The Racing Writer's Podcast

In the five years since Matt Kaulig was last on the podcast, a lot has happened for Kaulig Racing, and the next chapter comes this season as the Ram anchor team in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. So, as Kaulig returns to the show, he shares where his anticipation level is for this season compared to some others; going from never having attended a Truck Series race to now fielding five teams; building a relationship with Ram; the organization dominating the headlines with planned out announcements over the last seven months; adding more to the organization while still trying to build the Cup Series operation; expectations for the Cup Series season and going without an alliance partner; the overall NASCAR team ownership experience having been in the sport for a decade; making people more aware that he’s not just a NASCAR owner or not just a philanthropic; being more than someone who writes a check; a future outlook for Kaulig Giving.    Original music created by Tony Monge. Follow me here: https://linktr.ee/kellycrandall

NHRA is riding high going into its 75th anniversary season with the release of a six-part docuseries titled ‘Chasing Speed.’ To share insight on the project and what viewers can expect, Steve Reintjes and Chris Meadows are here to share the feeling of having the project out in the world now for viewers to see; delivering the right balance for the hardcore fan and the new viewer; the partnership with Vice as the broadcast partner for the show; the balance of NHRA telling the story and how Vice wanted to tell the story; showcasing personalities and people in this series; getting the competitors on board and giving access; the importance of a project like this to get NHRA out in front of people; some of the new or different things that a hardcore fan is going to get from the series; whether this series could live past one season; the hope for what viewers will take away at the end of all six episodes;  looking ahead to the next NHRA television contract.  Original music created by Tony Monge. Follow me here: https://linktr.ee/kellycrandall

Brenden “Butterbean” Queen is set for his first full season of Craftsman Truck Series competition in a Ram entry at Kaulig Racing. We’re checking in with Butterbean on how he celebrated his ARCA Menards Series championship and then shifted to preparing for this next opportunity; what it mean to be the first named driver to the Kaulig Racing program in the Truck Series; why it’s a badge of honor to be getting an opportunity at the NASCAR national series level at his age; the family dynamic now that he’s not in the longshoreman business anymore; the talent versus funding narrative and appreciation versus jealously of opportunities; racing being a job for him now and why that’s not uncomfortable; a day in the life of a race car driver preparing for a new season; the status of his mechanical engineering degree; if it’s felt things have progressed quickly or slowly to get to this point; knowing what to expect in the Truck Series after making a handful of starts the last few years; the characteristics of the truck and not being nice in the series; the moment that he felt rose his stock over the last few years; being included in the newest NASCAR video game.  Original music created by Tony Monge. Follow me here: https://linktr.ee/kellycrandall

Alexis DeJoria started the NHRA Funny Car season in a brand-new environment with new people, resources, and cars around her. But as the NHRA Countdown has arrived, DeJoria explains how all the work has the JCM Racing team on the verge of something big; how scary it was to start over at this point in her career; seeing it all come together so quickly; how this compares to other changes in her career; what went into building the team chemistry away from the racetrack; what each side wants from the other; the amount of fun she’s had this year; outlook on the Countdown and realistic expectations; having three straight races to start the postseason; having a four-wide race in the Countdown for the first time; chasing a championship before the end of her career; the evolution of the Funny Car class and competition; hopes to end the season.    Original music created by Tony Monge. Follow me here: https://linktr.ee/kellycrandall  PRE-ORDER: NASCAR Race Day Eats https://insighteditions.com/products/nascar-race-day-eats  Alexis DeJoria feature story: https://racer.com/2021/07/27/insight-dejorias-second-act

B.J. McLeod has it all right now between the success of his race team on the NASCAR track and the opening of his new roller coaster. McLeod returns to the podcast to discuss the best season Live Fast Motorsports has had since its inception; being a competitive Open team in the Cup Series; the dynamic of driver to driver to driver on the radio with McLeod, Katherine Legge, and Tommy Joe Martins; insight on the NASCAR testing policy; the feeling of the team running more races but not being in the seat as much; having the Pigeon Forge Racing Coaster official open; the designs and detail of the coaster; attracting race fans versus general coaster enthusiasts; the speed component to the coaster; the slogan of competing and trash talking; the unique way McLeod has solicited feedback; the plans for Live Fast Motorsports to end the season.  Original music created by Tony Monge. Follow me here: https://linktr.ee/kellycrandall  PRE-ORDER: NASCAR Race Day Eats https://insighteditions.com/products/nascar-race-day-eats

Ida Zetterstrom finally had her dream come true this time a year ago when she made her NHRA Top Fuel debut. She returns to the podcast to discuss what it has been like since; the struggle watching racing go on without her; being at the track for her teammate Alexis DeJoria; working through the emotions of being out of the car; doing work for NHRA.TV this year and getting comfortable in the role; the many media and public opportunities Zetterstrom has embraced outside the car; becoming integrated in the NHRA community; the outlook for the end of the year, and hope for 2026.  Original music created by Tony Monge. Follow me here: https://linktr.ee/kellycrandall  PRE-ORDER: NASCAR Race Day Eats https://insighteditions.com/products/nascar-race-day-eats

Ty Dillon has been the belle of the ball with the NASCAR in-season tournament. Dillon joins the show to explain how he and Kaulig Racing have capitalized on the attention; staying relevant in the series; the fight for relevancy in his career; the path his career has taken; the type of person it takes to stick it out in the Cup Series; how racing has played into the type of person he’s become; not driving for Richard Childress Racing; landing at Kaulig Racing; how Dillon has been impacted by the people around him; clicking with crew chief Andrew Dickeson; being pushed by those around him when needed; having fun in racing; being a reminder there is more to racing than what is happening at the front; the work behind the wheel after not running the full 2024 season; comfortability with the Gen7 car; looking ahead to Indianapolis; the Gen7 car at Indianapolis versus previous versions; expectations for the remainder of the season.  Original music created by Tony Monge. Follow me here: https://linktr.ee/kellycrandall  PRE-ORDER: NASCAR Race Day Eats https://insighteditions.com/products/nascar-race-day-eats

Will Brown, the reigning Australian Supercars champion, makes his NASCAR return this weekend on the streets of Chicago in a third entry for Kaulig Racing. It’s a course Brown has never competed, so he explains the work he’s done in the simulator to prepare; simulators not being a tool for Supercars drivers; thoughts on the course in Chicago based on what he’s learned in the simulator and seen otherwise; comparison of the Supercars to the Next Gen car; what he’s like on iRacing and why he’s in disguise; his tailgating experience in Atlanta; takeaways from the NASCAR experience; doing a Vlog; why he’s not used to running a visor in NASCAR; who else he’d like to see try NASCAR and from NASCAR try Supercars; how things are going for him in Supercars; being the guy who took SVG’s seat after his departure; making the decision to take the seat; his sales pitch for fans to watch Australian Supercars racing.  Original music created by Tony Monge. Follow me here: https://linktr.ee/kellycrandall  PRE-ORDER: NASCAR Race Day Eats https://insighteditions.com/products/nascar-race-day-eats

It’s a jam-packed episode that highlights girl power, diversity, and various aspects of working in racing. 23XI Racing brings us inside Airspeed to meet some of its leading ladies, and we learn not only what they do but also the great stories of how they got here.  Kerri Berryman (director of finance and accounting):   The woman with the spreadsheets; working closely with the competition department on cost; seeing the evolution of cost in the sport through her career; why she chose this perception and the misconception of the field when it comes to women; memories of working for Germain Racing for 15 years; the draw to coming to 23XI Racing when initially thinking of being done with the sport; seeing something be built from the ground up; overseeing the organization’s community relations and why it’s important for both sides; the diversity of 23XI Racing.  Cherokee Hall (junior project engineer):   A job with a broad title; working in the shop but getting the chance to take in what happens at the racetrack; how it feels to be a part of the success without touching the car; entering the engineering space but not coming from a racing family; restoring a Ford Mustang for a high school project; landing at 23XI Racing; expectation versus reality of the job; insight into failing inspection; working from the Xfinity Speed Center (war room); diversity at 23XI Racing.  Evanna Howell (senior partnerships account manager):   The role of working with the partners; being a liaison between partners and the team; serving different needs with more than one team partner; the track presence of partners; the balance of serving both a race team and the partners; always doing something different; her journey to 23XI Racing; blinding applying for the job without a racing background; the parameters of marketing; working for Feld Entertainment and the live events experience from Disney on Ice to Monster Jam; the crossover between the two; adapting to a racing lifestyle; doing community outreach for the team; the diversity of 23XI Racing.  Jamie Ruiz (vice president of marketing):   A job that encompasses many branches and what that looks like; explaining the 23XI Racing brand and how others view them; expectations versus reality at the organization; getting comfortable being uncomfortable; getting into NASCAR for the first time; blindly applying for the job; working from California before moving to North Carolina; taking on unexpected projects at Airspeed; working in the entertainment business in Hollywood; bring that to the NASCAR space; how brand guidelines work; social media approach; finding enjoyment in the role and the NASCAR life; diversity of 23XI Racing.  Original music created by Tony Monge. Follow me here: https://linktr.ee/kellycrandall  PRE-ORDER: NASCAR Race Day Eats https://insighteditions.com/products/nascar-race-day-eats

Elon Werner is the creator of Drag Race Bracket Bonanza (DRBB), a game that has qiuckly taken over the drag racing world. Werner is here to tell all as he explains finally taking the leap to create the game and how it works on the backend; the most important thing he wanted to incorporate in DRBB; the retention rate from week to week and keeping people playing; being a data resource for fans and not just a game with all the information incorporated; a run-down of the many prizes available to players; the range of the game reaching other countries; getting the industry to buy into a new game and have it sweep the sport; always thinking about what is next and continuing to evolve the game.  Original music created by Tony Monge. Follow me here: https://linktr.ee/kellycrandall

Charles Denike has Bubba Wallace off to the best start of his NASCAR Cup Series career, and he’s done so as a new crew chief in the series. Denike dishes on settling in at 23XI Racing; how it feels to get off to a strong start this season; impressions of Wallace from afar and now working with him; why the time was right to make this career move; the positive reviews about him before the season even started; the adjustment from the Craftsman Truck Series to being in the Cup Series; if he’s been able to enjoy the fast start to the season or had the pressure that comes with it; finding the same structure in NASCAR as in the military; why he went into the military after high school; his background and experience in the military; going into racing as his second career; the crossover from military into racing; the engineering crossover from one to the other; his NASCAR start being in the K&N Series and then going Truck Series racing; memories from Truck Series racing and his unconventional first career win; seeing his former truck win at at Martinsville Speedway; things that translate from the truck to cup; the balance of how he wants to lead the team but not changing things to change them; what Charles wanted from Bubba and want Bubba wanted from Charles as they paired together; the No. 1 thing the team needs to have accomplished by the end of the year.Original music created by Tony Monge. Follow me here: https://linktr.ee/kellycrandall

Lyn St. James is an icon in the motorsports landscape and now as the co-founder of Women in Motorsports North America. We’re digging into how St. James view the growth of motorsports by encouraging more inclusion of women; the non-existent NASCAR ladder system and women trying to break into the sport; not being surprised by the current landscape of women in racing in the year 2025; the future of WIMNA in the motorsports space; WIMNA opening the door to a new generation learning about who St. James is and her career; the emotion of being inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame; recommendations for reading material and learning for women in racing.Original music created by Tony Monge. Follow me here: https://linktr.ee/kellycrandall

Antron Brown is off to another solid start to an NHRA Top Fuel season, and we’ve got him fresh off a win to reflect and look ahead. Brown starts, however, with his takeaways from a visit to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for NASCAR racing and getting a different perspective in person; looking as good as a chocolate bar joke; the pedal fest at Gainesville where Brown won to start the season; explaining what pedaling the car is and the easiest mistake to make; what he learned about his team during a tough weekend; the boost of winning the first race of the season after ending the previous year as champions; how a team prepares for a new season after winning the championship; his optimism for a very competitive Top Fuel class; being up for a new challenge in competition; chasing prize money for being regular-season champion; the impending departure of Toyota from the sport and if a team can go without a manufacturer partner; the many hats of being a team owner; what keeps him going after decades of success of in the sport.  Original music created by Tony Monge. Follow me here: https://linktr.ee/kellycrandall

Katherine Legge has had time to download her NASCAR Cup Series debut, and there has been a lot to process from what happened. Legge shares what she’s been thinking about since last Sunday at Phoenix Raceway; why she felt embarrassed by what happened; the multiple phone calls Legge has made since Phoenix; reflecting on some of the highlights from the experience; having B.J. McLeod in her ear during the weekend; the characteristics of the Next Gen car versus other vehicles Legge has driven in racing; the overall takeaway of Cup Series racing/competition; having Andy Lally in her corner; wanting people to like her; why she loves stock car racing so much; the reason she came back to stock cars after a gap from her first foray into the sport; if the clock is ticking to check off bucket list items; making herself uncomfortable again; entering the podcast space herself this year and what she hopes to accomplish there; what is next on her racing calendar.  Original music created by Tony Monge. Follow me here: https://linktr.ee/kellycrandall

The second part of our conversation with Sadie Glenn starts by switching into how she formed her own social media and photography company, SR Driven Media. Glenn works for a number of drivers in NHRA, such as her husband Dallas, Angie and Matt Smith, Corey Reed, and others. She then digs into having a degree but also being self-taught with the spacing changing over the years; what she tries to accomplish with her work for her clients; the importance of having something (the business) for herself; the openness and honesty Glenn brings to her personal social media pages; her plans for the 2025 season with her racing and her business.  Original music created by Tony Monge. Follow me here: https://linktr.ee/kellycrandall

Sadie Glenn is ready for a new NHRA drag racing season that begins this weekend in Florida. Not only as a businesswoman and wife, but as a racer herself. We start the first part of our conversation discussing being on the verge of a new NHRA season; living in NASCAR country; the background of her start in drag racing; the balance of being a part-time driver and her husband being a full-time driver; the approach to her driving career and how often she competes; the reality of trying to be a driver and how that was going to look; the idea of driving being good for the soul; being a cancer survivor and how that effects her today.  Original music created by Tony Monge. Follow me here: https://linktr.ee/kellycrandall

Jimmie Johnson thought Legacy Motor Club had a win in a Daytona duel race, but the button doesn’t lie. Johnson gives his perspective on the ending of the duel race and Erik Jones being so close before going into an in-depth conversation about now being the organization's majority owner. Johnson breaks down the progress of the team and working through getting everything in place with Toyota, as well as being self-sufficient with processes in-house; choosing to go without an alliance partner; the type of owner Johnson wants to be; becoming comfortable as a leader of hundreds; the approach to being present as a team owner; finding opportunity for Legacy while living in England; the reason why racing expansion for Legacy Motor Club is in the plans; shooting down the Indianapolis 500 rumor but if that race would be one to look at in the future; things Johnson better understands about racing now as an owner; ways that he’s been challenged and has challenged himself the last few years; learning a different side of the patience game; becoming comfortable communicating with NASCAR as an owner; closely monitoring the 23XI Racing, Front Row Motorsports and NASCAR lawsuit; understanding the Open Exemption Provisional; being in the team owner space with some of his former rivals; the reason Johnson will only contest two races this year and if the end of his driving career is over; hearing the critics about his current driving career, and how the performance changed his expectations; if the end of his driving career is approaching; balancing ownership, family, and starting his own podcast.Original music created by Tony Monge. Follow me here: https://linktr.ee/kellycrandall

Layne Riggs is back with Front Row Motorsports in the Craftsman Truck Series, and we check in with the sophomore driver before he heads to Daytona. Riggs also discusses recovering from offseason shoulder surgery and how it felt during the Rockingham test last month; the shoulder making him go viral after winning at Milwaukee; what it’s like competing in a NASCAR national series for the first time; the adjustment to racing wide open; going through the learning pains of a rookie season; the biggest thing about having one season under his belt; where he’s most looking forward to returning; learning to race inches from the wall; the physical exhaustion of racing; the overall feeling entering a new season; expectations versus reality of being a driver; leaning on other drivers for guidance; not having to balance school anymore; having NASCAR’s John Patalak as a professor; being interested in the safety side of the sport; being hands-on with his truck; the finals days of the offseason.  Original music created by Tony Monge. Follow me here: https://linktr.ee/kellycrandall

William Byron spent the weekend driving his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for the first time in 2025, and now he’s on the podcast. We start by seeing how Byron is physically feeling after the first race behind the wheel; the warm-up race leading into a season; ramping up training going into a season; the focus during the season on keeping the body strong and learning more about that over the years; having a week between the Clash and Daytona; returning to Daytona as the defending champion; what he remembers most about the 2024 victory; the change in confidence at superspeedways over the years; the feel of Next Gen drafting versus previous generation of race car; preparation for Daytona; going into his eighth year with Hendrick Motorsports; the difference from his first year to where he is now; how a driver builds confidence and comfort at the Cup Series level; the potential of the 24 team on a weekly basis; the attention and emphasis put on Phoenix as the finale; the change in team mindset after two Championship 4 appearances; quick thoughts on the change to the 2025 playoff schedule; being more accustomed to success; spending time in Japan during the offseason.  Original music created by Tony Monge. Follow me here: https://linktr.ee/kellycrandall

Rodney Childers hit the ground running with Spire Motorsports after the 2024 season finale, and now he’s sharing how much work has gone in with the No. 7 team to prepare for a new year. Childers shares the emotions of starting with a new organization; the dynamic of joining a new team and who is and isn’t familiar; the changing expectations within Spire; changing the entire cockpit for Justin Haley and the team basically starting over; building a relationship with Haley; defining expectations for the team; understanding Next Gen going into the fourth year; the overall feeling approaching a new season with a new team and driver, and what it has to do with alarms; how much Childers is putting on his shoulders; dealing with multiple winless seasons; what a week looks like for a crew chief during the season; interest from his twin sons in racing and being at the shop; the difference in Daytona preparation from years gone by; thoughts on the change to the Damaged Vehicle Policy (DVP); looking ahead to another year on the job and hitting 700 starts.  Original music created by Tony Monge. Follow me here: https://linktr.ee/kellycrandall