The Racing Writer's Podcast

Larry McReynolds is a bonus guest on behalf of Quaker State, the entitlement sponsor of this weekend’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. But there is no one better to help preview the weekend, so McReynolds shares what to watch for aside from tire wear; what notes will transfer from the March race; drivers who might succeed during a hot slick weekend; what makes Atlanta fun to watch; what McReynolds...

It’s been an admittedly frustrating season for Matt DiBenedetto and Wood Brothers Racing and he’s here to break it down among other things. DiBenedetto explains how drivers understand it could worse; if there is an explanation for the struggles; utilizing simulator time; how the fan reaction has changed over the years; how his career has shaped him as a person and how he doesn’t let it affect his...

Gene Monahan retired from the New York Yankees after 40+ years and now works with Hendrick Motorsports. This week we meet Monahan and go into what his role is with the championship-winning NASCAR organization; how Jay Frye played a part in Monahan’s transition; his early memories of becoming a racing fan in Florida; what transferred from the job in MLB to NASCAR, and still working with athletes; w...

Tommy Joe Martins has been putting in the years in the NASCAR garage, and he feels it gives him a right to voice his opinion, and he’s got a few of them around the future of the sport. Martins discusses what’s changing and his concerns; how things are going for Martins Motorsports in their second year; the workload and stress level after a rough few weeks on track; if not having practice and quali...

No one is looking forward to Pocono Raceway more than Sam Mayer, who turns 18 on June 26 and then takes over the No. 8 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports beginning at Pocono on June 27. Mayer joins the podcast to share what he’s been doing to get ready for the ride; how he feels about Pocono; the oddity of not doing a lot of racing through the first half of the season; if he feels he adapts well to new...

Greg Stumpff is the owner and one of the artists of Off Axis Paint, which is an airbrush company that works with some of NASCAR’s biggest names for their helmets. Stumpff joins the podcast to describe how the process works and how long it takes from start to finish; working through the approval process with teams and sponsors, and how involved a driver is; keeping in mind safety regulations; how a...

If you’re a motorsports fans who watches Fox Sports quite a bit, then you’ve seen Jamie Howe as she covers multiple racing disciplines for the network. Howe breaks down everywhere she’ll be in 2021; if she easily remembers things or spends a lot of time studying; the materials Howe carries with her during race weekend; where a love of storytelling came from; when and where she was exposed to racin...

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is bouncing around the playoff bubble and he’s here to assess where JTG Daugherty is going into the summer. We also go into whether being a part of the playoff conversation is good enough; the thought process of building something with a race team; what he’s seen from year one to year two with the team; how much crew chief Brian Pattie takes the reins versus Stenhouse’s input,...

Nigel Kinrade has been on the NASCAR circuit for 30 years now and he’s one of the best to carry a camera. In this episode Kinrade explains what he does and the big name clients he works for; how the job has changed through the years with technology advancement and the digital era; if he knows in the moment he got the shot or something cool; what brought him to the U.S. in 1991 and how he got into...

NASCAR newcomer Jade Buford is off to a solid start to the 2021 season with a brand-new race team, Big Machine Racing. Buford discusses how things have gone; the expectations coming into the season; how long it takes him to get comfortable each weekend without practice and qualifying; the toughest thing about competing in the Xfinity Series; the depth of competition and aggressive from sports cars...

Matt Yocum, formerly of Fox Sports and now SRX, is looking back at the end of his time covering NASCAR for Fox and what's ahead with SRX. Yocum discusses being out of the routine of covering NASCAR; joining DirtVision last month for the World of Outlaws at Bristol; his love of all things motorsports; memories of Dale Earnhardt and the significance of his Twitter cover photo; developing a relations...

Chris Medland, my colleague at RACER.com who covers Formula 1, joins the podcast to discuss all the latest news and notes from overseas. Medland explains how F1 in Miami came to be; what has happened to Ferrari’s performance over the last year; how much teams try to get away with in F1; where the Haas team stands and their plans moving forward; a discussion on Nikita Mazapin; how the coronavirus p...

James Davison was confronted with the decision of returning to the Indianapolis 500 or running more NASCAR races, and he says his heart is in NASCAR. Davison explains what has hooked him; comparing the feeling of driving an IndyCar versus a stock car; his reaction to the first time being behind the wheel of a stock car; how much his IndyCar prospects played into his decision; how Davison came to N...

Michelle Martinelli from USA/For The Win drops by to share details on “The Sneak” podcast that digs into the disappearance of Mario Rossi. How did this story come on their radar? Who was Mario Rossi? What went into the original reporting; how much convincing the Rossi family needed to get involved; the many theories surrounding his disappearance; when the Rossi family became suspicious; drug smugg...

The voice of the World of Outlaws, Johnny Gibson, is always on the road going from town to town, and he explains why it’s easier just to have a motorhome. Gibson also shares what he does to stay busy between races; his propensity to take notes; how being prepared and in the right place led to his break with WoO; why his native Pennsylvania is a hotbed of dirt racing; what got him on sprint car rac...

Mike Joy of NASCAR on Fox goes from the broadcast booth to interviewee this week. Joy joins the show to touch on a variety of topics like keeping track of things in the booth; knowing the moments when his words and calls have to be right; how he sets up calling the finishes of races; lessons from Barney Hall, Ken Squier, and Ned Jarrett; how the relationship between the garage and the booth has ch...

Samantha Busch can add published author to her resume as her book “Fighting Infertility” is a day away from being released (March 30). In our conversation, Busch explains why writing a book was the next step of continuing to share the struggles of her and Kyle Busch to conceive a second child; what details are shared about how it has affected their marriage; the reaction to Kyle Busch mentioning S...

Tad Geschickter and Grant Dexter are here for a conversation about the business side of racing and fan engagement during a pandemic. First, Geschickter talks about the start of the season for his JTG Daugherty Racing team; the parts freeze and Next Gen; getting into the sport first as a part of Proctor & Gamble advertising; the bootstrapped early days of starting his team versus where the organiza...

A brief chat with Aric Almirola on what he’s doing to create content and show behind the scenes of his life with his YouTube channel; if NASCAR could benefit from more documentary type content; now 10 years into a full Cup career, how Almirola has had to evolve and change over the years; if he likes how the racing has changed over the years; if the dynamic of the playoffs has changed with four dif...

It was a rough two weeks in Daytona for Hattori Racing but crew chief Scott Zipadelli was optimistic going in Las Vegas thing would turn around. Before earning a third-place finish over the weekend, Zipadelli joined the show to discuss his program; how his relationship with Austin Hill has developed over the years; what kind of a personality Zipadelli wants a driver to have; if the way things are...

Ben Rhodes is undefeated in 2021 in Truck Series competition, so does that mean the competition should look at his team differently this year? Rhodes joins the show to discuss; plus what victory lane has been like in the COVID era; if not having multiple wins in a season ever weighed on him or brought worries about job security; why Rhodes thinks the lows of racing are harder than other sports; th...

Freddie Kraft, spotter for Bubba Wallace, joined the show right before the season began to share what his offseason was like and what his spotting plans are for the 2021 season. Kraft explains his relationship with Wallace; how drivers go through vetting spotters; a season he dreaded with Greg Biffle; knowing the drivers he won’t work with; defending the driver you’re working with; being both chee...

Rick Houston (of the Scene Vault Podcast) has put together a 10-episode podcast documentary set to drop on the 20th anniversary of the 2001 Daytona 500. Houston walks us through putting together something on the 2000 and 2001 seasons and the rash of driver deaths; the people connected to those drivers that he was able to interview for the project; what it was like covering the sport during such da...

Kip Childress wears two hats for NASCAR as both the assistant Cup Series director and the pace car driver. In today’s episode, we dig into both roles by discussing a variety of topics. First, what his offseason to-do lists consist of; breaking down his responsibilities in the garage; being a sounding board and go-to person for teams; the new way of bringing teams into the garage; the unique ways C...

Sheldon Creed is back on the podcast, but now he does so as the reigning Camping World Truck Series champion. Creed shares what his offseason has been like and getting into dirt racing; if his championship accomplishment has set in and why he doesn’t want to pay attention to the press clippings; keeping the team together; growing into the NASCAR environment, and maturing on and off the track along...