon is it gonna be there next year if he can't seem to find performance so what is that gonna gonna look like so overall there's so many different storylines to follow into into this this weekend and your face is frozen I wonder what's going on with your wi-fi but I'm super pumped for this my big thing is can Ferrari continue their their their their tear and what they're doing they seem to be doing really well Lewis's relationship with his ⁓ with his engineers seems to be going really well that's Can can that seem to grow? That's gonna be my main focus. And of course, Kimmy, can he continue to solidify himself as that number one driver for Mercedes? So that's that's where I'll be focused on the most. Meredith: Yeah. I think I'm my thoughts are literally in the exact same place as you are. And when we get to predictions, I think you'll you'll you'll kinda see that I I had a very similar thought process. I think that Mercedes has the best chance to be the strongest this weekend, given that the power unit performance is gonna be really, really critical. And if they can make it through without having any mechanical failures, I think that is going to be the ticket. That is going to be the money. ⁓ and I am going to hope that McLaren did something with their little weekend off and that they found something for Orlando. I have to be hopeful of that. ⁓ I I really do hope everything with Ferrari is real and it is consistent. I just don't know if this track is suited for that. They are Ferrari is really good in the corner, so maybe it will be. I don't know. We'll see. Paulie :D: Yeah, only time will tell. They're they're they they hit the track tomorrow at five thirty in the morning and I'll be awake watching, so I'm gonna see Yes. Yes, I'll be outside trying to get the pop the puppy to go potty, so I will be awake. Meredith: You'll be awake watching, text me. Give me a wake up call and text me and let me know how it's going. Okay, well what are your podium and chakra predictions for Austria? Paulie :D: Okay. I I didn't write anything down. This is strictly just off the gut. Strictly just off the gut. I think I think Lewis wins. I think it's gonna be Lewis, Kimmy, Charles, one, two, and three for a shocker. ⁓ Meredith: It's okay, I'll write it down. Strictly vibes. Paulie :D: I don't know. I I don't wanna go lame and go like Williams double points like I have been. ⁓ I don't know. Meredith: You do whatever your soul feels called to. Paulie :D: I think five different drivers don't don't finish this race or even start. A DNF or DNF, whatever you want to call it, five drivers don't finish. Correct. Meredith: Okay, so a combo of five DNFs or DNSs. Okay. ⁓ wow, I like that. That's a fun one. Paulie :D: I like it. Meredith: Okay. I went opposite route. ⁓ Paulie :D: The dogs are excited. Your predictions came up and the dogs were gonna lose it. I love it. This is great. ⁓ so it's just be I have I'm running a solo show right now. This is kind of amazing. Welcome to the next 30 seconds of Paul Runs' solo show. Guys, we can talk about anything. Right now, Ecuador just won a game versus Germany. So I'll solo show is over. Yeah, Ecuador just beat Germany. Meredith: Ecuador one? The show's over. Well, I'm gonna cut that. No, I won't. Okay, I won't. Okay. ⁓ my God, I love it. I love it. ⁓ okay, I and I'm actually realizing that this was a terrible place to record the podcast because my Wi-Fi is really crappy right here in this spot of the house because I'm the furthest point of my house from my office, which is where our Wi-Fi router is. So note it. Paulie :D: You're not because I ran my solo I ran I ran a solo show for fifteen seconds. Hey it happens. Meredith: Okay, so I went statistical ⁓ because I had done track talk. So I think that in that influenced my decision. ⁓ have George winning, Lando in second, because let's maybe see if McLaren can finish a race, and Kimmy in third, ⁓ because I do think that the Mercedes are best suited for this track. And I really hope I'm wrong. I would love to be wrong on this one because I would love a Ferrari podium, Lewis Charles. either of them, both of them, that would make me happy. And I am sticking with my chakra prediction of Alpine Double Points because it has been doing me well lately. So Paulie :D: ⁓ that's a soft prediction. Meredith: Hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. So, ⁓ George Lando Kimmy, I'll be in double points. That is my prediction. And then when we get Josh's, we'll do a little video where we can recap his FIFA experience and ⁓ and then do his little podium prediction in there as well. So, any other thoughts on F1 Austria or just F1 in general? Paulie :D: Fair. I love it. No, no. It's good to have the boys back on track. I'm excited to see how it goes down and ⁓ yeah. Meredith: And we get a double whammy. We get Austria and then we get Silverstone. So I'm like, ⁓ I love the back to back. And that was like we did that double header when we went over there. And that was we did the triple header. We did Barcelona, Austria, and then Silverstone. And that was just a frickin' grand slam of an experience. Paulie :D: One day, one day I'll be able to knock these off the list because it sounds like a lot of fun. Meredith: Yeah, it it they are fun. And I'm like, hell, if I can go to three races and spend two and a half weeks in Europe for the price of going to like one race in the US, done. Paulie :D: Yeah, that's a it's a no brainer. Meredith: Okay, well, ⁓ you know, since Josh isn't here, we get to wrap up nerding out about IndyCar and NASCAR, which we had two awesome races last weekend. ⁓ we had IndyCar at Road America in the home state of Wisconsin. Represent the badgers. Do do. And then we also had NASCAR San Diego at the Naval Base. Paulie :D: Yeah, which one do you want to start with? Meredith: ⁓ let's start wherever you want to start. Let's start any car. What a race! Paulie :D: Any car. I didn't get a chance to watch it because I had to work on Sunday, but I did go back and do the YouTube recap. Man, listen, Christian Lungard is a great driver. Meredith: huh. On fire. Paulie :D: Having having that front wing issue in lap one, having to to pit, having to go from the front of the grid to the very back and having to fight his way back. I mean, I can't think of a more legendary win than that. I mean that Meredith: Dude, it was insane to watch. And I was actually watching I was watching Pato's onboard. So I don't know. There's something about watching from another driver's onboard and watching that happen to see that victory. It was just mayhem in the ⁓ perfectly executed victory. I can't even imagine. And I can't remember what article I saw today that that somebody was, ⁓ can't remember who said it, but they were like, Christian Lungard is the most untouchable to me right now. The most untouchable indie card driver to me right now. And yes, that includes Alex Pillow. And I was like, damn! Paulie :D: Yeah. Yeah, the future is bright for Christian Lungard. ⁓ I ⁓ like I don't know really know what's going on with Paddo. I don't know if the car's just not quite dialed in. I don't know if Paddo is just not quite dialed in there. But you know, ⁓ they have two ⁓ have a bright future with Christian and a little question mark with Paddo. I don't know if his heart's just not quite ⁓ or what, but hopefully we can find Paddo. ⁓ Some sort of success this year. And all in all, he's still what fifth or sixth in in the championship points. So like Meredith: Yeah. I mean, he's still up there. He's still doing great. He's just not like winning like we would like him to. But I think we also have to talk about Nolan Siegel because that was absolutely devastating. He was about to have one of his best finishes of the season. And then that quickly all changed. Like he it was right there at the end. And they were like the commentators were even like talking about how this was Nolan Siegel's best race of the season. And then I can't I can't even remember what happened, but it it like spun out and he moved way back. And that was just such a bummer. I was like, no, not Nolan. Paulie :D: But I don't think, you know, Armstrong, God, what's his first name? Marcus. I don't think anybody had a worse weekend than Marcus Armstrong. He was on a tear. I mean, that dude was on a tear. It would have been. He he deserved that win, but La Honda Power Engine decided to say, no, thank you. Meredith: Marcus. That was also freaking heartbreaking. I I literally had tears in my eyes, Paul. That would have been his first win. Ugh. Don't go by Anna Hondo. Yeah, that was that was absolutely heartbreaking him. Yeah, that was heartbreaking for him. ⁓ I think we also need to talk about Graham Ray Hall because like his performance lately has just been absolutely incredible. He's been killing it. You know, he's already had podiums this season. It looked like he was gonna get a third place podium. ⁓ and him and Will Power were battling it out. ⁓ Paulie :D: That's why that's why that's why you don't buy a Honda. Yeah. Meredith: Graham Ray Hall was in the lead for third coming into the final two laps, which it was a one final lap shootout when the restart, when the red, when the green, when the flag went green. ⁓ and it was a one lap shootout. Graham Ray Hall was ahead. Will Power overtook. Graham Ray Hall re-overtook. Will Power was then re-overtaking. Graham Ray Hall moved to block. Will Power was already alongside. Fucked Graham's race. He said Sayanara spun out, went off the track. Will Power was able to sustain and keep going. And originally it looked like the the unofficial results had Kiffin Simpson crossing the line for a podium, which would have been his best result with them. And that was, I was like, ⁓ yay for Kiffin Simpson, but Graham Ray Hall, don't you come at my boy Will. And then when they actually reviewed the results, Will Power did cross the line pro before ⁓ Kiff and Simpson. So it was it was a Will Power podium. So obviously, anytime I've got Christian Lungard and Will Power on a podium. I'm a happier girl. So I did I d it was a bomber for Graham Ray Hall though, 'cause it would have been really cool to have him have another podium this season, but Paulie :D: Yeah, but I d I I didn't think he needed to be that aggressive with trying to block willpower from overtaking him. I think it Meredith: No, and then he doubled down on it and he was like, Yeah, I blocked. I'm allowed to block. And it's like, dude, eat your humble pie. Eat your humble pie. Yeah. Yeah, chill. Take take a quick breather. Take a take a quick breather, Graham. You get one podium and you get a big head, man. Paulie :D: Yeah. Yeah. Slow it down, buddy. You're n you're not that good. So Yeah, absolutely. And then David Malucas coming in second again. Meredith: David Malucas is also untouchable right now. Are you going to the range? Yeah. Okay. See you later. Paul says bye. Bye, Paul. Good to hear from you. See perils of perils of recording in the living room. Shitty Wi-Fi, barking dogs. Joe's going to golf. Just a normal Thursday night in this house. Yeah, ⁓ I David Malucas is killing it. And I absolutely loved what Will Power said about David Malucas, that he was the Paulie :D: Bye. Bajo ⁓ Yes. ⁓ Meredith: perfect person to replace him, that he thinks Team Penske made the right choice and that David Malucas is killing it. I I think that's so awesome. You know, I I don't know if you remember, but I remember me being pissed at Penske when they dropped Will Power. And I was like, they better have a damn good excuse. You know, and then a week later he announced he was signing with Andretti. Then Penske announced they were signing Malucas. And I think everything fell into place exactly as it was supposed to. ⁓ to me, David Malucas and LoonGuard, like they are the future of IndyCar. And I cannot wait to see them continue to grow and thrive. It's been so much fun. Seeing an oldie but a goodie with willpower up in there was super, super cool. I I loved that podium. That's like, that's my happy girl podium. The only other way is you sup Lungard out for Pato in there. I'm there with those three all fucking day. Paulie :D: ⁓ a hundred percent. Yeah, David Maluca is is a great driver. The the his future is very bright. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when he wins his out of his first race, much like Marcus Erickson. So it's just the future is bright. Indy Carr has a very bright future with these young drivers, and I'm super pumped. And then the breaking news we got this week, Felix Rosenquist is not renewing his contract with Meyer Shank Racing. So Meredith: Yep, I am too. I think it's awesome. Hoping, I'm hoping this is a moment like I had with Will Power last year, right? Like the moment I just mentioned where Penske is like, we're not renewing, you know, you know, Will Power will not be resigning with Penske. And I'm like, Pensy, WT, you know, WTF. There is no way that Meyer Shank Racing just does not renew the Indie 500 winner. You are an idiot if you do that. You're an idiot. So that must mean he has received a different offer from another team that is an offer he's really excited about or an offer he could not refuse. So I am I am hopeful that Felix has landed himself a contract he's really, really excited about. But I really did enjoy seeing him him having success with Meyer Shank Racing. Paulie :D: But where? But my question is is where? Where Meredith: Yeah, I have no idea. That's what's gotta be, that's what's gotta be like on the DL. And that means that we're gonna get a twofer announcement because that means if he's going to another team and has already signed with another team, that means someone got cut. So that means we'll get another twofer, just like we did with the Malucas willpower. Paulie :D: So what Meredith: You're getting so big. Paulie :D: He is getting so big. Meredith: Egg. Do you want to say hi to Gravy? Say hi, Gravy. It's poppy hour. Paulie :D: Yeah. Say hi, you feed the other puppy. Yeah, it's puppy hour. Welcome to your first part this is a podcast, buddy. He said Yes, let's just let's just start a pot a podcast with our dogs and see we'll see what kind of content we can come up with. Absolutely. But yeah, so I don't know, I it seems to me Meredith: It's puppy hour. Welcome to your first podcast. Yes, just it's it's the pup cast. Pit stops and popcast. It'll be it'll ha be a two for announcement. Paulie :D: It seems to me like it's too early in the year for announcements like that because normally they wait till after the year, after the season is over. So hear me out. Meredith: Yeah, but think about you've got an Indy five hundred winner that you have a chance to sign, you're gonna lock that down immediately. Paulie :D: What about he's gonna take a year off racing to be a dad? Not not happening? ⁓ either way, ⁓ Meredith: Nah, I don't see it. Nah. I don't know, he could be a little, you know, break the wrist, walk away. Break the wrist, walk away. He could be like, I'm I've done what I've I've done what I came here to do. Paulie :D: Mm-hmm. He's an he's an eighty five hundred winner. What else do I gotta do? Done. Meredith: Yeah, they always say quit when you peek, you know? Paulie :D: Yeah. He's moving on to NASCAR or Formula One. Either way, I'm excited to see what what else he does. I'm hoping Meredith: Yeah, I I think he's gonna have a really good contract. I j or like, you know, I I hope that whatever it was, you know, especially with him being a new dad, to me, the thing that would make the most sense is he got an offer financially that he could not refuse. Yes, it is early in the season, but if you're another team and you have the opportunity to sign the Indy 500 winner early on, and he's been a consistently decent driver. He's had some really good results this season. So I think, you know, I think whoever signed him, good for them. But I think we will get a two for announcement. It will be a someone is leaving and he is signing. Paulie :D: Yeah, I'm interested to see who that who that person leaving is. Willpower, he's going to Andretti. Meredith: Don't you put that evil on me, Ricky Bobby. I'm not ready to live in an indie car world without willpower. I'm just not. Paulie :D: Yeah. Yeah, we'll see. But yeah, IndyCar, off to a grid. We're doing good. They're taking the week off. They'll be in Mid Ohio next weekend for the Fourth of July weekend. So this weekend we have no IndyCar. ⁓ but yeah, we move on to NASCAR. They Meredith: Wait, that's fine. NASCAR. We had San Diego. I was so, so bummed I couldn't go. I mean, like, obviously, I had my work trip, so I wasn't able to be there. But my friend, her name is Lisette. She and I met here in Houston at a gym, and she is the coolest fucking DJ on the planet. We are so lucky she DJ'd our wedding. Like, she is open for Pitbull. She's on Pitbull Radio. She lives in Miami. She is the life of the party. She DJs F1 events. She's DJ'd NASCAR events. And she messaged me and was like, Yo, are you here in San Diego? I'm DJing for NASCAR in San Diego. And I'm like, No, that would have been like the coolest event to go to to see her DJ there. And she said it was a blast. She got to meet Denny Hamlin, sent me pictures with him. So super jealous. She said the event was awesome. So Paulie :D: Can we be can we be her groovy? Cause I would totally love to just be her groupie. And she can she can get us in. Yeah. Meredith: Yeah, we can go be DJ Ilset's groupies. She would love that. She would love that. She she's fucking awesome. I'm like, I I'm like, I want her to be able to come DJ at Coda. I'm like, she's been, she lived in Texas for years. I'm like, Coda, what are we doing? Let's get DJ Ilset DJing out at F1 weekend. Hello. Paulie :D: Yeah, yeah. But that whole weekend was a lot of fun. Them going Meredith: I think it's the best NASCAR PR and marketing I have ever seen. I I I mean, I've seen nothing else like it. Paulie :D: Yes. But I will say I don't want them to do this every year. I think this just needs to be a one off. Yeah. Meredith: I think it becomes a special event and maybe every few years. Like I could see it being like every five years with it being the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary to me, like this was a great year to do that. Nailed it. Paulie :D: Yeah. Yeah, or or or go do other military bases. Yeah, 'cause I know Great Lakes out outside of Chicago has a hu it's a huge one. So maybe go do other stuff, but I think this was such a peak that repeating it I feel like they won't be able to get what they got out of this one. Meredith: Yeah, I I do I mean, but there's so much history around San Diego and the naval base and Coronado Island and like they're like I'm sorry, in terms of the military, and I have limited scope of awareness. I know of nothing sexier than the naval base in San Diego. Like it is top gun for a fucking reason. So I think you mix that with the branding of NASCAR. Paulie :D: This is true. Plus Yeah. Meredith: That's peak America to me. So I think they nailed it. I'm with you though. Don't make it an every year thing. Make it a every few years. Make it something be special and desirable. Or if there are other great naval bases like that, or other bases that, you know, have a a draw and a pull to them that aren't where other races already exist. I I'm all for researching that and Paulie :D: Also, did you did you I sent you that mini movie, did you get a chance to watch it? Meredith: No, I'm like I Joe's going to the range right now. That may be what I do right now. I'm caught up on all my shows. Paulie :D: Yeah, it was it it was it's I think it's like a twenty-seven or thirty-seven minute watch. Short, sweet, and easy, but I really enjoyed it. There they had a couple F1 dri a couple NASCAR drivers, sorry, first little acting gig. It was it was a lot of fun. I think you I think you're gonna enjoy it. But couple things. Fun race. I hated that SVG got spun out and he didn't get a chance to win. But Meredith: ⁓ that's perfect. Then that's absolutely what I'm watching tonight. Yay, okay, I'll totally watch that tonight. Totally. ⁓ Like he was dominating. Paulie :D: Did you see the fan that jumped two fences to go talk to the NASCAR driver? Meredith: Have you seen the TikTok he made about it? About him getting out of jail? It's one of those, you're probably wondering how I ended up here and then it's all and then it's like the And it's his video of him getting busted out of jail. And then he rewinds it and it's him climbing and jumping on a fence. And I'm like, dude, excellent. Paulie :D: And the fact And the fact that he the fact that he did it in flip-flops. ⁓ just amazing. Also, NASCAR, can you get a little better on your security because there's no reason people should be doing that? Meredith: Yeah, best TikTok I've seen. I was like, that's excellent. Yeah, that would like the fact that he was able to do that in flip-flops, I'm like pffff, that like if that ever happened at F1, you'd be like shot dead. Paulie :D: instantly there's snipers everywhere just taking you out but getting back to the race corey hahn part not that's it a part-time driver this this guy races races for twenty twenty three eleven he is a part-time driver and to be able to win and to win at a road course like that amazing job for him amazing job Meredith: Corey High with his first win, a part-time driver do Corey. I thought that was fucking awesome. And, you know, I'm a big, you know, I love 2311. So I'm I'm a big fan of ⁓ 2311 one, two. I love Bubba Wallace. So seeing him up there in second, having a ⁓ you know, Corey him behind. Like I I actually I hate to say it, Kyle Larson deserves kudos. He drove a great race. He deserved a round at that podium with them. He had a great race. So as much as I love hating on Kyle Larson, ⁓ Paulie :D: Yes. Meredith: He he deserved that and I thought he did great. I mean, we also had a lot of other finishers that were up there that you usually don't see up towards the top. And I just thought that that was a really fresh thing. And I think that, you know, like we say, rain is the great equalizer for Formula One. I think road courses are the great equalizer for NASCAR. And it brings a lot of opportunity. So I thought it was really cool to see some other people up there in the top mix that usually aren't up there. I loved it. Paulie :D: And then also the do you see the little fight, the scuffle post race with our resident ex F1 driver Kevin Magnuson and ⁓ ⁓ Meredith: Mm-hmm. What? No agrees it. And he was like and then and he thought Kevin was gonna back down and Kevin just like was like nah dog like standing my ground. I loved it. Paulie :D: Mm. If there's anybody that came from F1 that deserves to have a NASCAR seat, it has to be K K Mag. Because K-Mag is just the level of I don't give a fuck attitude that that this is what NASCAR needs. And did you did you watch the video, the onboard video from K-Mag on what Noah was doing? So I will say, Kevin did not do great because he bumped him. He bumped him pretty hard, but Meredith: Pay Mac. I would be Mm. Mm-mm. But you bump in NASCAR, that's what you do. Paulie :D: That's what happens. But then Noah got so pissed, and he started blocking him. And it it was very clear that K-Mag had the faster car. And Noah was like, You're not getting past me, you're not getting past me. And finally, K-Mag just had enough of it and said, And you're going in circles. Bye. Yeah. So Meredith: Love it. Well, did you see the Carson Hosevari interview where Carson Hosevar was pulling into the pit lane and saw it happening? And he talks about what he thought was happening. And then he saw the interview and he's like, ⁓ shit. Like he thought they were just chit-chatting. He's pulling in and he's all Watching the T go down. Cause he, you know, at that point, like he was in a top he like Carson was gonna have a top 10 finish, spun out, and then ended up in like what, like 19th or something? Like way, way the fuck back there. Yeah, he way back there. Like he he was in a he was in a good contention contention position and then he spun out and went way back there. So then he's just cruising into pit lane, just finishing, and he sees them having words and he's all Paulie :D: Yeah, they they they were towards the back. But tell me, tell me that that image of Noah and K-Mag, nose to nose, did not give vibes of Talladega Knights, Ricky Bobby, and John Girard, nose to nose. I just needed, I just needed, I just needed one guy to kiss the other, like in the movie, and it would have made it better. ⁓ gosh. Meredith: major vibe. You know, I actually think I'm gonna add that to my weekend agenda to go back and watch Taladega Nights. There is a Ricky Bobby impersonator that comes to Circuit of the Americas every year. I don't know if we saw him last year or not. I can't remember, but he's always in the white wonder suit. Like he straight up looks like Ricky Bobby. And he goes every year, and every year, like celebrities are posting pictures with him and stuff. Because it is that good. I've got to pull up and show you a photo now. Cause I've got to show you how good it is. Let's see, 2023. Paulie :D: But yeah, it was a fun race at the Coronado Naval Base, or I don't think it's the Coronado. It's the Naval Base in Coronado. ⁓ my god, that's amazing. Meredith: Лак і лежит looks like him. Look, look, and he wears the same outfit every year. Paulie :D: my god, that's actually incredible. Meredith: Yeah, so now I want to go re watch Soliday Nights. Paulie :D: Great movie, great movie. But this is the so this weekend they're at the Sun Sonoma Wraith Way, but this is race one of five of their in-season challenge. Meredith: I have Sonoma this weekend, right? Paulie :D: So it's a bracket style winner takes all. Like whoever wins the bracket wins a million dollars. So it's a bracket. Yeah. So it'd be like you versus me, you versus me in round one. I don't care if we finished 30th and 31. If I finish 30th, I beat you and I advance. So it's a quick, it's a little little fight within the fight of the race. So it's kind of cool. It's gonna be it's gonna be fun. So they're in some old son. God, even when I made a TikTok video. Meredith: I'll go to ⁓ Так Paulie :D: Today I had a hard time pronouncing it. Sonoma Raceway. It's a road. Yes, yes. Sonoma. Sonoma. Gosh. It's a road course. Meredith: You got this. Sonoma. Think about wine. Sonoma. Sonoma. It's Sonoma. Apparently it's just like a Will Ferrell day because now I'm quoting him in elf, so. Francisco. Paulie :D: Another great movie. Yes. But yes, it's a road course in Sonoma, California. So early congratulations again to FVG for winning this race. I'm so proud. Well, well, don't it won't be ⁓ Do you think that I jinxed him? Okay, we're gonna edit that part out. FVG, I'm sorry. I'm sorry you didn't win. I'm sorry you didn't win. Meredith: If nobody spins him out, don't jinx him. Yeah, you definitely did. No, we're not. We're leaving that in. We're leaving that in. But what I will say is like I think again, just like to the point of the San Diego naval base race, I would love to Gravy's tail. I would love, I would love to see some other random people up in there, you know. Like I would love to see the the another road course bring in some players that we're not used to seeing at the top, some names that are up in the top 10 points that we don't we don't usually get to see. Like that's I think that's always a lot of fun. So I I love two road courses back to back. I think that's great. Paulie :D: And I think that's been the best part about this is my first year, as all you guys know, live watching NASCAR full time. And I think that's w it's what's been fun this year is you know, you don't really know w who you're gonna get as winners. And yes, we had Tyler Reddick and then we had we've had Daddy Hamlet, but we've also had, you know, Horsebar with his first win and Daniel Soris with his win. So there's been a lot of different drivers and there's a lot it's been a very competitive year. Meredith: Yeah, which I I mean it's crazy to think we're at June twenty-fifth and we have how many more races to go? That's what I was looking at my phone a second ago. I was trying to count how many races we have left, and I'm like, we still have Chicagoland, Atlanta, ⁓ North North Wilkesboro, IMS Indianapolis, Iowa, Richmond, New Hampshire, Daytona, Darlington, WWT Raceway, Bristol, Kansas, Vegas, Charlotte, Phoenix, Taladega, Martinsville, Homestead, like. We still have so many more races to go and I love that. Like we've already had a lot of season, but we're literally like just now halfway through. So I I think it's so exciting. Paulie :D: Yeah, but we only have we only have ten regular season races before the chafe begins. So that's where really that's where it's really gonna get spicy. Meredith: Yeah. Yeah, I love it. It is. But it's like, you know, I know like this is the time of year where it's like we get to the F1 summer break. ⁓ and like IndyCar takes a little bit of a break too, because after mid-Ohio, we have a break and then we have Nashville and then we have another like longer break until Portland. But like NASCAR is like hot and heavy through all of that. So I feel like even if you're hitting if if you are like us and maybe you started with Formula One and you started branching into other series, if you are hitting your summer slump and you are missing F one and there's IndyCar breaks, like This is our plug to get you to watch NASCAR because to me, like NASCAR is the perfect thing for your summer motorsport slump when you're like, ⁓ no, I have F1 or IndyCar. So hop on the NASCAR train with us. Paulie :D: Absolutely. It's been a really, really fun time. Meredith: Any other NASCAR thoughts? I only have one other motorsport thought that I want to talk about to see if you saw it. Paulie :D: Nope. What it where what is it? Meredith: At the Czech Grand Prix for Moto GP this weekend, did you see what happened? Okay, Marco Bazecchi crashed in one of the like practice rounds or whatever, like, and then a marshal, like all the marshals ran out to try to help him and he ran to like try to get back on his bike and punched a marshal in the face and was DQ'd from the race weekend. Paulie :D: I did not. Guess we can't parch we can't punch Marshall in the face. What is this world come to? Meredith: Guess not. And but like watching like he apologized and like all that stuff, you know, of course. But like watching the video, there's literally no other way to like look it up, Bazaki punching Marshall in the face, or I'll find the video and send it to you. Like, there's no other way to describe or like act like it was an accident. He literally walks up and the dude's like the everybody's like trying to help him, like get the bite, and he just Just sucker punches to do with those road bike gloves on. And I'm like, whoo. So that was the other thing that I had noteworthy to talk about. Paulie :D: I'm gonna have to I'm on YouTube right now. Meredith: Yeah, watch it. I wanna see your reaction. Paulie :D: he literally just decked him in the face. ⁓ tw he hit him twice. ⁓ Meredith: Yup. Yup. Paulie :D: And it wasn't even ⁓ man. Meredith: Yeah. Paulie :D: That's a no no, you can't do that. Meredith: That Sir, you can't do that. Yeah, so that was pretty crazy. Paulie :D: ⁓ nuts. All right. Well yeah. Meredith: Pretty crazy. Well, on that note, we will wrap up. We've got great racing this weekend. So tune in, F1 Austria. We got NASCAR and Sognova. And ⁓ my god. Paulie :D: Sonoma. Congrats SVG on your win. We're so proud of you. Meredith: Don't jinx him. Josh, we miss you. We hope you're having a blast at the World Cup. ⁓ we will post clips throughout the week. I'm home all week. I don't think I have to travel at all in July for work. Paulie :D: I hope. I hope it rains I hope it rains in Atlanta, Josh. Meredith: No, we want him to have the best time ever at World Cup. Just because you're jealous doesn't mean we want it to rain, okay? So we will be back with another episode next week. Debriefing Austria, debriefing Josh's experience at the World Cup. I hope everybody has an amazing week. As always, like, follow, subscribe, share with your friends, give us your thoughts, feedback, thing you want to hear, things you want to talk about. If you want to hop on an episode with us and nerd out with us, we'd love to have anyone on. So hit us up. Paulie :D: Guest appearances for anybody who wants to come on. Also, I miss deep throating a microphone, so maybe I'm just gonna do this for now on. Meredith: Yeah, we do celeb shots. I think you need to. It's almost like you, it's almost looks like you have just like one of these that happens to be a light-up microphone. Like the fact that it has a handle feels right. I'll I'll I'll I'll be back in my office recording next week. So it'll be less Wi-Fi choppy. Okay, everybody. Have an awesome week. We'll talk soon. Bye. Paulie :D: Yes. I'm gonna have to can't I'm gonna With better Wi Fi. Take care, guys.