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In Driver’s Eye with James Hinchcliffe, the six-time INDYCAR winner will bring you inside the mind of a racer while breaking down the nuts and bolts of the sport for fans. The Indianapolis 500 is the biggest race in the world. More than 300,000 people show up on race day. Millions more watch on TV. The pre-race ceremonies last an hour and build up the anticipation for the start of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing. It’s unlike any other sporting event on the planet. But before you get the privilege of experiencing that moment on the starting grid of the Indy 500, you first must qualify for the race. The stakes, and the speeds, will never be higher. THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE FAST: INDY 500 QUALIFYING The Indy 500 is unique in many ways, but one of the most famous is the tradition of starting 11 rows of three cars. Thirty-three drivers in 33 cars take the green flag after the field is set in qualifying. And that qualifying session is, by far, the most intense, most terrifying but most rewarding thing an INDYCAR driver will do all season. Qualifying for the Indy 500 is done by posting your best average speed of a four-lap run around Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s iconic 2.5-mile oval. Speed is measured down to one-thousandth of a mile an hour, and sometimes that makes the difference. We’re talking about four laps, 10 miles, faster than 230 miles per hour, and every thousandth counts. The level of preparation for teams’ speedway cars for those four laps — and the Indy 500 itself — cannot be overstated. Countless hours are dedicated to special body work on the cars to reduce and eliminate every seam and every gap. Teams build special uprights to allow the wheels to turn freely and gearboxes with less internal friction to transfer more of the power from the engine to the rear wheels. These parts aren’t built to last. They are built to go as fast as possible for exactly four laps around IMS. When it comes time to make your qualifying run, it’s just you, the car and the track. You have the speedway all to yourself and the pressure is immense. There is no point in the year when the speeds will be higher than this moment. With faster speeds comes higher risk, and the driver needs to be willing to risk it all to come out on top. In my career, I ran the gambit of emotions during qualifying. I’ve started near the front, in the middle, on the last row. One year I didn’t qualify for the Indy 500, which was one of the hardest days of my career. On the other hand, I was lucky enough to start the famed race from the pole position back in 2016. Starting on pole for the Indy 500 is a big deal for these teams and drivers. Because of all the work that goes into building the cars, if you build the fastest one, every member of the team feels tremendous pride that their hard work paid off. For the drivers, it’s the fastest you go all year. Under colossal pressure, a slight misstep could end in the biggest wreck of your career. So to come out on top — to be the one who walked the line between victory and tragedy the finest — it’s something to be proud of. For sure, in a 500-mile race, starting up front is neither a guarantee of, nor a prerequisite for, success on race day. But it definitely helps your chances by keeping you up front and out of some of the potential trouble that could be brewing mid-field or further back. [VICTORS AND HOPEFULS: What Makes The Indy 500 So Hard To Win?] SOUND LIKE AN INDYCAR EXPERT: PRANK SEASON As big a deal as the Indy 500 is for every driver, when you are living at one race track for nearly an entire month — and I do mean living, as most drivers reside in motorhomes inside Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the Month of May — you can get a bit of cabin fever. And that can manifest itself in different ways, the most entertaining of which is pranks in the bus lot. It seems every year, somewhere in the middle of Week 2, drivers start looking for ways to decompress, and pulling a fast one on your friends and colleagues seems to be a popular method. And no one is safe. Making sure your motorhome is locked is key to survival in the bus lot. I made that mistake once and came home to a bus where all the toilet seats had been removed. Conor Daly once arrived back after a long night of sponsor dinners to find his bus packed to the brim of helium balloons that were too big to fit out of the door, so they had to be popped one by one. Only, they weren’t only filled with helium, and each “pop” resulted in a shower of glitter across the floor, which also was scattered with Solo cups filled with water. Another time, Marco Andretti awoke to find his two golf carts Saran-wrapped together. Romain Grosjean’s scooter magically found its way to the roof of the pagoda. And who can forget when Daly’s inflatable hot tub was filled with Orbeez and rendered useless?! As much as these pranks are a needed (and hilarious) release for drivers during a stressful month, it really highlights that while we are all fierce competitors on the track, there is a camaraderie between us. Drivers in this series know that we take big risks out on track and can have each other’s lives in our hands. We travel the country together week in and week out for half the year. It becomes like a big family. A traveling circus. It’s nice to see that people who drive 230 miles an hour, inches apart from one another, can still disconnect and cause a little chaos in the bus lot together. Oh, and just FYI, Daly brought the hot tub to the track again this year… [INDY 500: The Definitive Guide To Choosing Your Favorite INDYCAR Driver] 1 FOR THE ROAD INDYCAR recently implemented a rule change — one that most people agree is a good step for the series. It came off the back of the Indy Grand Prix — another reason drivers live at IMS all month — where a car was stopped on the frontstraight with a mechanical issue. But because the leaders were in the middle of a pit cycle, a local yellow was thrown to give everyone a chance to pit before a full-course caution was displayed, which would close the pit lane for service. Employing local cautions is a protocol we have used for years and was actually implemented at the behest of the teams and drivers. It could be advantageous, depending on where you are on track. Teams always advocate for consistency in these types of calls, and race control has done a great job of that recently. Teams and drivers also always advocate for driver safety. And unfortunately, those two things were at odds last weekend. By being consistent with the procedure, it arguably put a driver at risk. Race control was in a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” scenario. As has always been the mentality of INDYCAR racing, driver safety is paramount and must come first and foremost. Given that, the decision about full-course cautions being thrown will no longer take pit cycles into account and will be solely dependent on the situation with the car or cars in question. It’s a good step for driver safety, and it has a knock-on effect of making strategy that much tougher to call for drivers running up front. The risk of staying out too late and a yellow affecting your race has gone up, and every time the strategy is harder to call, the fans at home benefit. MORE DRIVER’S EYE:​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

One of the final cuts from the United States roster for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Mark McKenzie has been a consistent call-up for current U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino since the Argentine took over the sideline for the 2026 tournament co-hosts 19 months ago. Four years later, McKenzie — who plays at French club Toulouse — is expected to make the USA’s 26-player World Cup roster. He could even be in Pochettino’s starting lineup in Los Angeles when the Stars and Stripes kick off Group D against Paraguay on June 12, which could instantly turn the central defender from Bear, Delaware into a household name for the millions of fans watching at home. So who is Mark McKenzie? To find out, I sat down with the soft-spoken 27-year-old defender in March before the USA’s World Cup tune-ups against Belgium and Portugal. You were born in the Bronx and grew up in Delaware, but your father kept his job in Manhattan after you moved. How did he do it? I was five when we moved. He worked at the Hospital for Special Surgery. It’s a four-hour drive away, but for a number of years he commuted to New York almost every day. He’d leave at four in the morning and get home at nine at night, sleep for a few hours and do it again. He’d stay at my grandmother’s house in the city if it was a long night, but he tried to get home as much as possible, especially as my sister and I were getting into different sports. He always wanted to be present. Watching your dad do that, what message did that send? At a young age you don’t understand it exactly. But as I got older, I started to realize that he was doing it for the betterment of the family and not necessarily because he loved driving on the turnpike. He’s probably one of the biggest inspirations of my life. He’s an immigrant. He came from Jamaica with very little and earned everything he’s gotten. He instilled in me a lot of that same work ethic, that same understanding of what sacrifice looks like. I know things don’t happen overnight all the time, and that small progressions are very important. Ultimately, those pay dividends. You mentioned different sports. What other sports did you play growing up? Pretty much everything. Basketball. Flag football, because my mom wouldn’t let me play full contact. Swimming. A little bit of tennis. I even did tap dancing. My mom wanted a dancer — thankfully my sister fulfilled that for her. I’m just competitive. I had that from a young age, hated losing video games. I would cry if I lost playing Monopoly with the fam. When did you have to focus on soccer exclusively? Once I hit eighth grade, the Philadelphia Union academy was starting to come into the picture. But with school, I wasn’t able to make the commute back from Delaware every day. But once I got to high school, I made the decision to commit to soccer. Also, I didn’t feel like I was tall enough for basketball then. I grew a bit more in the years to come, but obviously it’s worked out pretty well. Were you always a defender? No, I was a midfielder until I was about 10 or 11, and then moved up to forward. Then I got to the Union’s pre-academy, and they saw that I didn’t have the same sense of arrogance sometimes that forwards have or the same selfishness to score. So they were like, maybe you should be a center back. I’m guessing that was tough to hear. Absolutely. You go from being the guy who’s getting goals and making plays to the guy trying to stop that happening. You’re facing attackers who want to embarrass you any moment they can. It was an adjustment. My dad was like, “You can throw a hissy fit if you want, but you’re getting an opportunity. If it’s at center back, be the best center back possible.” Central defenders are so skilled with the ball nowadays. Did being an attacker as a teenager help? Yes, and not just with my feet: Also in understanding how attackers move, their habits, the spaces they want to get to, the timing of their runs — stuff like that. Are you a sports fan? Any soccer clubs that you follow? As a kid, I would get up in the morning on the weekends and watch Premier League games. Arsenal’s been my favorite Premier League team since. I loved Thierry Henry and his style, so getting to meet him was really special. When did you meet Thierry Henry? When he was coaching Montreal in 2020, my last season with the Union. I also met him unofficially at a New York Red Bulls game back when I was 12. Got a chance to get a shirt signed by him. It was special. What about NFL or NBA teams? I’m a big LeBron James fan. I’ve always admired LeBron, the way he plays and carries himself.  I liked the Miami Heat back when he was there with Dwyane Wade. In terms of American football, unfortunately, I’m a Giants fan. Beating Tom Brady in the Super Bowl twice is the one thing we can live on. Your father loves soccer. Is that how you were introduced to it? I remember kicking the ball around with my dad on the streets of New York before we moved. He was my first coach, with my local YMCA team. That’s really how I really started to love it. Do you still have family in Jamaica? Have you been there? When I was younger, before soccer started to pick up, we went back a few times during the summers. And over the last probably five to seven years, we’ve been able to go and spend time with my cousins. I also played against Jamaica in the Nations League game we won in Kingston at the end of 2024, one of Mauricio’s first games. What’s your mom like? She’s the rock of our family, somebody who I draw a lot of strength from. Her name is Lynette. She’s a Black woman who’s earned everything, like my dad has. She’s also a breast cancer survivor. With my dad not around during the day, she’d go to work early, then after, take me to training or a youth clinic or camp while also managing my sister’s dance schedule. My parents are the reason I’m here today. Your sister is four years younger? Yeah. Madison is a dancer who has worked with some of the best choreographers out there. She’s chipping away at it day by day. I’m proud of her. You left MLS in 2021 and signed for Belgian team Genk in 2021. What was that like? Very different. I was coming off the best season of my life, and I’d always dreamed of taking that next step. Belgium was a great landing spot. I was able to experience Europe but also get minutes. My teammates were from all over the world, guys with international experience or who’d played in the Champions League. I think that was important. Who are you closest to on this U.S. team? Chris Richards and Tim Weah. Tim and I met at [age] 10 at this regional training program for players from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware. We just enjoyed being around each other. Plus, his mom is Jamaican. So we share that as well. Did you know Tim was the son of Ballon d’Dor winner George Weah? Not then. When I met his dad I still didn’t know who he was. Now, I call him Uncle George. His mom is Auntie. It’s amazing to flash forward to where we are today. You’re a big music guy, right? I love music, but my taste has changed. I’m a man of God. And a lot of music, unfortunately, has some negative takes to it. Gospel music keeps me in the right headspace. There’s some Christian rappers who I enjoy listening to. I also became a dad recently, so lots of baby music. Your son Micah was born just after you’d spent 40 days away at the 2025 Gold Cup. How did your wife feel about that? Carley understands that my job is not normal. She’s used to it. We’ve been together for seven years, and she knows that this career is not forever. It’s all about being the best player possible and experiencing football’s highest levels. Her support is essential to my success. She allows me to be great. How has fatherhood changed you? It’s the most beautiful experience. I see life and my career differently. The best way I can explain it is, my son doesn’t care what I do. He doesn’t care if I win the World Cup or Champions League. He only cares about the fact that I’m his dad. He loves me for me and there’s nothing like that. To see him smile and laugh and grow and change each day adds a level of importance to being present. That’s what I’ve tried to focus on. You didn’t play much at that Gold Cup. Some players who make the World Cup roster might not see the field at all this summer. How can they still help the team? It’s tough as a competitor. I want to play. But with the national team it’s about the collective. You’re representing more than just yourself. My role was to demand more of not only myself in training, but the guys around me. I was also preparing myself in case I had to step in. We need 26 players pushing in the same direction. When you have even one kink in that line, it’s difficult to be successful.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The NFL’s content teams put on a show for the 2026 schedule release Thursday night, flexing their creative muscles in what’s become known as the social media Super Bowl. But which franchise had the best schedule release video this year? Here’s my top 10, in descending order: The Browns nailed the “Street Fighter” theme, bringing out Ohio native and internet personality MatPat to introduce the “video game.” The arcade vibe and retro sound effects and graphics take older Millennials back to their childhood. The Giants featured the always-entertaining Jameis Winston in their schedule release video, having the QB and offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor hang outside the Vessel in New York’s Hudson Yards. That’s where “Winston Van Gogh” played Pictionary with fans — if the fans named the team that Winston was referring to with his drawing within 15 seconds, they won Giants tickets. Winston sported a beret, giving him an artsy aesthetic, fitting for the occasion. With an art craft blend theme, the Jets had the most visually mesmerizing schedule release video this year. The sped-up blend of colors — leading into each opponent — was satisfying. No words were spoken, but nothing felt missing. The Raiders doing a “Step Brothers” parody starring quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza and Kirk Cousins was simply perfect. The bit included everything from the opening scene of them eyeing each other down, to Cousins showing the No. 1 overall pick how things are done around the facility. The Falcons’ content team told me earlier this week that their new football regime of head coach Kevin Stefanski, president of football Matt Ryan and general manager Ian Cunningham would be involved in their schedule release video. As it turned out, they played a significant role. Atlanta hit a nostalgic vein by incorporating the old “SportsCenter” commercial theme as well. The reference to the Drake-Kendrick Lamar rap beef and cameo by Atlanta music legend Jermaine Dupri was a nice touch, too. The Cowboys brought out the “Tylers” on their offensive line — Tyler Booker, Tyler Smith and Tyler Guyton — to headline the “TIA” (Tyler Intelligence Agency), which has secret agents (most of them named Tyler) on each of Dallas’ opponents in 2026. The incredibly detailed video, which includes a cameo from quarterback Dak Prescott, features strong digs at the Packers, Rams and Eagles (of course). The Bears put a modern spin on the late Bob Ross’ “The Joy of Painting” television series, with wide receiver Rome Odunze — dressed like Ross — guiding viewers through an oil painting interpretation of each of Chicago’s 2026 opponents. The best part was undoubtedly the dig at the rival Packers. Odunze pulled out a cheese grater to use on the edge of the canvas, then looked at the camera and said: “Isn’t that satisfying?” Maybe one day the Titans’ man of the street approach, which the team has used a couple of times, will get old. But not this year. Tennessee’s social team managed to find look-a-likes of key figures of their 2026 opponents on Broadway Street and other parts of downtown Nashville. The best one may have been a Myles Garrett jersey-wearing Browns fan who hilariously looked nothing like the reigning AP Defensive Player of the Year. The Colts crushed their “Simpsons”-themed video, which was jam-packed with small jokes, including the mess that was their 2025 schedule release and season at-large. This year’s video hilariously references how Indianapolis hasn’t won in Jacksonville in more than a decade with the viral scene of Homer Simpson hiding in the bushes. The Chargers have done it once again. Widely considered to be the gold standard on schedule release day, L.A.’s content team created a “Halo”-themed video loaded with excellent digs into their 2026 opponents. Some of the best include a nod to Cam Newton’s viral take on Bills receiver Keon Coleman and Texans QB C.J. Stroud giving Bears QB Caleb Williams advice after their primetime showdown in 2024.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports