Racers Unchained with Paul Tracy

Kyle Petty joins Racers Unchained for a wide-ranging conversation about growing up in the Petty family, working in the race shop, and chasing his dream of becoming a race car driver. Kyle shares the unbelievable story of his first experience behind the wheel of a race car — going to Daytona at 18 years old despite having never driven a race car or even a go-kart. His first laps around Daytona came with his dad Richard Petty behind the wheel, Kyle sitting on the floor of the car and hanging onto the roll bars as they reached nearly 200 mph. Kyle also talks to Paul Tracy about the years he spent learning every part of the race car, from welding and fabrication to engines and bodywork, and why that hands-on experience shaped his approach to racing. He reflects on winning at Daytona, his eight NASCAR Cup Series victories, the differences between the drivers of his generation and today's young racers, and why he believes respect, patience and race craft have changed over the years. The conversation covers NASCAR safety and the evolution of the HANS device, SAFER barriers and cockpit design, including Kyle's perspective following the loss of his son Adam Petty. Kyle discusses how NASCAR became much more proactive about safety, his longtime motorcycle charity ride, the incredible work of Victory Junction, and raising millions of dollars to give children life-changing camp experiences. He opens up about his family, raising his young sons, motorcycles, and why he's reached a point in life where he's comfortable saying no and simply enjoying the things that matter most. #KylePetty #PaulTracy #RacersUnchained #NASCAR #RichardPetty #PettyFamily #Daytona #NASCARHistory #VictoryJunction #Motorsports #Racing

Ron Fellows joins Racers Unchained host Paul Tracy for a wide-ranging conversation about an incredible racing career that took him from struggling to make a living in open-wheel racing to becoming a three-time IMSA champion, two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, Daytona 24 winner, 12 Hours of Sebring winner and one of the most successful road-course racers in NASCAR. Fellows looks back at his early days in Canada, working construction while paying down racing debt, racing in the Players GM series and eventually getting his opportunity with Jack Roush in Trans Am. He also tells the story of the Belle Isle victory that put him on Chevrolet’s radar and ultimately changed the direction of his career. Fellows talks about the golden era of Trans Am, his transition from Ford to Chevrolet, the development of the Corvette C5-R program, and what made those early Corvette race cars so special. He shares stories from racing NASCAR road courses with some of the sport’s biggest names, including Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr., and explains why oval racing was such a different challenge for a road racer. The conversation also covers the origins and growth of the Corvette High Performance Driving School at Spring Mountain, his involvement in karting, and the next generation of Fellows racers. It’s a candid look at the career, relationships and opportunities that shaped one of North America’s most accomplished road racers. #RonFellows #Paul Tracy #RacersUnchained #CorvetteRacing #TransAm #LeMans #NASCAR #IMSA #RacingHistory #Motorsports #Chevrolet

Townsend Bell joins Racers Unchained for a wide-ranging conversation about a racing career that took an unconventional path. Bell didn't climb into a race car until he was 21, but once he discovered racing at Laguna Seca, he committed completely. He talks about hustling his way through Skip Barber, finding sponsorship at trade shows, winning the Indy Lights championship and making the jump into CART with very little experience compared with the drivers around him. Bell also opens up about the realities of his IndyCar rookie season, including the mistakes, crashes and lessons that came from trying to prove himself too quickly. He explains why he ultimately chose Europe over another IndyCar opportunity, his F3000 experience, F1 testing opportunities and the BAR test-driver deal that fell apart just before he moved to Europe. The conversation also covers the business side of racing and how Bell learned to build sponsorships around real business relationships rather than simply selling space on a race car. He shares his approach to networking, the importance of recognizing where money is moving in the business world and why young drivers need an almost obsessive level of desire to make it to the top. Bell and Paul Tracy also look back at their years working together on television, talk about Bell's transition into broadcasting, his son Jackson's racing career and the evolution of IndyCar. They discuss the new IndyCar, the old 900-horsepower machines, the challenges of racing in a different era and what they expect from the sport's future. It's a candid conversation with one of racing's most interesting career paths, told by a driver who had to create opportunities instead of waiting for them to appear. #TownsendBell #RacersUnchained #IndyCar #CART #IndyLights #LeMans #IMSA #Motorsports #Racing #PaulTracy

Three-time NHRA Funny Car champion Ron Capps joins Racers Unchained for a wide-ranging conversation about his remarkable racing career, from growing up around drag racing on California’s Central Coast to getting his big break with legendary driver Don “The Snake” Prudhomme. Capps shares the story of how he went from working as a crew member and racing wherever he could to suddenly getting the call from Prudhomme that changed his career. He also talks about his love for racing everything from Funny Cars and Top Fuelers to midgets, sprint cars and go-karts, and why driving different types of race cars has made him a better drag racer. Capps gets into what it’s really like to strap into a 13,000-horsepower Funny Car, including what happens when the tires break loose at nearly 300 mph, how drivers “pedal” a car back under control, and what it feels like when a nitromethane engine explodes just feet away. He also opens up about the serious crashes he’s experienced, including his massive Phoenix Funny Car accident and a hard midget crash at IRP, the evolution of Funny Car safety, and the difficult realities of running a championship-caliber team. Along the way, Capps tells stories about James Hetfield and Metallica, Tony Stewart, Don Prudhomme and the racing community that has been part of his life for decades. #RonCapps #PaulTracy #RacersUnchained #NHRA #FunnyCar #DragRacing #DonPrudhomme #Nitro #Motorsports #Racing

Andy Lally has built one of the most diverse careers in American motorsports. A three-time IMSA champion and five-time winner of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Lally has raced everything from prototypes and Porsches to NASCAR stock cars. In this episode of Racers Unchained, he sits down to talk about the path that took him from go-karts on Long Island to the top levels of sports car racing, and why simply being fast was never enough. Lally talks about the mentors who taught him to hustle, knock on doors and create his own opportunities rather than waiting for the phone to ring. He explains how he made the jump from open-wheel racing into prototypes, built his reputation in Porsche machinery and eventually made his way into NASCAR. He also breaks down what makes NASCAR so difficult for drivers coming from IndyCar and sports cars, including the massive difference in tire behavior and how much patience it takes to feel a stock car at the limit. The conversation also dives into Lally's role with Trans Am and why TA2 has become an important part of the development path for young stock car drivers. He explains what makes the nearly 900-horsepower TA cars so wild to drive, why the series is attracting young talent, and how its relatively accessible costs compare with modern GT3 racing. And then there's street luge. A lifelong skateboarder, Lally discovered competitive street luge around the turn of the century and eventually became a three-time world champion. Now retired from full-time car racing, he's chasing another World Cup title on four wheels and no engine. Lally explains the technology, setup, aerodynamics and race craft involved in going flat-out downhill on a board — and why so much of what he learned behind the wheel still applies to the hill. This is Andy Lally in his own words: racing, opportunity, NASCAR, Trans Am, street luge and the relentless hustle that kept his career moving forward. #AndyLally #RacersUnchained #Racing #IMSA #Rolex24 #Daytona24 #TransAm #TA2 #NASCAR #StreetLuge