Dinner with Racers

Ep.47 – Marty Smith

Marty Smith began as a NASCAR reporter at 21-years old, and if you ask him he would have never imagined that nearly two decades later he’d transition a simple writing career would turn him in to one of ESPN’s top on-camera talents in the country. Covering NASCAR for 17 years, when ESPN lost the broadcast rights to NASCAR, Marty transitioned to covering college football, becoming one of the main guys in their SEC coverage and solidifying his place among the all-time great broadcasters. It’s easy to see why he’s as successful as he is, with every word out of his mouth carefully chosen, but without losing any hint of sincerity. Morning coffee was served courtesy of Starbucks in Charlotte, NC, with the music of I See Hawks in L.A. to carry us out. Thanks to Continental Tire for all of their support, and Honda for providing a great car.

Ep.46 – Justin Marks

Justin Marks doesn’t deny that he came in to the sport with the unique privilege of coming from personal funding at a young age, but what makes him unique is how he’s transitioned that in to quietly becoming an influencer in the sport. A beast behind the wheel, Justin has won multiple times in the former ALMS, as well as his class at The Rolex 24 at Daytona, but perhaps his greatest personal driving accomplishment was winning this year’s NASCAR Xfinity round at the famed Mid-Ohio circuit. Outside of the car, Justin has built an amazing series of businesses for himself, everything from Mooresville’s GoPro Motorplex, to the Larson-Marks Racing World of Outlaw racing team, to a fantastic karting import business. Learn about his insight in to the sport that’s more thoughtful than most. Thanks to Continental Tire for all of their support, and Honda for providing a great car.

Ep.45 – Matt Hardigree

It’s been an interesting time in the offices of Jalopnik, or their “new” parent company Gizmodo Media Group, who have literally survived an existential threat to see another day. This story and more is told by Executive Editor Matt Hardigree, who has been with Jalopnik for nine years and has a very specific understanding of the media, automotive, and motorsport cultures. Learn about his most awkward celebrity culture, how he lied his way in to success, how he’d fix racing, and more. Last minute pizza was served at an unknown location in New York, New York, with the music of Earthworm Ensemble to take us out. Thanks to Continental Tire for all of their support, and Honda for providing a great car.

Ep.44 – NASCARCASM

Well normally we sit down to eat with actual people, but this lunch was with our first Twitter handle. However, there’s a specific reason. While motorsport has many funny Twitter accounts, the man behind NASCARCAM was able to take his joke account from something he did for fun, to a full-time job having signed on with NASCAR to add his humor to many elements of their digital content. Learn about how he came to be, what NASCAR stars roll with his humor the best, why Sean hates him, and listen to the group develop a very specific routine for the one and only Austin Dillon. Lunch was served at Kilroy’s in Indianapolis, with the music of Jarrod Gorbel to close us out. Thanks to Continental Tire for all of their support, and Honda for providing a great car.

Ep.43 – Ed Carpenter

If you’re going to be in Indianapolis, then you have to see Indiana’s native son (even though he’s from Illinois), Ed Carpenter. A home-grown short track racer, Ed’s place within the IndyCar ranks is a unique, choosing to only drive on oval tracks for himself, and of course serving as the lone driver/owner in the paddock. Of course most IndyCar fans would also know Ed as being the stepson of Tony George, the founder of the Indy Racing League, and given Ed’s unique lineage within the series he embraces it with an impressive amount of humor and grace. An extremely mild mannered guy, he takes the time to talk us through everything from flipping at Indy, to some of the wildest good luck charms ever given to him by fans. Breakfast was served at Mister Lino, a coffee shop literally located in the Dallara manufacturing building, with the music of The Blue Hours to close us out.  Thanks to Continental Tire for all of their support, and Honda for providing a great car.

Ep.41 – Kevin “Rocket” Blanch

We put his real name because we think we’re supposed to, but no one knows him as Kevin Blanch. He’s Rocket. And he’s badass. A self-described “ol’ hillbilly,” Rocket is a staple of the IndyCar series, serving as a painter-turned-mechanic nearly 30 years ago, and has risen through the ranks of going from mechanic to Crew Chief to now the technical manager of IndyCar, which means he’s “the guy” when cars go through tech inspection. We can see why he has this job. Rocket is as “no BS” as they come, very smart, and a pretty damn good storyteller. He also has a transgender pig, figure that out. Lunch was served at our first-ever repeat restaurant, Tegry Sushi in Indianapolis, with the music of Kari Holmes to rap us out. Thanks to Continental Tire for all of their support, and Honda for providing a great car.

Ep.42 – Mike Hull

When it comes to managing success, it’s hard to look much further than Mike Hull. As the Managing Director of Chip Ganassi Racing’s IndyCar program, Mike knows a thing or two about winning, having been part of 16 championships, over 60 wins in IndyCar, including four trips to victory lane at the Indianapolis 500. Yeah, he knows how to run a winning program. Yet, somehow he was gracious enough to give us several hours to talk about nothing in particular, including who’s invited to his beach house, who is terrible at karaoke, and more. Dinner was once again served at Tegry Sushi in Indianapolis, with the music of The Aggrolites to close us out. Thanks to Continental Tire for all of their support, and Honda for providing a great car.

Ep.40 – Kenny Wallace

Growing up #MissouriFrugal, Kenny Wallace hasn’t let the success he found in NASCAR change him one bit, and that’s why we love him. As a NASCAR veteran holding the record for number of starts in the Xfinity Series, Kenny is someone who is lived the sport for three decades, and yet his love hasn’t diminished one bit. He tell us the story of coming in to the sport with the support of guys like Dale Earnhardt and his brother, Rusty Wallace, and what life is like now as he continues to race for fun in local dirt races. We enjoy a nice lunch at The Arnold House in Arnold, Missouri, with the music of I See Hawks in L.A. to take us through. Thanks to Continental Tire for all of their support, and Honda for providing a great car.

Ep.39 – Dan Binks

If you love Corvettes, then you probably love Dan Binks. As a leading member of the Corvette Racing crew for nearly 15 years, Dan Binks has been a big part of the folklore that is Corvette’s IMSA and Le Mans winning program, but his career spans far deeper than just that. As a long-time friend of DwR alumni Tommy Kendall, Dan’s career has spanned through years of Trans-Am, racing with Jack Roush, and even winning an Xfinity championship in NASCAR. As one of the most likable guys you could ever meet, it was beyond fitting to meet with him at The Hamburg Pub in Michigan, with the music of Mike Birch to close us out. Thanks to Continental Tire for all of their support, and Honda for providing a great car.

Ep.38 – Landon Cassill

Landon Cassill is one of the hidden gems of NASCAR. He’s not even 30 yet, but has somehow managed to have a nearly 10-year career driving for NASCAR’s top-tier categories, however it hasn’t always been as a traditional racing driver. As part of a wave of development drivers coming in to the sport 10 years ago, Landon actually made his way in to the top ranks as a test driver for Hendrick Motorsports, becoming the chief development drivers on all of Jimmie Johnson’s cars, which shows in the fact Landon currently has five championship rings as being part of the crew. While he’s now a full fledge Cup series racing driver, the Front Row Motorsports member came on our radar for his humor and skills with social media. One of the funniest guys in the paddock, you’ll have to listen to understand more. Dinner was courtesy of the Mellow Mushroom in Charlotte, with the music of Earthworm Ensemble to take us out. Thanks to Continental Tire for all of their support, and Honda for providing a great car.