Dinner with Racers

Who would have thought this pair of High School sweethearts from small-town Texas would become YouTube sensations? Well, actually they did… sorta. Meeting at a young age, Aaron Reeves comes from a long line of mechanics, while his wife, Emily, spent her formative years working as a model, living overseas for an extended time as her career blossomed. Eventually, the two would combine their skills into Flying Sparks Garage, now on YouTube for over a decade and continually growing. Combining their strengths, the two work on a number of mechanical builds, breaking niche by working on everything from boats, to cars, planes, and everything in between.

One of the most authentic YouTube channels dedicated to streetcar mods, Speed Academy hosts Dave Pratte and Peter Tarach bring a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm to add true authenticity to the medium. Long-time writer and journalists in the automotive, and specifically sport compact / tuner world, the Canadian duo decided to start their own YouTube channel over a decade ago, and have never looked back. With their series focusing on an assortment of project cars and builds, their combination of expertise, humor, honesty, and willingness to make mistakes makes them one-of-a-kind.

Kristen Lee is a lifelong car nerd who has been solely focused on car journalism ever since her Dad introducer her to model cars. A leader in the modern landscape of automotive writing, Kristen has worked for just about every major car publication out there, now working as both an on-camera host and the Senior Features Editor for MotorTrend. If that’s enough, check out the children’s book she wrote! The 50 States: Things That Go. It’s a one-of-a-kind look at the different forms of transportation that have innovated across the U.S.

Drew Perlmutter defines authenticity and someone who is true to himself. Learning about motorcycles later in life, Drew quickly jumped all-in to the lifestyle, becoming a vintage bike enthusiast who has gone on rides that range from travelling to the arctic circle, Baja 1000, and beyond. Finding a way to make a living out of his hobby, Drew works as a combination of photographer and journalist, specializing in motorcycles and beyond.

One of the original “Dinner with Racers” guests back in 2015, television personality Rutledge Wood has only grown to new heights, not only continuing in NASCAR and other forms of motorsport, but hosting such shows as Floor is Lava, Hot Wheels Ultimate Challenge and more. BUT NOW he’s a RACER, and that’s why we wanted to talk to him. Partnering with Toyota and Precision Racing LA, the very team Ryan drives for, Rutledge has recently begun a new venture in the Toyota GR Cup series.

Do you have a funny story about your first car, or your first tire? Do you like the fact that DINNER WITH RACERS REMAINS FREE!!?? Then click on our “My First Car, My First Tire” promo on our website and Instagram page, and take part in Continental’s latest fan engagement. You might even win a free set of tires! Even if not, clicking on the link tells Continental that our fans are looking, and uploading your own video tells our fans that we have an engaged audience, and that sort of thing is more important than ever!

In our latest “Dinner Bites,” we put out another brief episode with more tales from Patrick Long, who was very involved in the filming of select scenes in the new F1 Movie. Debuting this weekend, F1 The Movie will feature a small storyline with IMSA, and our boy Pat was a big part of it.

Elana Scherr is a long-standing member of the automotive journalism world. She was the first female full-time staff editor at HOT ROD Magazine, and moved from there to editor-in-chief of Roadkill Magazine and Roadkill.com working with David Freiburger, ultimately ending up where she is now as the Senior Editor, Features, at Car and Driver. She’s also an alumni of UCLA, just like Sean, so she’s pretty dang cool.

The “Cure NF with Jack” charity is a favorite of Dinner with Racers, notably something Ryan has carried for nearly 15 years. Named after Jack Burke, who was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis (NF) at the age of five, Jack’s father Jake has been an instrumental figure in raising funds and awarenesss for NF ever since. Working in partnership with similar groups such as The Children’s Tumor Foundation, Jake joins us in honor of NF Awareness Month to educate us more about the foundations of the organization, as well as how we all can contribute.

In the latest installment of “Dinner Bites,” we talk with the legendary Cole Pearn, one of NASCAR’s greatest Crew Chief’s in the modern era. A NASCAR Cup Series champion in 2017, Cole walked away from the sport at the end of 2019, opting to focus on home and family life in his native home of Canada. Here in the month of May, however, Cole received a random opportunity to try his hand at INDYCAR racing and the Indianapolis 500, taking over the one-off entry of Conor Daly and Ed Carpenter Racing in 2020. In this episode of “Bites,” we learn just what differences exist between NASCAR and INDY, as well as what it’s like to move barrels of frozen poop.