Dinner with Racers

Ep.219 - Bobby Rahal, Part Two

Chances are you already know him, but Bob(by) Rahal is a true INDYCAR legend. Raised by a Lebanese family with a passion for racing, Bob transitioned from garage racer making do with what he could, to becoming a sportscar winner that found his way into IndyCar competition, where he’d achieve his biggest highlights: three IndyCar championships and the 1986 Indy 500. This eventually led to the creation of his own team, now known as Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL), which continues to win in IndyCar as well as the IMSA ranks with BMW. Dinner was served at Steak 44 in Carmel, IN, with the song “Music” by Assaf Ayalon taking us out. Thanks again to Continental Tire and Acura for making it all happen.

Ep.218 - Bobby Rahal, Part One

Chances are you already know him, but Bob(by) Rahal is a true INDYCAR legend. Raised by a Lebanese family with a passion for racing, Bob transitioned from garage racer making do with what he could, to becoming a sportscar winner that found his way into IndyCar competition, where he’d achieve his biggest highlights: three IndyCar championships and the 1986 Indy 500. This eventually led to the creation of his own team, now known as Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL), which continues to win in IndyCar as well as the IMSA ranks with BMW. Dinner was served at Steak 44 in Carmel, IN, with the song “Casino” by Rex Banner taking us out. Thanks again to Continental Tire and Acura for making it all happen.

Ep.217 - Mario Dominguez

If you’re a fan of the 2000’s era of ChampCar, then you know Mario Dominguez, or at least you think you do. With one of the most, errr, unique stories in coming up through the Mexican junior ranks, Mario went from a karting national champion, to a Russell School scholarship winner, to driving for some Mexico’s most questionable race teams. Persevering through a diverse range of challenges, Mario’s career was highlighted with multiple wins in ChampCar, and no shortage of stories from the era. Lunch was served by Mario at his home in Mexico City, yes Mexico City, with the song “Flix” by Vic Savage taking us out. Thanks again to Continental Tire and Acura for making it all happen.

Ep.216 - Chris Willes

Continuing our tradition of unsung heroes behind the wall, Chris Willes is a consummate tinkerer whose engineering and head for innovation has led him to working on a number of cool sportscar programs, from creating factory-killer Trans Am cars to championship-winning TCR efforts, Chris is one of those guys who can work within the means of a program to turn around incredible results. Equally noteworthy, Chris’ career got off to an amazing start out of college, being involved from the ground-up in one of the sport’s most heralded program, the Nissan GTP cars during IMSA’s 1980’s era. Chris has recorded all of these great memories into his book, “Developing a Champion: The Electramotive Nissan GTP Story,” available at www.chriswillesautoracingbooks.com. Lunch was served at Pacific Coast Grill in Cardiff, CA, with the song “Its Not Your Fault” by Yotam Ben Horin taking us out. Thanks again to Continental Tire and Acura for making it all happen.

Ep.215 - Townsend Bell, Part 2

If you think you know Townsend Bell because you’ve seen him on TV, you don’t know Townsend Bell. Here in 2022 he’s known as one of the booth commentators for the NTT INDYCAR Series, but the crazy adventure he’s been on starting as just a kid in San Francisco is unlike any other. From the most elaborate “trade” we’ve ever heard to get into racing school, to fighting his way through the Indy Lights, F3000, and eventually IndyCar ranks, Townsend truly defines tenacity. We promise you, this is one to listen to because you likely have no idea just how hard he pushed to make his career a reality. Dinner was served at Townsend’s house in the Pacific Palisades, CA, with the song “No More Empty Glasses” by ATELLER taking us out. Thanks again to Continental Tire and Acura for making it all happen.

Ep.214 - Townsend Bell, Part 1

If you think you know Townsend Bell because you’ve seen him on TV, you don’t know Townsend Bell. Here in 2022 he’s known as one of the booth commentators for the NTT INDYCAR Series, but the crazy adventure he’s been on starting as just a kid in San Francisco is unlike any other. From the most elaborate “trade” we’ve ever heard to get into racing school, to fighting his way through the Indy Lights, F3000, and eventually IndyCar ranks, Townsend truly defines tenacity. We promise you, this is one to listen to because you likely have no idea just how hard he pushed to make his career a reality. Dinner was served at Townsend’s house in the Pacific Palisades, CA, with the song “Grind” by Vic Savage taking us out. Thanks again to Continental Tire and Acura for making it all happen.

Ep.213 - John Morton

John Morton would fit in our legends category. If you’ve seen “Ford vs. Ferrari” then you’ve heard of the legends of Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles. Well, John Morton’s first job was with Carroll Shelby, and his CO-DRIVER was Ken Miles… so the guy’s been around. A class winner at Le Mans, a winner of millions of touring/GT races with Datsun and Nissan, John was the quintessential sportscar driver from the 1960’s through 1980’s, and he has no shortage of crazed stories to go with it. Lunch was served at the Metro Cafe in El Segundo, CA, with the song “Friend to the End” by Gabe Price taking us out. Thanks again to Continental Tire and Acura for making it all happen.

Ep212 - Andy Priaulx, MBE

When it comes to Touring Car legends, there is no bigger name than Andy Priaulx. Growing up in the small island of Guernsey, an island between the England and France, Andy went through an insane career and financing path to go through the junior ranks and eventually land a ride in a factory BMW within the now-defunct World Touring Car Championship. The WTC became Andy’s staple, winning four World Titles, as well as driving in DTM and Ford’s renowned GTE program. He’s also our first MBE for his charitable efforts in the UK. Dinner was served at Ronin Sushi in Daytona Beach, FL, with the song “Blanket” by Van Stee taking us out. Thanks again to Continental Tire and Acura for making it all happen.

Ep. 211 - Graham Goodwin

Continuing our run of sportscar staples, Graham Goodwin joins us a journalist/commentator who’s become the standard. Beginning his career as a Press Officer for the British government, Graham is an example of someone who grew to pursue his passion later in life, ultimately becoming the main guy dailysportscar.com, one of the industry leading sites for sportscar news, as well as a commentator and podcast host. Recognized by DwR who just fundamentally “gets it,” Graham is phenomenal at explaining his own career and the state of he sport. Lunch was served at the Peach Valley Cafe in Ormond Beach, FL, with the song “Bring it Back” by Notize taking us out. Thanks again to Continental Tire and Acura for making it all happen.

Ep.210 - Oliver Jarvis

Oliver Jarvis is yet another staple of the global sportscar scene. Born in the UK, Oliver was a standout in junior formula racing, winning the Autosport Young Driver Award and eventually the hyper prestigious Macau Grand Prix in Formula 3. Finding a career in sportscars, Oliver’s biggest successes came as an Audi factory driver, where stints in LMP1, DTM and beyond led to wins at Le Mans and no shortage of other accolades. Note: At the time of recording he was with Meyer Shank Racing and Acura, however he has since moved on from the program. Dinner was served at Bland Mediterranean Grill in Ormond Beach, FL, with the song “Hahaha” by Hey Judy taking us out. Thanks again to Continental Tire and Acura for making it all happen.