The Racing Writer's Podcast
Racer Magazine's Kelly Crandall brings stories and interviews from driver's and personalities in the NASCAR garage.
Episodes
May 3, 2021 • 58 min
Matt Yocum, formerly of Fox Sports and now SRX, is looking back at the end of his time covering NASCAR for Fox and what's ahead with SRX. Yocum discusses being out of the routine of covering NASCAR; joining DirtVision last month for the World of Outlaws at Bristol; his love of all things motorsports; memories of Dale Earnhardt and the significance of his Twitter cover photo; developing a relationship with Tony Stewart; the stor...
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April 26, 2021 • 55 min
Chris Medland, my colleague at RACER.com who covers Formula 1, joins the podcast to discuss all the latest news and notes from overseas. Medland explains how F1 in Miami came to be; what has happened to Ferrari’s performance over the last year; how much teams try to get away with in F1; where the Haas team stands and their plans moving forward; a discussion on Nikita Mazapin; how the coronavirus pandemic has affected F1, its teams,...
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April 19, 2021 • 54 min
James Davison was confronted with the decision of returning to the Indianapolis 500 or running more NASCAR races, and he says his heart is in NASCAR. Davison explains what has hooked him; comparing the feeling of driving an IndyCar versus a stock car; his reaction to the first time being behind the wheel of a stock car; how much his IndyCar prospects played into his decision; how Davison came to NASCAR in the first place; his racin...
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April 16, 2021 • 32 min
Michelle Martinelli from USA/For The Win drops by to share details on “The Sneak” podcast that digs into the disappearance of Mario Rossi. How did this story come on their radar? Who was Mario Rossi? What went into the original reporting; how much convincing the Rossi family needed to get involved; the many theories surrounding his disappearance; when the Rossi family became suspicious; drug smuggling comes to NASCAR angle; if ther...
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April 12, 2021 • 44 min
The voice of the World of Outlaws, Johnny Gibson, is always on the road going from town to town, and he explains why it’s easier just to have a motorhome. Gibson also shares what he does to stay busy between races; his propensity to take notes; how being prepared and in the right place led to his break with WoO; why his native Pennsylvania is a hotbed of dirt racing; what got him on sprint car racing; when Gibson embraced racing as...
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April 5, 2021 • 59 min
Mike Joy of NASCAR on Fox goes from the broadcast booth to interviewee this week. Joy joins the show to touch on a variety of topics like keeping track of things in the booth; knowing the moments when his words and calls have to be right; how he sets up calling the finishes of races; lessons from Barney Hall, Ken Squier, and Ned Jarrett; how the relationship between the garage and the booth has changed over the years; Joy’s approac...
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March 29, 2021 • 43 min
Samantha Busch can add published author to her resume as her book “Fighting Infertility” is a day away from being released (March 30). In our conversation, Busch explains why writing a book was the next step of continuing to share the struggles of her and Kyle Busch to conceive a second child; what details are shared about how it has affected their marriage; the reaction to Kyle Busch mentioning Samantha and their issues in his 201...
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March 22, 2021 • 50 min
Tad Geschickter and Grant Dexter are here for a conversation about the business side of racing and fan engagement during a pandemic. First, Geschickter talks about the start of the season for his JTG Daugherty Racing team; the parts freeze and Next Gen; getting into the sport first as a part of Proctor & Gamble advertising; the bootstrapped early days of starting his team versus where the organization is now; looking at ownersh...
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March 15, 2021 • 17 min
A brief chat with Aric Almirola on what he’s doing to create content and show behind the scenes of his life with his YouTube channel; if NASCAR could benefit from more documentary type content; now 10 years into a full Cup career, how Almirola has had to evolve and change over the years; if he likes how the racing has changed over the years; if the dynamic of the playoffs has changed with four different winners in the first four we...
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March 8, 2021 • 38 min
It was a rough two weeks in Daytona for Hattori Racing but crew chief Scott Zipadelli was optimistic going in Las Vegas thing would turn around. Before earning a third-place finish over the weekend, Zipadelli joined the show to discuss his program; how his relationship with Austin Hill has developed over the years; what kind of a personality Zipadelli wants a driver to have; if the way things are now in the sport is really helping ...
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March 1, 2021 • 44 min
Ben Rhodes is undefeated in 2021 in Truck Series competition, so does that mean the competition should look at his team differently this year? Rhodes joins the show to discuss; plus what victory lane has been like in the COVID era; if not having multiple wins in a season ever weighed on him or brought worries about job security; why Rhodes thinks the lows of racing are harder than other sports; the mental work he’s done over the ye...
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February 22, 2021 • 57 min
Freddie Kraft, spotter for Bubba Wallace, joined the show right before the season began to share what his offseason was like and what his spotting plans are for the 2021 season. Kraft explains his relationship with Wallace; how drivers go through vetting spotters; a season he dreaded with Greg Biffle; knowing the drivers he won’t work with; defending the driver you’re working with; being both cheerleader and critic for your driver;...
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February 15, 2021 • 43 min
Rick Houston (of the Scene Vault Podcast) has put together a 10-episode podcast documentary set to drop on the 20th anniversary of the 2001 Daytona 500. Houston walks us through putting together something on the 2000 and 2001 seasons and the rash of driver deaths; the people connected to those drivers that he was able to interview for the project; what it was like covering the sport during such dark times and why Houston says it ch...
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February 8, 2021 • 60 min
Kip Childress wears two hats for NASCAR as both the assistant Cup Series director and the pace car driver. In today’s episode, we dig into both roles by discussing a variety of topics. First, what his offseason to-do lists consist of; breaking down his responsibilities in the garage; being a sounding board and go-to person for teams; the new way of bringing teams into the garage; the unique ways Childress had hauler drivers park in...
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February 1, 2021 • 42 min
Sheldon Creed is back on the podcast, but now he does so as the reigning Camping World Truck Series champion. Creed shares what his offseason has been like and getting into dirt racing; if his championship accomplishment has set in and why he doesn’t want to pay attention to the press clippings; keeping the team together; growing into the NASCAR environment, and maturing on and off the track along the way; fitting into the garage; ...
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January 25, 2021 • 43 min
Cliff Daniels and his group haven’t changed anything regarding a seat in their race cars in over 15 years, but with Jimmie Johnson retired and Kyle Larson entering it has made for an even busier offseason. Daniels, the crew chief of the No. 5 team, chats about how things are going getting prepared for Daytona; how he’s been adjusting to the role with so much change the last few seasons; memories of coming from a racing family and b...
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January 18, 2021 • 29 min
New NASCAR driver Santino Ferrucci is excited and ready for the challenge for stock cars. This week, Ferrucci explains how a deal to run Xfinity Series races with Sam Hunt Racing came to be; people he talked to about making a transition to NASCAR; anticipating habits Ferrucci will have to break in stock cars; the first impression from a late model test; if stock cars with fenders and bumpers will suit his style; what the feedback a...
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January 11, 2021 • 53 min
Jacob Seelman of Speed Sport is here to help provide a helpful and fun preview of this week’s Chili Bowl Nationals and how it’s going to look in a pandemic. Seelman explains the draw of the prestigious midget car event; how many will make the feature event; how the week of practice and prelims work; his racing connection and background, and how long he’s covered the event; notable names to keep an eye on during the week and some wh...
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January 4, 2021 • 27 min
Greg Zipadelli, the competition director at Stewart-Haas Racing, brings us inside the race shop to share how even in the offseason the team is trying to stay safe while preparing for a new race season. Zipadelli also explains how the coronavirus pandemic has changed his job; what it has been like to hold virtual competition meetings with the teams; the unseen and unheard challenges races teams have dealt with during the pandemic; k...
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December 7, 2020 • 44 min
Zane Smith came up just short in the Camping World Truck Series title fight and afterward described it as a ‘disgusting feeling.’ On the podcast this week, Smith explains if he still feels that way now that the dust has settled; earning Rookie of the Year honors; when the thinking shifted from competitive rookie season to championship; experiencing the playoffs and winner-take-all race as a rookie; his all-in mentality and feeling ...
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