Be Differential

A number of car clubs across the country are in genuine decline. Some are growing despite every headwind. And the real reasons behind both are more complicated — and more honest — than most people are willing to say out loud.

In this week's Thursday Pit Stop, Eva Gregory asks the question that keeps coming up inside the automotive and motorsports world: are car clubs dying? Fresh from attending the Ferrari Club of America National Meet, she names the causes behind club decline — including the one that doesn't get talked about enough — breaks down what separates the clubs that are shrinking from the ones that are actually growing year over year, and makes the case for what car clubs do that no Instagram follow, Discord server, or YouTube comment section can ever fully replace.

The passion in the next generation of enthusiasts is real. What's missing is a reason to formalize it. And the clubs that understand that distinction are the ones with a future.

This one is for the longtime club member, the enthusiast who's never joined one, and everyone trying to figure out what car culture looks like for the generation after ours.

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Topics covered: car clubs, automotive community, club membership decline, Porsche Club of America, Ferrari Club of America, car culture, classic cars, Hagerty, Luftgekühlt, Rennsport, grassroots motorsports, next generation enthusiasts, automotive lifestyle, Be Differential podcast

What does it actually take to break into professional motorsports when you don't have the budget, the backing, or the blueprint? In this episode of the BeDifferential Podcast, we sit down with Brad Perez — NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series driver, ARCA Menards Series competitor, high-performance driving instructor, and one of the most compelling stories in racing today.

Brad is a first-generation racer who didn't start karting until age 17. From there, he built his own Spec Miata from the ground up, stacked internships across NASCAR, IMSA, SCCA, and NASA, and made the leap to North Carolina in 2019 with no guaranteed seat — just a belief that getting inside the sport was the only way forward. He's worked as a tire specialist in the Truck Series, earned his ARCA Menards Series debut in 2021, and has since racked up NASCAR Truck Series and O'Reilly Auto Parts Series starts, most recently driving the No. 42 Chevrolet for Young's Motorsports with support from Bubba Wallace's Live to Be Different Foundation and the Boys & Girls Club of St. Lucie County.

In this conversation, Brad gets real about what he learned wrenching on his own car, what each internship taught him that the others couldn't, and what it felt like to finally transition from the pit box to the driver's seat. We talk about the difference between oval prep and street course prep, what a more stable team home means after years of one-off rides, and what he would change about how NASCAR develops new talent. And when we ask him where he sees himself in five years, his answer might surprise you.

If you've ever wondered what it looks like to build a motorsports career without the traditional ladder — this episode is exactly that story.

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Formula 1's American expansion is one of the most remarkable growth stories in professional sports history — 135% audience growth since 2018, three US races, Cadillac on the grid, and Apple TV now broadcasting to a fanbase that barely existed a decade ago. By every measurable standard, the numbers are extraordinary.

But are the numbers the whole story?

In this week's Thursday Pit Stop, host Eva Gregory pulls back from the race weekend and asks the bigger question: is F1's American expansion actually good for motorsports — not just good for viewership, sponsorship revenue, and cultural cachet, but good for the sport itself? Good for the people who were here before it was cool?

Eva brings her perspective from inside the industry to offer an honest read on what Drive to Survive built, what the Las Vegas Grand Prix really was, and what the difference between an audience and a community actually means for the long-term health of the sport. She also raises the question that doesn't get asked enough: while F1 has been expanding its American footprint, what has happened to IndyCar, IMSA, and the grassroots scene that gave American motorsports its identity in the first place?

This episode won't give you a clean answer — because Eva doesn't think there is one. What it will give you are three questions worth sitting with, and one closing question she genuinely wants you to answer.

If you came to F1 through Drive to Survive, the Miami grid walk, or the Las Vegas spectacle — this episode is for you. If you've been here for decades and you're not sure how to feel about the new crowd — this one is for you too.

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What does it look like to build a career in automotive when there's no obvious door to walk through? This week, we sit down with Nolan Browning, Head of Partnerships at Cars & Bids, for an honest conversation about a career path that started not with a dream job, but with a CarMax business office.

Nolan shares how a passion for cars that had nothing to do with his day job led him to launch a blog — a side project he ran for nearly nine years while working full-time — and how outranking major automotive publishers on Google and Reddit with zero budget taught him lessons no marketing textbook could. From earning press vehicles as an independent blogger to eventually leading brand marketing at Motul for six years, building multi-platform campaigns at RACER, and now serving as the first dedicated Head of Partnerships at Cars & Bids, Nolan's journey is a masterclass in playing the long game.

We get into what it really means to build a partnerships function from the ground up, how brand integrations work differently across YouTube, podcasts, and live events, and what changes when you've sat on both sides of the negotiating table. Whether you're trying to break into automotive media, dreaming of a career in motorsports marketing, or just curious about how the business of car culture actually works — this one is for you.

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Lewis Hamilton. At Silverstone. In a Ferrari. If you follow Formula 1 at any level, you understand why that image carries weight that goes far beyond points and standings.

In this week's Thursday Pit Stop, Eva breaks down why the 2026 British Grand Prix is one of the most emotionally loaded race weekends in recent memory — and why Silverstone is different from every other circuit on the calendar. From Hamilton's return to his home race in a car that isn't quite fast enough yet, to rookie Kimi Antonelli leading the championship in his debut season, to the sprint format returning to Silverstone for the first time since 2021 — there's a lot happening this weekend. Eva unpacks all of it, with the perspective of someone who watches motorsports with both a fan's heart and an industry professional's eye.

Plus: what Hamilton's move to Ferrari actually says about identity, legacy, and the cost of chasing something new — and a closing question that might make you think about your own version of that decision.

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Chloe Chambers has done what very few have: won in F4, the W Series, F1 Academy, and the Formula Regional Oceania Championship — where she made history as the first woman to start on pole and take the win.

Now she's bringing her skills to GT racing in the 2026 Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America with RAFA Racing. In this episode of the BeDifferential podcast, Chloe pulls back the curtain on the full picture of a professional racing career — the grind between races, the reality of sponsorship and brand building, the moments she questioned everything, and the mindset shifts that have kept her moving forward.

She also talks about working with Red Bull Ford, her goals for the Super Trofeo season, and what she hopes her legacy looks like when it's all said and done.

For aspiring drivers, motorsport fans, or anyone pursuing an unconventional path, this is a conversation you don't want to miss.

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Formula 1 has never been more popular. Le Mans just sold out. The global motorsports market is valued at nearly seven billion dollars. So why do tracks keep closing? Why is the participant pipeline getting thinner? And why does it feel like the sport is producing more engaged observers and fewer engaged participants?

In this week's Thursday Pit Stop, Eva Gregory asks the question the motorsports community doesn't always want to sit with: is the grassroots scene dying — or just changing? And does the distinction even matter if the outcome looks the same?

Drawing on her career working inside motorsports facilities and her current role at Hagerty, Eva makes the case that the health of professional motorsports and the health of grassroots motorsports are not the same thing — and that confusing the two is exactly how the foundation gets hollowed out without anyone noticing.

This one has a point of view. And it ends with a question that might make you uncomfortable — in the best way.

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What does it take to build a business that literally saves lives? 

Brad Coleman started as a SafeWay Driving student. He went on to race in NASCAR. He traveled the country talking to high schoolers about driving safety while still actively competing. Then he bought the driving school he once attended, modernized it from the ground up, sold it — and a decade later, bought it back.

In this episode of BeDifferential, Brad shares the full arc: from his first memories behind the wheel, to the disciplines of professional motorsport, to the business lessons that came from scaling a youth driver education franchise with a mission to prevent the phone call nobody wants to receive.

We talk about what racing teaches you about decision-making, how to protect culture when you're handing the keys to franchise owners, and what it really means to play the long game when the dots don't connect until years later.

If you're a parent of a teen driver, an entrepreneur building something that matters, or someone trying to find your own way through an unconventional path — this one's for you.

Learn more about Safeway Driving here: https://www.safewaydriving.com/

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Most people experience motorsports from the outside. Eva Gregory has spent her career on the inside — and what she learned there didn't come from a textbook.

In this week's Thursday Pit Stop, Eva gets personal. Starting as a cashier at a karting facility and working her way through corner marshaling, pit stewarding, wrenching, track rentals, and eventually Director of Operations at Road Atlanta, she shares three things the track taught her that genuinely surprised her — and that she thinks every automotive enthusiast should hear.

What does it mean to develop real mechanical empathy? Why are the most important people at any motorsports event completely invisible to most attendees? And what happens to your passion when it becomes your profession — and how do you protect it?

This episode is for anyone who loves cars and has ever wondered what it looks like on the other side of the fence. And for anyone who's thought about turning that love into a career.

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What does it actually take to build a racing career when there's no traditional path to follow? Andre Castro figured it out.

Growing up in New York City — inspired by a Williams BMW shirt and a tricycle — Andre found a way into karting without a garage, without a car to haul equipment, and without the typical infrastructure most young drivers take for granted. What he had was ingenuity, a relentless work ethic, and a very clear vision of where he was going.

In this episode, Andre walks us through the creative problem-solving that defined his rise through the ranks — from karting in NYC to winning the Team USA Scholarship, finishing 3rd of 97 at the Formula Ford Festival, qualifying cold into a NASCAR Xfinity race with zero prior testing, and racing for Hyundai on the world stage. Now with his sights set on IMSA, the trajectory is only pointing one direction.

This is a conversation about creativity, persistence, and building something from scratch — on your own terms.

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