The Scene Vault Podcast

In the summer of 2000, NASCAR faced a massive safety firestorm. But while many drivers pleaded for change following the tragic crashes of Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Sr. stood his ground, famously calling out the "candy asses" who wanted to slow the cars down. In this episode of Firestorm: 2000-2001 -- The Years That Forever Changed NASCAR, we dive de...

Hosts Rick Houston, Steve Waid and Jeffrey Baker discuss the third episode of our new documentary podcast series, Firestorm: 2000-2001 -- The Years That Forever Changed NASCAR. In later years, a perception would develop that NASCAR did not react fast enough to accidents that claimed the lives of Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin. We lay out the case that safety in NASCAR in that era wasn't necessarily a...

Slugger Labbe, who served as Kenny Irwin's first Winston Cup crew chief, joins co-hosts Rick Houston, Steve Waid and Jeffrey Baker to remember the promising young driver. In this episode of The Scene Vault Podcast, we dive deep into the heartbreaking "Firestorm" era of the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. We react to the tragic loss of Irwin at New Hampshire International Speedway—an event t...

In the summer of 2000, NASCAR faced one of its darkest periods. Just eight weeks after the loss of Adam Petty, the racing world was shattered again by the death of Kenny Irwin at the exact same track. In this episode of Firestorm: 2000-2001 -- The Years That Forever Changed NASCAR, we look back at the incredible talent, the intense pressure, and the tragic end of a driver who had been destined for...

He was the first fourth-generation athlete in professional sports history, carrying the most famous surname in NASCAR. But on a dark day in New Hampshire, the future of the Petty legacy—and the sport itself—was changed forever. In this episode of Firestorm, we look back at the brief but bright career of Adam Petty. Known for his infectious youthful exuberance and that signature Petty smile, Adam c...

In this powerful reaction episode to the first episode of Firestorm: 2000-2001 -- The Years That Forever Changed NASCAR, we revisit one of the most heartbreaking moments in NASCAR history ... the tragic loss of Adam Petty. Join hosts Rick Houston, Steve Waid and Tony Liberati as we discuss the events surrounding that fateful day at New Hampshire and explore the two-year period that forever changed...

Jeff Hammond, Darrell Waltrip's longtime crew chief and former Fox Sports commentator, makes his debut as co-host of The Scene Vault Podcast as we drop news of the upcoming re-release of the 10-episode docuseries Firestorm: 2000-2001 -- The Years That Forever Changed NASCAR. Ben Leslie drops some bombshells when it comes to fuel cells and trick noses, one of which helped Mark Martin win the 2002 C...

This week in the first of what will be three segments, Ben Leslie follows his older brother Tracy up the racing ladder, a path that led them from Michigan to the Busch Series. Ben ends up begging Roush Racing’s Steve Hmiel and Robin Pemberton for a job and eventually lands a gig with the team in September 1994. Once there, he works with Roush drivers Ted Musgrave, Mark Martin and Johnny Benson. We...

We’ve got fresh meat sitting in with us today … Penske Racing's own Jeffrey Baker. I sat down a while back with Jeffrey for the podcast … we haven’t run that interview yet … BUT … when we started talking about the third co-host, asking Jeffrey to be a part of all this was a no brainer. This week in the second and final installment of our interview, Bobby Hutchens remembers the Dale Earnhardt he kn...

In the first installment of what will be a two-part interview, Bobby Hutchens goes from Bowman Gray Stadium to North Carolina State University and then to Richard Childress Racing, where he helps change the culture on one of the sport’s most successful teams as a mechanical engineer. Along with guest co-host Tony Liberati, we then dig into the April 22, 1993 issue of Winston Cup Scene. Rusty Walla...

This week in the second and final installment of our interview, Darrell Bryant wins at Darlington, this time with Lake Speed. He gets hung with the nickname the Professor after working with drivers early in their career and he joins the ranks of those who’ve had to personally buy tires because their teams are struggling financially. However, that particular team owner once wrote in his autobiograp...

We’re going to try something a little different to start off the new year. In addition to the greatness that our listeners have come to expect from Rick Houston and Steve Waid each week, we’re going to have a THIRD voice in the mix as a co-host. And that third voice is going to be a rotation of Tony Liberati, John Dodson, Jeff Hammond and Chris Powell. This week, former driver and longtime crew ch...

In the final installment of this intense interview, longtime NASCAR independent driver Frank Warren discusses his own infidelities, working with Marty Robbins and the time Dale Earnhardt told Warren he was once jealous of him. NOTE: This show is not associated in any way with American City Business Journals, owner of the Scene brand. Be sure to check out the latest and greatest stories from the wo...

After some great reaction to the first installment of the Frank Warren interview, he’s back for more this week with a dream deal he turns down on principle … and then finds out the guy was a ghost. We’ve got Maurice Petty doing engine work for Frank on the downlow … Soapy “Gunslinger” Castles gets his point across at Martinsville … the war that Frank waged on chained gates in the garage area and h...

Thanks to listener Daniel Collins, we're able to share an incredible seven-hour interview with longtime NASCAR independent driver Frank Warren. In this installment, Frank gives us trick tires, nitrous oxide, lawn sprinklers in hotel rooms, and one man's opinion of Cale Yarborough. NOTE: This show is not associated in any way with American City Business Journals, owner of the Scene brand. Be sure t...

"Stupid redneck." "Ass clown." "Cuck." Under the best of circumstances, they're not terms of endearment. And when they're coming from the highest of high-ranking NASCAR officials about a well-respected team owner, it's bombshell news that might very well mark a turning point in the sport's history. NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin joins host Rick Houston and super-sub Eric Quinn this week for a he...

This week in the third and final installment of our interview, Donnie Richardson finds himself in the middle of not only NASCAR drama, but family drama as well. He then goes on the road for 18 years with the one and only Ken Schrader. In our second segment, we will be joined by former Winston Cup Scene senior staff writer and associate editor Tom Stinson. Back in the late summer of 1993,Tom wrote...

This week in the second installment of our interview, Donnie Richeson goes from Whitcomb to Sabco Racing, where he has a front-row seat for all the goodness that was Kyle Petty and Felix Sabates. He then gets the chance to serve as crew chief for Brett Bodine … and at the time … Donnie and Brett were married to twin sisters. And … there’s talk of Dale Earnhardt going to drive for Kenny Bernstein....

This week in the first of what will be three installments, Donnie Richeson takes us on a journey from Owensboro, Kentucky and Alan Kulwicki’s humble beginnings in Wisconsin to the turmoil of the Darrell Waltrip-Waddell Wilson-Hendrick Motorsports Dream Team. Then in our second segment, we’re going to dig into the July 30, 1981 issue of Grand National Scene. Darrell dominates and then wins at Pocon...

This week in the final installment of our interview with Lou LaRosa, we’ve got high drama with Lou, Richard Childress, Dale Earnhardt, Larry McReynolds and Joe Gibbs, Lou’s slapstick porta-john incident at North Wilkesboro and what is perhaps the one and only person to ENJOY working with Team III. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lou LaRosa. Drama at DiGard ... what else is new? Smokey Yunick. Osterlund Racing, a young Dale Earnhardt, getting thrown under the bus and coming back for more. This week's episode has plenty of super-charged emotion. NOTE: This show is not associated in any way with American City Business Journals, owner of the Scene brand. Be sure to check out the latest and greatest stories from the world of N...

This week, we’ve got the first of a three-part interview with the legendary engine builder, Lou LaRosa. The conversation takes listeners from Brooklyn, Ebbetts Field and Vietnam all the way to the DiGard Racing shop in Daytona. We then page through the February 16, 1989 issue of Grand National Scene. It’s a great start to the 1989 edition of Speedweeks at Daytona for Ken Schrader, who captures the...

In the second and final installment of our interview with Steve Grissom, we discuss one of the greatest paint schemes of all time, his contract squabbles with Diamond Ridge Motorsports team owner Gary Bechtel and a nightmarish accident at Atlanta. We when tackle the February 29, 1996 Winston Cup Scene. Dale Earnhardt wins at Rockingham after a late-race run-in with Bobby Hamilton. Loy Allen receiv...

This week, in the first of what will be two installments, we talk to Steve Grissom about ignoring SEC football scholarships in order to go racing, a road that eventually led him to winning races … and a championship … in the Busch Series. In our second segment, we’re going to dig into the October 25, 1990 issue of Winston Cup Scene AGAIN. Alan Kulwicki wins the second race of his Winston Cup caree...

Hear from veteran NASCAR insider David Lovendahl on the profound loss of his two sons in tragic accidents, sharing raw insights on grief, resilience and life beyond the track. Expect emotional depth, behind-the-scenes NASCAR anecdotes, and reflections on the sport's toughest moments. NOTE: This show is not associated in any way with American City Business Journals, owner of the Scene brand. Be sur...