Automotive

Be Differential

The automotive and motorsport world has always had a seat at the table — it just hasn’t always been yours. BeDifferential is the podcast for newcomers, outsiders, and anyone who’s ever felt like they didn’t quite fit in car culture.

Each week, host Eva Gregory goes behind the scenes with racers, engineers, executives, and industry insiders to share the stories, career paths, and hard-won lessons that don’t make it into the mainstream. From grassroots motorsport to the paddock, from vintage cars to cutting-edge tech — if you’re curious about where you fit in this world, you found the right show.

New episodes every Tuesday, plus solo industry takes every Thursday.

Latest Episodes:

Going Back to Road Atlanta — What the Motul Petit Le Mans Means to Me | Thursday Pit Stop Oct 01, 2026

Show notes

I spent years working inside Road Atlanta — and this week, I'm going back. 🏁

The Motul Petit Le Mans is the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season finale: ten hours, or 1,000 miles, at one of the most storied road racing facilities in the country. But this week isn't just a race preview. Eva Gregory breaks down what makes IMSA multi-class endurance racing one of the most under-appreciated formats in American motorsports — and reflects honestly on what it means to return to a place that shaped her career, as someone who went from hospitality work to track rentals to Director of Operations at Road Atlanta.

This one is personal. And it ends with a question she's been sitting with for a while.🎙 ABOUT BE DIFFERENTIALBe Differential is hosted by Eva Gregory — marketing partnerships manager at Hagerty, former Director of Operations at Road Atlanta, and lifelong automotive enthusiast. Every Tuesday, Eva sits down with guests from across the motorsports and automotive world. Every Thursday, she brings you the Thursday Pit Stop: solo commentary on current events, industry lessons, and the questions worth asking out loud.

New episodes every Tuesday & Thursday.

🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES📩 Subscribe to the Be Differential Newsletter: https://www.bedifferentialpodcast.com/📸 Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bedifferentialpodcast/

🔗 Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eva-gregory-

📌 IN THIS EPISODEThe Motul Petit Le Mans — IMSA's ten-hour, 1,000-mile season finale at Road Atlanta — is one of the most compelling events in American motorsports. Eva Gregory breaks down what makes the race distinctive: the multi-class format with GTP, GTD Pro, and GTD machinery all on circuit simultaneously, the endurance strategy that rewards consistency over pure speed, and what it actually looks and sounds like to be at Road Atlanta when the field comes through at pace. But this episode is also a personal one. Eva spent years working inside Road Atlanta — moving through hospitality, track rentals, local partnerships, and eventually Director of Operations — and this week she's returning to the facility as an outside professional for the first time. She reflects on what the place gave her that she couldn't see while she was inside it, what endurance racing represents in the larger landscape of American motorsport, and why she believes IMSA deserves more of the mainstream conversation than it currently gets.

#BeDifferential #ThursdayPitStop #MotulPetitLeMans #IMSA #IMSAWeatherTech #RoadAtlanta #EnduranceRacing #PetitLeMans #GTP #GTD #MultiClassRacing #AmericanMotorsports #MotorsportsPodcast #CarPodcast #RacingPodcast #Hagerty #CarCulture #EvaGregory #TrackDay #MotorsportsCareers

Learn about this episode's sponsor, KNIPEX Tools at https://www.knipex-tools.com/

Ava Hanssen on 20 Championships, Winning Her First Open Wheel Race at COTA, and What It Really Takes to Chase Formula Four at 16 Sep 29, 2026

Show notes

Ava Hanssen started racing at four years old in Elkhorn, Wisconsin — and she hasn't slowed down since. In this episode, the 16-year-old Formula Four Junior Formula Championship driver talks about what it actually felt like to grow up racing, what 20+ championships across 11 years of competition really cost, and why winning her very first open wheel race at Circuit of the Americas is the moment she points to as proof she can do anything she sets her mind to. We get into the Skip Barber Racing School scholarship that changed her trajectory, what moving from karting to Legend Cars to Formula Ford to Formula Four has demanded of her at every step, and what it means to suddenly be racing on Amazon Prime, Pluto TV, and Roku. Ava also opens up about the financial reality of funding a racing career at 16 and how strength training, school, art, and music all fit into a week that would exhaust most adults. And for any young girl who loves speed but doesn't see herself in motorsport yet — this one's for you.

Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter so you never miss a thing!

https://www.bedifferentialpodcast.com/

This episode is sponsored by KNIPEX. Learn more at https://www.knipex-tools.com/

F1 2027 Calendar, Monaco Sprint & Madring Fallout | Baku GP Preview Sep 25, 2026

Show notes

F1's newest circuit couldn't produce a race. Three days later, F1 gave Monaco a sprint. Is that fixing the racing, or just adding more TV?

This week on the Thursday Pit Stop, Eva Gregory breaks down the Madring's F1 debut at the Spanish Grand Prix. Norris lost the race to an ill-timed Virtual Safety Car, and the 57 laps that followed had fewer than ten overtakes. The circuit's designer now says only minimal changes are possible, on a ten-year contract. Then we dig into the 2027 F1 calendar: Portimão and Istanbul Park return, sprints expand to ten, and Monaco gets its first-ever sprint race.

Plus, your Azerbaijan Grand Prix preview. The race moves to Saturday this year, Verstappen is chasing a record third Baku win, and Kimi Antonelli, 81 points clear at just 20, closes in on becoming F1's youngest-ever world champion.

🏁 Your turn: Monaco sprint, fixing the racing or just more TV? Tell us in the comments or DM @bedifferentialpodcast on instagram!

Follow Be Differential on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube for new episodes every week.

Learn more about KNIPEX at https://www.knipex-tools.com/

Nathan Lyons on Leaving Fort Worth Without a Guarantee , Winning at Charlotte, and What the NASCAR Pipeline Really Demands Sep 22, 2026

Show notes

Nathan Lyons was 12 years old when he left Fort Worth, Texas and moved to North Carolina to chase a career in racing full-time. In this episode, the AK Performance driver backed by Ally Racing talks about what that decision actually felt like for him and his family, what it meant to be the kid who'd already made a bet on a career while everyone else was figuring out middle school, and what racing Bandoleros taught him that still shows up in how he drives today. We get into his time with Rev Racing — one of the most competitive youth development programs in the country — two Summer Shootout wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and his rookie Late Model Stock season where he finished Top-10 in the Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Southeast region. Nathan also breaks down what the NASCAR development pipeline really demands, what Hickory Motor Speedway teaches drivers that other tracks can't, and what he'd tell any young kid from a smaller market who loves NASCAR but has no idea where to start.

Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter so you never miss a thing!

https://www.bedifferentialpodcast.com/

This episode is sponsored by KNIPEX. Learn more at https://www.knipex-tools.com/

Is Shorter Racing Actually Better? IMSA's Brickyard Sprint Explained Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

IMSA just shortened its Indianapolis race back to 2 hours and 40 minutes, after two years as a six-hour endurance race. This Sunday, the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship returns to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Battle on the Bricks — now a sprint again, after Road America took over as the six-hour endurance round.

Eva Gregory draws on her years running motorsports facility operations to make the real case for shorter racing, the real case for endurance racing, and why the better question isn't which one is "real" racing — it's whether the format fits the place. She closes with what this swap says about how we measure commitment far beyond the racetrack, plus what to watch when the green flag drops with a tight four-way championship battle on the line.

Covered in this episode:— What actually changed at Indianapolis, and why Road America picked up the six-hour slot— The case for shorter racing: the fan's day, the track, and event operations— The case for endurance racing: strategy, storylines, and the atmosphere of a long race weekend— What the swap really tells us about matching format to place— The championship picture heading into the penultimate round, and what to watch for— A closing question about how we measure commitment, on and off the track

The Be Differential Podcast releases twice weekly — guest interviews on Tuesdays, Thursday Pit Stop solo episodes every Thursday.

Sign up for the newsletter: https://www.bedifferentialpodcast.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bedifferentialpodcast/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeDifferentialPodcast

Sam Russo | Rebelle Rally 2026 — No GPS, No Speed, and Why She Said Yes to 8 Days in the Desert with Lacy Taylor Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

Sam Russo didn't plan to compete in the Rebelle Rally. Then she turned to a friend at a conference and said "we should do this" — and the rest, as they say, was chaos in the best possible way. In this episode of BeDifferential, Sam talks about how a moment of "say yes to the crazy" energy led her to prep a high-mileage 4Runner, build navigation skills from scratch, and so much more before going into the desert. Now returning for 2026 with a new co-driver partnership alongside Lacy Taylor, Sam breaks down what the Rebelle Rally actually is — 8 days, no GPS, no speed component, just maps, compass, roadbooks, and teamwork across some of the most demanding terrain in the American West. The 11th edition launches from Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the first time ever and adds Utah to the route, running October 7–17, 2026. We also get into why the Rebelle has become such a powerful rallying point for women in the automotive aftermarket — and what Sam wants to prove to herself by the time she crosses the finish line.

Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter so you never miss a thing!

https://www.bedifferentialpodcast.com/

This episode is sponsored by KNIPEX. Learn more at https://www.knipex-tools.com/

Madrid's New F1 Circuit: The Madring, And Its 10-Year Deal Sep 10, 2026

Show notes

Formula 1 opens a brand-new circuit in a European capital this weekend, which is a thing that basically never happens. The Spanish Grand Prix moves to Madrid — the Madring — and it's the first F1 race in the Spanish capital since Jarama in 1981. Forty-five years.

But the part I can't stop thinking about isn't the track. It's the contract.

Three weeks ago Zandvoort hosted its last Grand Prix because its promoter — privately funded, sold out five months early — chose not to renew. Madrid just signed for ten years. Same sport, same era, opposite decisions. And the reason why explains more about modern Formula 1 than any track guide will.

Here's the number that made it click: the circuit cost roughly €83 million to build. The hospitality partner has committed around €400 million over ten years. The hospitality operation is worth about five times the racetrack.

Also in this one: what the Madring actually is (a hybrid — about 2.2km of purpose-built track stitched to real city streets, with two tunnels), and La Monumental, the 548-metre, 270-degree banked corner that's now the longest corner in Formula 1. Banked at 24%, twelve metres wide, and blind over a crest. Nobody knows yet whether it'll be flat out.

Zandvoort couldn't make six years work. Madrid signed for ten. Is that Formula 1 fixing its problem — or just moving it somewhere the taxpayer pays?

I argue it both ways and genuinely don't land on one. Tell me where you come down.

The Thursday Pit Stop, from the Be Differential podcast. New episodes every Thursday.Newsletter: https://www.bedifferentialpodcast.com/

This episode is sponsored by KNIPEX. Learn more at https://www.knipex-tools.com/

Ed Welburn on The Lost Legacy of Charlie Wiggins — Four Championships, a Recovered Race Car, and a Story American Motorsports Forgot Sep 08, 2026

Show notes

Charlie Wiggins was a four-time Gold & Glory Sweepstakes champion who built his own race car, ran a thriving mechanic shop on Indiana Avenue in Indianapolis, and achieved things that should have made him a household name in American motorsports. Instead, his story was nearly lost entirely. In this episode of BeDifferential, former GM Vice President of Global Design Ed Welburn — the man who has spent years championing Charlie's legacy — joins us to tell it in full. Ed traces how he first encountered Charlie's story, what it took to decide this was something worth doing rather than just worth knowing, and what the recovery of the original Wiggins Special — unseen publicly for over 90 years — meant to him personally. As guest curator of For Gold & Glory, a world premiere exhibition opening September 19th, 2026 at LeMay — America's Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington, Ed also shares what it takes to tell a story this layered through objects, imagery, and space — and why the centennial of Charlie's first championship made this the moment to do it.

The exhibition opens September 19th. Tickets and details at americascarmuseum.org/ForGoldandGlory.

This episode is sponsored by KNIPEX. Learn more at https://www.knipex-tools.com/

NASCAR's New Playoff Format, Explained — And The Guy Who Beat It Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

NASCAR quietly rebuilt its entire playoff format for 2026 and almost nobody covered it. Then on Saturday night at Daytona, it produced the exact result it was designed to prevent.

Here's the change: the knockout rounds are gone. No more three rounds of three and a winner-take-all Championship 4. It's a ten-race Chase — the first since 2013 — with one points reset and no eliminations. And "win and in" is abolished. The field is set purely on regular season points.

Which is why what happened at Daytona is so strange. Ryan Preece went into the last race of the regular season 31 points below the cutline, won it in overtime with a last-lap pass, and made the playoffs — but not because he won. Winning doesn't do that anymore. He got in on points, and he needed every single one of them. Meanwhile the driver he passed had a 31-point cushion, won the opening stage, and lost his season on a pit call.

So the rule worked exactly as designed and changed nothing. I get into why that's more interesting than it sounds, and why the new format didn't make Daytona calmer — it made it crueler.

Also: the Southern 500 opens the Chase this Sunday, Alex Palou wrapped up a fourth straight IndyCar title, and Milwaukee ran race two before race one because of the weather.

A driver 31 points below the cutline won at Daytona and made the playoffs anyway. Did NASCAR fix its format — or just make the same thing happen through a different door?

Tell me where you land.

The Thursday Pit Stop, from the Be Differential podcast. New episodes every Thursday.

Newsletter: https://www.bedifferentialpodcast.com/

From Karting to the MX-5 Cup: Christian Valverde on Building a Motorsport Career at 18 and Finding the Door Nobody Told You About Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

Christian Valverde grew up with Silverstone as a backdrop — and at 18, he's already closer to that world than most people ever get. In this episode, Christian talks about nearly a decade of competitive karting across four countries, four championship titles, and what it actually felt like to finish school without a clear path but with an unshakeable ambition. Now competing in the 750 Motor Club MX-5 Cup Championship, he breaks down what his week looks like right now — instructing at Drive Silverstone, coaching at Kart Silverstone, interning at iZone Driver Performance, and racing, all at the same time. He gets into what telemetry and data analysis have taught him about his own driving, what shifted between Race 1 and Race 3 at Snetterton, and why coaching other drivers while still developing yourself is more complicated than it sounds. We also get honest about the financial reality of building a motorsport career without a traditional pathway — and what he'd tell any young person who loves racing but doesn't know where the door is.

Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter so you never miss out! https://www.bedifferentialpodcast.com/

Follow along on Christian's journey on Instagram @christian_valverde1 and his website, https://valverdemotorsport.com

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