Grip Strip Podcast

Phil and Josh come back for another episode of the GSP with freelance writer and motorsports encyclopedia Josh Bolden aka Googs to talk grassroots racing and NASCAR.  The crew discusses Alex Bowman's victory at Las Vegas and the ensuing butt hurt that took place from Kyle Busch.  Ross Chastain led the most laps and showed Trackhouse is ready to play with the Gen 7 car but Gibbs and Hendrick dominated the program per recent year trends. 

In XFinity, Keebler Gibbs gets his first win of 2022 while using Ryan Sieg up in the process.  JRM and Kaulig had good cars but nothing to show for them.  Trucks saw Chandler Smith continue his recent upswing with his third victory in the last seven races while Daytona winner Zane Smith finished second but got DQ'ed for lugnuts.  Defending champion Ben Rhodes won both stages in an unsponsored truck but got hooked by teammate Ty Majeski during the third stage. 

The Roundup goes over Kevin Magnussen's return to F1 at Haas along with the start of Drive to Survive on Netflix.  MotoGP/Moto2 starts their season at Qatar plus Supercars at Sydney Motorsports Park to open their 2022 campaign, F2/F3 testing at Bahrain in preparation for their first race and SRX Driver announcements.  Phil and Josh discuss Phoenix and picks for the Cup and XFinity races before Josh's Sim Segment and show close.

Phil and Josh continue the odyssey for E103 of the GSP discussing Scotty McLaughlin's first IndyCar win at St. Pete, Larson winning at ACS, F1 testing and more.  The guys go over all the keys that let to McLaughlin's win along with who stood out and struggled during the weekend. 

For Cup, the racing was good and showed the Gen7 car is a game changer in many ways...however, it hasn't slowed down the defending series champion.  Cole Custer helped SS Green Light Racing get their first ever XFinity win the day before.  F1 Testing took place at Barcelona with takeaways on the teams bringing the heat and who has work to do before the next test at Bahrain. 

The Roundup covers MotoGP's opener at Qatar, V8 Supercars at Sydney, NHRA at Phoenix and WRC in Sweden.  Phil and Josh make their picks for Las Vegas across all three series and provide thoughts regarding Miss hUMMer announcing the next two weeks.  Josh provides his views as an iRacer in the Sim Segment before the show close. 

Phil and Josh return for E102 of the GSP to discuss Austin Cindric's Daytona 500 victory in his eighth career Cup start.  The guys cover all the key drivers that featured in the Great American Race along with close calls for Phil's drivers.  Big names were left to wait another year for that elusive Harley J. Earl Trophy while the debut of the Gen7/NextGen Car had its ups and downs. 

The IndyCar Series starts their 2022 campaign in St. Pete with Colton Herta and Andretti Autosport in the news with the impending entrance into Formula 1 (if approved).  Is it Colton's time to win an IndyCar title or will other drivers snatch that opportunity away. 

How will Alex Palou approach his title defense along with Scott Dixon having to compete with a strong teammate in search of his seventh title?  What does Pato O'Ward and McLaren bring to the table in 2022?  Can Josef Newgarden lead the Penske team and the Bow-tie Brigade?  In a loaded rookie class, who will stand out above the rest at season's end? 

Formula 1 has their first three days of testing at Barcelona with new regulations changing the appearance and aerodynamics on the cars.  Who fired the first shots in testing, who's struggling and who is sandbagging as we lead towards the season start in Bahrain.

The Roundup covers the XFinity race from Daytona, the Desert X Prix from Saudi, Rally Sweden in WRC, MotoGP series testing, three-time World Champion Wayne Rainey riding his last championship bike again at Goodwood plus NHRA in Phoenix before Josh's Sim Segment discussing the iRacing Daytona 500 and show close.

Phil and Josh do a weekend edition of the GSP to discuss all the Formula 1 car reveals prior to the first preseason test at Barcelona.  Which cars look the best, what is intriguing about the new changes and what do the guys expect leading up to that session. 

Motorsports GOAT Mario Andretti announced that son Michael will be launching a bid to join Formula 1 in 2024 with his own Andretti Global team.  Phil and Josh cover many details regarding this announcement and what it means in regards to F1 in the US.

One aspect that has more fans interested is Drive to Survive and the crew goes over their experiences with the show and what it has done to dramatize certain events and what that may mean in regards to how last season went especially with certain people being absent. 

Phil covers Extreme E's season opener in Saudi, the crew discusses the Super Bowl, Josh provides details on his upcoming iRacing Daytona 500 appearance.  Phil and Josh recap the Truck race won by Zane Smith and they make picks for the XFinity and Cup events while providing live comments on the ARCA farce. 

Phil and Josh celebrate a milestone episode of the GSP with special guest Joe Passero of Beyond The Flag/Fansided to discuss all things NASCAR 2022.  The guys go over the Gen7/Next Gen car and all that it brings to the sport along with the issues that may be faced as the Cup teams start this season. 

The crew discusses qualifying live and what to expect during the Duels and race itself.  All three give thoughts on the key players from Chevy, Ford and Toyota as this new season begins.  Along with the Cup Series, the guys cover the XFinity, Trucks and ARCA Series with key players to look at for Daytona and the season too. 

Phil and Josh get one step closer to a milestone episode with Clash at the Coliseum coverage and what the NextGen/Gen7 car will bring to the table as the Cup Series gets ready for the Daytona 500.  The guys cover the parts issues, the racing and how sustainable the product is through a 38-week season while going through the good and bad for certain drivers and teams. 

The Roundup consisted of NASCAR Silly Season updates, Formula 1 car launches including one for the driver's title winner, Lando Norris' contract extension and a GOAT returning for another year.  Race of Champions, Formula E Mexico City EPrix preview, MotoGP and WSBK testing all are covered.

Phil and Josh preview the Super Bowl and what it will take for the Bengals or Rams to hoist the Lombardi Trophy while Phil still wonders how the 49ers blew a 10-point lead against the Rams.  Phil covers Anthony Simonsen earning the Triple Crown of bowling at just a month over 25-years old at the US Open after defeating Jason Belmonte and EJ Tackett before Josh's Sim Segment and show close. 

Phil and Josh return for Episode 98 of the GSP to recap the exciting Rolex 24 at Daytona which saw the Meyer-Shank Racing 60 Acura win overall.  The guys cover all the classes and key battles which led to the eventual results before previewing the Clash at the Coliseum for the NASCAR Cup Series.  Will the race be a demo derby or actually be the start of something different in the debut of the Gen 7 race car? 

Phil and Josh recap the NFL Conference Championship weekend while providing a short preview of the Super Bowl game.  After this, they get into the issues with NFL hiring practices regarding minority candidates after Brian Flores sued the league.  Phil and Josh also give their thoughts on Tom Brady officially retiring after his illustrious career. 

The GSP Roundup covers NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula 1, and Formula E before a PBA Players Championship review which saw Jason Belmonte win his 14th major and lead into the US Open in Indianapolis.  As usual, Josh's Sim Segment and Show Close end the program.

Phil and Josh return for Episode 97 of the GSP to celebrate Phil's birthday live on air.   Phil provides some details and context about what this particular day means for him after wishes from Josh.  The guys breakdown the Rolex 24 at Daytona by car and class along with making picks. 

Phil and Josh go over the NFL Championship Weekend with Phil's 49ers still in and with a chance to advance if they can defeat the L.A. Rams for a third time this season.  They cover all four Divisional round matchups and preview both title games. The guys do the GSP Roundup covering NASCAR Next Gen Testing and other touring series news, IndyCar, F1, Formula E's season opener preview, Supercross, and WRC Rally Monte Carlo recap.

Phil covers the PBA Players Championship regional results and the winners advancing to play for a major title while Josh does his Sim Segment, before show close. 

Phil and Josh come back for E96 of the GSP to discuss the Roar Before the 24 at Daytona, which will set the qualifying order for the Rolex 24 along with coverage of the Michelin Pilot Challenge and LMP3 action going on this weekend at the World's Center of Speed.  The guys also cover the Chili Bowl and Tanner Thorson taking down three-time Golden Driller winner Christopher Bell in the A-Main.  Many great stories and drivers made the A, even if MAVTV didn't bother to show them. 

NASCAR, Formula 1, IndyCar, Supercross and WRC news and notes got their place before Josh discussed the saga that is the Jacksonville Jaguars coaching/possible GM search.  Phil and Josh go into the Wild Card weekend results including Phil's 49ers almost killing him but coming through and their prospects going to Green Bay and beyond.  The guys preview each game and keys before Josh's Sim Segment and show close.

Phil and Josh welcome two returning guests to the GSP for the 2021 Cup Series Round-table.  Frontstretch.com writer and former host of Talking in Circles Clayton Caldwell along with PitBoxPress.com writer and social media influencer Phil Spain come back to discuss a number of topics relating to last year's NASCAR Cup season. 

The guys cover Kyle Larson's domination and redemption arc that covered the 2021 season along with the dynamics within Hendrick Motorsports between himself and 2020 champion Chase Elliott.  Hendrick and Gibbs dominated the season last year and the driver makeup of each team stands out for different reasons from last year and for the future.

Ford disappearing from existence for most of the season after coming so close to a title in 2020 was a huge shock but there's plenty of changes coming within the camp going into 2022.  Can the Blue Oval Gang recover and come back with a new car on the line?

The crew discusses Denny Hamlin's greater significance in the sport: as a driver or as a car owner bringing Michael Jordan and many new sponsors to the forefront?  First time winners both in the driver and team category took place in 2021...what did each mean then and now after a while to reflect?  Will some of those teams/drivers continue to have success in 2022?

Finally, the Gen 6 car is looked at with its end being relegated to the XFinity and Truck Series with the usual Good/Bad/Ugly segment.