Victory Lane

Dylan "Mamba" Smith radiates positivity in everything he does, and joins the podcast to do so this week (4:50). He dives into what his role as Chief Hype Officer (yes, that's his actual title) at NASCAR entails, why he chose that specific title and how he got his "Black Mamba" nickname.

Mamba is set to make his ARCA Menards Series debut at IRP for Young's Motorsports, a culmination of a lifelong dream and promise. He explains how the deal came together with the help from many in the industry, including why he chose to pay homage to friend AJ Allmendinger with his paint scheme. IRP likely will be his only race of the year, and Mamba explains why he'll be busy during the week of the Snowball Derby this year.

He also dives into how he first got involved in racing growing up in Vermont, how northeast racing values shaped his view of the sport and when/why he opted to move down to Charlotte to pursue a driving career, how his experience in the Drive for Diversity program wasn't what he imagined and how he kept the faith after repeatedly being turned away from getting a seat.

Throughout it all, Smith worked as a mechanic, communications representative and has now transitioned to the media side as an on-air and on-camera host, all the while maintaining his roles with MPI, Ferrari and now Monster Jam?! It's hard to keep it all straight, but Mamba makes sure it's always a #GDTBA.

Davey discusses his trip to Pocono Raceway and the huge news regarding the top two Joe Gibbs Racing cars being disqualified, handing the win to Chase Elliott.

Mike Bagley joins Davey Segal for part two of their discussion (7:20), focused on Bagman's time at SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, including how the opportunity to host on the channel came about, learning the intricacies of being an interviewer and why he was a bit nervous when originally taking the job.

In the early stages of "The Morning Drive," Bagley unexpectedly lost his then co-host David Poole. He details how he and the channel picked up the pieces to move forward a when Pete Pistone came into the picture as his co-host. He also dives into creating a bond with the listeners, asking fair but hard questions and his usual schedule working early mornings.

Plus, a memorable story involving a Dale Earnhardt interview, reflecting on his career to this point (including his time with NBC), memorable moments on TMD, his fascination with technology, why he's moved a lot and what he'd like to do when his time in motorsports comes to an end.

Davey also recaps Christopher Bell's second career win and first at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Papa Segal pays homage to a rather unfamiliar name and Robin makes a surprise appearance.

At long last, Mike Bagley of MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio joins Davey (5:45) for the first installment of their long awaited chat. He dives into his recent trip out West, what he did before becoming involved in motorsports, how his passion for racing began in Delaware and how the sport played an integral part in his relationship with his father.

While playing with toy cars on carpets modeled after race tracks, Bagley grew infatuated with the radio and the art of it. He dives into how he first wound up working for MRN, his first on-air broadcast at Watkins Glen being "a big mess," learning from broadcasting legends on the job, honing his craft, how his role with MRN progressed and when he felt comfortable in his own skin.

Stick around next week for Part 2 with The Bagman!

Davey also analyzes Tyler Reddick's first career Cup Series victory at Road America, Noah Gragson's polarizing move on Sage Karam and Papa Segal pays homage to a large fellow named Tiny.

Another week, another bonus episode! This time, the winner in the Cup Series stops by in the form of Tyler Reddick. The Road America victor discusses his son Beau stealing the show by sleeping through the victory celebration, why his son is a Chase Elliott fan, whether the win has actually sunk in or not, if he doubted himself in the aftermath of Bristol, if the No. 8 team can legitimately contend for the championship and more.

The man with one of the coolest jobs in NASCAR joins Davey Segal this week, as Cup Series assistant director and pace car driver Kip Childress (4:45) discusses his upbringing in the sport as a third-generation NASCAR official, how he got his start officiating at Caraway Speedway and a story involving peppermints and the legendary Bill France Sr.

Childress has worked at every level of the sport, be it local, regional, even international and all three national series. He takes us through his journey to assistant Cup Series director, explains why he's learned tips and tricks of the trade every step along the way and outlines how he choreographs hauler parking every week for the unsung heroes of the sport.

Childress also dives into driving the pace car every week, what goes into it that fans don't see, if he's ever come close to wrecking, cool celebrities he's driven with, how the duties of the pace car differ from track to track and more, including his time behind the microphone past and present, how often people assume he's related to Richard Childress and if he'd like to accomplish anything else in the sport.

Davey also recaps Nashville Superspeedway, previews Road America and Papa Segal ponders where in the world is car No. 54?

Nashville Superspeedway track president Erik Moses joins Davey Segal this week (7:05) ahead of the venue's second annual Cup Series race weekend. They discuss the road Moses took to become the first black track president in NASCAR history, whether holding that title means anything to him, why "representation matters," how much NASCAR was on his radar before taking the job, learning an entirely new industry on the fly, who he leaned on for information and why the challenge of revitalizing a dormant race track was the reason he took the position.

The two also discuss Moses' time in the XFL with the DC Defenders, working in the nations capitol as the "Sports Commissioner," his time as a lawyer and teaching at Georgetown University. steps the track has taken to alleviate the parking issues that plagued them in 2021 and more.

Davey briefly recaps the Truck Series event from Knoxville, previews Nashville Superspeedway and Papa Segal pays homage to a well-known No. 53.

Surprise! In a rare bonus episode this week, Davey Segal chats with 2018 Cup Series champion Joey Logano with 10 races to go in the 2022 regular season. They discuss stages on road courses, whether the Cup Series will reach the 16 winner mark this year, the lack of off weekends and Nashville Superspeedway.

Plus, Davey also faces the music from Joey after impersonating him on TikTok for the last year and a half. Does Joey watch the videos? What does he think of them? And how good is Davey's actual impression of Joey? The answers to those questions and more in this bonus episode.

Niece Motorsports general manager Cody Efaw joins Davey Segal (6:50) to dive into his extensive career that has led him to helping run one of the premier NASCAR Camping World Truck Series organizations. He recalls his early exposure to racing on dirt with his family, why he fell out of love with racing and his eventual decision to drop out of college and move to North Carolina to pursue a career in motorsports.

Shortly after settling in NC, he landed at Roush Racing in the midst of its heyday, where no job was off the table. From a tire changer to a car chief and everything in between, he gained valuable experience and mentorship from Matt Puccia. But the grind became too much and he opted to step away from the sport for a second time.

In came Al Niece, and Efaw was drawn back in on the competition side. He details how Niece convinced him to help run the organization in its infancy, meeting Ross Chastain and knowing he had that "it" factor, the whirlwind 2019 season, why there'd "be no company" without Chastain in the fold and racing with next to nothing in the team bank account.

Efaw also discusses why finally checking off the box of winning a race as a crew chief and why it wasn't what he envisioned, gushes about Carson Hocevar, his resiliency in returning to the seat from injury and why he's actually staying at Efaw's house. Plus, could Niece Motorsports expand to the Xfinity or Cup Series? And are they working on getting a Cup Series owner in a Truck later this season?

Davey recaps Daniel Suarez's historic first-career victory at Sonoma, his career redemption arc, Trackhouse Racing's continued impressiveness and more. Papa Segal also pays homage to Jimmy "Smut" Means.

In a bit of a different conversation this week, Davey Segal chats with graphic designer Noah Sweet (7:00) about the importance of mental health and his struggles with it over the last few years. On September 2, 2020, "Lefty," as he's affectionately known, vanished. Multiple social media posts left his friends and family worried for his safety. He was in a bad place.

For the first time publicly, Sweet opens up extensively about the darkest time in his life, the events that led to him hitting a breaking point, why he felt he needed to just get away, what the specific time period for him was like, dealing with anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts and how he is continuing to work his way through it.

Shortly after he returned home, Ally presented him with the chance to design a car for his hero: Jimmie Johnson. Sweet explains why, in hindsight, he didn't necessarily love how it all played out, but felt it was an opportunity he couldn't turn down given the solidarity the community showed him. But he's now continually working on a better version of himself and advocating for mental health awareness. An often taboo topic, Sweet is attempting to let people know they're not alone and as the cliché "it's okay to not be okay" couldn't be more true.

The two also discuss how he got his nickname, his grandfather's time racing on water, the feeling of his work coming to fruition and being on the racetrack, the following he's built, his creative process, his recent "joke" design that went viral and what his ultimate goals are as a motorsports graphic designer.

Davey also discusses the inaugural events at Gateway and Portland, previews Sonoma and Papa Segal pays homage to a unique, lesser-known name in the world of NASCAR.

Sonoma Raceway EVP and General Manager Jill Gregory joins Davey Segal (7:30) to discuss her impressive career in motorsports that has led her back home to Northern California. She discusses her time in marketing with Texaco, Sprint and Bank of America before working for over a decade at NASCAR, where she left an indelible mark on the sport with her marketing and diversity and inclusion efforts.

She also played an integral part in helping NASCAR return to racing amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and dives into some of the specifics that led to the sanctioning body returning to the track. Shortly thereafter, she wound up heading back West to assume her current role at Sonoma Raceway. She tells Davey why she opted to make the change and how things are going at the track. Plus, what to expect for their upcoming race weekend, how influential she feels as a prominent female in motorsports for multiple decades and more, including her potential second calling in the wine industry.

Davey also recaps an action-packed Coca-Cola 600 and ponders how/why the longest race in NASCAR history was so compelling, previews the Cup Series' first trip to Gateway, Xfinity Series' first trip to Portland and Papa Segal pays homage to a racer turned bobsled-builder.