Late to Grid - Grassroots Racing

Send us Fan Mail In this episode I leave the Atomic Autosports studio and jump into the truck to head to Pitt Race for the ChampCar race.  I thought, why not record a quick episode? I share some RX-7 updates (944 Fest, Mid-Ohio, and more), but I also share some frustrations I have.  Why am I frustrated?  Life.  I am not doing the things I want or need to be doing and it's frustrating,  I shar...

Send us Fan Mail The Wednesday Night Crew comes into the Atomic Autosports studio to share their updates on the ChampCar races that Rad Air Racing competed in and we talk about the upcoming Pitt Race event. Keep up to date on the team on Instagram: Rad Air Racing Looking for track day tires?  Bill can save you some money!   The Continental ExtremeContact Force 200 is the tire everyone is talking a...

Send us Fan Mail Renting a race car is a great way to get on track and not worry about the hassle of storing, prepping, maintaining, and transporting you race car.  Frank and Bill discuss the rental programs that Grass Paddock Motorsports offers and how it works. Frank Schwartz is one of the driving forces behind the growth of B-Spec racing and many people called him crazy for buying a B Spec race...

Send us Fan Mail Bill loves the business side of motorsports and that is what makes this episode with Matt Jones so fun. Matt is an orthopedic surgeon who recently pivoted to become a tech entrepreneur and started Towlos.com which connects trailer owners with trailer renters.  Like most great ideas Matt saw the need for access to trailer rental when he and his friends wanted to trailer their Corve...

Send us Fan Mail Bill interviews Manfred Woodall who became interested in motorsports through the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix when he was 13.  Manfred bought a Honda S2000 and started autocrossing.  He then campaigned a Pontiac GXP Soltice. Then in 2018 he hunted down a Camaro to get back involved. Manfred talks about how he loves being at the track and  the motorsports community.  He also share...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Late To Grid podcast, Bill shares some of his recent on track experiences including karting at Thompson Kart Raceway, a Track Night in America at Nelson Ledges, and having the RX-7 at a Time Trial event.  He also has Adam DeLong on from the Ohio Valley Region of the SCCA to talk about the August 11th Time Trial event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Learn More...

Send us Fan Mail Another engineer on the show! Brian Salo shares his motorsports journey which includes autocross, track days, time trials and wheel to wheel racing. What does he enjoy about motorsports?  Driving and the connection with the race car - plus the accomplishment of getting better and faster. Brian mentions these previous guests: Chris Carlisle & Ross Bentley . Catch up and connect...

Send us Fan Mail Wow,  we covered a lot of topics with Kyle Lockrow! If it has an engine, Kyle will race it!  He started in karts and has raced modifieds, legends, late models, sports cars, and has worked with NASCAR truck teams on testing.  Plus, he's a regular spotter and coaches drivers.  Does this guy sleep? Kyle shares some great advice: Get into wheel to wheel Take a breath  Have light...

Send us Fan Mail Bill is back in the Atomic Autosports studio to bring you a new podcast format titled; Beers with Bill.  The idea is to catch up with previous guests over a beer and talk about racing and life.   For the first edition of Beers with Bill, Mike Kubiak is on the podcast.  Mike is the kind of guy that makes being at the track enjoyable.  He's always smiling, is willing to help, a...

Send us Fan Mail Kevin Boehm joins the podcast to talk about his motorsports journey and share his advice to get active in grassroots racing. Kevin is a championship-winning driver and engineer.  He currently competes in the Pirelli GT4 America series in the No. 92 CrowdStrike Racing / AWS BMW M4 GT4 with co-driver Kenton Koch. ​ In 2020, Boehm was awarded the TC America series TCA Drivers’ Champi...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Late To Grid podcast I catch up with the members of the Rad Air Racing team who had just finished the Shortest Night of Nelson Ledges, a 14 hour endurance, race where the team took a second place finish in their class. Looking to rent a seat or find a seat?  Check out the Seat 4 Sale episode . Looking for track day tires?  Bill can save you some money!   The...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode ai sit down with Saevar Thordarson from Heritage Coffee in Solon Ohio to talk about why his company decided to sponsor a race team. We talk about what he liked in the opportunity, how his involved has helped his business and its future growth plan, and how motorsports sponsorships differ from the other advertising pitches a business owner gets bombarded with. Saeva...

Send us Fan Mail Who wants to get in great shape this summer and be best version of themselves? Bill is hosting a 75 Hard challenge for the motorsports community starting on June 9, 2023.  Are you in? In this episode Bill shares the details you need to know to get in on the challenge. Send Bill an email to get in on the challenge and if you are interested in being a guest on an upcoming episode to...

Send us Fan Mail In April I gave a presentation at the SCCA's 2023 Day of Motorsports at Nelson Ledges Road Course to help beginners with their track day prep.  I then recorded a similar version of the presentation to share with our listeners on our YouTube channel and now it's in audio form for the podcast. Key Take A Ways: What Is Car Prep How To Prepare Your Car For An Event What To P...

Send us Fan Mail Bill and Brian talk about Brian's motorsports journey which started with him helping his dad at the track thenBrian started karting, got his comp license and started racing Formula Vee. Brian recommends finding a way to get into the paddock and learn from that side of the sport before you jump into racing.  Look for opportunities to help others.  He also spends some time with...

Send us Fan Mail Nick Boyas is Vehicle Controls Engineer for Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems in Avon, OH and co-owner of Maniates Motorsports in Parma, OH. He races an Improved Touring A - Honda Civic EF. Connect with Nick: Instagram: nboyeas Instagram: Maniates_motorsports Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nboyeas Check out our sponsors: LMS-EFI Website , Facebook , Instagram Atomic Autosports...

Send us Fan Mail How cool is it that I have Ross Bentley on the Late To Grid podcast to talk about his motorsports background?  Very cool I think! Ross is a driver coach for high-performance and race drivers.   He loves to help drivers of all levels and types with not just the physical aspect of performance driving, but also the mental game.  Ross's coaching services include;  in-person 1-on-...

Send us Fan Mail Devan Keeling is a Mechanical Engineer who caught the racing bug as a sophomore in college when a classmate invited him to an SCCA event. Devan is coming off of his best season with taking the Ultimate 1 Championship for OH&PA and has a the U1 track record at Nelson Ledges and Pitt Race. Devan's advice for getting on track: You don't have to mutilate you daily driver...

Send us Fan Mail Randy Ericksen doesn't drive, but he has a unique perspective on motorsports as he sees the sport through the lens of his cameras. He caught the racing bug at 5 years old when his parents took him along on Time, Speed, Distance rallies and over years finds himself at the coolest tracks either taking pictures or capturing video for race teams.  He also works for Michelin at se...

Send us Fan Mail Kris McCrone is an entrepreneur who was re-engaged with motorsports in 2018 by his kids who found pictures of his late father and brother from the 80's and 90's racing.    Currently, all of his efforts have been focused on building the Motorsports Experience Park in Lorain, Ohio and operating the Ohio Sprint Series.  Phase I of the facility - The LOK (Lorain Ohio KartPle...

Send us Fan Mail So you want to go out and find sponsors for your racing program, right?  Do you know where to start? Bill Snow shares his insights into how to build a  sponsorship plan for your racing program.  Sponsorships have to go beyond product sponsors if you want to get to the next level of getting funding for you and your team.  Having a plan and knowing your value is key to building your...

Send us Fan Mail What started off as an idea to get the Wednesday Night Crew together for build updates and advice turned into a long episode of laughter and jokes.  We managed to get some updates on their two Dodge Neon builds and talked about about two of the  team's current sponsors, Heritage Coffee & Hoppin' Frog Brewery . Check out our sponsors: LMS-EFI Website , Facebook , Inst...

Send us Fan Mail You down with OPTT? You will be after this episode.  Bill sits down with the a few of the guys involved with a really cool time trial concept that continues the Northern Ohio and Western PA rivalry.  This is the second year for the Regional Time Trial Championship that is designed to foster inclusion and fun between the NEOhio, Steel Cities, and other SCCA regions. Plus they'...

Send us Fan Mail Bill sits down with Jennifer Bradford from the Neohio SCCA to talk about her motorsports background and the upcoming Neohio SCCA Day of Motorsports. Jennifer has been an SCCA member since birth, no joke, and is involved in racing, just like her mom, dad, and brother.  Jen races her F500 in autocross and time trial events and is working to obtain her competition license. Bill and J...

Send us Fan Mail Chase McIntyre started his racing journey in his senior year in high school when his parents sent him to the Mid-Ohio driving school as a graduation gift.  From there he rented a Spec Racer Ford from previous guest Reed Kryder to see how he could do in a real race car.  He went on to get his NASA and SCCA license during a driving school at VIR. Chase races a Spec Miata and in 2021...