NTT IndyCar Series drivers provide plenty of optimism, opinions, humor, professional insight, and personal tidbits at the annual Content Days as they gather before the schedule-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg March 1. Before things wrap up Wednesday afternoon in Indianapolis, here’s a look back at opening day:
‘Garbage Boy’ fantasizes about plowing into Alex Palou’s trash can
The popular FOX Sports IndyCar Series ads deliver once again with creativity and humor, and equally popular Pato O’Ward, of Arrow McLaren, stars in the latest one, recklessly careening through a quiet suburban neighborhood as a garbage truck-driving maniac, smashing into cans and spewing trash everywhere in explosive style.
“Yeah, I’m the new garbage boy. Count on me to take out your trash,” O’Ward said Tuesday with a sly smile.
“Man, it was one of the coolest shoots that I’ve ever been a part of. It involved me actually doing something that I was more familiar with,” he said, laughing. “I thought it was just enough kind of funny, lighthearted, on-brand. Don’t take everything so seriously. Have fun with it. As soon as I heard the idea, I was all for it. We shot this middle of December. FOX was quick with it. The writers did a great job. Very different. I don’t think anybody would have ever imagined that’s what the commercial was going to be.”
One reporter piped up with the question: “If you were going to pick a driver whose roll-out kart you wanted to obliterate, who would it be?” Without hesitation, O’Ward replied, “Palou’s. For sure.”
Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou aced out runner-up O’Ward in last year’s championship battle while running roughshod over the entire field last season on the way to his third consecutive and fourth overall title.
Graham Rahal likes idea of summer DC street race to mark US’ 250th birthday
The latest buzz is the possibility of an IndyCar street race this summer in the nation’s capital as part of America’s 250th birthday celebration. Is it in the works? Is the prospect remote? Who knows? But Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s Graham Rahal pledges allegiance to the idea.
“It’s a massive opportunity for IndyCar,” he said, chiding Internet users who criticize the notion for political reasons (“You read these [messages]: ‘Oh, then that’s the one race I’m not going to watch.’ I mean, get a life. Get a life.”). “If you really are an IndyCar fan, this is a huge opportunity that’s been given to us. Hasn’t been given to NASCAR, not to Formula 1. It’s been given to IndyCar.
“Obviously, I’m a patriotic guy. No matter who’s in the White House, I don’t care who it is, if we got to go race in Washington, it would be awesome, particularly on the National Mall. I mean, one of my favorite things to do is go to the National Mall and walk around at night and see what it’s all about and understand history. Good, bad—understand history, see what it’s all about,” Rahal said.
“So for us to go get the opportunity, if it happens, to race in Washington, I think it’s a damn good deal. It’s a big time of year,” he said. “We have a lot of potential sponsors that are looking at the sport right now. They’re really all rallying around this 250, the anniversary, what that can do for them. Particularly our sponsor is very patriotic. You guys know that. It’s big-time for us. If that race happens, I think it’s a great opportunity for our team in particular to lure in some more partners. Let’s see what happens.
“For IndyCar racing, we’ve all been talking for all these years [about] getting opportunities to get street races, go to new venues. It’s all laid out there on a grand stage. I think it would be great for the sport. Let’s see what happens. I mean, who knows if this is going to actually take shape,” Rahal said.
Scott McLaughlin seeks IndyCar redemption but is open to trying another series
Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin, who lives in Charlotte, has close friends among the NASCAR drivers, and his name has been tossed around in casual conversation as a possible newcomer to the Cup Series scene. But he nixed the notion of making a switch to NASCAR: “I don’t really have much of an interest of going full time in NASCAR. I love IndyCar racing, and I love being a part of this sport. You never say never, for sure, but I’m so focused on what I’m doing here in IndyCar that until success happens and until things happen or I’m satisfied, then I don’t really see much on the outside.”
He said, “From a full-time perspective, no. I think if I was Connor Zilisch’s age (19) and something came, maybe would I think about it? Yeah. But now I’m 32 years old and got a kid at home, and I don’t know if I’m interested in being away 38 weekends a year. That’s just a personal choice. I came over here to IndyCar [from New Zealand] because I wanted to be a part of the 500 and the lifestyle of racing 18, 20 weekends, and I’m excited about that.”
McLaughlin said boss Roger Penske “would like to see me do it and whatever, and people always hassle him and stuff, but ultimately we’ve got so much here to work on. I’m just very happy doing what I’m doing right now. Honestly, yes, if he came to me tomorrow and said, ‘Do you want to do a NASCAR race?’ I would do it because I just love racing. I would race a wheelbarrow if I could.”
What McLaughlin mainly is striving for in 2026 is what he called “a bit of redemption in some ways.” He said, “It was a terrible year on my part last year. I felt like we left a lot on the table.
Then obviously Indy [when he crashed on the parade lap] is the first one that comes to mind, but there was a lot of things that I sort of did last year. Looking back at Nashville, dropped that race from the lead; Detroit, hit Nolan [Siegel]; we were in a good spot. There’s things I’ve got to tidy up, team has got to tidy up, but I think we’ve had a really good off-season, and honestly, the morale on the team is so high right now. There’s a refreshed sort of focus.”
Three trophies and a baby: Felix Rosenqvist’s wish list for May
The baby’s in the “for sure” column. Meyer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist and wife Emille are expecting their first child May 14—the week between the Sonsio Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and the Indianapolis 500 weekend on the famed oval. Rosenqvist would love to add to the magic by sweeping those two races and the May 31 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.
Team Penske ‘elder statesman’ Josef Newgarden gives new nickname
Despite still waiting for power to be restored at his family’s Nashville home following last weekend’s snow and ice storm—only to face more snow and bitter temperatures in Indianapolis—Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden was in a playful, laid-back mood Tuesday. In theatrical fashion, he gave his team a new nickname. He played off Team Penske’s reputation for perfection, precision, and professionalism and with amusement declared, “We are the Evil Empire about to strike. Just wait. We’re coming full attack!”
His remark was in response to an inquiry of whether, after a couple of scandals that rocked the so-called gold-standard organization in the past two years, this year marks a new era for Team Penske. Turning serious, Newgarden said, “I mean, I don’t know. I want to tell you, yeah, it feels all different. It feels similar in a lot of ways. When I go to the shop, obviously we’re going to have some changes. Feels like business as usual in a lot of respects. Nothing really that new.”
Jack Harvey owns what?!
The British driver, who has an Indianapolis 500 date with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, has been spending much of his season as an IndyCar on FOX reporter. But he also has a new role.
Harvey said he wanted to give back to his home community and stay connected to England’s East Midlands city of Lincoln. And what says that more than buying an English League football team?
“That was just that was something for me and my parents. We were big Lincoln City fans,” Harvey said. “I knew the ownership group really well: American family, the Jabaras [Harvey and Missy] from Phoenix. We’ve become pretty good friends. We were at dinner one day. Asked him how he got into Lincoln football club, which is quite a pivot going from Arizona to even being in soccer. Just for context: there’s five professional soccer divisions in England. Lincoln City is in the third tier—not a tiny club but not the biggest club. I said to him, ‘How did you get into it?’ He said, ‘I asked.’ So, he countered, ‘I’ll just ask you if I could join, as well.’ That's essentially what I did, just to try to maintain that connection and commitment to my hometown.
“Even though I haven’t lived in the UK full time in 12 and a bit years, it is where I was born, where I grew up. It shaped me. I just wanted to show everybody in Lincoln that I haven’t forgotten about them. I love sports. I love football. It was a natural fit. We jumped in both feet. It’s been awesome. Watching the guys have such good results is obviously fantastic, but just watching the demographics that they have, the way they break down performances, all the analytics, top sports are all operating in similar ways, but elite level. It’s been fun.”
Of half-marathons and cats: bets that went sideways for drivers
Alexander Rossi and Christian Lundgaard are living with the results of wagers they’ve made.
Rossi said, “I am running a half marathon despite my better judgment because of a stupid bet.” He made it with podcast partner James Hinchcliffe, the former driver and IndyCar on FOX broadcaster. Gleefully, Rossi said, “But that also means James has to ride a hundred miles on a bike, which is going to be hilarious.
“I don’t know who started it. I think I was giving him a hard time for running a half-marathon, because why would you ever want to do half of something? He was like, ‘Well, you’ve never done even 100% of half of something, referring to a half-marathon. He was talking aggressively, thinking I would never say yes to this. He was like, ‘If you run a half-marathon, I will ride a hundred miles on a bike.’ He hasn’t ridden a bike in like the better part of a decade, so I jumped on that opportunity.” Rossi said he isn’t entering an organized race, just putting in the miles.
Lundgaard, of Arrow McLaren, acquired a cat during the winter, thanks to a bet with his girlfriend and her father. While golfing, he said, they decided “that if anyone really makes a hole-in-one we have to get a cat. Then the whole topic came around this cat. Whatever we were doing became a bet about this cat. I did something that won me the cat. Three days ago, my girlfriend goes and makes a hole-in-one. Now we need to get another cat. Who is left with the cat? I am.”
