Honda IndyCar Report

Our next guest is closing in on some of IndyCar's greatest names. It's Team Penske driver Will Power, the winner of the 102nd Indianapolis 500 in 2018. Power dominated the Grand Prix of Portland on September 1, leading 52 laps to score the 37th victory of his career. That ties him with four-time Champ Car Series champion Sebastien Bourdais for sixth on the all-time victory list. Next up is Al Unser, with 39 wins. The Portland win was the second of the season, all coming within the last three races.RACEDAY's Bruce Martin caught up with Power after the race to talk about that and other topics on today's Honda IndyCar Report.

Our next guest is a driver who overcame adversity in less than six days. It's Takuma Sato, who was blamed for triggering the massive crash at the start of the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway on August 18. He was able to redeem himself with the fifth win of his career when he drove a brilliant race in the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. Saturday led 61 laps to claim his first career win on a short oval. It was also his second victory of the season, the first time he has won more than one race in a season.RACEDAY's Bruce Martin caught up with Sato after the race to talk about that and other topics on today's Honda IndyCar Report.

Our next guest is another NTT IndyCar Series great. It's 2014 IndyCar Series champion and 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner Will Power, the winner of the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway on August 18. It was Power's third Pocono win in the last four years and the 36th NTT IndyCar Series victory of his career. Power's No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet was in front 32 laps in the rain-shortened race that was called after 128 laps.RACEDAY's Bruce Martin caught up with Power after the race to talk about that and other topics on today's Honda IndyCar Report.

Our next guest is a true NTT IndyCar Series legend. It's five-time champion Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing, who solidified his claim as "Mr. Mid_Ohio" in the July 28 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. Dixon started eighth and led twice for 38 laps to win at Mid-Ohio for the sixth time in his career. It was also career victory No. 46 for Dixon vaulted him back into contention for the 2019 NTT IndyCar Series championship.RACEDAY's Bruce Martin caught up with Dixon to talk about that and other topics on today's Honda IndyCar Report.

Our next guest won one of the strangest races in recen NTT IndyCar Series history. It's Josef Newgarden of Team Penske, who won the Iowa 300 as the clock approached 1:30 a.m. local time because of a rain-delayed start. It was Newgarden's third win of the season after he started third and led 245 laps in the 300-lap race. It was also his second win at Iowa Speedway. He also won there in 2016 when he was with Ed Carpenter Racing.RACEDAY's Bruce Martin caught up with Newgarden to talk about that and other topics on today's Honda IndyCar Report.

Our next guest is longtime Honda driver Graham Rahal of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. The son of former three-time CART champion and 1986 Indianapolis 500 winning driver Bobby Rahal has had a solid top-10 season in the NTT IndyCar Series, but has not been able to drive to victory lane in 2019. His best finish so far in 2019 is a third-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway in June.RACEDAY's Bruce Martin caught up with Rahal to talk about that and other topics on today's Honda IndyCar Report.

Our next guest has had quite a season in 2019. It's Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden, who has led the NTT IndyCar Series standings for all but one race since the beginning of the season. Newgarden has been able to use a solid first half of the season as he prepares to close out the championship in the second half of 2019.RACEDAY's Bruce Martin caught up with Newgarden to talk about that and other topics on today's Honda IndyCar Report.

Our next guest has had quite a season in 2019. It's Team Penske driver Simon Pagenaud, the winner of the 103rd Indianapolis 500. Pagenaud dominated the Honda Indy Toronto on July 14, starting on the pole and leading 80 laps in the 85-lap contest. It was Pagenaud's first victory since he won the Indy 500 on May 26. The championship battle was just heating up at Toronto.RACEDAY'S Bruce Martin caught up with Pagenaud after the race in Toronto to talk about that and other topics on today's Honda IndyCar Report.

Our next guest is NTT IndyCar Series rookie Marcus Ericsson of Sweden. The driver of the No. 7 Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda has shown flashes of brilliance in 2019, including a second-place finish in the second race of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix in June and seventh place finishes in the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park and the DXC Technology 600 at Texas Motor Speedway.RACEDAY's Bruce Martin caught up with Ericsson at the Honda Indy Toronto to talk about that and other topics on today's Honda IndyCar Report.

Our next guest is the winner of the 103rd Indianapolis 500 on May 26. It's Team Penske driver Simon Pagenaud of France. Pagenaud has used his Indy 500 victory as a springboard to an outstanding season in 2019 where he continues to be honored for his victory in the biggest race in the world.RACEDAY's Bruce Martin caught up with Pagenaud at William Behrends' art studio in Tyron, North Carolina after he sat in for a sculpturing session to have his face added to the Borg-Warner Trophy. Pagenaud's face was unveiled in Paris on August 5, the first time the Indianapolis 500 winning driver's image has shown for the first time outside of the United States. Pagenaud talks about the sculpturing process along with the first half of his season on today's Honda IndyCar Report.

Our next guest is NTT IndyCar Series star, Alexander Rossi, who drove to a decisive victory in the REV Group Grand Prix presented by AMR at Road America on June 23. Rossi started second, took the lead in Turn 1 and drove away for one of the most dominant victories in recent seasons. He defeated Team Penske's Will Power by 28.4391 seconds and led all but one lap in the 55-lap contest in the No. 27 NAPA Auto Parts Honda for Andretti Autosport.RACEDAY's Bruce Martin caught up with Rossi after he won the race at Road America to talk about that and other topics on today's Honda IndyCar Report.

Our next guest is NTT IndyCar Series star, Ryan Hunter-Reay of Andretti Autosport. The driver of the No. 28 DHL Honda has 18 career NTT IndyCar Series victories, including two in the old Champ Car Series. Hunter-Reay is also the 2012 NTT IndyCar Series champion and the winner of the 98th Indianapolis 500 in 2014. Hunter-Reay, however, has yet to win a race in the 2019 IndyCar Series season.RACEDAY's Bruce Martin caught up with Hunter-Reay at Road America to talk about that and other topics on today's Honda IndyCar Report.

Our next guest is the NTT IndyCar Series points leader, Josef Newgarden, who drove to victory in the June 8 DXC Technology 600 at Texas Motor Speedway. Newgarden made the strategic move of the race when Team Penske president Tim Cindric called him into the pits during a caution period on Lap 137. Running ninth at the time, but with only 11 cars running on the lead lap, Cindric believed a fresh set of Firestone tires would allow Newgarden to run faster laps than the other drivers on the track. The strategy paid off when Newgarden's laps were 218 miles per hour compared to the rest of the field running in the 208 to 210 miles per hour range. During the final round of pit stops, Newgarden's team short-filled the tank for a very quick stop and by the time the pit sequence cycled through, he was the leader on Lap 203.Newgarden led the rest of the 248-lap race, but had to fight off a fierce challenge from Alexander Rossi. It was Newgarden's first win at Texas Motor Speedway.RACEDAY's Bruce Martin caught up with Newgarden after he won the DXC Technology 600 to talk about that and other topics on today's Honda IndyCar Report.

Our next guest is the five-time NTT IndyCar Series champion who won at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix for the second year in a row. It's Scott Dixon, who scored career victory No. 45 in Sunday's second race of the Detroit doubleheader. Dixon used a brilliant two stop pit strategy, that began when he pitted on Lap 15 to switch from Firestone Reds to Firestone Blacks. While he was in the pits, Sebastien Bourdais's Honda slammed into the back of Spencer Pigot's Chevrolet as Pigot was attempting to dive onto pit road. That closed the pit area and Dixon was able to get out and take the lead when the other competitors pitted. After that, the IndyCar Series legend was able to hold off several late race restarts, including one after a Red Flag for rookie teammate Felix Rosenqvist's crash in Turn 1, to win the race. He defeated rookie Marcus Ericsson, who scored the highest finish of his IndyCar career.RACEDAY's Bruce Martin caught up with Dixon after he won the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix to talk about that and other topics on today's Honda IndyCar Report.

Our next guest is the NTT IndyCar Series points leader, Josef Newgarden, who drove to victory in the June 1 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix Race No. 1. Because the race was delayed nearly 90 minutes because of lightning, it because a 75-minute timed event. And Newgarden pitted at just the right time, when he dove down pit road on Lap 19 get off the rain tires for the racing slicks once the track was dry. Just as he pulled into his pit stall, Ed Jones crashed to bring out a full-course caution. That closed pit lane and when Newgarden returned to the track, and the rest of the field pitted a few laps later, he was in front of Alexander Rossi. The two drivers fought it out over the remainder of the race with Newgarden prevailing for his 12th career victory.RACEDAY's Bruce Martin caught up with Newgarden after he won the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix to talk about that and other topics on today's Honda IndyCar Report.

Our next guest scored the biggest victory of his career in an epic Indianapolis 500 on May 26, 2019. It's Simon Pagenaud of France, who became the first Frenchman to win the "World's Biggest Race" since Rene Thomas in 1914. The Team Penske driver engaged in a dramatic duel with Alexander Rossi, winner of the 100th Indianapolis 500 in 2016, over the final 13 laps. The two drivers daringly traded the lead in the closing stages of the race with Rossi making what he thought was the race-winning pass going into Turn 1 on Lap 198. Two turns later, however, Pagenaud passed Rossi in Turn 3 and held on over the final lap to win the 103rd Indianapolis 500. It was team owner Roger Penske's record-extending 18th victory in the Indianapolis 500. Pagenaud also became the second driver to sweep the "Month of May" at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since his teammate, Will Power, accomplished the Sweep in 2018.RACEDAY's Bruce Martin caught up with Pagenaud after he won the Indy 500 to talk about that and other topics on today's Honda IndyCar Report.

Our next guest won the pole for the 103rd Indianapolis 500 with a dramatic four-lap average of 229.992 miles per hour on May 19. It's Team Penske driver Simon Paganaud of France, who was able to knock hometown favorite Ed Carpenter off the pole in the "Fast Nine" for the Indianapolis 500. Pagenaud scored his first Indianapolis 500 pole of his career and hopes to give team owner Roger Penske a record-extending 18th Indy 500 victory on Race Day, Sunday, May 26, 2019RACEDAY's Bruce Martin caught up with Pagenaud after he won the Indy 500 pole to talk about that and other topics on today's Honda IndyCar Report.

Our next guest won a dramatic and thrilling INDYCAR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 11. It's race-winner Simon Pagenaud of France, who reigned in the rain by tracking down race leader Scott Dixon in the closing laps and made the race winning pass with just two laps to go. Pagenaud went on to win the road course race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the third time in his career by defeating Dixon by 2.0469 seconds.RACEDAYS's Bruce Martin caught up with Pagenaud after his big win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to talk about his big win and other topics on today's Honda IndyCar Report.

Our next guest started on the pole and blew away the field to win the April 14 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach for the second year in a row. It's Honda driver Alexander Rossi of Andretti Autosport, who had the No. 27 NAPA Auto Parts Honda out front for 80 of the 85 laps in the race. He defeated Team Penske's Josef Newgarden by a whopping 20.236 seconds for the sixth NTT IndyCar Series victory of his career. He is the first driver to score back-to-back victories in the prestigious street race in Long Beach since Sebastien Bourdais won it three years in a row from 2005 to 2007.RACEDAY's Bruce Martin caught up with Rossi after his victory at Long Beach to talk about his big win and other topics on today's Honda IndyCar Report.

Our next guest started on the pole and dominated the April 7 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. It's race-winner Takuma Sato of Japan, who had his No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda out front for 74 laps in the 90-lap contest at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. Sato defeated fellow Honda driver Scott Dixon by 2.387-seconds for his fourth career NTT IndyCar Series victory.RACEDAY's Bruce Martin caught up with Sato after his big win at Barber Motorsports Park to talk about his big win and other topics on today's Honda IndyCar Report.