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); d...
Aug 25, 2021•31 min
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 Bris...
Aug 17, 2021•35 min
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...
Jul 26, 2021•1 hr 3 min
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); un...
Jul 12, 2021•36 min
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...
Jul 09, 2021•51 min
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)...
Jun 28, 2021•40 min
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 b...
Jun 25, 2021•33 min
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...
Jun 21, 2021•42 min
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 ...
Jun 15, 2021•32 min
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 coachi...
Jun 07, 2021•50 min
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. Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar an...
May 28, 2021•43 min
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 a...
May 18, 2021•45 min
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...
May 11, 2021•36 min
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 (12:3...
May 04, 2021•31 min
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 t...
Apr 27, 2021•41 min
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 lead...
Apr 19, 2021•30 min
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...
Apr 16, 2021•23 min
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 playoff...
Apr 06, 2021•51 min
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 ...
Mar 30, 2021•44 min
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 disadvanta...
Mar 22, 2021•33 min
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 tu...
Mar 15, 2021•34 min
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 ...
Mar 08, 2021•30 min
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)...
Mar 02, 2021•39 min
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 r...
Feb 22, 2021•34 min
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 could...
Feb 15, 2021•35 min
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 Ch...
Jan 26, 2021•47 min
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. Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports co...
Sep 17, 2020•28 min
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 keepi...
May 20, 2020•31 min
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 do...
May 13, 2020•46 min
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 pr...
Apr 30, 2020•32 min
