Ida Zetterström is finally getting her feet underneath her in NHRA Top Fuel competition and a lot has happened in just a few races. Zetterström gives a detailed breakdown of her first five races; earning a red light for the first time in his drag racing career; the boost a big coming out weekend gave her and her team; continuing to get comfortable in a different dragster from her European machine; finding her routine and rhythm again after being out of the seat for over half a year; the competition not overlooking her team as a field filler; why she said a championship ring was a very American thing; experiencing a baseball game for the first time; the goals Zetterström wants to hit before the end of the season.  

Original music created by Tony Monge. 

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Kenny Wallace still has so much going on in life that he’s living by the motto: don’t let the old man in. Among the priorities is still racing dirt, and he explains what he gets out of doing that; the physical differences of not racing for a living; what it meant to be involved with Trackside Live at the SMI facilities; needing to get away from NASCAR after driving and loving it again now; coming back and being heavy into the media space of motorsports; the approach to doing interviews and having a podcast; the serious preparation done ahead of time; changing the Google algorithm for searches of his name; learning so much more about motorsports personalities through his interviews; why people should care about his opinion and content; the way he engages on social media; finally being at peace with himself and life.  

Original music created by Tony Monge. 

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Marc-Antoine Camirand is a two-time NASCAR Canada Series champion and he’s here to talk about his latest accomplishment. Camirand shares how they’ve celebrated; already thinking about being the first to win back-to-back championships; recapping championship weekend; why he said that race was special; what experience from the first championship taught Camirand ahead of the second; the highlights and battles from the season; the unreal consistent from his race team; the pressure he felt with a car so good and how the team approached that every week; a surreal and fast trajectory to the top in the series; putting a new team together two years ago; the difference between the first and second championships; selling fans on the NASCAR Canada Series; a look at how he got into racing; how to learn more or follow Camirand.  

Original music created by Tony Monge. 

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Leigh Diffey took over as the lead announcer for NBC Sports last month and he’s had everyone’s attention since then. Diffey joins the show to share what the experience has been like in the garage; the races we’ve seen so far; being prepared to make great calls during a race; the approach to being prepared; having good information retention; becoming a better storyteller with NBC Sports; doing a bit of motorcycle racing early in life; broadcasting not being the first choice of profession; but broadcasting always feeling natural; the Australian version of NASCAR; the most memorable thing about the job and being in the booth.  

Original music created by Tony Monge. 

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Holly Jones is a former race car driver and now the wife of a NASCAR Cup Series driver, and also a fur mom to a dog and bunny. Soon, she and Erik Jones will be parents to a tiny human. We’re covering those topics plus what it’s like being a driver’s significant other; the benefit of being a former driver and relating to what is going on; still having a competitive side; taking in the race from the pit box and superstitions; balancing home and road life, and the importance of routine; the highlights from being at the track over the years; the racing background of Jones; why doing it for a living was never in the cards; the initial plans for getting a job in the real world; finding enjoyment being at the track and as a support system; information on the foundation and the work it does across various issues; the Read with Erik program; upcoming events for the Foundation to know about; the impact the Foundation has had over the years.  

Original music created by Tony Monge. 

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Myatt Snider is still selling himself to drive race cars in NASCAR but things look a little different these days. Snider returns to the podcast to discuss what it’s like trying to land deals; how a presidential election plays into things; the lack of races on his schedule this season; being at the track and not driving; re-evaluating things during the time outside the race car; the job of being a pit spotter for NBC Sports; being comfortable enough to talk to teams for necessary pre-race information; what he’s learning being on the television side; if there is anything that can be useful as a driver; the information he is plugged into during the race; stories he’s been able to get onto television during the race; the opportunity to listen to other drivers on the radio because of this position; working with dad on pit road; the reaction from peers on being in this role; the benefit of still being at the racetrack; if there is anything on the schedule for the rest of this year.  

Original music created by Tony Monge. 

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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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