Wrench Nation

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#186 Mitch Schneider: Industry Icon & Author! Jan 20, 2020

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Industry Veteran with Heart & Soul Mitch Schneider is a 52-year veteran of the automotive service industry. A fourth-generation auto repair professional, certified master technician, and for more than 37 years, operated Schneider’s Automotive, a successful six-bay, family-owned and operated service facility in Simi Valley, CA, PLUS accomplished trade journalist. As a result of his knowledge and experience, he presents his first acclaimed novel, Misfire: What To Do When Things Aren’t Running On All Cylinders. https://bit.ly/MitchSchneiderMisfire What Makes Mitch Smile Through it All We discuss the early years of Mitch's career, his insightful and lighthearted approach of stories written in many industry publications over the years, and what kept him going through it all. Mitch has an incredible talent for making us smile and causing us to pause and reflect. With stories of life lessons learned from his career, martial arts practice and health crisis, he sought deeper ways to center his spirit while balancing a small automotive business environment. We are privileged to have industry legend and author Mitch Schneider join us on the show!

#185 Life After Racing with Derek Daly! Jan 12, 2020

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Racing Career Lays the Foundation We are excited about our first guest of the new year whose racing career at race circuits across the globe during the 80's and 90's are legendary. We are honored to have Formula 1 and Indianapolis 500 driver Derek Daly https://bit.ly/DerekDaly share his incredible experiences, including surviving one of the most dangerous Formula 1 crashes in 1984. Derek shares his passion for racing and takes us back to that harrowing time of the crash and his incredible road to recovery. After retiring from racing, Derek became a long-time respected racing commentator for ESPN, NBC, CBS and Fox Motorsports. Now as an author and public speaker, Derek shares the tactics and strategic cultures adopted by world-class racing teams and delivers a roadmap for businesses seeking to shift their teams from great to extraordinary. Largest Car Show on Grass We also welcome Peter Volny of Scuderia Southwest to share the upcoming 7th Annual Concours in the Hills https://bit.ly/ConcoursintheHills2020 and the how and why he created one of the most renowned car shows in the country with over 900 classic cars, muscle cars, exotics and hot rods raising $540,000 for local Phoenix Children Hospital in the past six years. This year he welcomes race talents Derek Daly, Arie Luyendyk, Didier Theys, Lyn St. James, Harley Cluxton and Paul Tracy in attendance to declare the show open on February 8, 2020 in beautiful Fountain Hills, Arizona.

#184 2019 Year in Review – Your Top Shows! Dec 22, 2019

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It's a Wrap! It has been an incredible year for us spending time with you while bringing an awesome array of talented automotive topics and guests. For our final LIVE show of 2019, we review some of YOUR favorite episodes based on podcast download popularity. All of these shows and our complete catalog, are on our website to hear in full at https://bit.ly/WrenchNationListen #148 Discovery Channel Street Outlaws with talent, BoostedGT #154 Robert Redding, The Redding Group, Lobbyist for Automotive Service Association, talks cybersecurity #155 Palestinian Drift Racing Star, Noor Daoud #158 Nick Sutton, Author of The DeLorean Story #160 The Spectacular Automotive Art of Princess Vidita Singh #161 The Soaring Growth of Electric Vehicles in China with Hong Kong journalist, Echo Huang #167 Steve Saleen, Bringing Race-Proven Performance to the Street Happy New Year and Thank You! With 2020 approaching, we also discuss plans for next year, beginning with an exciting show on January 8 featuring guests Derek Daly, former Formula 1 Racer and ESPN broadcaster, and Peter Volny, founder of Concours in the Hills, the largest car show on grass! We extend sincere gratitude to all of you that have made the show super fun for us this past year. Wishing you a Happy Holiday season and a prosperous New Year!

#183 The Last Open Road Motorsports Experience Dec 15, 2019

Show notes

Reflection Propels the Journey We sometimes reflect about how we arrived as automotive technicians, service advisors or owners of our operations. It is the sort of reflection that we lean on regarding those difficult days or hardcore challenges. We all have our stories and life experiences that make us who we are today. Many of you race on the weekend or are carving out the ability to someday hit the race circuit professionally, of which we can all agree, is no easy task. Hard days and long nights while we continually reflect on how far we have come so we can continue the courage to keep moving forward. The Racing Roller Coaster Mechanic, shop owner, race car driver, journalist and novelist, Burt Levy https://bit.ly/TheLastOpenRoad is no stranger to the highs and lows of racing, or wrenching on his vehicles, while always keeping his spirit tucked tight to the automotive industry. Whether humble race beginnings behind a somewhat ragtag Triumph TR-3, to ultimately competitively hitting it hard on the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) circuit or slinging used vehicles at a dealership, Burt has always maintained a light spirited approach to the industry. This journey would become an incredible account illustrated through one of the top motorsports book series, The Last Open Road. From renowned automotive enthusiasts like Jay Leno to celebrities of race car racing, Burt has carved out a fan base that can truly relate to his unique ability to tell that story.

2019 City of Chandler Arizona Autonomous Vehicle Symposium Dec 08, 2019

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City of Chandler, Arizona Leads in Electric Vehicles On this special edition, we discuss the key details of how the City of Chandler is leading the country with autonomous vehicle platforms by way of shaping legislation for safety, and formulating ethics centered around the companies that are currently blazing away with autonomous technology such as WAYMO and Local Motors. With innovative collaborations and partnerships throughout the AV technology community, these panel discussions highlighted the future and current initiatives that are underway. The Critical Need to Maintain Roadways & Infrastructure Former City of Chandler Councilman and current Maricopa County supervisor for District 1, Arizona Transportation Board Member, Jack Sellers discusses the importance of maintaining roadways and infrastructure for the future as autonomous platforms that are slowly coming in to play , while laying out the need to go beyond the current fuel tax. Join Frank Leutz of Wrench Nation Car Talk for unique insight of AV strategies and implementation with special guest Jack Sellers.

#182 Education & Training for Collision Repair Technicians Dec 08, 2019

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My Car Crashed. Now What? How many of us actually think about the details of a repair after a collision? Do we realize the intense process of skilled craftsmanship and technology challenges that technicians overcome while quietly nursing back to health your ride after a fender bender? You notice the airbags where horrific, the body damage was pretty nasty and it seems that every instrument cluster light is on. For the most part we don't and quite frankly that is understandable, after all, you have better things to worry about. We tow the vehicle into our chosen collision repair shop, receive a rental and wait patiently until our prized vehicular possession is all doctored up and ready to hit the road again. A Behind the Scenes Look at Collision Repairs We offer an exclusive look at the incredibly sophisticated world of collision repair, welding, paint and all things fender bender service that you may be taking for granted. The amazing amount of training involved to get this perfect, and the amount of advanced tools\software\hardware technology combined with world class technicians to get that crashed up accordion like disaster whole and new again. You may be surprised with the amount of skill set it takes to make it all happen. Join us as John Van Alstyne, CEO & President for I-CAR https://bit.ly/ICARCollisionEducation and Brandon Eckenrode, Director of Development for Collision Repair Education Foundation https://bit.ly/CollisionEdFoundation join us to take us inside the industry. They shed light on the action in the collision service bays, revealing the training and technology at hand to make your vehicle pretty again after a wreck.

#181 Tariff Wars & Trade Battles: Auto Industry Expert Shares the Future. Dec 01, 2019

Show notes

The Journey of Automotive Parts The trade wars that are currently going on are historic, especially as it relates to the automotive industry and manufacturing. GM’s Romulus Powertrain plant makes about 400,000 V-6 engines a year for high-margin Cadillac SUVs, light pickup trucks and other GM vehicles, while the process of manufacturing the critical pistons can lead to a cross border journey that most are not aware of. The Romulus built V-6 uses 235 parts from 100 primary suppliers. Sixty-seven ship from factories in the United States, 13 from Mexico, eight from Canada and 12 from elsewhere in the world. Most of the electronics come from Asia, which is a big deal. Trade Wars & Tariff Battles As the fight continues to position the United States in a leading role for manufacturing, we will discuss how the current tariff climate truly affects the end retail user from automotive consumers to the automotive technician, reliant on auto parts and tooling required to produce in a timely and cost effective manner. Our guest, CEO Laurie Harbour of Harbour Results Inc. https://bit.ly/HarbourResultsInc a manufacturing expert and automotive industry consultant, provides us with an inside track to the current state of affairs within the tariff and trade concerns between China and the United States.

#180 Legends of Speed Historic Race Exhibit Nov 24, 2019

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A Historic Race Exhibit Picture some of the most prized racing vehicles assembled all under one roof. The kind of collection that would have you taking steps back in time during race history, an era of phenomenal race proven vehicles, along with fantastic journey of the drivers who mastered those legendary winning championships. Phoenix Art Museum Hosts Legends of Speed Featuring more than 20 legendary cars by Maserati, Mercedes, Alfa Romeo, Ford and more. An extraordinary collection of cars driven by some of the greatest drivers in the history of racing including Dan Gurney, A.J. Foyt and Stirling Moss. Now through March 15, 2020, these cars are on loan to the Phoenix Art Museum by some of the world's renowned car collectors. Legends of Speed offers up an experience for car enthusiasts of all ages. https://bit.ly/LegendsofSpeedPhxArtMuseum We are thrilled and honored to have car enthusiast, car collector and the man behind bringing this exhibit together, Phoenix Art Museum Board of Director Co-Chair Carter Emerson, joined by seven time contender of the Indy 500 with six consecutive starts and the first woman to win the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year Award, Lyn St. James.

#179 First Woman World Champion NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster Nov 17, 2019

Show notes

Top Fuel Alcohol Dragster Racing The rumble and raw speed of a Top Fuel Alcohol Dragster is an incredible thing to witness and quite frankly, the in-between rounds back in the pits is a true mechanical wonder to experience as a fan, no matter how old or what background you have. That visceral acquaintance with horsepower leaves us all in a wonderment longing for more. In a world of constant change, the NHRA has never ceased to deliver that consistent attraction for fans, while inspiring future generations to get behind both the wheel and picking up a few wrenches behind the flywheel. First Woman Champion As the award winning 2019 Top Alcohol Dragster Champion, Megan Meyer https://bit.ly/MeganMeyerRacing since the age of 10, has competitively raced with the grit and zeal of a seasoned veteran. She grew up around the sport of drag racing as the oldest daughter of renowned championship winning driver and team owner, Randy Meyer. She has stepped up time after time setting up at the starting line while offering a burnout to track down a competitive run. Megan has alcohol running through her veins as a fierce racing spirit. Coming off the heels of a big win running side-by-side with points rival Troy Coughlin Jr. to command the championship, we are honored to have Megan Meyer on the show!

#178 Corvette Enthusiast, Parts Supplier & Hall of Fame Inductee, Mike Yager! Nov 11, 2019

Show notes

Corvette Enthusiast Mike Yager bought his first Corvette in 1970 when he was just 20 years old. When he saw there was no Corvette Club in his area, he started one. As the club grew he made the observation that there wasn’t a place where a Corvette fan could purchase Corvette merchandise. To remedy that, he bought whatever he could find that related to Corvette and started making it available at Corvette club events and car shows. When that worked out, he got a $500 loan to start a company that has now grown to become one of the world’s largest suppliers of parts and accessories for Corvettes… Mid America Motorworks. https://bit.ly/MidAmericaMotorworks Corvette Fun Fest In 1994 Mike Yager and the team at Mid America Motorworks staged a relaxed Corvette show to thank their customers and share the Corvette hobby. An enthusiastic crowd of 1,200 people brought 350 assorted Corvettes to Mid America Motorworks' corporate campus to celebrate. By 2006, thousands of Corvettes filled every available space on the grounds at Mid America Motorworks. This casual show has become the Largest Corvette Party in the World, welcoming enthusiasts from across the country and across the globe. Corvette Hall of Fame Mike has been a part of numerous clubs and organizations, including the National Corvette Museum where he served as its Chairman of the Board in 2002. He was also behind “Drive Your Corvette to Work Day” and organized an effort to have a commemorative stamp created to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Corvette. While he was at it, he got behind a campaign to honor Corvette’s birthday with a National Day of Recognition and in 2018 was inducted into the Corvette Hall of Fame. Mike has created a life long journey of helping many generations of car lovers enjoy their love affair for all things Vette! Join us this week for a special edition of Wrench Nation as we are honored to have Corvette Hall of Fame inductee, Mike Yager!

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