Daily Driver

This week’s Question of the Week comes from Jamey, who asks: What do you find is the best breathing technique at the starting line?If you’ve got a topic you want us to tackle, submit it at thisisbracketracing.com/ask. With insights from the TIBR and ELITE brain trust, this episode starts a series of Q&A discussions built around the questions racers are asking right now.

This week’s Question of the Week comes from Denny, who asks: What do racers want to hear during the race? Do you prefer just win loss stats(numbers)? Do you want history behind racers?If you’ve got a topic you want us to tackle, submit it at thisisbracketracing.com/ask. With insights from the TIBR and ELITE brain trust, this episode starts a series of Q&A discussions built around the questions racers are asking right now.

This week’s Question of the Week comes from Mark, who asks: What percentage in the final round (Winner and RU) in $25k and larger races that allow it are doubled? If you’ve got a topic you want us to tackle, submit it at thisisbracketracing.com/ask. With insights from the TIBR and ELITE brain trust, this episode starts a series of Q&A discussions built around the questions racers are asking right now.

This week’s Question of the Week comes from Robert, who asks: How do you game plan when you don’t know who you’re racing? Joining us to break it down is Kris Whitfield, guest instructor from ThisIsBracketRacing ELITE, sharing insight on preparation, mindset, and strategy when the matchup is unknown.  If you’ve got a topic you want us to tackle, submit it at thisisbracketracing.com/ask. With insights from the TIBR and ELITE brain trust, this episode starts a series of Q&A discussions built around the questions racers are asking right now.

This week’s Question of the Week doesn’t actually come in question form and full transparency, I borrowed the idea from the Be00Take00 Podcast. Instead, today’s Daily Driver dives into a fun (and debatable) topic: Who are the top five sportsman racers of all time?If you’ve got a topic you want us to tackle, submit it at thisisbracketracing.com/ask. With insights from the TIBR and ELITE brain trust, this episode starts a series of Q&A discussions built around the questions racers are asking right now.

Today on The Daily Driver, we continue on with the Question of the Week, a segment many of you already recognize from the ThisIsBracketRacing Facebook page. Now, we’re bringing those conversations to the podcast. This week’s question: "Are Bottom Bulb Racers Really at a Disadvantage?"If you’ve got a topic you want us to tackle, submit it at thisisbracketracing.com/ask. With insights from the TIBR and ELITE brain trust, this episode starts a series of Q&A discussions built around the questions racers are asking right now.

Today on The Daily Driver, I am excited to announce a new program coming to This Is Bracket Racing: The Win Light Lab. Rolling out throughout 2026, each version of the Lab will be hosted by one of our ELITE instructors including Mike Mans, Justin Lamb, Kris Whitfield, Gage Burch, Mikey Sturgill, and Matt Dadas. Each Lab will be focused on a different element of competition.We kick things off with The Win Light Lab: The Mental Edge, hosted by Kris Whitfield, who joins us today to talk about why small-group learning matters and why the mental game is such a powerful separator in racing.

Today on The Daily Driver, we kick off Question of the Week, a segment many of you already recognize from the ThisIsBracketRacing Facebook page. Now, we’re bringing those conversations to the podcast. This week’s question: "Is footbrake still a thing?"If you’ve got a topic you want us to tackle, submit it at thisisbracketracing.com/ask. With insights from the TIBR and ELITE brain trust, this episode starts a series of Q&A discussions built around the questions racers are asking right now.

Today on The Daily Driver, we reflect on graduation. Young racers stepping into full-size competition. It’s an emotional transition and a reminder of how fast it all goes. These drivers are capable, talented, and how we choose to support them will help shape the future of the sport. 

On this episode of The Daily Driver, we talk about pressure. Why it shows up, how experience changes it, and why it never fully goes away. The key isn’t eliminating pressure, but learning to embrace it as a sign you care and letting it prepare you to perform at your best. 

In this episode of The Daily Driver, I'm exploring the power of community and why no one truly succeeds alone. Drawing from a powerful study, personal experience, and lessons from TIBR Jr. and ELITE, I break down how independence can get you started but growth accelerates when you surround yourself with people who share your ambition. The right community doesn’t just support you… it makes you better. 

In this episode of The Daily Driver, I share advice I gave a young racer heading to his first big-money, multi-day event. The one word he needed to hear? Grace.Big events are long, expectations are high, and mistakes are part of the process. The difference isn’t whether you mess up, it’s how you respond when you do. This episode is about trusting the racer you know you are, letting go of the occasional mistake, and moving forward with confidence.

From time to time on The Daily Driver, I like to share the audio version of my column, The Science of Winning, which appears in NHRA’s National Dragster magazine. This week’s piece is titled “The Stuff of Legends.”

In this episode of The Daily Driver, we’re talking about how racers can make real gains during what we call separation season, the offseason. While many step away or hit pause, this is actually the best opportunity to improve, refine habits, and build an edge that shows up when it matters most. 

In this episode of The Daily Driver, I’m talking about a familiar concern in racing, the rising cost of competition and what it means for the future of the sport. It’s something I’ve wrestled with lately, until I realized my own dad was saying the same thing more than 30 years ago. And since then, the sport hasn’t just survived, it’s thrived in ways none of us could have predicted.

Today we’re talking about what happens when you shift your focus to something new on the track. Maybe you’re rock-solid on the tree, but decide to prioritize the finish line next round. You execute perfectly there but suddenly you’re late on the tree. Sometimes the mental energy required to level up a new skill takes away from the things you normally do well. So what's the answer? 

In this episode of the Daily Driver, I’m unpacking something I recently said during a webinar: I’d rather be wrong than indecisive. In everyday life, I’m intentional, I take my time before reaching conclusions because I value learning and adaptability. But when it comes to racing, I will stand behind what I said in that webinar. 

As we do here from time to time on The Daily Driver, I like to share the audio version of my column The Science of Winning featured in NHRA’s National Dragster magazine. This week I am sharing The Trophy Case. 

This week's Daily Driver episode is dedicated to honoring the 2025 NHRA Lucas Oil Sportsman Champions. 

Wednesday afternoon, NHRA made an announcement that changes the game! Due to an awful forecast, the sportsman classes will run to completion Thursday... without a time trial! How does this wrinkle alter the championship chase? And what questions are still unanswered?