DwD 0558: Listener Question: What is the difference between a “better” driver and a “faster” driver In an earlier podcast, we talked about how Bill is looking to become a faster driver as opposed to becoming a better driver. A few listeners have written in and asked why he said that and if they are the same. While we agree with trying to improve as a driver and getting faster, they can often be the same, but are two distinct aspects of driving and racing. A link to the episode is: https://tinyur...
Mar 12, 2024•21 min•Season 7Ep. 558
GHiT 0557: Scott Robertson on Racing Car Setups and Optimized Data Interpretation Scott Robertson is the co-host of the Track Walking podcast and team member of Robertson Racing. With Scott hosting an upcoming webinar on data interpretation, we couldn’t pass up the chance to talk with him ahead of time. While we hate to impose on fellow podcasters to come on our podcast, every time we talk with Scott he sheds a light on a new aspect of racing and especially race car setups. This episode is no ex...
Mar 11, 2024•1 hr 31 min•Season 7Ep. 557
GHiT 0556: Rally Master Jeff returns to Review the Virginia is for Clunkers Rally and Preview the upcoming Route 66 Rally Jeff Stobbs, Lemons resident Rally Master, returns to review the recent Virginia is for Clunkers rally and all the goings on for the first rally to occur in a single state. Several great entries and several teams are still missing in action. Then we shift over to the upcoming Route 66 rally that is still open for registration. Route 66 is one of the unofficial highlight ralli...
Mar 07, 2024•46 min•Season 7Ep. 556
DwD 0555: Listener Feedback on Towing and Best Pizza We received a bunch of emails and comments related to our Pizza episode and our Towing episode part 1. Ben loves nothing more than passing everyone, but number two may be listener feedback. So, we made a number two episode. I should probably rephrase that. Oh no, too late, its posted. Lol. A link to the episode is: https://tinyurl.com/ TowingAndPizzaFeedback We hope you enjoy this episode! If you would like to help grow our podcast and high-pe...
Mar 05, 2024•23 min•Season 7Ep. 555
GHiT 0554: Waka Motorsports with Rich Russo We were instant fans of the Waka Motorsports YouTube channel and first met Rich Russo and teammates at NJMP and then Thompson on their initial scouting trips to Lemons racing. They race an almost identical car to our Honda Civic and have had quite a few stories in such a short time. We also talk about the upcoming karting contest between our two teams. So if you have ever wondered what a Waka is, its detailed in here and we bet you didn’t guess it corr...
Mar 04, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Season 7Ep. 554
DwD 0553: Brakes: Rotors, Pads, and Bleeding We have already gone deep into the area of brakes, brake pads, fluid etc. with Wendy from Porterfield’s a few years ago but we thought that it may be beneficial to go into the maintenance and replacement of these components and options that you have to replace and service the braking system. A link to the episode is: https://tinyurl.com/BrakesPadRotorsAndBleeding We hope you enjoy this episode! If you would like to help grow our podcast and high-perfo...
Feb 27, 2024•37 min•Season 7Ep. 553
GHiT 0552: Anthony Magagnoli – Record Setting Racing Driver Anthony Magagnoli is a unique combination of racing driver, racing coach, and working for various OEMs on vehicle dynamics and set up. In addition, he runs and owns a coaching service that focuses on improving driver’s performance centered near Michigan. Having set several track records, including at Mid-Ohio, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get into several areas of driving MidO and what he thinks will be the result of the recen...
Feb 26, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 7Ep. 552
DwD 0551: Arrive and Drive – The Hardcore Way Taking a note from the Mighty Car Mods YouTube channel, we take a stab at what we would do for a heroic arrive and drive. On their episode they entered a 24 hour endurance race in another country by building their race car from scratch after they arrived. We decided that sounded like a challenge, so we begin planning how we would do the same. Did we miss something? Do you have a better suggestion? Please let us know. A link to the episode is: https:/...
Feb 20, 2024•25 min•Season 7Ep. 551
GHiT 0550: Celebration with Ross Bentley Helping Our Team Drivers Improve - Santa Style Ross Bentley returns to help celebrate our 550th episode. Ross indulges us in helping refine Vicki’s racing improvement plan for the upcoming season and then helps each of our drivers refine their driver goals and plans for 2024. Since each of our drivers is at a different point in their driving/racing journey, these can be examples of what everyone can take into account to self-assess and then develop your i...
Feb 19, 2024•1 hr 50 min•Season 7Ep. 550
GHiT 0549: ST-4 with Griffin Gamcsik-Uly Griffin Gamcsik-Uly is the Super Touring Director and races in the ST-4 group with NASA Northeast. During this episode, we finally start to break down the various run groups in wheel to wheel (ST) and time trials (TT) as well as what the numbers mean in terms of cars and performance. It turns out that Bill may actually have a car ready to compete in ST and we may be out there with Griffin this summer. Unfortunately, Griffin may have a bit more firepower f...
Feb 13, 2024•58 min•Season 7Ep. 549
DwD 0548: The Pizza Episode – Where is the best pizza, where is the worst pizza, and where is the worst pizza? We welcomed Ben back with one of the most technical question we have ever had. We asked Ben where to get the best pizza? Where is the worst pizza? And finally, what is the most overrated pizza? We did go into pizza types and specific pizza stores. Obviously, you may have a different opinion. If so, please let us know. A link to the episode is: https://tinyurl.com/BestPizzaEtc We hope yo...
Feb 12, 2024•22 min•Season 7Ep. 548
GHiT 0547: Towing and Trailering for Racing-Part 1 While we love almost everything about racing, one thing that is at best a necessary evil is towing. When we started, we knew nothing. If you look at our past towing exploits, we prove that over and over. Besides being expensive, towing errors can be dangerous. This is part one of the episode we needed. We start off with the tow vehicle itself and then start to go into the varieties and needs of the trailer in this part 1 of two(?), still tbd. A ...
Feb 08, 2024•1 hr 41 min•Season 7Ep. 547
DwD 0546: You Are The Stig – How Would You Teach the Guest of the Week This question originated from a listener comment. The premise is that you are the Stig and part of your responsibilities is to teach this week’s guest for their hot lap. What would you do? We discuss. Did we get it correct or do you have a better plan? A link to the episode is: https://tinyurl.com/TheStigTeachesHow We hope you enjoy this episode! If you would like to help grow our podcast and high-performance driving and raci...
Feb 06, 2024•11 min•Season 7Ep. 546
GHiT 0545: Randy Bish Returns for His Second Lap Randy Bish has been a friend for many years, even after his rally car broke down at the starting line near our home and he stayed to “fix” it for longer than the rest of the rally. On this episode, we catch up with how things have been going, what the team The League of Legitimate Nigerian Businessmen have been up to and why he, well so many items always start with “why” with Randy. If you listen, you will understand. A link to the episode is: htt...
Feb 05, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Season 7Ep. 545
DwD 0544: Listener Goals for 2024 We love goals and apparently it is rubbing off on our listeners. We had several write in with their 2024 goals. We congratulate everyone on their goals and add a few suggestions to help with each of the goals mentioned. If you have goals for this season, please let us know. Hopefully this is part one of many. BEST OF LUCK MARY!!!! We are rooting for you every day! A link to the episode is: https://tinyurl.com/2024ListenerGoals We hope you enjoy this episode! If ...
Jan 30, 2024•37 min•Season 7Ep. 544
GHiT 0543: Spec3 Racing with Taylor Johnson We love talking all thing racing and about as many series as we can. Today, we talked with Taylor Johnson about the Spec3 series and how this may be the just the things for your E36 BMW. The series started a few years ago but has recently been seeing significant growth in many areas of the country. It is a very competitive series and has a high level of performance for a low price in terms of both the car build and the consumables. If you are looking t...
Jan 29, 2024•56 min•Season 7Ep. 543
GHiT 0542: Ben Marouski on Racing Mini Cooper’s and FCP Euro Ben Marouski races his Mini Cooper in Grid Life’s GLTC series and is the Director of Creative Services for FCP Euro. During this episode, we talk about all things racing related in Mini Coopers, GLTC, and FCP Euro. If you haven’t seen the Mini Cupper series on YouTube already, we highly recommend the series to show what is possible prepping a car for GridLife’s Sundae Cup series from scratch during the race weekend at Lime Rock last su...
Jan 24, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Season 7Ep. 542
DwD 0541: Revving out the Engine: What it is, Why, and Why Not On this DwD, we go into what it means to rev out an engine. We also go into the reasons why you would do that from a performance perspective. We then go into some of the factors that may affect whether you want to do this routinely or whether you would prefer to shift a bit earlier or only go to the redline for special occasions. Plus we get into a quick discussion on gauges, especially in a new to you car or an arrive and drive. A l...
Jan 23, 2024•21 min•Season 7Ep. 541
GHiT 0540: Lara Vernon Returns with Tons of Exciting News It has been a while since we had Lara Vernon on the podcast. Since our last episode, she has been racing with tons of cars and in a wide variety of series. We were long overdue for an update and always love to catch up with Lara and her exceptional racing exploits, including her new race car and recent testing in her first open wheel car. We remain jealous, lol. A link to the episode is: https://tinyurl.com/LaraVernonRacesOn If you would ...
Jan 22, 2024•1 hr 33 min•Season 7Ep. 540
DwD 0539: Passing: On the Inside vs On The Outside One a racing driver we know has a favorite aspect of racing. His name is Ben and he is our resident expert and namesake for Dominating with Dawson. As a gift, we let him talk about the details of passing in a turn and aspects that differ when passing on the inside versus passing on the outside of a turn. A link to the episode is: https://tinyurl.com/PassingInsidevOutside We hope you enjoy this episode! If you would like to help grow our podcast ...
Jan 16, 2024•21 min•Season 7Ep. 539
GHiT 0538: Mechanical “Saves” or What to Do When Things Go Sideways How many times when you are working on a car have thing gone as planned? One of the things we have noticed is that as you grow as a mechanic, you learn more and more ways that things can go poorly and that one of the things that the great mechanics know is how to get out of the problem in an easy way and save a ton of time. Since we are still fully in training, we have Chriss Abbott from the Everyone Racers podcast and the Three...
Jan 15, 2024•1 hr 43 min•Season 7Ep. 538
DwD 0537: Jargon 101: What is Car Handling and What We Prefer We realized that we talk a lot about the handling of a car and have never really defined it. So We do. Jargon 101 is back! Plus we talk about what type of handling we prefer or would like to have when the car is refined to our preferences/liking. A link to the episode is: https://tinyurl.com/PreferredCarHandling We hope you enjoy this episode! If you would like to help grow our podcast and high-performance driving and racing: You can ...
Jan 09, 2024•19 min•Season 7Ep. 537
GHiT 0536: Adam Jabaay – Discusses GridLife 2023 and 2024 Adam Jabaay returns to talk about what a great year 2023 was for the GridLife season and all the changes going forward for 2024. If you haven’t tried a GridLife event, you should not miss one that’s local to you. The original goal for GridLife was to hold the racing events that they wanted for all their friends. With the season passes selling out this year in 80 seconds, it appears they have succeeded. But don’t worry, there are still ent...
Jan 08, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Season 7Ep. 536
DwD 0534: Maintaining Your Tires in Amateur Endurance Racing Anyone who watches Formula 1 hears all about the importance of maintaining the tires during the race and the strategy implications. However, does this matter in amateur endurance racing, especially when racing 200 tread wear tires. Fact or Friction. A link to the episode is: https://tinyurl.com/TireMaint We hope you enjoy this episode! If you would like to help grow our podcast and high-performance driving and racing: You can subscribe...
Jan 02, 2024•19 min•Season 7Ep. 534
DwD 0533: Rubbin’s Racin’ – Welcome to Ben’s Soapbox In this week’s Dominating with Dawson, we go into the old saying that rubbin’s racing, and out thoughts on where this belongs in amateur racing. Many long time listeners knows where this will go, but the soapbox discussion was fantastic. A link to the episode is: https://tinyurl.com/RubbinsRacin We hope you enjoy this episode! If you would like to help grow our podcast and high-performance driving and racing: You can subscribe to our podcast o...
Dec 27, 2023•22 min•Season 7Ep. 533
GHiT 0532: Goals: 2023 Review and 2024 – The Best is Yet to Come Pre-Podcast Question: How was YOUR 2022 season? In this episode, we talk about how our team did over the 2023 season. We also go into what we are targeting for 2024. The upcoming year is going to target quite a bit of growth as drivers and racers. As always, look back and see that we are still “In Training”. (always will be!) A link to the episode is: https://tinyurl.com/GHiTReviews2023and2024 If you would like to help grow our pod...
Dec 26, 2023•1 hr 21 min•Season 7Ep. 532
DwD 0531: Options to Balance Risk vs Lap Time When on track, there is always a certain degree of risk. During this episode, we cover some of the aspects where the initial assumption would be that faster lap times increase the associated risk. However, this may or may not be the case and also there are ways to take small risks and still push the limits towards going significantly faster. We also go into areas where you can take a small risk with little consequence vs taking a risk with larger pot...
Dec 19, 2023•24 min•Season 7Ep. 531
GHiT 0530: Garage Update - Cage Party and Replacing an Engine It was a very productive series of weeks at the GHiT Garage. During this episode, we go over our latest cage party, where we helped our friends with caging their 1993 Honda Civic. We go over the process and what we have learned working with our friends at the Three Pedal Mafia/Everyone Racers Podcast. We then also went into the process of changing the engine on our Toyota 86. Surprisingly, things went really well, we didn’t make any m...
Dec 18, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 7Ep. 530
DwD 0529: Burnout – How to Know and How to Avoid We start with two different definitions of burnout that are related to racing. We then focus on what happens with “too much” racing, how to identify when this occurs and what you can do to avoid this or recover from this. This can take all the fun away from racing and that is just wrong. We then return and end with some tips to help you with the much more fun type of burnouts. A link to the episode is: https://tinyurl.com/BurnoutIn We hope you enj...
Dec 12, 2023•20 min•Season 7Ep. 529
GHiT 0528: Club Spec Racing with Heyward Wagner for the SCCA When we first started, we were looking for one car to race in every endurance racing series. Obviously, Heyward Wagner is a long time listener who never misses an episode and wanted to help us with this but take it even another step further. (Tongue firmly planted in our cheek) With the Club Spec Series, the SCCA is trying to get a spec series car that is capable of racing in autocross, hill climb, time attack, and even eventually road...
Dec 11, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Season 7Ep. 528
