Dinner with Racers

There are few people in the world who can successfully drive in Formula One, IndyCar, sportscars, stock cars, and then cap it off with a 40 YEAR CAREER IN BROADCASTING. That’s David Hobbs. The dude is a legend, there’s nothing more to say. Hear some of the most legendary stories from the most legendary times. Lunch was served at The Cobalt, located in the Vero Beach Hotel & Spa in Vero Beach, Flor...

Max Jones didn’t earn the nickname “Max the Axe” for no reason. As the General Manager of Chip Ganassi Racing’s NASCAR division, Max is a no-nonsense guy who has a career of proven results. That career, however, isn’t the traditional NASCAR management career. Max actually comes from a heralded series of accolades as a young mechanic, then became one of the fiercest sportscar drivers competing agai...

Marty Smith began as a NASCAR reporter at 21-years old, and if you ask him he would have never imagined that nearly two decades later he’d transition a simple writing career would turn him in to one of ESPN’s top on-camera talents in the country. Covering NASCAR for 17 years, when ESPN lost the broadcast rights to NASCAR, Marty transitioned to covering college football, becoming one of the main gu...

Justin Marks doesn’t deny that he came in to the sport with the unique privilege of coming from personal funding at a young age, but what makes him unique is how he’s transitioned that in to quietly becoming an influencer in the sport. A beast behind the wheel, Justin has won multiple times in the former ALMS, as well as his class at The Rolex 24 at Daytona, but perhaps his greatest personal drivi...

It’s been an interesting time in the offices of Jalopnik, or their “new” parent company Gizmodo Media Group, who have literally survived an existential threat to see another day. This story and more is told by Executive Editor Matt Hardigree, who has been with Jalopnik for nine years and has a very specific understanding of the media, automotive, and motorsport cultures. Learn about his most awkwa...

Well normally we sit down to eat with actual people, but this lunch was with our first Twitter handle. However, there’s a specific reason. While motorsport has many funny Twitter accounts, the man behind NASCARCAM was able to take his joke account from something he did for fun, to a full-time job having signed on with NASCAR to add his humor to many elements of their digital content. Learn about h...

If you’re going to be in Indianapolis, then you have to see Indiana’s native son (even though he’s from Illinois), Ed Carpenter. A home-grown short track racer, Ed’s place within the IndyCar ranks is a unique, choosing to only drive on oval tracks for himself, and of course serving as the lone driver/owner in the paddock. Of course most IndyCar fans would also know Ed as being the stepson of Tony...

When it comes to managing success, it’s hard to look much further than Mike Hull. As the Managing Director of Chip Ganassi Racing’s IndyCar program, Mike knows a thing or two about winning, having been part of 16 championships, over 60 wins in IndyCar, including four trips to victory lane at the Indianapolis 500. Yeah, he knows how to run a winning program. Yet, somehow he was gracious enough to g...

We put his real name because we think we’re supposed to, but no one knows him as Kevin Blanch. He’s Rocket. And he’s badass. A self-described “ol’ hillbilly,” Rocket is a staple of the IndyCar series, serving as a painter-turned-mechanic nearly 30 years ago, and has risen through the ranks of going from mechanic to Crew Chief to now the technical manager of IndyCar, which means he’s “the guy” when...

Growing up #MissouriFrugal, Kenny Wallace hasn’t let the success he found in NASCAR change him one bit, and that’s why we love him. As a NASCAR veteran holding the record for number of starts in the Xfinity Series, Kenny is someone who is lived the sport for three decades, and yet his love hasn’t diminished one bit. He tell us the story of coming in to the sport with the support of guys like Dale...

If you love Corvettes, then you probably love Dan Binks. As a leading member of the Corvette Racing crew for nearly 15 years, Dan Binks has been a big part of the folklore that is Corvette’s IMSA and Le Mans winning program, but his career spans far deeper than just that. As a long-time friend of DwR alumni Tommy Kendall, Dan’s career has spanned through years of Trans-Am, racing with Jack Roush,...

Landon Cassill is one of the hidden gems of NASCAR. He’s not even 30 yet, but has somehow managed to have a nearly 10-year career driving for NASCAR’s top-tier categories, however it hasn’t always been as a traditional racing driver. As part of a wave of development drivers coming in to the sport 10 years ago, Landon actually made his way in to the top ranks as a test driver for Hendrick Motorspor...

If you’ve ever heard the term “working actor,” this would be a term best used to describe Marc Miller. Marc is a true “working driver.” While not a household name outside of the paddock, Marc has managed to earn a living for nearly 20 years in the sport by taking every opportunity he could, and it’s only later on in life that his efforts have finally begun to flourish. Taking two decades to “make...

Mike Shank is the type of racer that all grassroots competitors aspire to. Working his way through the sport without a lot of money, Mike achieved limited success as a driver, eventually giving up his seat to take on Team Owner duties, which is where his career really thrived. Running a successful Formula Atlantic program, Mike eventually switch to sportscars, becoming a top-tier prototype team in...

Brad Kettler is a racer’s racer. Someone who never stops working and is as hands-on as “white shirt” guys go, Brad Kettler started his career as a mechanic across a number of sportscar teams throughout the 1980’s before eventually elevating himself to the role of program director with Audi Sport, eventually becoming the main guy behind all of Audi’s North American efforts in their IMSA LMP1 progra...

Janet Guthrie is a pioneer, a living legend, but she could care less about that, she just wants to be known as a racer. That’s what makes her so dang awesome. Before she ever got in to racing, she was flying planes, jumping out of them, and with a degree in physics before finding her true calling in motorsports, where she literally worked on her own cars on her way to winning her class at the 12 H...

Joey Hand may well go down as one of the most legendary drivers in the modern era of sportscar racing. After success in junior categories, Joey went on to become a hugely successful factory drivers for BMW including winning the Rolex 24 overall, before recently moving to the highly successful Ford  GT program, where he conquered the 24 Hours of Le Mans in GTE-Pro. In this lunch we learn about gett...

A true case of perseverance, Calvin Fish has done a remarkable job of surviving a motorsport career despite repeated setbacks, and thriving with a shear willingness to take on new opportunities as they come. Beginning a career in superkarts, Calvin first made his mark by racing in junior categories in the early 1980’s, beating such unknown drivers as Ayrton Senna and Martin Brundle. Heading states...

Continuing our behind-the-scenes theme, John Eversley is a storied mechanic who has been in the business for nearly three decades. When it comes to the heyday of sportscars, John has seen it all, working alongside Niki Lauda on the famous BMW M1 Procar effort, and eventually working in the glory days of IMSA with such figures as John Paul, Sr. and Bob Akin. You wouldn’t know it though, because he’...

If you’re going to do a podcast about icons of motorsport, then Johnny O’Connell is a mandatory visit. As one of the most charismatic guys in modern sportscar, Johnny is wicked fast, you’ll know this because he’ll tell you…. having (according to him) been a second faster than every teammate he’s ever had. Beyond speed, however, Johnny brings results. As the winningest driver in GM history, Johnny...

SSgt Liam Dwyer served multiple tours in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving both in Iraq and then Afghanistan where an IED would cause significant injury to him, including the loss of his left leg. A true racer, Liam hasn’t let any of this slow him down and he’s still racing in the Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge, where he took an amazing series of victories in the 2015 season. Breakfast was cour...

Shea Adam is a star on the rise when it comes to motorsport broadcasters. An addition in recent years to the Radio LeMans pit reporting lineup, Shea explains her process and diligence, but with a great sense of humor about it. Topics include how she started, who has the best/worst game, and a few reference to Dominick Farnbacher’s hair. Dinner was courtesy of BurgerFi in Tampa, Florida. Thanks to...

Tommy Kendall is simply a legend, the second half.

Tommy Kendall is simply a legend, the first half.

Jordan and Ricky Taylor are two sportscar drivers unlike any other, not sure what else there is to say. The sons of driving legend and current team owner Wayne Taylor, both drivers have numerous prototype wins, including Jordan’s 2013 championship and 2015 LeMans 24 victory. Topics include countless pee and poo stories, who they’d punch in the face, and picking on their Dad. Dinner was courtesy of...