It's Not the Car

Once, humans set foot on the moon. Some steely eyed engineer types did some math and took some gambles, and then some steely eyed pilot types sat on a big firework and flew off. Huge achievement, neat space candle. And that plan—the *strategy*—made it possible. Related: A host of this show is a pro race engineer. Jeff Braun has won the 12 Hours of Sebring eight times and the 24 Hours of Daytona twice. His résumé includes a whopping ten IMSA / Grand-Am championships. Race strategy makes Jeff’s job go ’round. So we had him explain it! This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. We call this format “Instant Expert.” RELATED TRIVIA: Once, Sam found himself at the end of a grueling enduro. It was the last corner of the last lap; the win was make-or-break. In the heat of battle, he made a strategic choice—he took out two drivers at once. And hey, those little girls were really unhappy about that, but they were also Sam's nine- and eleven-year-old daughters, and that’s how the MarioKart cookie crumbles, rugrats! Boom goes the red-shell dynamite! Dad-strat champion forever!  This episode was produced by Mike Perlman. ** Who We Are + Spicy Merch: ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ItsNotTheCar.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Support It’s Not the Car: Contribute on Patreon ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/notthecar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Topic suggestions, feedback, questions? Let us know what you think! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠INTCPod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Check out Sam's new book! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Smithology: Thoughts, Travels, and Semi-Plausible Car Writing, 2003–2023⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Where to find us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/intcpod⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thatsamsmith/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/j.v.braun/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/rossbentley/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://rossbentley.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://speedsecrets.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** ABOUT THE SHOW: It’s Not the Car is a podcast about people and speed. We tell racing stories and leave out the boring parts. Ross Bentley is a former IndyCar driver, a bestselling author, and a world-renowned performance coach. Jeff Braun is a champion race engineer. Sam Smith is an award-winning writer and a former executive editor of Road & Track magazine. We don’t love racing for the nuts and bolts—we love it for what it asks of the meatbag at the wheel. New episodes every Tuesday.

In this episo… ah, screw it. Cut to the chase: Do you know what a Mazda R26B rotary sounds like? Four rotors of fury! The littlest beer keg that could! The 700-horse shrieker from the first Japanese car to win Le Mans! BEEOWHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!  Except… louder. Nastier. You hear that noise even once, it makes a bee-line for the whoopy-monkey core of the human brain and lives there forever. So we got ourselves here yep a story about that. This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. This episode is our monthly deep dive into an epic moment from racing history. In this case, the time an underfunded Japanese carmaker and a strange little engine design went to France and slayed 200-mph giants. RELATED TRIVIA: Sam once track-tested a real live Mazda 787. Ross used to own Mazda RX-7. And in 2014 and 2015, Jeff was competition director for the factory-backed Mazda SpeedSource diesel IMSA prototypes. This episode was produced by Mike Perlman. ** Who We Are + Spicy Merch: ⁠⁠⁠www.ItsNotTheCar.com⁠⁠⁠ ** Support It’s Not the Car: Contribute on Patreon ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/notthecar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Topic suggestions, feedback, questions? Let us know what you think! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠INTCPod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Check out Sam's new book! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Smithology: Thoughts, Travels, and Semi-Plausible Car Writing, 2003–2023⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Where to find us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/intcpod⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thatsamsmith/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/j.v.braun/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/rossbentley/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://rossbentley.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://speedsecrets.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** ABOUT THE SHOW: It’s Not the Car is a podcast about people and speed. We tell racing stories and leave out the boring parts. Ross Bentley is a former IndyCar driver, a bestselling author, and a world-renowned performance coach. Jeff Braun is a champion race engineer. Sam Smith is an award-winning writer and a former executive editor of Road & Track magazine. We don’t love racing for the nuts and bolts—we love it for what it asks of the meatbag at the wheel. New episodes every Tuesday.

Corner by corner, inch by inch, one of the greatest tracks in the world. We’ve got thousands of laps there. Walk the track with us! What makes Laguna Seca so great? Is the answer . . . California? The mountains? Memories of Mario, getting loose in Turn 9, that cotton-candy morning fog, or how the rear axle just snap-crackle-pops into the Corkscrew on trailed brake?  Yes! And so much else, right? This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. We call this ep's format “Walking the Track.” In this installment, Sam and Ross destitch their love for a deeply American, deeply Californian, and deeply wonderful track. You will learn where the apexes are, if you don’t already know. But that’s the least interesting part. ***YOUR RELATED TRIVIA STARTS NOW*** Ross has strolled Laguna’s pavement countless times while teaching people to go fast there. Sam once got yelled at by track security for daring to walk a lap at sunset, on a club-race weekend, after everyone had gone home. (Not allowed, they said. Which is ridiculous, but also, in that case, why were the gates open? Boo hiss.) This episode was produced by Mike Perlman. ** Who We Are + Spicy Merch: ⁠⁠www.ItsNotTheCar.com⁠⁠ ** Support It’s Not the Car: Contribute on Patreon ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/notthecar⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Topic suggestions, feedback, questions? Let us know what you think! ⁠⁠⁠⁠INTCPod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Check out Sam's new book! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Smithology: Thoughts, Travels, and Semi-Plausible Car Writing, 2003–2023⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Where to find us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/intcpod⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thatsamsmith/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/j.v.braun/⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/rossbentley/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://rossbentley.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://speedsecrets.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** ABOUT THE SHOW: It’s Not the Car is a podcast about people and speed. We tell racing stories and leave out the boring parts. Ross Bentley is a former IndyCar driver, a bestselling author, and a world-renowned performance coach. Jeff Braun is a champion race engineer. Sam Smith is an award-winning journalist and a former executive editor of Road & Track magazine. We don’t love racing for the nuts and bolts—we love it for what it asks of the meatbag at the wheel. New episodes every Tuesday.

Jeff and Ross co-host this show. Jeff is a race engineer. Ross is a performance coach who’s worked with thousands of drivers—Indy winners, Le Mans winners, even the late Ken Block.  Thirty years ago, one kid stood out from the rest; he would become one of the most decorated drivers in American history. Oddly enough, that kid was Jeff's son. Colin Braun is now 36. His resume holds three IMSA championships, four Daytona 24 wins, a Le Mans win, and a NASCAR rookie-of-the-year title. He’s raced in IndyCar, World Challenge, and Global Rallycross; he’s driven Le Mans prototypes and GTP cars, Porsches and Ferraris and Ford GTs.  The most successful drivers do one thing better than the rest. So we got Colin on the horn and asked about that—and about what it takes to go fast in everything. This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. Are we doing a run of guest episodes this fall because it sounded like fun? We are!  Related Trivia: Colin recently signed to drive one of Meyer Shank Racing’s factory-backed Acura GTP prototypes for 2025. This is neat. We like this. This episode was produced by Mike Perlman. ** Who We Are + Spicy Merch: ⁠www.ItsNotTheCar.com⁠ Support It’s Not the Car: Contribute on Patreon ⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/notthecar⁠⁠⁠ ** Topic suggestions, feedback, questions? Let us know what you think! ⁠⁠⁠INTCPod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠ ** Check out Sam's new book! ⁠⁠⁠⁠Smithology: Thoughts, Travels, and Semi-Plausible Car Writing, 2003–2023⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Where to find us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/intcpod⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/j.v.braun/⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/rossbentley/⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thatsamsmith/⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/INTCpod⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://rossbentley.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://speedsecrets.com/⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/Drivercoach⁠⁠⁠ ** ABOUT THE SHOW: It’s Not the Car is a podcast about people and speed. We tell racing stories and leave out the boring parts. Ross Bentley is a former IndyCar driver, a bestselling author, and a world-renowned performance coach. Jeff Braun is a champion race engineer. Sam Smith is an award-winning journalist and a former executive editor of Road & Track magazine. We don’t love racing for the nuts and bolts—we love it for what it asks of the meatbag at the wheel. New episodes every Tuesday.

Chris Andrews was once a NASCAR Cup Series engineer and crew chief. He’s worked hand-in-hand with drivers like Robby Gordon, Bill Elliott, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, and Kasey Kahne. His resume holds names like Roush Fenway, Evernham Motorsports, and Richard Childress Racing.  What you have probably guessed already: Chris has some *excellent* stories. Is this another of our “How the Pros Cheat” shows? You bet! And now with guest! Related Trivia: After more than a decade at the top of NASCAR, Andrews switched to sports cars—he’s currently lead engineer for Vasser Sullivan’s championship-winning IMSA GTD Lexus coupes.  Related Trivia Part Two, Badass Two-Lane Camry Edition: This episode’s guest once made a NASCAR Cup-spec Toyota Camry street-legal and drove it around suburban North Carolina. Because he is a steely-eyed missile man. Or a hero. (Or—wait, no!—both. Definitely both.) This episode was produced by Mike Perlman. ** Who We Are + Spicy Merch: www.ItsNotTheCar.com Support It’s Not the Car: Contribute on Patreon ⁠⁠www.patreon.com/notthecar⁠⁠ ** Topic suggestions, feedback, questions? Let us know what you think! ⁠⁠INTCPod@gmail.com⁠⁠ ** Check out Sam's new book! ⁠⁠⁠Smithology: Thoughts, Travels, and Semi-Plausible Car Writing, 2003–2023⁠⁠⁠ ** Where to find us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/intcpod⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/j.v.braun/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/rossbentley/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thatsamsmith/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/INTCpod⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://rossbentley.substack.com/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://speedsecrets.com/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/Drivercoach⁠⁠ ** ABOUT THE SHOW: It’s Not the Car is a podcast about people and speed. We tell racing stories and leave out the boring parts. Ross Bentley is a former IndyCar driver, a bestselling author, and a world-renowned performance coach. Jeff Braun is a champion race engineer. Sam Smith is an award-winning journalist and a former executive editor of Road & Track magazine. We don’t love racing for the nuts and bolts—we love it for what it asks of the meatbag at the wheel. New episodes every Tuesday.

“You jerk,” they’ll shout, “that show title isn’t relatable! Only the die-hards will understand! For pete’s sake, man, think of the traffic analytics!” Who cares? I am Sam and I write these ep descriptions, and that title makes me happy. If you don’t like it, hey, you probably aren’t the kind of person to listen to a show about a “flap,” anyway. And: This is a show about a flap! It’s also about two of the greatest American racers to have ever lived. The moment where two men of experience and wisdom grew frustrated. And how they stumbled onto an invention that changed aerodynamics forever. This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. This episode is our monthly deep dive into an epic moment from racing history. In this case, the time when Dan Gurney and Bobby Unser used an Indy car to discover something that would later be used to help helicopters fly. Related Trivia: Ross can fly a helicopter. Sam once rode in a Robinson R22. Jeff is a private pilot and about 1000 times cooler than Sam and Ross combined, so he probably taught his sons to autorotate in the womb or something. (I don’t know, I’ve never asked, but you do the math, the guy is basically our Fonzie, right?) This episode was produced by Mike Perlman. ** Who We Are + Spicy Merch: www.ItsNotTheCar.com Support It’s Not the Car: Contribute on Patreon ⁠⁠www.patreon.com/notthecar⁠⁠ ** Topic suggestions, feedback, questions? Let us know what you think! ⁠⁠INTCPod@gmail.com⁠⁠ ** Check out Sam's new book! ⁠⁠⁠Smithology: Thoughts, Travels, and Semi-Plausible Car Writing, 2003–2023⁠⁠⁠ ** Where to find us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/intcpod⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/j.v.braun/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/rossbentley/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thatsamsmith/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/INTCpod⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://rossbentley.substack.com/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://speedsecrets.com/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/Drivercoach⁠⁠ ** ABOUT THE SHOW: It’s Not the Car is a podcast about people and speed. We tell racing stories and leave out the boring parts. Ross Bentley is a former IndyCar driver, a bestselling author, and a world-renowned performance coach. Jeff Braun is a champion race engineer. Sam Smith is an award-winning journalist and a former executive editor of Road & Track magazine. We don’t love racing for the nuts and bolts—we love it for what it asks of the meatbag at the wheel. New episodes every Tuesday.

How do you know when to let go of something you love? What if you know it’s time but still think about that something every minute of every day? If you’re INTC co-host Ross Bentley, you back up but you don’t give up—and you lean into what you’re good at.  Ross was once a pro driver in IndyCar and IMSA. He is now a pro driver *coach*. And while he’s too modest to admit it, he’s one of the best in the world at what he does. He has coached Indy winners, Le Mans winners, even Ken Block, and he has made them all faster. Plus, he wrote bestselling books on how he thinks. This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. We call this ep's format “My Life With.” It’s where an INTC host tells the story of how they came to understand a complex racing topic over their working life. In this case, that means Ross and coaching! Related Trivia: Sam just got home from being a keynote speaker at the Lotus Owners Group national gathering in Texas. He has wanted an S1 Lotus Elise since forever. (That’s really unrelated to this ep, but hey, Sam is a Lotus nerd and can’t let it go.) This episode was produced by Mike Perlman. ** Support It’s Not the Car: Contribute on Patreon ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/notthecar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Topic suggestions, feedback, questions? Let us know what you think: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠INTCPod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Check out Sam's book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Smithology: Thoughts, Travels, and Semi-Plausible Car Writing, 2003–2023⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Where to find us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/intcpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/j.v.braun/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/rossbentley/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thatsamsmith/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/INTCpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://rossbentley.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://speedsecrets.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/Drivercoach⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** ABOUT THE SHOW: It’s Not the Car is a podcast about people and speed. We tell racing stories and leave out the boring parts. Ross Bentley is a former IndyCar driver and a world-renowned performance coach and author. Jeff Braun is a champion race engineer. Sam Smith is an award-winning journalist and a former executive editor of Road & Track magazine. Together, we explore the emotion at the heart of the machine. We don’t love racing for the nuts and bolts—we love it for what it asks of the bag of meat at the wheel. New episodes every Tuesday.

OUR NEW WEBSITE IS WORSE THAN YOU HOPED: ⁠⁠⁠www.itsnotthecar.com/⁠⁠⁠ Once, long ago, a German engineer looked at a VW Beetle and thought, “Ahh, my little streitzel, we should tango with the hot-rod physics of love!” The Porsche 911 is divisive. People love ’em. People hate ’em. People fire ’em backward into ditches and Armco and spit excuses for how it wasn’t their fault—widowmaker car, Wreck-cellence Was Expected, blah blah blah. (“Too much understeer! Too much oversteer! Chappell Roan! ANYTHING BUT ME!”) Is it the [fault of the] car? It is not!  This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. This ep’s format is called “How to Drive It.” Please do not hit play while you are in the middle of crashing a Porsche and expect it to help. Related Trivia: Ross and Jeff have raced 911s professionally. Sam has tested countless 911 variants for places like Road & Track and 000—from 2.0-liter Daytona winners to a 934, a 935, and most of the road models since 1964. Also, “streitzel” is both a Hans Stuck nickname and a kind of German pastry, and if those facts bring you joy, you are indeed nerdy enough for this show. This episode was produced by Mike Perlman. ** Support It’s Not the Car: Contribute on Patreon ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/notthecar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Topic suggestions, feedback, questions? Let us know what you think: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠INTCPod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Check out Sam's book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Smithology: Thoughts, Travels, and Semi-Plausible Car Writing, 2003–2023⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Where to find us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/intcpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/j.v.braun/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/rossbentley/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thatsamsmith/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/INTCpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://rossbentley.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://speedsecrets.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/Drivercoach⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** ABOUT THE SHOW: It’s Not the Car is a podcast about people and speed. We tell racing stories and leave out the boring parts. Ross Bentley is a former IndyCar driver and a world-renowned performance coach and author. Jeff Braun is a champion race engineer. Sam Smith is an award-winning journalist and a former executive editor of Road & Track magazine. Together, we explore the emotion at the heart of the machine. We don’t love racing for the nuts and bolts—we love it for what it asks of the bag of meat at the wheel. New episodes every Tuesday.

AVERT YOUR EYES FROM OUR NEW MERCH STORE: ⁠⁠www.itsnotthecar.com/⁠⁠ ***Don’t ever go there! It will rot your brain! (These annoying store mentions will stop soon, we promise.)*** Once, in college, Sam studied under a dignified old journalism professor. “The thing about putting the word ‘sex’ in a headline,” this prof said, “is that it’s the easy way out. Like an exclamation point or a question mark—those are language cheats, to avoid thinking of something smarter. You can always do better.” But enough of that! What did that prof know, anyway? Sam is very tired right now! Does he find shocks sexy? Who doesn’t? Have you ever considered how many damper-adjacent words are lightly titillating? Let’s share a few! “Digressive!” “Frequency!” And even—gasp!—“knee!” (Cue the fainting grandmothers.) This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. We call this ep's format “My Life With.” It has nothing to do with sex and is instead a chance for an INTC host to tell the story of how they came to understand a complex racing topic over their working life. In this case, that host is JEFF, our very own champion race engineer and IMSA-team competition director. The subject is DAMPERS! Related Trivia: This ep description is light on substance because Sam is very tired—he’s worked too many late nights at his day job over the last few weeks. Unrelated Trivia: In spare moments, to relax, Sam stares at the website for this podcast. There have been no ill effects to date. Probably. This episode was produced by Mike Perlman. ** Support It’s Not the Car: Contribute on Patreon ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/notthecar⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Topic suggestions, feedback, questions? Let us know what you think: ⁠⁠⁠⁠INTCPod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Check out Sam's book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Smithology: Thoughts, Travels, and Semi-Plausible Car Writing, 2003–2023⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Where to find us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/intcpod⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/j.v.braun/⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/rossbentley/⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thatsamsmith/⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/INTCpod⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://rossbentley.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://speedsecrets.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/Drivercoach⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** ABOUT THE SHOW: It’s Not the Car is a podcast about people and speed. We tell racing stories and leave out the boring parts. Ross Bentley is a former IndyCar driver and a world-renowned performance coach and author. Jeff Braun is a champion race engineer. Sam Smith is an award-winning journalist and a former executive editor of Road & Track magazine. Together, we explore the emotion at the heart of the machine. We don’t love racing for the nuts and bolts—we love it for what it asks of the bag of meat at the wheel. New episodes every Tuesday.

WE HAVE A MERCH STORE NOW: ⁠https://www.itsnotthecar.com/⁠ You asked, we delivered! . . . is exactly what we will tell the authorities. *** 10% OFF ALL ORDERS FOR THE FIRST WEEK *** BRIEF SALES PITCH: Sam built a website. That site holds both useful info about INTC and driving-adjacent merchandise. Sam wrote every word there and designed all of our merch. Is he a seasoned design professional, you ask? No. Our advice: Visit ⁠ItsNotTheCar.com⁠ not to support this podshow or engage in the unparalleled joy of commerce, but to marvel at the garage-couture trainwreck therein. Or . . .  to read a lengthy excerpt from the lyrics of the 1957 Broadway musical “The Music Man.” (Perhaps you think that last line is a joke. I assure you it is not.) This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. This episode is our monthly deep dive into an epic moment from racing history. In this case, the time in 1999 when three Mercedes-Benz Le Mans prototypes left the ground at nearly 200 mph and hurtled dozens of feet into the air. (Our “normal” episode descriptions will return next week.)  Related Trivia: ⁠ItsNotTheCar.com⁠ also contains trivia. Did you know that Ross has coached fighter pilots? Or that Jeff has won the 12 Hours of Sebring eight times? Sam is writing these words and will share his own trivia here in a sec even though he absolutely loathes talking about himsel—OH LORD WHAT IS THAT LOOK OVER THERE oh whew nevermind it was nothing but hey gosh gee darn now wouldn’t you know it, we’re out of space! This episode was produced by Mike Perlman. ** Support It’s Not the Car: Contribute on Patreon ⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/notthecar⁠⁠⁠ ** Topic suggestions, feedback, questions? Let us know what you think! ⁠⁠⁠INTCPod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠ ** Check out Sam's book! ⁠⁠⁠⁠Smithology: Thoughts, Travels, and Semi-Plausible Car Writing, 2003–2023⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Where to find us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/intcpod⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/j.v.braun/⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/rossbentley/⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thatsamsmith/⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/INTCpod⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://rossbentley.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://speedsecrets.com/⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/Drivercoach⁠⁠⁠ ** ABOUT THE SHOW: It’s Not the Car is a podcast about people and speed. We tell racing stories and leave out the boring parts. Ross Bentley is a former IndyCar driver and a world-renowned performance coach and author. Jeff Braun is a champion race engineer. Sam Smith is an award-winning journalist and a former executive editor of Road & Track magazine. Together, we explore the emotion at the heart of the machine. We don’t love racing for the nuts and bolts—we love it for what it asks of the bag of meat at the wheel. New episodes every Tuesday.

Formula 1 can be so boring. The King Mother-Humper of dull TV, with so much unknown: Why is Danny Ric slow now? Are those cars battling, or does it just look that way? How many different hairstyles can Lando Norris possibly have, and why does every single one make him look like a dapper little cutie patootie? Here’s the catch: Every broadcast holds answers. And when you know how to find them, F1 gets *way* better. INTC co-host Ross Bentley is a professional driver coach. He gets paid to watch racing, and he sees things in F1 that you don’t. Here now, he shares his methods! This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. We call this format “Instant Expert.” Related Trivia: Jeff had commitments at tape time, so this one is just Ross and Sam. For the record, Sam needs a haircut. Sam’s wife says he should stop telling the barber to “cut it like Lando,” and that he looks nothing like that kid no matter what they tell him at the local Curl Up and Dye, but she is wrong, you see, even if Sam is middle-aged and balding and his body is basically just a sad quilt of farmer’s tan and coffee stains, and well, er, LOOK, TINY WHITE LIES ARE ALL THAT GET SOME OF US THROUGH THE NIGHT, OKAY? PLEASE JUST LET ME HAVE THIS This episode was produced by Mike Perlman. ** Support It’s Not the Car: Contribute on Patreon ⁠⁠www.patreon.com/notthecar⁠⁠ ** Topic suggestions, feedback, questions? Let us know what you think! ⁠⁠INTCPod@gmail.com⁠⁠ ** Check out Sam's new book! ⁠⁠⁠Smithology: Thoughts, Travels, and Semi-Plausible Car Writing, 2003–2023⁠⁠⁠ ** Where to find us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/intcpod⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/j.v.braun/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/rossbentley/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thatsamsmith/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/INTCpod⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://rossbentley.substack.com/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://speedsecrets.com/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/Drivercoach⁠⁠ ** ABOUT THE SHOW: It’s Not the Car is a podcast about people and speed. We tell racing stories and leave out the boring parts. Ross Bentley is a former IndyCar driver and an internationally renowned performance coach and author. Jeff Braun is a championship-winning race engineer. Sam Smith is an award-winning journalist and a former executive editor of Road & Track magazine. Together, we explore the emotion at the heart of the machine. We don’t love racing for the nuts and bolts—we love it for what it asks of the bag of meat at the wheel. New episodes every Tuesday.

What happens when famous actors go fast? Not just Cool Hand Luke. Also Tom Cruise, Patrick Dempsey, and many others, including that guy I can’t remember from that one show. (You know—that dude with the hair and the face?) Spoiler: There is crashing! But that’s not the point. Ross has coached Hollywood celebrities. Jeff once worked with Paul Newman himself. Plus, we dip into the weird and wonderful story of the 1977–2016 Long Beach Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race. Which was basically Formula 1, except the part of Max Verstappen was played by Carlton from “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.” This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. We call this format “Ross Teaches Sam a Thing.” Related Trivia: Jeff and Sam were at the VIR IMSA race last weekend, working and slapping INTC stickers on children and livestock. So many people found us in the paddock to share how much they enjoy this show! Thank you—we really enjoyed meeting all of you! (Except you, Tom from South Dakota. You know what you did.) This episode was produced by Mike Perlman. ** Support It’s Not the Car: Contribute on Patreon ⁠www.patreon.com/notthecar⁠ ** Topic suggestions, feedback, questions? Let us know what you think! ⁠⁠INTCPod@gmail.com⁠⁠ ** Check out Sam's new book! ⁠⁠Smithology: Thoughts, Travels, and Semi-Plausible Car Writing, 2003–2023⁠⁠ ** Where to find us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/intcpod⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/j.v.braun/⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/rossbentley/⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thatsamsmith/⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/INTCpod⁠ ⁠https://rossbentley.substack.com/⁠ ⁠https://speedsecrets.com/⁠ ⁠https://www.facebook.com/Drivercoach⁠ ** ABOUT THE SHOW: It’s Not the Car is a podcast about people and speed. We tell racing stories and leave out the boring parts. Ross Bentley is a former IndyCar driver and an internationally renowned performance coach and author. Jeff Braun is a championship-winning race engineer. Sam Smith is an award-winning journalist and a former executive editor of Road & Track magazine. Together, we explore the emotion at the heart of the machine. We don’t love racing for the nuts and bolts—we love it for what it asks of the bag of meat at the wheel. New episodes every Tuesday.

Cheats II: Electric Boogaloo! Back by popular demand, like before but more! Firsthand accounts from an INTC host who works in the paddock! Our first installment of “How Pro Racers Cheat” was back in May. We didn’t intend for this to become a series, but you loved it and asked for more. We could have said no, but that would be lame, and then we wouldn’t get to hear Jeff Braun talk about race cars with mercury pumps. (Yes.) This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. We call this format “Jeff Shares a Secret.” Like last time, this episode is just Jeff and Sam. Ross was off gallivanting around the country. You know, gadding about! Jazzing around! And other such language I certainly didn’t just lift from an online thesaurus! Related Trivia: Sam will be at this weekend’s IMSA race at VIR. He may have INTC stickers. If you see him and want one of those stickers, all you have to do is utter the super-secret code phrase: “Hey Sam, can I have a sticker?” This episode was produced by Mike Perlman. ** Support It’s Not the Car: Contribute on Patreon ⁠www.patreon.com/notthecar⁠ ** Topic suggestions, feedback, questions? Let us know what you think! ⁠⁠INTCPod@gmail.com⁠⁠ ** Check out Sam's new book! ⁠⁠Smithology: Thoughts, Travels, and Semi-Plausible Car Writing, 2003–2023⁠⁠ ** Where to find us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/intcpod⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/j.v.braun/⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/rossbentley/⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thatsamsmith/⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/INTCpod⁠ ⁠https://rossbentley.substack.com/⁠ ⁠https://speedsecrets.com/⁠ ⁠https://www.facebook.com/Drivercoach⁠ ** ABOUT THE SHOW: It’s Not the Car is a podcast about people and speed. We tell racing stories and leave out the boring parts. Ross Bentley is a former IndyCar driver and an internationally renowned performance coach and author. Jeff Braun is a championship-winning race engineer. Sam Smith is an award-winning journalist and a former executive editor of Road & Track magazine. Together, we explore the emotion at the heart of the machine. We don’t love racing for the nuts and bolts—we love it for what it asks of the bag of meat at the wheel. New episodes every Tuesday.

In the summer of 1965, a V-8-powered love song from California dethroned Ferrari, shut up the haters, and won America its first FIA manufacturer’s road-racing championship.  Naturally, almost no one here noticed. The Californian car was a gutsy experiment from a 28-year-old ex-GM designer named Pete Brock. Their story holds bootstraps, napkin math, and one badass stab at 180-mph immortality. This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. This episode is our monthly deep dive into an epic moment from racing history. In this case, the short, brilliant comp life of the 1964–1965 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe.  Related Trivia: Want to read Sam’s never-before-published notes from track-testing a museum-grade Daytona clone at Summit Point and hanging out with Brock himself for Road & Track? They’ll go live on our Patreon today—link below! This episode was produced by Mike Perlman. ** Support It’s Not the Car: Contribute on Patreon ⁠⁠www.patreon.com/notthecar⁠⁠ ** Topic suggestions, feedback, questions? Let us know what you think! ⁠⁠INTCPod@gmail.com⁠⁠ ** Check out Sam's new book! ⁠⁠⁠Smithology: Thoughts, Travels, and Semi-Plausible Car Writing, 2003–2023⁠⁠⁠ ** Where to find us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/intcpod⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/j.v.braun/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/rossbentley/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thatsamsmith/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/INTCpod⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://rossbentley.substack.com/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://speedsecrets.com/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/Drivercoach⁠⁠ ** ABOUT THE SHOW: It’s Not the Car is a podcast about people and speed. We tell racing stories and leave out the boring parts. Ross Bentley is a former IndyCar driver and a world-renowned performance coach and author. Jeff Braun is a champion race engineer. Sam Smith is an award-winning journalist and a former executive editor of Road & Track magazine. Together, we explore the emotion at the heart of the machine. We don’t love racing for the nuts and bolts—we love it for what it asks of the bag of meat at the wheel. New episodes every Tuesday.

When INTC’s tape day rolled around, Sam was sick. He landed a nasty bout of food poisoning and went wreck-it ralphing. So we postponed our planned show, and then Ross and Jeff hit the mic to improvise. Their topic? The driver-engineer relationship! Questions answered in this ep: Why do you need an engineer, anyway? What makes that relationship crucial in pro racing? Should you be embarrassed if you can’t feel a change someone made on your car? What should you do if you’re the only person on your team—both driver *and* engineer? And more! This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. We call this format “Ross and Jeff Steal the Show.” It’s a good format. Related trivia: Sam will be back on the show next week. If you don’t like that, you are wrong! This means you, Tom from South Dakota—we know you’re listening! This episode was produced by Mike Perlman. ** Support It’s Not the Car: Contribute on Patreon ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/notthecar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Check out Sam's new book! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Smithology: Thoughts, Travels, and Semi-Plausible Car Writing, 2003–2023⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Suggestions, feedback, questions? Let us know what you think! ⁠⁠⁠⁠INTCPod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Where to find us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/intcpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/j.v.braun/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/rossbentley/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thatsamsmith/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/INTCpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://rossbentley.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://speedsecrets.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/Drivercoach⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** ABOUT THE SHOW: It’s Not the Car is a podcast about people and speed. We tell racing stories and leave out the boring parts. Ross Bentley is a former IndyCar driver and a world-renowned performance coach and author. Jeff Braun is a champion race engineer. Sam Smith is an award-winning journalist and a former executive editor of Road & Track magazine. Together, we explore the emotion at the heart of the machine. We don’t love racing for the nuts and bolts—we love it for what it asks of the bag of meat at the wheel. New episodes every Tuesday.

Once, Jeff and Robby Unser tried to qualify a car for the Indianapolis 500. Jeff was the engineer. Unser was the driver. The car stunk to high heaven. Unser was scared. This is that story. Here now, one man’s experience with the epically uncompetitive Riley & Scott Mk. VII Indy Racing League Indy car. Has Jeff Braun—esteemed INTC host, legendary bus driver, and championship-winning race engineer—met a worse race car? He says no. This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. We call this format “Jeff Tells a Story.” Related trivia: Want to read Jeff’s test notes and see his spreadsheets and setup from that Indy 500 attempt? We’ve published those docs on our Patreon. Check ’em out—link below! This episode was produced by Mike Perlman. ** Support It’s Not the Car: Contribute on Patreon ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/notthecar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Check out Sam's new book! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Smithology: Thoughts, Travels, and Semi-Plausible Car Writing, 2003–2023⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Suggestions, feedback, questions? Let us know what you think! ⁠⁠⁠⁠INTCPod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Where to find us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/intcpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/j.v.braun/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/rossbentley/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thatsamsmith/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/INTCpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://rossbentley.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://speedsecrets.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/Drivercoach⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** ABOUT THE SHOW: It’s Not the Car is a podcast about people and speed. We tell racing stories and leave out the boring parts. Ross Bentley is a former IndyCar driver and a world-renowned performance coach and author. Jeff Braun is a champion race engineer. Sam Smith is an award-winning journalist and a former executive editor of Road & Track magazine. Together, we explore the emotion at the heart of the machine. We don’t love racing for the nuts and bolts—we love it for what it asks of the bag of meat at the wheel. New episodes every Tuesday.

Gossip time! Why did Ross steal that Ferrari from Chip Ganassi? Just who dropped that tire on Jeff's toe at Daytona and became his sworn enemy for life? Which aging F1 driver did Sam give a wedgie to in the pits at Lime Rock? Listen and find out! (Warning: This episode may not actually contain the above information.) This episode's working title was "The Dumbest Things We've Seen in Racing." When we sat down at the mic, it got way more interesting—a discussion about high-pressure environments, room for error, and how "dumb" doesn't always mean what you think. This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. This format is called “Ross and Jeff Teach Sam a Thing." Related Trivia: Jeff was at Mosport this weekend with the AWA IMSA Corvettes. Ross was coaching LMP2 remotely from his home in Seattle. Sam was at Road America for the WeatherTech vintage races. Only one of them spilled a Siebken's Root Beer on his shoes and doesn't regret it. This episode was produced by Mike Perlman. ** Support It’s Not the Car: Contribute on Patreon ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/notthecar⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Check out Sam's new book! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Smithology: Thoughts, Travels, and Semi-Plausible Car Writing, 2003–2023⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Suggestions, feedback, questions? Let us know what you think! ⁠⁠⁠INTCPod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** Where to find us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/intcpod⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/j.v.braun/⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/rossbentley/⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thatsamsmith/⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/INTCpod⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://rossbentley.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://speedsecrets.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/Drivercoach⁠⁠⁠⁠ ** ABOUT THE SHOW: It’s Not the Car is a podcast about people and speed. We tell racing stories and leave out the boring parts. Ross Bentley is a former IndyCar driver and a world-renowned performance coach and author. Jeff Braun is a champion race engineer. Sam Smith is an award-winning journalist and a former executive editor of Road & Track magazine. Together, we explore the emotion at the heart of the machine. We don’t love racing for the nuts and bolts—we love it for what it asks of the bag of meat at the wheel. New episodes every Tuesday.

Well, Timmy, when a rubber molecule and a piece of earth love each other very much, they do a special hug, see, and . . . uh . . . hysteresis . . . wait, no, it’s heat cycles . . . er . . . glass point? Short answer: Magic! Tires are magic! Warning: We get lightly tech-nerdy here. This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. This format is called “Instant Expert.” Know squat about the topic? Pull up a chair, we’ll get you up to speed. Expert already? Grab a chair anyway, it’s chill, we got stories. Related Trivia: We taped this a few weeks ago, shortly after Sam threw out his back while washing a car.  Related Trivia to the Related Trivia: This episode was made possible by prescription pharmaceuticals. Just like Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours.”  Unrelated Gibbering: Long-chain rubber molecules keep us together! Don’t stop thinking about temps and pressures—you can inflate your own way! (Check the forecast prior, though: Thunder only happens when it’s wet enough for rain tires, etc.) This episode was produced by Mike Perlman. ** Support It’s Not the Car: Contribute on Patreon www.patreon.com/notthecar⁠⁠ ** Topic suggestions, feedback, questions? Let us know what you think! ⁠⁠INTCPod@gmail.com⁠⁠ ** Check out Sam's new book! ⁠Smithology: Thoughts, Travels, and Semi-Plausible Car Writing, 2003–2023⁠⁠⁠ ** Where to find us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/intcpod⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/j.v.braun/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/rossbentley/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thatsamsmith/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://rossbentley.substack.com/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://speedsecrets.com/⁠⁠ ** ABOUT THE SHOW: It’s Not the Car is a podcast about people and speed. We tell racing stories and leave out the boring parts. Ross Bentley is a former IndyCar driver and a world-renowned performance coach and author. Jeff Braun is a champion race engineer. Sam Smith is an award-winning journalist and a former executive editor of Road & Track magazine. Together, we explore the emotion at the heart of the machine. We don’t love racing for the nuts and bolts—we love it for what it asks of the bag of meat at the wheel. New episodes every Tuesday.

Once, an English retiree made Ferrari and Red Bull mad. He looked like an accountant and wore dad sweaters. The team he ran was a down-on-its-luck collection of castoffs and pirates; in their very first season, they risked everything and landed the impossible.  Sound like a sports movie? Conveniently, the whole thing was basically a cross between “Major League,” the Paul Newman hockey classic “Slap Shot,” and that scene in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” where all the faces melt. This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. This episode is our monthly deep dive into an epic moment from racing history. In this case, that’s the remarkable story of Brawn GP—the only F1 team to win two titles in its first (and only!) season. Related Trivia: Ross Bentley and Ross Brawn have the same initials. If you mispronounce Jeff Braun’s last name, it sounds like “Brawn.” Sam has no brawn on his body whatsoever, but he very much loves that moment in “Slap Shot” where the ref hands the hero team the trophy as he calls them all bums.  This episode was produced by Mike Perlman. ** Support It’s Not the Car: Contribute on Patreon ⁠⁠www.patreon.com/notthecar⁠⁠ ** Topic suggestions, feedback, questions? Let us know what you think! ⁠⁠INTCPod@gmail.com⁠⁠ ** Check out Sam's new book! ⁠⁠⁠Smithology: Thoughts, Travels, and Semi-Plausible Car Writing, 2003–2023⁠⁠⁠ ** Where to find us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/intcpod⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/j.v.braun/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/rossbentley/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thatsamsmith/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/INTCpod⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://rossbentley.substack.com/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://speedsecrets.com/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/Drivercoach⁠⁠ ** ABOUT THE SHOW: It’s Not the Car is a podcast about people and speed. We tell racing stories and leave out the boring parts. Ross Bentley is a former IndyCar driver and a world-renowned performance coach and author. Jeff Braun is a champion race engineer. Sam Smith is an award-winning journalist and a former executive editor of Road & Track magazine. Together, we explore the emotion at the heart of the machine. We don’t love racing for the nuts and bolts—we love it for what it asks of the bag of meat at the wheel. New episodes every Tuesday.

If someone offered you a chance to drive one of the fastest race cars on earth, would you do it?  The catch: If you screw up, your boss will shut down your office and fire you and everyone you work with. Also, you have the entire Indianapolis Motor Speedway to yourself and McLaren-Mercedes people are watching and judging and SERIOUSLY JUST RELAX ALREADY. Once, Sam belted into a 2007 McLaren MP4-22 Formula 1 car. With the tiny deafening V-8 and the anti-stall and the goofy hand clutch. The car blew his mind, but quietly. He wrote about the day for Road & Track. And in this episode, he is peppered with questions about all of it. This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. We call this ep’s framework “Sam Tells a Story.” Ross and Jeff couldn’t make this one, so Sam is joined here by INTC friend and former R&T staffer Kyle Kinard. Kyle is smart and funny, and he was at Indy for that test. Related Trivia: Kinard’s nickname at R&T was “Kinardi,” after former IndyCar driver Alex Zanardi. The backstory is not ours to share, but it does involve—coincidence alert!—a McLaren and significant personal clenching. Car magazines, y’all! It’s a weird gig. This episode was produced by Mike Perlman. ** Support It’s Not the Car: Contribute on Patreon ⁠⁠www.patreon.com/notthecar⁠⁠ ** Topic suggestions, feedback, questions? Let us know what you think! ⁠⁠INTCPod@gmail.com⁠⁠ ** Check out Sam's new book! ⁠⁠⁠Smithology: Thoughts, Travels, and Semi-Plausible Car Writing, 2003–2023⁠⁠⁠ ** Where to find us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/intcpod⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/j.v.braun/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/rossbentley/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thatsamsmith/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/INTCpod⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://rossbentley.substack.com/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://speedsecrets.com/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/Drivercoach⁠⁠ ** ABOUT THE SHOW: It’s Not the Car is a podcast about people and speed. We tell racing stories and leave out the boring parts. Ross Bentley is a former IndyCar driver and a world-renowned performance coach and author. Jeff Braun is a champion race engineer. Sam Smith is an award-winning writer and a former executive editor of Road & Track magazine. Together, we explore the emotion at the heart of the machine. We don’t love racing for the nuts and bolts—we love it for what it asks of the bag of meat at the wheel. New episodes every Tuesday.