The Automotive Advantage

New vehicle recalls just doubled... 21.7 million cars recalled in the first half of 2026, up from 10.7 million last year. Justin Cesler and Dr. Jamie Meyer break down what's actually driving the crisis, then pull hard-won lessons from three completely unrelated industries (watches, firearms, and grocery deli counters) that every automotive business needs to hear. In this episode: The 21.7 mill...

Is the automotive industry actually slowing down? Not even close. In this episode of Automotive Advantage, Justin and the team break down three very different events from one stretch of "car summer" 2026 — the High Performance Expo (HPX) in Charlotte, Streetcar Takeover, and Hot Rod Power Tour — and answer the question most brands never ask: how do you actually measure whether an automot...

What does it actually take to build one of the most influential organizations in grassroots motorsports? Chase Lautenbach got his start with 1320 Video — traveling the country, covering races, and watching the machine Kyle Loftis was building in real time. One phone call later, Street Car Takeover was born in a Sonic parking lot. Now it's an 18-race season, an $8M+ operation, a car dealership spec...

No guest this week, just Jamie and Justin working through what's actually going to happen in the automotive industry in 2026. We introduced a new segment: a live prediction market where we debate five real automotive questions and put our takes on the record. New vehicle sales, Detroit Big Three moves, the Camaro's return timeline, NASCAR manufacturer titles, and aftermarket revenue. One o...

What does a manufacturer's rep actually do and why does your shop need one? If you've ever been to SEMA, PRI, or HPX and wondered who those guys wearing branded shirts are covering every aisle, this episode is the answer. SEMA Hall of Famer Les Rudd of Bob Cook Sales joins Justin and Jamie on Automotive Advantage for a masterclass on the manufacturer's rep model. Nearly 50 years of rel...

How do you build a performance shop that lasts 36 years? Donnie Walsh Jr. of D&D Performance in Wixom, Michigan has the answer and it starts with a dad, two slicks, a jack, and a trunk full of nitrous bottles in the late 1980s. In this episode of Automotive Advantage, Justin sits down with one of the most respected names in Mustang and performance transmission history. Donnie and his father st...

The Tremec Manual Transaxle stopped SEMA cold. Phones are ringing off the hook. And yet... the Corvette world isn't sure what to believe. In this episode of Automotive Advantage, we sit down with Mike Kidd, Aftermarket Business Unit Manager at Tremec, to get the straight story on the manual transaxle that became the most talked-about Corvette product and why the internet's assumptions abou...

Sacred cows of the automotive industry... we're putting them on the chopping block. In this episode, Jamie and Justin take the biggest "golden rules" of automotive marketing, product strategy, and business and test whether they still hold up in 2026. Spoiler: most of them don't. We kick things off with what's happening in the real world right now: rising fuel prices driven by...

What did it actually take to build one of the most iconic automotive ad campaigns in American history? In this episode, host Jamie sits down with Ty Damon — fourth-generation Detroit ad man and recently retired veteran of Jack Morton — for a raw, unfiltered conversation about the golden age of automotive advertising, what killed it, and what the industry desperately needs to reclaim. Ty breaks dow...

General Motors writes off $7.2 billion in EV losses… and the stock goes UP. Record profits. A 20% dividend hike. Meanwhile, tiny enthusiast programs can’t get approved. What is actually happening in the automotive industry right now? In this episode of The Automotive Advantage, we break down:• The GM Q4 earnings surprise and what it signals for 2026 • Why trucks and SUVs continue to dominate OEM p...

Buying a new performance car should not feel like a trap. In this episode of Automotive Advantage, we sit down with Alan Johnson, widely known as the best Corvette salesman in the country, to break down how the dealership world actually works… and how buyers can win. We cover what allocation really means, why MSRP is not the whole story, how dealership relationships matter more than people think,...

Cyberattacks are no longer a “big company problem.” In 2026, every automotive business is a target. In this episode of The Automotive Advantage, we sit down with cybersecurity expert Brad Brown to break down what’s really happening behind the scenes and why ignoring security today can cost you everything tomorrow. We cover:* Why hackers don’t need to “guess” your password anymore* The biggest cybe...

What actually drives 100x growth in the automotive industry? In this episode of the Automotive Advantage Podcast, Justin and Jamie sit down with Robin Lawrence, known across the industry as Uncle Robin, to break down the real sales techniques that win long term. This is not about quick wins, influencer hype, or chasing metrics that do not matter. Robin shares how patience, credibility, and relatio...

What does 2026 really look like for the automotive industry? In this episode of  The Automotive Advantage , we make bold predictions about where the industry is headed and what is about to change fast. From EV missteps and OEM course corrections to the rise of AI in launch photography, media, and marketing, nothing is off the table. We break down real data from the Midway Index showing surprising...

Welcome back to The Automotive Advantage. Today we reveal the 2025 Automotive Awards that absolutely no one asked for, but everyone will have an opinion about. We break down the best, the worst, and the completely unhinged moments from across the automotive world and crown winners in categories like Car of the Year, Truck of the Year, Top Upfitter, Best Performance Part, Top Media, Best Event, and...

This week on  Automotive Advantage , we're back from Las Vegas and breaking down the biggest trends, surprises, and takeaways shaping the automotive aftermarket right now. From industry optimism to wild builds, from burnout culture to AI-generated launch videos… we cover it all. In this episode: • Why the vibe in Las Vegas felt  shockingly positive  this year • What booth quality, brand presen...

The Automotive Aftermarket is shifting fast. Sales are soft, brands are pulling back, and AI is rewriting how business gets done. In this episode, Dr. Jamie Meyer and Justin Cesler dive into the latest MidwayPlus Market Index, breaking down real B2B and B2C numbers that reveal what’s actually happening across the industry. They unpack why consumer confidence is down, how product launches drive att...

48 years. One dealership. A lifetime of stories from inside the automotive aftermarket. This week on  The Automotive Advantage , Justin Cesler and Dr. Jamie Meyer sit down with  Nicky Fowler , the man many call  the Godfather of Chevrolet Performance Parts.  After nearly five decades with  Scoggin Dickey Parts Center , Nicky opens up about building an $80M+ operation, the evolution of LS and LT en...

Brian Lounsberry (ex-Motovicity CEO, now CEO of MidwayPlus) breaks down what’s really happening in the automotive aftermarket: a live market index, why some brands win while others slide, and the ops fixes (not hype) that move revenue. We dig into B2B vs B2C, channel margins, packaging, seasonality, Cyber Week strategy, and what private equity is actually doing next. Hosted by Justin Cesler (Drive...

It’s fourth quarter and that means pressure, opportunity,and the perfect time to rethink your 2026 automotive strategy. In this episode of The Automotive Advantage, Dr. Jamie Meyer and Justin Cesler (Driveline Studios) break down how to survive and thrive in Q4. From industry trends and smart budgeting to social strategy, daring moves, and trade show survival tips… this one’s loaded. Here’s what w...

Everyone sees the speed… but few ever see the business behind it. In this episode of The Automotive Advantage, we sit down with Ida Zetterström, NHRA Top Fuel driver, European champion, and one of the most exciting rising stars in drag racing. Ida breaks down what it really takes to race at 330+ mph: How she built her brand from racing bikes in Europe to piloting the quickest cars on earth. The tr...

Garrett Reed (@AmericanMuscleHD) has over  2.4 million followers on Instagram , making him one of the biggest automotive content creators today. But how did he actually build that kind of following and, more importantly, how does he turn it into real business? In this episode of  The Automotive Advantage , Justin Cesler (Driveline Studios) and Dr. Jamie Meyer (6757 Consulting) sit down with Garret...

We just got back from YouTube and Google’s first-ever Automotive Content Creator Summit in Detroit, Michigan and it was a game-changer. In this episode, Justin Cesler (Driveline Studios) and Dr. Jamie Meyer (6757 Consulting) break down everything we learned inside Google HQ, including: Why YouTube is now bigger than Netflix and what that means for your business How “investable trends” are shaping...

David Freiburger has shaped how millions of car enthusiasts experience automotive media. From his years as Editor of Hot Rod Magazine, to co-creating Roadkill, to building one of the biggest automotive shows on YouTube, David’s fingerprints are everywhere.  In this episode of Automotive Advantage, hosts Justin Cesler (Driveline Studios) and Dr. Jamie Meyer (6757 Consulting) sit down with David to...

The Voice of Drag Racing joins Automotive Advantage. Brian Lohnes (NHRA lead announcer, Dorkomotive host, super nerd,  @brianlohnes3079  on YouTube) walks us through the real climb… from quitting a trucking management job to building BangShift, crashing servers with a 2010 March Meet livestream, writing 20,000 stories to feed a family and a dream, to becoming the Voice of Drag Racing with the NHRA...