Speaker 1: This is off track.
Hello and welcome to Off Track with Hinch and Rossi. Yes.
Tuesday episode with, uh, with both of us.
And, uh, we do have a guest today,
but, uh, yeah, it's, it's,
it's a, it's an interesting day, guys. Is that
Speaker 2: To have guests on your podcast?
Speaker 1: No. Well, I mean, we try
to have one on the Tuesday episode.
Uh, we've, we're gonna have multiple today,
but what's unusual about it is
there's like some interesting news.
News.
Speaker 3: We actually have to, um, be professional.
That's, yeah, kind of, that's a new thing for us. Yeah.
Speaker 1: I think people are well aware
what they're getting when they sign up for this show
and that professionalism is not it.
Um, but there is some, there is some cool news to discuss,
of course, if you haven't already figured it out.
Our guest is the CEO of TWG Motorsports, Daniel Towers,
as his name appears on his little box here on,
uh, on Riverside.
And Dan, welcome to the show. Thanks so much for being here.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's great to be here.
First time on the show, so thanks for the invite. Of course,
Speaker 1: Of course.
Um, why don't we kick it off with
actually a little bit of a recap.
'cause we did just finish Nashville.
The IndyCar season for 2025 is over and done with.
So why don't you give us a little bit of a, uh, you know,
a recap for you and a,
and an assessment of how the IndyCar season
was for Andretti?
Speaker 2: Yeah, so I think it was a challenging season for Andretti.
You know, we certainly had our high spots,
but I think we also had, you know, some of our low spots,
um, you know, in the season.
You know, certainly the, the drivers were fantastic,
you know, from that standpoint in terms of, you know,
uh, they drove great.
We had a lot of speed, you know, at, at the track.
Um, but we, you know, made some mistakes along the way.
We, you know, we had some, some foibles in pit lane that,
uh, you know, caused us some races.
We've had some, you know, interesting calls in, you know,
pit lane and other places that, you know,
let's just say are arguable.
But, um, you know,
but all in all just really proud of the progress
that the team, you know, has made this year.
Love this group of guys, you know, that and, or guys
and gals that we have, uh, you know, at end ready
and, um, you know, so, um, excited with, you know, to,
to finish the season and start building on 2026.
Speaker 3: So, I, I wanna ask a, a little bit of a question.
We have a lot to cover in 20 minutes, but,
but a personal question for you in terms of,
you came into the sport as, as, as kind of a sponsor, um,
not that long ago, and your role has grown into what it is.
And we're gonna talk a a lot about what
that is in a few moments.
But walk us through that journey in, as in as brief
of a time period as you can and,
and just like how much your understanding
and knowledge of the sport has changed and,
and maybe things that are a lot harder, um,
to accomplish maybe than you thought
when you first joined. Yeah,
Speaker 2: So came in as a sponsor for sure.
Um, you know, I really fell in love with IndyCar.
I love, you know, open wheel racing,
but in particular, you know, IndyCar racing,
just how close it is.
And I think initially it was this, you know, this idea
that all these people, you know,
you have a hundred plus people on a team that are searching
for thousandth of a second,
and that's gonna matter, you know, significantly on track.
And so just from, even from a business standpoint, you know,
that was super interesting to me.
And, and, um, you know, kind of went from sponsor of,
you know, of the 26 car to, uh, sponsor for the Indy 500,
kind of grew into that piece.
So just, you know, a bigger and bigger role.
And then an opportunity came to, you know, become partners
with Michael and, and get into the ownership space.
And, and, you know, really then you start
to take a, a closer look.
And it's not just showing up, you know, on race weekends
and enjoying the sport, you know, of it.
There's a lot more to learn, you know, behind, you know,
what each person is doing, and you know, what, you know,
what makes a team successful.
But, you know, kind of the common threads that I see,
you know, in motorsports versus other businesses, you're,
at the end of the day, you're still building high
performing, high functioning teams.
So how do you do that? It's people, you know,
you want talented people, you're building culture, um,
you know, from that standpoint,
they need to have the resources.
You wanna have the right strategy, you know, for the team.
And, and then you want tactical execution on that basis.
And so, like anything else, you're looking back
and saying, are we headed in the right direction as a team?
Do we have the right strategy? And then are we executing
tactically against that strategy,
you know, from that standpoint.
And so, um, I feel like I've learned a lot in a, you know,
in a short period of time,
but have, you know, an enormous amount
to, you know, to learn as well.
But really thankful for the people that, you know, have
around, have a great team around me that have,
that have helped me along the way.
Speaker 4: Part of the story I've always heard is you,
you had talked at your church
and somebody had heard about that,
and they asked the pastor if they could get in, contact me.
Like, that's an awesome story.
And it all obviously worked out pretty well,
but like, was part of you like a little upset
that the pastor was just giving out your contact
info for that kind of thing? ,
Speaker 2: We didn't, to be clear,
they've never let me talk at church, Tim. Okay.
Speaker 4: They talked about you at church, I don't know.
Speaker 2: No. Yeah, Aaron Brock at Trader's Point had, um,
he was in a conversation with Zach ve, which is a story,
which is a hundred percent true.
And Aaron gave Zach my name,
and it, it wasn't so much to, Hey, call him
and ask him for money, you know, from
that standpoint, , it was really advice.
Um, and,
and, you know, to Zach's credit,
that's the way the conversation went.
He was calling for advice.
Um, I was the one that said, Hey, Zach, nice to meet you.
I don't sponsor race cars.
I don't sponsor race car drivers go,
you know, say what you have to say.
But along the way, I liked, you know, his story
and I wanted to help out.
I wanted to be a part of, you know, his journey,
you know, into motorsports.
And, you know, obviously it's opened a lot of doors, um,
from that standpoint and brought some interesting
opportunities along the way.
And I'm pretty glad it happened. Dan. You
Speaker 1: Know, you, you've learned a lot in your,
in your time in Motorsports now.
And, um, as you said, it's all about people and,
and building a right team, uh, for those that don't know,
you're also the CEO of Cadillac F1,
and you are quite literally building a
team from the ground up.
So those lessons that you've learned on the IndyCar side,
I imagine coming into effect there.
But as we look into 2026, uh, we understand
that there is some, uh, some changes happening at Andretti
for 2026, and would like to give you the opportunity to kind
of let the people know what one of the more significant ones
that's gonna be happening. Yeah.
Speaker 2: So, um, we'll start with the first one.
So if we're looking at the TWG Motor Sports checkerboard,
you know, the board up on the wall, what are, what are some
of the pieces, you know, that we're moving around?
And so Cadillac Formula One will be announcing Colton Herda
as a test
and development driver, you know, for the team,
you know, from that standpoint.
So, so Colton's gonna be leaving Andretti, you know,
to pursue his dream in Formula One.
Uh, you know, was something that we were looking at
a few years ago, uh, when Michael
and I were looking to acquire Salur, um, that, you know,
that deal didn't happen and it kind of fell
through at the last minute, but it really kind
of started Colton on this journey where he, you know,
really started to show, uh, you know, a lot
of promise in Formula One.
He went over to, to, uh, Switzerland, got on the,
the simulator, and within an hour was faster than the two
Formula One drivers at the team, with the team at that time.
You know, that led to some other things
to show some real excitement, uh, you know, along the way.
And, and so he is built up an actual body of work
that not everybody knows about, you know, in Formula One,
in terms of some of the tests that he is done, uh, from
that standpoint, even to drawing interest from, you know,
from Red Bull, um, you know, later on from there.
So, so again, we've been fortunate to keep, you know,
Colton at Andretti, um, in the IndyCar team.
And so now he's gonna pursue that dream in Formula One.
And so to do that, he's gonna take a pretty big risk.
He's leaving IndyCar, he's not going directly
to Formula One.
This is a, you know, a test and development driver role.
And so he's gonna be going into F two,
he's gotta learn tracks, he's gotta learn tires.
Tires are a big part of that.
Um, very different from IndyCar from that standpoint.
Um, you know, and,
and so I just couldn't be more proud of Colton to be,
you know, to be willing to take
that risk, to pursue his dream. When you broach
Speaker 1: This subject with him, you know, it's, it is,
you're stepping, you're stepping away from the known, right?
Something that you've, you've really,
you set your goal in achieving,
and you did it at a young age.
You got there at a young age, you won at a young age.
He's been part of a top team for a long time,
regular contender.
To step away from that to do, you know, a preparatory year,
potentially, before even having the opportunity
to maybe step up into F1, that's a, that's a big ask.
So when you, when you approached him
with this option, what was
Speaker 2: That discussion like?
Yeah, so it was just like, Hey, Cole,
we've talked about Formula One for a, a long time now.
And, you know, as I think about it, you know, uh,
it took a lot to get here.
So, you know, Graham loading the team, principal Graham,
you know, paid a, a big price to get into Formula One.
I, you know, paid a price to get into Formula One.
And if you want to, this is the price you have to pay
to get into Formula One through work and,
and development, of course, we're not talking money.
Um, 'cause again, I think going back,
I think most people know that our journey
to Formula One was a rocky one.
It was three years of, of, you know, trying to break through
and get an entry for an American team.
And Graham was central to that process that we, we were kind
of, you know, partners through this, you know,
massive uphill journey to, to try to secure an entry and,
and, you know, and we got it.
And so it's just like, nothing about Formula One is easy,
you know, from that standpoint.
And, you know, Hey, bud, it's not gonna be easy for you too,
but if you wanna pursue that dream, this is
what the path looks like, this
is what you're gonna need to do.
And it's up to you to decide if you're willing to do that.
Speaker 3: I'd be very interested for you to, to explain
to our listeners, um, you know, James
and I have a firsthand experience working with Colton, and,
and, you know, he's been a, a big topic of, of this show
for, for many years, um,
just based on his accomplishments on track,
what do you see in him?
Like, what is, what is the thing?
Because James and I, last week, we, we talked at length, um,
you know, about how we both viewed your decision
for your dry driver lineup to be one.
That was the exact same thing we
would do if we were in your shoes.
It, it wasn't, uh, uh, oh, we're an American team,
so we have to have this American play.
No, it's a, we're a brand new team
and we have to have the best,
most experienced drivers that are available.
And you got that and, and Sergio and Daltry,
but just explain
to our listeners why Colton could be the path forward
and the future of Cadillac F1 and,
and also just so happens
to be an American kid as well. Yeah. So
Speaker 2: I think, I think Colton, through the, the tests,
the various tests that we've talked about,
I think has shown, you know, um,
high potential in the Formula One type car.
You know, I think a lot of times when people think about,
you know, IndyCar and Formula One or,
or NASCAR just, you know, are looking at different series,
they kind of think that, oh,
being successful in one means you're,
you're gonna be successful in a different one.
And I just don't think that that's actually the case.
They're very different. Like, it's very challenging
to go from IndyCar to NASCAR or vice versa.
It's, it's almost, you know, I mean, you guys tell me,
but it's, it's almost like unlearning all of your instincts
and doing, you know, the opposite, you know, in a lot
of ways, you know, from that standpoint.
And so, so I think Colton's shown, you know,
very high potential in a Formula One,
a Formula One type car.
I think he's very good at like high commitment corners.
Um, he's, he's been, you know, he's done very well on,
you know, uh, you know, street
and road type courses, um, you know, generally in IndyCar,
that's been a specialty of his,
of just seeing a different way around the track,
you know, from other people.
Um, I think Co Colton also adapts to new information,
you know, very, very quickly.
Um, and his driving style is, you know, has,
has been adapted to, you know, doing a lot
of com complex things in the car.
And I think all of those are gonna be skills, you know,
that are needed in Formula One.
And I think, you know, he's historically done very well
with tires, but he's gonna have a new
challenge in that as well. Yeah,
Speaker 3: I, I, I agree with all that.
And I also think his, his approach, right?
Like him seemingly being unfazed by, by anything
that gets thrown at him, good, bad,
and different, you know, he's just there,
he loves driving race cars.
He's gonna always give 105% no matter the
session, no matter the lap.
So those are the things that, in that environment, which,
whether it's it's Cadillac F1
or not, it's, it's a hostile environment over there,
European motorsports is, is a little bit different.
You obviously got to experience that firsthand
as you touched on briefly for those three years.
So I think his, his just kind of even keeled approach will,
will pay huge dividends.
Um, my last question that I have for you
before James has the, the other big one is,
was there ever a moment, right, in those three years
where you were like, this isn't worth it.
Like, this is just, this is too much heartache,
this is too much, this is too much drama for,
for an American F1 team to actually come to, to fruition.
Speaker 2: I feel like my wife Cassie, put you up to that question.
, there are absolutely, there were absolutely days
where I was just like, you know, I'm done.
I don't need, you know, I don't need this headache.
And, you know, she's a huge fan of Motorsport
and has always been there to, you know, to support
and push, you know,
and she's like, you're not giving up, you know, on this.
You know, keep pushing, keep pushing.
You've got it, you've got it.
And it was so, it was, you know, it was super helpful.
It was essential, you know, to have someone like
that in your corner that understood, you know,
what was happening, you know,
and to, you know, to push on that basis.
'cause like, yeah, I mean, there were times, you know,
I was actually talking with, uh, Sarah Eisen from CNBC,
and, you know, she had been, she was doing this at the time,
was doing this documentary with,
with F1 from like a business standpoint,
and talking to team principals
and Greg mcfe at the time, he was running Liberty Media,
and it was just like, oh, there's no 11th team,
there's no new entry, it's not happening.
Like, we're happy to go on the record. It's not happening.
And Graham Graham
and I are sitting there like, you know, the, at this point,
we're building cars, we're, we're in a wind tunnel, we're,
you know, the project's 150 million
deep, you know, into that.
And you're basically hearing like, not this, well, you know,
if you do this, if you do that,
you might, you get there someday.
It was just like, no, it was a hard, yeah.
And, you know, and so to look at that, yeah, like it's,
you know, it's, it's kind of, um,
and that's kinda what meant by like, we paid a price.
So you had the, the stress of thinking through that,
but it really pushes you.
And a lot of times when you're in this stressful situation,
you know, it's that last little bit where you, you,
you keep digging, you keep pushing
where you find the solution,
you find the next thing you know
that keeps the project going.
And I guess that's why they say
pressure makes diamonds, right?
Because, you know, if it were easy, like you don't,
you don't get that, you don't extract that last, you know,
that last bit out.
And it takes, you know, it takes in some ways almost a,
you know, you know, that high pressure desperation
or whatever, you know, where you, you are like,
I just gotta go back through this one more time.
I just gotta dig through this one more time.
There's a solution in here somewhere.
I just haven't found it yet, you know?
And it was like that type of mindset, you know,
to keep pushing through to get that entry. Amazing.
Speaker 4: Well, congrats. Obviously, we're all really rooting
for Colton now, and,
and hope this goes well, you know,
he is a friend, friend of all of us.
Uh, I guess you missed the countless emails I sent you,
lobbying for myself for that seat,
but, you know, uh, silver lining,
there's a seat now available for me. So I got
Speaker 2: All the emails, Speaker 4: , you know, I, I can take, uh,
I can just take Colton Seton,
IndyCar, and, and we're still good.
Speaker 1: B before you do your, your, uh, your hard pitch on
that one, Tim, I just got one,
I just got one last thing I wanna touch on with,
with the Colton situation.
So I, I, I understand that, you know, going over there,
it's about learning the racetracks,
it's about learning the tires
and kind of how they operate is very different from
what we experience on the IndyCar side.
And, uh, and there's, there's a lot for that,
but I also understand that a big part of it is,
is integration with the team, right?
I mean, a Formula One team is a very complex machine.
It's a very different kinda weekend rhythm and, and cadence.
And a big part of that is for Colton
to be pretty integrated into the team and,
and really learn the world of Formula One while he's,
you know, learning on the driving side in F two.
So, two part question is the expectation
that he will be at every event,
and the second part is, is it as clear cut
as if he excels next year in a, in a junior category
that he has a seat?
Speaker 2: Yeah. So like I said, I think, you know,
Colton's taking a big risk.
We've got two experienced drivers, you know, in the car.
Um, you know, I, I'm confident Colton will get his shot,
but you know, he's gotta earn it, right?
He's, he's taking that risk.
This isn't, you know, Colton signing,
which I think people should really take note of
and admire Colton for that bold move like this.
You know, it's not like, uh, he's not entitled to the seat.
He's not guaranteed, you know, the seat from
that standpoint, you know, he's going over to, to prove
that he belongs in Formula One.
I think we could all say that people
that don't belong in Formula One, you know
that it separates it out pretty quickly, right?
If it's, if it's not meant to be, and so,
and so, it's not, you know, it's not the right move for,
for really for anyone, you know, from that standpoint.
Um, but I think that's part of what you have
to look at in this situation
and why, you know, you know,
that's Colton's doing a big thing here.
I mean, he's, um, you know, it's like the, you know,
no risk, no reward, I guess, you know, from that standpoint.
But, um, yeah, I think
what I applaud most about him is his
willingness to be uncomfortable.
You know, when you, when you come to a fork in the road,
the very, the most comfortable thing he could have done was
say, I'm well paid.
I'm gonna stay in IndyCar and, you know,
and go try to achieve this next thing.
But he chose the unconventional path.
He chose something that's going to,
that's a very uncomfortable situation.
There's a lot of new things, you
know, that are gonna come at him.
And, um, but I think it's, when you do put yourself in
that situation, he's gonna grow, you know, tremendously.
And he's got a big opportunity in front of him as well. No,
Speaker 1: It's great.
I think the fact that there are no guarantees makes it
that much more impressive.
What, uh, what he's decided to do.
And it's great that you gave him the opportunity.
Um, that said, I think there's a, there's a glaring
and obvious follow up question.
If Colton is fully focused on European racing in 2026,
there's an opening behind the wheel of the 26.
Tim Uncross your fingers, it is not you,
but any, uh,
anything you wanna share about your plans
on the IndyCar side? Yeah,
Speaker 2: Happily to.
So, um, will Power has agreed to, to take the 26 seat
for 2026.
And so he will pilot the blank ho, you know, 26 Honda.
But, uh, yeah, so starting at the first of the year,
we'll be, we will be a part of the team and,
and, um, we'll be rocking
Speaker 3: The 26 car has become one of those legacy cars, right?
I think in the past five years, you know, you, you know,
the nine is Dixon, you know, um, that, well,
I guess 10 now is below the 12 has obviously been Will,
the 26 has been Colton.
So those cars are always incredibly difficult
to find replacement drivers for,
because there's this expectation, right?
That that car is, is gonna be at the front,
is gonna be in contention week in and week out.
So what an amazing opportunity for, for both of you, right,
to be able to, to find someone of Wheels caliber, I mean,
the fastest indie car driver in history, right?
Two championships, 500, um,
so much legacy going into that car.
And also for Will, going to a, a team that
in some regards is an upgrade.
Like, you don't often leave Team Penske, right?
And think that you're gonna next year have a more
competitive car or a better chance to win races.
So, um, I just wanna congratulate you both on that,
but did you, when this came up with Colton,
did you know Will was gonna be available
and did that make this whole kind of puzzle
jigsaw puzzle piece moving easier? Yeah, you know,
Speaker 2: That, that's a great question.
Um, because we, I absolutely did think about,
like at different points in time, you know,
I was thinking about do I offer Colton this path?
Like does he get, you know, does one, does it make sense,
you know, for him to pursue that?
But then it's like, Hey, wait a second, if Colton leaves,
you know, Andretti, like, who am I gonna put in the car?
And like, because you're right, it's very difficult.
Those are big shoes to fill, you know, on the Andretti side.
And so I was just like, nah, I'm not doing it.
Like, just, you know, that that's,
it's too big, big of a move.
And it was, it was, uh,
it was actually a Road America this year where, you know,
Roger had given Will permission, you know, just to talk
to other teams and kind of see what's out there
and Will came up to me
and he was just like, I wanna drive for you.
And I'm like, well, I three drivers under contract,
but I have something in my head.
Let me think about it and I'll get back to you.
And, and so, I mean, it was really right at that time
that I'd been thinking about taking that next step
with Colton, you know, of like saying, you know, this is
what the Formula One path looks like,
and we're kind of at this place where it's either now
or never, you know, from that standpoint.
And, you know, so it was, you know, somewhat serendipitous
that has all kind of happened at the same time
because you, you're absolutely right,
it was a big consideration about who was gonna go in
that car, you know?
And, um, I couldn't be more
excited that it's gonna be willpower.
Speaker 1: Obviously we all know Will's track record,
we know the wins, the poles, all that stuff.
But as you've always said,
and we've, we've talked about it here,
racing's about people, you
know, building a team's about people.
So, uh, I'm sure there's a lineup of drivers
that would've happily driven the 26 car.
I know it's not, you know, it's not always that, again,
big shoes to fill with, with Colin, her to stepping out.
But what was it about Will,
why was Will an attractive option for you?
A above and beyond just what his resume says?
Speaker 2: Yeah, so like, I knew Will just, you know, generally,
you know, would see him around
or whatev we didn't, we didn't talk a lot.
And so as I started to get to know him, you know,
I don't think I appreciated just how intense his work ethic
is and you know, how much of a, you know,
of a technician he is and how detailed he is.
You know, he is like, he's like borderline mechanic,
borderline engineer, you know,
race car driver, borderline, insane, ,
Speaker 1: Borderline Speaker 2: Musician, uh, drummer, I guess.
Yeah, , you know, as well, right?
So, I don't know, maybe it was better than that.
Um, but, uh,
Speaker 1: No, that was the connection that's you're like, oh,
a drummer's leaving this car.
We need a drummer to replace him.
It's the only way it's gonna work.
Speaker 2: It's the, it's gonna work.
Yeah, that was my first question.
I go, well, what instrument do you play ?
Speaker 1: Sure. Speaker 2: No, but, um,
but man, I was just like, this guy's work ethic.
I'm like, wow. Like you, I,
I really do think he's gonna take it to a new level,
you know, you know, with the teammates.
I think he's, he feels like he's got so much to prove
yet still in IndyCar,
despite the record, you know, that he has.
And, um, and so I was just like, I love the, you know,
the energy around this guy, like who he is,
and you know, how he approaches racing.
I had no idea that it was that detailed, that intense.
And, um, you know, so as I got to know him a little bit more
as a race car driver, I was just like,
I want this guy on my team. I
Speaker 1: Love that.
Um, because this is somewhat breaking news,
and so we're like a quasi like media outlet in this one
particular example in the eight year history of this show.
Uh, I'm gonna ask a question that like,
I normally wouldn't have asked,
but I know you're gonna get asked, so let's just get it out
so that way hopefully less people ask you in the future.
Sure. Um, is this a single year deal, a multi-year deal?
What are you willing and able to share in terms of,
you know, kind of the, the specifics on that side of things?
Speaker 2: Yeah, so w Will's a multi-year deal, um,
you know, from that standpoint.
And so, um, yeah, we're, we're excited to have 'em on and,
and, um, you know, it's, you know,
as we continue to build out our,
Speaker 1: Our driver Speaker 2: Lineup, we're super excited about
Speaker 3: That.
Well, thank you very much for your time, um,
and sharing all of this.
It's, um, it's been incredible for all of us.
Um, but specifically James
and I, you know, we have, I have a, a soft spot
for Formula One with my history Shut up.
Tim James obviously has gotten very involved in
that world recently.
So the fact that there is people that we know now, people
that, that we're ultimately all very close with in, in,
in different regards, um, going out and,
and participating in, in the biggest sport in the world,
um, is, is pretty amazing.
So we wish you all the best.
Thank you for the time and, uh, can't wait to watch
and cheer you on from afar.
Speaker 2: Awesome. Thanks guys, Speaker 3: Though, because
Speaker 2: Appreciate you having me up .
Speaker 1: Thanks very much, buddy. Really appreciate it. Yep.
Well, we spoke with the boss man,
and, uh, joining us now is one
of the key players in the big news from today.
Mr. Colton Herda. Buddy, welcome to the show.
Speaker 5: I'm back, back for more. You're back.
Speaker 2: You're back, Speaker 1: Back for more.
So yeah, we just spoke to your boss, uh, who informed us
that you will be racing,
I think it's John Deere tractors in the US Tractor Racing
Association's inaugural season next year, which is pretty
Speaker 3: Exciting stuff.
Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if they got
more super license points than
IndyCar, Speaker 5: , going after those points.
That's what we gotta do. You gotta get into the John Deeres.
Speaker 1: There you go. Well, look, buddy, we got, uh,
we got the official word that you are being announced
as the Cadillac F1 reserve driver for 2026,
which is very exciting,
and that means that you're likely
to pursue some racing endeavors over in Europe next year
as you kind of acclimate to, uh, reacclimate,
I should say, to racing over in Europe.
You obviously have done that in the past,
but let's just start off by, I mean,
how do you feel about the news that,
that everybody learned today?
You've known for some time, but
the rest of the world just found out?
Speaker 5: I, I'm happy. I'm happy that,
that we can finally share it with everyone.
Um, you know, it's been a, a, a discussion
for quite some time now behind the scenes and,
and, you know, to finally get it out there and,
and let everybody hear about it feels great for me.
I, all I can do is really show gratitude to, to Dan and TWG
and Cadillac F1, uh, for giving me this opportunity to be a,
you know, test driver for, for Formula One team and,
and an American Formula One team.
So it's a, it's an exciting time
and for me, I'm just, uh, I'm chomping at the bit, you know,
I think it's a, a really cool, cool step for me, um,
a cool opportunity and, uh, one
that I'm, I'm ready to get to work on. So
Speaker 3: This is obviously, um, all of those things, it's,
it's an amazing opportunity.
It's, um, there are a lot
of people putting a lot of faith and,
and belief in, in what you're capable of, rightly
so in, in my opinion.
But walk us through the decision making process for you.
You know, Dan, Dan touched on it a little bit when we spoke
with him about how, you know, when he presented you with,
with these options, he was really impressed that you,
you ultimately chose the harder route.
You, you chose the, the road
that had more risks associated with it.
Mm-hmm . Yes. A, a great reward, but,
but there was a lot, there is potentially a lot that,
um, that could happen.
Right. And what was ultimately
the thing that made you be like, alright,
this is my opportunity and I need to go do this?
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think, you know, for, for me, it's been a dream
of mine to, to try to make it into Formula One.
And, and you know, I know everyone's seen
how close I've come before, um, you know,
and I think this is, this is my best shot at,
at getting to Formula One.
You know, I think it, it goes without saying, like,
like you said, you know, the risk factor
of I'm leaving a great situation here in IndyCar, um,
a a place that was my home for, for six seasons.
And, you know, during those six seasons really has become
kind of built around what I want, you know, in, in the team
with the engineering group and the mechanics and,
and everything that that has happened has kind of conformed
around me because I've been there the longest.
So the easy thing would be to stay in, stay in IndyCar, um,
that would be simple for me.
I live a very similar life that, that I've been doing.
Um, but for me, it's, it's a dream of mine.
You know, I wanna fight for my dream and,
and that is to try to make it to Formula One.
Um, you know, that I think
this isn't a forever goodbye to IndyCar by any means.
You know, I, I see myself in coming back to IndyCar, uh,
at some stage in my career just
because it's, it's, I love it.
But for me, you know, I really wanted to try to make it
to Formula One, and this is my opportunity.
Speaker 1: You, you kind of touched on
how it's been an up and down thing.
You've had some close calls of, you know, you've tested,
you were in the simulator, you know,
Dan actually gave a little bit of the background there
as well, maybe some stuff that people had known previously.
Um, I know there's been so many jokes,
let's call it memes, everything about super license points
and all that stuff, but after the Saber thing didn't happen,
after the Alpha Towery thing didn't happen,
you had a great test with McLaren,
but that wasn't going anywhere.
Andretti was struggling to get a team in F1, you know,
before it became Cadillac F1, you'd gotten close
and tasted it, had you kind of given up hope at one point
and sort of, you know, been resigned to the fact that, ah,
man, we were close, but look, there's only 20 seats.
You can't, not everybody gets that chance.
Speaker 5: Yeah. You know, and I, I,
I don't think it was ever really like sour grapes
with Formula One and, and,
and our inability to make that push
and finally get a race seat, um, you know, for me I was,
I was contempt and, you know,
after the, the alpha tar thing fell through, I was thinking,
well, that's probably it for me in, in Formula One.
And, you know, that was, that was my last shot, you know,
the age was a factor,
and, you know, it, it seemed to me
that it was just gonna be a career in IndyCar,
which is not a bad thing, I don't think, you know,
so I was happy with that, I was content with that.
Um, but then I got this one last lifeline from, from Dan
and, and Cadillac F1, and everybody over there at TWG.
And for me, it's, it was an incredibly tough decision
to make because I know when I'm leaving behind, I'm leaving
behind a great group of guys, uh,
an incredibly competitive championship where, you know,
you can, if it's your day, you can win, you know, and,
and we've seen that's not always the case in Formula One.
You need the car to compete, but you know, it's, it's a risk
and it's a dream of mine.
So I thought, you know, this is my last shot at it.
I want to do it. I wanna take that, that chance.
And so for me, it's really just about fighting for my dream.
And that's, that's kind of
what the opportunity was, was given to me from
Speaker 3: This, this has been news that, um,
you've known about for a bit.
What, what is the next steps?
Um, I'm not asking the, the details of, of
what 2026 is involving,
but what are the next steps in terms of, you know,
are you gonna, are you gonna move to Europe?
Are you going to, um, start immediately working with
Cadillac F1 on the sim program that's in, that's in Concord?
Uh, what, what, what happens in the next week, month,
two months, going into January of 26?
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think it, it, we're still trying
to figure everything out, right?
This is still really fresh and,
and you know, I don't have all the answers for, for all
that, but I think the biggest thing is, is
how do we prepare me best to become a Formula One driver?
What is, what does that entail?
Yes, SIM sim work, getting over there, living over there,
um, being in the, in the workshop as much as I can to try
to learn off of, uh, off
of the two good drivers that they, they have right now.
And, um, you know,
and wherever they see me fit,
that's what I'm gonna try to be doing.
You know, if they want me to be
learning from their qualifying pace
or being on the simulator on race weekends,
and I don't know everything that entails,
but I'm willing to do whatever they want me to do to, uh,
to make this a success
because that's, that's the most important thing for me, is
that it is successful.
Speaker 1: I, I just need to correct my myself real quick.
Uh, I, I misspoke when I said you're a reserve driver.
You are a development and test driver officially.
So I apologize for my misstep there.
You should have jumped in and corrected me, Colton,
you can't let people just spread, you know, disseminate lies
and rumors in the media.
You, I, I admire.
Like look, everything that, that you're doing,
this whole thing is so admirable in so many ways.
And, you know, we, we asked Dan straight up, does, does,
does Colton's deal say he goes
and integrates with the team, you know, races in Europe,
whatever it is, whatever involvement you have with,
with Cadillac F1 next year in 2026,
and then he has a race seat in 2027,
and he said, no, there's no guarantees.
You gotta earn it. This is performance
based business, whatever.
The fact that it's not as clear cut as, yeah, you develop
for a year and then you get to go race.
It's, it's very much a, yeah, you get this,
you get this next year, and then
it's up to you to sink or swim.
Like, is that, is that part scary?
Does the lack of a guarantee make this an extra scary step?
Speaker 5: No, um, not, not for me,
because, you know, I think as racing drivers, as you know,
James and, and Alex, you bet on yourself.
You constantly are betting on yourself.
Um, and for me, this is just one of those things
where I'm betting on myself
and, you know, I, I believe in myself.
I believe that I'm fast enough to do it.
Um, that's not saying it's gonna be easy.
There's gonna be a lot of work to, uh,
understand the differences from, from the Grand Prix racing
to IndyCar racing.
But, you know, I think it's, uh, it's, it's something
that I'm, I'm gonna work for, you know,
I'm a hundred percent diving into it.
And for me, I think it's, it's gonna be a lot of work.
It's gonna be a lot of learning.
Um, there's gonna be a lot of things I'm gonna have
to pick up on quickly, but I believe that I can do it.
And, you know, if I didn't think that I could do it,
like I said, it's a super big risk,
but I would stay in IndyCar, but I believe in myself,
and I believe I'm fast enough. Is
Speaker 3: There a scenario that
because of the way the schedule works next year,
that you would still do the 500 in 2026?
Speaker 5: Um, I didn't not, I did not know about that.
Um, is it, there's there, it's, there is
Speaker 1: No conflict.
It's not a conflict. Hang on, hang
Speaker 5: On.
Speaker 1: I knew about that. You Speaker 3: Didn't know about that.
Speaker 5: I didn't know about that. You know, I think, should
Speaker 3: We get Dan back on Speaker 1: Here?
I was gonna say, I know next
Speaker 3: Call on the show, Speaker 1: What is the next call's gonna be
when he gets off this show?
Speaker 5: I, I don't know.
You know, I think it, it, it depends
what I'm doing next year, you know, and,
and how involved i, I am and,
and what that off time looks like for me.
Um, I think we all know about my love for IndyCar
and especially the 500, if it makes sense, you know,
it's definitely something that I would be open to,
but it has to make sense, right?
And it, it can't hold us back from, from the ultimate goal,
which is, you know, trying to reach Formula One
with Cadillac F1.
Speaker 3: So my, my follow up to that is we don't need
to go into the super license point details.
It's, it's a joke that anyone's in
this position in the first place.
Was it ever an option, um, for you
to continue racing IndyCar
and achieve the necessary super license points via free
practice sessions and still integrating in the
weekends that didn't conflict?
Was that ever something that was, uh, suggested
and then if it was, why didn't you go that way?
Speaker 5: There was a discussion about it.
Um, you know, I think ultimately me
and the team thought it would be best to
integrate myself in Europe, you know, completely.
Yeah. And, and wish that, you know, the IndyCar schedule is,
is so hectic for, you know, five months
and I wouldn't have any time really to be over there
and being in the sim
or, you know, doing TPC tests and, and whatnot.
FP ones, it would be tougher.
So this kind of frees up my schedule a lot more to be able
to, to dive kind of head first into it.
Speaker 1: Where does it start? When does it start?
I know this is all pretty new and,
and you said there's still some things to kind of outline
and, and, and define,
but for you, like, what is the next step?
What's the first kind of official task
and official duty that you know of
that you're gonna have? Um,
Speaker 5: I think that's all still being worked out.
You know, I think the, the biggest thing is,
is over these next few weeks is, is figuring out
what the plan is for next year.
Um, what the racing plan looks like,
what the testing plan looks like, um,
when they'll need me to, to be over there.
Um, but I, I'm sure I'll probably be integrated here after,
after September, you know, we'll have some time to kind
of decompress from the IndyCar season, um,
and then kind of learn what,
what this next year's gonna look like in this off season.
Speaker 1: Can I ask how long you've known, like, when,
when this decision was made? I was gonna
Speaker 3: Ask that Speaker 1: Because I, I know it wasn't a quick decision,
like you were approached with this scenario
by Di Dan or whoever.
Yeah. And it, it wasn't like in
that conversation you were like, hell yeah, let's go.
It was like, let me think about it.
Let me work through all this. So when
did you actually make that call?
Speaker 5: I wanna say probably a few days ago officially.
You know, it was a really recent thing that like, yeah,
we're, we're doing this and,
and you know, it had been talked about
for a long time, right?
So there was a lot of understanding of like, this is
what it'll look like and, and this is what it'll be.
Uh, this is the plan for, for what we wanna do, you know,
leading up to the formula and stuff.
Um, obviously there's still the details to figure out,
but the decision is, is relatively new.
And what, for me, why it took so long was
because I cared so much about
who I was working with in IndyCar.
You know, I cared so much about the, the guys that have been
with me since, you know, I got to inRead.
Um, and the ones that are, are new either this year
or the past few years, you know?
So for me it was a, a lot of, I have to do this,
I have to be fully involved and,
and it's a big kind of risk risk for me,
but I'm also leaving behind a lot of good stuff.
Um, you know, not only team members,
but you know, racing a lot of talented race car drivers
Speaker 3: Were, were you able at all to have a conversation
with Nathan about this?
Um, for those that don't know,
Nathan O'Rourke has been CO's engineer since day one.
You obviously that that driver engineer relationship is,
is one of the strongest in the paddock.
And and you've had that from the beginning.
Mm-hmm Speaker 5: .
Speaker 3: Were you able to like, I don't know,
not ask his advice, but just run it by him?
Or did you have to just make this decision by yourself?
Speaker 5: No, I was able to, to talk to him about it,
you know, because Cool.
That's great. He, he was probably the most important part
of it, of, of me, you know, making that decision to,
to stay in IndyCar or,
or leave, you know, he has kind
of given up a lot in, in his life,
you know, to be an engineer.
And, and he's a really good one.
He does so much for the team,
but also he, he's been, you know, my biggest supporter
and the person that I've worked closely closest
with in IndyCar for, for the past six seasons.
So, you know, I definitely wanted to, to talk
to him about it, credit to him.
He was only interested in what I wanted to do, right?
He said, don't, don't worry about me.
If this is what you want to do, you have to do it.
Um, you know, this is, this is your career.
There will never be hard feelings.
And, you know, I think he's, he's saying like,
hopefully when you come back one day, we'll, uh,
we'll be able to work together again.
So I was glad that, that he had that reaction
and it wasn't, yeah, oh, you're just leaving me, you know,
he, he was you know, really positive about it.
Speaker 1: He big meanie. Speaker 5: Yeah.
Like my best interest was his best interest, you know?
So, yeah. So he was really supportive of it.
Speaker 1: So Dan sort of alluded to the fact that, you know,
this had been talked about a lot,
but one of the big concerns that he had was, well,
if Colton leaves and does this, who do we put in the 26th?
There's not a, there wasn't an obvious,
you know, follow up to that.
And so it makes sense to me now that,
that this was kind of a more recent decision.
'cause it was only fairly recently that, you know,
Will's availability became known,
and then all of a sudden it's like, okay, yeah, I mean,
big shoes to fill with Colton stepping out,
but, you know, will's on that level.
And, and that's, that's an opportunity here.
So I'm sure that made the pitch, you know, in Dan's head
that made it make more sense.
But I guess I'm wondering if you were able to,
depending on, you know, the timeline of these conversations,
were you able to kind of appreciate
that these last few races
were gonna be your last few races in IndyCar, at least
for the foreseeable future?
And did that sort of, you know, did
that add anything to those weekends?
Was there any extra emotion?
I know you couldn't talk about it,
which was probably the hardest part,
but how did you kind of,
how did you feel over the last few weeks?
Speaker 5: I, I think Sunday was emotional for me.
Um, you know, just dealing with, with the fans
and, uh, with the engineering staff for, for
what could be the last time for, for a long time.
Um, you know, so it was, uh, it was a weird day for sure.
It was a weird emotion, you know,
there's happiness, there's sadness.
Uh, you know, I was nervous about the whole thing.
Um, and, you know, I think it was,
our race wasn't great, but I was, my feeling
after the race was different than when you finish, you know,
11th and, and don't have a great day.
Like, I was just, I was kind of at ease content, you know,
there was kind of a moment of bliss, I guess.
Um, and yeah, I mean, I, I love IndyCar so much,
and I love the fans and,
and everything involved with the racing and,
and what makes it so difficult, um,
and the unpredictability of it.
So, you know, it's, it's definitely something
that, that I'm gonna miss.
Speaker 3: How much, you know, this has been,
this has been all consuming for you for six years.
How much are you still gonna pay attention? Like, I bet St.
Pete's gonna be very weird.
Like, are you gonna be every practice
session, like dialed in?
Speaker 5: Yeah. You know, what's great about, you know, a lot
of those races, right, especially the European ones,
is you race, I'll get back to the hotel, um, and,
and have a shower, and I'll be able to sit down with a beer
and watch an IndyCar race, which is such a weird thing.
The last time that I was able to have a beer
and watch the IndyCar race was,
I think when I crashed out in Indy,
Speaker 1: I was gonna, you were like 18 when you got hang on
before you indict yourself here.
Speaker 5: No, no, no. I was Speaker 1: Gonna say the last time I got to do
Speaker 3: That was Sunday.
Speaker 5: So 2022 or 2023, I got back, I sat in the bus
and I had a beer and watched like the last 20
laps of, of the Indy 500.
Um, it's, it's an interesting thing.
I know it's gonna be sad to, to sit there
and watch you guys have fun, um, in, in racing,
but, you know, it'll be, it'll be different for me.
And I think the timelines they work so well
for those European races.
You get back, shower, ready for bed,
IndyCar race is on, is perfect.
And I will be watching very, very much.
I I, every session, anytime that I can,
I will a hundred percent be be watching.
Speaker 1: I could just imagine now you're gonna be the guy
that's like annoyingly texting me up in the booth
during session, like during races,
be like, what's this guy doing?
What happened here? Why did he, why did he be ?
Speaker 5: A hundred percent. Yeah, you will be littered
with text messages from me.
Speaker 3: Terrific. Terrific. Well, I must say, um, we, uh, I, I'll,
I'll miss you personally, um,
because, you know, I mean, we, we, I, I was,
felt like I was a part of your beginning, right?
Um, and to see you take the step
to be an American driver in Formula One for Cadillac F1
of all teams is I think if it happens one
of the coolest stories that could be written.
So, um, go get it, man.
Like, that's, that's a, that's a, that's a hell
of an opportunity, and like you said, it's a dream for you.
So it's, it's pretty awesome.
Speaker 1: I appreciate, I, uh, I know we're getting ahead
of ourselves a little bit,
or I'm getting ahead of myself a little bit by saying this,
and, and Alex has kind of alluded to it.
Obviously the goal is
to be an F1 in the not too distant future.
So Alex, as a former American on the grid
of a Formula One race, what advice do you have
for young Colton here as he sets off on this adventure?
Speaker 3: Should be fine. Speaker 1: Good, good.
Speaker 3: I'm definitely, I'm definitely gonna hit you up
for some credentials though.
Speaker 5: Yes, please do. Yes. Nice. Speaker 3: As long as,
Speaker 5: As long as Ben's coming.
Speaker 3: Okay, deal. Speaker 1: So let's, let's, let's get to the stuff
that people really want to know about.
Are you gonna start being like a fashion icon
and like, going into the paddock with like,
doing your fit checks?
Well, he already is. Before you go in, like, are you,
or like, you know, or like cargo shorts
and vans with tube socks, like, is that gonna be the vibe?
Like, are we gonna, are, are you gonna change, bro?
Are you gonna become like that
or are you gonna stick to the stick
to the cult and we know and love?
Speaker 5: No, I think I'm, I'm definitely team gear
on Thursday type of guy.
Speaker 1: There you go. There you go.
Speaker 5: I think it's gonna, it's gonna be
the same person. Don't worry.
Speaker 3: You gonna keep wearing those stupid shoes and Yeah.
Speaker 5: Same shoes. Yeah.
Probably just keep them for, for the next six months.
Show up in, in Melbourne with them. Sweet.
Speaker 3: All right. Yeah. Speaker 1: Cool, man.
Well look, um, like Alex said, it's uh,
incredible opportunity.
We're so happy for you.
Um, so, uh, impressed with you, willing to take this risk
and roll the dice and uh, and bet on yourself.
Like you said, it's awesome. You know,
you're gonna have an entire IndyCar community cheering
for you, whatever's happening next year,
and then certainly beyond that.
So I hope it's not too long
before we see you back at an IndyCar track
and back in an IndyCar,
but at the same time, we know you got a lot of cool stuff
that you wanna accomplish over there. So best of luck with
Speaker 5: Everything.
Thanks so much, guys. I can't wait to, uh, watch from afar
and cheer on Alex next year.
Speaker 1: Well, I hope you're faster on the racetrack than you are
at getting to interviews because, uh, our next guest is, uh,
23 minutes late.
Um, you, I'd like to welcome
Speaker 6: You that long.
this out, Evan.
Evidently not . It's worse than me.
Speaker 3: Oh my goodness. Speaker 1: I think I no longer have the
worst internet on the show.
Well, thanks for coming on. Will ?
Yeah, great chat with, uh, willpower driver
of the number 26 machine, uh, for Andretti next year.
Neat. Neat, neat. Cool, cool, cool.
Tight, tight, tight. I think
Speaker 3: He'd be better at technology
with all the sim racing he does.
Speaker 1: He's also like, he's been sponsored by a tech company
for the last like a hundred years, a telecoms company.
You think he'd be good with internet?
Speaker 3: I think he'd have the best internet.
Speaker 7: Alright, Speaker 3: What's your excuse now?
Speaker 1: So yeah, at first you're late,
then you abandon us. That's cool.
Speaker 7: Verizon, Verizon's internet connection.
Speaker 1: , Verizon. Cut the internet to your house. Yeah.
Speaker 7: Gone. It's like out, man. You're out. Sorry.
Yeah. Weird thing. Thing.
Speaker 3: And that does bring up, that does
bring up an interesting question.
Do you have to pay for your own cell phone bill now?
Speaker 7: I will, yeah. It's been 17 years of no cell phone bills
for my, myself and my wife. 17 years.
Speaker 1: That's, uh, Speaker 7: I don't even know what it costs
to have a cell phone now per month. .
I mean, you can tell me what it, it about out.
Speaker 1: Welcome to, uh, our Oh my God,
Speaker 3: My God.
Speaker 7: Geez. Um, yeah, I dunno.
Internet's been a trash for a while, so I've gotta work on
that now that I'm gonna Good. You've
Speaker 1: Got all off season to get your internet better, pal.
Um, I do have to say though, that, uh, announcing
to the world that you have no idea
what a cell phone bill costs,
because you've had free cell phones for 17 years,
is up there on one of the least relatable comments
that's ever been made on this show.
Mm-hmm . And, I mean, you've got Alex
and I on here, so it's, that's,
that's, that's a good one. I'm impressed.
Speaker 7: That is that is pretty, uh, pretty nuts.
Like, to actually have to wonder, like, is it, is it like
50 bucks a month or is
it Speaker 3: ?
You guys are on your own with this one?
Speaker 1: Yeah. Speaker 7: I need to you,
sorry, let's see.
Hold on. This is fantastic. Oh boy.
New team owner is gonna be like, what did we just employ?
Speaker 1: I think, I think he might be still watching, so, uh,
he might be in the background.
Speaker 7: That's be awesome. Yeah, he's probably like,
oh yeah, you're, you're .
Yeah. Sorry. I know.
Speaker 1: So, you know, as long, as, long as you're better
with a steering wheel than you are with a laptop,
I don't think we're gonna have a
problem. I think you're gonna be just fine.
Speaker 7: That's de that's, that is definitely the case.
Just ask my, uh, engineer. Good. I think I'm not a Well,
Speaker 1: Yeah, you're not a you're not a,
you're not a tech guy. Oh,
Speaker 7: I am a bit, but I, I'm, you know, are you trying
to work out? No,
Speaker 3: He's not. I just figured
Speaker 7: About connect trophies.
I'm not like a, I'm not that sort of tech guy.
Speaker 3: I figured all those trophies in the background were
scrambling signals or something, you know,
Speaker 7: That's just a fraction of what I'm gonna do here. .
Speaker 1: The funny thing is, it's true, um, for those
that haven't put it together yet, we've now moved on
to willpower, uh, who joins us on the show
and will, I gotta be honest with you,
we had some technical difficulties.
We saw that to the point where Alex Rossi had to bail.
He had, uh, somewhere to be.
And so you're stuck with just me.
It's now morphed into an episode of just off track
with Hinch or Rossi in this case.
Uh, it's me. Um, look, dude, we've already spoken
to Dan Towers, who has given us the news officially,
and now we're here with you.
And I mean, there's so much to cover.
There's so much that I think people wanna know.
There's so much that I wanna know.
And, uh, I think the, the easiest place to just start is
tell us about your excitement level, you know,
of joining the Andretti Indy car team
after a 17 year stint at Team Penske
and kind of starting this new journey. Um,
Speaker 7: Extremely excited.
You know, I have a tremendous amount of experience,
uh, in these cars.
And, you know, I've been in a team that
has won quite a few championships in,
in the time that I've been there.
Not just me, but, um, um, you know,
my teammates and so on.
So I, uh, I'm really looking forward to driving,
you know, the new challenge, let, let's say,
and, uh, I, I, I signed with Andretti
because of, you know, the, not only they,
they're already winning races,
but a tremendous amount of potential just, you know,
speaking with Dan and, you know, his motivation level to
sort of restructure the team
and improve it in many different areas.
Um, really excited to work with Kyle
and Marcus, you know, guys that I've had great battles
with over the years and just, man, it's cool to,
you know, come in with that much experience
and understanding of, you know, how things are done.
And, um, I've never stopped digging. I love driving.
I'm an absolute student of it,
and, uh, still feel like I'm in my twenties, you know?
That's how I, I feel, you know, that's my enthusiasm,
that's my level of enthusiasm towards, uh, this job.
So, uh, it's cool.
I've been excited, man, ever since, you know, this started
to come about and, um, yeah, man, I just made,
made the decision and commitment.
Penske did offer me something, um, and,
and I just said, look,
I'm think it's the right time for me to leave.
And, you know, I don't know.
I'm guessing it's Lucas, I don't know.
But, you know, I think they'll, they'll have a,
a good guy in there as well.
They're an amazing team.
But I think the, uh,
potential here at Reti is gonna be, it is great.
And yeah, it's, it's cool.
Every time I speak to Dan, I just, you know,
have the best conversations, uh, about, you know,
what we're gonna do and how this is gonna all work out.
So yeah, super excited.
Speaker 1: So, so was that, was that kind of the deciding factor?
Because I, I imagine, you know, look, this, this has been a,
this has been a topic, this has been a story kind
of throughout this season.
You know, everybody knew it was a contract year for you.
It was well publicized that
there hadn't been any movement on it.
You kept telling the world you were
waiting to hear, waiting to hear.
Yeah. Um, so I imagine once people started kind
of maybe thinking that your time at, at Penske was coming
to a close, the, like, there's not a team in pit lane
that wouldn't want willpower to drive for them,
so you would've had a lot of choice, a lot of option.
What was kind of the biggest single factor for you
that made you decide to go
with Andretti over any of the competitors?
Speaker 7: Um, yeah, you're right. It was including
Speaker 1: Penske ultimately including Team Penske.
Speaker 7: Yes, you're right. There, there was a lot of options.
Um, you know, and Roger was good enough
after Detroit to sit down
and then say, look, I'm gonna allow you to talk
to other teams to see what's out there,
because obviously they had you, you know,
potentially a direction they wanted to go.
Um, just depending on, you know, I think it's kind
of enough.
I'll wait and see if I was good enough or wait
and see if the other guy was replacing me.
It was good. No, I don't know. But, um, uh, yeah,
it was just that, I think it was their,
their ability to be able to make big changes, the budget,
the, there's just many, many reasons that went into it.
Never just straightforward and simple.
Um, a lot of smart people work at Andretti, you know, they,
they're, they are a very good team.
They won three races this year.
I think Honda's being very strong this year.
You know, I, the first time I ever talked to Dan,
I just thought that, you know, he is a very intelligent guy.
He, and he was very aware of what needed
to change within his team, which is, you know, sometimes un,
which is unusual, I'd say, for a guy in his position, um,
who are not, who is not there day to day,
but he really understood, hey, these, uh, the, the,
I know these have, things have gotta change at our team.
And, um, he was very determined to make all that happen.
It was just many things. It was just the right time.
I knew on my gut, you know, when you get to my age,
you just know, you know, when it's time to,
to make a change.
And, and that's, that's what was my feeling from the outset.
Speaker 1: Again, it was, it was pretty well publicized will, that
you weren't getting kind of the feedback
that went from Penske in terms of what was coming next
and up to a certain part of the season.
You were saying openly, yeah, I, I I wanna stay
and if they offer me something, I'll take it. And then,
Speaker 7: Yes, Speaker 1: That, that dragged on long enough
that at some point there was a change in heart.
And yeah, I guess I'm, I'm a little bit curious as to,
you know, when that sort of moment was for you,
was there a light switch moment where you thought, you know
what, I don't really like how this situation's gone.
Um, did you feel, did you, yeah, I,
sorry, I don't wanna put words in your mouth.
Did you feel like the way they handled that situation was a,
was a, a factor in you kind of making that decision
that actually, you know what,
I don't think this is the right place for me anymore.
Speaker 7: A number of factors went into that,
but, um, it started way back in 24.
You know, I know when I signed my last contract,
I did go back to Tim s
and say, Hey, I would like to do three years.
And said, look, you know, I, we, we, it was,
you know, a roundabout.
We had conversation like, we, you know,
we'll talk at the end of 24,
and if you're still performing,
still doing well, we'll keep going.
Well, I won three races in 24.
I was the only driver that went into the last race as a shot
to win the championship against Paolo.
So at that point, I was like, well,
I'm sure they're gonna speak to me in the off season.
It never happened. They never actually said a word.
So, um,
I was pissed off going into May about it.
I was pissed off going into the season about it.
I was pissed off that you're not even gonna say anything.
Uh, that's true. I, it didn't, you know,
and you know, Roger wasn't aware when I said that to him,
something along the lines of that, that
that was even the case.
So, you know, maybe I should have just called Roger.
But yeah, that really, I just thought
what driver in the field wouldn't be signed
after winning three races?
The champion won two that's below,
I won three, like, come on. Uh, but
Speaker 1: Yeah, but I mean, in his defense, blow's not
that good. So it's not really a good
Speaker 7: Barometer.
Yeah, that's exactly what I was about to say.
No, but yeah, still Penske is an amazing team, man.
Like I, it's true.
I would've, you know, in May,
I would've taken a one year deal straight, no problem.
Um, and then even as it dragged on
and someone, I just, oh man, I just thought, you know, I
said to engineer, I know if I turn up next year,
I'm gonna be an absolute championship contender.
I know I will. Um,
and, uh, I can't actually,
I wanna say the time where I just said, nah, it's done was
after I won Portland, you know, it's done.
Nah, I think it's time to change.
I think that was when I just in my mind decided I'm kind
of sick of all the questions and so on,
but, um, I just thought,
nah, I need to, and was it, it's time to change,
Speaker 1: Was it because you won Portland
and that still wasn't enough to kind get
that conversation going?
Speaker 7: Um, Speaker 1: Or not, not even that. Well,
Speaker 7: After to Portland, that's when I was called
and they said, you know, a few days
after Portland, you know,
but I did, I did get a text from Roger
after that race that didn't confirm anything or anything
and just kind of said, oh, this might help your
situation the next year.
But then eventually, you know, I got a call
and it was Jonathan Gibson.
He said, you know, look, we'd like to fly you up to,
you know, send a plane down, fly up to Detroit,
talk about talk about your future.
Um, and I said, oh, okay.
Um, and it was a bit like that.
Uh, he goes, well, that's if you want
to come back, you know?
And I said, look, I'm, he said, I'm not coming back.
I'm, I'm done. I'm just kind of went from there, basically.
Uh, so yeah, I think it was around that.
It was obviously at Portland or during Portland.
In my mind I'm like, ah, it's, it's uh, it's,
it's, it's time to do something different.
Um, you know, I've had a great career
and I'm forever grateful for what Roger has done for me.
And, you know, not many drivers get to be put in
that position, but I definitely took
the ball and ran with it.
You know, I gave it everything I got.
Um, I was very loyal all the way through.
Never entertained another team.
Um, you know, I had teams call me, offer me more money.
I just didn't even entertain it.
And the deals I did, it was hardly any negotiating.
I almost asked them what they thought was fair.
Uh, that was sort of relationship I had.
So it was very good. So always very, uh, you know,
that's how it should be.
You know, both parties have gotta be very happy
with the situation.
And, you know, there's always that at Penske,
obviously a lot of changes this year, you know,
um, which was, you know, unfortunate how that all
all played out for those guys that got let go, great guys.
And, um, uh, yeah, yeah, man, big,
big decision and move.
But I'm sort of late enough in my career to,
I wouldn't say take a risk,
but if it all went bad, it wouldn't matter.
You know? I still had a great time,
but I'm, like I said, I'm still as determined as ever
to compete at a high level win races.
Uh, it's just in me
and just absolutely love, love the sport.
I don't even don't even want
to think about doing sports car or anything else.
I just love IndyCar racing.
I just can't think of another series.
It's as satisfying as racing IndyCar. I really can't.
So that's, that's why I've kept going this long.
Speaker 4: So James has made a point earlier,
'cause obviously, you know, we've,
we've been speculating like everybody else about your career
on this, but he made the point, like if you were,
if if this had been the end, if, if you were ready
to hang it up, there's not a single person who would look at
that and say, oh, what might have been like, you, you have,
have far exceeded
most drivers wildest dreams.
You've been successful in every aspect of this sport.
I mean, do you feel like there's still more to prove?
And if so, what is it? What is left for you to prove?
Speaker 7: I'll tell you what's left to prove is
that you could be incredibly competitive in your forties.
You can still win races and championships,
and your performance does not drop off.
So it's, yeah, it, that's
been my sort of, you know,
I've always had drivers throughout my career, in my mind
that makes me really determined.
And that, that's one of them, like,
yeah, you don't get slower.
People just say that and put it in their own mind.
Um, you know,
and it's also the challenge of going to another team
and being competitive in a different situation.
Can you do that? You know, it's all that stuff.
So yeah, it's, yeah, you know, that's,
that's, that's, that is true.
Like for stop now.
It's not like I've had, I've been, I've had a great career,
but man, it's, I think also when you get in your forties,
you realize your true purpose in life, like is
to enjoy what you do.
You know, there's times during my career where I'm like, ah,
I don't really want to do this.
There's, there's better things to do, but it's not true.
You don't realize how lucky you are to get paid
to drive race cars, even professional.
Like, because I still, you know, like to race go-karts,
like if you're a pro, go karter.
It's the same feeling, man.
When I turn out with the Go-Kart team,
it's the exact same feeling as being at IndyCar Race,
like still going through the same processes.
It is just as competitive
and it's just like, if you were getting paid
to race go-karts your whole life, that's a bloody, that's,
you're better than 99% of people
doing a really incredibly fun
and enjoyable activity and getting paid to do it.
Sorry, I'm just seeing be getting like a million text
messages nonstop.
So I'm just trying to , so I would wonder why.
Speaker 1: No worries. Yeah, yeah. It's just, or on in your day.
Speaker 7: Yeah, , it's like I have to turn my phone upside down.
Like they stop calling people. Yes. .
I am doing something ridiculous.
Its like nonstop
and my wife's phone, like, I'm moving the text outta the
way Speaker 1: .
So, so will, you're, you're doing this change you've been
with one team for, it was, is it seven?
It was 17 years with Penske.
Speaker 7: 17 years, yeah. Penske, yeah,
Speaker 1: 17 years with Penske.
17 years with the same engineer.
You and Dave Fassino have been together that whole time.
Um, yeah. Penske's been
with the same engine manufacturer that whole time.
So you are doing about as dramatic a change
and complete full house switch from, from,
you know, what you've been experiencing.
What is, what is the thing that you are most excited about?
What's, obviously the whole challenge is something
that's driving you, but is there one specific element
that kind of stands out that you're,
you're the most excited about?
Speaker 7: One is, uh, one is feeling a
andretti car on a street course and feel,
and the other is feeling a Honda en
and feeling a Honda engine.
It's a, it's, yeah, you know, I've competed against Honda
for so long and just wondered
and watched them, you know, be incredibly successful.
But so has Chevy.
It's been quite, you know, it's just, it ebbs
and flows, like who has the best,
better performance year in, year out,
but I just, I'm interested, you know, I think
that engine has a different characteristic
and has always had that characteristic from the outset.
Um, which makes it, you know, good on street courses,
short tracks and so on.
So yeah, I'm, uh, I'm very interested in that just to, just
to feel a different car.
I mean, it would be very interesting to me, you know?
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean that's something that,
that Rossi's talked about on the show.
Obviously he went from a Honda to a Chevy and,
and talked a lot about that.
Based on kinda what you've heard
and, you know, speaking to other drivers in the paddock,
what are you expecting out
of feeling a Honda engine for the first time?
Speaker 7: I think it, I think it, it has a fatter power curve.
I think that, you know, you know,
I think those guys probably have more power down low.
You know, the Chevy strengths has been its top
end power over the time.
So, um, I think the engines are very, even now, um,
very even it's, it's sort of hard
to pick the difference on telemetry.
'cause you know, we get to see each other's telemetry, so
it's gonna be just sort of different.
It's gonna be, have just a different feel, you know,
and drivability and so on.
I think they, they, they are the differences now.
I think power levels, overall power levels
and performance is very close.
Speaker 1: How excited are you about the fact that
Andretti's team care requirements are t-shirts and jeans
and no longer polo shirts and slacks?
Speaker 7: Man, that's gonna be,
that's gonna be interesting, I think. Like, are
Speaker 1: You gonna feel a little naked?
I think walking into a racetrack,
not wearing a collared shirt,
Speaker 7: It will be really, uh, yeah.
Well that, I've thought about that too.
You know, I see Colton, Kyle, mark is just rocking on this
Speaker 1: Looks so comfortable and casual and Yeah.
Speaker 7: Yeah. Speaker 1: You can grow a beard now.
Speaker 7: I could. Are you gonna Speaker 1: Grow your
mountain beard back? I,
Speaker 7: No, no.
I'm still, you know, I think you go to work
to be very professional
and um, you know, I think that reflects on the people you're
around to see how serious you are.
So, you know, those things actually do matter.
I've been in the sport long enough to know
that the way you present yourself, the way you talk,
the way you act really matters around the people
that work on your cars.
So, um, it is nice that that I've,
but yeah, I think all that will kind
of stay pretty sane for me. .
Speaker 1: So are you, are you planning like a,
like a cathartic burning of all your pleated slacks,
you know, in the backyard, uh, now that the season's over,
or , or is that Maybe a little,
but we would've stick to like, giving it it all to Goodwill.
Speaker 7: It's, it's already happened.
So no straight after
Speaker 1: Portland, he just kept wanting burns
Speaker 7: Rest.
No. Uh, yeah, that will be,
that will be interesting.
You know, rocking up jeans.
I'll look at Joseph and Scott
and just go, ah, you just dunno
how good it is on the other side, man. . Sorry. No, .
Speaker 1: The freedom, the freedom that I feel my neck
can actually get a burn on the back now.
It's incredible. Yeah.
Speaker 7: Oh man. I didn't realize they could wear t-shirts.
I don't see 'em in t-shirts.
They still have like a team shirt. Oh, it is
Speaker 1: A t-shirt?
It's a team shirt, but it's a t-shirt cut. Yeah.
Speaker 7: Oh, it is a T-shirt. Gotcha, gotcha. Yeah. Yeah. Okay.
That's a change. Like the Penske has a small
collar, it's very small.
It's almost, they've almost went half to T-shirt mm-hmm .
So yeah, it won't be the big,
but yeah, I'm gonna wear a big V-neck first time, like, just
to get as much nice,
Speaker 1: Nice as Speaker 7: Much, just as much t-shirt look as possible.
Speaker 1: Just make sure you remember,
you gotta add a little extra sunscreen to the back
of your neck now because you don't have
as much protection back there.
That's a, that's a big deal. Yeah.
Um, so, well, I, I kinda liked hearing you talk about how,
uh, and this is, we're getting to the end.
I'll, I'll let you go, um, and really appreciate the time
and, and you guys being on here for, for this news.
Um, but I, I, I really enjoyed hearing you talk about how
you could hear, how fired you, how fired up you are about
proving to people that a guy in his forties can still win
races and championships and you've, you've proved
that you can still win races.
Like you say last year you were took at the
championship down to the last round.
Um, realistically, how long do you think you can race?
I mean, do you think that there is an age limit?
I know it's the, the, the cliche answer is, as soon
as I'm not fast, you know, I'll stop. Mm-hmm.
Speaker 7: That's right. Yeah. Based
Speaker 1: On how you feel, like, how,
how long do you think that can be?
Speaker 7: I think if you hold, if you keep the, the desire, um,
you have to keep working at obviously be incredibly fit,
you know, I, I think I could go another, you know,
let's check in in three years time,
but I would say five years you could still be very
competitive as long as you don't slacking off in any way.
You know, it's, it's, it's a constantly changing game
and you gotta keep updating
and yeah, it's, you know, it is always wondered,
you know, if I, I just think the
experience counts for a lot.
Like you could do nothing the off season turnout
and be pretty bloody good anyway,
but, you know, you still just, it's just about,
it's like everything in life, you know?
It's how much put into it and it's what you get out of it.
So yeah, I, uh, uh, I haven't,
I've got quicker, uh, that's what I'll tell you.
Yeah. I haven't got slower. Let's say I've got more rounded.
I don't think I, I always had that top end speed, you know,
even if I lost a bit of the top end speed,
but then had, you know, just the experience I have,
it's still a very good package, you know, as a driver.
So, um, yeah, I mean, I, you just know,
so people's natural ability comes out very early.
It sort of never changes the actual top end speed, like your
qualifying speed that's there from the beginning,
that is the natural ability thing.
You never see anyone that was under that
end up coming up to a level.
Yeah, right. You know, you look at Colton just from the
outset, the guy was incredibly fast is
that was just natural ability.
Then it just comes down to building on top of that.
So that never seems to change that top end speed.
That's, that's the one, that's probably the one though.
If you lost too much of that, that's when you're in trouble.
But if you never quite had it, you were a consistent driver,
that's when you will drop off in your forties.
If you are never, this, you know, had a ton of speed, um,
you know, you, you probably do lose a little bit of top end
and um, then you can't make
up for, it was just being consistent.
You just can't. So it was just, you know, well,
that was always there for me.
Speaker 1: Statistically speaking,
you've got more top end speed than
anybody in the history of the sport.
So that makes me think you're good till at least 50. Uh,
Speaker 7: That's true.
I could lose. So whatever you lose when you're 50,
I'm still just sort of be good with experience. 10th
Speaker 1: And a half, you're still good, man.
You're still good. It's like only four
poles a year instead of eight.
Uh, well look man, it's, uh, it's a,
it's a huge, huge bit of news.
I think the, the entire Motorsport world is, uh, is shocked
and amazed and impressed and happy for you.
Uh, we're really excited to see what you can do
behind the wheel of an Andretti Indy car.
And, uh, I am, I'm a believer man.
I'm in the camp that thinks you're still just as fast
as you've been and, and still can fight for it.
So we look forward to seeing what
that looks like next year, bud.
Speaker 7: No, I'm, I'm, uh, man, I can't wait. I really can't wait.
I, it's, it's, uh, it's gonna be a great challenge
and journey and all the stuff that go with it, so, um, yeah,
look forward to working with some really good people. I'm
Speaker 4: Just excited to keep showing you respect
Mother Speaker 7: . Thank you, .
Speaker 1: Thanks pal. Appreciate you coming on.
This has been off track with Hinch and Rossi.
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