In this week’s final installment with Brendan Gaughan, he gives his side of the story in the infamous Jim-Smith-can-kiss-my-ass incident, which cost him a $10,000 fine AND the 2003 Craftsman Truck Series championship.

After that, Brendan breaks down his lone full-time Cup season with Doug Bobble and Roger Penske, his up-and-down return to the truck series, finding success again with team owner Richard Childress and … finally … how Ryan Newman’s wreck and COVID helped convince him that it was time to hang up his helmet … at least when it came to NASCAR.

In our second segment, hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid page through the November 20, 2003 issue of Winston Cup Scene. Matt Kenseth, Brian Vickers and Travis Kvapil are honored as champions of their respective NASCAR divisions at Homestead … with the Busch and Craftsman Truck Series crowns coming down to the wire in HISTORIC season-finale battles.

NOBODY’S happy after the truck race, except for Kvapil, due to one of the most chaotic conclusions to a NASCAR title bout EVER. Brendan Gaughan tells rival team owner Jim Smith to kiss his behind on live television and Smith and his driver Ted Musgrave are furious with NASCAR after the final restart.

Homestead also marks the final race for RJ Reynolds’ title sponsorship of the Winston Cup Series, and Bobby Labonte wins it after Bill Elliott blows a tire on the final lap.

Kyle Busch was all set to make his Cup debut, but his entire car winds up getting confiscated by NASCAR. And … last but not least … Sterling Marlin is cleared of all charges after being sued in connection to an alleged assault during a Caribbean cruise.

NOTE: This show is not associated in any way with American City Business Journals, owner of the Scene brand.

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In the first of what will be two installments with Brendan Gaughan, he talks about life in Las Vegas as a child and a high-school football injury that literally changed the course of his life.

He wound up going to school at Georgetown University, where he played football AND walked on with the Hoya basketball team, which was coached at the time by the legendary John Thompson.

All the while, he raced and looked forward to going IndyCar racing before NASCAR decided to start the Craftsman Truck Series.

In our second segment, hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid dig into the June 13, 2002 issue of Winston Cup Scene. Dale Jarrett gets the win at Pocono after Robert Yates Racing teammate Ricky Rudd has a tire start leaking air in the last few laps. Jack Sprague wins the Busch Series event at Nashville, while Brendan Gaughan tastes victory in Texas. It’s the first win in those divisions for both drivers.

NASCAR’s keeping an eye out for traction control devices, while Dale Earnhardt Jr reports that he’s all set … possibly for life … at Dale Earnhardt Incorporated.

NOTE: This show is not associated in any way with American City Business Journals, owner of the Scene brand.

Interested in The Scene Vault Podcast T-shirts? Check out thescenevault.com and click on SHOP to see what we have available!

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In our conversation with NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Mark talks about his memories of the construction of his beloved JR51 chassis, preparations for the first Winston Cup race at Las Vegas and his laser-focused intensity that … in all honesty … took away from his enjoyment of winning races. He also remembers Ford’s dominance that day and the reaction of both General Motors AND NASCAR, as well as some of the rocky moments from early in his racing career.

Hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid then take a deep dive into the March 5, 1998 issue of Winston Cup Scene. Mark Martin wins the inaugural Winston Cup race at Las Vegas and appears on the cover of this issue with Wayne Newton and … much to his chagrin, apparently ... a couple of Las Vegas showgirls. Fords DOMINATE the race … much to Dale Earnhardt and General Motors’ CHAGRIN.

News items detail an autograph session that nearly got out of hand, Kyle Petty’s motorcycle accident on the way to the race, NASCAR’s banning of burnouts and Kevin Harvick’s first Winston WEST win. There’s also a feature on the THEN-unheralded Matt Kenseth.

NOTE: This podcast is not associated in any way with American City Business Journals, owner of the Scene brand.

Interested in The Scene Vault Podcast T-shirts? Check out www.thescenevault.com and click on SHOP to see what we have available!

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In the third and final installment of our interview with D.K. Ulrich, he remembers the revolving door of drivers who once piloted his race cars, the young Davey Allison’s impact on his decision to step away from the cockpit himself, the infamous screwdriver incident at Riverside and the burned backside he AND Ernie Irvan sustained on a sweltering day at Martinsville.

Hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid then page through the May 29, 1986 issue of Grand National Scene. Dale Earnhardt very patiently stalks Bill Elliott … THERE’S a sentence you don’t hear very often … before Bill has to pit for fuel in the late going during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. That allowed Dale to cruise to a two-second victory, his third of the season.

Richard Petty starts a car in that race owned by D.K. Ulrich, after a crash during practice that left him AND his car pretty used up. J.D. McDuffie’s photo bio describes his tow truck as ULTRA-high mileage and Harry Gant makes an appearance in yet another Hal Needham flick, this one having to do with professional wrestling.

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We might as well call this installment of our interview with D.K. Ulrich "Cheating in NASCAR" simply because of all the tricks of the trade that he laid out for us. We’ve got everything from the infamous nitrous oxide incident from the 1978 Southern 500 at Darlington to trick tires, trap doors and soaked tires.

D.K. also remembers his friend and driver, Tim Richmond and the part he played in David Ifft’s little excursion into Juarez, Mexico.

Hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid then pick through the July 24, 1980 issue of Grand National Scene. D.K. Ulrich appears on the inside cover of the paper with Tim Richmond, who’d tested a NASCAR entry for the first time at Charlotte the week before. There’s a huge photo spread on drivers in their cowboy hats, and a certain The Scene Vault Podcast co-host ALSO evidently took part in the fashion trend that was ALL the rage way back when.

There are also columns, news stories and features about Herb Nab and Harry Ranier, Judy Parrott … Buddy’s wife ... and the infamous Jim “Two Can” Murray. Finally, there’s a one-page layout of baby photos of one Adam Kyler Petty.

NOTE: This podcast is not associated in any way with American City Business Journals, owner of the Scene brand.

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This week in the first installment of our fantastic conversation with DK Ulrich, DK talks about how AJ Foyt influenced him to not only be known by his initials, but also to pursue a career in racing. He then remembers a chance offer for a 1957 Chevy that altered the course of his life and his earliest days as one of NASCAR’s independents.

And make no mistake about it … those independents were NOT just stroking around the race track to collect an easy paycheck. There was NOTHING easy about … and if being an independent meant boosting parts from Holman-Moody and traveling all over the United States without ever once going home … then so be it.

Hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid then dig into the June 15, 1978 issue of Grand National Scene. Benny Parsons whups Richard Petty at Riverside, after Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip fall out of contention. There’s a feature story on Humpy Wheeler written by this kid out of Roanoke, Virginia who went on to have a halfway decent career in the sport … and a story on the women of the Petty family … Lynda, Elizabeth, Sharon AND Lisa.

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This week's episode gets off to a rousing start with discussion of Erik Jones' win in the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, driving the number 43 Petty GMS Racing entry.

In the third and final installment of our EPIC interview with Pete Wright, Pete talks about the friction that existed between Junior Johnson’s teams, the controversial suspension of Junior and crew chief Tim Brewer going into the 1991 edition of The Winston all-star race and how he and teammate Mike Hill felt like they were left holding the bag a little bit.

Pete also remembers leaving Junior Johnson & Associates to re-join Terry Labonte and Billy Hagan and the neat little trick that ALMOST got them a win at North Wilkesboro. Finally, Pete discusses his long association with MB2 Motorsports.

Hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid then dig into the October 7, 1993 issue of Winston Cup Scene. Rusty Wallace wins at North Wilkesboro, but doesn’t gain much ground on runnerup Dale Earnhardt in the Winston Cup standings. Terry Labonte takes seventh in that event despite developing … wink, wink … engine problems.

MORE rule changes designed to slow speeds at Charlotte and Atlanta were tested … and … of course … debated. Buddy Baker announced plans to retire as a driver, with additional features on John Andretti’s transition from IndyCar to NASCAR, a book of poetry on the late Alan Kulwicki and the mentor of every NASCAR historian, Greg Fielden.

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We’re back with the second installment of our interview with longtime NASCAR crew member and crew chief Pete Wright, and this week, Pete talks about attending his first Grand National race at Martinsville and the impact drivers like Fred Lorenzen and Buddy Arrington had on his career.

Pete got his start at the Winston Cup level with team owner Jack Beebe, before winning a championship with Terry Labonte. Pete recalls his rather testy reaction to a witch doctor who showed up in the garage to put a hex on the Hagan Racing entry.

And … finally … Pete tells us all about getting hooked up with Junior Johnson and the respect he had for the first-year NASCAR Hall of Famer.

Hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid then take a look into the August 3, 1978 issue of Grand National Scene. Darrell Waltrip wins at Pocono, amidst rumors that he would be leaving DiGard Racing at the end of the year. Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough and Benny Parsons all have their powerplants go kaput, which leads Jake Elder to express his displeasure with NASCAR rules allowing teams to change engines during a race. The issue is rounded out by a feature on DiGard Racing's Buddy Parrott.

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Enjoy a sneak preview of the next installment of our interview with Pete Wright, in which he remembers getting hired and then working with NASCAR Hall of Famer Junior Johnson.

Also, longtime independent team owner and driver D.K. Ulrich gives us the inside story of the nitrous oxide system that was discovered in his car following a savage crash in the 1978 Southern 500.

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NOTE: This episode may be too emotionally intense for some listeners.

Pete Wright worked in NASCAR as a crew member and crew chief for years, and with drivers ranging from Terry Labonte and Darrell Waltrip to Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman.

We've got those stories, and they're remarkable. But on August 20, 2017, Pete experienced every parent's very worst night ... the loss of his child, a son named Adam, who'd followed in his father's footsteps in NASCAR.

Pete shares memories of his son, but also Adam's beloved dog Lizzie, and the impact she and many other animals had on his grief process.

You will never forget this incredibly emotional episode.

NOTE: This podcast is not associated in any way with American City Business Journals, owner of the Scene brand.

In honor of Pete Wright and Lizzie ... and in memory of Adam Wright ... please consider a donation to www.ruffloverescue.com/donate