If you wanted late drama, the Sno*Drift Rally delivered it. Fast, frenetic and unpredictable, the opening round of the 2026 ARA National Championship played out in a Michigan deep freeze and showed why American rallying is heading for boom times. ARA series manager Preston Osborn joins the RACER Weekly podcast to talk Sno*Drift Rally plot twists, a breakout weekend for rising star Lia Block, a wave of high-profile new entries in the series, and how American rallying can work with the WRC to elevate the sport even more in the USA. Plus, if you want to watch, help out or even get in a rally car and compete, Preston lays out the road map.                                     

#AmericanRally #LiaBlock #PrestonOsborn #WRC #WorldRallyCross #Sno*DriftRally #RACERpodcast #racing #motorsport

photo credit: Paul Abel 

The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series gets underway with its biggest, most unpredictable race, the Daytona 500. William Byron is aiming for something that’s never been achieved before – a third straight trip to victory lane in “The Great American Race.” But as RACER’s NASCAR expert Kelly Crandall explains, the odds are against him. Working the draft, dodging the wrecks, and being in exactly the right place for that final frenetic dash to the checkers comes down to skill, luck and teamwork, and Kelly gives us her take on who she’d put her money on for that. Plus, we look at how NASCAR’s regular- and post-season changes will reshape how teams go racing and get some early leads on who’ll be in the championship frame come November in Homestead.

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#NASCAR #Daytona500 #KellyCrandall #racing #motorsports #racerpodcast

Formula 1 went behind closed doors to put shakedown miles on its new-for-2026 rules package. So how did one of the biggest shakeups in the history of grand prix racing shake out? Despite the veil of secrecy over five days of running in Barcelona, RACER’s F1 insider, Chris Medland, still got to the bottom of it all and tells us who’s looking hot and who’ll be playing catchup as we countdown to the new season. Will Mercedes be the team to beat? Has Ferrari put itself back in the frame? What’s the lowdown on Red Bull Racing and defending champ McLaren? And how are F1 newbies Audi and Cadillac shaking up? Join RACER Weekly as Medland starts to crack the code.                     

#ChrisMedland #formula1 #f1 #RedBullRacing #McLaren #Cadillac #Audi #RACERpodcast #racing #motorsport

It’s one of the biggest weeks in off-road racing – the King of the Hammers. It’s where the stars of desert racing and rock crawling come together to battle on the boulders, ravines and dry lake beds of California’s Johnson Valley. There are five four-wheeled races up for grabs, including the famed Race of Kings, and off-road Hall of Famer Cameron Steele is taking on every one of them – again. He joins the RACER Weekly to talk about why the event is so huge, how he gears up for this high-intensity off-road fest, and the art of racing over the rocks. Plus, the Baja legend recalls his 2018 Baja 1000 win and looks ahead to the 2026 SCORE season, too.                   

#CameronSteele #desertassassins #kingofthehammers #baja1000 #offroad #RACERpodcast 

Jordan Taylor checks in with RACER Weekly to set the scene on one of sports car racing’s biggest weekend, the Rolex 24 At Daytona. As a two-time winner of the twice-around-the-clock classic, the Wayne Taylor Racing ace tells us what it takes to get it done, both physically and mentally, and what it’s like to race a high-tech, hybrid Cadillac V-Series.R GTP rocket ship. Plus, Jordan talks triathlons and the challenge and satisfaction of dipping into the world of NASCAR.                 

#JordanTaylor #WayneTaylorRacing #IMSA #Rolex24atDaytona #sportcars #GTP

Tommy Milner joins RACER Weekly to set the scene on what will be the 17th Rolex 24 At Daytona start for one of America’s most successful sports car racers. The Corvette Racing ace talks teammates, tactics and endurance, and explains how the ruleset has made competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GTD Pro class closer and more intense than ever. Plus, the two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner tells us what the world’s most famous sports car race means to him and gives us his take on the virtual world of sim racing and how it’s getting ever closer to reality.                 

#TommyMilner #CorvetteRacing #Rolex24atDaytona #IMSA #GTDpro #endurance #racing #motorsport #LeMans #WeatherTechSportsCarChampionship

RACER’s Formula 1 editor Chris Medland joins the Debrief to set the scene on 2026’s major rules reset. What’s changing? How does it work? Can it deliver better racing? And will it shake up the F1 order? Plus, with the dust settling on the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship, we look back on the three-way title shootout in Abu Dhabi. Why did eventual champion Lando Norris and McLaren make it so difficult for themselves? How did Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing run them so close? And putting Medland on the spot, who gets his vote for F1 Driver of the Year?    

#F1 #Formula1 #ChrisMedland #LandoNorris #MaxVerstappen #McLaren #RedBullRacing #AbuDhabi #WorldChampionship #shootout #DriveroftheYear       

Sara Price is one of America’s top off-road racers. Already a multiple stage winner on the grueling Dakar Rally, she’s taking on January’s 48th running of the desert marathon with the all-new Defender Dakar D7X-R. Competing alongside the Californian driver in a star-studded lineup chasing Stock class glory are 14-time winner Stephane Peterhansel and Rokas Baciuska, with Price setting her sights on becoming the first American woman to earn a Dakar victory. The 2026 Dakar Rally starts January 3, and Sara joined the RACER Debrief to tell us what it takes to compete, and to win, on the treacherous dunes and car-breaking rocky trails that will test driver and machine across two ultra-intense weeks in the vastness of the Saudi Arabian desert.         

#SaraPrice #OffRoad #DakarRally #Defender #DesertRacing #Racing #motorsport #RACERpodcast

The RACER Debrief takes a deep dive into the world of Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by Michelin. Joining us are 2025 champion Jeremy Fletcher and Mazda Motorsports Senior Manager Jonathan Applegate.

How did Fletcher turn his season around and land a title? Who’s on the fast track thanks to Mazda’s wildly-successful MX-5 Cup Shootout? How does the MX-5 Cup keep on delivering some of the best racing in North America, and what’s in store for a fast-approaching 2026 season? Check out the RACER Debrief for a fascinating take on North America’s most-competitive one-make series.

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To learn more about Mazda: https://bit.ly/4qwIQtI

#racer #podcast #racerdebrief #mazda #mx5cup #motorsport #autoracing #jeremyfletcher #jonathanapplegate #laurencefoster

Eleven-time Indianapolis 500 starter and Indy car race-winner Oriol Servia talks up the teams and drivers who can make Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou sweat for a fifth NTT IndyCar Series title in 2026. Plus, as a former Indy Lights champion and now a driver manager, Oriol explains his role in helping young wannabe IndyCar stars achieve “the best versions of themselves” and negotiate the thorny path of dealing with the demands of team owners. 

#Indianapolis500 #IndyCar #OriolServia #ChipGanassiRacing #AlexPalou #racing #motorsport #champion #RACERDebrief #RACERpodcasts