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 Pe...
Aug 14, 2023•44 min•Ep. 301
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 aft...
Aug 08, 2023•46 min•Ep. 300
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 p...
Jul 31, 2023•46 min•Ep. 299
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:...
Jul 18, 2023•40 min•Ep. 298
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 Byro...
Jul 10, 2023•51 min•Ep. 297
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, ...
Jul 06, 2023•45 min•Ep. 296
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 as...
Jun 26, 2023•42 min•Ep. 295
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...
Jun 21, 2023•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 294
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 ...
Jun 12, 2023•39 min•Ep. 293
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 i...
Jun 05, 2023•42 min•Ep. 292
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 pac...
May 22, 2023•38 min•Ep. 291
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 bec...
May 15, 2023•51 min•Ep. 290
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 ...
May 02, 2023•49 min•Ep. 289
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 ...
Apr 24, 2023•45 min•Ep. 288
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); t...
Apr 17, 2023•48 min•Ep. 287
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 c...
Apr 10, 2023•37 min•Ep. 286
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 proces...
Mar 27, 2023•43 min•Ep. 285
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 (17:3...
Mar 20, 2023•40 min•Ep. 284
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...
Mar 14, 2023•52 min•Ep. 283
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...
Mar 06, 2023•41 min•Ep. 282
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 post...
Feb 27, 2023•42 min•Ep. 281
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); analyzi...
Feb 20, 2023•48 min•Ep. 280
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 (13:3...
Nov 10, 2022•51 min•Ep. 279
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 th...
Oct 31, 2022•41 min•Ep. 278
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...
Oct 24, 2022•39 min•Ep. 277
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 ...
Oct 17, 2022•38 min•Ep. 276
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 de...
Oct 10, 2022•46 min•Ep. 275
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...
Oct 03, 2022•32 min•Ep. 274
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...
Sep 26, 2022•46 min•Ep. 273
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 m...
Sep 19, 2022•40 min•Ep. 272
