It’s the second full year of Craftsman Truck Series competition for Dean Thompson but his first in the No. 5 for Tricon Garage. Thompson breaks down how the year has gone; the difference in his progression as a driver; fitting into a new environment at Tricon; being surrounded by people (like Frank Kimmel) who are honest but helpful; ways that Tricon is different from other teams; the benefit of using the Toyota Performance Center; being big into boxing as a hobby; having a very structured schedule; getting started in racing then quitting and the reason why he came back; what the feeling was when getting back behind the wheel; racing across the country with his dad; how a young driver learns in a crazy series like trucks and who to lean on; owner David Gilliland having a drivers background; Tricon Garage letting Thompson be himself; controlling his emotions on camera after a few difficult moments this year; what has become a friendly rivalry with former foe Jesse Love; a fraternity amongst TRD drivers; future aspirations in racing; sharing a love of the (Mighty) Ducks.

Music created by Tony Monge.

Mandy Chick and her small family-owned race team are trying to do big things with very little, and it’s getting Chick plenty of attention. In this conversation, Chick shares how busy her summer has been; what it’s like to be an intern for Chevrolet and top-secret projects; being a very hands-on person from early in life; working on multiple college degrees; why it’s important for Chick to go through school; the earliest memory of knowing what racing is and being infatuated with it; if the conversation is different when a daughter wants to be a driver; how small is the small team; getting people to buy into the dream as a volunteer crew; why dad bis listed as the team crew chief but not being allowed in her ear; balancing personal and professional with the race team; the races on the schedule for the rest of this year; the realistic goals when qualifying for a race; the shock of Daytona and how that changed things; expectation versus reality at Daytona; having a mental moment at Kansas Speedway; watching races when not competing; the versatility of Chick’s racing background; the characteristics of the ARCA Menards car; how to follow and support Chick.

Music created by Tony Monge.

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Jordan Taylor is having a heck of a year as a race car driver, and we’re digging into all of it this week. That includes Taylor recently making his 100th start in IMSA; explaining the dynamic of coming from a well-known racing family; getting the first win of the season out of the way for Corvette Racing; how things are going with a new class type in IMSA; if the series is experiencing a swing of momentum, and how much Garage 56 helped; the buzz of Garage 56 dying down; reflecting on being a part of a special program that was a big hit with fans; being in an unselfish role as coach for Garage 56 and what he learned about himself; if he feels empty now that such a big project is done; live calming down a bit; how much the stock car opportunities meant to him; if Taylor thinks his identity has changed a little bit now; looking to branch out more in his career; checking in with Rodney Sandstorm; what is to come for Taylor in the next part of the season.

Music created by Tony Monge.

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Drew Herring is getting interviewed once again! It’s been a while since Herring was the topic of discussion but a few years into his new role as a spotter, he’s here to share how it’s been going. Herring explains how he landed the job at Martin Truex Jr.’s team; still getting the adrenaline rush and fast-paced feel for the sport; what his prior relationship with Truex was; not taking heated moments on the radio personally; the adjustment of being proactive instead of reactive; being able to think like a driver; if a driver-to-driver pairing makes things easier; whether Herring feels he’s found a place on the roof amongst the spotter brotherhood; finding his physical place on the roof; being the Toyota simulator driver; explaining the wheel force test car; how being a test driver scratches the itch to be a race car driver; keeping the door open to driving competitively again one day; being the Toyota test driver for Next Gen development and feedback to NASCAR; how far the car has come over time; Herring’s outlook for the 19 team’s rest of the season.

Music created by Tony Monge.

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Mike ‘Rocky’ Rockenfeller believes the buzz from NASCAR’s entry in Le Mans is still going strong, and he’s still relishing having the opportunity to be a part of it. Rockenfeller compares the dynamic of the experience to his past trips to compete in Le Mans; the adjustment as a driver of not racing for an overall victory; if he believes the entry did just as much for sports cars as it did NASCAR; how much it means to be full-time again; the eye-opening experience of looking for a ride after 15 years with Audi; the tall task of getting a new program competitive in IMSA; where the team is after only having two races against GTP competition; how he got into karting and then his path to being a factory driver; the surprise of early and consistent success; the thrill of sports car racing for Rockenfeller; experiencing his first baseball game in the U.S.; the story behind his nickname.

Music created by Tony Monge.

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Bernard Pollard is hooked on NASCAR, and for the last three years, he’s lived the best of both worlds, learning the sport and getting to engage through a partnership with Ally. Pollard opens up about he didn’t expect to be this invested in NASCAR; recalls what initially drew him into wanting to watch a race for the first time; being intrigued by a different kind of athletic competition as a former athlete; becoming a defender of the sport to critics; being on his third iRacing sim rig; being intrigued and amused at how competitive drivers are; wanting to learn everything about the sport through research and video clips; getting other football players interested in racing; what Pollard has seen from the diversity side and NASCAR’s inclusion efforts; what his hope for the future of NASCAR is and his role.

Music created by Tony Monge.

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Natalie Torrence is living the dream of working for herself and one of the most successful businesses in drag racing. Torrence discusses everything she and her team have their hands in; the unique and personal backstory of the business name; the impressive list of clients Torrence has in the NHRA; having something of her own at the racetrack away from her husband’s team; balancing when she wants to be on the line for her husband but delivering for her clients; being able to expand the business with employees and learning to give up control; what Torrence initially thought she’d put her degrees toward; what kept her in drag racing when things didn’t materialize as expected; how her connections help launch the business; the leap of faith of starting a company, and how it’s tied to the Gray family and then meeting Steve; the push to be different in the space; collaborating with the competition; how it all comes together at the racetrack and the tools of the trade; creating the Toddler Tricycle Nationals.

Music created by Tony Monge.

Winston Kelley was the first employee of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and as its executive director, we dig into its history and what it’s like to work with NASCAR history. Kelley explains how the Hall of Fame is part of a larger organization in Charlotte; what the selection process was like for Charlotte to become the chosen city; what his role entails and why you can still see him at the racetrack; estimating the number of artifacts on display at the Hall; how exhibits come together and the pieces being on loan to the Hall; the backstory on the design of the building and how the Louvre ties in; having a shovel from the groundbreaking for the building; if it’s really a job to Kelley; if there are ghosts of NASCAR past at the Hall of Fame; the emotion of the lifelike statues of some of the sport’s founders; preparing for the next Hall of Fame class.

Music created by Tony Monge.

Jesse Little is no longer a NASCAR driver, but he returns to the show to share how he’s now a NASCAR official. Little shares about his new role and what it entails; what has gone into the last half year of learning and fitting into the new job; working through the emotions of not being at the racetrack as a driver; not leaving open the possibility of driving again; the quick close on the book on his racing career; when thinking about doing something different started; the reactions and conversations with family and friends on making a chance; seeing dad Chad make the same transition many years ago; having the opportunity to work with Chad on projects; having dad and others to lean on but also doing for himself; what the expectations are of him in the role or what he can bring to it; keeping a competitive mindset in his new role; being a recent competitor now on the officiating side; the value he wanted to bring to the department; finding enjoyment in a new way in racing; being involved in the sport’s difficult side of things; adrenaline coming in a different form now; what he wants to get out of this next chapter of his life.

Music created by Tony Monge.

Andrew Kurland was an early guest of the show and only a teenager at the time looking to find a way into the sport. Kurland has done that now and we go through putting a cap on those early projects; what he got out of the college experience after already having real-world experience; if starting his media career ruined or changed the sport for him; the difference in driver reaction to him over the years; working for Dale Earnhardt Jr. now; being a jack of all trades in the content space; making sure there is correct and up-to-date information for the Dirty Mo shows; starting so young working to his advantage in getting a job; having people in his corner along the way; the change in approach to interviews and stories; the skills he can improve on; the future of the ‘Next Level’ podcast; making the move to North Carolina; what could be next to accomplish after already doing so much in the sport; it finally feeling like a job.

Music created by Tony Monge.