Mini Tyrell is in his first Craftsman Truck Series season after winning his ride on a reality television show. While the show might be over, the reality of NASCAR racing has set in, and the competition hasn’t stopped, with a lot of hard work and learning. We’re digging into getting back to racing later this week at Bristol Motor Speedway; adjusting to the sporadic nature of the Craftsman Truck Series schedule; having the ability to study with breaks in between races; the new things he’s experiencing this year with a new series and vehicle; the aero reaction that is eye-opening in the Truck Series; the value of seat time and confidence by running other series when not in the truck; a look at how the season has progressed and Tyrrell’s growth; racing with the knowledge it’s a one-year deal; learning what it takes to be a NASCAR versus his previous racing experience; whether it’s been harder for the group to learn with young drivers and so many new variables; the story behind the nonprofit Mini’s Mission; keeping the foundation going after its initial goal; how to get involved; looking ahead to hitting the $1 million mark.Original music created by Tony Monge. Follow me here: https://linktr.ee/kellycrandall
Jacob Claborn is the head coach at Hendrick Motorsports and he’s the perfect go-to for all things it stops. And there is so much to a pit stop. We’re getting deep into the weeds this week by starting off with a full, detailed breakdown of a pit stop and the choreography that goes into each position and placement; the hunt to eliminate dead time of when a tire changer and fueler is engaged with the car before it stops; an explanation on the jackman having a different visual this year with the new Chevy body and adjusting to that change in real time; deciding to retrain the tire changers to perform with their left hand and why other experiments didn’t work; the sensory training that Hendrick Motorsports now focuses on for pit stops; the danger of a lug nut being tightened too much; the many other differences from five lugs to now and whose career it has extended; taking into account the characteristics of pit road so a tire does not fall over; the human variable of loose wheels; preferring hand signals with the pit crews versus microphones; the target pit stop times these days and why TV is not official; thoughts on the next evolution for pit stops or just getting faster. Original music created by Tony Monge. Follow me here: https://linktr.ee/kellycrandall
Mike Burch is the COO of Speedway Motorsports, which means he’s heavily involved in everything that goes on and can share great insights. We’re going to start by doing a preview of this weekend’s All-Star Race and moving it to Dover; having Dover in the Speedway Motorsports portfolio and concerns that it’s going to fade off the schedule with constant changes; the operational view of hosting a crown jewel event and on a holiday weekend with the Coke 600; the reception to going back to the oval in the fall; changing a race after the schedule has already been announced; the feedback that is taken in from the race fans; collaborating with the drivers; the validation of reprofiling Atlanta Motor Speedway; a look at the collaboration with NASCAR to create a schedule when both sides want their own things; the anticipation for a North Wilkesboro points race; the measure of success as the season goes on. Original music created by Tony Monge. Follow me here: https://linktr.ee/kellycrandall
Andrew Clarke is a motorsports writer and author and he has a new book that we’re discussing today, The Immortals of NASCAR. Clarke shares how the project came to be; the word ‘immortal’ being perfect for a NASCAR project; the reason that the list is made up of all champions; the debatable criteria of being included on the list or considered an honorable mention; shedding insight on Shane van Gisbergen from his Supercars career; what he was like to cover in Australia; the following he still has over there with what he’s doing now; putting the order of the list together; the debates that come with this list; having Richard Petty write the forward, and his words about what drivers mean to the sport; the driver being the focus in NASCAR versus other sports; Clarke’s background covering NASCAR and motorsports; the racing to pay attention to on that side of the world; explaining having a love of Wikipedia. Original music created by Tony Monge. Follow me here: https://linktr.ee/kellycrandall
John Probst was among the NASCAR executives called to testify during the antitrust trial in December, which provided a chance to learn more about his background as well as his current role. But before getting to know him better, we’re getting more context on those CUV comments that took social media by storm; developing an interest in racing through Formula 1 and then Pocono Raceway; the benefit of a Formula SAE program in schools; getting his first opportunity in racing with Ford; going to work for Red Bull Racing and skirting rules by testing a Cup car described as an ARCA car; the approach the team took coming into the sport hoping to be competitive and becoming disheartened by the results; going to work for Ganassi and being as intrigued as outsiders about the PA mountain wind tunnel; explaining how working in the tunnel played out; going into a job with NASCAR and understanding how teams move around money; the reason he left the team side for NASCAR; the nature of the relationships in the garage with NSACAR; the things that do or don’t come out of the R&D Center. Original music created by Tony Monge. Follow me here: https://linktr.ee/kellycrandall