In this week's edition of The Inside Line, IndyStar motorsports reporter Nathan Brown and co-host Joey Barnes discuss the ways Toronto race winner Pato O'Ward and championship leader Alex Palou diverged, creating the potential for a title race down the stretch. Nathan and Joey also dove deep into the former's 2026 schedule sleuthing story from earlier in the week, and Nathan discusses how he expects many of the puzzle pieces to fit together.

In this week's edition of The Inside Line, IndyStar motorsports reporter Nathan Brown and co-host Joey Barnes discuss the ways Toronto race winner Pato O'Ward and championship leader Alex Palou diverged, creating the potential for a title race down the stretch. Nathan and Joey also dove deep into the former's 2026 schedule sleuthing story from earlier in the week, and Nathan discusses how he expects many of the puzzle pieces to fit together.

IndyStar motorsport Insider Nathan Brown discussing all things IndyCar.

IndyStar motorsport Insider Nathan Brown discussing all things IndyCar.

The Inside Line

The Inside Line podcast: What's next for the IndyCar season and schedule

In this edition of The Inside Line, IndyStar motorsports insider Nathan Brown and co-host Joey Barnes dive into the two major news topics of the week: David Malukas landing a ride at Team Penske and IndyCar releasing its 2026 schedule. On Malukas, Nathan and Joey discuss the fact that Malukas didn’t appear to have been Team Penske’s ‘Plan A’ for the No. 12 car in 2026, having offered Will Power a one-year deal to stay, and they theorize whether he’s ready and what to expect from the 23-year-old next season. Then, the two dive into the good and bad parts of IndyCar’s slate for next season, giving both their favorite parts and where Penske Entertainment still has work left to do in the years ahead.

In this edition of The Inside Line, IndyStar motorsports insider Nathan Brown and co-host Joey Barnes dive into the two major news topics of the week: David Malukas landing a ride at Team Penske and IndyCar releasing its 2026 schedule. On Malukas, Nathan and Joey discuss the fact that Malukas didn&rsquo;t appear to have been Team Penske&rsquo;s &lsquo;Plan A&rsquo; for the No. 12 car in 2026, having offered Will Power a one-year deal to stay, and they theorize whether he&rsquo;s ready and what to expect from the 23-year-old next season. Then, the two dive into the good and bad parts of IndyCar&rsquo;s slate for next season, giving both their favorite parts and where Penske Entertainment still has work left to do in the years ahead.

The Inside Line IndyCar Podcast: Malukas joins Team Penske, IndyCar schedule deep dive

In this edition of The Inside Line, IndyStar motorsports reporter Nathan Brown and co-host Joey Barnes discuss the riveting end to the 2025 IndyCar season that was the finale at Nashville Superspeedway. First, the pair highlight the ways in which so many drivers’ days either ended poorly or were adversely affected to open the door for a much-needed season-ending win for Josef Newgarden. The pair discuss Newgarden’s interesting words in his post-race press conference about what this offseason may have in store for him, and they also break down David Malukas’ race-ending crash and how and why he came together with Louis Foster. They then run down the championship standings and note standout or notable finishers after the dust settled in Nashville, and then Nathan and Joey finally break down where exactly the 2026 IndyCar schedule is in this closing stage, including the pros and cons around Canada’s race shifting to a new location, the ways in which the fates of races in Mexico City and Washington D.C. may be intertwined and what else to expect on the calendar for 2026.

In this edition of The Inside Line, IndyStar motorsports reporter Nathan Brown and co-host Joey Barnes discuss the riveting end to the 2025 IndyCar season that was the finale at Nashville Superspeedway. First, the pair highlight the ways in which so many drivers&rsquo; days either ended poorly or were adversely affected to open the door for a much-needed season-ending win for Josef Newgarden. The pair discuss Newgarden&rsquo;s interesting words in his post-race press conference about what this offseason may have in store for him, and they also break down David Malukas&rsquo; race-ending crash and how and why he came together with Louis Foster. They then run down the championship standings and note standout or notable finishers after the dust settled in Nashville, and then Nathan and Joey finally break down where exactly the 2026 IndyCar schedule is in this closing stage, including the pros and cons around Canada&rsquo;s race shifting to a new location, the ways in which the fates of races in Mexico City and Washington D.C. may be intertwined and what else to expect on the calendar for 2026.

The Inside Line IndyCar Podcast:  Josef Newgarden wins finale in Nashville

In this episode of The Inside Line, IndyStar motorsports insider Nathan Brown and co-host Joey Barnes discuss the rapid-fire moves of these past couple days on the IndyCar Silly Season landscape and how they came to be. The pair kickoff the episode diving into Will Power’s decision to leave Team Penske after 17 years and the behind-the-scenes moves – and lack of them – that ultimately led Power feeling like it was his time to move on. And then they move into how the futures of Will Power and Colton Herta ultimately became intertwined as Herta was proposed the opportunity by TWG Motorsports CEO Dan Towriss to take a chance on his dreams and leave IndyCar for a test and development opportunity with Cadillac F1 and a likely F2 ride in pursuit of his childhood F1 dreams. Nathan and Joey talk about what’s next for them in 2026, and then they cap the episode setting the stage for where the Silly Season landscape stands with those major dominos having fallen.

In this episode of The Inside Line, IndyStar motorsports insider Nathan Brown and co-host Joey Barnes discuss the rapid-fire moves of these past couple days on the IndyCar Silly Season landscape and how they came to be. The pair kickoff the episode diving into Will Power&rsquo;s decision to leave Team Penske after 17 years and the behind-the-scenes moves &ndash; and lack of them &ndash; that ultimately led Power feeling like it was his time to move on. And then they move into how the futures of Will Power and Colton Herta ultimately became intertwined as Herta was proposed the opportunity by TWG Motorsports CEO Dan Towriss to take a chance on his dreams and leave IndyCar for a test and development opportunity with Cadillac F1 and a likely F2 ride in pursuit of his childhood F1 dreams. Nathan and Joey talk about what&rsquo;s next for them in 2026, and then they cap the episode setting the stage for where the Silly Season landscape stands with those major dominos having fallen.

The Inside Line podcast: What's next for the IndyCar season and schedule

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