The Racing Writer's Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 195 | Max Papis Oct 25, 2021

Show notes

Max Papis is a busy man. Papis is an IndyCar race steward, performance advisor, and businessman, just to name a few things, and somehow, he found time to join the show to share how it’s all been going. What does it mean to be a race steward? What drew Papis to taking the job years ago? He also explains his role with William Byron and why he doesn’t like the term coach; finding satisfaction in seeing someone else succeed; what Papis looks for when he’s at the racetrack with Byron; explaining how go-karting helps NASCAR racing; an update on how MPI (Max Papis Innovations) is going and being able to expand into other racing series; getting feedback and data on the products after being in a crash; developing other products through MPI, including for sim racing; hopes to get back behind the wheel in NASCAR.
Music created by Tony Monge.
Please support my work through Patreon: www.patreon.com/KellyCrandall

Ep. 194 | Sam Hunt Oct 18, 2021

Show notes

Sam Hunt Racing has gone from a very small K&N operation to competing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and what a journey it’s been. Hunt shares his first conversation with Toyota and earning their support; his connection to the late J.D. Gibbs and how influential their meeting was in more ways than one; how surreal it’s been for the team to come so far in a short amount of time; time spent in the Netherlands and why he chose a career in racing; finding NASCAR racing when back in the States; the business of going from K&N to Xfinity; why Hunt is not driving his own car and if that’s helped in the transition of being an owner; relating to the drivers in his car; measuring where the performance should be when it’s multiple drivers in the seat; if expectations change throughout the year and if Hunt feels like they are defying the odds; if he’d like to see practice next year and any inventory coming from the Cup Series; the team outlook for 2022.
Music created by Tony Monge.
Please support my work through Patreon: www.patreon.com/KellyCrandall

Bonus Ep. 193 | Tony Stewart Oct 14, 2021

Show notes

Tony Stewart is taking his team ownership to the NHRA beginning in 2022 and he made time to talk about it on the podcast. Stewart discusses the challenges he expects entering drag racing; experiencing drag racing up close and personal; how Stewart’s view of things changed the more time spent on the starting line; what the conversation is like between two racers in a relationship (Stewart and fiancée Leah Pruett); trying to describe the sensation of speed driving a Top Fuel dragster; why Stewart says it’d be suicidal for him to try to compete in NHRA; why Matt Hagan was a good fit for TSR; if there’s anything left Stewart hasn’t driven; where Stewart sees NHRA in the motorsports landscape. Music created by Tony Monge.
Please support my work through Patreon: www.patreon.com/KellyCrandall

Ep. 192 | Blake Harris (Joe Gibbs Racing) Oct 11, 2021

Show notes

Blake Harris is the car chief for Martin Truex Jr. at Joe Gibbs Racing, and if you want to know what that entails, he’s here to explain. Harris breaks down his role; how he got into NASCAR and the journey to Furniture Row (before JGR); being a former driver himself but also enjoying working on cars as well; being a brief test driver for Furniture Row; choosing racing over music; what it’s like going through NASCAR inspection and the relationship with the officials; why the car chief is the one ejected; where Harris goes when he’s ejected and what he can do for the team; if it would be beneficial for people to understand inspection failures versus cheating; being a girl dad; Chili Bowl connections; what it’s like to fight through the Cup Series playoffs. Music created by Tony Monge.
Please support my work through Patreon: www.patreon.com/KellyCrandall

Ep. 191 | Steve Lauletta (23XI Racing) Oct 04, 2021

Show notes

Steve Lauletta has been there from the beginning but he’s now officially team president of 23XI Racing as the interim title was erased. Lauletta joins the podcast this week to discuss his role and the main things the organization has going on both on and off the racetrack. From explaining how he never wanted to work for another race team after leaving the sport for a few years but being drawn to 23XI; what it looks like in the early days of starting a race team; what experience Lauletta thinks he brought that helped get things going; where the team is now almost a full year into operation and already looking ahead; what stands out from 11 years with Chip Ganassi Racing; why he wanted to start his own marketing company; how teaching tennis when Lauletta was younger carried over into his business sense; going from wanting to be a judge to working in sports; how he got to NASCAR; what a team president does on a given day or week; if anything keeps Lauletta up at night and his mindset about mistakes; what he looks for when hiring people; being a brand that goes racing; how 23XI will be different in NASCAR. Music created by Tony Monge.
Please support my work through Patreon: www.patreon.com/KellyCrandall

Ep. 190 | Chris Gayle Sep 27, 2021

Show notes

Chris Gayle didn’t expect to be an Xfinity Series crew chief this year for Joe Gibbs Racing, but once the decision was made, Gayle decided he was going to show it was a mistake. Gayle admits there is ego involved going from the Cup Series to Xfinity Series; the thought of going for an owner’s championship versus a driver’s championship; getting his racing start in Arkansas; transferring to UNC Charlotte; if he ever had thoughts that he’d make it in NASCAR; landing at Joe Gibbs Racing; winning races with Kyle Busch as an engineer; engineer versus crew chief; insight on what isn’t seen about Ty Gibbs; his Poindexter Twitter handle. Music created by Tony Monge.
Please support my work through Patreon: www.patreon.com/KellyCrandall

Ep. 189 | Jordan Anderson Sep 20, 2021

Show notes

From feeling like the world was crashing down on Jordan Anderson Racing in February to making some noise in the Xfinity Series, it’s been quite a year for the team. Jordan Anderson is going to try and explain it all and sum it up for us this week. Anderson digs into how long it took to decide to shift his plans for the season; how he drew in big-name Cup drivers for the Xfinity car; the feeling when not racing the car; the internal battle of car owner and driver; the selling point to bringing in and keeping partners; being able to take a step back in certain areas; having a support system in place; if thinks about what could have been; how much the year has aged him; Truck versus Xfinity Series car; the philosophy running each program; embracing the journey mentality. Music created by Tony Monge.
Please support my work through Patreon: www.patreon.com/KellyCrandall

Ep. 188 | Doug Rice (PRN) Sep 13, 2021

Show notes

You’ve probably heard Doug Rice’s voice calling a NASCAR race for Performance Racing Network (PRN), but if you don’t know much about him, you will after this episode. Rice explains how long he’s been with the company and his role as president of PRN and the responsibilities; first hearing about NASCAR; memories from broadcasting in college and working at the campus radio station; the impact of participating in speech and debate club; getting his foot in the door with PRN; early lessons and snafus; the importance of painting a picture; the most important thing about broadcasting; regrets about not saving things through the years; working alongside Humpy Wheeler; his top broadcasting moment; what PRN races remain this season. Music created by Tony Monge.
Please support my work through Patreon: www.patreon.com/KellyCrandall

Ep. 187 | Corey LaJoie Sep 06, 2021

Show notes

Corey LaJoie knows his flowing hair is starting to become noticeable and there is a reason behind that. LaJoie kicks off our conversation today explaining the look he’s going for before we jump into how the season has gone for Spire Motorsports; what goes into learning a new car/manufacturer; what LaJoie gets out of doing his own podcast and SiriusXM work; what he’s learning about the NASCAR universe through his time on the radio; how he became a fill-in for Larry Mac; why the tone of the podcast changed; having to review races for the radio and podcast; doing an audit on himself; the importance of having an opinion; if LaJoie wants to do television work; promotion for his Oct. 6 kickball tournament. Music created by Tony Monge.
Please support my work through Patreon: www.patreon.com/KellyCrandall

Ep. 186 | Josh Sims (Fox Sports) Aug 30, 2021

Show notes

Josh Sims has covered NASCAR and other local sports for Fox46 in Charlotte for the past few years, but now he’s entered the stock car world full-time. Sims is already in deep with projects, and this weekend at Darlington, he takes another step with his first pit reporting gig, which we discuss first. Then we go into how different it’ll be to only have to cover NASCAR outside of the Charlotte arena; his previous enjoyment and knowledge of NASCAR; how he landed in Charlotte, to begin with; print journalism versus television; the goal always being sports; being a former athlete covering athletes; the time spent preparing for interviews; why Sims took the Fox job; wanting to tell stories and those he’s looking forward to working on. Music created by Tony Monge.
Please support my work through Patreon: www.patreon.com/KellyCrandall

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