Curt and Kevin Talk About VeeKay to JHR, Schumacher Testing, Brown vs. Palou, and More!

Tonight on the first Trackside of 2023, Kevin Lee and Curt Cavin jump into discussion about the upcoming season with the first race two months away and spring training in just one month. Kevin and Curt discuss some rumors and news from Chip Ganassi Racing and if the team might be preparing for Alex Palou to vacate a seat in 2024. Then, the conversation turns to what full time seats are still open for 2023, as well as the Indianapolis 500. Kevin throws out a handful of names that could be candidates for those job openings. Specifically, Kevin and Curt discuss where Takuma Sato will end up for the 500. For the first quarter of the show, the discussion continues on potential drivers for open seats.  Then, Kevin and Curt remember the late Ken Block, a rally driver and YouTuber, who died at the age of 55 in a snowmobile accident on Monday. Trackside then turns to what’s coming in 2023, specifically what’s going on with the docuseries coming ahead of the Indy 500 and Kevin’s role in the production. The first hour wraps up with some 2023 by the numbers.  To kick off hour two, Ed Carpenter Racing’s Conor Daly joins the program to kick off the new year. Kevin, Curt and Conor discuss Daly’s podcast - Speed Street - with Joey Mulinaro and what Conor has learned about doing a show and speaking into a microphone. Then the conversation turns to the popularity of IndyCar vs. Formula 1 and the work that can be done to grow the IndyCar audience in Indiana and the midwest. Conor then details what he knows about the upcoming docuseries and what he knows about the content. Are drivers going to be willing to pull back the curtain for the audience? Conor says he hopes so, because the sport doesn’t have a choice. The conversation ends with marketing the series, on-track testing ahead of the season at the Thermal Club, Ed Carpenter Racing, the 2023 driver lineup and Ken Block. After over half an hour with Conor, Kevin and Curt wrap up the show with some reflection on their conversation with Daly, the docuseries and other motorsports news of the day.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

4 Jan 20231h 29min

Tonight on Trackside, Kevin Lee and Curt Cavin wrap up a busy year for IndyCar in 2022. Kevin and Curt start the show with what 2022 will be remembered for when we look back on the last 12 months. Scott Dixon’s domination of the Indianapolis 500 until his pit violation and the full capacity crowd in May are both topics of conversation. Then, naturally, the discussion turns to Alex Palou’s roller coaster of a year off the track, as well as Will Power, Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin. In a nearly impossible task, Kevin and Curt do their best to touch on everything that dictated the 2022 IndyCar season. Then, Stefan Wilson and Don Cusick join the show on the heels of the announcement that Willson will race for Cusick Motorsports and Dreyer and Reinbold Racing in the Indianapolis 500. Wilson discusses his preparation for the 500 and what his experience from the last several seasons provides heading into 2023. Cusick discusses the partnership with Wilson, Dreyer and Reinbold and the belief they have in him as a driver, as well as the expansion plans for 2023 and beyond. Wilson also touches on what it’s like being the sole focus of a team as the only driver and the benefits to having a teammate. Then, the conversation turns to the Thermal Club for 2023 IndyCar spring training and how Cusick, who is part of the club, has seen the track respond to the opportunity. What kind of track are the drivers headed to? To finish the conversation, Wilson and Cusick talk about their sponsors. In the second hour, Kevin is joined by Ryan Eversley and Sean Heckman from Dinner With Racers. Kevin, Ryan and Sean talk about how they ended up doing the podcast, the origin story and how each of them got into motorsports. Sean shares his history as a professional racecar driver and how he eventually made a living behind the wheel. The group discusses podcast stories, best conversations and people at the top of the wish list to have on the show. The conversation ends with how the duo is expanding to other platforms. To round out the show, Kevin gets to news and notes of the day before he is joined by a young race car driver in Jaxon Bell to talk about growing up in racing, his experience working in the industry and recent action on the track.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

21 Dec 20221h 36min

Tonight on Trackside, Kevin Lee and Curt Cavin check in from all over the country. Curt and producer Josh are in Indianapolis while Kevin is in sunny Florida at Sebring Raceway. Then, Kevin and Curt discuss the upcoming docuseries leading up to the Indianapolis 500 in partnership with the CW and VICE Media. We discuss the six-part series called “100 Days to Indy” and what kind of audience and reach the series is trying to have. Which drivers should the series focus on? The conversation goes deep into the potential content, could it push controversy and how it will impact teams. Then, Kevin and Curt discuss the marketing budget and strategy of IndyCar and the series being more aggressive in its approach moving forward. That leads to a conversation about the reports that a group of drivers sent letters to the highest ranking management at IndyCar in a push for more marketing. To round out the first hour, Kevin and Curt answer Twitter questions and get into news and notes of the day. In the second hour, the legendary broadcaster Paul Page joins the show to discuss his book, Hello, I’m Paul Page: It’s Race Day in Indianapolis. Curt and the 27-year Indy 500 broadcaster discuss the project of the book and how he constructed it. Page talks about the stories he tells in the book and which ones he got to tell at length for the first time publicly. The broadcast booth at IMS used to be situated in a manner that Page couldn’t see the finish line and he tells the story of calling one of Al Unser Jr’s wins in the early 1990s. The longtime broadcaster tells more stories about how complex broadcasting is at a place as big as IMS and some of the work he’s the proudest of. Then, Page details why he wanted Mario Andretti to write the foreword in his book. It’s a brilliant 30 minutes with a great storyteller. To round out the show, Kevin and Curt discuss the return of Thursday Night Thunder in SRX, other driver news and what we missed during the show.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

14 Dec 20221h 28min

Tonight on Trackside, Kevin Lee and Curt Cavin discuss Marcus Armstrong in the No. 11 car for Chip Ganassi Racing on road and street courses and what that means for Takuma Sato’s chances of winning another Indianapolis 500. Kevin and Curt also discuss some other news tidbits around motorsports.and more conversations about seats for next season. Then, the conversation turns to a discussion about engine type and the future of sustainability, power and manufacturers in the sport. Kevin and Curt discuss the reaction to the news and yet another delay in the process.    Andretti Autosport broke ground on a new world headquarters north of Indianapolis on Tuesday and Kevin and Curt discuss the world class race shops in Central Indiana. Then, the conversation turns to Rolex 24 coming up soon. To round out the first hour of the show, Kevin and Curt touch on ticket prices and SJ Luedtke leaving IndyCar. In a guest-heavy second hour, Kevin is joined by new Chip Ganassi Racing driver Marcus Armstrong to discuss his racing experience in the United States and what attracted him to IndyCar. Then, Kevin and Marcus touch on how the opportunity at CGR came about, the car he’ll be driving and his relationship with Scott Dixon. To round out the conversation, Marcus talks about just racing on road courses and being at the Indy 500 in May. Next up, Dean Kessel, the Chief Marketing Officer of the American Legion, joins the show to discuss the business side of motorsports, American Legion’s continued partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing and what makes motorsports an attractive target for marketing and advertising. Then, Kevin throws out some motorsport book suggestions for Christmas gifts before Mark Dill, author of The Legend of the First Superspeedway, joins to discuss his book and the genesis of oval racing in the United States.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

7 Dec 20221h 32min

Tonight on a shortened edition of Trackside, Kevin Lee and Curt Cavin discuss using the racing platform to push different initiatives and raising money for important causes. Kevin and Curt touch on how racing teams are participating in Giving Tuesday the week following Thanksgiving. Then, the conversation turns to Indy 500 seats and Stefan Wilson getting a ride with Dreyer & Reinbold and Cusick Motorsports. That leads to a discussion about Sage Karam’s time with Dreyer & Reinbold and if there’s a spot for him in the field in May. Naturally, Kevin and Curt then continue to talk about possible drivers rounding out the Indy 500 field and the road to 34 cars. In the back half of an abbreviated show, Kevin and Curt address a collection of Twitter questions around TV contracts (along with digital content) and ticket prices. Then, we discuss the possibility of Felipe Drugovich driving in IndyCar in 2023 and other season-long seat possibilities next season. To round out the show, Kevin and Curt talk about expanding the schedule, Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s musical chairs with sponsors and more Twitter questions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

30 Nov 202247min

Tonight on Trackside, Kevin Lee and Curt Cavin open the show by setting the schedule for the rest of the year before getting to the news of the day. We first discuss Ed Carpenter’s announcement that 16-year-old Josh Pierson will be a development driver for the team with eyes set on a 2025 IndyCar campaign. Kevin and Curt talk about why the partnership is good for both sides. Then, the conversation continues with more Silly Season news for 2023, specifically Takuma Sato. To round out the first segment, Kevin and Curt discuss the current state of the Indy 500 field.  Then, there are rumblings of “what has Roger Penske brought to IndyCar”. Kevin and Curt discuss that topic as the honeymoon phase of the Penske ownership comes to a close. We touch on what Penske has done and how he operates the business of IndyCar. How much stability has Penske brought to the sport? In the second hour, Kevin and Curt discuss Colton Herta’s extension with Andretti Autosport and reports that suggest he’s the highest paid driver on the grid. Ty Gibbs will replace Kyle Busch in the Cup series for Joe Gibbs Racing in the No. 54 car. Then, Kevin and Curt discuss scheduling and TV ratings. Trackside is an IndyCar show, but sometimes we talk Formula 1 when we get a chance to visit with Steve Matchett. Matchett discusses what he’s up to nowadays before discussing George Russell’s first win over the weekend ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Kevin and Matchett talk about Russell’s ability to adapt to Mercedes and recall Michael Schumacher’s first Driver’s Championship. Matchett stresses the importance of gelling with the entire team, including your fellow driver, in F1. Steve and Kevin tell stories about his time as an F1 mechanic. To round out the conversation, they discuss what the car will look like in 2023, the popularity of the sport in America and the Inside F1 Year in Review show.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

16 Nov 20221h 33min

Tonight on Trackside, Kevin Lee quickly touches on a wild last 48 hours for the Indianapolis Colts before diving into the motorsports news of the day. Then, Kevin and Curt Cavin discuss the weekend’s NASCAR Cup Championship and Joey Lagano walking away with his second series title. Then, the conversation turns to the Indianapolis 500 field and the now slim opportunities for a driver to run in both races the last weekend in May. We continue to discuss NASCAR drivers trying to find their way onto the 500 grid.  Kevin and Curt dive into driver updates in IndyCar. Sage Karam will not return to Dreyer and Reinbold Racing next season. Is there a spot for Simona de Silvestro in the Indy 500? We continue to talk about full time seats in 2023 and what part time seats might look like. Then, Kevin and Curt talk about Marcus Ericsson getting to take the Borg Warner Trophy back home to Sweden. Kevin rounds out the first hour with your Twitter questions. In the second hour, Kevin discusses seats with Dale Coyne Racing and some movement among mechanics in IndyCar. Indy Lights? No longer. It’s now INDY NXT by Firestone. Kevin touches on the name change on the IndyCar ladder and testing for the series. Then, Tim Coffeen, longtime IndyCar mechanic for Newman/Haas, joins the show following a Newman/Haas auction at the beginning of November. Curt and Tim discuss the emotional attachment to the cars he worked on and remembering the stories behind the cars. Tim touches on how many cars he would’ve worked on during a given season and starting with two cars per driver each year at Newman/Haas. Curt and Tim then break down what part of the car Tim worked on the most and what an engineering team would look like. Ultimately, Tim spends a lot of time recounting the stories of seven series championships he was a part of during his time with the team.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

9 Nov 20221h 37min

Tonight on Trackside, Kevin Lee and Curt Cavin begin with Arrow McLaren SP confirming Tony Kanaan for the 2023 Indianapolis 500 and the position he is in to try and capture another 500 victory in a car capable of winning the race. Kevin and Curt also discuss NTT Data’s partnership with AMSP next season. Then, the conversation turns to NASCAR drivers in May’s race and why Arrow McLaren SP went with Kanaan over a driver from a different series. To round out the first segment, Kevin and Curt touch on Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing confirming they intend on running a fourth car in the Indy 500. That leads to a discussion about who is most likely to fill that seat. Kevin and Curt dissect open seats left for May and what looks like the only place that either NASCAR Kyle could go in order to run in the 500. Will Ed Carpenter put another car in the race or focus on the drivers already on his roster, including himself? The conversation expands into a larger one about total cars in the 500, teams, engines and drivers. In the second hour, Kevin and Curt begin with discussing Ross Chastain’s gutsy move at the end of the NASCAR race in Martinsville and Tony Stewart’s NHRA debut. Then, they discuss Roger Penske investigating more ovals on the IndyCar schedule and the locations the series is considering. Before FOX NASCAR’s Jamie Little joins the show, Kevin and Curt reminisce about the beginning of Trackside. Then, Kevin and Jamie talk about the Martinsville Cup race and the upcoming championship weekend. Kevin then wraps up the show with Twitter questions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2 Nov 20221h 35min