Grip Strip Podcast

Phil and Josh discuss Kurt Busch's first win for 23XI at Kansas along with Colton Herta's win at the Indy Road Course in the IndyCar Series among many events on the GSP.  Toyota and Hendrick Motorsports dominated the race at Kansas but the Jordan Brand 45 was in a class of his own...even with defending series champ Kyle Larson giving him a tough battle.  On the flip side, Ford's are struggling mightily with speed and performance outside of Ryan Blaney.  Issues with BadYear tires and other anomalies are discussed by the guys.

Herta's win in a crazy race which saw changing weather conditions provides great momentum leading into the Indianapolis 500 while Will Power won another pole and took the points lead.  Major points runners had a tough day while other drivers who have struggled had a strong performance. 

The Roundup discusses IMSA, MotoGP/Moto2, Formula E, Supercars, World Superbike, NHRA and F2/F3/W Series before leading into a Spanish Grand Prix preview.  Can Charles Leclerc respond to the momentum of Verstappen and Red Bull?  How about Carlos Sainz getting his first win or pole on home soil?  What will Mercedes have up their sleeve with the official opening of the European season? 

Picks and dark horses are made before leading into Indy 500 practice, qualifying and entry list discussion.  Phil and Josh make their picks for the front row and the last row with Josh dusting off the algorithm.  NASCAR's All Star Race will take place once again at Texas for whatever reason.  Picks for who will advance into the race and who will win the All-Star race in their convoluted format are made.  

Josh discusses his run in the iRacing Indy 500 along with playing clips from the race feed itself before Show Close.  

Phil and Josh return for E113 of the GSP to discuss the inaugural Miami Grand Prix for Formula 1 and a triple header throwback weekend at Darlington for NASCAR.  Verstappen wins again at a race that seemed to be more of a famous people social gathering than a motor race.  Ferrari's took the other two podium spots while Mercedes showed signs of life early in the weekend to flounder once qualifying and the race happened.  Other key stories took place within the top 10 which the guys discuss.

Joey Logano moved William Byron for his first Cup win of 2022 on a weekend of first wins in a while, with Justin Allgaier (XFinity) and John Hunter Nemechek (Trucks) breaking dry spells in their respective series.  The controversy that ensued from the move Smokin' Joe put on Byron was just one piece of the story at the Lady in Black, since Logano's win makes 10 different winners in 12 races.  The guys go over who could add to the list and the possibility of a win not being enough to make the playoff.

The Roundup discusses WEC, W Series, MotoGP/Moto2, IMSA, and Formula E before Phil and Josh go into the GMR Grand Prix at Indianapolis for the IndyCar Series.  Can Chevy continue their domination of the season or will Honda finally respond? Who needs a big run as the series leads into the Indianapolis 500?  Can Penske's team continue to dominate in Penske's house?  The crew make their picks and dark horse selections before previewing the NASCAR doubleheader at Kansas. 

Can we see an 11th different winner this season in Cup?  Can a Chevy or Ford regular win a Truck race?  With a bunch of cookie cutter tracks on the horizon, how will the Gen 6 hold up?  Picks and dark horses are made leading into Josh's Sim Segment discussing his attempt for the fixed setup Indy 500 and Show Close.

After a busy weekend of racing and NFL Draft coverage, Phil and Josh return for E112 of the GSP.  The guys get into Pato O'Ward's first IndyCar win of 2022 at Barber and what that means for him and the McLaren team leading into Indianapolis. 

The points contenders generally held serve for the exception of three-time Barber winner Josef Newgarden, which saw defending series champion Alex Palou take the points lead.  Chevy has won all four races so far and Rinus Veekay took pole and earned a podium leading up to defending his race win at Indy last May in the GMR Grand Prix.  All the key story-lines leading up to the Month of May at Indy are covered here. 

On the NASCAR side, Monday's Dover finish saw Clyde gets his first oval win since the 2020 Phoenix finale to give Hendrick four cars with wins and five of the first 11 races in the 2022 Cup Series season.  Kyle Busch and Alex Bowman may have a gripe with what went down but tires and late start times also played a role in the rain delayed proceedings.  Josh Berry led a JRM benefit on Saturday at Dover which made Phil happy.  

NFL Draft talk saw Josh's Jacksonville Jaguars take Travon Walker #1 overall over Aidan Hutchinson.  Josh goes over the why and other key picks during the draft for the team from Duval, while Phil is happy (for now) that Deebo is still a 49er.  The Niners focused OL/Edge/CB but also spent capital on a WR and RB.  The guys go over who did well in the draft along with some of the major moves. 

The Roundup discusses IMSA at Laguna Seca, MotoGP/Moto2 at Jerez, NHRA Four-Wide at Charlotte, Supercars at Wannero, WEC at Spa and W Series season debut at Miami which leads into F1 going to the 305 for the first F1 Miami GP.  Will Ferrari and Red Bull continue their dominance in 2022 or can Mercedes respond for Lewis Hamilton to win at a third different circuit in the USA? 

Thoughts on what the track will present, the start times and who are some dark horses along with picks are made.  The guys discuss Porsche and Audi possibly joining F1 in 2026 with the new engine regulations as well. 

NASCAR's throwback weekend at Darlington takes place this weekend so Phil and Josh pick their favorite throwback schemes and make selections on who can win the races this weekend before Josh's Sim Segment and Show Close.

After a jam-packed weekend of motorsports, Phil and Josh return to cover it all in E111 of the GSP.  Ross Chastain came back from nearly wrecking the field and being down a lap to win his second race of the 2022 Cup season, solidifying himself as a championship contender. 

Plenty of big names suffered huge wrecks or mediocre days behind Chastain and the usual Hendrick/Gibbs domination.  Gragson won the XFinity race but the coverage and attention went to Jeffrey Earnhardt, who drove the RCR 3 car like his legendary grandfather to the pole and a second place finish.

Adding to the domination was Verstappen and Red Bull who maximized their points haul throughout the weekend at Imola to cut Charles Leclerc's lead nearly in half as they move to Miami in a couple weeks.  The racing wasn't spectacular but the conditions definitely made it difficult for all the drivers - including Lewis Hamilton who had one of the worst weekends of his legendary career. 

The Roundup covered MotoGP/Moto2, F2/F3, WSBK, WRC, MotoAmerica, BTCC, NHRA, IMSA, Supercars, Formula E and DTM before leading into the IndyCar preview at Barber.  Can Josef Newgarden continue his winning streak or will Alex Palou defend his race win from last year?  Who could be a dark horse for this weekend? 

Dover will host the Cup and XFinity Series this weekend so Phil and Josh made their picks for winners and who could surprise at the Monster Mile.  Josh covers his Jacksonville Jaguars who have the #1 pick in the NFL Draft and what they should do vs. what they may do with Baalke at the helm.  Phil bemoans the 49ers situation with Deebo along with Jimmy G still being around and Alex Mack's likely retirement.  The FallBrawl league is back and Josh is looking to win after two strong seasons so far.  Phil just wants to get a sixth title after a long dry spell.   

Josh discusses iRacing and his exploits in the 87 Cup cars along with IndyCar in his prep for the Indy 500 along with Dale Jr's win in the Mooncar series before the show close. 

Phil and Josh return for a post-Easter episode of the GSP to discuss Kyle Busch getting his 60th Cup Series win after Tyler Reddick and Chase Briscoe got into argy bargy on the last lap during the Bristol Dirt Race.  The guys talk about the race itself, the viability of Cup/NASCAR touring series on dirt (especially on non-dirt tracks) along with who stood out and who struggled.  Ben Rhodes was the dominant Truck on Saturday at Bristol but needed to overcome a pit decision miscue and Carson Hocevar to win and put himself firmly in position to repeat as champion.  

A busy GSP Roundup covers MotoGP/Moto2 at Algarve, F2/F3 at Imola, WSBK at Assen, WRC Rally Croatia, MotoAmerica at Road Atlanta and BTCC at Donington Park.  Phil and Josh preview the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola with the big questions pertaining to the top three teams: Can Ferrari maintain their top pace and win on home soil?  What will Red Bull's reliability be like after multiple issues so far in 2022?  How will Mercedes respond in regards to upgrades after a poor start to the season?  Among the midfield, who has the best chance to have a standout performance?

The guys cover the Cup and XFinity races at Talladega with picks and the return of Josh's Algorithm, which you will want to hear the selections!  Josh discusses his exploits on iRacing in the Sim Segment before the Show Close. 

Phil and Josh return for E109 of the GSP to discuss Charles Leclerc's second win of 2022 along with Josef Newgarden in IndyCar and William Byron in Cup.  The guys go over the Australian GP which saw the defending World Champion fall out while running second and other key story lines including Lewis Hamilton's overheating issues.  At Long Beach, Newgarden gave Penske their third straight victory to start the 2022 campaign while Colton Herta crashed out of a possible victory.  Alex Palou is not going away either after a podium finish in the second most important race on the calendar.  

On the NASCAR side at Martinsville, Byron won two of three races on the weekend and became the first repeat winner of the 2022 Cup Series season in a race that saw zero on track passes for the lead.  Phil and Josh go over what could be done to improve the product since Martinsville will have an important place in how the final four is set.  While Bruckshot Jones won the XFinity race, Keebler Gibbs sucker punching Sam Mayer while keeping his helmet on is the main story from the race itself.  Byron won the Truck race for Spire while KBM continues their dominance.

The GSP Roundup covers MotoGP/Moto2 at CoTA, IMSA at Long Beach, Supercars at Albert Park, World Superbike at Aragon, Formula E in Rome and MotoAmerica at CoTA before Josh's Sim Segment and show close.

Hello Friends...Phil and Josh are back for E108 of the GSP to discuss the Cup Series at Richmond, NASCAR's big three series at Martinsville with previews and picks along with much more.  Formula 1 returns to Australia for the first time since pre-pandemic with track changes, new cars and more.  Can Mercedes and McLaren come back after a slow start to their seasons?  What will the Ferrari vs. Red Bull battle look like with Leclerc vs. Verstappen Part Three? 

IndyCar returns to one of the majors with the Grand Prix of Long Beach this weekend.  Can Alexander Rossi right the ship this weekend at one of his best tracks?  How will Scotty McLaughlin do after such a strong start to the 2022 season?  The GSP Roundup covers MotoGP/Moto2 at Argentina and CoTA this week, IMSA at Long Beach, Supercars at Albert Park, World Superbike's season opener at Aragon and Formula E in Rome.

Phil discusses his bowling exploits from earlier in the week with his high series and second highest game ever along with The Masters discussion live.  The guys start discussing the NFL Draft where Josh's Jaguars hold the #1 pick.  Josh continues with his Sim Segment racing both IndyCar and NASCAR before the show close.

Phil and Josh return for E107 of the GSP to discuss Ross Chastain's first Cup Series win at CoTA after some last lap argy bargy between himself, AJ Allmendinger and Alex Bowman.  The guys cover all three NASCAR events in Austin and discuss key story lines along with Verstappen's first win of 2022 in Jeddah over Charles Leclerc.  Issues with the track, the government and more come up along with those who stood out in Saudi. 

The GSP Roundup discusses F1 going to the Las Vegas Strip in November 2023, Supercars at Symmons Plains, F2 at Jeddah and MotoGP/Moto2 preview for the GP of Argentina.  Since XFinity had taken place before recording, the NASCAR preview strictly focused on the Cup Series first short track event of 2022 at Richmond. 

Josh provides his info on the Sim Segment where both of us get fooled by Open-Wheels.com in regards to eligibility for the Open-Wheels 500 before show close. 

Phil and Josh come back for Episode 106 of the GSP to discuss the Formula 1 opener at Bahrain which saw Charles Leclerc and Ferrari take the opening pole and race of the season.  The guys cover the 1-2 finish for the Scuderia while Red Bull saw both of their drivers fall out late with power unit issues along with fellow RBPT car of Pierre Gasly.  Mercedes was on the back foot all weekend but salvaged a podium for Lewis Hamilton and a fourth for George Russell.  Their customer teams are definitely in trouble but Ferrari customers like Haas are in a great place.  Kevin Magnussen's return to F1 couldn't have went much better with a fifth.

On the flip side of racing, Atlanta Motor Speedway saw WWE-style pack racing for all three major NASCAR national series.  William Byron gave Hendrick Motorsports a third winner among their four-car team to start the season while plenty of drivers left angry with wrecked race cars and BadYear tire failures.  Ross Chastain continues his early season rise with the upstart Trackhouse Racing and proving how the Gen 7 car has helped smaller teams.  Keebler Gibbs won in XFinity and Corey Heim took his first Truck Series win during the Saturday proceedings.  

Josef Newgarden made it a Penske 2-2 to start the 2022 IndyCar season after a last lap, last turn pass on teammate Scott McLaughlin but the story was the Grip Strip and how it affected the cars and tires.  Multiple wrecks were caused by the residue of the Grip Strip but Kyle Kirkwood showed why he's a future star in the IndyCar Series.  On the flip side, we saw why Devlin DeFrancesco is the EggHead of IndyCar.  Issues for McLaren also exist stateside and Alexander Rossi is left to wonder what has happened with his career after a brutal race day.

For the Roundup, recaps of the 12 Hours of Sebring, Sebring 1000 KM, F2/F3 at Bahrain, MotoGP/Moto2 at Mandalika and Supercars at Symmons Plains before previews of NASCAR at CoTA and F1 at the Rights Out GP in Jeddah.  Josh talks about iRacing with his Sim Segment before show close.

Phil and Josh come back for Episode 105 of the GSP to discuss Chase Briscoe's first Cup Series win at Phoenix which sent Phil into absolute bedlam and plenty of beverages which got Beyond The Flag's Joe Passero in the Tweet storm that came from Phil's personal account and GSP too. 

The crew goes over Briscoe becoming the 200th driver to win a Cup race while Ryan Blaney led the most laps but didn't close once again along with Ross Chastain's continued upswing early in the season for Trackhouse Racing.  Less time is spent on Gragson's win in the XFinity race.

The guys discuss the new Atlanta Motor Speedway and make picks for all three series along with key story-lines to focus on for a track that hasn't been paved or reconfigured since 1997.  Phil and Josh cover the beginning of the F1 season at Bahrain with picks along with IndyCars at the dump that is Texas Motor Speedway.  

The Roundup covers the 12 Hours of Sebring for IMSA/1000 KM for WEC along with the Hendrick Motorsports Gen 7 announcement of their Garage 56 opportunity at Le Mans in 2023.  MotoGP/Moto2 at Indonesia along with NHRA at Gainesville where Tony Stewart Racing got their first win with Matt Hagan for a double.  

Phil and Josh cover NFL Free Agency before Josh's Sim Segment and show close.