Hard Parking with Jhae Pfenning

Emergency College Football Talk with Que + Tesla Roadster Demo & Acura News

Host: Jhae Pfenning | Guest: Que | Gilbert, AZ studio

An emergency episode because the college football chaos demanded it. Guest Que joins to break down Michigan (4-2, Underwood benched, running game issues), Texas and Arch Manning, last week’s massive upsets, the SEC, the Cowboys’ frustrating lack of discipline, the Jalen Hurts blood clot situation, and outlooks for the rest of the season.

Before the football talk, timely car news: Acura’s goal of selling 200,000 vehicles annually by 2030, Honda 0 Series Alpha updates (not coming to the US), next-gen NSX thoughts (Nexera Vision Concept EV as a potential foundation), and a full breakdown of the Tesla Roadster demonstration in McGregor, Texas — suction fans, cold-gas thrusters, the different versions, and why it was a real technology showcase rather than a gimmick.

• 00:00 – Intro & sponsors
• 00:27 – What’s coming (college football emergency + Tesla + Acura)
• 00:44 – Arcus Foundry Spark Forge
• 01:48 – GetCarCurious Top 10 of the 21st century teaser (next week with Jasser)
• 02:22 – Acura 200,000 annual by 2030
• 02:58 – Honda 0 Series Alpha & next-gen NSX thoughts
• 03:39 – Tesla Roadster demonstration deep dive
• 10:05 – College football with Que
• 34:47 – Outro & full sponsors

• GetCarCurious.com (automotive podcast ranking site referenced)
• Autoevolution report on Honda 0 Series Alpha resurfacing
• Tesla Roadster demonstration (McGregor, Texas) – Sawyer Merritt coverage referenced

Email: [email protected]
Website: www.hardparking.com
Patreon: hardparkingpodcast
Instagram: @hardparkingpod
YouTube: youtube.com/@HardParking
TikTok: @hard.parking.jhae

• Right Honda
• Right Toyota
• Arcus Foundry
• Autocannon Official Gear
• The Warehouse AZ

Next week features Jasser from NASCAR (who was in studio last week) and the delayed Top 10 Cars of the 21st Century list.

Jhae and returning guest Andre “Dre” Mullins recap NSXPO 2026 (Orlando area, October 1–5, with Sebring HPDE) after Jhae’s unforgettable pre-event Montana / Big Sky trip that included time with Shinji Kawai and Aki. They break down the friendships forged through NSX ownership, the car show, drives, gala, track vibes, and why these gatherings feel different. Pure laid-back car-culture conversation on the non-automotive automotive podcast.

Referenced links & sources:
Larry Chen / Hagerty feature on Shinji Kawai’s NSX collection (Route KS, including the 2022 factory one-off NSX-R): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXGp7BNeBmg
Hagerty article: https://www.hagerty.com/media/videos/understandable-obsession-one-on-one-with-route-ks-nsx-owner-shinji-kawai/
NSX Club of America official NSXPO 2026 event page: https://nsxca.org/event-6685623
ClassicCars.com photo gallery of NSXPO 2026 Orlando: https://journal.classiccars.com/2026/10/12/photo-gallery-orlando-hosts-nsxpo-2026/
Chin Track Days NSXPO Sebring HPDE: https://chintrackdays.com
NSXPO Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nsxpo/

Timestamps
01:43 – Dre in studio + Montana pre-trip overview
07:00 – Shinji & Aki, Japan NSX collection & the invite
15:00 – Glacier / Big Sky stories & real-life notes
30:00 – Full NSXPO 2026 Orlando recap begins
45:00 – Car show, drives, gala & community
58:00 – Sebring track day / HPDE takeaways
1:30:00 – Movie talk (Sisu energy) & studio stories
1:56:00 – Closing thoughts (Ohio next year)
1:57:00 – Outro, bottle, sponsors & One Drink Wednesday

Contact
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.hardparking.com
Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/hardparkingpodcast/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hardparkingpod/
YouTube: youtube.com/@HardParking
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hard.parking.jhae

Main Show Sponsors:
Right Honda: https://righthonda.com/
Right Toyota: https://www.righttoyota.com/
Arcus Foundry: https://arcusfoundry.com
Autocannon Official Gear: https://shop.autocannon.com/
The Warehouse AZ: https://thewarehouseaz.com/

Jhae brings back Hard Parking Episode 187 with John and Marcus of The RTWJ Podcast — one of the five episodes he says shows the full range of the show. The original conversation started after he heard their July 5, 2023 episode “Pride Month 2023. Pride Gets Personal” and wanted in.

John came out in high school. Marcus waited until his 20s. They talk coming out, whether you can be “gay enough” inside your own community, kids and sex ed, and why cars still sneak in at the end.

After the classic, Jhae updates the tape: RTWJ’s last episode was August 11, 2025 (“America is (Not) Healing”), the friendship cooled when politics got personal, and why he still thinks this one is worth hearing.

RTWJ: @thertwjpodcast · thertwjpodcast.buzzsprout.com
Original Ep 187: Watch on YouTube

Chapters

00:00 Why this classic is back
00:02:41 John and Marcus of RTWJ
00:05:14 Coming-out stories
00:35:59 “Gay enough” and community infighting
00:54:24 Kids, schools, and sex ed
01:16:46 Cars still show up
01:19:48 Where RTWJ is now

Contact
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.hardparking.com
Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/hardparkingpodcast/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hardparkingpod/
YouTube: youtube.com/@HardParking
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hard.parking.jhae
Main Show Sponsors:
Right Honda: https://righthonda.com/
Right Toyota: https://www.righttoyota.com/
Arcus Foundry: https://arcusfoundry.com
Autocannon Official Gear: https://shop.autocannon.com/
The Warehouse AZ: https://thewarehouseaz.com/

Jim Mandel sits down with Jhae as a car-scene friend who also happens to be the bassist in Small Leaks Sink Ships. The Phoenix-born, Portland-based experimental art-pop band has been at it since the mid-2000s, and Jim still daily-drives a black 1999 Honda Civic DX.

They talk the band’s run from Mesa’s Beyond Analog days through Golden Calf and 2023’s Low Tide, the skateboarding life that never really left, why cheap EK Civics still own the culture, and how a local friend group called Cartuned Network came together.

Band: smallleaks.com · Spotify: Small Leaks Sink Ships · Instagram: @smallleaks
Cartuned Network: @cartuned_ntwrk

00:00 Intro + why Jim is in the chair00:05:40 Who Jim is — construction, karate, Hondas00:08:30 Small Leaks Sink Ships00:21:02 Skateboarding never left00:54:53 The Civics — ’92 K24 hatch and the black one01:11:18 Cartuned Network + wrap

Contact
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.hardparking.com
Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/hardparkingpodcast/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hardparkingpod/
YouTube: youtube.com/@HardParking
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hard.parking.jhae
Main Show Sponsors:
Right Honda: https://righthonda.com/
Right Toyota: https://www.righttoyota.com/
Arcus Foundry: https://arcusfoundry.com
Autocannon Official Gear: https://shop.autocannon.com/
The Warehouse AZ: https://thewarehouseaz.com/

Phoenix photographer Matt Engdall sits down in the Gilbert studio and traces the whole path: graphic design at CSU Monterey Bay, a short run at Central Coast TV, the dead-end jobs back home, then a surprise CTE teaching gig at Sandra Day O’Connor High School from 2019 to 2024. COVID put the camera back in his hands. High Line turned car photos into a January 2021 business. Leaving the classroom in 2024 made it full-time.

Matt breaks down light painting classes with the Phoenix Photography Group, why he scouts a location for hours before a shoot, and how design hierarchy — what your eye hits first — is the same skill whether he is building a logo or lighting a fender. Jhae also gets the classroom stories: stage fright, COVID kids, and why “just go teach” is not the easy AI backup plan.

Correction from the Jesse Iwuji episode: Matt Casto, not Matt Castro.

Guest: Matt Engdall — @mattengdall_photo | mattengdall.photo
Referenced: Tormenting Tarmac Ep 203 with Jorge Aquino · @tormentingtarmac
Jhae on CarCast: NSX market + Zanardi Edition sale

Timestamps
0:00 Intro, Revvit correction & Matt Casto correction
1:28 Coming up + Spark Forge
2:38 Welcome Matt / Tormenting Tarmac
3:24 Phoenix kid, Monterey years, Go Otters
4:45 Graphic design, KSBW, and the dead-end stretch
6:00 CTE teaching at Sandra Day O’Connor
7:11 COVID, High Line, business in 2021
8:36 Phoenix Photography Group & light painting class
11:08 Learning the craft and the photographer network
19:10 Scouting the spot that actually fits the car
22:35 Asking about the car before you ask for the booking
48:00 What teaching actually looked like
54:43 Classroom stories, COVID kids & movie knockoffs
59:26 “Just go teach” in the AI era
1:01:25 Everything you look at is graphic design
1:06:45 Hard Parking logo, hierarchy & detail shots
1:13:18 Why book Matt Engdall
1:15:19 Outro, Tormenting Tarmac & CarCast links

Contact
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.hardparking.com
Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/hardparkingpodcast/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hardparkingpod/
YouTube: youtube.com/@HardParking
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hard.parking.jhae
Main Show Sponsors:
Right Honda: https://righthonda.com/
Right Toyota: https://www.righttoyota.com/
Arcus Foundry: https://arcusfoundry.com
Autocannon Official Gear: https://shop.autocannon.com/
The Warehouse AZ: https://thewarehouseaz.com/

Jonathon Rivers of Drive Culture returns for his third Hard Parking conversation. Jhae and Jon start with Rivers’ walkthrough of the Acura NEXERA Vision concept — dual-hinge doors, phantom lighting, and the design language pointed at the next-gen RDX Hybrid. Then they talk about the gap buyers keep missing: a prototype is a statement, a production car has to clear crash, cost, and packaging. The reference point is Toyota’s 2014 FT-1 concept versus the A90 GR Supra that actually reached the street. After that, the social media grind. Jon says he does not care about the numbers. Jhae does not let that sit.

Drive Culture is Jon’s own channel, not an Acura or American Honda production. New videos drop Fridays at 7am PT: youtube.com/@Drive_Culture
Instagram: @drive.culture.reviews
NEXERA video: Acura NEXERA Vision | BEST Design Concept Ever?
Official NEXERA release: Acura News
FT-1 concept: Toyota Pressroom
FT-1 to GR Supra: MotorTrend

Previous Hard Parking episodes with Jonathon Rivers:
EP 247 — NSXPO 2024: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIU_Fc6Q4iU
EP 296 — NSXPO 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCIDP4LHBnA

In this episode:

• Third time on Hard Parking with Jonathon Rivers of Drive Culture
• His Acura NEXERA Vision concept video and why the design hit
• Butterfly doors, phantom lighting, and cues aimed at the next-gen RDX Hybrid
• What buyers expect from a concept versus what a production car can actually ship
• Toyota FT-1 concept to A90 GR Supra as the reality check
• The 2026 YouTube and social media grind
• Jon saying the numbers don’t matter — and Jhae pushing back

Contact
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.hardparking.com
Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/hardparkingpodcast/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hardparkingpod/
YouTube: youtube.com/@HardParking
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hard.parking.jhae
Main Show Sponsors:
Right Honda: https://righthonda.com/
Right Toyota: https://www.righttoyota.com/
Arcus Foundry: https://arcusfoundry.com
Autocannon Official Gear: https://shop.autocannon.com/
The Warehouse AZ: https://thewarehouseaz.com/

EP342

Would we still stop the country for 9/11 if it happened today? Solo Episode 342 drops on the 25th anniversary, with Jhae Pfenning on memory fade, walking the Ground Zero memorial with Ivette in June 2018, and standing in a Grand Rapids bar when the second plane hit live on TV.

ABC News posted that a Tesla crashed into Midtown scaffolding and killed a passenger, then deleted the X post after Community Notes. The driver was operating the car manually, fled, and was arrested for DWI and vehicular manslaughter — not FSD. Jhae also covers Labor Day street takeovers, including LAPD’s Operation Street Sweeper in Harbor Gateway.

The back half is the Lindsay Clancy hung jury without a hot take. The trial was never “did she do it.” It was her state of mind. Using the 2015 Arizona I-10 median-barrier case he sat on, Jhae lands on the only rule that matters in a jury room: it is not what you know. It is what you can prove.

Sources:
Business Insider — films altered after 9/11
9/11 Memorial & Museum
ABC News — Midtown Tesla crash
NY Daily News — DWI charges, BAC .229
Musk: Autopilot was not in use
LA Times — Operation Street Sweeper
NYT — Clancy mistrial, what next
NBC Boston — jurors speak
AZ Central — I-10 / Humphrey-Quinn

Timestamps
0:00 Cold open
0:21 Show open
0:31 9/11, 25 years later
2:10 Ground Zero with Ivette, June 2018
4:09 Where I was when the second plane hit
6:13 Remember September 11th
7:25 ABC deletes the Tesla crash post
8:35 LA + Chicago street takeovers
12:23 The Clancy trial was about state of mind
13:20 What an Arizona jury taught me
21:18 Not what you know — what you can prove
25:04 Thanks and close

Contact: [email protected]
Website: www.hardparking.com
Patreon: patreon.com/hardparkingpodcast
Instagram: @hardparkingpod
YouTube: youtube.com/@HardParking
TikTok: @hard.parking.jhae

Right Honda: righthonda.com
Right Toyota: righttoyota.com
Arcus Foundry: arcusfoundry.com
Autocannon: shop.autocannon.com
The Warehouse AZ: thewarehouseaz.com

Navy Commander Jesse Iwuji went from Naval Academy safety to NASCAR driver and team owner — and he did not start wheel-to-wheel racing until age 28. Jesse talks 16 years in uniform, the 2014 vision that made a late start possible, building Jesse Iwuji Motorsports with Emmitt Smith, and why drifting and sports cars are next.

Jesse Iwuji is a U.S. Navy commander and reserve officer, Naval Academy Class of 2010, former Midshipmen free safety, and co-owner of Jesse Iwuji Motorsports with Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith and Matt Casto. He began stock-car racing in 2015 at Irwindale while still on active duty and now runs a hybrid program with DGM Racing. In June 2026 he was promoted to commander the same weekend he raced NASCAR’s historic event at Naval Base Coronado.

Guest links:
Instagram: @jesse_iwuji
X: @Jesse_Iwuji
YouTube: @jesse_iwuji
Website: jesseiwuji.com
Store: shop.jesseiwuji.com
Team X: @JIMS__official

Sources:
Jesse Iwuji — Wikipedia
Navy: Commander promotion + NASCAR San Diego at Naval Base Coronado
NEXCOM / No. 91 Chevrolet — Coronado race

Timestamps:
0:00 Intro — college football weekend + Jesse Iwuji
2:20 What 16 years in the Navy still means
4:10 Navy officer to NASCAR
5:39 Late start: first wheel-to-wheel race at 28
7:25 The 2014 vision, Corvette track days, and the sim
9:14 Army-Navy, Beat Army, and Academy life
24:27 Year one as a NASCAR team owner
25:31 What a season actually costs
26:49 Two years out: NASCAR + sports cars + Formula Drift
29:15 How this interview finally happened
31:50 Close

More Hard Parking NASCAR:
Jasser Valerio (NASCAR official): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW2pL3i0DWE
Dylan “Mamba” Smith: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXz-btevcxM

Contact

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.hardparking.com

Patreon: patreon.com/hardparkingpodcast

Instagram: instagram.com/hardparkingpod

YouTube: youtube.com/@HardParking

TikTok: tiktok.com/@hard.parking.jhae

Main Show Sponsors:

Right Honda: righthonda.com

Right Toyota: righttoyota.com

Arcus Foundry: arcusfoundry.com

Autocannon Official Gear: shop.autocannon.com

The Warehouse AZ: thewarehouseaz.com

Talk2Q is back on Hard Parking. Quincy Shelton joins Jhae Pfenning to preview the 2026 college football season, walk the preseason Top 25, and talk the blurry new line between the NFL and campus football. Before Q hops on, Jhae covers bourbon drops, Blanton’s Gold, skipping a packed Friday line, and a GoDaddy support call that turned into “wait… are you AI?”

After the interview, Jhae follows the news that dropped hours later: the Browns waived TE Dae’Quan Wright, who had an agreement to join Lane Kiffin at LSU if he cleared waivers. The SEC and Big Ten then moved to block players who signed NFL deals, appeared on a roster, or declared for the draft from returning to those conferences. Jhae also breaks down 2026 practice-squad pay and Netflix’s UNTOLD: The Testimony of Vince Young.

Guest: Quincy Shelton — Talk 2Q Radio Show
Instagram: instagram.com/Talk2Q · X: twitter.com/Talk2Q · Site: talk2q.com

Sources:
Dae’Quan Wright waived / LSU report
SEC & Big Ten ban on returning pros
UNTOLD: The Testimony of Vince Young

Timestamps
0:00 Intro — football season is close
0:45 Bourbon drops, Blanton’s Gold & the hunt
6:32 GoDaddy, domains & talking to AI “Judy”
10:20 Quincy Shelton (Talk2Q) joins
14:38 Michigan & the preseason Top 25
21:39 Early playoff picture
24:19 Walking the preseason Top 25
36:15 NFL-to-college eligibility, TROs & NIL
45:24 Q signs off
46:30 Dae’Quan Wright, LSU & the SEC/Big Ten ban
48:58 What NFL practice-squad players make in 2026
49:45 UNTOLD: The Testimony of Vince Young
52:07 Close + who’s coming on next

Contact Email: [email protected]
Website: www.hardparking.com
Patreon: patreon.com/hardparkingpodcast
Instagram: instagram.com/hardparkingpod
YouTube: youtube.com/@HardParking
TikTok: tiktok.com/@hard.parking.jhae

Main Show Sponsors:
Right Honda: righthonda.com
Right Toyota: righttoyota.com
Arcus Foundry: arcusfoundry.com
Autocannon Official Gear: shop.autocannon.com
The Warehouse AZ: thewarehouseaz.com

Paul Bonnett joins Hard Parking for a deep dive into real grassroots drifting. The 33-year-old runs a 2007 Nissan 350Z at tracks like Thompson Speedway and Riverside in New Hampshire. He walks through his path from dirt bikes and a serious back injury into stunt riding, the disaster first BMW E46, and why the 350Z plus a simple drift sim finally clicked. You’ll hear what drifting actually feels like, how he practices chase proximity, the smartest way to start if you’re brand new, and where he wants to take it next.

Late news: Nevada approved full robotaxi permits — Tesla up to 5,000 vehicles and Waymo up to 1,000 in the Las Vegas area.

Follow Paul on Instagram: @popuppolly617

Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro & Nevada Robotaxi News
02:45 – Meet Paul Bonnett
04:00 – Dirt Bikes, Back Injury & Path to Drifting
06:00 – BMW E46 Disaster
07:30 – 350Z + Drift Sim
09:00 – What Drifting Feels Like
12:00 – Chase Practice & Sim Training
16:00 – How to Get Started
20:00 – Tracks & Two-Year Goals
25:00 – What He’d Change + Closing

Contact Email: [email protected]
Website: www.hardparking.com
Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/hardparkingpodcast/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hardparkingpod/
YouTube: youtube.com/@HardParking
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hard.parking.jhae

Main Show Sponsors:
Right Honda: https://righthonda.com/
Right Toyota: https://www.righttoyota.com/
Arcus Foundry: https://arcusfoundry.com
Autocannon Official Gear: https://shop.autocannon.com/
The Warehouse AZ: https://thewarehouseaz.com/