Marco Andretti is almost a girl dad and it’s going to happen during a busy part of the season for him. Andretti discusses life as a part-time racing driver these days; how perspective changes on racing, particularly Indianapolis, not as a full-time driver; having a wider view on the racing world; the benefits of doing cold plunges; digging into the season and adjusting to a new challenge with stock car/truck racing; adapting to having more input from behind the wheel versus the variables of open wheel racing; the habits he’s had to unlearn behind the wheel; anything that’s surprised him that’s been enjoyable; the mental adjustment to always being in combat; what challenge has been the biggest uphill battle; character building early in the season and understanding little victories; the atmosphere of NASCAR versus IndyCar; getting to know and competing against new drivers, and why Andretti says they don’t want to get beat by him; the way Andretti prepares as a driver and how that’s different in NASCAR; going from practice straight to qualifying in NASCAR; looking ahead to the rest of his schedule; identifying as race car driver now and not being known for one thing; what the future might hold in NASCAR.  

Original music created by Tony Monge. 

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Rich Keator is a NASCAR tech inspector but he’s here to talk about one specific role he plays: Craftsman Truck Series flagman. Keator explains how the job has changed over the years and where you will most likely find him; keeping tabs on the garage and the relationship with the same people through a long year; being the designated flagman for the Truck Series; being prepared to be in the flag stand for a few hours; having to wear full protective gear in the flag stand; the process of getting instructions from the tower before making any signals with the flag; the equipment in the flag stand; having visitors up there for the race start; the art of waving the flag; Keator’s background getting into racing; who is responsible for the flag bag getting to the racetrack; the feeling being above the racing action; the longest race standing in the flag stand; positioning for visuals around the racetrack; memorable moments that were seen from the flag stand; how quickly it is to react based on what is in hand; the awareness to not react with the yellow flag until instructed; standout finishes seen from the flag stand.  

Original music created by Tony Monge.

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Dr. Diandra Leslie-Pelecky has a Ph.D. in physics and she’s brought that to the NASCAR world. We’re digging into what she does and when she realized she could better serve by bringing science to the public than in a classroom; bringing a different perspective to the racetrack; the experience of delivering something new to race fans; making science relatable through someone’s interests; being a resource for people; getting connected with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and NBC Sports; the process of compiling data and putting the information together; what Dr. Diandra likes to do the most; how or why people can dispute data and science; good advice for including data in your work; knowing how to look at the data; what to look at for the next few races; determining drivers to keep an eye on; the accuracy of saying anyone can win at Daytona; suggested work for fans to view; working on a new NASCAR book project.  

Original music created by Tony Monge.

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Mark Keto is the NASCAR project manager for Goodyear and he’s bringing us more behind the curtain. Keto checks in from Akron, Ohio, where the company is based and what takes place there; what a race week looks like before traveling to the racetrack; the expectations for Richmond Raceway with the additional option tire; how Goodyear approaches each race weekend and what they are doing behind the scenes; communication with race teams about recommendations; how Goodyear shifts through all the feedback in the industry before determining a new tire compound; the difference in tire wear versus tire failure; the battle of tires that wear out on the racetrack but not what Goodyear is selling on production vehicles; how the collaboration between NASCAR and Goodyear and the drivers and Goodyear has evolved over the years; the process of creating a tire; is a mixture really a mixture; how Bristol played out in live time for Goodyear; needing time to dig into the data after an event; what it means to put down rubber on a racetrack; the math of how many tires to bring to the track; the resources Goodyear brings to the racetrack; the RFID chips in the tires; the importance of tires coming back to Goodyear after an event and what happens to them; what drew Keto to the tire business; what it means to be the tire supplier for a sanctioning body; and what the fans need to know.  

Original music created by Tony Monge.

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David Ragan might not be a full-time NASCAR driver anymore but he hasn’t gone far. Ragan is still involved in the sport and we’re catching up this week to see what that is like and life post-driving. We start our conversation about Ragan doing simulator work for Ford; what does and does not translate to the racetrack; still having deep ties to Ford; the transition to post full-time racing life, and having time for other things in life; racing just enough to scratch the itch; the difficulty of competing on a limited basis; the changing perspective on his career the further in the rearview it gets; the end of Race Hub; being more plugged into the sport now than when he was driving; doing the EV demo in Chicago and things learned along the way with the project; the feel of driving an electric race car and the difference in steering wheel; his message to fans about the EV.  

Original music created by Tony Monge.

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Jeg Coughlin Jr. doesn’t look like a driver who retired for three years because he’s back in NHRA Pro Stock competition, and back to winning races. Before heading to his home track this weekend, Coughlin discusses what it’s like to indeed be back with Elite Motorsports; getting back up to speed on the racetrack; a driver falling behind when out of the seat for an extended period; the competitiveness of the class; coming back into competition with a team/people he knew; seeing his nephew pilot the famous black and yellow JEGS colors; having a new identity of his own in the SCAG colors; the time being right to come back; the contrast of his retirement year in a pandemic to a thriving sport now; assessing the first part of the season and having two wins; any different feelings with winning now versus before retirement; previewing Norwalk and a potential first win there.  

Original music created by Tony Monge.

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Jon Wood has been president of Wood Brothers Racing for nearly two months, and while he was already doing some of the responsibilities, there’s still been an adjustment period. Wood is back on the show to discuss if his leading the team was always the plan; the company being around longer than expected in the racing business; the added weight and pressure that comes with working for the family team; the dynamic of a family business; having a different sense of connection with the company because of the new role; the state of the union on Wood Brothers Racing and looking at the future; not just wanting to be in the sport but be relevant; the decision to go full-time again in 2016 being the right one; the difference in performance with a Team Penske alliance; being prepared for tough decisions and conversations, and the harsh reality that brings; the work and effort not seen by race fans.  

Original music created by Tony Monge.

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The media world is changing and that means how people are consuming content. Along the way comes titles such as ‘Content Creator,’ such as Ash Vandelay. We’re having an open conversation about the role this weekend. But we start with her having a stage name for her online pages; recently moving to Charlotte; her background in content creation; adjusting to doing work from the racetrack; what seems to be the most popular with the social media algorithm; using the label of content creator and how the motorsports landscape is changing; having access and using it correctly or effectively; not all content is meant for everyone; playing the algorithm game; the toughest thing about creating in the motorsports space; the substance and effort behind posting content; doing a part for inclusion of women in motorsports; a message for others or those coming into content creation. 

Original music created by Tony Monge.

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Doug Duchardt, the president of Spire Motorsports, has been busy since joining the organization at the end of 2023. Duchardt takes us inside the walls of the race shop and how things are going for everyone; the expectations versus reality moments for him with a new organization; going from established, successful companies to one trying to get to that level; having incentives in place for team members through the season; bringing experience from other companies to Spire; the importance of mindset for employees; the special feeling around the Truck Series program; the comfort of having younger talent in the pipeline; how big it was to sign Michael McDowell; focusing on the tangibles and intangibles McDowell brings; making the 71 a full-fledged Spire Motorsports effort; changing expectations for 2025; managing the number of cars in an organization; a look at the three drivers under the Spire Motorsports banner this season; grading the organization halfway through the regular season and forecasting the rest of the season.  

Original music created by Tony Monge.

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Chris Gabehart is offering more insight into what race day is like for a Cup Series team after allowing full access at Darlington Raceway. Gabehart explains digging into the data to form and execution during the race; the hours of work that take place after leaving the garage on Saturdays; taking the information from Saturday’s on-track activities and finding the medium with expectations for Sunday; being pretty sure of the approach going into the race; knowing early how the race is going to unfold; the facetime with Denny Hamlin on race day; painting a picture of the information available on the pit box and the radio channels; Gabehart tracking his car and monitoring the competition; managing information from the data versus Hamlin’s feedback; the television broadcast being a part of the information Gabehart wants; starting the screen war on the pit box; dealing with the internet going down on the pit box; the differences between resources on a pit box in the Xfinity Series and the Cup Series; conversations on the private radio channels; the difficulty of being aware of how the race is playing out outside the 11 team; the takeaway of being embedded with a race team. 

https://racer.com/2024/05/14/race-day-with-chris-gabehart-and-the-joe-gibbs-racing-no-11-team/  

Original music created by Tony Monge.

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