IndyCar may have had the week off, but Speed Street is still reporting for duty covering all the latest news in the open wheel scene. Conor Daly and Chase Holden reflect on the television ratings for the Detroit race and the public response to Conor’s critiques of the course layout. They also react to the news that Formula One will be directly competing with the 2026 running of the Indianapolis 500 by moving the Canadian Grand Prix to the same day. Conor expresses that the move from the FIA appears to be a blatant show of disrespect for the history of the 500, and feels motorsports fans are being cheated out of a celebrated tradition of the Greatest Day in Motorsports.

Chip Ganassi Racing pilot Kyffin Simpson joins the show to discuss his recent first career top-five finish in Detroit and what his time has been like with the CGR team. Kyffin breaks down the pit strategy that helped bring him to the front of the pack and what he had to do to remain in the top five for the duration of the race. He also speaks on the steep learning curve and sheer amount of information he has been absorbing at CGR from having experienced teammates like Scott Dixon and Alex Palou. The guys chat about what areas Kyffin would like to improve in and what his goals are for the rest of the season. Kyffin also gives listeners some insight to who he is outside of the car, as he chats about island life and his love for water sports.

IndyCar took over the streets of Detroit, and for the second time this season Kyle Kirkwood was able to stop the Alex Palou freight train. Our resident open wheeler Conor Daly battled grip issues and muscled his Juncos Hollinger Chevy to a 17th place finish on the day. He joins co-host Chase Holden to discuss the difficulties that the Detroit Grand Prix circuit layout causes and why there has been so much calamity the last couple of seasons since the race left Belle Isle. They also break down some of the different strategies that drivers tried throughout the day, but ultimately the high number of caution periods disrupted everyone’s game plans.

Race winner Kyle Kirkwood joins the show to unpack Andretti Global’s continued excellence on street courses. Despite having trouble in qualifying, Kyle found his way to the front when it mattered most and was able to capitalize on points leader Alex Palou’s misfortune. Speaking of which, Conor and Kyle trade battle stories of the firsthand mishaps they witnessed and why low grip in the braking zones seems to be leading to so many on-track incidents. Finally, Kyle breaks down his day at the Indianapolis 500 and what he needs to do to catch Alex Palou in the points chase.

The Greatest Spectacle in Racing is officially in the books, and our resident open wheeler Conor Daly showed moments of brilliance before bringing home a hard fought 8th place finish. He joins co-host Chase Holden to recap his race and how a vibration caused by a loss of wheel weights caused him to fade late in the running. Conor explains that his car became wrecking loose, but an early pit stop would cause him to fall out of the top-10, so he was forced to hold on for dear life and save more fuel than expected. The guys chat about the attrition during the race, the rain delays and how several contenders’ days were impacted. At the end of the day, the driver of the year so far Alex Palou was able to use lapped cars to stay ahead of Marcus Ericsson, bringing home his first career oval victory on the biggest stage in auto racing.

The now regarded as “third host of Speed Street” Alex Palou stops by the show during his 500-winner media tour to unpack the biggest win in his storied career. He recalls that as the race hit the halfway mark and the various strategies began to take place, he realized he was going to have a shot at winning. Alex and Conor experienced opposite balance issues due to cold temperatures and rainy conditions, and Alex explains that he was dealing with a major push that the team chased with adjustments throughout the entire event. At the end of the day, Alex implemented a strategy that he learned while chasing Helio Castroneves to the finish during the 2021 running of the race, only this time he came out on top.