This year, the Indy 500 and IHSPA are partnering to bring student journalists to the track to experience what it’s like to be on the media team during race week. On Thursday, May 15, our team of journalists, Kenzie Andrysiak, Lily Zing and Michelle Ortega-Morales, interviewed drivers, took photos and learned about the track with Curt Cavin, the Vice President of Communications for IndyCar. Here’s what a few of the drivers had to tell us. 

From Sweden, Marcus Ericsson is competing in his seventh Indy 500 race. In 2019, he joined the Indy 500 after competing in Formula 1 for four years. In 2022, he won the Indy 500 while on team Chip Ganassi Racing but has since switched to Andretti Global. 

Q: What got you into racing?

A: (As) a kid, I always loved cars. That was something I always liked growing up. I started with go-karts when I was 9 years old. 

Q: How is racing in other countries different than it is here?

A: I raced all over the world. I really enjoy racing here in the U.S. It’s a lot of fun. There’s a lot of passionate fans. And also here in Indy is very passionate with all the traditions and the history of the race. 

Q: Is this year any different than previous years?

A: I think the Hybrid this year is definitely making a bit of a big difference. So that’s a curveball that we all need to get used to and surround ourselves (with) the best way possible. 

At 20 years old, Rinus VeeKay, from the Netherlands, was titled Rookie of the Year in his first season with IndyCar. Now 24, VeeKay, ranked 10th in the 2025 season. VeeKay raced with Ed Carpenter for five years. This year, VeeKay will be racing with Dale Coyne Racing, a team that did not qualify last year.

Q: What do you think made you qualify for the race this year?

A: My previous results in other seasons. My average qualifying position here is 3.8 over five years. I think that made it attractive for Dale Coyne Racing to hire me this year. They unfortunately did not qualify for this race last year, so it’s my role this year to really lead the team and make them quicker and lead them to the best changes we can make.

Q: What makes this year different? 

A: We get hybrids now, which are unknown to everybody. It’s an extra tool, but it’s also an extra pain. What’s different for me is that it’s my first time with a different team around this place. 

Q: Growing up, how did you get into racing?

A: For my eighth birthday, I got a go-kart. Started out for fun for one or two years. I won the national championship, then we went international. Through go-kart, I actually got to meet some people in the U.S., and that’s where my love for IndyCar started.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about Indy so far?

A: One cool thing about being an IndyCar driver around this place (is that) people can see you. When you’re in the city, people come to you and try to say hi, but also I don’t feel like I am being hoarded when I am walking around. I feel like I am very well welcomed, and it kind of feels like a home race now. 

With this year being his first year competing in the Indy 500, Jacob Abel has been able to place 27th out of 34 racers. Before being at IndyCar, Abel competed in ABEL Motorsports, a family-run team, and INDY NXT, a racing series to develop racers. In 2024, Abel placed second for INDY NXT. This year, for the Indy 500, he is with the team Dale Coyne Racing. 

Q: Where did you go to high school, and did you always want to be a driver?

A: I went to Trinity High School in Louisville, Kentucky, so not terribly far from here. It was an all-guys Catholic school. It was a very big sports school. When I quit the lacrosse team to go race go karts, it was pretty interesting, (and I) got made fun of for it definitely a lot. But it all seemed to work out. 

Q: What qualities do you think you have that led you to be in this position?

A: I think the biggest thing for a race car driver is perseverance. It’s so unlike any other sport where there’s not one winner or one loser. You are losing a lot more than you are winning regardless of how good you are. So, it’s always being able to keep your head up and stay positive. 

Q: What got you into racing?

A: I got into it through my dad, mainly. He grew up racing motorcross. He ended up getting hurt pretty badly doing that. When I was growing up, he was racing vintage cars kind of as a hobby. So, I always grew up around the race track with him and sort of fell in love with it. 

Q: Many drivers like yourself get their driver’s license after racing. What was that like for you?

A: It was weird. I literally took Drivers Ed after racing cars for a few races. I think I started racing when I was 16, and in Kentucky you don’t get your restricted license until you’re 16 and a half. I tried to avoid telling them I was a race car driver, so they didn’t hold me to any different standards or anything. 

Winner of the Indy 500 in 2014, Ryan Hunter-Reay ranks 32 in the 2025 season. Hunter-Reay has raced in 16 Indy 500 races. Nicknamed “Captain America,” Hunter-Reay is a veteran driver with 18 wins with the IndyCar series. 

Q: What’s different about this year?

A: Every year, there’s something a little bit different. This year, it’s obviously the hybrid unit in the car, which is heavier. It’s a different approach, strategy-wise, on how you use it. It’s just a lot more procedure in place that we have to get our heads around. 

Q: Since you’ve already achieved that dream of winning the Indy 500, how does it feel to race? Is it still a dream or is it more for business now?

A: No, in IndyCar, you want to become part of the two-times winner club or the three-times winner club. It’s never enough here, especially once when you win, you only want to win more.

Q: How is it balancing coaching your kids’ football and racing?

A: It’s great. I am thankful I have the time now to be a major part of their lives at such an impactful age. I’ve spent 20 plus years on the road nonstop. It’s nice to be with them.