There are so many answers to this: A favorite color. Human legs. An enjoyment of oxygen. But chiefly—this is the fun part—you can coach yourself to be better.

Great, you say: How?

We’re glad you asked! Ross is a professional performance coach—he helps race drivers get faster. And many of them, pro and amateur alike, have asked how they can improve when he’s not around. So we give you a primer!

This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. We call this format “Ross Teaches Sam a Thing.”

Warning: This one has some deep thoughts in it. And at least one Vampire Weekend lyric.

Jeff is off this week because he is a grandparent and was needed for rad grandparent things.

Related Trivia: Jeff’s grandson Roczen is adorable. Ross has no grandchildren but does have an old Lotus, which is kind of the same thing. Sam has two small kids and he got in a war with them at bedtime last night where everyone threw stuffies at each other and then Sam lost and was dead on the floor no regrets the end.

This episode was produced by Mike Perlman.

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Contribute on Patreon ⁠⁠www.patreon.com/notthecar/⁠⁠

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Topic suggestions, feedback, questions? Let us know what you think!

[email protected]

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Where to find us:

⁠⁠instagram.com/j.v.braun⁠/⁠

instagram.com/rossbentley/⁠⁠

instagram.com/thatsamsmith/⁠⁠

instagram.com/intcpod/⁠⁠

facebook.com/INTCPod⁠/⁠

⁠rossbentley.substack.com/⁠⁠

speedsecrets.com/⁠⁠

facebook.com/Drivercoach/⁠⁠

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ABOUT THE SHOW:

It’s Not the Car is a podcast about people, motorsport, and how we all work under pressure. In other words, we tell racing stories and leave out the boring parts.

Ross Bentley is a former IndyCar driver and an internationally renowned performance coach and author. Jeff Braun is a championship-winning race engineer. Sam Smith is an award-winning journalist and a former executive editor of Road & Track magazine. Together, we explore the emotion at the heart of the machine.

We don’t love racing for the nuts and bolts—we love it for what it asks of the bag of meat at the wheel.

New episodes every Tuesday.