NASCAR on NBC podcast: Recent Episodes
Nate Ryan, NASCAR on NBC Sports
Discussing the latest NASCAR news, including a weekly recap of races, events and a look ahead to what's next in the sport. Guests include NBC Sports talent such as Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Kyle Petty.
Why the 1999 Cup championship by Dale Jarrett marked several milestones in NASCAR history (1:00); the 1995 move to Robert Yates Racing that started it all (4:00); why expectations were measured for the new No. 88 Ford team (6:00); how a championship mentality emerged in 1999 that “this is our time” (9:00); crew chief Todd Parrott, the heart of the team (11:00); how Jarrett, Parrott and the No. 88 team worked very long hours (sometime overnight) to outwork the competition (13:30); the mindset shift into how to build championship consistency over several months (16:00); a dominant victory at Michigan International Speedway (21:00); the backstory of Todd Parrott’s emotional winner’s interview (24:30); Daytona International Speedway and another victory over Dale Earnhardt (28:00); the sad story of the turtle and the Ford (32:00); the magic of having “Gentleman Ned” on the mic again (36:00); a memorable dustup with Jeff Gordon and New Hampshire that nearly led to a fight (38:00); a stirring battle and a critical blowout at Pocono Raceway (42:00); a redemptive victory in the Brickyard 400 (45:00); when Ned Jarrett spotted for his son (50:00); why was DJ so good in the big races? His thoughts and a compliment from a legend (53:00); Homestead-Miami Speedway clincher and the emotions of Robert Yates’ first championship (58:00); the legacy of Davey Allison and Ernie Irvan (1:01); a call from country star Alan Jackson (1:06); and a special note from Mario Andretti (1:07); the family sacrifices made for a championship (1:10); why DJ is so proud of being a late bloomer as a champion – and why it never might happen again (1:15).
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Interviews with Joey Logano (1:30); Ryan Blaney (7:00); Tyler Reddick (13:00); William Byron (17:00).
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Hendrick’s record-breaking success at Martinsville and why the track is so intertwined with the team’s narrative arc (1:00); Kyle Larson and crew chief Cliff Daniels on why last year’s victory meant so much (5:00); Chase Elliott’s unique perspective (8:00); revisiting the tragic events of Oct. 24, 2004 (10:00); the aftermath in Atlanta five days later (16:00); triumph on race day at Atlanta (22:00); how Rick Hendrick handled the grief (27:00); crew chief Alan Gustafson on what Martinsville means now to the team (30:00).
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Were three victories by drivers outside the playoffs a surprise if the schedule was full of wild cards? (1:00); impact of the Next Gen on teams’ “opportunity” for victories (3:30); can Steve spot how the cars can be differentiated now? (6:00); the acceptance of new technology in NASCAR and where it can head next (9:00); Steve’s ideas for helping improve TV storytelling in NASCAR races (10:30); the influx of personnel into the NASCAR labor market as teams restructure (12:30); how race teams have diversified into non-racing manufacturing industries that require high-end precision (14:00); Alex Bowman’s amazing run (18:00); can Kyle Busch extend his streak of seasons with at least one victory (21:30); what is happening with NASCAR and the inconsistent enforcement of its Damaged Vehicle Policy? (25:00); how NASCAR could have handled communication of its new policy better before Talladega (29:00); will the final four races shift the focus solely back to wining playoff drivers (33:00); the mystery of Denny Hamlin in the 2024 playoffs (35:00).
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Basking in the afterglow of Harrison’s triumph (3:00); the immediate aftermath of getting to victory lane (5:00); and the amusing scramble of trying to find a ride home Sunday (7:00); the conversation that father and son shared immediately after the win (8:00); on Jeff’s tendency to avoid too much commentary on Harrison during races (13:00); Jeff’s one regret about his call (15:00); how he handles commenting on Harrison during broadcasts (18:00); the ridicule that Harrison and other drivers and athletes face (22:00); the impact of social media on the younger generation of drivers (25:00); assessing Harrison’s first three seasons in Cup and the circumstances of losing his ride (30:00); why Harrison has impressed Jeff and others with how he’s handled being fired at 23 years old (32:00); the difficulty of staying true to yourself while being selfish as a race car driver (38:00); NASCAR’s recent conundrum with cars getting airborne (40:00).
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Dale Jarrett assesses Austin Dillon’s win after driving through Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin on the final corner at Richmond Raceway (3:00); analyzing how Dillon got in position to knock Logano from the lead and why it made Logano so angry (7:00); the artfulness of a proper bump and run and why it wasn’t achievable for Dillon (11:00); the nature of NASCAR short-track racing producing outcomes similar to Dillon’s win at Richmond over the years (14:00); but how it’s changed with the new landscape of the playoffs (16:30); does the right-rear hook of Hamlin deserve a penalty? (21:00); is Richard Childress right that Logano and Hamlin would have made the same moves? (26:00); the discussion that DJ had with his son, Zach, about the race and the option tire (31:00); regardless of the final restart, one of Austin Dillon’s best performances in Cup (34:00); what tracks are next for the option tire (36:00); addressing the issue of competition vs. entertainment, circus vs. sport (41:00); forecasting the final three races of the regular season (45:00).
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What Steve Letarte remembers about his first exposure to the Brickyard 400 and why it’s such a magical moment and place for NASCAR (2:30); what it’ll be like for the 10 full-time Cup drivers who will be racing on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval for the first time in NASCAR’s premier series (5:00); why the Brickyard requires such a phenomenal skill set of technical precision (8:30); how the Next Gen might impact the action with potentially better racing (12:30); why track position and holding the lead will continue to be so important (15:00); the importance of fuel conservation and strategy during the Next Gen era when changing four tires is much faster than filling a tank (17:30); how the fuel game impacted Denny Hamlin at Pocono (20:00); how do Cup teams keep track of the fuel consumption of every car they’re racing and how it’s different than the pre-Next Gen era (22:30); why the Brickyard 400 always has been such a championship and playoff barometer (25:00); how it feels to kiss the bricks at Indy (28:30); how close Steve Letarte came as a crew chief to winning the Brickyard 400 (30:00); who currently are the Cup championship favorites with five races left in the regular season? (31:30); sizing up the chances of Ross Chastain and Bubba Wallace for making the playoffs (34:00); the trials of Kyle Busch (35:30); the grueling stretch of 23 consecutive weeks of racing that will end with the Brickyard 400 (38:30).
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Recalling the scene and Cup champion’s reactions to SVG’s big win (1:00); the backstory of how Shane van Gisbergen made his NASCAR debut (6:00); how he likes life in the States (11:00); his adaptation to rough-and-tumble racing for victories (12:30); his progression on ovals (17:00); why Cup stars still think he’s the driver to beat in Chicago (23:00); his unbeatable “heel-toe” advantage (25:30); the rugby-themed celebration that now follows his victories; what’s new in Year 2 for the Chicago Street Race (33:00).
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NACAR on NBC analyst Jeff Burton on the Cup debut of Iowa Speedway (2:00); the concerns about the repave and why it was done (4:30); the surprising recent track record of successful repaves (7:30); the essence of the Midwestern race fan (10:30); a brief jog through Burton’s trophy collection (16:00); Martin Truex Jr.’s decision to step away from full-time Cup racing next season (18:00); how the Burton family made it work knowing that Jeff’s racing career always took top priority (23:00); why Truex should be OK with handling the unknown of what semi-retirement will feel like (25:00); how do drivers struggle with filling the competitive void (28:00); how does Joe Gibbs Racing fill the void left by Truex (34:00); Kyle Busch’s curious remarks about JGR, Hendrick and RCR (40:00); the internal struggles of being Kyle Busch at the moment (44:00); Burton’s theory of Next Gen: The faster the car goes, the better the racing is (50:00).
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Two-time defending Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden on a special moment Monday morning with his 2-year-old son Kota on the yard of bricks (5:30); why Newgarden texted runner-up Pato O’Ward after the race (7:30); on the latest chapter of 1-2 finishes with O’Ward and whether Newgarden feels empathy for having the upper hand (11:30); being among “the titans” and winning in another epic Indy 500 ending (16:30); on his truth and whether he was worried about fan reaction after the push-to-pass scandal (20:30); an update on being in a contract year (23:30); can he still win the championship? (25:00).
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Tony Stewart on how he came to do The Double and what was the appeal (3:00); how Stewart got in shape for his second attempt and the tense moments when he decided he wouldn’t leave Indy when the rain came while leading the race in 2001 (7:00); why the logistics of the trip went so smoothly and the warm reception he got from fans (14:30); how Kurt Busch wound up racing the Indy 500 for Michael Andretti (18:30); Busch’s memories of finishing sixth as the 2014 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year (24:00); why racing against drivers from other countries without a scouting report was so tricky (33:00); the disorienting feeling of waking up in a new city almost daily (40:00); do Busch and Stewart wish they’d raced the Indy 500 again? (41:00); Scott McLaughlin and the origins of the Thirsty 3s nickname (44:00); the massive preparation that McLaughlin did for the 2024 Indy 500 (46:00); on learning to accept that his best sometimes won’t be better than his world-class teammates (49:00); the secret mentor in McLaughlin’s corner (53:00); on the Team Penske suspensions (55:00); why McLaughlin didn’t give Indy 500 enough respect at the outset (57:00).
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What’s at stake for KyleLarsonin attempting a herculean feat of auto racing and why he loves running the big events (2:30); why Mario Andretti has been so impressed by Larson (6:00); the Hendrick Motorsports star’s quest for greatness (8:30); the three dreams that Larson will be fulfilling simultaneously by running the Indy 500 (13:30); the route that Jeff Gordon nearly took to racing at the Indy 500 (18:00); the 2013 Indy 500 visit that solidified Larson’s desire to compete in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing (23:00); the perspectives of Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch on joining their exclusive club of drivers who have run both races (26:00); the off-track stressors that Larson will be facing in attempting The Double (33:00); how 2013 Indy 500 winner Tony Kannan is helping Larson adapt to IndyCar while shielding him from information overload (36:00); NASCAR Hall of Fame team owner Rick Hendrick addresses his enthusiasm for being a co-owner of Larson’s Indy 500 entry (39:00).
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Denny Hamlin gets hot in short track season behind the best pit crew in the Cup Series (1:30); the increased importance of pit stops in the Next Gen era (5:00);why Martin Truex Jr. was unhappy with Denny Hamlin (9:30);Kyle Larson’swild finish (12:00); Chase Briscoe interview (15:30); the outlook for Stewart-Haas Racing and taking a leadership role (19:00); being in a contract year (21:30); why is approach has been more aggressive this season (23:00); Carson Hocevar interview (27:00); being trusted with helping guide Spire Motorsports’ vision (30:00): Zane Smith interview (34:30); Hendrick Motorsports brings its 40th anniversary celebration to Martinsville (36:30); Chase Elliott’s first memories of meeting Rick Hendrick and getting a full personal tour of the team’s campus (39:30); William Byron recalls his memories of watching Hendrick’s success at Martinsville as a fan in the grandstands (43:00).
Dustin Long's Friday 5 column on the 7-second pit stop frontier: https://www.nbcsports.com/nascar/news/friday-5-how-much-faster-can-nascar-cup-pit-crews-go
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Toyota’s strong showing at Phoenix (2:30);the No. 20 scores a “cathartic” victory that shows the team remains championship caliber (6:30); the impact of a new short track rules package (9:00); the latest on adding horsepower (10:30); the struggles in the pits for Kyle Busch and his team (13:30); checking back on Kyle Larson’s Vegas win (16:00); Rajah Caruth reflects on his breakthrough victory (17:30); Steve Phelps on NASCAR considering Dodger Stadium for a Cup race (19:30); the charter system races the IndyCar Series and Michael Andretti’s candid comments to Roger Penske (22:30); IndyCar stars discuss an eye-popping contract extension for Pato O’Ward (24:30); St. Pete winner Josef Newgarden on having a new outlook and learning to love his job again (29:30).
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The anxious moments of waiting to be declared a Daytona 500 winner (1:30); Byron explains how he went from winning races online to winning in real life nearly overnight (3:30); the “impostor syndrome” of racing against Jimmie Johnson, his former neighbor (5:00); why Byron entered the 2024 season with a chip on his shoulder (6:30); how Byron overcame being a big factor in a massive wreck to refocus on winning a career-defining race (9:30); the thoughts of team owner Rick Hendrick and executive Jeff Gordon, former No. 24 driver (12:00); defending Cup champion Ryan Blaney on the bigger voice he’ll have in 2024 and how he’ll use it (15:00); Blaney’s reaction to the Netflix docuseries (17:30); Joey Logano on handing off the champion’s journal to his Penske teammate (20:30); Jimmie Johnson on Legacy Motor Club’s move to Toyota (23:30); Erik Jones on his transition through Cup (27:00); Brad Keselowski on expecting big things but also accepting responsibility (30:30); Martin Truex Jr. on the next generation of Cup drivers and why he doesn’t let bad days get to him anymore (33:00).
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Why the 2004 season was a crossroads of so many eras beginning and ending for NASCAR (1:30); former NASCAR on NBC announcer Allen Bestwick and sports journalist Brant James recall the impact of a visit by President George W. Bushto the Daytona 500 (5:30); the scene as President Bush arrived at the track (9:30); the president’s prerace interview (11:00); the delayed opening ceremonies and the command to start engines (12:30); how this was different from previous presidential visits to Cup races (15:00); Ben Affleck’s Daytona 500 appearance and NASCAR as a place to “see and be seen” (16:30); the debut of Nextel as the new title sponsor of the NASCAR Cup Series (20:00); how Nextel changed the approach to NASCAR commercials and marketing (22:30); the origins of the Chase for the Nextel Cup Championship format and NASCAR’s reasons for making the major change (26:00); how NASCAR introduced the controversial new playoff-style system and fended off criticism from fans and the industry (28:00); why Dale Jr. was an overwhelming prerace favorite to win his first Daytona 500 (35:30); the prerace twists between Dale Earnhardt Inc. teammates Dale Jr. and Michael Waltrip and the tension between their teams (38:30); the massive wreck that took out Waltrip in the Daytona 500 (40:30); the surprising wingman bromance between Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart (42:30); the surprising way the Daytona 500 ended with 300 consecutive miles under the green flag (45:00); the winning pass and the jubilant aftermath for Dale Jr. (47:30); how Dale Jr. tied all of the emotions together in his typically confessional and emotive postrace interviews (50:00); the congratulatory phone call from President Bush to Dale Jr. after the race (55:00); the Busch Series win postscript for Dale Jr. (58:00); how Earnhardt Jr.’s victory on Feb. 15, 2004 at Daytona closed the loop on his July 7, 2001 triumph at the same track (1:00).
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Ryan Blaney on an emotional night in Nashville (3:00), thanking those who helped him earn the championship (7:00), his first meeting with Roger Penske (9:30), the responsibilities of being the reigning champion and what’s to come (11:00); Kyle Busch on his newfound popularity in 2023 (12:30), the sale of Kyle Busch Motorsports and why the timing is right for the next step in his career (15:00); Denny Hamlin on a new pathway to the championship and a new shop for his team with Michael Jordan (17:30), the shoulder injury he suffered last year that needed surgery (19:30) and if he’s become the loudest voice among drivers (21:30); Ross Chastain on the boost of winning the season finale (23:00), what it’s like being a polarizing rising star both booed and cheered (25:00), how he constantly reinvents his game (26:00), the watermelon farm refuge (28:00); Chase Elliott on a year he’d like to forget but needs to remember (29:00) and what it means to be a six-time Most Popular Driver (31:30).
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With his IMSA team sidelined from the Rolex 24 at Daytona for the first time in 20 years, Mike Shank discusses the disappointment of being unable to defend its title after winning the race in 2022-23 (2:30); where Shank will be instead of heading to Daytona (4:00); tracing the long, successful history of Meyer Shank Racing from the Rolex 24 to winning the Indy 500 (5:30); the afterglow of its 2023 Rolex 24 victory (7:30); and then the fallout from its penalty (9:00); how IMSA addressed the infraction to prevent it from happening again (10:30); the repercussions with Acura and Honda (13:00); how the rest of the 2023 season went for Meyer Shank Racing (16:00); the team’s victory in the Petit Le Mans season finale (18:30); where MSR’s drivers have landed for the 2024 Rolex 24, and why Helio Castroneves will miss a shot at winning his fourth consecutive Rolex 24 (20:00); Shank’s feelings about being overlooked this year (23:00); what the prospects are for MSR returning to IMSA in 2025 (25:30); the help that Shank is getting from IMSA in trying to return.
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Background on why the 2024 season comes at a critical juncture for Wayne Taylor Racing Andretti (1:00);what a hectic offseason has felt like (6:00); how much the team has grown and what that impact has been like on a close-knit team that prides itself on family (10:00); why it’s so important to maintain the team’s efficient culture of maximizing its resources (14:00); Taylor’s famous attention to detail and an anecdote about how that ties into WTR Andretti’s success (19:00); the challenges of hiring dozens of people amid a shallow motorsports talent pool (24:00); how the team goes about managing a driver lineup with Indy 500 winners and F1 champions (30:00); how the engineering staff adapts to building cars around what eight drivers want (35:00); the outlook for bringing Acura its fourth consecutive Rolex 24 victory as the only team running the Honda brand this season (40:00); what's the team's next big challenge (45:00).
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Another all-star field gathers for the world’s first “Race of Champions” of the year (2:00); Jenson Button and Felipe Massa head the list of Formula One winners on the entry list (4:00); why driving the GTP hybrid prototype is so difficult (7:00); another heavy IndyCar component and why the hybrid will enhance those ties this year (11:30); Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden on his adaptation to the premier category and the hybrid (14:00); Marcus Ericsson on trying to open his Andretti era with a Rolex 24 win (17:00); Colton Herta’s impressive Rolex 24 record and what he enjoys about the special dynamic of teammates in sports cars (19:00); Roger Penske’s deep roots in sports cars and why Le Mans and Daytona remain high on his victory target list (21:00); will Porsche Penske Motorsport improve on its Daytona disappointments of 2023? (23:00); with defending winner Meyer Shank Racing off the grid, Wayne Taylor Racing adds a second car in trying to bring Acura its fourth consecutive victory (26:00); the explosive growth of manufacturer involvement in the GT categories (30:00); the return of Corvette vs. Mustang (32:00); will the race top last year’s record-setting crowd? (34:00).
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Ryan Blaney’s no-doubt, clutch victory at Martinsville confirms his championship-level talent (1:00); how Blaney deftly managed his final charge to the lead (4:15); the offseason mental preparation and improvement put in by Blaney and how it paid off (7:00); the newfound speed of the Penske Fords lately (11:00); William Byron’s gutty performance to make the Championship 4 (16:00); what it feels like to drive with a cooling system that has malfunctioned (19:00); another letdown for Martin Truex Jr. and his team (22:00); another disappointment for Denny Hamlin (26:00); how DJ can relate to DH still seeking a title at age 42 (30:00); Xfinity championship preview (35:00); Cup championship preview and DJ’s pick (38:00); a big sports weekend in Phoenix as the World Series is in town with the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks, who have been red-hot since DJ threw out the first pitch (42:00).
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The Kyle Larson-Ryan Blaney incident that was the turning point (1:00); how the essence of Larson factored into the incident (4:30); why Stage 1’s strategy revealed a lot about the Chris Gabehart-Denny Hamlin dynamic (8:30); what happened to Denny Hamlin’s car in his crash and Gabehart’s message to Hamlin (10:30); another Martin Truex Jr. radio moment lambasting his team (15:30); is being yelled at by your driver part of being a crew chief? (20:30); the varying parameters of crew chief-driver relationships (26:30); was Bell’s victory a surprise given his mood after Las Vegas? (30:00); sizing up the Homestead fortunes of other drivers (33:00); can William Byron advance just with a strong stage points performance at Martinsville (38:00).
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Does Las Vegas winner Kyle Larson have a massive championship edge with two weeks to prepare for Phoenix? (1:00); does he ignore Homestead and Martinsville in preparing the next two weeks? (5:00); Larson’s moment of nearly wrecking off Turn 2 (7:00); how he was able to save the car by going against instincts (9:30); Christopher Bell’s charge to nearly beat Kyle Larson (12:30); more pit stop woes for Bell and his team (18:00); why switching crews might be more complicated than it seems (22:00): why the playoff contenders seemed rather gloomy despite the lack of major on-track trouble for any of them (24:30); the critically damaging strategy call for Martin Truex Jr. (27:00); the competitiveness of the field and effect on passing (31:30); Ryan Blaney’s disqualification (34:00); Homestead preview (36:00).
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Parker explains his busy schedule on a Monday/Tuesday coming out of a race weekend (1:30); delving into DIL and a love-hate relationship with simulation (5:00); an idea for the NASCAR Simulator Olympics (7:30); A.J. Allmendinger’s emotional Roval winner’s interview and story (10:00); the first time Parker raced against Allmendinger online nearly 20 years ago and what makes AJ so good on road courses (15:30); Next Gen road course assessment (19:00); Kyle Larson’s rebound and shop visit from a practice crash (22:30); Truex’s chances and Championship 4 predictions (25:00); recounting the last lap of the Xfinity race and the No. 48’s overall weekend at the Roval (30:00); on having a confidence meter that’s pegged for the 2024 season (36:00); reflecting on Parker’s “all-in” return to racing and learning to avoid being “a negative self-talker’ (39:00); the psychology of driving a race car (43:00); remainder of season outlook (46:00).
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Ryan Blaney’s move to pass Kevin Harvick (1:30); how Harvick might be out of practice with some superspeedway tactics (4:00); the sentimentality of Happy’s near-victory in his last season (7:15); the happiness of being done with Talladega for life (9:00); the dichotomy of Blaney’s great decisions but careless mistakes (12:00); can Blaney eliminate the mistakes and become a champion? (15:00); drivers, sports psychologists, the mental fortitude of Brad Keselowski and what happened in the Carson Hocevar incident (17:30); on the track position style of racing at Talladega (24:00); the playoff struggles of Martin Truex Jr. (30:00); Bubba Wallace’s missed opportunities (35:00); the moment with Michael Jordan afterward (39:00); Denny Hamlin’s comeback (42:00); preview of the Roval and the cutline (45:00).
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What happened with Kyle Larson’s spin while leading on a restart (1:30); another race where things go awry despite Larson having the fastest car (4:30); analyzing why the Next Gen seems harder for drivers to catch when out of control (9:00); how the last restart got away from Bubba Wallace (12:30); William Byron becoming the championship favorite with the victory? (19:00); Hendrick Motorsports gets its 300th victory (24:30); what happened in the Denny Hamlin-Ty Gibbs collision (28:30); Ross Chastain’s impressive rebound (34:30); Ryan Blaney’s speeding penalty (37:30); Martin Truex Jr.’s “disastrous” start in the playoffs (40:00); Talladega preview (45:00).
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Kevin Harvick’s stunningly slow car in a first-round exit (1:00); what happened to Harvick’s team this season? (5:00); why it’s tougher for teams to dig out of a hole right now in the early development of the Next Gen (7:30); Denny Hamlin’s belief that the driver matters more (10:00); “the driver today is much more like an NFL quarterback than ever before (13:00); Harvick answering those who asked if he had “checked out” (16:00); the difficult sides of a driver trying to soak in the final races of a career (20:00); Joey Logano’s championship defense abruptly ends after a difficult season (23:30); Bubba Wallace’s Round of 12 outlook (26:30); the dreaded Round of 12 layout (30:00); why Ryan Blaney wants Round of 12 chaos (31:00); outside of Hamlin and Larson, some other championship dark horses (33:00); Denny Hamlin’s embrace of the “villain” role (35:30); a good and authentic message that it sends (43:00);
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Why Kansas has been such a treacherous playoff track (1:30); managing pressure, avoiding complacency (4:30); what’s happened to Martin Truex Jr.’s team (7:30); how does the team rebound approach Bristol for rebounding (13:00); what happened with where NASCAR towed Truex’s car after his flat tire (16:30); analyzing the moves and strategy calls in the final restart (21:00); the impact of the choose rule and the many layers to a restart (24:30); how Kyle Larson had to play catch up with maybe the best car (27:00); Ross Chastain’s new mentality (31:00); what happened between Chase Elliott and Larson and why Letarte liked the fire from Chase (35:00); sizing up Bristol and Bubba Wallace after a disappointing tire problem at Kansas (39:00).
How Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher worked so well together and yet with no one else (1:30); how is RFK’s success being perceived by other Ford teams with more money and people (4:30); how the Next Gen might be having a surprising impact on the balance of power (7:30); why KP thinks that Brad Keselowski was meant to be a team owner (13:00); the heads up move that Keselowski made to keep his car from burning down (18:00); how Buescher and Keselowski seemed a step ahead of Chase Elliott and everyone else in the draft (23:00); putting a bow on Chase’s season (26:00); the pressure that Bubba Wallace was feeling before making the playoffs (30:00); the Ryan Blaney impact with the SAFER barrier (34:00); what KP thinks the Ryan Preece wreck underscored that some forget about the inherent dangers of racing (38:00); what stood out about the Preece wreck (41:30); why NASCAR is in a better place on safety now than in the past (45:00); playoff preview (49:00).
Significance of William Byron’s first road course victory (1:30); how Byron never has stopped incorporating iRacing into his development, making him the new-age NASCAR star (4:30); how Byron being a late bloomer makes him a bit of a throwback and also might give him an edge on avoiding burnout (8:30); how DJ closed the experience gap when getting started as a stock-car driver at 20 (10:30); with consecutive road course races featuring only one yellow, what are DJ’s thoughts on stage ends without cautions (14:30); and an observation of how the track changes have impacted driving styles (18:00); should NASCAR consider enforcing track limits for Cup at the Glen? (20:00); is the Next Gen too drivable, plus DJ’s suggestions for horsepower increasesat road courses and short tracks (23:00); is there an ideal Cup race length, and is less than two hours too short? (25:00); diagnosing what happened with Chase Elliott’s faulty fuel strategy and was it the result of playoff pressure (28:30); the lack of execution and speed for the No. 9 team this season (33:00); what impact would losing Hendrick’s two biggest sponsors from the playoffs (36:00); should Chase be downbeat about his Daytona chances? (38:00); who are DJ’s favorites for making the Championship 4 at this stage? (42:00).
Why did this race end with such a long green-flag run? (2:30); two critical moments that tipped the race in favor of Michael McDowell over Daniel Suarez (6:00); how Next Gen has been a game-changer that has lifted Front Row (9:30); Denny Hamlin’s inadvertent shot at McDowell’s road course prowess (12:00); being a driver involved in team direction and personnel decisions (14:00); the fateful meeting that laid the ground work for a successful union between Michael McDowell and crew chief Travis Peterson (17:00); how being a crew chief at Front Row would be different than Hendrick (20:00); Michael McDowell’s career story (22:00); “He never gave up, but he never gave in” (27:30); assessing Shane van Gisbergen’s 10th place (31:00); what’s next for SVG in 2024 and what would be an ideal schedule to prepare for being full-time Cup in 2025 (35:00); on the likelihood of NASCAR returning to the IMS oval next year (38:00); a novel concept from Burton on announcing Roval or oval a few months ahead of the race (40:00); playoff cutline outlook for the last two races (41:30).
Why was the racing so good at Michigan, which featured a record 16 leaders (1:00); impact of the car and stage racing (3:30); breaking down the strategy elements of Chris Buescher’s victory over Martin Truex Jr. and the crucial decisions on when to make the final pit stops (7:00); how Buescher and Tyler Reddick helped each other to stay ahead of Truex (10:00); why it made more sense for Buescher to stay out to start the final stage (13:00); why Truex didn’t wait longer to make his final stop after Buescher made his (15:15); the final 20 fruitless laps of Truex’s pursuit and praising Buescher’s sublime drive to close out the win (17:00); has Chris Buescher’s star emergence been surprising this season? (20:00); Brad Keselowski, Steve Letarte’s personal NASCAR on NBC reviewer (22:00); Keselowski’s impressive impact on the look and the results for the former Roush Fenway Racing (25:00); how does 23XI Racing address its pit crew woes? (30:00); why were drivers losing control when on the inside at Michigan? (33:00); how did CBell finish 13th with a car that seemed heavily damaged? (36:30); playoff outlook for Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott (38:00); a preview of Indianapolis’ international lineup with Shane van Gisbergen, Brodie Kostecki, Kamui Kobayashi, Jenson Button and Mike Rockenfeller.
What we know about Richmond winner Chris Buescher (2:30) and why his persona might be both underrated and appreciate (5:30); where does Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing rank in Cup (8:30); how teams approached the race on strategy expecting long green-flag runs (11:00); how did the style of racing at Richmond change (14:00); Martin Truex Jr.’s confusion with his team’s strategy (16:30); Truex’s frustration while still mulling his future (20:00); a plethora of pit mistakes (21:00); how being a TV pit reporter is different from radio (24:00); the backstory of how Kim handled the postrace interview with Kyle Larson at Pocono (27:30); why the interview went to a rare third question and Kim’s thought process on the follow-ups (33:00); whether Kim got any feedback on the interview from Larson, Hamlin or the rest of the industry (37:00); the impact of Pocono on how drivers will race Michigan this weekend (41:00); Bubba Wallace’s impressive Richmond and what it means for Michigan and making the playoffs (43:00).
The surprise of this being Truex’s first Cup win at New Hampshire (1:30); what it’s like for a driver to win at the track where he grew up at (4:30); how has Martin Truex Jr. recaptured his championship form of 2017-21? (9:30); what are the odds of Truex returning in 2024 (15:30); Truex and crew chief James Small being on the same page for a critical pit stop (18:30); Ryan Blaney’s pit crew error, and should teams use code words? (21:30); a costly mistake for Christopher Bell’s crew as well (24:00); the tightening of the playoff cutline and what it means for Daytona (25:30); what DJ likes about the approach by Michael McDowell and his team (28:00); win or else for Chase Elliott’s playoff hopes (30:00); Joey Logano’s impressive performance (34:00); Pocono preview (37:00).
What’s it like for a crew chief to anticipate strategy calls in a rain-shortened race (1:30); “there’ll be as many road course races as rain races this season” (5:00); having a “war room” staffer who’s the meteorologist (6:30); and could the war room be at the track in the future (7:30); NASCAR’s decision to keep the pits closed while running under yellow (9:30); the factor of last year’s call at the Daytona regular-season finale (12:30); the crux of keeping the pits closed (17:00); William Byron’s impressive recovery from 36th to first (21:30); the seemingly perfect pairing of Rudy Fugle and William Byron (27:00); analyzing Kyle Laron’s exploding right-front tire (32:00); NASCAR’s decision to hold the yellow a couple of times (34:00); the scintillating racing on Atlanta’s new pavement and how long can we expect it to last (39:00); why it was about driving at Atlanta instead of steering at Talladega (41:30); improving the fan experience around Atlanta and how that’s part of the reimagining of the NASCAR schedule (44:00); New Hampshire preview (47:30).
Putting Shane van Gisbergen’s historic victory in NASCAR context (1:30); appreciate SVG’s racecraft as much as his pure speed (4:00); giving Justin Marks a lot of credit for “the perfect pick” (7:00); a big year for NASCAR’s international footprint (8:45); why the Next gen is a friendlier platform of car for international drivers to adapt (10:30); is SVG really 5-8 years ahead of the field as Kyle Busch alluded (13:30); the Cup drivers who were left humbled (16:00); SVG’s heel-to-toe technique, and was it the difference in his speed (19:00); how the best road course drivers make speed with the brakes and clutch (22:00); will Cup teams now be studying if they can gain speed by left-foot shifting? (23:30); and can this lost art be reclaimed (25:30); should NASCAR go to single-file restarts on road courses? (27:00); did the wet to dry conditions make Chicago a better race? (28:00); impressions on a 30-year veteran of the NASCAR Cup Series industry watching the first street race ever (31:00); what’s the future of Chicago and NASCAR street courses in general (34:00); Atlanta and Chase Elliott’s path to the playoffs (40:30); why Atlanta qualifying and track position could be critical (42:00).
Sizing up Nashville and why Ross Chastain’s car came to life at night. (1:30); how the No. 1 team optimized handling for Chastain (4:30); Chastain and his more patient approach to navigating traffic and less friendly drivers (7:30); an interesting conversation that DJ had with Ross (10:00); the conversation that Ross had with Justin Marks (12:30); is Chastain getting more respect now since Darlington? (15:30); the Rick Hendrick factor (16:30); is Ross Chastain now a championship contender? DJ asked him and got an interesting response (20:30); the humbler side of Ross Chastain and his relationship with “Mr. Jarrett” (23:00); analyzing what happened in Ryan Blaney’s crash (26:00); SAFER barriers everywhere, regardless of cost (29:00); Nashville Superspeedway’s quality racing (31:30); Chicago Street Race weekend preview (34:00); how many more winners will there be in the 2023 Cup season? (38:00)
What’s going on with Ross Chastain since Darlington? (2:00); or is it what’s happened to Trackhouse Racing? (4:00); why the timing of Chastain suddenly being managed more directly by the team (7:00); NASCAR’s view of Chastain (11:00); was the team too public? (13:00); the Rick Hendrick factor (15:00); Denny Hamlin in the era of the driver podcast (17:30); do some drivers need to leverage their success into bigger platforms and voices? (22:00); should NASCAR penalize drivers ex post facto? (27:00); the resurrection of Kyle Busch as a franchise driver at Richard Childress Racing (32:00); does Joe Gibbs Racing feel regret about letting Busch go? (38:00); the Austin Dillon effect (40:00); the car vs. driver through the Next Gen lens (44:00); trying to assign a percentage to a driver’s impact (48:00); the Next Gen culture shift in NASCAR (54:00); are penalties and fines dominating the Cup Series narrative too much in 2023? (1:00); state of short track racing in 2023 (1:04); should future track schedules feature more rebalancing to fit where the cars are delivering the best quality of action? (1:10).
On a reinvigorated Martin Truex Jr. a year after he openly contemplated retirement (1:00); a driver who can win emphatically when his car is right, especially at Sonoma (5:00); do Truex’s victories this year increase the likelihood that he sticks around beyond 2023? (7:30); is Kyle Busch a title contender now (10:00); how Busch and RCR have answered some questions the past two weeks about the short-track package (13:30); Chase Elliott’s interesting top five and where he is with Next Gen on road courses (16:30); Hendrick’s lack of speed overall (18:30); the difficult for Chase Elliott of finding a rhythm during such a choppy season (21:30); feeling “lost” when out of the routine from living at a racetrack your entire life (24:00); the penalty to Tyler Reddick for doing something that helped the greater good, and that KP considers the best call of the 2023 season (27:00); State of Trackhouse Racing (31:00); sizing up the unknowns as the NASCAR on NBC schedule kicks off in two weeks (35:00).
Kyle Busch’s impressive start with Richard Childress Racing (1:00); did Kyle Busch and RCR send a short-track message? (3:00); has the discussion and hype around Tyler Reddick been a motivator for Busch and RCR (5:00); on how the lack of Internet connectivity hurt teams during the Cup race (7:30); did RCR’s old-school approach in that respect (10:00); did Austin Cindric intentionally wreck Austin Dillon? (13:00); how will NASCAR determine the fault? (17:00); could NASCAR determine the evidence is inconclusive (20:00); why motorsports is a tougher sport to officiate because of these reasons (21:00); brake rotor failures (22:00); what does Corey LaJoie’s performance in place of Chase Elliott mean for his future (26:00); what is going on with Ross Chastain? (30:00); should Trackhouse Racing just go back to having Ross’ back all the time? (35:00); Chicago Street Race preview (39:00)
On thescene for North Wilkesboro Speedway’s biggest weekend in 27 years (1:00); DJ’s reaction to returning to Wilkesboro, a track where he had limited success (3:30); should a repave be in the track’s future? (7:30); what was the vibe like at track’s most recent Cup points race in 1996? (10:00); how NASCAR got from leaving Wilkesboro for Fontana, Texas, Vegas, Chicagoland and then returning in the past 27 years (13:00); a suggestion for NASCAR in continuing work on optimizing the short-track package (17:00); the greatness of Kyle Larson adapting and running a completely different line to whip the field (22:00); an anecdote about DJ’s 1996 Coca-Cola 600 victory (26:00); and what Dale Earnhardt thought about it (28:00); another 75th anniversary moment for DJ as the grand marshal at Charlotte (29:30); Coca-Cola 600 preview (32:00); Indy 500 prediction (34:30).
On broadcasting part of the Darlington Cup race with his father, Richard “The King” Petty (1:30);how and why Darlington remains the same now as then (4:00); on the Petty family’s relative lack of success at Darlington (5:45); on the 75 greatest drivers scene on throwback weekend (8:00); analyzing what happened in Kyle Larson vs. Ross Chastain (10:30); on Martin Truex Jr.’s move on Chastain at the end of Stage 2 (17:00); was Truex an example of how drivers might be racing Chastain differently because they get a “free shot” (20:30); how KP sees Chastain’s temperament and desire being similar to Dale Earnhardt and Cale Yarborough (24:00); on Larson’s previous comments that Chastain can be NASCAR’s most popular driver (28:00); how Chastain and William Byron diverge as personalities and why KP thinks that’s perfect (32:00); on Byron’s continued maturation into Cup star (35:00); on the return of “the old Chase Elliott” (38:00); the return of North Wilkesboro (41:00); recapping the 27th Kyle Petty Charity Ride (45:00).
General impressions of Doveras concerns about tire troubles largely were avoided (1:00); two tires or four to win the race on the final restart (2:30); Martin Truex Jr. holding off Ross Chastain on the final restart (4:30); the bickering between Truex and crew chief James Small (8:00); how it might just be a sign of a good working relationship because it’s the driver and crew chief being their true selves (12:00); what happened in Ross Chastain’s wreck of Brennan Poole that took out Kyle Larson (14:00); why Steve Letarte has more of an issue with Chastain’s apology than what happened on track (17:30); why Steve thinks Chastain finds it necessary to apologize (19:30); will Chastain eventually settle into a Dale Earnhardt-type persona? (21:30); what’s next for Chastain with Kyle Larson and the rest of the field? (24:30); a strong performance for the Toyotas (28:00); Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s momentum (30:00); Penske’s up and down day (31:30); Richard Childress Racing’s disappointment after a Talladega win for Kyle Busch (33:00); Austin Dillon’s role as de-facto general manager and heir apparent at RCR and why that help him deal with being outrun by his teammate (36:30); Steve Letarte’s first experience at a Supercross event (40:00); what it was like for Steve calling a race between Supercross legends Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart (44:30).
Kyle Busch’s emergence as superspeedway ace at RCR (1:30); RCR’s recent success at superspeedways (4:30); the “breath of fresh air” and morale boost that RCR gave Kyle Busch (8:30); the resurgence of RCR after some previous peaks and valleys (11:30) and how a decades-old organization can adapt to being so deferential to Kyle Busch in his first season (14:30); the crucial pit call that wasn’t and what it says about the Kyle Busch-Randall Burnett working relationship (18:30); the Ryan Preece-Kyle Larson crash and what comes next for NASCAR and how the Next Gen could provide some new angles on improvements (24:00); the replay of how the crash impacted Preece and why it was unique (28:00); Kyle Larson’s hard wrecks in superspeedway races and a glimmer of hope his luck might change (32:00); what happened between Ryan Blaney and Bubba Wallace on the final lap (36:00); what Kyle Larson had to say about his preparation for the 2024 Indy 500 (38:00).
Kyle Larson finally figures out Martinsville (1:30); how Kyle Larson “changed his golf swing” to improve (5:00); applying a fade, cut and draw to race car driving (8:00); another track where DJ had to adjust “his swing” (9:30); why Martinsville has the light-bulb moments (11:00); is Kyle Larson back in 2021 championship form? (14:00); the Ryan Preece speeding situation (17:15); Chase Elliott’s performance in returning from injury (22:00); what upcoming tracks could be tough on his leg (24:30); the struggles of Christopher Bell and William Byron (25:30); some takeaways from DJ’s chats with drivers at NBC Production Days in Charlotte last week (28:30); analysis of the low downforce package and driver suggestions on how to improve it (34:00); thoughts on eliminating shifting on ovals (38:00); an assessment of the quality of racing at Martinsville. Isn’t it usually about track position? (40:00); fantasy lineup and betting suggestions for Talladega (44:30).
Why did the Bristol Dirt Race finally produce a winner with a dirt background? (1:00); why the surface was conducive for better racing, particularly in the final stage (3:00); did Ryan Preece intentionally take out Kyle Larson? (6:00); did Preece’s team inflame the situation by encouraging retaliation? (8:30); is Larson more of an aggressive driver than is appreciated? (11:00); where are the lines on retaliation in the NASCAR Cup Series now? (13:00); why the boundaries continually come up in a cyclical manner (15:30); does NASCAR need to administer in-race penalties for intentional spins? (18:30); how the culture and promotion of NASCAR factors into this (21:00); does Burton want to see Bristol Dirt return for Year 4? (23:30); lamenting the Bristol of the 1990s and why it’s a confusing conundrum for Burton (26:00); Martinsville Speedway preview (28:00); Burton’s take on the penalties and appeal panel decisions of recent weeks (30:00); a call for more transparency across the board, including cameras in appeal hearings (32:30).
Is Tyler Reddick currently the best road course racer in NASCAR? (1:00); will there be a knock-on effect for other Toyota drivers in the future? (3:30); the three-stop strategy that paid off for Reddick and the No. 45 team (6:00); the sequence of final restarts and the adjustment Reddick made (9:00); why this victory was important in validating 23XI’s signing of Tyler Reddick after a slow start to 2023 (12:30); an interesting take form Kyle Busch on the finish (15:00); watching Kurt Busch process another driver winning his former ride (18:00); should NASCAR reconsider local yellows or even the concept of green-white-checkered philosophy on mammoth road courses (21:00); angry drivers, starting with an angry Daniel Suarez driving into the pits and incurring a possibly penalty (24:00); recapping all the angst and animosity postrace (26:00); where Chastain and Suarez go from here (28:30); what NASCAR can do (30:30); checking in with the F1 champions in the field, namely Jenson Button (33:00); the NASCAR Cup Series at the quarter-pole of the 2023 season and must-win territory for Kyle Larson? (36:00); Richmond preview (39:00);
Kim’s 2023 NASCAR plans (1:30); and her off weekend (3:30); Joey Logano finally conquers Atlanta and makes some of us feel old (4:30); has Logano become the prototypical Cup Series driver? (7:00); the admittedly “two-faced” nature of Logano (8:30); and the “jerk” side behind the wheel (9:30); on the battle with former teammate Brad Keselowski (12:00); and the impact it might have had on the Cup finish (15:00); the amount of information coming from the spotters in the battle for the victory (17:30); and how it works for a pit reporter to process that information (20:00) how superspeedway racing is like rooting for air traffic controllers (23:00); should anyone in NASCAR ever be fined for what they say? (25:15); Denny Hamlin’s appeal (27:45); the Josh Williams controversy and will he be penalized for parking his car on the track (31:00); the Harvick-Chastain crash (34:30); COTA preview (36:30).
Time codes (estimated): William Byron’s maturation into Cup Series winner (2:00); the importance of managing emotions even for a low-key driver (4:30); races that come down to restarts and take more out of the driver’s hands (6:30); Harvick’s weak restart at the wrong time (8:30); review of the low downforce package debut (10:00); has Parker’s prediction of the powerhouse teams striking back in 2023 come true? (12:30); Parker’s 2023 Xfinity Series season (16:00); disappointment in Phoenix (19:00); learning how to manage expectations and maximize resources as a young team (22:00); why Parker is giving up any semblance of a personal life to make this work (26:00); and how he’s leaning on his girlfriend and inner circle for support in a different way than his last full-time foray into NASCAR (29:00); what happened with his brakes in Phoenix qualifying and how it ties into the fine line drivers always walk with setups (32:00); a short plug for Parker’s YouTube channel/vlogging (34:00); where things stand with John Hunter Nemechek post-Vegas (35:30); is the narrative changing for drivers in their late 20s and early 30s getting better opportunities in NASCAR? (38:30); recalling Parker’s Next Gen debut last year (44:00); the unfair expectations for drivers thrust into Cup cameos (46:00); plans for COTA and the F1 driver experience (49:00).
KP’s general takeaways from Las Vegas and why it’s the “first” race of the 2023 season (1:30); KP’s trip to Bike Week! (3:30); why didn’t more cars stay out with Martin Truex Jr. on the final restart? (5:30); particularly those in the last half of the lead lap (7:30); William “Lord” Byron reigns again, but he’s been here before, too (9:30); initial reactions to Chase Elliott being sidelined with a broken left leg from a snowboarding accident (11:30); the reaction of NASCAR fans (13:30); the case for giving Elliott a medical waiver for the playoffs (14:45); why being injured might not be as large of a negative in the simulator era (16:15); does Kyle Busch’s championship comeback in 2015 from a broken leg bode well for Elliott (18:30); the optics of Elliott getting hurt the day before practicing and qualifying a Cup car at Las Vegas (20:00); the other layers of Hendrick drivers running dirt cars and what Rick Hendrick’s reaction to the Elliott accident might be (23:00); when The King broke his thumb before the Daytona 500 (25:00); why this controversy wouldn’t happen with other drivers (27:30); assessing where Cup teams rank through three races (29:00); in praise of Corey LaJoie (31:30); is it time for Stewart-Haas Racing to hit the panic button? (34:00); “Kevin Harvick can’t run the ball on every play; none of those other drivers help Kevin Harvick move the team forward” (36:00); a dissection of the driver dynamics on multicar teams (37:30).
Is Kyle Busch’s first win coming so early a surprise? (2:30); how does a driver avoid getting down on himself but still manage to rebound (5:00); why this win is important for Richard Childress Racing but Joe Gibbs Racing, too (7:15); what the win means for RCR’s legacy and future (9:15); and for Richard Childress (10:15); how Kyle Busch thrives off racing with a chip on his shoulder (11:50); but why Burton thinks this isn’t about Kyle Busch playing me against the world (13:15); the massive postrace cheers for “Rowdy Busch” (15:30) and the reasons why – and why Kyle the Antagonist is still good (16:30) why the win could be a “double shot” of confidence (18:30); Trackhouse Racing’s hot start (20:00); the impact of no practice and why Burton thinks there needs to be more (22:30); team takeaways from Fontana (25:00); the impact of a longer restart zone (27:30); why racing today is all about “trying to mess the other guy up” (29:30); contemplating the history and future of California/Auto Club Speedway (30:30); how a paradigm shift with racetracks is occurring in NASCAR (32:00); should NASCAR have a Cup points race in Southern California next year? (34:30); what about a Rockingham return? (36:30); Las Vegas Motor Speedway preview and who needs to be good (38:00).
The Daytona 500 is back, but more practice needs to be, too (1:30); Steve’s plan for getting more Daytona 500 entries (3:30); and for improving Duels action (5:30); turning points in the Daytona 500 (7:30); the importance of pit cycles and caution flags (9:30); impact of the choose rule being used at Daytona (11:00); dissecting the winning move by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (12:30); determining the race winner on a last-lap caution (14:00); Kyle Larson’s lament on the last-lap decision (16:30); analyzing what might or might not have happened if Larson had a redo (19:00); how Stenhouse’s best superspeedway mistakes likely helped him become a first-time Daytona 500 winner (22:30); the message that crew chief Mike Kelley sent to Stenhouse (26:00); and some history their longtime relationship (28:00); why that crew chief-driver rapport can mean so much through the faith instilled (30:00); “Ricky Stenhouse Jr. knew whatever happened in that race, he was going back to a group that supported him” (32:00); a little more on Stenhouse the person (34:00); a funny Stenhouse anecdote from the links (36:00); why does it seem as if more unexpected winners are happening in the Daytona 500? (38:00); can it be reconciled with being the season’s biggest race? (40:30); Fontana lookahead (43:00).
The confidence of crew chief Paul Wolfe heading into Joey Logano’s championship performance (1:00); Logano’s belief and how he might have leveraged it at Phoenix (3:45); the importance of wining at Las Vegas and other factors (6:00); the critical pit crew change for the No. 22 (7:45); why having a head start on Phoenix still is an advantage with the Next Gen car (9:00); what Parker noticed from the other championship contenders (11:30); what happened between Chase Elliott and Ross Chastain (13:30); the perspectives of each driver (16:00); what’s the future hold for Joey Logano (18:00); the importance of Phoenix and Paul Wolfe (21:00); what Parker sees for the Next Gen competitive balance in 2023 (23:30); why the sustainability of finding an edge is limited (26:00); does NASCAR need more cars on track in the real (instead of virtual) world (28:00); Parker’s wild idea for NASCAR Midweek Thunder (31:30); the case for keeping race cars “cartoonish” (33:30); Parker’s 2023 Xfinity Series plans (35:00); what has changed for Parker in this second chance, 10 years after his last stint as a full-time NASSCAR driver (38:30); how personal growth has and will shape his career (41:00); what he sees in the development of Noah Gragson and other young drivers (45:00);
How and why Ross Chastain’s wild ride worked at Martinsville (1:00); previous attempts with similar maneuvers and the impact of the new car (3:00); what the move shows about Chastain’s evolution as a race car driver this season (5:00); why hasn’t this been tried before at Martinsville? (7:00); where does NASCAR go from here with the Phoenix championship weekend ahead (9:30); the danger of letting the move go unpoliced in the future (12:00); addressing the situation before Phoenix (14:00); are the optics “embarrassing” despite the exposure? (16:00); what about in the context of the safety-conscious 2022? (18:00); Christopher Bell’s dream season (20:00); what makes the No. 20 team so clutch (22:00); empathy for Denny Hamlin and another missed season at a championship (24:00); Xfinity Championship 4 preview and if repercussions await Ty Gibbs (26:30); is Ty Gibbs ready to be promoted into the Cup Series (28:30); why Burton had a bigger problem than the aftermath of Ty Gibbs’ win than the way he did it (30:30); how racing on Sundays could be having an impact on his Saturday races (33:30); Cup Championship 4 preview (35:00).
How mentally draining was it for Kyle Larson to run the wall for three hours, and what it says about him, his career and the 2022 season (1:30); one of the best races of Larson’s career? (4:00); why running the wall at Homestead is different than Darlington (6:00); the positive impact of the Next Gen on Homestead racing (8:00); KP’s relationship with Ross Chastain (10:00); the craftiness of Trackhouse (12:00); is Chastain racing differently deeper into the playoffs? (15:00); what happened on the Larson-Martin Truex Jr. pit collision (17:00); how Truex sort of caught a break (19:30); the historical significance of a possible split owner-driver championship in Cup (22:00); an F1-inspired team championship idea from KP (24:30); the weight on Martin Truex Jr. (26:30); Ryan Blaney’s Martinsville outlook after two blunders (30:00); why qualifying at Martinsville will be so critical (34:00).
A return to playoff normalcy (1:30); how Joey Logano put himself in position to win (3:00); the battle fort he lead with Ross Chastain (5:00); the strength of Chastain’s No. 1 pit crew (6:30); on the improvement of 1.5-mile tracks this season (8:30); Trackhouse Racing’s continued breakthrough (10:00); Ryan Blaney’s sudden ending to a solid day (11:30); how the cars are speaking to the drivers differently about where the limit is with the Next Gen (14:00); how that might have helped some drivers (17:00); and how it might have hurt others -- and their teams in particular (18:30); Christopher Bell’s Round of 8 outlook after a tough break (20:00); Burton’s take on Bubba Wallace’s contact with Kyle Larson (22:30); how should NASCAR address Bubba Wallace’s actions? (24:00); a case for restructuring how NASCAR issues driver and team penalties (26:30); the balance of holding a driver responsible but also allowing leeway for heat of the moment (28:00); the plight of Chase Elliott heading into Homestead (30:30); Denny Hamlin’s quietly solid Vegas (32:30); a Kurt Busch sendoff (34:30).
Christopher Bell and Adam Stevens seize the moment (2:00); Kyle Larson’s huge disappointment (4:30); did he shoulder too much of the blame? (6:30); or just having an off year for an all-world driver? (8:30); the upside of Larson taking it so hard (11:00); the tribulations of Daniel Suarez (12:30); what it felt like to drive without power steering (14:00); what’s next for Next Gen steering? (16:00); Parker’s idea of a slush fund for Next Gen R&D (18:00); Chase Briscoe’s mad dash (20:00); a detailed breakdown of the move through the chicane (22:00); the playoff emergence of the No. 14 team (24:30); NASCAR’s investigation of Cole Custer (27:00); how this is completely different from Richmond 2013 regardless (29:00); the Next Gen’s conundrum of road course race-ability (30:30); what’s confusing about the challenge (32:00); why tire wear doesn’t necessarily seem a key the way it would be at speedways (34:30); a Formula One story that has caught the eye of Parker -- and others (37:00); why there could be repercussions for NASCAR and other series (39:30); Round of 8 preview and predictions (42:00).
Ryan Blaney vs. Chase Elliott (1:00); the usual cast of superspeedway characters (3:00); with new players Erik Jones and Michael McDowell (5:00); exploring the phenomenon of the end of stages becoming mini-race finishes (7:30); what to make of a relatively tame Talladega race – was it safety related? (9:45); dissecting Denny Hamlin’s choice on the final restart (11:30); yet the racing was still frenzied (13:30); on the decision by Joey Logano to hang back on the final restart (15:30); what’s the outlook and timeline for improving the rear-end clips on the Next Gen? (18:00); how at least one perception needs changing on the car (20:00); settling on what an acceptable design cycle timeframe should be (22:00); the importance of remaining vigilant about constant improvements to the car (24:00); will William Byron get some of his points back on appeal? (27:00); handicapping the Roval cutoff race (30:00).
Why KP thinks NASCAR should have called the race after Kevin Harvick’s wreck (1:00); “I’m not good with popping a tire every 35 laps. I’m not good with this car going into the wall” (3:15); who was to blame for the tire problems at Texas? (5:30); would shortening a 500-mile playoff race for safety reasons compromise its integrity in any meaningful way? (7:30); how the current state of the Next Gen factors into KP’s thinking (10:00); why Texas was reminiscent of the ugly tire war era of the 1990s (12:00); why tire competition is a bad idea (14:30); the concept of tire management and what should be expected at an elite level of racing (16:30); and how the concept of tire management has evolved (19:30); trying to find the happy medium of the tire that falls off instead of popping (21:30); William Byron vs. Denny Hamlin (25:00); how should NASCAR have handled penalties (27:30); why KP believes a postrace punishment isn’t warranted for Byron (30:00); how did NASCAR miss the initial call? (32:00); on Byron’s reaction in the incident (33:30); a MotorMouths of the Race quote from Tyler Reddick on his No. 8 team (36:00); why Reddick and the team keep succeeding despite the awkward circumstances (38:30); Talladega – the original wild card! -- amid a sea of mediocrity (41:00).
How DJ knew there would be so many winners this year (1:00); Ross Chastain and Joey Logano on how much difficult it is to “peak” in the playoffs (3:00); and what DJ thinks that means for the future (6:00); how do teams save setup-related tricks for the playoffs? (9:00); DJ’s recent run of winning predictions (11:00); how the Next Gen car was exposed at Bristol (14:00); how teams are adapting to some downsides to being in a spec series (16:00); and why it was somewhat expected (17:00); pit crew mistakes still being a factor (18:30); what can NASCAR do to address Next Gen reliability and did the dirt race mask the looming issues (20:30); what can NASCAR do to improve the Next Gen on short tracks (23:00); an old-school attrition race (26:00); Roush Fenway Keslowski Racing’s first victory (27:30); MotorMouths of the Race: A quote from Brad Keselowski on Chris Buescher (30:00); Round of 12 preview: Chase Elliott suddenly the Championship 4 favorite again? (33:00).
The inner calm of Bubba Wallace and the new No. 45 team ahead of Kansas (1:00); why a looser Bubba Wallace might have resulted from earlier disappointments at Nashville and Michigan (3:00); how Kurt Busch still is playing a role in the No. 45 team (5:00); the concept of a split championship becoming a reality in Cup (7:00); and why that could be impactful in multiple ways (8:30); digesting Kyle Busch’s move to Richard Childress Racing (10:30); the Ty Gibbs factor (12:00); whither Kyle Busch Motorsports’ manufacturer alliance (13:30); what’s ahead for Tyler Reddick (16:00); and could it be 23XI Racing next season? (18:00); MotorMouths of the Race: A quote from Richard Childress (20:00); does Kyle Busch mind the Earnhardt comparisons? (22:00); Bristol cutoff race (24:30); could Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick both be eliminated? (26:00); why have the powerhouse teams been unable to raise their games so far in the playoffs? (28:00); drivers who can lock in during Stage 1 (30:00); Race for the Championship (32:00).
How Austin Dillon navigated the massive wreck into the lead in a split-second decision (1:30); is it better to take the bottom in wreck-avoidance? (3:30); accelerating through the wreck (4:30); how Austin Dillon took the lead on Austin Cindric (6:30); how Cindric took things (8:30) and the wait by Dillon and the Chevys to make the move (9:30); Tyler Reddick playing the role of good solider for Richard Childress Racing (12:00); being the grandson of the team owner in NASCAR (14:30); why the win was important to Dillon’s career (17:00); nepotism in NASCAR and how it’s judged (19:30); on the “step up moment” for several drivers (22:00); what lies ahead for Martin Truex Jr. and other non-playoff cars being de-prioritized (24:30); credit to NASCAR for waiting out the rain delay (26:00); the controversial rain crash and what NASCAR should do next (28:30); why fixing the situation absolutely needs to happen but also isn’t simple as it seems (31:30); Jeff explains the rules on how running order works during and after a caution flag (34:00); a Motormouths of the Race quote from Austin Dillon about Daytona (39:15); brief Darlington/first round preview (41:30).
On the postrace scene with Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson (1:30); and what it means for these Hendrick Motorsports teammates (3:00); why Parker sees merit to Larson’s view of the incident (4:30); Larson’s explanation (7:00); should Chase have taken the inside lane? (8:30); the Chase Elliott side of the story (10:00); why did Chase think he was racing Bristol next week? (11:15); is Larson’s move fair because Elliott doesn’t wreck? (14:00); where are things now between Elliott and Larson (16:00); Ty Gibbs’ Xfinity move on William Byron and whether that is fair game, too (18:00); or would it have been classified avoidable contact in another series? (21:30): how the optimum rain race delivered a strong Stage 1 (24:00); another strong performance by Michael McDowell (26:00); kudos to NASCAR for managing the race well (27:30); a Motormouths of the Race quote from Kyle Larson about Kimi Raikkonen (30:00); the impact of the Next Gen in attracting international talent (32:30); how the project helped raise NASCAR’s profile (35:00); time for a Project 91 in F1 for NASCAR? (37:00); Parker’s secret for interviewing Kimi Raikkonen (39:00); Daytona preview, starting with the plights of Ryan Blaney and Martin Truex Jr. (40:30).
On Kevin Harvick’s surge into championship contender … and how deep the No. 4 might go in the playoffs (1:30); why Michigan was a surprise but Richmond wasn’t (3:00); how Harvick has seemed different (in a good way) this season (5:15); and what that says about his faith and trust in Stewart-Haas Racing (7:30); the lack of execution for Denny Hamlin’s pit crew (9:00); and Stevie’s aggressive solution for fixing it (11:00); how the NASCAR pit stop is now like a slant route (13:15); remembering a time in 2010 when switching pit crews won a Cup championship (14:30); how such a decision might be broached (16:30): the strategy gamble that nearly won Richmond for Christopher Bell (18:30); Stevie’s befuddlement and disappointment with crew chiefs lacking creativity with pit strategy (20:30); the case for making race strategy an art form (23:30): why was it hard for many teams to stay on top of Richmond and keep up after running well earlier (27:00); some thoughts on Richmond’s style of short-track racing (29:00); and short-track racing in general (31:30); the eBay Motors MotorMouths of the Race: A quote from Kevin Harvick taking pride in “Old Guys Rule” (36:00); Watkins Glen preview: A race with a lot of foreign-born flavor (41:00).
Did 15 winners ever seem possible to KP? (1:00); “the most dangerous man in motorsports” (3:00); what it meant that Harvick “controlled” the race to snap a long winless streak (4:30); how KP saw the former high school wrestler from Bakersfield, California, seize the race (7:00); how experience might have hindered Rodney Childers’ adaptation to the Next Gen car (9:30); Bubba’s big heartbreak (12:00); is Bubba being too hard on himself? (13:30); how he will move on from it as a smarter, better driver (16:30); are Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan rubbing off on Wallace, and is that a good thing? (19:00); the stakes for Ryan Blaney and Martin Truex Jr. (21:00); where things stand for Truex and the 19 team after a bumpy Michigan (26:00); KP’s concerns on Blaney (28:00); what a year for Kyle Busch (30:00); the Ty Gibbs in Cup factor coupled with the Next Gen (32:30); and how Kyle Busch might perceive all of those factors (35:00); Denny Hamlin’s disappointment and the continuing Gibbs errors (37:00); the eBay Motors MotorMouths of The Race: A memorable quote from Kevin Harvick (40:00); and what it reveals about what we always have known about Harvick (42:00); KP discusses his new book, “Swerve or Die” that was released this week (45:00); his reasons for writing it and how it became a very therapeutic process that helped him work through some unsettled (and dark) periods in life (46:30);
Thanking the co-host of the popular “Off-Track” podcast for moonlighting (0:30); general thoughts on IndyCar-NASCAR crossover both on track and in the booth (1:30); what it was like calling a NASCAR race vs. an IndyCar race from the same location and with many of the same staff (3:00): how Hinch prepared for calling the Xfinity race (4:30); on his future NASCAR broadcast work (5:30); how the IndyCar schedule might have impacted some crossover dynamics (7:00); the response to NASCAR from IndyCar fans (8:30); breaking down the last restart of Sunday’s Cup race (10:30); would Chastain’s move have worked in IndyCar? (13:00); ways to deter access road usage in the future (15:30); Hinch’s take on the quality of NASCAR racing on road courses (18:00); the appeal of a NASCAR strategy race through an IndyCar lens (19:00); blacks and reds in NASCAR? (21:00); The mental toughness of Tyler Reddick and Alex Palou (22:00); how will the Palou situation get resolved? (24:00); handicapping the final four IndyCar races of the season (26:00); Nashville preview (28:30).
General thoughts on Kurt Busch missing Pocono with concussion-like symptoms and acknowledging racing’s inherent dangers (1:30); the variables (and accompanying risks) that make racing different from other pro sports (3:30); why safety is a community issue (5:30); tracing the origins of the last safety revolution in NASCAR (7:15); reflecting on an era when conversations in NASCAR were contentious about safety (11:00); what’s happening with drivers in Next Gen crashes (15:00); a focus on the headrest and foam (17:00); staying proactive while acknowledging that “driving a race car is not a safe endeavor” (18:00); what’s the next step for the SAFER barrier? (20:00); “Things happen at speed” – understanding the risks drivers accept and the indescribable feeling of what it’s like to hit walls at 190 mph (22:00).
Setting up the Denny Hamlin-Kyle Busch disqualifications (1:00); DJ’s thoughts after the details came to light (3:30); providing some context on the new DQ era of the 21st century (6:30); should NASCAR be inspecting more cars with greater scrutiny after races? (8:00); NASCAR’s new message to the garage (12:00); the penalty of perception with a disqualification (15:00); the strain and stress of a turbulent season on Joe Gibbs (17:30); Latest round of Denny Hamlin vs. Ross Chastain (21:00): why DJ says Hamlin’s move was aggressively fair (23:30); a Tyler Reddick-Chase Elliott battle with meaning in retrospect (25:00); Chase Elliott the title favorite (26:00); DJ reflects on current concussion protocol vs. when he raced through them (27:00); DJ’s concerns with the Next Gen car and heavy impacts (29:30); career-best finish for Jimmie Johnson at Iowa Speedway (32:30); and a quick preview of the IndyCar-NASCAR doubleheader weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (35:00)
The backstory on Christopher Bell being the best of the Joe Gibbs Racing drivers (1:00); why CBell might get overlooked at Gibbs (3:00); is Bell the latest example of the strength of coming up through the dirt ranks? (5:00); on Bell asking for more silence from his team on the radio (7:30); how the driver-crew chief-spotter dynamic works (9:30); Burton’s experience with being distracted by the radio (11:00); the impact of NASCAR declining to penalize the No. 20 team after Atlanta (13:00); and how the win might help the newly formulated pit crew (16:00); New Hampshire vindication for a JGR pit crew swap that initially was ridiculed (18:30); an example from Jeff’s driving career of being empowered by a challenging moment (20:30); the return of Self-Flagellating Chase Elliott (23:00); and the disappointment of Martin Truex Jr. (25:30); the surprising Kyle Busch contract situation (28:30); the pressures that the No. 18 team inherently is facing (32:00); the Dillon-Keselowski feud (36:00); Pocono preview (38:00).
The story of Chase Elliott’s mustache (1:00); Kyle’s recent sitdown with “The King” and Jeff Gordon about the 1992 season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway (2:00); the “new” Atlanta Motor Speedway superspeedway racing (5:00); how it differs from Daytona and Talladega (7:30); hearing siren for Chase Elliott (10:00); and what the hometown win means for a Cup driver (13:00); a sublime superspeedway performance (15:30); Elliott’s quiet growth and the No. 9’s positioning as championship favorite … (18:00); … a championship favorite that goes unheralded (21:00); analyzing the final lap (24:00); how Martin Truex Jr. helped Elliott win the race (26:00); the message sent by Corey LaJoie’s performance (28:00); will it help the “Super Shoe” earn a first-tier ride? (30:00); unpacking Ross Chastain vs. Denny Hamlin (34:00); and why Kyle believes Chastain has been unfairly targeted (38:00).
How Chase Elliott won the race starting with the restart in which he took the lead from Kyle Busch (1:00); a new way of approaching restart choice with Next Gen (2:30); Chase seals the deal (4:00); the difference between the critical restarts for Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott (5:30); Chase’s video game maneuver to gain eight spots in a lap (7:30); was Chase being modest about how good he was in making the move? (9:00); how the Next Gen is forcing some uncharacteristic driving (10:30): the pit stop conundrum for Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota (12:00); understanding the personnel crunch in pit crew personnel (14:30); the difficulty in training pit crews with the lack of Cup-Xfinity crossover (16:30); digging into more of why pit stops are so tricky this season (18:30); how important differences from other series increases the likelihood of pit miscues with a single lugnut in NASCAR (19:30); the frustration level of Toyota/JGR spending weeks trying to fix the problem (22:00); why there’s no quick fix (23:15); the dynamic of driver-pit crew performance criticism (25:30); and what that means for Bubba Wallace (27:30); putting Wallace’s radio outbursts in context (29:30); championship outlook with nine races left in the regular season (31:30); Road America preview (33:30).
Trackhouse Racing, the story of the 2022 Cup Series season so far (1:30); is it the culture or the car that is helping Trackhouse? (3:45); the impact of the Next Gen on hiring as it relates to education vs. experience (6:15): how the Next Gen is similar to assembling IKEA furniture but also (literally) much different (7:30); revisiting the Suarez victory aftermath (9:30); and why Stevie still believes Suarez needed the victory to cement his spot in the No. 99 (11:30); why it’s tough to remain winless and unable to close while a teammate excels (13:45); recognizing the journey of Travis Mack and validation of the crew chief as team leader (15:45); 16 winners! (17:45); the level of concern for Harvick and Truex (19:00); Silly Season and why the Nos. 10, 18 and 19 are the key to movement (21:00); trying to analyze the other dynamics of open rides and full rosters (23:30); “If I’m Kyle Busch’s agent, you’re playing a little bit of chicken with the Truex decision” (25:30); what of the Xfinity Series hopefuls? (26:45); what Stevie expects with a more chaotic Nashville with the Next Gen track debut (29:00); his surprise at the lack of a “dominant” winner (31:30); the heat factor at Nashville (34:00).
Daniel Suarez’s memorable first Cup win for Trackhouse Racing: Did seeing teammate Ross Chastain’s two wins wear on Suarez and crew chief Travis Mack? (2:30); Suarez’s bumpy road and long journey to Trackhouse (5:00); the importance of a driver’s confidence and how hard it is to maintain after being fired (6:30); the sacrifices and perseverance of Daniel Suarez that go unseen (9:00); Parker’s first meeting with Daniel (11:30); wrestling with so many of the typical self-doubts for any driver … while also trying to learn English (13:30); could Chastain’s ordeal at Gateway indirectly have helped Suarez? (15:30); “Drivers are very insecure. No matter what we say, we are” (17:30); the travails of Kevin Harvick and the not-so-good pit stop (19:30); Parker’s own frustrating experience with an SHR pit crew (20:45); the insatiable drive of Kevin Harvick to be perfect (22:00); how the Next Gen is driving differently on road courses (24:30); looking ahead to NASCAR on NBC at Nashville (26:30); Parker’s upcoming NASCAR schedule (29:00).
What KP has been up to lately! Audiobook memoir (1:00); Dinner Drive, Season 2 (2:00); Kyle Petty Charity Ride with new NASCAR Hall of Famer Hershel McGriff (3:30); Ross Chastain’s surprising apology and what to make of it (5:30); why KP thinks Chastain could have been even less contrite (7:45); Justin Marks’ unapologetic defense of Ross Chastain (9:30); why Ross Chastain actually should keep racing the same as he did at Gateway (11:30); should Ross Chastain make a full heel turn? (13:00); how Ross Chastain is similar to Joey Logano (14:30); how much of the pushback on Chastain is establishment-driven? (16:00); “If you’re 40-plus, you’re on the back side (of your career)” (18:30); what’s ahead for Martin Truex Jr. (20:00); Denny Hamlin’s viewpoint on the Chastain incident (22:00); was it fair to vow significant retribution (24:00); where is NASCAR in Year 13 of the Boys Have At It (26:30); the fantastic finish between Kyle Busch and Joey Logano (29:00); how two fierce rivals have built such a mutual respect for how they race each other (31:00); the remarkable knack that Joey Logano and Kyle Busch have for excelling at inaugural races (33:00); the enthusiasm around NASCAR’s Cup debut in St. Louis (37:00); looking ahead at the rest of the regular season with NASCAR on NBC coming soon! (39:30).
The 20-year transformation of Kurt Busch from being one of the most disliked drivers to one of the most respected (1:30); “Kurt Busch has made every race team a better team” (3:30); why DJ believes the Kansas win is bigger than Kurt Busch’s 2017 Daytona 500 victory (5:30); is Kurt Busch the most adaptable and versatile driver in NASCAR history? (7:30); how Kyle Busch might factor into his older brother getting overlooked (9:30); why this was such an emotional victory for Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin (12:30); why being a driver/team owner is inherently a distracting line of work (15:00); DJ on what it’s like to race against cars that you own (17:00); Bubba Wallace’s pit crew problems (18:00); and DJ’s advice on how to handle the struggles (20:30); on the lingering single-lug pit stop problems and how long DJ thinks it will last this season (23:30); analyzing the tire problems for several teams at Kansas (26:30); what makes building tires for the Next Gen – and stock cars in general – difficult (29:30); DJ’s headed to his first Indy 500 in person! (33:30); what are the odds of Jimmie Johnson winning the Indy 500 in his first start and what it would mean (36:00).
Dissecting both sides of the controversial final lap at Darlington (2:00); Parker’s take on whether Logano’s decision to move Byron was fair (4:00); how did this compare to other famous Darlington battles like Busch v. Craven in 2003? (6:15); the selling point for NASCAR and its fans (7:30); tracing when the racing mentality gets ingrained (8:45); how this maybe was or wasn’t a traditional bump and run (10:30); an impressive turnaround by Logano and Team Penske from a miserable Dover (13:30); how the Next Gen car is like playing Wordle (15:30); why do the Next Gen cars’ parts seem more fragile? (17:30); the V-8 Supercar connection (19:30); “there’s no race car in the world that is designed to hit stuff” (21:30); how the Next Gen business model slows down some of the process of reinforcing parts (24:00); why drivers were spinning off Turn 2 (25:30); the case for Denny Hamlin’s team still being the most dangerous in Cup (31:00); Miami GP recap (34:00); Parker’s case against exclusivity (36:00); the case for capitalizing on motorsports’ momentum better (38:30); signs of future collaboration (40:30); how successful was the event across the board? (42:30); Parker’s excellent weekend at Darlington and what it means for the future (44:45).
On what happened during the final lap from the perspective of Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain (2:00); A.J. on whether Chastain faked out Larson (4:45); the development of Ross Chastain into a more patient driver at Talladega (6:30); on the edge that Chastain still has to his driving – and that A.J. witnessed at COTA (8:30); “I thought about it at COTA: I might be trying to chase down the (Cup) champion here.” (10:30); the case for a deep playoff run by Ross Chastain (11:30); the massive heartbreak for Erik Jones coming up a few thousand feet short of a major victory (13:30); why Talladega seemed such a track position race and difficult to pass (16:00); what the elimination of side-drafting has meant as an impact on superspeedway racing (17:30): why A.J. came up just short of winning Saturday’s Xfinity Series race (19:00); the sudden interest in Kyle Bush’s contract status at Joe Gibbs Racing (22:00); why A.J. loves Kyle Busch’s “what you see is what you get” style (24:00); the danger of contract negotiations going public (26:00); A.J.’s jam-packed 49-race (!) schedule for 2022 (29:00); becoming a leader at Kaulig Racing (30:30); the best start of his racing career (32:00).
This June marks 50 years since Title IX passed into law. While many advancements have been made, issues of inequity continue to persist in women’s sports. Ahead of the anniversary NBC News and NBC Sports have launched In Their Court, a five-part podcast hosted by U.S. Olympic medalist, Ibtihaj Muhammad, that explores the evolution of Title IX through the eyes of one, pivotal sport: women’s basketball. This series will feature the stories of the women who, over the past 50 years, fought for Title IX, advanced it, and are now using their voices to pay it forward on and off the court. For more, visit In Their Court wherever you get your podcasts.
On if it matters when drivers “back into” wins (1:30); is it fair to criticize Busch for embracing this win while grumbling about Alex Bowman at Las Vegas? (4:00); aside from being No. 60 and continuing an 18-year streak, why this win meant something more to Kyle Busch (5:50); dissecting Chase Briscoe’s move on Tyler Reddick and why he made it (8:00); all the reasons that DJ believes Briscoe’s attempt at a pass was “terribly wrong and mistimed" (10:30); analyzing how Reddick interpreted the situation and whether he was right to blame himself for letting Briscoe get too close (13:30); DJ’s admiration for how Tyler Reddick carries himself (14:30); how Reddick’s team might have felt about the situation (16:30); DJ recalls a time at Martinsville that his team wished he’d been more aggressive (18:00); did dirt racing really change the way the track raced? (20:45); a big question about if dirt works: does it put Cup’s pavement superstars in the best light and showcase of their elite talents (24:00); the case for putting both of Bristol’s races back on concrete (26:00); what to expect at Talladega Superspeedway (28:00); which drivers will be the most desperate? (30:30).
William Byron’s great start continues with solving Martinsville (2:30); how William Byron is doing Kyle Larson things (4:30); do we need to talk more about Byron’s versatile greatness? (7:15); how does the success impact Byron being in a contract year? (9:15); and how might it affect his leverage and what he seeks in negotiations? (10:30); what happened to Chase Elliott at Martinsville (12:30); the key to the Chase Elliott-Alan Gustafson relationship staying strong (14:30); how do a driver and crew chief get on the same page? (17:30); talking about a lackluster race by Martinsville standards (19:30); hearing from all the drivers (20:30); why this might not be a complex of a fix as some believe (24:00); detailing all of the issues being faced, from shifting to temps to aero (26:30); first step to solving the problem is admitting it (28:30); the Xfinity fight, starting with the views of Ty Gibbs and Sam Mayer (31:00); Stevie has a new opinion on what should be allowed with physical altercations (33:30); whether there is a societal inflection point that should impact NASCAR’s view on violence (36:00); why Ty Gibbs put himself in position to be raced that way (38:00); Jimmie Johnson’s injury (40:00); Stevie on looking forward to watching Jimmie at Indy 500 qualifying and the four toughest laps in auto racing (43:00).
Welcome back, DJ! How’s the new place in Phoenix and what do you think of NASCAR in 2022? (1:00); unpacking Richmond’s tire strategies and how difficult it was for William Byron and Martin Truex Jr. (3:00); on Byron feeling like a sitting duck in the lead on old tires (4:30); a 1-2 finish for Hamlin and Kevin Harvick that earned their first top five finishes of the season (6:45); the challenges of adapting to a new car for Hamlin and Harvick (9:15); how does a driver go against everything they’ve known in driving a car to be successful with a new style? (12:15): Hamlin’s hometown edge at a track that requires immense precision and “an art form” (15:00); a DJ anecdote about seeing Richmond’s blueprints (17:00); a critical win for JGR/Toyota (19:00); the strength in numbers equation for Chevrolet (21:00); on the importance of “data points” and engineering in today’s NASCAR and Next Gen (24:00); the Formula One model for technology appeal (25:30); the new choreography of pit stops and why DJ isn’t as much of a fan for safety (27:45); “Before this gets out of hand and we have more teams doing it, why not say we have to go behind the car with the rear tire changer as we’ve done (30:00); how teams are dealing with burnout in a brutal schedule (32:00); where things stand with Richmond’s racing quality (34:00); looking ahead to Martinsville and why Cup drivers are in for a tough -- but fun -- test (36:00).
Was Ross Chastain’s winning move over the line or totally in bounds? (2:00); dissecting how Jeff Burton saw the final lap and why “I’m OK with that” (4:00); why late-race restarts can be more “embarrassing” on road courses (6:00); did AJA have reason to be miffed? (7:30); has the “win at all costs to make the playoffs” mentality evolved recently in NASCAR? (10:00); whether today’s drivers are less artful with moving someone for a victory (12:00); any repercussions (beyond Allmendinger) for Chastain? (14:30); the progression of Chastain’s driving and attitude (16:00); and how it is similar to Kyle Larson’s in some regard (18:00); how did Trackhouse Racing get so good so fast? (21:30); the importance of Chevrolet in the equation (23:30); and the legacy of Chip Ganassi Racing (25:00); on the drivers who have yet to win (27:30); is the Brad Keselowski team penalty indicative of the pressure on teams and is there more to come? (30:00); COTA and enforcement of track limits (32:30); and should an alternative to full-course yellows on road courses be considered? (37:00); such as local yellows? (38:15); lug nuts and loose wheel penalties (41:00); Jeff Burton’s hopes for a Richmond renaissance (43:30).
KP’s overall impressions on the “new” Atlanta (1:00); do drivers’ voices need to be heard or will they be heard? (3:00); where he thinks drivers’ focus should be with new tracks and layouts (safety) 5:00; what’s tricky about the new turns (6:00); the “shut up and drive” philosophy (8:00); the “tax” that drivers have to pay in superspeedway racing (10:00); will team owners push back if this tried elsewhere? (12:00); why this overhaul might be ill-suited for other 1.5-mile tracks (13:30); the layout seemed to deliver for fans who want more Daytona and Talladega (15:45); but less of a chess match? (16:45) why the new Atlanta was even more mentally exhausting for drivers and spotters than Daytona and Talladega (18:45); a tribute to "Lord Byron" being in a really good spot at Hendrick Motorsports (20:45) and why William Byron is the anchor and future of Hendrick Motorsports, not Chase Elliott (22:00); “William Byron is closer to the prom than he is to retirement (24:00); the tank-like qualities of the Next Gen car (26:00); why the lack of driver scouting data might be a reason for veterans struggling against surprises this year (28:00); Denny Hamlin’s early season struggles (30:00); thoughts on Jimmie Johnson’s sixth-place finish in his IndyCar oval debut at Texas (32:30); and becoming a legitimate contender for the Indy 500 (35:00); trying to put a potential Indy win in perspective (37:00); Kyle Petty’s new book, Swerve or Die, comes out this summer! (39:00).
Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson on how he’s been getting up to speed on Road Atlanta (3:00); how running IMSA still is helping Jimmie stay sharp for IndyCar (5:15); playing video games with 80 cars on track to prepare for darkness (7:30); on increasing his pace and drive time at Petit Le Mans after a disappointing Watkins Glen (9:30); why Road Atlanta could be personal redemption in trying to return to his Rolex 24 form (11:30); whether Jimmie believes more NASCAR drivers might race IMSA and if he’d like to get in a Next Gen Cup car next year (13:30); on having Chad Knaus back as a teammate (15:30); “we recognize we love working together and being around one another … the way we interact brings out the best in both of us” (18:00); on if Knaus and Hendrick will remain with Jimmie in IMSA next season (20:00); how 2021 has been “a big year of growth” for Jimmie on the business and sponsor side (21:30); the parallels of victories and losses in the business of racing (23:30); what Jimmie has learned to admire in Rick Hendrick and what he wishes he could emulate in the team owner (24:30); learning to embrace the freewheeling side of being a businessman (26:00); what’s ahead for Jimmie in 2022 (28:00); Jimmie on his buddy, Kamui Kobayashi (29:00).
NASCAR on NBC analyst Jeff Burton on a true team effort for Kyle Larson (1:00); did teams err in downplaying the importance of qualifying? (3:30); why the race didn’t necessarily fall Larson’s way (5:45); the overwhelming superiority of the No. 5 (8:00): ranking Larson among greats such as Mario Andretti (10:30); how Burton came around on Larson … and how Larson came around on NASCAR (13:00); is Kyle Larson the best race car driver in the world? (16:30); dreaming about a Kyle Larson-Lewis Hamilton matchup (18:30); the decision by Rick Hendrick to allow Kyle Larson so much dirt racing (21:30); will Larson’s success spark a trend of Cup teams allowing their stars to moonlight more often? (24:00); putting a bow on the other contenders’ seasons (28:00); how the Next Gen car affects the outlook of Hamlin and the entire Cup Series entering 2022 (32:00); how will teams redeploy their staffing into new departments? (34:30).
NASCAR on NBC analyst Steve Letarte on why the racing seems even more intense this year as the Round of 8 finale (1:00); why Steve didn’t like Denny Hamlin interrupting Alex Bowman’s burnout (3:30); an interesting analogy to the keyboard warriors (6:00); did Denny have a point? (8:00); should Bowman have gotten more credit for pulling over after knocking Hamlin from the lead earlier? (11:00); an appreciation for Hamlin’s mastery of Martinsville (14:00); the trials of Martin Truex Jr. and the No. 19 (18:00); Team Penske’s misses (20:00); the strength of the Championship 4 (24:00); is Kyle Larson the championship underdog somehow? (27:30); will the earlier Phoenix race results be an adequate predictor for the finale (30:00); sizing up Hamlin’s chances to break through (32:00).
Xfinity Series championship contender AJ Allmendinger on assessing his dream 2021 season and whether it’s his best ever (2:00); reflecting back on the NASCAR transition 15 years later (4:00); the “blur” of his early seasons between Red Bull, RPM and Penske (6:00); his biggest regret from the early years of his NASCAR career (7:30); the impact of Roger Penske with the Indy 500 and Xfinity (9:30); how close AJ has come to leaving racing and how he stays in a good place mentally (11:45); fear being one of his big motivators (14:30); on how joining Kaulig Racing interrupted a career shift and also made him a part of something bigger in “trying to write history” (16:00); his impact on Kaulig’s growth (18:45); whether he feels as if he’s been the feel-good story in the Xfinity Series this season (20:00); what a championship celebration would be like (22:30).
NASCAR on NBC analyst Dale Jarrett on his initial impressions of Kevin Harvick’s intentional wreck of Chase Elliott (1:30); why DJ is OK with Harvick’s move and how it’s different from Matt Kenseth wrecking Joey Logano intentionally at Martinsville in 2015 (3:00); was the timing of Harvick’s payback surprising? (4:30); would Elliott have been surprised by the payback? (5:45); how much of a factor did Elliott’s closing rate play in Harvick’s crash (7:15); would Chase have returned the favor if he had the chance (9:15); how stunning it was to see Harvick make an uncharacteristic mistake (10:45); is this feud now over? (13:00); will there be repercussions from “Merry Offseason and Happy Christmas (15:00); a well-made point from DJ on the need for rivalries but what comes with that (17:00); the black flag that didn’t happen for the bumper cover (19:00); at what point should NASCAR step into the Elliott-Harvick feud (21:00); DJ’s firsthand history with NASCAR sitdowns (23:30); thoughts on Kyle Larson’s incredible comeback victory (25:30); how Larson’s championship emergence was evident in his battle with Tyler Reddick (28:00); some sage Earnhardt championship wisdom from DJ (30:30); what happened to William Byron and the late contact with Tyler Reddick (32:30); sizing up the Round of 8 (35:00).
Exploring the brief but very memorable history of the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval through the voices of those who helped create and raced on the dynamic road course.
--Joe Gibbs Racing winner Christopher Bell and Adam Stevens tour the layout and detail its appeal and challenges (3:30)
--Inaugural winner Ryan Blaney and Aric Almirola recall their initial fears of the course (7:00);
--Marcus Smith recounts his burst of inspiration for creating the layout (9:00);
--Charlotte Motor Speedway executive vice president Greg Walter on the pushback from drivers and teams and the decision to delay the launch (16:00);
--Speedway Motorsports vice president of operations Steve Swift on the international search for advice and insight (18:00);
--Smith on Mario Andretti’s memorable test run in a Porsche 918 (20:00);
--Swift on a very helpful lap by Kyle Busch and a humorous moment with Ryan Newman (23:00);
--The jaw-dropping crash that has NASCAR very nervous (30:00);
--The breathtaking finish to the debut (34:00);
--How the Roval has charted a path forward for NASCAR (37:30).
NASCAR on NBC analyst Jeff Burton on analyzing the initial contact between Chase Elliott-Kevin Harvick (2:00); why Harvick has plausible deniability in what Jeff says was a racing incident (4:30); why the rash of cut tires at Bristol? (6:30); the most interesting and compelling part of Chase’s interview for Burton (8:30); does Chase really need to prove himself in Year 6 of being in Cup? (10:30): is there a generational aspect to their differing viewpoints of what happened? (12:00); how drivers manage the balance between self-interest and building political capital (14:00); what Burton appreciated about how Elliott and Harvick handled their differences (15:30); was Chase in bounds by holding up Harvick to help Larson win (18:00); the case for how Elliott might have hurt himself by preventing Harvick from the victory (20:00); have Harvick and the 4 team turned a corner? (22:30); some surprises from the Gibbs teams, Penske and Kurt Busch (24:30); has the championship race reset to Larson, Hamlin and the field (26:30); the Xfinity Series finish (27:30); the importance of the regular-season championship and that points … still … matter (29:30); and breaking down how it affected the Cup and Xfinity races (31:30); what will become of Bristol’s dirt race after a wonderful weekend on the concrete? (33:00); tracing the recent history of Bristol’s racing (35:00); is Vegas to open the Round of 12 actually a bigger wild card than the Roval? (38:00).
In a sitdown about Sept. 11's impact on NASCAR, vice chairman Mike Helton recalls a difficult 2001 season already for NASCAR (2:00); the scene in Daytona as Sept. 11 began (4:00); the impromptu command center in Bill France Jr.’s office (6:30); taking care of NASCAR industry members scattered around the country (8:30); processing the emotions while determining the path forward (11:00); “Hey, this is way too big. I don’t have it in me to do it.” (12:30); unplugging New Hampshire (14:30); how the country knew it was time to stop … and then time to restart sports and entertainment (16:30); making changes to entry and security policies (18:30); the resiliency and resourcefulness of NASCAR teams that week (20:30); a memorable sea of 150,000 American flags (22:30); “it was almost as if we were shooting a movie about patriotism (24:30); an appropriate winner (26:30); the aftermath of a memorable day for Mike (28:00).
NASCAR on NBC analyst Jeff Burton on sizing up the Daytona regular-season finale (1:00); putting maybe an unprecedented premium on points mattering in this race (3:30); another wrinkle: A new rules package for Daytona since February (4:30); the importance of the already heightened impact of manufacturer and teammate alliances (6:30); unpacking the COVID-19 news from Michigan (10:00); the debate over a negative test providing clearance (12:30); “this is a tough situation for all of us” (14:30); drivers wrestling with a bigger picture (16:30); the vaccination part of the equation (18:30); the inherent self-determination of the driver and racer (21:00); are we witnessing the championship contender emergence of Ryan Blaney? (24:00); if the 750 horsepower tracks will be a Penske strength in the playoffs (26:30).
NASCAR on NBC analyst Steve Letarte on evaluating the “State Fair” of Motorsports at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the NASCAR-IndyCar crossover on the road course (1:00); making a Rolex 24 comparison (3:00); how about having an IndyCar-Cup doubleheader (4:00) … or even both series on track concurrently? (5:30); how the atmosphere compared to the Brickyard 400 (7:00); what a victory means for Kaulig Racing (8:30); and AJ Allmendinger (10:00); breaking down Briscoe v. Hamlin (12:00); Could Briscoe really have been unaware of the penalty (13:30); does the team bear responsibility for the penalty going unheard? (15:00); the way Briscoe roughed up Hamlin (16:30); Stevie’s opinion that Briscoe owes Hamlin another conversation (18:00); Is it time to start a SAFER-style project for track cleanup enhancements? (20:00); the track curbing failure (21:30); is the curbing even needed? Dale Jr. and Stevie wonder (23:00); and is there a better solution for the 90-degree curb? (24:30); other fixes to consider (26:00); the enforcement of track limits (27:30); resin at Nashville! (29:00).
NASCAR and NFL Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs and team president Dave Alpern on why Joe Gibbs Racing went years without a sign out front (1:00); the impetus for Dave Alpern’s book (3:00); Joe Gibbs’ thoughts on authorship and having something to say (5:00); how Dave Alpern became tight with the Gibbs family (7:30); what Gibbs saw early in Dave Alpern (10:00); the legend of the “College Pukes” of JGR (12:00); the origins of JGR’s “buttbusters” (13:30); how being a “racer” fit the Gibbs mold (16:00); the five principles of JGR (17:30); “Everything that I’ve been in has been team” (20:00); on the culture and people-first legacy of J.D. Gibbs (22:30); the regular six-hour commute that Alpern made in his early years (25:30); how Joe Gibbs tries to lead by example and how the team maximizes those strengths (28:00); Joe Gibbs, the $100 million Fed Ex salesman (31:00); how JGR had to renegotiate its sponsorship deals after Carl Edwards’ retirement (34:30); how faith fits in as a core value at JGR (38:00); reconciling Christian principles with competing in a sport where bending the rules is a necessity (41:00); how JGR has dealt with rules transgressions and its understanding in toeing the competitive line (43:00); how difficult it was for Dave to revisit the final years with J.D. Gibbs (46:00); the pain of watching the debilitating illness that took his best friend (49:00); how Dave has gotten Coach Joe to adapt to more work-life balance (52:00); the complementary styles of Alpern, Gibbs and other JGR leadership (54:00); how JGR will manage the future as NASCAR endures some revolutionary structural changes with the Next Gen car (56:30).
The renaissance of Kurt Busch (1:30); is Kurt a better driver now than ever in his 21st Cup season? (3:30); what Kyle Busch and Ross Chastain said about their battle (5:30); Burton’s read? “They’re both right,” and here’s why (7:15); Kurt’s hearty endorsement of Ross’ actions (9:30); And why things would be different in the playoffs (10:30); did being a big brother to Ross help Kurt beat his younger brother Kyle? (13:00); does there seem to be more of an edge to this sibling rivalry? (15:30); unpacking Kyle Busch’s rant and drivers’ displeasure about the Atlanta Motor Speedway changes for 2022 (18:00); how Burton handled his airing of grievances about safety 20 years ago (19:30); Burton’s case for removing emotions from the discussion with frustration naturally boiling over from so much happening in NASCAR (22:00); how much do the drivers need to be informed as a professional courtesy (24:30); Burton’s conversation with Marcus Smith (27:00); trying to redesign a track with a completely new car (30:00); “Pick up the phone and call Marcus. Nothing’s been graded yet” (32:00).
NASCAR on NBC analyst Parker Kligerman on the eSports/iRacing eRacer.gg venture with Landon Cassill (1:00); the demand for iRacing events such as these remaining strong as the pandemic ebbs (3:00); the “euphoric moment” around motorsports and why it’s happening (4:30); the sales pitch for getting a “Drive to Survive” fan to NASCAR (6:30); drawing parallels between different series’ driver personalities (8:30); what the deal was with Lando Norris (10:30); Parker’s F1 dream nearly is realized! (12:00); life as a new minority owner of historic Lime Rock Park (14:00); what his involvement with ownership is (16:30); what crazy things does Parker have planned for being a track-owning pit reporter in the IMSA Lime Rock race? (18:30); the “Bristol Bullring” of GT sports cars (20:30); the backstory of Parker’s new Silicon Valley-style sponsorship (21:30); should more drivers and teams be DM’ing tech companies to start sponsor relationships? (24:30); a discussion about the improving economics of the truck series (27:00); how team budgets have decreased as much as 50 percent over the past four years (29:00); the midpack teams that are moving up the grid and changing the face of the Xfinity Series (33:00); the efficiencies discovered through pandemic racing that must remain permanent (37:00); how Parker and his team are benefiting this season (39:30); thoughts on Justin Marks buying Chip Ganassi Racing and what it might mean for prospective Cup drivers such as Parker if the ownership demo changes (45:00).
NASCAR on NBC analyst Jeff Burton on revisiting the doubleheader concept (1:00); what can be transferred to other tracks and how? (2:30); how to keep fans’ energy up throughout the weekend (4:30); Burton’s case for bringing back more practice and qualifying (6:30); dissecting Kyle Larson’s masterful pass for the lead in Race 1 (8:45); whether it makes a difference when a teammate is involved (10:45); the code of racing in Cup (12:15); does Pocono cause more cut tires at the end of a run? (14:30); why Alex Bowman deserves more credit than just “being lucky” (15:45); a “step-up moment” for Bowman (17:45); NASCAR’s talks with Hendrick Motorsports about “addressing” their cars (19:45); NASCAR’s role in scrutinizing the fastest teams (22:15); what Kyle Busch meant about needing to use all four of his tires as good as they should (24:15); how Kyle Busch won only with fourth gear (27:00); Burton explains the most impressive part of what Kyle Busch did with only fourth gear (29:00); on the 18 becoming the best Gibbs/Toyota car (31:00); Kurt Busch’s push for the playoffs (32:15); on what’s next for Brad Keselowski and Penske (34:00); Road America preview (36:00).
Chad Knaus, the vice president of competition for Hendrick Motorsports, on how much fun he’s had racing sports cars (1:00); the appeal of the cars (2:00); always on his bucket list (3:00); working with international drivers (4:30); the differences in the “cult” of IMSA vs. NASCAR (5:30); communication with multiple languages involved (7:00); Knaus’ takeaways from racing sports cars at Daytona and Sebring (9:00); explaining the drive time penalty at Sebring (11:30); on the thrash to prepare the backup tub at Sebring (13:30); working with Jimmie Johnson again (16:15); could there be more sports car endurance races in the future for Hendrick? (17:30); on how sports cars help with NextGen prep (19:30); and with larger wheels on pit stops (21:00); some of the sports cars in Knaus’ personal collection (22:00); how calling an endurance race is different and similar to calling a Cup race (23:30); Changing up the flow of Hendrick Motorsports’ NASCAR debriefs (26:00).
NASCAR on NBC analyst Dale Jarrett on the NASCAR Cup Series being back in Nashville (1:00); how the surface responded to rubber and racing (2:30); the Kyle Larson in 2021 comparison to Jeff Gordon in 1998 (4:30); making the most of a second chance (6:30); how running sprint and stock cars is making Larson a better driver (8:30); applying the homework from NASCAR to racing sprint cars (11:00); how other teams might be able to pick up on what makes Larson so good … but also how leaning his secrets doesn’t matter (13:30); the long leash that Hendrick Motorsports has given Kyle Larson on running dirt races (16:00); DJ’s message to Rick Hendrick: “You’re the smartest guy I’ve ever known” (18:30); the takeaways from how Cliff Daniels and Kyle Larson managed the only nervous moment of Sunday’s race (21:00); “lessons learned” from the other races that got away (23:00); will competitive jealousy be a factor at Hendrick Motorsports (25:30); the Chase Elliott disqualification for five loose lug nuts (28:00); why did so many miss the boat on brakes? (30:30); how the track changed and what the future of resin and PJ1 might be (32:00); Pocono preview (36:00).
NASCAR on NBC analysts Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte on Kyle Larson’s amazing roll of excellence (1:00); the tough decisions team face on 2021 vs. 2022 (3:30); a comparison to Hendrick in 2007 (5:00); regular season recap from Burton and Letarte through 16 races (6:00); on Kevin Harvick’s slower start (7:00); on Richard Childress Racing’s improvement (8:30); Nashville Superspeedway, the great unknown (10:30); a scouting report from Jeff Burton (11:30); what applying resin to the track means for practice (13:30); the importance of studying all the details ahead of time, especially in traffic (15:00); the concrete factor (16:30); the practice factor (18:30); memories of 2001-11 at Nashville Superspeedway (19:30); why the track reminds the analysts of Kentucky Speedway (20:30); the welcoming environment of downtown Nashville (21:30); a “new” old market for NASCAR (23:30); the unknowns of the final 10 regular-season races (25:00).
NASCAR on NBC analyst and NASCAR driver Parker Kligerman on how fast Kyle Larson was at Sonoma (1:00); the impressive feet of gaining 6 seconds in six laps on a leader (3:30); is it harder to drive well with a car that is so superior (5:30); what is making the Hendrick cars so good on road courses? (7:30); will the parts freeze and development restrictions make it tougher to catch Hendrick in 2021? (10:00); the homework Kyle Larson has been doing (12:15); and the Scott Speed connection of coaching (15:00); how data has finely honed driver coaching in all forms of top racing and namely IndyCar (17:30); even though some drivers don’t talk much about it (20:00); how Scott Speed makes an impact with limited recent experience (21:30); another surprising layer to the Cliff Daniels-Kyle Larson relationship that involves dirt racing (24:30); why it’s important to have a crew chief-driver relationship that at least fits some mold (27:00); Ross Chastain’s big move (29:00); talking some Formula One in Baku (32:00); what happened to Lewis Hamilton? (33:30); the interesting call by F1 to institute a NASCAR-style finish (37:30); F1’s new strategy for success (40:00); and the Americanization of F1 (42:30).
The NASCAR on NBC Podcast examines the CART-IRL Split and the 1996 Indy 500/U.S. 500 in a 25-year retrospective that examines one of the most momentous events in IndyCar history. This narrative episode includes several interviews, including former IndyCar team owner John Menard, 1996 Indy 500 winner Buddy Lazier, former CART champion Jimmy Vasser, former CART winner Adrian Fernandez, CART CEO Andrew Craig and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson.
NASCAR on NBC analyst Jeff Burton on Hendrick Motorsports’ historic day (1:00); what made the performance even more impressive (3:00); Hendrick on the cusp of even more history (4:00); the validation of Rick Hendrick’s business practices and focus on people (6:00); how it feels now inside the walls of Hendrick (8:30); is Rick Hendrick the best in NASCAR history? (10:00); Hendrick’s long-term driver lineup seems very secure (11:30); the tough decisions that team owners have to be make balancing age vs. performance (14:00); the conversation that Alex Bowman and Greg Ives had about leadership after Darlington (16:30); the divides within a race team organization (19:00); whether Burton ever had those conversations with his crew chief (21:00); the scrutiny that drivers face because of the mountains of SMT data (23:30); what Burton likes about all that advice from engineers and teams … and one thing he doesn’t (25:30); what to take from Kyle Larson’s 25th second-place finish (29:00); Burton’s only knock on Kyle Larson’s game (31:30); the resurgence of Welcome, N.C.’s racing hub (34:00); COTA preview! (36:30); an inaugural event veteran explains what it’s like going to the first race at a track (39:30).
NASCAR on NBC analyst Kyle Petty on why Martin Truex Jr. is the championship favorite (1:00); why is he so dominant so often in his victories? (3:00); breaking down the Martin Truex Jr. driving toolbox and moral code (5:00); what the dominance says about his communication skills (7:00); has Truex been undersold as a driver in the past because of the attention focused on his crew chief (9:30); Kyle Larson’s shot at a winning pass (12:00); and how the sprint car mentality sometimes might cause him to overthink it (15:00); Kyle Larson’s case for being a top three team (17:00); the magnificence of Lord William Byron (19:30); does Hendrick need an Alpha driver (21:30); KP’s theory on why there weren’t more spins despite the cars being harder to drive (23:00); whether Darlington made a permanent case for low downforce (26:30); “I can’t run qualifying laps for 400 laps and race” (29:00); a peek forward on a tough stretch in the 2021 schedule (31:00).
NASCAR on NBC analyst Dale Jarrett on the importance of extending the Cup winning streak (1:00); has DJ seen any other star driver as motivated by records as Kyle Busch? (3:00); No pressure: Just 10 wins this year and five annually from here (5:00); has Kyle Busch learned to compartmentalize the personal from the professional better in 2021 (7:30); a general acceptance of the 2021 rules package by Busch and others (10:00); Kyle Larson really kicking himself as another win escapes his grasp (12:30); and maybe a bigger picture reason (14:30); the curiously timed caution flag from NASCAR (16:30); the case for holding the yellow flag (18:45); are Kansas restarts becoming a bigger crapshoot than Talladega (20:00); DJ does wonder how he might have done with this form of racing (22:30); will there be more than 16 regular-season winners? (24:00); what to expect from Darlington (26:00); a 2021 Cup playoffs opener preview (28:30).
NASCAR on NBC analyst Jeff Burton on sid Brad Keselowski win again because the rules changed or is he overthinking it? (1:00); did Talladega change that much in Burton’s era? (4:00); what makes the good superspeedway drivers great (6:00); how prerace mindset can make such a huge difference (8:00); analyzing the Matt DiBenedetto move on the final lap (10:00); it takes a village to win a superspeedway race (12:00); the pressure facing Matt DiBenedetto (13:30); the pressure of a driver’s faith in the spotter (15:00); Joey Logano’s anger at being upside down and what NASCAR can do (17:30); what Burton believes is the only solution (19:00); why do drivers keep wrecking at the end of superspeedway stages? (21:00); the most important parts of the analysis: figuring out how the car got airborne and how much they can reinforce the roll cage (24:00); big weekend for the Burton family (28:30); on the advice Jeff gave his nephew Jeb (30:00); the lessons and success of Harrison Burton’s Cup debut (31:30); what might be next for Harrison Burton (34:30); a quick Kansas preview of what it means for Stewart-Haas Racing and Kevin Harvick (37:00).
NASCAR on NBC analyst Steve Letarte on why this wasn’t a stolen win! How Alex Bowman and crew chief Greg Ives seized the moment with a surprise strategy move (1:00); Steve’s “secret” to short track tire pressures late in the race (3:30); how Ives got a preview that the adjustment might work (5:30); an important victory for Hendrick Motorsports (7:30); on Alex Bowman becoming an underrated regular winner (8:30); Hendrick Motorsports sitting pretty with Chad Knaus at the helm (10:00); how the leadership dynamic at the team might be changing (12:15); another missed victory for Denny Hamlin and how the No. 11 team reacts (14:30); the “danger zone” of a second place being frustrating (15:30); appreciating an 11.9-second pit stop under pressure with five guys (17:30); and why it might have made the second place even worst for Hamlin (19:00); what was Brad Keselowski’s team thinking in Stage 2? (21:00); was the extra set of tires worth the gamble maybe? (23:00); Jimmie Johnson’s IndyCar debut at Barber Motorsports Park (25:00).
Michelle Martinelli of For The Win! and USA Today Sports joins to talk about the third (NASCAR-themed) season of The Sneak (1:00); the backstory of the mysterious Mario Rossi (3:00); the lack of general NASCAR awareness about the Rossi story (5:30); the story of “Black Thursday” (7:30); were some of these events covered up by the NASCAR industry at the time? (10:00); NASCAR’s stance on the Rossi history (12:30); where the idea for the podcast originated (14:30); the wide variety of characters in a true crime genre podcast and what it’s like reporting it (17:00); what the early reaction has been from the NASCAR community (19:00)
Jerry Freeze, general manager of Front Row Motorsports, on life at the Daytona 500 champion's headquarters, even if the signage doesn’t reflect its greatest triumph yet (1:00); describing the command center at Front Row Motorsports and its role in warding off geese (3:00); what being general manager entails (4:00); comparing the Daytona 500 victory to Front Row’s other wins (6:00); the morale boost of winning the Daytona 500 (7:30); a goal of advancing through the first round of the 2021 playoffs (9:00); what sponsors have been added since Daytona (10:00); “we’re in a better position than we’ve ever been revenue-wise but also are spending more to go race” (12:30); improvement of the Roush Fenway and engine alliances (14:00); becoming a de-factor four-car team with Roush (16:00); support from Ford post-Daytona (18:00); how the Daytona 500 win impacts Love’s, which previously was interested mostly in business-to-business from its McDowell sponsorship (20:30); a funny anecdote about the Love’s family (23:00); on how the 2019 finish shaped McDowell’s 2021 victory (25:00); the seven-figure difference of making the playoffs (27:00); a windfall of millions through 2023 (29:00); why Front Row is as competitive as it’s ever been in part because of some the parts freeze by NASCAR (31:30); some real-world examples of how things changed in 2021 (33:00); and how it still caught Freeze a little off guard with the opportunity (35:30); whether NextGen could continue these trends (38:00); will the team benefit from other teams looking ahead to 2022 (40:30); what it’ll cost to switch over to the NextGen car (42:30); outlook for the rest of the season (44:00); a plug for rookie Anthony Alfredo (45:00); on a new driver lineup dynamic for the team (47:00).
NASCAR on NBC analyst Kyle Petty on why The King and other old-timers were leery about Bristol Dirt (1:00); how racing on dirt in 2021 compared to 50 years ago (3:00); does NASCAR need a dirt race to showcase driver talent? (5:30); “it’s all about the fans,” and they told KP that they loved it (6:30); improvements to consider for 2022, starting with the potentially unfixable dust (8:30); tire wear is OK! (9:30); KP TANGENT (into the free pass rule) (10:00); “rules should never be changed in the middle of a sporting event.” (11:30); several tweaks (windshields, etc.) that KP believes should be considered (13:00); strong dirt performances by some unexpected drivers (14:00); how Daniel Suarez and others made it work on “a driver’s day” (15:30); what to make of 18-1 long shot Joey Logano winning the race (18:00); And big races for Truex, Suarez and Stenhouse (19:00); what happened on the final restart with Logano and Denny Hamlin (21:00); some dimestore driver pyscho-analysis of being ruthless in the Cup Series and why Logano seems better at it than any of his peers (23:00); where things stand on the Bristol bump and run (26:30); PARKER KLIGERMAN JOINS and talks about his eighth place in the trucks at Bristol (30:00); on how track conditions radically affected his performance (32:00); why the dirt guys didn’t run as well (34:30); Parker’s wishlist for improvements (36:30); trying different types of dirt (38:30); what’s left for Parker in the 2021 trucks season (40:00).
NASCAR on NBC analyst Dale Jarrett on how did Kyle Larson lose this race? (1:00); did Joey Logano really affect the outcome much? (3:30); how did Ryan Blaney conserve his tires so well on a track that gobbles them? DJ offers the Hall of Fame driver perspective (5:30); what this victory says about the emergence of Ryan Blaney as a championship contender (7:00); did Kyle Larson need more information on how he was getting beat by Blaney? (9:00); might Larson’s dirt background have been a disadvantage to Blaney when it comes to tire conservation? (11:00); focusing on the lessons of the loss for Larson (13:00); and how he rebounds from the Atlanta disappointment (15:00); lessons for the No. 5 team as well (17:00); on Blaney opening as 15-1 shot to win Atlanta and why the victory was a little unexpected (18:30); the continuing struggles of Kevin Harvick (20:30); what DJ says are major concerns for Stewart-Haas Racing (23:00); how many winners will there be in the 2021 regular season? (25:30); DJ’s prediction (27:30); a Bristol dirt preview (29:30).
NASCAR on NBC analyst Jeff Burton returns to the NASCAR on NBC Podcast for his first appearance in a year and five days to break down the NASCAR Cup race at Phoenix Raceway, including recalling the last time we did this pre-pandemic (1:00); what stood out about Martin Truex Jr.’s victory, aside from being so good after scrubbing the wall (2:00); was this a bit of a breakthrough victory for the No. 19 team? (4:00); a deeper look at crew chief James Small (6:00); if the nature of the surprising turnaround in the race is a trust and confidence-builder (8:00); why Jeff likes monitoring the radios of drivers who are struggling (9:30); stage racing as illuminated through fantasy racing (10:30); as he’s been saying for the better part of five years on this podcast, Burton clearly explains once again why points … still … matter (13:00); breaking down the final restart in which Truex beat Logano (15:00); why Phoenix restarts are unlike any other since the reconfiguration (18:00); did Joe Gibbs Racing addresses its Phoenix weaknesses (20:30); five winners in five races: Can it continue? (22:30); what about more than 16 winners in the regular season? (24:30); Atlanta Motor Speedway and Kevin Harvick’s wheelhouse (27:00); the pride of being so good as a driver, your technique can’t be replicated (29:30).
NASCAR on NBC analyst Steve Letarte breaks down the NASCAR Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, including Kyle Larson breaking the “underdog” streak (1:00); how it felt to see a crowd (though limited) at Las Vegas this time (2:00); is Larson getting up to speed so quickly a surprise? (4:00); sizing up the surge by Hendrick Motorsports (6:30); why Rick Hendrick would say this might be the most chemistry is team ever has enjoyed (8:00); wondering what Hendrick driver debriefs are like these days (10:30); how it might have evolved from the Jeff Gordon/Jimmie Johnson era (12:00); why now might have been the perfect time for Chad Knaus to be put in charge of Hendrick’s competition overall (14:00); do the Hendrick drivers’ styles mesh because they’re of the same age? (16:00); and how they might fit together just as well in office cubicles (18:00); the 1-2-3 countdown of the best teams in Cup (19:15); Kyle Busch and a simulation to real world discrepancy (21:00); on the beauty of Kyle Busch hating a third-place finish (23:30); is that tough on new crew chief Ben Beshore? (25:00); the struggles of Stewart-Haas Racing (26:30).
NASCAR on NBC analyst Steve Letarte breaks down the NASCAR Cup race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where he returned as a de-facto crew chief for the first time in several years and explained how race day felt (1:00); what surprised him the most about what the NASCAR garage looks like now vs. 2014 (2:30); how the race unfolded (5:00); why Corey LaJoie seemed less worried about everything than Steve (6:30); how Steve still found his happy place despite his car being out for the last 100 laps (8:30); how Sunday compared to his first race as a crew chief nearly 15 years ago (10:30); how crew limitations could impact the crew chief transitions for engineers (12:30); the extra duties that come with being on a pandemic-era pit crew (15:30); Steve’s insight and experience with Rudy Fugle winning his third race as a Cup crew chief (18:00); good signs for Hendrick Motorsports (20:00); who is Rudy Fugle (21:30); explaining how the “parts freeze” is affecting the Cup Series (23:30); why it’s helping the smaller teams (27:00); will NASCAR do more of this for parity with the NextGen car (29:00); challenging the parity discussion (31:30);
NASCAR on NBC analyst Steve Letarte breaks down the NASCAR weekend at the Daytona Road Course, analyzing how Christopher Bell and Ty Gibbs are making the future seem bright at Joe Gibbs Racing (1:00); why are so many inexperienced drivers getting their first NASCAR national series victories at road courses? (3:00); some insight on what Letarte knows about Bell and Gibbs before their breakthroughs (5:30); appreciating the rarity of consecutive first-time winners (7:30); the turning point of the race, starting with NASCAR’s officiating decisions (10:30); appreciating the tire wire and strategy from having options (13:00); the discussions NASCAR needs to have on officiating road courses (15:00); looking at local yellows and talking to the drivers before COTA (17:00); some other considerations before making policy changes (19:00); what the CBell victory meant for his crew chief after Adam Stevens had a bit of a contentious split with Kyle Busch (21:30); making the case for the “team of rivals” approach (24:00); the impact of two first-time winners on the playoff picture (27:00).
NASCAR on NBC analyst Steve Letarte breaks down the Daytona 500, analyzing the breathtaking final lap and what he saw between Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano (1:00); Are we learning you shouldn’t block while leading on the last lap of the Daytona 500? (3:30); How does Roger Penske handle the aftermath? (4:30); on Michael McDowell’s underdog story (7:00); how the race's turning point was all about pit strategy (11:00); why Daytona turned out to be a numbers game that Toyota and Denny Hamlin couldn’t win (13:00); was Hamlin right to be confused why the Chevrolets waited until the last lap to make a move? (14:15); the missed opportunity of breaking manufacturer ranks (16:00); why the Toyotas still shouldn’t kick themselves too much (18:00); on whether the six-hour rain delay (and big crash before the red flag) impacted the rhythm and flow of the race (20:00); the ability to control a race like Dale Jr. and Denny Hamlin can (22:00); Stevie’s Speedweek in Daytona and how it felt weird (23:30); how does McDowell’s victory shake up the playoff picture (26:00); the increasingly wild-card nature of the regular season (28:30).
The newly named Chevrolet sports car program manager who oversees Corvette Racing and also has managed the Cadillac program that has four consecutive overall victories in the Rolex 24 at Daytona on her new expanded role as a major manufacturer executive in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Series (1:00); how many people she oversees (3:00), the great start to the Rolex 24 that GM Racing enjoyed on the first weekend in Daytona (5:00); what it’s been like dealing with the attention on Chase Elliott and Jimmie Johnson (7:00); how the program and teams integrate the superstar drop-ins (9:00); the excitement of vying for a fourth consecutive Rolex 24 victory with Cadillac (11:00); how Laura got into racing while growing up in Baltimore (13:00); the first race car project she worked on in college (15:00) how she became a car person (17:15); on making the shift from the production to the racing side of General Motors (18:45); adding the oversight of the Corvette Racing to her managing the Cadillac program (21:30); on taking over the role formerly held by Corvette Racing icon Doug Fehan (23:30); does she see encouraging signs of more women in auto racing (25:30); the importance of female role models like herself and mentor Alba Colon (28:00) on if being a woman in racing has resulted in different treatment (30:30); some instances in which she’s had to get stern with teams (34:00); how she has fun away from the track (37:00); what her biggest concerns are trying to win the Rolex 24 at Daytona (40:00)
Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Rusty Wallace and Dale Earnhardt Jr. share everything they love about Bristol Motor Speedway ... their first impressions on rolling into NASCAR's "Last Great Colosseum," the secrets to some of their success, why they tell every fan it's the first NASCAR racetrack where they should attend a race, the toll it takes on drivers and the special atmosphere and allure it holds.
The brain trust of Toyota Racing Development's vaunted TD2 driver development pipeline on some of Toyota’s up and comers such as Chandler Smith (1:00); “you have to remember they’re still just kids” (2:30); more of the name in and out of the program (4:00); the importance of USAC dirt racing (5:30); how Toyota Racing Development deals with having teams provide the slots for its drivers (7:30); thinking about the “greater good” for auto racing (9:30); dealing with the luck, good and bad, of keeping drivers or having them get away (11:00); the NextGen timeline with driver development (12:30); exploring William Byron in depth (13:30); what it’s like dealing with “NASCAR dads and moms” (15:00); “Parents have seen their kids run perfect races, and they expect that every time.” (17:00); why drivers whose parents “let go” tend to have more success (19:00); holding younger drivers accountable for their actions (20:00); teaching the real-world consequences for off-track behavior (21:30); the rage-quitting incident and how that was used as a teachable moment (23:30); trying to find the line of what is offensive vs. generational (24:30); but also encouraging drivers to have personalities – and neck tattoos (25:45).
The brain trust of Toyota Racing Development's vaunted driver development pipeline on their backgrounds with TRD (3:00); being based in California but being “comfortable” with that and the travel it demands (5:00); the origins of the driver development program (7:00); which includes physical training, social media and health and nutrition advice (9:00); figuring out to pay for the program and rising star Christopher Bell (10:30); “if we need tried to go back and do this 100 times, it probably doesn’t work” (11:30); the importance of being hands on, understanding every prospect won’t stay and getting the byproduct of teams working together more often (13:30); kicking off the program with a home run in Christopher Bell (15:00); reflecting on Erik Jones and Bubba Wallace being in the program before it was fully formed (16:00); William Byron’s time with TRD (17:00); the “family selection” process (18:00); how Toyota attaches sponsors to drivers the way teams would (19:30); how dealing with the sponsorship as a manufacturer differs from managing it as a team (21:30); preparing “kids” for meeting with sponsors and learning businesses (23:00); incorporating the elements of “Sports Science” and “Moneyball” analytics (25:00); learning about how to analyze drivers through the Texas Rangers and TCU (26:30); ensuring that drivers get a “report card” on their progress (28:00); teaching drivers basic information like how to handle running out of gasoline on track (29:00); how the metrics of “Moneyball” and “Sports Science” work together (30:30); the simple ways of teaching drivers about nutrition and simple things (32:00); the importance of removing team variables to enhance evaluations (34:30); what trying to develop drivers is like during the middle of a pandemic (35:30); keeping drivers exercising and in communication across long distances during lockdown (37:00); managing expectations about getting in the car after a long layoff (39:00); how TRD is advising its younger drivers on returning to track as racing restarts (40:30).
The two-time Daytona 500-winning crew chief for the No. 11 Toyota of Denny Hamlin on how he finds benefit in iRacing by running practices races with Hamlin, and learning to improve communication (3:00); his passion for iRacing and how long he’s been involved (4:30); his racing background in Super Late Models (6:00); how many wins in real life vs. iRacing and his history with owning a simulator (8:30); how iRacing can help build the Gabehart-Hamlin relationship, particularly in a world without practice (10:00); the difference between how IndyCar and NASCAR are approaching iRacing (12:30); what he’s learned from watching Hamlin on Twitch (14:00); getting a rare window into a driver’s mindset with the helmet off (15:00); what makes Hamlin so good at iRacing (17:30); how iRacing is a level beyond IROC (19:30); what the absence of fear – and the pressure of big-time sponsorship -- mean (20:30); is he glad 7-year-old Taylor Hamlin won’t be ending a No. 11 race on a real track anytime soon? (22:00); what the preparations for the 2020 season have been like (23:00); what will be the biggest obstacle facing teams? And the impacts of social distancing on teams (25:00); what’s been happening at Joe Gibbs Racing (27:00); how is the No. 11 approaching the rest of 2020 after starting off so well at Daytona but then having a long layoff? (29:00).
The NASCAR on NBC analyst and accomplished iRacer on how his life has revolved around his sim (2:00); the story of girlfriend Shanny’s Emmy (3:00); can NASCAR bring Twitch into real-world racing? (5:00); what the infrastructure challenges are (7:30); the technology of making it happen (9:30); foreseeing the controversies with Bubba Wallace and Kyle Larson and safeguarding against the next one (11:30); Parker’s mom is listening to his Twitch stream and also is a big Conor Daly fan (14:00); will the Pro Invitational Series still exist when real racing returns? (15:30); how eNASCAR's audience metrics are benefiting hugely from the Pro Invitational Series (17:30); recapping Richmond and the politics involved (19:30); Talladega up next (21:30); explaining the dreaded Netcode (23:30); Parker’s history with iRacing and the backstory of his shoutout from Steve Myers (25:30); a shoutout to the NASCAR on NBC and NASCAR America production crews for their groundwork on iRacing broadcasts (28:30).
The NASCAR on NBC analyst, who co-owns a team with Jeff Burton in NASCAR's top iRacing series, on what’s happening for iRacing and Burton Kligerman Esports in its second season (1:15); “the viewership has been insane” (3:00); why he wants to get away from the term “eSports (4:45); number origins (5:30); the pitch to Valvoline for sponsorship (6:30); the professionalism of eSports (8:30); Bringing in owners such as Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson and William Byron (9:30); Venn diagram of real world and virtual team owners (10:30); the edge (or disadvantage) of bargaining against a team that has Michael Jordan (13:00); what the iRacing model and team sponsorship look like now (15:00); the massive jump in the iRacing purse (17:00); what the Valvoline sponsorship does for BurtonKligerman eSports (18:30); how the team handles promotion and social and media (20:30); the “controversy” over eSports drivers being treated like real-world drivers (22:00); the “adapt or die” philosophy to embracing eSports (24:30); how do real-world drivers coach virtual drivers? (26:30); relating to teenage gaming phenoms and their “impressive maturity level” (28:00); how much Parker works with Jeff Burton (29:00).
The NASCAR on NBC analyst on why Joey Logano is the best restarter in NASCAR (1:00); how he did it unconventionally at Phoenix (2:00); lessons learned for November when the championship is on the line (3:00); where are the Toyotas, the surprise of Joe Gibbs Racing’s start and can the team improve for Atlanta? (4:30); how will teams decide on focusing on the 2021 changeover vs. the 2020 season? (6:30); can a team change something that’s good by overthinking it? (8:30); is Hendrick better because of the Camaro or the team? (10:30); the 2020 demeanor of Kyle Busch (12:00); “sometimes we forget that drivers can be just like the people listening to this podcast" (14:00); social media and external pressure on Cup drivers (15:30); Jeff says the driver social gatherings of the motorhome lot are a misconception (17:30); short track and 1.5-mile racing trending upward, so should NASCAR change superspeedways? (19:00); on Harrison Burton’s big win and the importance of being patient with talent (21:30).
NASCAR on NBC analyst Kyle Petty on the visceral emotions and dark personal memories that came from watching the response to Ryan Newman’s terrifying crash (1:00); how drivers move past those incidents (2:00); is there a necessary selective memory that needs to be embraced (4:00); the disconnect between today’s younger drivers and death at the track (5:30); “the sport is never going to be foolproof safe” (7:00); how the attitudes of younger drivers might be different in the iRacing age (8:30); should the practice of “slam drafting” be addressed and by whom (10:00); on Corey LaJoie’s comfort with the current superspeedway package (13:00); what’s next for Ryan Newman (16:00); did Newman’s outspokenness help save him? (18:30); the worst possible outcome always lurking (20:45); will NASCAR change rules for Talladega and will drivers race differently there? (22:00); on Denny Hamlin’s sublime third Daytona 500 victory (25:00).
Denny Hamlin, the defending Daytona 500 winner and driver of the No. 11 FedEx Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, on the pro-am golf tournament he just played that tested his surgically repaired shoulder (1:00) and put him up against some famous competition (2:00); recalling the end of his victory in last year’s Daytona 500 (3:30); the quasi-deal he had with teammate Kyle Busch for restarts in the final 10 laps (5:30); outrunning Busch for much of the 2019 season (6:30); reflecting on how the championship got away at Homestead-Miami Speedway (7:30); why Denny had “a little bit left” before the fateful decision to put tape on the grille (8:30); and why he already got past second-guessing the decision (9:30); his faith in crew chief Chris Gabehart and maturation as a driver (10:30); becoming an iRacing team owner (11:30); co-owner Michael Jordan’s involvement in the iRacing Jumpman paint scheme (12:30); the blowback to iRacing not being deserving of the attention (13:30); his reaction to the death of Kobe Bryant (15:30); what it means to be a #GirlDad (17:30); “Taylor TV” and Denny’s oldest daughter (18:30); being known as one of NASCAR’s best interviews (20:30); the input of drivers in creating the new short-track package for 2020 (22:15); addressing issues with Goodyear in a “Come to Jesus” meeting (23:30); how close Cup drivers came to unionizing five years ago (25:30); whether he laments that forming a union would help stabilize driver salaries in such a pivotal season for free agency (27:30); what Denny expects from some motivated drivers (29:15); Brad Keselowski’s recent comments about how veterans were affected by the low-horsepower, high-downforce package last year (30:30); his memories of Late Model crew chief Rodney Estes, who recently died (31:45) and getting closure before he was gone (33:15) and their incredible run in 2002-03 (34:15); everything seeming to be lining up for Denny in the 2020 Cup season (36:00)
In a preview of the 2020 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, Team Penske's Dane Cameron on how it feels to roll into Daytona as defending series champion (1:00); recapping the disappointments of the 2019 Rolex (2:00); trying a 12th time to win an iconic event that is so difficult to conquer (3:00); “it’s like running qualifying laps for 24 hours” (4:30); how talent and technology have increased the competition level (5:45); on how the Rolex 24 is unique on the schedule (7:00); another way to look at the degree of difficulty: Getting nine straight sprint races perfect (8:30); why DPI is essentially “an Indy car with fenders” (9:45); how much contact the DPI cars can make (11:00); how Dane went from living near a track known for its NASCAR (Sonoma) and wound up in sports cars (12:00); “All I really want to do was earn a living driving a race car. I wasn’t too fussy.” (14:00); any aspirations of following Jeff Gordon’s footsteps? (15:00); what’s it like sharing a car with another driver? (17:00); and why it works so well with Juan Pablo Montoya (19:00); why JPM’s brutal honesty works well for Dane (22:00); his best JPM stories (23:30); and first reaction to learning they’d be paired (25:30); on whether he feels overshadowed by his team’s Indianapolis 500 winners (27:00); whether he interacts with the NASCAR and IndyCar teams at the shop as a resident of North Carolina (29:00); would he like to moonlight in another series? (31:30); Dane’s family connections in the IMSA paddock (32:30); how that’s changed dinner conversations with his father working for a rival team (34:00).
The former longtime NASCAR race director on the projects he is working on now consulting with series on helping reshape rulebooks (2:00); where racing series sometimes get in trouble with rulebook language (4:00); his expertise in race procedures and studying how the NASCAR rulebook evolved over the decades (6:00); how it can help teams and competitors in many ways to have a better grasp of the rules (8:00); the difference of officiating a race from other professional sports (10:00); what does he think about whether racing series have too many rules in the major leagues because the teams are too good? (12:00); some history lessons on the genesis of rules in the Cup Series (14:00); the trickiness of issuing penalties consistently (16:00); helping teams navigate the potential fluidity of the rulebook and why it’s advantageous (18:00); how extra knowledge can help even with “unavoidable penalties” (20:00); real-world examples of how knowing in-race rules can benefit driver and crew chief (22:00); which teams and series where David has been consulting (26:00); is there anything that major-league series do to streamline their rulebooks? (28:00); how often David looks at rulebooks from past decades to see how things progressed (30:00); the importance of tribal knowledge in the era of Computer Animated Drawings and engineering (32:30); keeping innovation as a series moves into a spec car era (35:00); how involved David was in writing rules side as a race director (38:00); NASCAR’s move to eliminate racing back to the caution and how it was implemented in 2003 (41:00); the sea change of double-file restarts being instituted in 2009 and how that impacted calling races (43:30); what it was like changing race procedures that had five or six decades of history in NASCAR (46:00); adding electronic monitoring of pit speeds (49:00); what the 2019 season was like for David watching races from outside the tower for the first time since 1988 (50:00)
In our final 2019 Cup playoffs edition of the podcast, the NASCAR on NBC analysts discuss the greatness of Kyle Busch and how he overcame his dislike of this season's rules package (1:00); did being a self-proclaimed “underdog” help, or was it all just part of drivers downplaying the pressure? (4:00); is making the championship round now the same as winning a championship? (6:15); why Kyle Busch seemed subdued in celebration (8:30); his sensitivity to pondering being a multi-time champion and winning a “legitimate” title (10:30); does Kyle feel “behind” on winning championships? (13:00); the Denny Hamlin saga and storyline (15:30); how Martin Truex Jr.’s team made a colossal error (18:00); living with the pain and memory of such a mistake (20:00); the calculated mistake by Denny Hamlin’s team (23:00); differing opinions from Burton and Letarte on whether the gamble was well assessed by Chris Gabehart (25:00); how much second guessing will there be for the No. 11 on if Hamlin could have won? (27:30); the end of Homestead-Miami Speedway’s championship hosting run and what’s next for Phoenix (30:00).
In our weekly NASCAR on NBC Podcast feature during the 2019 Cup playoffs, Steve Letarte discusses the Chris Gabehart-Denny Hamlin dynamic (1:00); reinstilling Denny Hamlin’s confidence (2:00); installing structure but letting Denny be himself (4:25); on that Mark Martin comparison (6:15); quantifying what the Phoenix win meant to Hamlin’s reputation (8:00); analyzing the controversial call for two tires (10:00); what happened to Joe Logano’s team? (12:00); a lauded performance by the playoff contenders (13:45); how does Logano’s mistake happen? (15:00); the wide-open championship field (16:00); how it’ll work for JGR with three teams in the championship round (17:00); the big secret among JGR crew chiefs (18:30); thoughts on rotating the championship in the future (19:30); and how to enhance passing at short tracks next season (21:00); on the plus side for Phoenix at the new title destination (23:00).
In our weekly NASCAR on NBC Podcast feature during the 2019 Cup playoffs, Kyle Petty discusses the surprising gambit by Kevin Harvick and the No. 4 team (1:00); did he rope a dope the JGR cars? (2:30); why so many drivers struggled with traction compound in the first half at Texas (4:00); Denny’s mistake and what it says about his championship makeup (6:00); why Phoenix offers so many layers of redemption for Hamlin (8:30); why Denny needs to be Michael Jordan in Phoenix (10:00); KP’s theory on other drivers “messing” with Hamlin (11:30); fun anecdotes about Kyle Petty the teenager learning some lessons about the toughest guys in NASCAR history (13:15); who was tougher, David Pearson or Cale Yarobrough (15:15); Joey Logano’s championship mettle (16:30); the essence of title-caliber teams (19:00); the agony of Denny’s championship quest (21:00); Kyle Busch’s relief after Texas (22:30); why KP believes the 200-win mark detracts from something greater for No. 18 (23:30); Let’s talk intentional cautions! Here are Kyle Larson's thoughts (26:00); And the role that Kyle believes NASCAR has played in the trend (28:30); “there’s no doubt in my mind Bubba spun that car to get a caution, and I do not fault him at all” (30:00); Tony Stewart’s thoughts (33:00); and why some intentional cautions are worse than others (35:00)
In our weekly NASCAR on NBC Podcast feature during the 2019 Cup playoffs, Dale Jarrett discusses how does Martin Truex Jr. handle the next two races? (2:00); did the No. 19’s playoff surge catch us off guard (4:30); why Truex already is DJ’s championship favorite regardless of the next two races (6:00); on how teams find another level in the final 10 races (7:15); behold the greatness of Lord Byron (8:45); what’s up with Kyle Busch’s slump (11:00); getting No. 18 back on track (14:30); should teams get involved in driver disagreements (16:30); should NASCAR follow the lead of other professional sports on disciplining agitators (19:30); thoughts on the Hamlin-Logano rivalry (22:00); did Joey Logano intentionally spin to get a caution? (24:00); another impressive gritty performance for Logano (26:30); What can be done to ensure there are more than three lead changes in each of the Martinsville races next year? DJ says look at the tires (27:30).
In our weekly NASCAR on NBC Podcast feature during the 2019 Cup playoffs, Steve Letarte discusses did Brad Keselowski make the right moves on the last restart (1:00); was it the biggest collapse yet for a playoff driver in a cutoff race (2:30); why the recent carelessness for Team Penske and how a loose wheel happens to start a race (4:00); who gets held accountable for the mistakes (5:30) are Keselowski and Paul Wolfe still right for each other? (7:30); Chase Elliott’s performance and why he pushed Joey Logano at the end of Stage 1 (10:00); Denny Hamlin’s turnaround from a year ago (11:30); Hamlin’s important ties to FedEx leadership (13:30); geling with new crew chief Chris Gabehart (15:45); is the memory of Martinsville 2017 still fresh for Hamlin (17:00); Kyle Larson driving with injured ribs (18:15) and why the team shouldn’t have been involved in his decision (19:30); Larson’s disappointing day at Kansas (20:30); Kyle Busch’s third-place comeback (22:45); Martinsville predictions (24:30)
In our weekly NASCAR on NBC Podcast feature during the 2019 Cup playoffs, Dale Jarrett discusses Kyle Larson’s development into being a winning driver Sunday at Dover and what DJ saw change for the No. 42 in the regular season (1:00); did Larson finally arrived at some realizations on how to race because the time simply arrived, or were there discussions within Chip Ganassi Racing? (4:00); the weight of expectations for Larson in his sixth season (6:00); can Larson reach the championship round and if so, is he a favorite? (8:00); why getting through on points is so difficult (9:30); did Martin Truex Jr. have the best car at Dover? (10:30); how Truex got past the pit crew miscue so quickly (12:30); on Joey Logano racing hard while being more than 20 laps down (15:00); the human element that reared its ugly head at Dover (17:30); Joey Logano’s ruthlessness on track (19:00); on the racing at Dover and some driver complaints (21:30); would more horsepower help? (23:45); handicapping the contenders for Talladega (25:00); how manufacturer alliances might be different this weekend (27:00).
In our new weekly NASCAR on NBC Podcast feature during the 2019 Cup playoffs, Jeff Burton discusses the difficulty of Turn 1 on restarts at Charlotte Motor Speedway's Roval and how it led to Chase Elliott stuffing it in the barrier before coming back to win (1:00); measuring does Elliott's incredible comeback against the amazing rally by his father, Bill, from two laps down at Talladega Superspeedway (2:30); Chase Elliott's emergence as one of the best road course racers in NASCAR (4:00); what makes the Roval one of the toughest tracks in NASCAR and its origins (5:00); the Alex Bowman comeback on “a day it felt like the moment was too big for him” (7:00); Bowman's feud with Bubba (10:30); “Bubba’s got to grow up a little bit.” (12:00); does Bowman deserve criticism for intentionally wrecking Wallace? (13:30); a flare-up between Ryan Newman and Daniel Suarez (14:30); what happened to Ryan Newman at the Roval? (15:00); Ryan Blaney's impressive rebound from damage (16:30); analyzing Aric Almirola’s faulty strategy (17:30); Clint Bowyer and William Byron have perfectly quiet days (18:30); a new mistake-free beginning for Bowyer? (19:30); can any of these guys advance to the third round? (20:45); why Jeff believes Kyle Busch will be back with a venegance at Dover? (21:45); how Jeff feels about a driver parking early with a broken sway bar (23:45); does NASCAR need another Roval? (25:00)
In our new weekly NASCAR on NBC Podcast feature during the 2019 Cup playoffs, Steve Letarte discusses the middle race of Round 1 at Richmond Raceway, including why Martin Truex Jr. and crew chief Cole Pearn have been so good together this season (1:00); how Kyle Busch is handling being outrun by a Joe Gibbs Racing teammate and what was telling in his postrace interview (2:00); does Busch resepct Truex's ability more as a driver than before when he wasn't as sure of what he was doing to his cars? (4:00); and if Busch has been humbled, does that make him more dangerous the rest of the playoffs? (6:00); whether crew chief Adam Stevens talked to Kyle Busch about his Las Vegas outburst (8:00); does Martin Truex Jr. get enough credit for his greantess and what a second championship might do for those Hall of Fame credentials (10:00); is Truex still improving as a driver? (12:00); Sherry Pollex's upcoming appearance on Stevie’s podcast (13:00); Erik Jones’ postrace inspection setback (15:00) and why that could be fraught for the No. 20 team after consecutive team errors put Jones on the brink of playoff elimination (17:00); why Steve didn’t like the No. 3 team telling Austin Dillon to wreck Alex Bowman (19:00); Jimmie Johnson’s vow to give it back to playoff drivers trying to “use him up” (21:00); top things to watch in Year 2 at The Roval (23:30).
In our new weekly NASCAR on NBC Podcast feature during the 2019 Cup playoffs, Steve Letarte discusses the eventful Round 1 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, including whether Kyle Busch had a point about backmarkers and their worthiness (1:00); why Kyle Busch is making mistakes lately and is he lacking focus? (3:00); what the Las Vegas victory says about the championship worthiness of Martin Truex Jr. and crew chief Cole Pearn (5:30): why Truex's success might irritate Busch (8:00); the significance of winning the opener (10:00); what happened when Chase Elliott slowed to help William Byron stay on the lead lap and was it legal? (12:00); what happened at the end of Stage 2 with Truex, Joey Logano and Matt DiBenedetto (15:00); Logano's up and down day and did the defending series champion make some moves he would like back (17:00); the concepts of insane restarts and why drivers are sometimes wrong about it being 'impossible' to pass (19:00); why doesn't the racing on restarts translate to the rest of the race ... and would we really want it to do anyway (22:00).
In the debut of a new weekly NASCAR on NBC Podcast feature during the 2019 Cup playoffs, Jeff Burton discusses the aftermath of the Brickyard 400 regular season finale and what's ahead for the 16 drivers in the 2019 playoffs, including: why he believes this is the wide open field in Cup history (1:00); could Ryan Newman escape the first round after eking his way into the playoffs (2:00); why avoiding mistakes will be the key to the first round (3:30); why execution has been a struggle for many (6:00); can Chases Elliott and anyone outside the top six be considered an underdog? (7:00); can a team "turn it on" for the playoffs? (9:00); the Roval's impact on the playoffs (10:15); and why it has supplanted Talladega as the scariest track in the final 10 races (11:15); Jeff's two primary dark horses for getting to the championship round (13:00); will Joe Gibbs Racing own the Championship 4? (14:00); what the future holds for Jimmie Johnson and the conversation that leads Jeff to believe that 2020 won't be his last season (16:30); did Brad Keselowski have a point about safety upgrades being needed at Indianapolis Motor Speedway? (19:00).
Two NASCAR on NBC analysts who also are iRacing team owners discuss the simulation racing phenomenon, beginning with Parker Kligerman on the differences between iRacing and the eNASCAR leagues (3:00); the reasons for this year's formation of teams (5:00); how virtual racing could lower the barrier of entry to motorsports (7:00); making the transition from the virtual world to a real-world track (8:00); how the 10,000-hour theory applies to iRacing (9:00); an explanation of the iRacing league structure and schedule (11:00); how the NASCAR America broadcast race works (13:00); his pitch to convince former skeptic Jeff Burton to join him as a team owner (15:00); why many races this season have been so good (17:00); attracting a sponsor to Burton Kligerman eSports (19:00); what a sponsor gets out of an iRacing team (21:30); attracting old-guard NASCAR to iRacing (24:00); Parker's long-term vision of bringing motorsports to the masses (27:00); Steve Letarte joins the podcast and explains how he got involved in iRacing (31:00); his roles in promoting the team, developing the drivers and possibly working as a crew chief (33:00); how he decided to draft his two drivers (34:00); the three-fold hook of iRacing and why broadcasting virtual races has so much in common with a real life race (36:00); why Steve is involved: the appeal of bringing motorsports to youth (38:00).
Ryan Hines, a coordinator of Xfinity brand content at Stewart-Haas Racing, is an openly gay man working in auto racing, which he once thought impossible because of prejudice. But since joining a team directly out of college last year, Hines has found NASCAR to be a welcoming community. We hear about his personal experiences and thoughts on how his perceptions have changed; his perspective on whether NASCAR can be more inclusive for the LGBTQ community; whether it would be more difficult for a high-profile member of NASCAR to come out; and how sponsors might handle it.
Reflecting on one of the most controversial and thrilling finishes in NASCAR history, this narrative episode recounts the viewpoints from several main characters on the track and the behind-the-scenes players in the pits, the scoring tower, the announcer’s booth and victory lane ... taking a look at everything that happened around the moment that Dale Earnhardt spun Terry Labonte to win at Bristol Motor Speedway … and the many unbelievable memories and questions it prompted, such as:
--Why were even the pro-Earnhardt sections of the crowd booing The Intimidator?;
--What was the scene as 140,000 people hung around long after the race was over;
--Did NASCAR ever considered penalizing the winner of the race?;
--What did the ending mean to the careers of Dale Earnhardt and Terry Labonte and how did it fit into near the end of the seven-time champion's life;
--How it resonated for Bristol Motor Speedway in the years since as NASCAR's version of Woodstock.
Through the eyes of its founder and several prominent drivers, how a computer programming class project mushroomed into one of the must influential media outlets in NASCAR and the most heavily trafficked clearinghouse for racing information on the Internet.
The driver whose roller-coaster ride has captivated NASCAR over the past year on what the mood was like at the Niece Motorsports shop after the Iowa disqualification (2:30); why a $50,000 loss led to a lot of “very bone-jarring words” (4:30); the case for the punishment exceeding the crime (6:00); a plea for NASCAR to “quit listening to everybody” (7:30); trying to encapsulate the “stranger than fiction” nature of the past year for Ross Chastain (9:30); on whether he leans on his experience in overcoming challenges (11:45); the praise from veteran Cup drivers for a driver who hasn’t always made friends on the track (13:45); why it stung even more that he lost the Iowa win to Brett Moffitt, who has a budding rivalry with Chastain (15:30); the decision to switch to running full time in the truck series and Niece’s emergence as championship contender (18:00); what team owner Al Niece is like (20:30); how his Cup (Premium Motorsports) and Xfinity (Kaulig and JD Motorsports) were impacted by his commitment to Niece (23:00); “there was a while there where every race team I drove for was mad at me” (24:30): how the logistics work of racing in so many series (sometimes in separate states on consecutive days) (26:30); the saving grace of charter flights (29:00); the advantages to racing as much as possible (30:30); how often he retreats to the solace of his family’s watermelon farm (32:30); the support of the watermelon industry in Chastain’s career (34:30); “I am falling behind in a lot of aspects of people my age who go into the industry” (36:00); a funny story about Elliott Sadler and getting his first victory (37:30); where Chastain feels like his career stands six months after the stunning loss of his Xfinity ride at Ganassi (38:00).
The NASCAR Hall of Famer and Fox Sports analyst reflects on what he has seen change the most in NASCAR over the past 19 seasons as a broadcaster (2:30); whether he thought NASCAR’s popularity ever would wane from its high-water mark and the reasons why he believes some longtime fans “felt abandoned” (5:00); the encouraging signs he sees for attracting the next generation of fans (6:45); on the impact of the playoffs and stage racing (9:00); what he has seen change in how races are broadcast over the past two decades (12:15); how DW believes NASCAR might be overexposed … but by necessity (14:00); why the term “industry” drives him crazy, along with the many “councils” in NASCAR (15:30); DW’s best and most memorable races to broadcast (16:30); answering his critics who say he is disconnected from the garage and its major players (19:00); on how he relates to the new wave of youthful drivers and what remains constant about driver attitudes (21:30); “I was the best driver I could possibly be, but I was a damn crew member. I had to work on the car.” (23:45); how his relationship with NASCAR brass has changed as he’s “mellowed” (25:15); Mike Helton’s respect and thinking about the bigger picture (27:30); what blowback was like from the drivers and teams who disagreed with his on-air analysis (29:15); a regret he has about a recent description of Jimmie Johnson (30:15); his response to those who say Fox has too much fun (31:30); whether he knows who might replace him at Fox and why he thinks a two-man booth might make sense (32:30); becoming good buddies with boothmate Jeff Gordon (33:30); the active drivers who might make good broadcasters (34:30); his relatively perfect attendance record in TV and why the job is much harder than it seems (35:30); the legacy of fan education and relativity that he wanted to leave in NASCAR TV and his defense of “Boogity Boogity Boogity” as an appealing concept (37:00); why it’s harder to retire from broadcasting than driving … and why he might not be at the racetrack nearly as much in the future (39:45).
Chris Nicholson is a NASCAR fan and long-haul truck driver who combined his passion and profession this year in taking a new job within racing. From piloting 18-wheelers down the concrete banking of Bristol and Dover to turning laps in Air Titans, here are a few of his stories from the road and how he has rekindled his racing passion.
The multifaceted NASCAR on NBC analyst/pit reporter and part-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver on how his 2019 season has unfolded with Gaunt Brothers Racing and what’s ahead (1:30); on his impressive performance in the Coca-Cola 300 and beating $100 million in competition (3:30); on the plight of the underfunded and the small team that is hailed for having a sound business model (6:00); how a small team exploits the inefficiencies of competing in NASCAR’s premier series (7:30); “racing is probably one of the only professional sports in the world where the athlete actively has to think about the business model” (9:30); the multilayered decision-making of being behind the wheel with a lesser budget (11:00); and a potential parallel to the PGA (12:00); the areas where the competition gap is permanent in racing (13:45); Parker makes the case again for banning wind tunnels (16:00); how he went from possibly closing the chapter on his Cup career to racing the Daytona 500 virtually overnight (18:30); the Talladega win that turned more heads than Parker realized (20:30); “I’m not a sad story, I’m a success story” (22:30); thoughts on whether younger drivers have a mindset advantage on veterans with the 2019 rules overhaul (24:30); an interesting theory of setup optimization (27:15); a segue into V8 Supercars and “The Enforcer and The Dude” (29:30); and then Black Noon and the Indianapolis 500 (31:15); the hybrid discussion in NASCAR (33:30); a cautionary tale of electrical applications in Formula 1 (35:15); Parker’s radical idea for promoting efficiency with the internal combustion engine (36:15); his take on Formula E (38:15); how Parker’s first season as an eNASCAR iRacing owner has gone (40:00); why digital racing is the most egalitarian racing series in the world (41:15); turning a fellow NASCAR on NBC analyst into an eSports believer (44:00).
The IndyCar driver on how Rahal Letterman Lanigan celebrated the start of a successful season (1:00); how Rahal’s luck has been tough so far this season (2:00); on David Letterman being at teammate Takuma Sato’s victory and how Rahal played a role in perhaps getting him there (3:00); a week of handling many family requests for a “home” weekend in Southern California (5:00); on how he is spending time with his wife, Courtney, as she takes a hiatus form racing, including killing some monster snakes (7:00); why having her at the track more often is a huge stress reliever (8:45); her work on their foundation (10:00); what it’s like having a street course that’s an event bringing in large crowds (11:00); “this is us, not just NASCAR, but oval racing needs to re-energize itself”(13:00); the idea of IndyCar and NASCAR working together more closely (14:30); what about a Long Beach doubleheader? (16:30); why IndyCar never has been more competitive than now (18:15); on whether he was wistful of losing his record to Colton Herta as the youngest winner (19:45)
The IndyCar veteran and 11-time starter in the Indianapolis 500 reflecting on his career (1:30); another way to look at Servia’s struggles with keeping a full-time ride and sponsor in recent seasons (3:30); the record that he holds in IndyCar for number of teams (5:00); did you know cats in Spain actually have fewer lives? (6:00); some similarities between racing and the movie industry (7:00); how it feels for Servia to jump into the IndyCar Series once annually (9:00); the very cool Salvador Dali connection to the Spaniard’s career and helmet (10:00); trying to encapsulate all the changes Servia has seen through two decades of Champ Car, the Indy Racing League and IndyCar (14:00); thoughts on why the IndyCar business model seems to work (16:30); and the evolution of sponsorship and how companies used it in racing (17:30); what Jay Frye and Mark Miles bring to IndyCar leadership (19:00); and how they might differ from previous regimes (22:00); a view on managing international series expansion (23:30); how one first-year team underscores the competitiveness of IndyCar (25:30); Servia’s engineering background (27:30); the erudite reason that Servia loves racing (28:45); some insight into being a pace car driver and his thoughts on the infamous crash last year at Detroit (30:00); Servia’s burning desire to win the Indy 500 and what he’s learned to love about it beyond the driving (31:00); how much longer he might race the Brickyard (34:30).
The NASCAR on NBC Podcast travels to FedEx's home base in Memphis, Tenn., with driver Denny Hamlin to learn about what makes this long-running driver-sponsor relationship work, starting with a tour of FedEx's largest hub (3:00); the No. 11 pilot meeting one of the FedEx pilots (4:00); Hamlin meets with employees for a Q&A (5:30); he explains the choice that won him the 2019 Daytona 500 (6:30); what Hamlin wants his legacy to be (7:30); why he chose racing and what keeps him going (8:00); meeting some of the FedEx employees who support the No. 11 (10:00); why the sponsorship works financially and emotionally for Fed Ex (11:15); how the company generates a billion impressions through NASCAR annually (12:30); whether FedEx is concerned when other sponsors leave NASCAR (13:30); recalling Hamlin’s first big splash with FedEx (14:30); when Hamlin first got inklings that he might drive the car in 2005 (16:15); the amusing way that Hamlin found out he’d be in the No. 11 car for the first time (18:00); how it felt to represent a major sponsor for the first time (20:00); Hamlin’s role as FedEx’s No. 1 spokesman in sports (22:00); the importance of branding for FedEx and how it still catches Hamlin off guard (24:00); Hamlin’s hopes for staying with FedEx in the future (25:30).
The NASCAR and IndyCar team owner on a famous scooter ride at Long Beach with Roger Penske and his longtime rivalry with the fellow auto racing titan (1:15), Ganassi’s approach to Twitter and his reasons for promoting American skier Mikaela Shiffrin (4:30); his longtime love of newspapers and journalism and how it was sparked (6:30); the Chip Ganassi method for reading a newspaper and why he believes words are powerful and should be chosen carefully (8:30); reflecting on three decades of success for his team (11:30); on whether the golden age of IndyCar is returning (13:30); the pride in his Pittsburgh roots (15:30); assessing his NASCAR team’s fortunes in 2019 with the addition of Kurt Busch and his impact on teammate Kyle Larson (18:00); assessing his IndyCar team this season (21:00); on the team’s knack for scouting young talent (22:00); the legacy of Scott Dixon as an IndyCar great (24:00); some memories of Alex Zanardi and seeing him again this year at the Rolex 24 (25:30); on the hopes of having NASCAR and IndyCar work more closely together (27:00); the increased interest of manufacturers in auto racing as the bloom fades from autonomous cars (28:00).
On the eve of his annual charity ride, the NASCAR on NBC analyst discusses how his dry run went for the longest route in the ride's history (1:30); why you can’t just Google a map for the ride (2:30); why this year's ride feels a lot like the first year (5:00); reflecting on last year’s scenic route through the Northeast (6:00); the necessity for more highways and fewer two-lane roads (8:00); what became of Kyle’s Fairbanks, Alaska, idea (10:00); how his young son, Overton, experienced cross-country travel (11:00); some fun stops on the 2019 ride, including Glenwood Springs, Colorado (13:00); and Kyle’s favorite: Childress, Texas (15:30); the amazing level of hospitality for the riders (17:00); when the ride leaves KP behind and when it brings out the schoolkids (19:30); funny stories from when the ride hasn’t been on schedule (22:00); the logistics for Kyle’s wife, Morgan, of organizing the ride and everything it entails (23:00); this year’s celebrity rider lineup (26:15); the legacy of raising $16 million with some corporate help (28:30); being sentimental about the milestone and remembering those who are gone (29:30); how long Kyle plans to ride (31:30); On the Coffee with Kyle series (33:00); why Kyle thinks it’s important to document NASCAR history (35:00); NASCAR America’s new MotorMouths show (38:00); the 2019 season and shift in thinking about 1.5-mile tracks (40:30); the state of Kyle Petty’s music career (43:00)
The Richard Childress Racing on the reason why this podcast was taped at a Marathon Gas Station on Highway 3 on the border of Davidson and Concord in North Carolina (1:30); how he met his wife Kenzie, also a regular at this gas station (2:30): working in a Legends team shop down the street (4:30); the family friend who gave Daniel the break to keep his racing career alive with his first real ride (6:00); arevelation of why Daniel struggled so much (with a busted chassis) in his first season in Legends cars (8:00); what got Daniel hooked on racing (9:30); how much has changed for Daniel since he used to visit this gasoline station regularly a decade ago (11:00); the several moments where everything could have gone awry and ended his career (12:30); a test and race at Concord Motorsports park that turned people’s heads on Daniel (14:00); the incredible story of the Legends Million victory (18:00); the unusual way that Daniel got home after his game-changing victory (20:30); taking it one enterprise/project at a time rather than worrying about a vision (23:00); some of the pivotal points that helped Daniel get to RCR (25:00); on his rookie season in Cup through the first five races (28:00); how the younger set in Cup hangs out together (30:00); which driver is wilder away from the track, Bubba or Blaney (31:45); entering Cup without a victory (33:00); taking pride in his contributions to RCR’s Xfinity teams (35:30); why his wife Kenze is “a full-blown superstar” (37:30); if he and Kenzie discussed the end of her career while his continued (39:00); the Dale Earnhardt parallels (42:00).
Hurley Haywood, a five-time winner of the 24 Hours at Daytona and three-time LeMans winner, on his decision to come out; whether he could have done it during his racing career; why he kept his personal life a secret while racing professionally and whether his career would have ended if he chose to reveal it; if his sponsor Penthouse was aware of his sexuality; the dual impetus for choosing to come out; if other gay drivers have confided in him since then and sought advice on coming out; whether he thinks a major racing series would be accepting of a gay driver.
Sebastien Bourdais, three-time winner of the Long Beach Grand Prix on what the circuit has meant to his Champ Car and IndyCar career, his incredible three-wide pass in the 2018 Long Beach Grand Prix and how IndyCar is officiated; his outlook for 2019; and how it feels to race in his hometown of LeMans.
Ryan Hunter-Reay on what has caught his eye in IndyCar this season (2:00); the talent influx of younger drivers (3:15); where Andretti Autosport can make gains (4:15); on whether Team Penske has made it a tougher fight on street and road courses (5:30); the easy way to catch his title rivals ... and the realistic expectations for points goals (6:15); what impressed him early about winner Colton Herta and how far his team can take him (7:15); the outlook for Barber and Long Beach (8:15); his viewpoint on how IndyCar is officiated (9:15); why the toughest lap of the season happens at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (10:15); his outlook for the biggest race of the season (11:15) ... and then Colton Herta on if his 19th birthday plans changed after his first IndyCar victory (13:30); on the win sinking in for him (14:00); his "victory tacos" tradition and where he went to eat them in Austin (14:30); if it's surreal to become the center of attention in the paddock after growing up in that environment (16:00); how his dad, Bryan, is involved in his career (17:30); what it's like hearing some IndyCar luminaries speak so highly (19:00); the challenges of facing off with the IndyCar powerhouses (20:00); being more comfortable on street and road courses (21:00); if the victory changes the outlook for his very young team (22:00); the outlook for the Indianapolis 500 (23:00).
Evaluating the 2019 rules package (1:15); why has there been less drafting? (2:45); will Texas Motor Speedway offer an opportunity for catchup to Team Penske and Joe Gibbs Racing? (4:15); how Texas’ dual-corner configuration will present an interesting approach with the new rules package (5:45); what the realistic expectations were for lower horsepower/high downforce and did NASCAR want more out of it so far (7:15); sometimes the better races just happen later in the season (8:00); do the playoffs just have an undue effect on the quality of racing? (9:45); whether Stewart-Haas Racing can ratchet up its performance this weekend (12:00); can capping out happen to Team Penske (14:00); the pecking order of Joe Gibbs Racing vs. Penske (15:30); exploring the dearth of cautions and crashes (16:45); the theory that the cars aren’t out of control because drivers aren’t (18:00); sometimes there’s no explanation for fewer yellow flags (19:45); will Bristol be as insanely fast as Brad Keselowski predicted and whither the traction compound (21:15); the impact of the grip level on a driver mentally and physically (22:30); the goal of the traction compound (23:30); why Jeff and I like watching drivers run the bottom at Bristol (24:30); what (if any) changes could be made to the 2019 rules package (26:45); factoring the owners and teams into any decision-making (28:30); tying Zion Williamson into the essence of competition and how it relates to NASCAR (30:30).
The general manager of the three-car team on expanding to a third car and moving into a new shop in Mooresville (1:00); juggling building and preparing cars between two locations (3:00); the advantage of being more centrally located in Charlotte (6:00); the deeper talent pool in expanding by a few dozen employees (8:30); how many people have been at Front Row since the start (10:30); whether the team decided to make the six-figure investment of buying an Optical Scanning Station (12:30); the equipment available at a new shop that once housed winning cars for Chip Ganassi Racing (17:00); why Front Row has tried to acquire more charters (20:00); what the Gen 7 could mean for cost reduction and manufacturer involvement (23:00); limiting inventories of parts and cars and why it can help (26:00); how IndyCar could provide a blueprint for NASCAR in capping team budgets (30:00); the impact of the 2019 rules package on Front Row (33:00); using overlaying driver data to improve performance (36:00); the fiery side of Michael McDowell this season and how Ford brokered a peace after Daytona (40:00); do the controversial headlines help the team? (45:00); whether a fourth car is on the horizon (47:00).
The 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner and the 2004 series champion on the outlook at A.J. Foyt Racing (1:00); the importance of the Indianapolis 500 (3:00); how driver and car owner are similar (5:00); what it’s like driving for a four-time Indy 500 winning legend (6:00); some personnel changes at AJ Foyt Racing (7:30); working with Larry Foyt (10:00); on TK’s move to (much colder than Miami) Indianapolis (12:45); the state of IndyCar in 2019 and how it compares to the last 15 years (14:45); what the hurdles are of rebuilding audience (16:30); NASCAR-IndyCar doubleheaders? (18:30); what’s ahead for TK (21:00); the possibility of doing broadcasting (23:00); will the 7-11 championship paint scheme return? (25:00); Josef Newgarden joins … and talks about those teeth (30:00); his view on the state of the series (32:30); on how his time as the “face” of IndyCar went for him (35:30); why “building stars” isn’t as simple as it seems (38:00); when Josef felt as if he “arrived” as Felix Rosenqvist did at St. Petersburg (39:00); how his wedding planning is going and a new home (42:00).
The co-host of the Glass Case of Emotion podcast, MRN pit reporter and NASCAR.com personality on Kim vs. Kimmie (1:00); working across the podcast digital and radio mediums (2:00); the origins of Glass Case of Emotion and how she was paired with co-hosts Ryan Blaney and Chuck Bush (3:45); the framework for the show (6:00); how getting Jeff Gordon as a guest helped establish the show's credibility (8:00); testing the boundaries with an "explicit” rating (11:00); the comfort of Blaney with pushing the envelope despite his ties to Penske and corporate sponsors (13:30); what Kim likes about working with Blaney (14:45); how the podcast is setting a template for helping showcase a young driver’s personality while managing the new landscape of 21st century media (17:00); Kim’s introduction to NASCAR through Miss Sprint Cup (21:00); sports and her varied sports background from broadcasting to playing sports to being a University of Miami football cheerleader (24:00); her time in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers (28:30); her best times working as Miss Sprint Cup, including a memorable Dale Earnhardt Jr. event (32:30); and her most memorable races of being in victory lane (35:00); being one of the only women in a male-dominated media field (39:00); her love of books (42:00); what’s next for Kim Coon (44:30).
The defending Daytona 500 winner on why he's happy to be working again with crew chief Danny Stockman, who taught Dillon much about stock cars (1:00); why Stockman and the rest of the crew fit Richard Childress Racing's old-school racer vibe (3:00); offseason stories of team bonding and paintball welts (6:00); the Dillons' trip to Costa Rica and why this family loves road-trip vacations (7:45); how Dillon became a good friend of Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, who will attend the Daytona 500 as a guest of Dillon’s (10:00); the impact of McCaffrey's intense training regimen on Dillon (13:00); the keto diet and the weight being shed by the No. 3 team (14:00); why Dillon believes the 2019 rules package will play into his hands (15:00) and the importance of aggression (17:00); how Dillon has helped team owner and grandfather with a foray into eSports (18:00); the advice of Shaquille O'Neal on the Harley J. Earl trophy (20:00); if Dillon was surprised by how Aric Almirola handled the aftermath of last year's Daytona 500 (21:45) and a dissection of the winning pass/bump on the last lap (22:00); the special perspective Dillon has on how veterans and youth perceive driving ethics in the Cup Series differently and a great anecdote about Tony Stewart (25:00); if the generational shifts in Cup are forcing drivers to race harder (27:30).
The NASCAR on NBC analyst known as "The Mayor" weighs in with his insightful takes on several major issues entering the new season: A look at the concept of salary and spending caps, then and now (2:30); why the conversation should stay behind closed doors (5:00); what should be the ceiling for team spending (7:00); the resetting of driver salaries (9:00); why it's hard for team owners to rein in their budgets (11:00); the conundrum of using rules to save money (13:00); the 2019 rules package and the 1.5-mile speedway dilemma (15:00); the parallel between 1.5-mile tracks and multipurpose stadiums (17:00); people seem to like the quality of racing in the truck series, and speed doesn’t matter there ... so why not in Cup? (19:00); does NASCAR need another truck series, though? (20:00); why Jeff agrees with some Cup drivers that the new package must be difficult to drive (21:00); "As long as handling matters, I’m good with it. If we get to the point where handling doesn’t matter, I’m not good with it." (22:30); why Jeff believes the speed of the vehicle isn’t a determining factor in good racing and good skill (25:00); reflecting back on the Homestead-Miami Speedway finale (27:00); will track position be too much a determinant (28:00); how long before an honest evaluation is possible (29:00); could the All-Star Race come to Nashville (31:00); what the 2020 schedule outlook is (32:00); the importance of short tracks (34:00); The Mayor's closing statement (36:00).
The NASCAR on NBC analyst known as "The Mayor" runs down some hot topics for the new season: Is the Brett Moffitt-Johnny Sauter situation a new trend for NASCAR? (2:00) ; Other examples of drivers “bringing” sponsorship that aren’t talked about as much (4:00); “To a hammer, everything looks like a nail” (6:00); Why the optics still aren’t great if Johnny Sauter is left without a ride (7:00); Car owners making tough decisions that always get made (8:30); The balance of selling drivers vs. programs that take money (10:00); Should NASCAR be based solely on merit? (12:00); The necessity of families always helping younger drivers at the outset (14:00); Returning to the constants of drivers and sponsorships (16:30); Young driver marketing and why Jeff believes NASCAR tried to force the creation of heroes and stars? (18:30); The transitional period of fans latching onto new favorites (21:30); The importance of needing teams and drivers to root against (23:00); The significance of Chase Elliott’s breakthrough at Watkins Glen (24:15); The backstory of Harrison Burton’s new social media initiative (26:30); What bugs Jeff about “there are no personalities in NASCAR” (29:00); Why the “relatability” argument against younger drivers might be misguided (31:00).
In a narrative edition of the NASCAR on NBC Podcast, we recall when Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr. teamed to race the No. 3 Corvette in the 2001 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona.
--Dale Earnhardt climbs into the car for the first time in the rain ...which turned out to be perfect conditions (3:30);
--How Earnhardt begged to stay in the car beyond his scheduled time (4:30);
--What impressed Earnhardt Jr. about how his father ran the race (5:45);
--The impressive run turned in by Dale Jr. despite a few mistakes under immense self-induced pressure (7:00);
--Dale Jr.'s first shunt (9:00), his second (10:00) and evaluations of his performance (13:00);
--What the fan reception was like and why it moved Earnhardt (15:45);
--The aftermath of the Rolex 24 and what would have been next for Earnhardt (18:00)
--The plan to put Dale Earnhardt in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, perhaps as early as 2002 (20:00);
--A touching tribute from Teresa Earnhardt to Corvette Racing (22:00);
--In his own words, Dale Earnhardt talks about his love of the Corvette (22:45);
--How Dale Jr. has honored his father and the Corvette legacy (23:45);
--The special replica of the No. 3 Corvette that Dale Jr. has that means more to him now than ever (24:45);
--The friendships that have lingered from the Rolex 24 for Dale Jr. and the promises he kept to them for his father (27:00);
--Would Dale Jr. ever run the Rolex 24 again? The appeal of friendship and sports car racing (28:30);
--Final thoughts on the legacy Earnhardt left with Corvette Racing fans (30:45);
--Dale Earnhardt summarizes his 2001 Rolex 24 (31:30).
In a narrative edition of the NASCAR on NBC Podcast, we recall when Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr. teamed to race the No. 3 Corvette in the 2001 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona.
--The origins of how it happened (2:30);
--How well the Earnhardts knew IMSA and sports cars (5:00);
--How The Intimidator wanted to be treated like anyone else on the team (7:30);
--The Rolex 24 business opportunities and big picture viewpoints for Dale Earnhardt (10:30);
--How Earnhardt, who was confident of driving four hours at a time from his NASCAR career, came around to handing off the car on a more frequent basis (13:00);
--Getting the Earnhardts up to speed in a memorably impactful test at Sebring International Raceway that prompted some father-son rivalry (17:00);
--How the Earnhardts bonded with each other and the Corvette Racing crew in the experience (24:00);
--The sports car communicty embraces Earnhardt while NASCAR expresses some unease with the seven-time champion running the Rolex 24 (28:00).
The Team Penske driver on why he's thritlled the offseason is over (1:00); how his first Rolex 24 went (2:00); being paired with Alexander Rossi this year (3:45); what it's like working with an IndyCar rival and why there is no awkwardness with an Penske-Andretti pairing (5:00); the joy of racing against Alex Zanardi again (8:30); his memories of the dark race weekend and vicious wreck that took Zanardi's legs (10:00); his rejuvenation in joining sports cars full time last year (12:30); how much he misses IndyCar (14:30); how he sees the IndyCar renaissance (16:00); on having another shot at the 2019 Indianapolis 500 (18:00); the evolution of safety and the difference of hitting concrete walls vs. SAFER barriers (19:00); his Dancing With The Stars memories and if he still keeps up with friends from those days (21:15); why his acting career hasn't taken off (22:30); still getting recognized in public (23:30); how much longer he wants to race and an important conversation with Rick Mears (25:00); how much longer he can drive in IMSA (27:30)
The Xfinity Series winner on racing in and seeing New Zealand over the holiday break with his fiancée and family (1:00); why dirt racing seems to be so popular in New Zealand (3:30); on an impressive win at Western Springs Speedway (5:30); how race calls can be officiated very differently in New Zealand (7:00); where Bell’s inspiration for a winning move was derived (8:30); why he is better in longer Midget races and the positive influence of running NASCAR (9:30); “To be the best race car driver, you have to be able to do it all”; how versatility is a great teacher (10:45); what his first trip to the Chili Bowl was like in 2011 (12:15); how he’s seen the Chili Bowl change over 20 years with NASCAR involvement (14:00); if he gets nervous about being on the big stage in such a competitive environment (15:30); is the Chili Bowl the toughest race of the year for Bell, and does it get easier after winning? (16:30); why does the race have so many repeat winners (17:00); the appeal of an open rulebook and the tricks that some teams are trying (18:00); Bell's dream A Main (20:00); his unique quasi-rivalry with Kyle Larson and how they drive each other (21:15); the friendship and support he gets from Larson and where it started seven years ago (23:15); Toyota driver development program (25:00); Bell's dirt racing plans for 2019 (26:45); “The cardboard (winner’s checks), that’s my jam right there”: Bell explains why this "trophy" is his favorite (27:30); the future of dirt racing for NASCAR (29:00); his Xfinity outlook for 2019 and why he was pleased to keep crew chief Jason Ratcliff (30:00) how you can race against Christopher Bell online (32:15); details for this week's Chili Bowl (33:15).
The outspoken veteran star of NASCAR, IndyCar, sports cars and off-road trucks on what makes the Dakar Rally special (1:00); the UTV car he is bringing to the Rally (2:30); how the dunes of Peru will create a new challenge (4:00); his car’s advantage on the dunes (5:00); how his venture is similar to an old-school Indianapolis 500 venture (6:00); his days with the Hummer program and its high-tech innovation (6:30); a review of his last three vehicles at Dakar (7:00); why the competition is extremely stiff (8:00); but why he believes he still can win the overall title (8:45); if he excels, he expects rules changes (9:30); how Robby Gordon Motorsports makes up for having a fractional budget of its rivals (10:30); why his experience level and varied background benefits his chances (11:30); the appeal of building his own car and being a manufacturer in the desert racing industry (13:00); why he believes UTV is the future of motorsports and how his Stadium Super Trucks (SST) series fits into that (14:00); his vision for motorsports and how Stadium Super Trucks fits into it (16:00); why Stadium Super Trucks made sense in appealing to fans (17:15); SST's social media video viewing success (18:30); how he thinks shorter packaging is way to reach a younger audience (19:30); on becoming the owner of a series (21:30); turning 50 years old and returning to run Dakar three days later (22:30); staying alive -- one of the key parts of the Dakar Rally (23:00); the importance of balancing the logistics of owning a team with driving for it (25:00); a clever way of looking at the Dakar Rally through the lens of a NASCAR season (26:15); the many reasons Dakar is so unpredictable (27:15); the dynamics of running the event entirely in Peru for the first time and how teams are running blind daily through the event (29:00); the importance of having a good navigator (30:15); does it help his smaller team that no one can test? (31:30); another fun NASCAR analogy -- this time, the Daytona 500 (32:00); what Dakar has been like since moving from Africa to South America and its fervent fan following (33:00); what a Dakar win would mean to his legacy (35:00); does he look back with any regrets on NASCAR or IndyCar? (36:00); his chances of running the Indianapolis 500 again? (37:00); could he run NASCAR again? (38:00).
The NASCAR on NBC analyst on why he believes this group of contenders is the best title field yet (1:00), how it illustrates the addition of playoff and stage points were the correct moves (3:00), his suggestions for possibly downsizing the field (4:30), appreciating the efforts of the eliminated drivers at Phoenix (6:30), why Miami should be a heavyweight fight (7:30), how other drivers will race the Championship 4 at Miami (and possibly with "mittens on" (9:00), whether Joey Logano's team has an advantage with two weeks to prepare (11:00), why it might make sense to rotate the championship track (13:30), if Kevin Harvick will play mind games this weekend (15:30), what Rodney Childers' plan is for Miami (16:30), why it might be an advantage for Martin Truex Jr. to enter the last race of Furniture Row racing's existence (18:00), the unshakable nature of Kyle Busch and his team (19:30).
In a "This Is Your Life"-style conversation, the soon-to-be-retired Xfinity Series championship contender reflects on his NASCAR career and what it was like being an up and coming driver 20 years ago (1:00); that “when I came along, I was the only young guy!” (2:30); a memorable anecdote from his first season with Wood Brothers Racing and what it taught him about responsibility as a 23-year-old (3:30); why he believes today’s generation of youth lacks the same big-picture perspective (5:30); how Sadler developed the confidence to become a “sponsor’s dream” and NASCAR ambassador (7:00); a restrospective of his Robert Yates Racing years and flirting with becoming a title contender (9:00); what eventually led to him leaving Yates and why it was so difficult (10:30); some tough seasons of driving for George Gillett (12:30); the rebirth of his career in the Xfinity Series by choosing KHI over a backmarker team in Cup (14:00); on being remembered more as an Xfinity driver (15:30); the last chance he had at going back to Cup (16:30); why he hasn’t missed the premier series since landing at JR Motorsports (18:00); his decision to make a clean break from being regular at the track with no ambitions to do media after driving (19:00).
The Danish driver in his second season with F1’s U.S.-based team (and owned by Gene Haas) on watching his father win a class championship at the IMSA finale and his hopes to race against him (1:00); hanging out with Clint Bowyer at Circuit of the Americas in Austin (2:30); the differences between driving F1 and NASCAR and Kevin’s aspirations to drive one (3:30); how much he and his team are watching Stewart-Haas Racing’s playoff run (5:00); the improvements at Haas F1 through its third season (6:00); how Kevin compares Haas’ operating parameters and success with other teams (7:30); are the teams’ goals to finish fourth every week? (9:00); how Kevin had to learn to adapt after finishing third in his F1 debut … and then rarely come close to matching it since (10:30); being a better driver with worse results (13:00); the security of already being signed for next year and how Gene Haas manages to keep politics out of his team (15:00); how Haas can take the next step and the discussions of a possible spending cap in 2021 for F1 (17:30); Kevin’s residency in Dubai and return to London (20:00); a fun anecdote about the career he might have pursued if racing hadn’t worked out.
Midway through his third week of overseeing day to day operations at NASCAR, Phelps joined to discuss how he benefited by entering his new job with 14 years of experience (1:30); holding his first “town hall” with NASCAR employees (3:00); the measuring sticks for NASCAR on fan satisfaction (4:30); his background before NASCAR (7:00); why he fell into the business and branding of sports (8:00); the most important difference between working at NASCAR and the NFL (9:30); what he feels his best accomplishments have been at NASCAR (10:30); his roots as a childhood race fan in Vermont (13:00); a fun anecdote about his childhood racing hero and Bill France Jr.’s awareness of him (14:30); the scouting report on NASCAR that he once compiled for the NFL (16:00); a memorable story about Richard Childress (17:00); how radically different could the 2020 schedule look? (19:00); the groundswell of support for short tracks and road course (21:00); what the 5-year sanction agreements would mean for schedule changes (22:30); steps being taken by NASCAR toward enhancing race promotion to help attendance and ratings (24:00); encouraging Cup drivers to race other series while extending an olive branch to short tracks (27:00); on if he is talking to other series yet about more cooperation (28:00); the likelihood of IndyCar doubleheaders (29:00); how “geotargeting” fans works with increasing ticket sales (30:15); the one-stop shopping approach to selling sponsorship in the future (32:00); what the logistics of that would be for teams (34:00); NASCAR’s efforts to help sponsor involvement at the track and with team investment (35:30); why he thinks a full-season sponsor could return for teams (in a limited way) (37:30); the case for NASCAR sponsorship (38:30); his approach to Twitter and how active he plans to be in his role (40:30); do tracks need to do more to supply wifi and cellular access for social media (42:30); the likelihood of a new manufacturer in NASCAR by 2021 (44:00); why Steve’s personal family experiences are a big reason that NASCAR appeals to him (45:30).
The president of Tuckahoe Strategies and former managing director of communications for NASCAR (from 2004-11) on how his background in politics and living around the country informed his views and communicating with people (1:30); the crossover between politics and sports (3:30); his history in politics (5:00); how the death of an icon brought him into the NASCAR world (7:00); a tense meeting with NASCAR (10:30) ... with an important laugh (12:45); a shift in how NASCAR approached the media (16:00); on making amends with some TV sports networks (18:00); the limitations of a storyline on safety (21:30); how things were virtually the same managing NASCAR's PR during its mid-2000s boom (26:00); what working among the Daytona brain trust was like and learning the history (28:00); being active in the site location and selection process for the NASCAR Hall of Fame (30:30); a 2001 on-track memory that encapsulated the yin and yang of NASCAR (31:30); the PR failure that was the Car of Tomorrow and the role that drivers played in it (33:30); how the dynamics of team, driver and manufacturer councils have had an impact (35:30); striking a balance between legislating driver behavior and staying true to the roots (37:30); a fine that Ramsey wishes never had been issued (38:30); the course correction of “Boys, Have At It” (42:00); two lessons learned about the plight of working with underdog teams (43:45); thoughts on interim NASCAR CEO Jim France (46:00).
The first female driver to win a pole position and race in the NASCAR K&N Series on how she gravitated toward NASCAR (1:45); if she had any desire to race dirt bikes like her famous father, Brian (2:55); the occupational hazards of being in freestyle motocross and whether dad discouraged her from doing it (3:55): how being raised at the track made her want to race (4:25); her memories of dad’s many near-death experiences and life-saving surgeries (5:25); her first win as an 8-year-old (6:45); the numerous times that Hailie’s off-road vehicles were on fire (8:00); her career plan for NASCAR (8:30); why she is comfortable with the media, particularly on social, and how she learned from her father’s interviews (9:30); why Hailie graduated from high school two years early and has no regrets (10:30); the hours and effort she puts into her racing career (11:30); the balance of Hailie’s mellow and super aggressive sides (14:30); the chances that she might drive for Kyle Busch someday (15:30); her Steve Phelps connection (16:30); how she deals with those who might look at her as a girl before a race car driver (17:00); the bump and run that secured her historic victory in Idaho (17:30) how she thinks her teammate, Cole Rouse, felt about it (18:30); her response to Cole’s surprising offer on Twitter (20:00); her outlook for the rest of the season (21:00).
The Xfinity Series chamiponship contender on why capitalizing on opportunities has been the key to his career season (1:00); why communication is important for his team, even between his daughter and crew members (4:00); the special helmet that he is wearing through the playoffs and designed by his daughter (6:00) and why it’ll mean rainbows and unicorns all the way through the playoffs (8:00); the Allgaier family’s love for graphic design (9:30); how Justin was influenced by his grandfather, a World War II Navy veteran (10:30); Justin’s business in making graphics and lettering for race cars (12:30); on being miserable for two years of irrelevancy in Cup (13:30); the fortunate twist of fate that led to his ride at JR Motorsports (16:00); what the right opportunity would look like if he had the chance to return to Cup (18:00); the special connection with his primary sponsor (19:30); his frustration but understanding of the lack of Cup prospects (20:45); on his cancer scare this year (22:45); being comfortable with raising awareness about his need for a colonoscopy (24:15).
The president and CEO of Speedway Motorsports Inc. on Charlotte Motor Speedway's new road course being the talk of the playoffs (1:00), whether the goal was to freak out drivers about how treacherous the track might be? (2:45); why drivers seemingly have bought into the Roval as a good thing even if it makes them uncomfortable (5:00); whether it proves what might be perceived as bad for drivers is good for fans (6:00); on the resistance he faced to the Roval (8:15); Mario Andretti’s involvement with the road course and how Marcus secured the Porsche 918 to put him on track (10:00); Mario’s three pieces of Roval feedback (12:00); how Marcus came up with the Roval idea for the Cup Series (14:00); on if there were any moments of doubt it wouldn't work (16:45); the appeal of road courses as the new short tracks (19:45); could this be a blueprint for street races? (21:30); will the drafting/All-Star Race package be coming to the 2019 Coca-Cola 600? (25:00); should NASCAR pull back on the drafting package because the racing has been better lately? (26:45); how Charlotte’s new synthetic turf should help with crashes and is it headed to other tracks? (29:30).
The new first-time Xfinity Series race winner on addressing Chip Ganassi Racing after his Las Vegas victory and the many questions he asks to stay preoccupied (1:00); the surreal feeling of lapping cars and the mistakes of letting one by (5:00); why a nice guy makes so many other guys angry and why he races his competitors so hard (7:30); where things stand with Kevin Harvick (12:30); has he met Chip Ganassi yet? (13:45); correcting some Wikipedia inaccuracies about Ross' life, starting with the racing history of his dad and grandfather (16:00); why he wants to return to watermelon farming after racing (20:30); the risks of being a watermelon farmer (22:30); the story behind JDI (24:00); when Ross got fired four years ago, and his career seemed over (26:30); why he is OK with driving without being paid (31:00); the best (or worst) sponsorship story he has (34:00); could Chip Ganassi Racing or DC Solar help him beyond Richmond? (36:15); can he win the championship with JD Motorsports? (37:25)
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver on the curious dichotomy of the big sprint car event but small sprint car scene in his native state of Oklahoma (1:00); his big break in racing and its tie to Kyle Larson (3:00); how a resemblance to a World of Outlaws helped him (5:00); as did Larson’s departure from a Toyota ride (5:50); the good and bad of following a first-class talent (6:45); why Christopher isn’t that interested in the attention that comes with his job (7:45); how he keeps his hand in dirt racing while running NASCAR (8:30); on why he’d be happy running both dirt and pavement for the foreseeable future (11:00); the potential for running Xfinity and Cup on dirt (12:15) and the tracks that he thinks could handle it (14:15); some suggestions on equipment and schedule modifications for running NASCAR on dirt (15:00); his chances in the Xfinity playoffs (15:45).
The NASCAR on NBC analyst helps break down some of NBCSports.com's new playoff power rankings, including how he would rank crew chiefs (1:45); the ways he ran his Cup teams (4:00); his methodology for evaluating crew chiefs on strategy (6:00); what makes good leaders (9:45); who leads the team more, crew chief or driver (11:30); the importance of time efficiency and delegation (12:45); who is the best crew chief in NASCAR (15:00); the definition of driver talent (16:30); who is the best driver in the pits (17:50) and in team engagement (18:30); why did no one catch up to the Big 3 in the regular season (19:30); the puzzling disparity between Stewart-Haas Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing (23:00); can Chevrolet turn it around with the new Camaro? (24:00); the importance of collaboration (27:30).
After spending a few dozen hours in a Charlotte courthouse covering the legal saga for NBCSports.com, NASCAR Talk editor Dustin Long provides his analysis and insight on why BK Racing filed for bankruptcy (1:30); what former owner Ron Devine’s plan was to keep control of the team (4:15); the process of appointing a trustee (6:00); what were the chances of Ron Devine getting the team back without a sale? (9:45); given the outcome, would Devine have had a better option than Chapter 11? (12:15); explaining the bidding process for BK Racing (13:30); what amount was the court hoping the team would fetch instead of a bid it called “disappointing”? (15:00); the plan ahead for BK Racing and Front Row Motorsports (18:45); reassessing where this leaves the charter system (21:00); what court filings revealed about the purse structures (23:30); can a team make money while running on a shoestring budget under the charter system? (27:00); the challenge of balancing income with performance (31:00).
The Hendrick Motorsports driver on his love of University of Georgia football (1:00), why he took the words of coach Kirby Smart to heart (1:45), the motivational tactics of football coaches (2:30), whether he ever ponders having gone to college to have a rooting interest (4:30), his relationship with Jimmie Johnson and the in-depth conversations they've had (6:30), how he played a role in putting his father, Bill, in the upcoming Road America race (9:00), the email he sent Bill Elliott with driving tips for the track (10:30), stepping into a more featured role in national advertisements (12:30), what he's learned and appreciates about Dale Earnhardt Jr. as a high-profile spokesman (13:45), if he has plans to seize control of his brand in future (16:30), why he believes his team can find another gear as it did the past two seasons heading into the playoffs (18:00).
The Motorsports Analytics founder on Chase Elliott’s first win and why it’s the perfect representation of stylized, modern-day NASCAR (2:00); the impact of restarts on Elliott’s results and why this part of the schedule fits him well (4:00); why David doesn’t think Chase Elliott necessarily has been struggling this season (7:00); when the trend of “stylized racing” began in NASCAR (8:30); the importance of restarts in talent evaluation (9:30); why underrating Chase Elliott changed David’s opinion on evaluating Late Model drivers (11:30); where Elliott was ranked in K&N in 2011-12 and why he’s been a late bloomer compared with others' results (14:00); why USAC might be underrated for evaluation (17:00); defining PEER, the key stat David uses in driver evaluation (19:00); what some eye-popping passing stats say about whether Jimmie Johnson remains as good as ever despite his slump (21:00); why David believes engineers are undervalued vs. pit crew members (25:00); reaching the physical limits of a pit stop (32:00); could we have seen The Big Three coming last year … (35:00); … and how much of its success is rooted in driver ability? (36:30); Kyle Larson’s greatness (37:30); Denny Hamlin’s strange season (39:30); who is the fourth driver who will join The Big Three in the championship round (41:00)
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver on his inquisitive nature and a funny anecdote about the question he asked at his first go-kart race that opened some important doors (4:15); how Daniel brought his father, Alejandro, into racing (7:15); his big break on the Mexico racing scene (11:00); why he feels gracious to have gotten the opportunities he did (18:00); the story behind a vintage bus he bought for his family (21:00); what leaving them behind in his home country was like (27:00); the arduous process of obtaining a green card and whether U.S. citizenship is an eventual goal (29:00); how that has informed and shaped his views on immigration (36:30); learning English through books, cartoons and movies (38:30); the interesting backstory of his manager, Gustavo (40:30); the raucous reception he received in his home country after winning the Xfinity championship (44:30); and his chances at getting his first Cup win at Michigan International Speedway this weekend (46:30).
The Hendrick Motorsports founder on his vast collection of music memorabilia (from Lady Gaga to Led Zeppelin) and vintage cars (more than 200); his love of the 1967 Corvette; the personal shrine he built to the people and places that shaped his life; how he manages overseeing an automotive dealership empire and four race teams; why Hendrick Motorsports has slumped in 2018; and how he reflects on realizing his dreams.
The CEO of Roush Yates Engines on the background and history of his family's business; the fierce and fun rivalry between his late father and eventual partner Jack Roush; his best memories of Hall of Famer Robert Yates, the glory days of Robert Yates Racing with Davey Allison, Ernie Irvan and Dale Jarrett; why believing in drivers was critical to the team's success; the competitive suggestions that Doug Yates texts Ford crew chiefs about during races; and where NASCAR might be headed with engines in the future.
The 2015 Cup Series champion in a wide-ranging conversation on:
--His love of the Denver Broncos;
--The time he almost met Tom Brady (twice) on vacation and what he wants to ask him about maintaining his status as an elite pro athlete;
--How his son, Brexton, already is resembling Kyle's all-or-nothing desire to win;
--The workload he and wife Samantha share in running Kyle Busch Motorsports;
--Through their foundation's Bundle of Joy program, how Kyle and Samantha have helped couples battling infertility;
--The couple’s famous dance moves and the raging party on their wedding night;
--What it was like getting booed as an 18-year-old for just having a last name;
--Whether he plans to follow the advice of teammate Denny Hamlin and stop engaging the haters on Twitter;
--The catharsis he finds in putting his detractors on blast through social media;
--His blunt style and why he has no qualms about calling out his truck teams;
--The bond he feels with his fan base and the frustration of being unable to fulfill every fan’s request;
--Why he considers himself an old school racer;
--What he would have wanted to discuss with Dale Earnhardt;
--How he was just as consumed as Dale Earnhardt Jr. by their feud;
--His rationale for why he was displeased Ricky Stenhouse Jr. didn't call after their Daytona wreck;
--On the role his father played in mentoring him as a racer and how it could apply to his son.
The minority owner of Chip Ganassi Racing discusses his background in motorsports and his ideas about for how NASCAR and teams can build a better business model, the trickiness of evaluating what makes a good race, his reaction to reports of a NASCAR sale and how it would impact the RTA, the importance of eSports in NASCAR's future, and his RK Motors business that restores and resells vintage and performance cars.
The man in charge of NASCAR's most famous racetrack on his diverse background in motorsports, his success at Darlington Raceway with the Southern 500 throwback weekend, the time he didn't attend his first NASCAR race at Daytona 20 years ago, Daytona's harried seven-month schedule, playing hoops with NASCAR stars, some ideas being tried at for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 weekend and the challenges of getting the varied interests of the NASCAR industry on the same page.
The intrepid reporter for ESPN.com on his approach to court reporting and eliciting information; the subjects whom he has angered and later mended fences with; the origins of his dogged work ethic and tireless dedication to the craft; how social media both turned his professional life upside down but also made it easier; how he generates enterprise stories and why he believes NASCAR needs more of them; the impact of the shrinking of the newspaper industry on NASCAR coverage; and when he finally is getting married.
The NASCAR Hall of Famer on doing some vintage racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with old friend Bill Elliott; watching his protegee Jeff Gordon's HOF election; a funny anecdote about his induction celebration last year; what he thinks about the new aero/horsepower rules package that has stirred debate in NASCAR; and the development of the new batch of up and coming stars in stock cars.
The ThorSport Racing driver on growing up (and living in) Louisville, Kentucky, and his childhood memories of the Kentucky Derby; how he got involved in racing and his family connection to Jeff Gordon; why he's going back to school for an associate's degree in HVAC (and a pilot's license); how his 2018 season is going; why he believes he can run for a championship; the advantages of having a team based in Sandusky, Ohio; going through media training as a young driver and the importance of telling his story.
The American engineer spent 12 years in Formula One working for Williams, Sauber and Red Bull before returning to his home country last year. Joseph discusses his time in F1 living in Europe, working with world-class drivers and on groundbreaking projects. He also sheds light on spearheading the development of Ford's Mustang that will make its Cup debut in 2019 and why the final year of the Fusion is going so well for Kevin Harvick and other drivers.
Breaking down Alexander Rossi's brilliant drive from 32nd, the debate over whether changes are needed to bring more passing next year, Danica Patrick's final ride and the "what if" of her IndyCar career; and what the victory means to Will Power.
The IndyCar driver on how and why he became a popular star, why the IndyCar Series needs a villain, an expanded explanation on why the Indianapolis 500 shouldn't count toward the championship, what this week has been like after missing the race, why the pit stop competition was important to his team, what he will be doing Sunday during the race and why he might be going incognito Saturday night.
The Team Penske driver on his epic pranks with teammate Josef Newgarden, the following he has built through his lighter side on social media, his up-and-down 2018 season, how he think the Indianapolis 500 will unfold and the epic celebration he would have if he won it.
The managing director of competition and innovation on the nuts and bolts behind NASCAR's new high-tech Optical Scanning Station inspection system: How it was developed, how it was rolled out, how many teams have them and how teams helped with its construction. Also, Probst discusses his varied background in racing before NASCAR, a path that went through Formula One, Ford's ChampCar and NASCAR programs, Red Bull Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing.
The 2016 Daytona 500 champion and the 2014 FedEx Cup champion compare notes on NASCAR and the PGA; and then Hamlin discusses his future business plans (including a hamburger joint), the 2018 season and those speeding penalties, the return of Matt Kenseth and what Denny would shoot from the pro tees at TPC Sawgrass.
The 19-year-old Xfinity Series driver on growing up in a racing family and around the Indianapolis 500, his varied and versatile background, his future goals, the controversy with Kaz Grala and how he took being called the most punchable face in NASCAR.
The NBC Sports analyst on some highlights from this year's six-day trip, which will take 225 riders from Portland, Maine, to Greensboro, North Carolina, and will make stops at Woodstock, the Martin Guitar factory, a Harley-Davidson factory, the Manheim Auto Action (the world's largest), the Petty Museum and the Victory Junction Gang Camp.
Also, Kyle on his recent concerts and how he learned to play guitar.
The GoFas Racing driver on his season-best 16th at Richmond; his excellent relationship (and surprising backstory) with new crew chief Randy Cox; whether Ryan Preece's recent Xfinity success make him wish he could go back in time to his 2009-10 stint at Joe Gibbs Racing; his All-Star Race fan vote campaign and his chances at Talladega.
The former Cup crew chief and NASCAR America analyst on working on drag racing and other series in his new role, what it's been like working with Kyle Busch as an ally instead of competitor and his memories of being a crew chief and tire changer in the same race.
On the competitive and economic challenges of being a midpack Cup team, how he went from owning a landscaping business to managing a NASCAR team and his best stories of The King and Sandra Bullock.
The Xfinity Series driver on his long road (and struggle) to gain a foothold in NASCAR, his outspokenness on social media and blogging and his ideas for making team ownership more financially sustainable.
The Team Penske driver discusses his new role on TV, why he is skeptical of autonomous cars, how being a father has changed him, why he is more willing to speak out and the intriguing origins of his last name.
The Team Penske driver on veterans being "jealous" of youthful stars, his respect for Kyle Busch's team owner savvy, the future of electric racing and a story about being the unknown kid who spun Tony Stewart.
The NBC Sports analyst on how NASCAR can rebuild its short-track roots, why the K&N, truck and Xfinity series might overlap too much, the case for bringing the All-Star Race to Nashville or South Boston and why more healthy debate is needed in NASCAR.
The Motorsports Analytics founder on which crew chiefs are calling the best strategies and what the numbers showed from the West Coast Swing.
The NASCAR Hall of Famer and NBC Sports analyst on the sweet spot of a Cup driver's career, what it's like facing performance and retirement questions at the end of a career and why it might be hard for a four-time champion to grapple with being a first-ballot NASCAR Hall of Famer.
The NBCSN analyst and NASCAR driver on Ford dominance; rear windows and NASCAR on Reddit; how teams value drivers; his season; the truck series' dynamic new engines and Tide Pods.
The four-time champion and Fox analyst on the need for drama and emotions from drivers; his thoughts on a potential induction to the NASCAR Hall of Fame; the best race he ever ran; Lewis Hamilton's Daytona 500 prospects; whether his kids will race; his origins at Hendrick Motorsports and what he does with the team now.
The NASCAR on NBC analyst talks blocking, drafting and mistakes made in the Daytona 500, contrasts the plate racing styles of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon, offers his take on Bubba Wallace vs. Denny Hamlin, explains what's at stake for Hendrick Motorsports and why this is the most terrifying week of the season for crew chiefs.
Austin Dillon and the No. 3 return to Daytona victory lane on the anniversary of Dale Earnhardt's death; Bubba Wallace gives Richard Petty a historic ride for the ages; and what was with all that blocking? Dustin Long and Nate Ryan analyze a wild 60th running of the Daytona 500.
The defending Daytona 500 winner on his celebration with Rob Gronkowski, delivering a ring to Tony Stewart, sneaking into short tracks, contract negotiation hurdles and his stature in NASCAR entering his 18th season.
Freelance racing journalist Brant James and Jordan Bianchi of SB Nation discuss what was learned Sunday at Daytona, where Alex Bowman won the pole position and Brad Keselowski captured The Clash.
A conversation with Rick Houston, author of "Dale vs. Daytona," about chronicling one of NASCAR's most epic sagas of driver and racetrack.
The No. 24 crew chief on working with phenom William Byron, the personal and professional decisions that went into returning to the road and some new approaches at Hendrick Motorsports.
The statistical guru provides his impressions of NASCAR in 2018, including why Erik Jones and William Byron were good moves, his championship favorites and the chances of Martin Truex Jr. repeating his title.
The defending Cup series champion on rooting for the Eagles at his first Super Bowl, the decision to take less to stay at Furniture Row Racing and the Odd Couple dynamics that make his title team tick.
The greatest hits of our second season, featuring myriad NASCAR drivers, crew chiefs, executives and NBC Sports analysts.
The SiriusXM radio host and indie-rock legend returns to discuss who is best: Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt or Jimmie Johnson? ... how to fix the All-Star Race ... returning NASCAR to its roots ... the best driving songs ... and is rock and roll dead?
The IndyCar Series champion on his infatuation with NASCAR, how Team Penske shares ideas and technology across its racing series, what Danica Patrick's chances are at the 2018 Indy 500 and why his offseason has been busy.
The NASCAR on NBCSN analyst handicaps the Championship 4, reviews the overlooked moment when things came apart at Phoenix for Denny Hamlin and reflects on the final ride for his former driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The Richard Petty Motorsports driver with some news on the No. 43, getting to know The King, the anxiety of waiting to race again in the Cup Series, his social media persona and his friendships with Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott and other youthful stars.
The Furniture Row Racing rookie on how the competition level of the Cup Series has surprised him, his famous mullet, being from small-town America and his quest to buy a special car that belonged to his late father.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver on why he plans to step away from Cup in 2018, his disappointing 2017 season, his happy (and expanding) family life and his enjoyment in biking and running.
The director of vehicle engineering for Hendrick Motorsports discusses her career path from F1 to IndyCar to NASCAR and the differences between each series.
The technical director of Toyota Racing Development on his long history with Jeff Gordon, his role in a memorable Dale Earnhardt victory, working with Juan Pablo Montoya at the 2000 Indianapolis 500 and what makes Toyota's success possible
The crew chief for Kurt Busch on his memories of the incomparable Alan Kulwicki, being on (and being booed with) Jeff Gordon's legendary Rainbow Warriors team and why he is ready to wind down from life on the road after three decades.
The NASCAR on NBC analyst on the differences between cheating and pushing the rules, why teams ask NASCAR for tighter officiating but struggle to comply and a shift toward heavier deterrence models
The Hendrick Motorsports driver on how he helped Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Twitter game, the advice he's gotten from the Most Popular Driver whose ride he will fill next year and the long road he has traveled to NASCAR.
The Supercars driver for DJR Team Penske on what it's like racing in Australia's top motor sports series and his aspirations to try stock cars in the future.
The Roush Fenway Racing driver on his first playoff, watching dirt with Danica and Kyle Larson and his Mississippi roots.
The NASCAR on NBC analyst discusses what irked him about the Chase Elliott penalty, the state of Hendrick Motorsports after a crew chief change, Kyle Busch's pit crew and Brad Keselowski's outspoken stance on Toyota.
Candid conversations -- much of it outside of NASCAR -- with Ryan Blaney, Austin Dillon, Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne, Chase Elliott, Ryan Newman and Matt Kenseth.
Candid conversations -- much of it outside of NASCAR -- with Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick.
The NASCAR president on his origins in racing, the narratives in NASCAR he'd like to change and what's ahead in a world of younger stars and autonomous cars.
The crew chief for Martin Truex Jr. on the unique and anti-establishment style of his Furniture Row Racing team that has taken NASCAR by storm this season.
The NASCAR Hall of Famer on why the Southern 500 has become a can't-miss event, his recent return to racing, how he knew his skills had diminished so much it was time to retire and his advice to young drivers.
The Stewart-Haas Racing driver on his Darlington paint scheme, his suggestions for improving the at-track experience and his life as a new dad at home.
The couple explain how they juggle the fast-paced road lifestyle of raising a young daughter with racing tractors (for PK's Red Blooded Binder team http://bit.ly/2g9e5Nk) while working on NASCAR on NBC's coverage team.
Despite an uncertain NASCAR future, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver says she is in a place of zen about life. She explains her secrets to staying happy and fulfilled, as well as what else she has cooking outside the race car these days.
The Chip Ganassi Racing driver on why veteran drivers are embracing fitness, why he loves observing social media but doesn't use it and why the NASCAR Drivers Council hasn't worked as he expected.
The upstart driver for Go Fas Racing discusses his goofy persona, his friendship with Dale Earnhardt Jr. (who loves butchering DiBenedetto's last name) and life on an underdog team.
The racing superstar on enjoying his new life post-NASCAR, from racing on dirt tracks to driving his team's T-shirt truck
The general manager of the famous dirt track explains how the NASCAR Camping World Series came to tiny Rossburg, Ohio, if the Cup Series might be next and what it's like working for Tony Stewart.
The NBCSN analyst and veteran crew chief talks about the leap of faith he took to get started in NASCAR, his victories in the Cup Series and the rigorous demands of leading a race team.
The high-ranking executive explains what's in store for NASCAR's next technology-based Gen 7 model (and when); his upbringing in Egypt, how NASCAR can grow internationally; how driver council and industry meetings work; possible changes for stages and the overtime line; and why NASCAR's stars could use more swagger.
In a special longform-style episode, four members of the No. 20 crew explain the intricacies, intensity and injuries involved during the 11 seconds of chaos in a NASCAR pit stop.
The newest member of the NASCAR on NBC broadcast team explains how pit stops are similar to Olympic sprinting, his love of all things involving speed and what he hopes to learn covering racing.
The veteran of NASCAR, sports cars, IndyCar and F1 discusses his long history in racing, his friendship with Jimmie Johnson and his business that made steering wheels for every starter in the 2017 Daytona 500.
The Chevrolet Racing program manager Alba Colon discusses her fond memories of being teased and toughened by Dale Earnhardt, the success in getting Chevy Cup teams to collaborate more successfully this year with new technology, her position as one of the more powerful women in NASCAR and her efforts to attract women and minorities to engineering jobs in racing.
The director of competition for Team Penske provides a glimpse behind the scenes of the daily machinations (and last-minute changes) on a Cup team, why he has to know the rulebook as well as anyone and what makes Roger Penske tick.
The head of Ford's racing program on how technology and simulation benefits his NASCAR teams' results, the secrets that are shared and not shared among teams and the future of racing entering an era of autonomous cars.
The 30-time winner in the IndyCar Series on why you never will find him on a Taco Bell run, tales of Dale Jr.’s former motorhome and the difficulty of finding a great game of squash. Oh, also he sizes up the 101st Indianapolis 500.
The NASCAR on NBC analyst on the behind-the-scenes origins of stage racing, why drivers never are trying as hard as they think they can and how this format could spread to other forms of racing.
The NASCAR on NBC motocross host recaps the latest Motocross playoffs, including drama at the last race, explains NBC Sports' new OTT product, NBC Sports Gold, plus he dives into the most popular driver debate in NASCAR and why Jimmie Johnson isn't the heir to Dale Jr.
The NASCAR on NBC analyst on some goofy stops he’ll be making on his annual charity ride (world’s largest ball of twine!), the people he loves to see while seeing America and some observations of when the racing actually was about the money.
The NASCAR on NBC reporter discusses how she fell into racing (and her fiance’s connections to the industry), her rugged introduction to off-road racing, the nuances of covering IndyCar vs. NASCAR and her experiences with the Olympics and the Westminster Dog Show.
The NASCAR veteran and member of a famous racing family discusses his driving career, including his miracle run to the 2011 Daytona 500, reminisces about his surprise (and successful) debut as truck series jack man and laughs about his younger brother’s first showdown with Tony Stewart.
The NBCSN analyst and former crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr. on his reaction to watching his former driver’s retirement announcement, some of his favorite memories with Dale Jr. and why he strongly disagrees with the contention that NASCAR is in trouble after the exits of Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart.
The NBCSN analyst on why stage racing has been better than he expected (as well as a throwback in some ways), the “selfish” new stars of NASCAR and why that’s good, his outspokenness on Indy and road courses and how working as a booth analyst is different from the studio.
The Texas Motor Speedway president on his track’s new repaving project that debuts this weekend, the underlying need for ill will in NASCAR and the impact of the motorhome lot.
The longtime NASCAR journalist and founder of JeffGluck.com provides the backstory of how he captured the video that went viral of Kyle Busch taking a punch at Joey Logano. Jeff also explains the how and why behind his decision to go into the media industry for himself.
The NBCSN analyst and former crew chief explains how he might have handled the Las Vegas postrace altercation between Kyle Busch and Joey Logano, provides an intriguing theory on the spate of speeding penalties and offers perspective on the low-downforce rules for 2017.
Toyota Racing Development president David Wilson and Calty Design Research’s Kevin Hunter and Ian Cartabiano explain the intriguing backstory of how the 2018 Camry took an unusual path to appearing on the racetrack ahead of the showroom.
Dustin Long and Nate Ryan break down the Kyle Busch-Joey Logano fight, what NASCAR should do and the role of pit crews in fighting.
The three-time champion crew chief reflects on his first win in the Daytona 500 with Jeff Gordon 20 years later, the impact that Dale Earnhardt had on his life and career and the legacy that the No. 24 created in NASCAR.
The broadcaster and three-time Cup champion discuss how drivers’ relationships with NASCAR have changed, the debut of stage racing, his Hall of Fame memories, his on-air rapport with Jeff Gordon and his future in TV.
The NBC Sports pit reporter and his son (who races in the Camping World Truck Series for Kyle Busch Motorsports) discuss life in a motorsports family, the challenges of being a young driver looking for sponsorship and the amusing story of why Marty never raced cars for living.
The defending Daytona 500 winner reflects on last year’s signature victory and if it has changed visits to his hometown (no), the incredible chain of events that led him to the Cup Series and why he has such an outspoken role on the Drivers Council.
Jimmie Johnson’s crew chief for a record-tying run of seven championships discusses his love of cycling, an offseason trip to Uruguay with his wife, the importance of car chief Ron Malec, his legacy/future and the three people he called on the night of his title last November.
The championship-winning crew chief for Kevin Harvick discusses his team’s daunting offseason switch to Ford, why Stewart-Haas Racing’s partnership with Hendrick Motorsports ran its course, his team’s quest to put a target on its back again, how he pushes Harvick’s buttons, his former life as an aspiring driver and how racing impacts his family life.
The NASCAR America host discusses how she got into NASCAR, her time covering the New England Patriots, what it's like working with Kyle Petty and Dale Jarrett on a regular basis, her connection to Daytona and why an orange cone mattered immensely in NFL preseason.
The former crew chief analyzes the new NASCAR race format, how the adjustments will impact both drivers and fans alike, and why he believes it’s a step in the right direction.
The Motorsports Analytics founder discusses his “Welcome to 2016, Part 2” column that asks why NASCAR teams weren’t making major changes entering the 2017 season … and assesses what we can expect this year as a result.
Nate and NASCARTalk Editor Dustin Long sit down to discuss Carl Edwards' abrupt departure from full-time racing, what was surprising about his press conference and what to expect from Daniel Suarez.
57 episodes, 12 active NASCAR drivers, three Hall of Famers, two F1 drivers, and countless contributors helped us finish one amazing first season of the NASCAR on NBC podcast. Take a look back at a selection of our favorite clips from the season.
The SiriusXM radio host and college radio legend discusses his lifelong roots in NASCAR, his zany approach to his irreverent “Manifold Destiny” show and how he applied his musical talent to racing.
The NBC Sports motocross host and Racer X online editor offers his perspective on Monster Energy’s arrival as the new title sponsor for NASCAR, exploring what the edgy brand might mean for stock-car racing.
The “Godfather” of Ford Performance discusses his ambassadorial role in NASCAR, the addition of Tony Stewart next season and his bonds with F1 legend Jackie Stewart.
The Stewart-Haas Racing driver discusses her new Warrior clothing line and upcoming book, her frustration and sadness with a disappointing 2016 season, friends with kids, political tweets and Tony Stewart.
NBC Sports motorsports writers Dustin Long and Nate Ryan analyze the championship field for Sunday’s finale, touching on Carl Edwards’ motorhome breakdown, Jimmie Johnson’s disappointing qualifying effort, Joey Logano’s nonstop smiling and Kyle Busch’s swagger.
The Motorsports Analytics founder provides a deep statistical dive into handicapping the Championship 4 for the season finale, explaining why restarts might determine whether Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson or Joey Logano wins the title.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver on what life has been like as a dad, his misadventures in cycling and sandwich-making and his recent turnaround in the 2016 NASCAR season.
The outspoken Texas Motor Speedway president on why his track is pumping out Chuck Norris memes this week, his parting gift for Tony Stewart (not ponies) and his thoughts on some hot topics in NASCAR.
NASCAR’s statistical guru handicaps the Round of 8 in the Chase for the Sprint Cup and offers a behind-the-scenes look at how crew chiefs and drivers are using analytics in the Sprint Cup Series.
The Haas F1 drivers discuss their team’s impressive debut in Formula One, their expectations for a home race in Austin and their dreams of racing a NASCAR stock car in the future.
The Sprint Cup drivers discuss their disappointing 2016 seasons, what they’ve learned from the adversity and what lies ahead in their careers.
The Roush Fenway Racing president on how Red Sox owner John Henry entered the Sprint Cup Series, the behind-the-scenes wheeling and dealing with NASCAR on the landmark charter deal and how car owner Jack Roush’s role has evolved.
The founder of JHE Production explains the minute-by-minute mechanics of orchestrating NASCAR’s elaborate prerace festivities (driver introductions, concerts etc.). The hits, misses and lessons from 30 years of massive logistical undertakings with musicians, marching bands and NASCAR stars.
NASCAR’s most famous but unknown satirist on how he got his start, his approach and process to poking fun at Sprint Cup stars, the jokes that succeeded and bombed and his relationship with the drivers he often ridicules.
The recently named chief marketing officer on the “gateway drug” to NASCAR fandom, the new promotional initiatives around the 2016 playoffs and the trick of promoting future stars before they’re successful.
The Richard Childress Racing driver on enjoying his first appearance in the Chase, throwing out the first pitch for a White Sox game and how he snapped the perfect engagement photo.
The wife of 2014 Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick discusses the growth of their management company, KHI, raising a child in the social media spotlight and the balance of a NASCAR star's personal and professional life.
The NBCSN analyst explains what he learned about Kevin Harvick in the 2014 champion’s hometown, assesses the 2016 Chase, plus he discusses sponsor reads and answers Twitter questions.
The most recent first-time Sprint Cup winner and Chip Ganassi Racing driver recalls how his life changed overnight as a rising star in USAC five years ago, his ‘huge disappointments’ in the economic realities of NASCAR teams and why he still loves dirt racing despite its inherent dangers.
The legendary broadcaster discusses his memory of last year’s Southern 500 throwback broadcast, his return this year, his literate style and his love of Darlington Raceway.
The new Camping World Truck Series winner on switching teams after a turbulent year, staying grounded amidst the support of NASCAR superstars and growing up in the France family.
The six-time Sprint Cup champion explains the responsibilities of attaching your name to a charitable foundation, details his family’s summer of fun in Aspen, Colorado; dissects the 2016 challenges for Hendrick Motorsports; and discusses what might lie ahead after NASCAR.
The three-time Sprint Cup champion and co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing extols the virtues of country living, explains why the time feels right to leave NASCAR after this season and answers whether he ever would consider buying Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The director of NBC Sports’ NASCAR race broadcasts discusses the “controlled chaos” of working in a production truck, his favorite stories from 35 years in NASCAR TV, how he’s seen the presentation and technology change and much more.
The president of Toyota Racing Development discusses the company’s current successes (and past rough patches) in NASCAR despite logistical challenges, his personal life in the military and as a Lost in Translation fan, how auto racing can stay relevant to 21st century youth, and much more.
The Camping World Truck Series rookie discusses the importance of running on a simulator, his comfort in running on dirt again at Eldora, his wild victory celebrations.
The Hendrick Motorsports rookie sensation recalls his memories of celebrating his father’s 2002 Brickyard 400 victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, his newfound love of flying and his impressive first season in Sprint Cup.
The Xfinity Series driver for Chip Ganassi Racing on his persistence in earning a shot in NASCAR, the time he spend working as a cameraman for Dartfish and his almost win at Talladega. Motorsports researcher Chris Lees drops by afterward to talk about the rising crop of youth talent and how it relates to a milestone this weekend at New Hampshire.
The NBC Sports feature reporter discusses how he found his way into motorsports, the differences between plaid and flannel, his unconventional approach to the job and his love of the automobile.
The general manager for Hendrick Motorsports explains how he helps guide the competitive direction of the teams of Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chase Elliott and Kasey Kahne and the challenges of being a successful organization in the Sprint Cup Series.
The lead race announcer for NBC Sports’ NASCAR Sprint Cup and Xfinity Series race coverage on his circuitous route to racing (through world-class decathlon competitions and the voice of University of Nebraska football), how he handles the serious and uncertain moments of racing (while also embracing its chaos) and what it’s like to have several people simultaneously talking in your earpiece.
The JTG Daugherty Racing driver on his Northern California roots, how his team is approaching the road-course races differently this season and why a bad round of golf confirmed he finally had found a home in the Sprint Cup Series.
The Front Row Motorsports driver on his unconventional plans for promotion in social media, being named NASCAR's most stylish driver, how the 10,000-hour theory applies to racing and more.
The first Mexican-born driver to win in a NASCAR national series discusses his breakthrough Xfinity Series victory at Michigan International Speedway.
The NASCAR America host discusses her approach to the job., how she went from shutting off the transmitter at a small radio station to covering NASCAR, her Iowa background and tractor pulling..
The 2012 Sprint Cup champ offers insight on an eventful Pocono, the Drivers Council dynamism, the joy of growing up in Detroit, assessing the All-Star Race, his views on journalism and Team Penske philosophies.
The newly elected NASCAR Hall of Famer discusses his latest honor, his career and how he transitioned out of racing to the next stage of life.
The hosts of The Morning Drive discuss the dynamics of their SiriusXM Satellite Radio show and their lives on and off the air.
The past two Indianapolis 500 winners and the legendary former crew chief comprise a tripleheader guest lineup to preview a Memorial Day weekend racing tripleheader.
The legendary team owner, who has a record 16 Indianapolis 500 victories along with titles in IndyCar and NASCAR, discusses his origins, his accomplishments and the future of racing.
The Daytona 500 winner dissects the impact of new rules and strategies in the Sprint All-Star Race. The NASCAR editor for NBCSports.com analyzes Kyle Larson's decisions at Dover.
The NBC Sports analyst recaps the highlights of his 22nd annual charity ride and riffs on rides past and future. The outspoken Petty also weighs in on racing at Talladega and the NASCAR Hall of Fame vote.
The Team Penske president on how he helped achieve Roger Penske's vision of bringing his IndyCar and NASCAR teams under the same roof, its plans for the future and the wisdom of its venerable owner.
The NASCAR on NBC Sports analysts analyze a wild race at Talladega Superspeedway, a rash of steering problems, the brilliance of Brad Keselowski and driving while talking on national TV.
The Fox Sports analyst and two-time Daytona 500 winner discusses returning to race this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.
The 2011 Daytona 500 winner on his career ups and downs, and NASCAR's most successful female driver discusses her connection to kids, her 2016 season, Tony Stewart and more.
The NBCSN reporter and announcer for NASCAR and motocross discusses the myriad intersections of racing on two wheels vs. four.
Our guest is the NBC Sports analyst and NASCAR Hall of Famer, who discusses Kyle Busch, his relationships with the Earnhardts, his legacy and his friendship with Charles Barkley.
Our guests are the NBC Sports analyst with 21 Sprint Cup victories and the president of Texas Motor Speedway.
The NBCSN host leads a discussion of the 2016 season with Parker Kligerman and Nate Ryan.
The Chip Ganassi Racing driver discusses his California roots, courtside seats for the Warriors, traveling with a young family and the importance of social media.
Our guest is the Camping World Truck Series points leader, who discusses several hot-button issues in NASCAR's premier series.
Our guest is the NBC Sports analyst who will return to race Tony Stewart's No. 14 Chevrolet this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Our guests are the third-place finisher in last Friday's truck race at Daytona and the president of Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The analyst and former crew chief discusses the Tony Stewart situation and his memories as Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s crew chief.
The veteran driver and analyst talks Tony Stewart and many other topics in a wide-ranging discussion.