The Racing Writer's Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 155 | Kip Childress (NASCAR) Feb 08, 2021

Show notes

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 the garage with COVID, and what it’s like parking them every week; if officials do weekend reviews after each race; the lineage of the Childress family to make him a third-generation official; the job responsibility of being the pace car driver for the Cup Series; the importance of putting the car in cruise control; how the procedure has changed because of honorary pace car drivers and some funny celebrity stories; why pace car drivers also wear protective equipment; the craziest or most unexpected thing he’s seen in the pace car; drivers who like to have fun with the pace car; what his view is when parked under green; how much of the race he sees; what it’s like to lead the field at the Daytona 500. Music created by Tony Monge.
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Wear the moment with BreakingT and connect to the players and teams you love by commemorating the best moments with real-time apparel. To check out their racing collection, visit www.breakingt.com/Kelly.

Ep. 154 | Sheldon Creed Feb 01, 2021

Show notes

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; what changed in his race craft from 2019 to ’20 to change the results; knowing how to watch race film properly; trying to understand why he was so aggressive in his rookie season; if Creed knows where the line is and how to keep from getting into a bad spot; the variables of dirty air and restarts; having a better understanding of the trucks after two full seasons; the type of feedback he’s comfortable giving; trying to learn from other drivers; preparation for 2021; what the team did well in ’20 but need to do better in ’21; becoming more comfortable and confident in his personality; how quickly success happened; thoughts and expectations for a new season. Music created by Tony Monge.
Wear the moment with BreakingT and connect to the players and teams you love by commemorating the best moments with real-time apparel. To check out their racing collection, visit www.breakingt.com/Kelly.

Ep. 153 | Cliff Daniels Jan 25, 2021

Show notes

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 being a former driver; having to channel his competitive fire in a different way as a crew chief and leading a team; if he had to get comfortable with the idea of working with Larson; if Daniels has been able to do any team-building exercises given the pandemic; if he will treat Larson different than Johnson; if Larson has told Daniels what he can to lead him; what he will require or want to see from Larson this season. Music created by Tony Monge.
Wear the moment with BreakingT and connect to the players and teams you love by commemorating the best moments with real-time apparel. To check out their racing collection, visit www.breakingt.com/Kelly.

Ep. 152 | Santino Ferrucci Jan 18, 2021

Show notes

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 and reaction have been to the move; who Ferrucci sees himself leaning on for help; how he can prepare for his first race with no testing allowed; tracks he’s looking forward to competing on; if he’s a patient person and will keep his expectations in check throughout the year; how and why he went the open-wheel route when his career started; already working through differences in racing lingo; if Ferrucci is content with leaving IndyCar and what he did there; if NASCAR is the long-term goal now and if running in the Cup Series is on the radar; what he wants to say to fans and those curious about watching his transition. Music created by Tony Monge.
Wear the moment with BreakingT and connect to the players and teams you love by commemorating the best moments with real-time apparel. To check out their racing collection, visit www.breakingt.com/Kelly.

Ep. 151 | Jacob Seelman (Chili Bowl preview) Jan 11, 2021

Show notes

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 who may have pavement aspirations; making note of Keith Kunz Motorsports, their connection to Toyota and its driver pipeline; an explanation on the age requirement for the Chili Bowl; breaking down the big list of NASCAR drivers participating in the event; storylines around this year’s running; why you can’t handicap the event but throwing out a prediction on the winner. Music created by Tony Monge.
Wear the moment with BreakingT and connect to the players and teams you love by commemorating the best moments with real-time apparel. To check out their racing collection, visit www.breakingt.com/Kelly.

Ep. 150 | Greg Zipadelli Jan 04, 2021

Show notes

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; keeping contingency plans in place for 2021; if he thinks long-term the sport and teams will be OK; how Zipadelli grades the 2020 season for SHR; how the gap can be closed between the 4 and the other three teams; his early outlook for this season; if the disappointing end of Harvick’s ’20 season will motivate the 4 team; thoughts on how Riley Herbst can slot into a single-car Xfinity Series team; handling the mesh of personalities at SHR; the biggest thing on the offseason agenda. Music created by Tony Monge.
Wear the moment with BreakingT and connect to the players and teams you love by commemorating the best moments with real-time apparel. To check out their racing collection, visit www.breakingt.com/Kelly.

Ep. 149 | Zane Smith Dec 07, 2020

Show notes

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 like he had to make something happen in 2020; why he thinks Charlotte was the turning point in his season and people taking notice; Smith posting a picture of meeting Kyle Busch, and his social media approach; working with Josh Wise; working with veteran crew chief Kevin ‘Bono’ Manion and why GMS Racing has been a good fit; how he started in racing and realizing NASCAR was the way to go; becoming self-sufficient by moving to NC as a teenager; what to know about him away from the track; lessons from his rookie season to take in next year. Music created by Tony Monge.
Wear the moment with BreakingT and connect to the players and teams you love by commemorating the best moments with real-time apparel. To check out their racing collection, visit www.breakingt.com/Kelly.

Ep. 148 | Austin Cindric Nov 30, 2020

Show notes

Austin Cindric is now a NASCAR champion and he tries to explain what was different for him and his Team Penske team this season to claim the Xfinity Series title. Cindric joins the show to also discuss filling the void left by Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, and Cole Custer; having Roger Penske in attendance and what it’s like to hear the ‘voice of God’ over the radio; the possibility of Penske shutting down the Xfinity program during the COVID-19 shutdown; how long it’s taken for Cindric’s accomplishment to set in and what he’s been doing since to celebrate and enjoy it; his self-criticism and constructive criticism; what he thinks a championship will do for his reputation; how Cindric believes he’s grown the last few years, and where he thinks the criticism came from; the meaningful messages he’s received since winning the title; the work he’s putting in during the offseason to prepare for 2021; having the opportunity to defend the title next season. Music created by Tony Monge.
Wear the moment with BreakingT and connect to the players and teams you love by commemorating the best moments with real-time apparel. To check out their racing collection, visit www.breakingt.com/Kelly.

Ep. 147 | Matt Hagan Nov 23, 2020

Show notes

Newly crowned NHRA Funny Car champion Matt Hagan joins the show today to discuss his third world title and the many reasons why it meant so much. Hagan also shares his thoughts on how the NHRA schedule shook out because of the pandemic; doing a longer burnout when realizing he won the championship and what it’s like not to be involved in the championship-deciding moment; capping off his season with one final win; what made this year so challenging; DSR pulling off the impressive feat of going 1-2-3-4 in points; how the organization won 14 straight races; when everyone realized a streak had begun and what that mentally was like; what the relationship is like between the four Funny Car drivers; having Camping World unexpectedly and quickly step up to sponsor the NHRA; Hagan’s plans for what could be an unusually long offseason. Music created by Tony Monge.
Wear the moment with BreakingT and connect to the players and teams you love by commemorating the best moments with real-time apparel. To check out their racing collection, visit www.breakingt.com/Kelly.

Ep. 146 | Danielle Trotta (SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) Nov 16, 2020

Show notes

Danielle Trotta is the co-host of ‘On-Track’ on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio with Larry McReynolds and is helping put a bow on what we saw this season. Trotta shares about broadcasting through the pandemic and how the channel was affected; the approach to offseason content and conversation; the dynamic and relationship between Trotta and McReynolds; preparing for five shows a week; the distinction between fan opinion on the radio versus social media; handling questions that you don’t have the answers to; how Trotta got into the sport and her previous roles in NASCAR, plus marrying into the business. Then, switching to reviewing the 2020 season starting with the biggest headline; the emotional toll the season and its many headlines had; the best-case scenario of Chase Elliott winning the championship whereas does Denny Hamlin get the recognition he deserves without one; personal appreciation for Jimmie Johnson; early excitement about 2021 and plans for the offseason. Music created by Tony Monge.
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Wear the moment with BreakingT and connect to the players and teams you love by commemorating the best moments with real-time apparel. To check out their racing collection, visit www.breakingt.com/Kelly.

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