NASCAR on NBC podcast

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 Andr...

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 drive...

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...

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...

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 superspeedw...

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...

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 h...

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 boos...

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...

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...

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....

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 che...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 h...

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); thi...

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 risi...

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:...

The NASCAR on NBC analyst and accomplished iRacer on how his life has revolved around his sim (2:00); the story of girlfriend Shanny’s Emmy (3:00); can NASCAR bring Twitch into real-world racing? (5:00); what the infrastructure challenges are (7:30); the technology of making it happen (9:30); foreseeing the controversies with Bubba Wallace and Kyle Larson and safeguarding against the next one (11:...

The NASCAR on NBC analyst, who co-owns a team with Jeff Burton in NASCAR's top iRacing series, on what’s happening for iRacing and Burton Kligerman Esports in its second season (1:15); “the viewership has been insane” (3:00); why he wants to get away from the term “eSports (4:45); number origins (5:30); the pitch to Valvoline for sponsorship (6:30); the professionalism of eSports (8:30); Bringing...

The NASCAR on NBC analyst on why Joey Logano is the best restarter in NASCAR (1:00); how he did it unconventionally at Phoenix (2:00); lessons learned for November when the championship is on the line (3:00); where are the Toyotas, the surprise of Joe Gibbs Racing’s start and can the team improve for Atlanta? (4:30); how will teams decide on focusing on the 2021 changeover vs. the 2020 season? (6:...

NASCAR on NBC analyst Kyle Petty on the visceral emotions and dark personal memories that came from watching the response to Ryan Newman’s terrifying crash (1:00); how drivers move past those incidents (2:00); is there a necessary selective memory that needs to be embraced (4:00); the disconnect between today’s younger drivers and death at the track (5:30); “the sport is never going to be foolproo...

Denny Hamlin, the defending Daytona 500 winner and driver of the No. 11 FedEx Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, on the pro-am golf tournament he just played that tested his surgically repaired shoulder (1:00) and put him up against some famous competition (2:00); recalling the end of his victory in last year’s Daytona 500 (3:30); the quasi-deal he had with teammate Kyle Busch for restarts in the final...