The Racing Writer's Podcast

Josh Bilicki is back for another season of NASCAR racing in both the Xfinity Series and Cup Series, but before he does that, he experienced the Chili Bowl for the first time. Bilicki shares what it was like to compete in Tulsa; why he wanted to try his hand at the biggest dirt event in the country; if seat time of any kind actually helps a driver hone their craft; turning right to go left on dirt;...

Wayne Auton is the managing director of the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and that means he wears many different hats. Auton keeps things and people in order, and he had to do plenty of that in 2022, so we begin our conversation on the balance of being a mentor but also an enforcer. We then shift into a lesson about having drivers sign autographs and Auton’s mentors; the lack of a family nickname; a fami...

Lindsey Mandia is the VP of production at Fox Sports, and she is in the middle of a three-week stretch working on the Busch Light Clash, the Super Bowl, and the Daytona 500. Mandia explains how the second year of planning production for the Clash will be different from the first; what Fox brought to NASCAR about presenting the Clash; what exactly the VP of production does; managing the talent; the...

Amanda Busick loves to work and loves motor sports, which is why you’ll never see her in just one place. Busick is most known for being the top-end reporter for NHRA on Fox, but she has some news to share on the podcast in addition to taking us into how she got to where she is today. We start by learning how she kept busy in the winter without racing; the catalyst to saying ‘yes’ to everything; br...

Mike Bagley is a turn announcer with Motor Racing Network (MRN) and co-host of The Morning Drive on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (7 a.m. – 11 a.m., Mon. – Fri.) Bagley joins the show to discuss various topics about his roles, including what he would be doing after a SiriusXM show and where he’s normally located for the show; being a big notetaker and prep work; the approach to an early morning daily talk...

Julie Giese is preparing for her final race as president of Phoenix Raceway before shifting to the Chicago street course. Giese explains what goes on a racetrack in the final weeks before an event; how championship weekend is different from spring race weekend; what being a track president means; sitting with race fans for the start of the events; going from a dairy farm to working in racing; what...

Andrew Combs is the executive chef for Stewart-Haas Racing, but what exactly does that entail? Combs takes us inside a busy week leading into the Charlotte Roval; what prep looks like before a race weekend; previous roles in the sport before turning to cooking; trying to describe the setup in the garage; knowing when it’s time to start feeding everyone; putting together complex meals; having his w...

Don Hawk is the CEO of SRX, and he’s educating us on the business side of racing. We start by debriefing on the second season of SRX and Hawk’s first with the group; the decision to leave Speedway Motorsports and SRX not being on the radar but quickly developing; how SRX is a new challenge in business; what Hawk wanted to do coming into SRX compared to how the season played out; having a long term...

Rutledge Wood isn’t running around inside a racetrack as he has in years past, but he’s still plenty busy. Rut catches us up on what he’s been doing lately; being used where he fits best and telling stories; having to be comfortable engaging people and wondering around; if being on TV has helped him develop a thick skin of other skills; getting his start in racing through a Craigslist ad; being on...

Meet Ben Barnicoat, one of the new drivers on the Lexus IMSA program for the Vasser Sullivan team. We’re going to learn how much fun the team is; the balance of having fun but knowing when it’s time to go to battle; how Barnicoat ended up on the Lexus radar for an IMSA seat; if it’s been everything he expected this season; being a former McLaren driver; doing sim work for Mercedes; being a teammat...

Daylon Barr had other dreams involving racing before picking up a camera and giving photography a try. In this episode Barr takes us inside how he spend his weekdays; what it means to be an independent photographer; finding good help and time off; it being a physically demanding job; dealing with a big load of clients and how he comes about business; becoming Trackhouse Racing’s main man; getting...

How did Jerry Freeze go from owning a successful lawn care business to general manager of the NASCAR team Front Row Motorsports? Freeze takes us inside his love of racing and how he took a chance by moving to North Carolina; learning from Tad Geschickter, and then spending 12 years at Petty before arriving at Front Row; what being a general manager entails; the state of Front Row as the season win...

Angelle Sampey is a three-time NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle champion and not only the winningest female in NHRA but professional motorsports. Sampey sits down for a chat on all things drag racing, but we first start with how things are in the swamp a year after Hurricane Ida. From there, we dig into the season and why she believes her team “is the one to beat” in Pro Stock Motorcycle this year; why A...

Trophies, fights, and TikTok, oh my! As we wrap up our conversation with Courtney Enders, we’re getting all kinds of stories this week. The episode picks up with Courtney describing a house full of racing memorabilia; who is more competitive between Courtney and Erica; inside the Disney movie (Right on Track) made about the Enders sisters from its accuracy to Brie Larson playing Courtney; doing th...

Courtney Enders used to drive race cars and might have a recognizable last name, but she can be your hype woman, social media star, or busy businesswoman. We’re digging into all of it with her over two episodes. In the first part of our conversation, we learn about the many hats Enders wears for her sister and others in the NHRA; her new job as a content creator with FloSports and how drag racing,...

In the second part of our conversation with Davey Segal, we’re digging into producing various NASCAR content. Segal admits he stole the idea for his post-race TikTok videos; acknowledges the risk in mocking drivers he has to work with; why he got into podcasting and how his show has evolved over the years; what he wants to get out of his interviews; being conscious of eye contact; putting in the w...

Fellow podcaster and media friend Davey Segal is a jack of all trades, and we needed a lot of time to dig into all of them. This week in the first part of our conversation, Segal explains how he landed his role as an associate producer for SiriusXM NASCAR Radio; bringing video to the SiriusXM NASCAR social channels; the story of how he first got into racing; shedding the fan skin to become a media...

Kyle Petty has a book about to be released (Aug. 9), and this week Petty tries to explain why he wrote it and why now. From the first stories he wrote not making it into the book; emotions of getting the stories and memories on paper; if there are stories in the book that people don’t know or heard before; why Petty had to be 21 to start racing; learning that not all tracks let a driver run wide o...

Julia Landauer finally made her NASCAR national series debut, and she’s taking us through the journey of getting there. Landauer dishes on how hard qualifying was; if she feels any differently about the accident with Justin Allgaier; expectations of the weekend versus reality; preparing for a race after being out of a car since 2020; Landauer’s experience racing overseas, and the difference in rac...

RFK Racing team president Steve Newmark admits the company is not where anyone wants or expected to be in July. Newmark takes us behind company doors to give his state of things; if they feel they’ve shown any improvement this year; battling through the years of ups and downs; seeing a renewed optimism with employees; if there is a fear of never getting back on top; finding ways to deliver for par...

Before he could drive a race car, Lawless Alan was driving a golf kart around the paddock where his dad was racing. Lawless explains how he got into racing; his unique first name; being the CEO of racing; growing up in Los Angeles; his racing beginnings at Irwindale; some of his racing stops along the way to the Camping World Truck Series; if it seemed racing and winning would be easy; first impre...

Dylan Smith, otherwise known as Mamba, is an all-around content guy for NASCAR and we’re learning how he got his many jobs. Smith talks about his passion for racing before he was ever paid; he got an official job; meeting with a NASCAR executive wearing the most entertaining outfit; hosting various podcasts, including with Mark Martin and Jeff Burton; the story behind his nickname; what Mamba Medi...

Camrie Caruso is in the midst of her first full NHRA Pro Stock season and she’s here to break it down. Caruso shares if it’s what she imagined; being the second woman to contest a full year; what it’s like driving a Pro Stock car; what made Camrie want to be a race car driver like dad and grandpa; loving to prove the critics wrong and not snapping back on social media; the reason she ended up in P...

Camping World Truck Series rookie Blaine Perkins is here to break down his season. Perkins assesses if he’s where he’d thought he’d be halfway through the year; the best race he’s driven; how much having limited practice is hindering the growth process; if Perkins is able to learn from seeing those racing around him; being a visual learner; how quickly he gets over bad weekends; what is realistic...

How did the JR Motorsports 9 team finish in the top five at Charlotte down a cylinder? Luke Lambert explains that and much more this week while also praising his driver, Noah Gragson. Lambert breaks down how a driver has to adjust to less power; what impresses Lambert about Gragson; getting to know Noah the person; if Lambert expected the team to gel so quickly; why he joined JRM; the grind of the...