Dennis Firestone went from humble beginnings racing in Formula Fords in the California Sports Car Club (Cal Club) region of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) to climb the racing ladder and reach the pinnacle of American road racing making numerous starts at the Indianapolis 500. His first trip there had Roger Penske helping him. From the highs of highs of winning racing and championships, to essentially a career ending crash. This interview takes us through a time capsule when innovation and passion were key elements of motorsports in America. Firestone was nice enough to tell us his story during the press day for the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Enjoy!

NOTE: Dennis Firestone said he will be back with his Eagle Indy car for the 50th Anniversary of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach April 11-13, 2025.

Rodney Klausmeyer drives the number 14 transporter for AJ Foyt Racing in the NTT IndyCar Series. He also has many other duties with the team throughout a race weekend. At the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, he was kind enough to take us on a tour of not only his rig, but also the two others connected to it in the paddock area. It’s one thing to see these gleaming rolling billboards in the paddock area or cruising down the highways of America, but they’re much more than that. They are a serious place for spare parts, tear down/rebuilds as well as engineering, VIP hospitality, and driver’s lounge. Follow along with the photos below and get an insider’s tour of this rolling work of art. Enjoy!

NOTE: Just before this podcast with photos was uploaded, the AJ Foyt Racing Team updated all of their transporters. We’re scheduled to get another visit and tour and see what’s changed for 2025. We’ll have more photos and a new podcast scheduled for spring. Stay tuned! For more information an A.J. Foyt Racing, please visit: www.ajfoytracing.com

Chuck Lessick is a chaplain with INDYCAR Ministry and travels with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES (and their support series) throughout the year to help support those in the paddock. He works with his wife Jacqui and chaplain Jason Holt in this endeavor. We caught up with him at the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach after the Sunday morning 5-Minute “Pit Stop Devotional” service where he fills us in on how the attendees’ group has grown quite substantially from the year before. He also fills us in on how they help provide support to this community. Finally, with Easter right around the corner, he gives us an uplifting Easter message.  Enjoy!

Copyright © 2025 Larry Mason

Tom Blomqvist has been one of the quickest drivers in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competing in the top level GTP category. We caught up with him just prior to the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where he filled us in on his transition from IMSA GTP to the NTT IndyCar Series with Meyer Shank Racing (MSR). It’s a fascinating conversation as he candidly talks about the challenges of switching categories and the key differences between the two types of race cars. It’s a real insiders look at the technical side of racing in layman’s terms. Enjoy!

NOTE: At Long Beach, he qualified 15th while his teammate was on pole. Blomqvist finished in 22nd while Rosenqvist finished 9th. Unfortunately for Tom, the opening lap of the Indy 500 saw him spin and crash with other cars involved. After that, he was replaced as a driver on the team. However, the team owners still believed in his immense talent and retained him for the year. Starting this weekend at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, he’ll be back behind the wheel of an MSR GTP car looking to score another Rolex 24 win.

Roman De Angelis is one of the top drivers in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competing in the GTD and GTD Pro categories. We caught up with him just prior to the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach where his teammate started from pole position the previous year. It was a good year for the “Heart of Racing” team as De Angelis and Marco Sorenson won three races. In this interview, he talks about what happened at Long Beach the previous year, some of the iconic races he won, how he got started in racing, and his expectations for Long Beach and beyond. He also does a nice job of breaking down the difference between GTD and GTD Pro and the whole driver ranking system. Enjoy!

NOTE: At Long Beach, he qualified fourth and got into third during the race. Unfortunately, another competitor hit his teammate in the second half of the race which led to a DNF (Did Not Finish). Coming up is the IMSA Roar Before the 24 test, and the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona on January 17-19 and January 22-26, 2025.

Parker Thompson and Ben Barnicoat race a Lexus RC F GT3/GTD car for Vasser/Sullivan in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. We caught up with Thompson twice during the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. We first talked to him immediately after his pole position press conference and then with him and his teammate right after their post-race victory press conference. The two were certainly happy and proud of their accomplishments winning on the biggest stage of the sprint races during the year. It’s interesting to hear about how they describe the team dynamic and the key to victory. Enjoy!

NOTE: The IMSA Roar Before the 24 test, and the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona are coming up on January 17-19 and January 22-26, 2025.

Andy Lee is a professional race car driver and coach and competes in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as well as the SRO Americas GT Championship with his teammate Elias Sabo. During the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, Andy took the time to give us a walkaround on the IMSA GT3/GTD Aston Martin Vantage race car and then gave us another walkaround on the SRO GT4 AM Vantage. During the walkarounds he talks about the differences and key features of each race car. The photos below are put in order so you can follow along and see some of the key features of each race car. Enjoy!

NOTE: Please see previous podcast for overall photos of the two different cars on track. The IMSA Roar Before the 24 test, and the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona are coming up on January 17-19 and January 22-26, 2025. 

Elias Sabo and Andy Lee are teammates in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in an Aston Martin GTD (GT3) car. Sabo also drives an Aston Martin GT4 car in the SRO Americas championship. At the press day luncheon for the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach we caught up with them to ask about their gorgeous race car and how they became teammates among other things. Sabo was pulling triple duty during race weekend with a single race in the GTD car (sharing with Lee) and two races in the GT4 car. Enjoy!

NOTE: Next week, we’ll have Andy give us a walkaround on each of the two different Aston Martin race cars. The Roar Before the 24 test, and the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona are coming up on January 17-19 and January 22-26, 2025. Also of note, after a challenging start to the season, the team switched manufacturers in August to the BMW M4 GT3/GTD platform looking for  their results to improve for 2025.

Photo credit: Bob Chapman Autosport Image

Jason Holt is the director and a chaplain with IndyCar Ministry. We caught up with him right after his 5-Minute Pit Stop Devotional at the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. In this interview he tells us about the message he gave race morning and also talks about how the number of attendees has grown to take part in these early Sunday morning meetings during race weekends. He gives us insight into the realities of what the attendees are going through and how this message is important. Knowing that this interview wouldn’t air until right before Christmas, he also gives us a special message for this time of year. Enjoy!

NOTE: For more information on IndyCar Ministry, or to donate, please visit: www.indycarministry.org.

Romain Grosjean has raced in Formula One, Indy cars and much more. Coming to the NTT Indy Car Series after his horrific crash in the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix, he hasn’t slowed down at all.

After enjoying a podium finish at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach for Andretti Autosport in 2023, we caught up with him just prior to the 2024 event where he talks about switching to the small Juncos Hollinger Racing Team, his testing experience with the new hybrid, and how that compares to F1. I also asked him about a comment he made last year at this event about his
confidence as a driver and he gives a very real and raw answer. By the way, if you speak French, he has a special message for you at the end. Enjoy!

Breaking News: Juncos Hollinger announced their driver lineup for 2025 with Conor Daly and Sting Ray Robb behind the wheel. That currently leaves Romain Grosjean on the sidelines. Will
he return to Dale Coyne Racing where he began his NTT IndyCar Series career? Only time will tell. He is still contracted to race for Lamborghini in their IMSA hybrid GTP car and had the quickest lap during one of the sessions at a recent Daytona test. Stay tuned.