The rear axle is part of the power system that helps send engine power to the back wheels. If it breaks, the car can lose control or stop being able to drive properly.
In NASCAR, pit road is where the team brings the car in to do things like tires and fuel. A “pit road problem” means the team had trouble during that stop, which can hurt your finishing position.
“Turn 10” refers to a specific corner on the race track layout. When a driver says they didn’t spin it out “in turn 10,” they’re describing a particular high-risk braking/turning zone where mistakes are more likely.
“Track position” just means where you are on the track compared to other cars. Staying in front (or near the front) can make it easier to control the race and avoid getting stuck behind slower cars.
A “legend car” is a kind of race car used in a specific short-track racing class. It’s usually built for quick, close racing, so it can feel very fast on track.
Car
Miata
The Mazda Miata is a small, lightweight sports car that’s famous for being fun and easy to drive well. People often use it to learn driving skills because it responds predictably to steering and throttle.
Jeff Gordon is one of the most famous NASCAR drivers ever. The guest is saying they looked up to him growing up, which helped shape their interest in racing.
Term
race quarter midges
Quarter midgets are small race cars for kids and teens that teach real racing skills on a track. They’re like a training step before bigger cars, helping drivers learn how to drive fast and race safely.
Term
A-lands
“A-lands” appears to be a local/series name for a type of short-track racing venue or class, but the transcript spelling is unclear. Without more context, it’s hard to map this to a specific recognized racing category.
John Bickford is described as a mentor—someone who helped guide the guest and their dad in racing. It’s the kind of support that can help a young driver learn and get opportunities.
Hendrick Motorsports is a very well-known NASCAR racing team. If a driver gets to work with them, it usually means they’re moving into the big leagues.
Place
Calistoga
Calistoga is a town in Northern California. In this story, it’s mentioned as somewhere you could go to watch races after visiting Sonoma, but that option isn’t around anymore.
A sprint car is a lightweight race car that runs on short tracks, often dirt ovals. It’s designed to be fast and twitchy, so learning to drive it hard teaches you a lot about control.
A “bullring” is a very short race track, usually an oval. Because it’s small, drivers have to keep momentum and react quickly for lots of close racing.
Term
Legend stuff
“Legend” here means a particular type of race car/series, not just a general idea. It’s one of the different categories the driver raced to build experience.
Term
Vandalero stuff
“Vandalero” is the name of a specific racing class. It’s one of the different car types the driver raced while building skills.
Junior Late Model is a racing series for younger drivers in stock-car style cars. It’s a way to learn racecraft in cars that behave more like traditional stock cars.
A “driver development hotbed” is a place where lots of good race drivers seem to come from. The speaker is saying the local racing environment helps people learn faster or differently.
Dirt tracks are races on soil instead of pavement. Because the surface changes and grips differently, drivers have to adapt their driving more than on smooth asphalt.
Concept
super glass slick
“Super glass slick” means the track has almost no grip. When that happens, it’s easy to spin or slide if you accelerate or turn too aggressively.
Concept
pulled up and technical
“Pulled up” suggests the dirt surface is rough and uneven, with spots that don’t grip the same way. “Technical” means the track is tricky, so drivers have to be precise with how they brake, steer, and accelerate.
A street course is a race route that uses regular city streets instead of a permanent track. Because it’s tighter and more irregular, the cars often need different setup than on oval tracks.
Chicagoland refers to Chicagoland Speedway, a NASCAR oval known for its 1.5-mile layout. The speaker is arguing the track should keep hosting races, comparing how different NASCAR car generations handle it.
In NASCAR culture, the “tailgating experience” is the pre-race social event in the parking lots, where fans cook, hang out, and set up food and seating. The speaker is connecting track infrastructure changes (like paving) to how enjoyable that area is.
Term
tailgate on concrete
“Tailgate on concrete” is a practical track-fan detail: concrete parking areas can get much hotter than grass under midday sun. The speaker is arguing that surface choice affects comfort during peak heat.
“Intentional wrecking” means someone crashes another car on purpose, not because of a normal racing mistake. The idea is that NASCAR would punish that behavior more clearly so it doesn’t keep happening.
“In-race penalties” are punishments NASCAR hands out while the race is happening. The goal is to discourage bad driving right away, not just after the race ends.
Term
cars tour rule
They’re comparing NASCAR to another racing series’ rulebook. The comparison is mainly about using a clear “you lose positions” penalty to discourage wrecking.
Concept
sent to the back of the line
The idea is that if you cause the crash, NASCAR would put you behind everyone else for the restart. That makes the penalty obvious and painful, so drivers are less likely to do it on purpose.
Concept
a lot of passing
“A lot of passing” means it’s relatively easy to overtake during the race. If you can pass often, then a penalty that drops you back may be less effective because you can work your way forward again.
Term
send you to the back
“Send you to the back” is a penalty where officials make the driver restart or rejoin at the back of the pack. The idea is to erase any advantage by forcing them to fight through traffic again.
Term
hold you a lap
“Hold you a lap” means the penalty costs you a full lap compared to the rest of the field. That usually makes it very hard to recover and race for the front.
In racing, “rough driving penalties” are punishments for driving that officials think is too aggressive or unsafe. The penalty can happen during the race or after, and it can cost you time or laps.
Here, “inconsistency” means officials don’t seem to apply the same penalties in the same way every time. That’s frustrating because drivers can’t always predict what will happen for a given incident.
A “two lap penalty” is a punishment where officials take away the equivalent of two laps from the driver’s race. It can be enforced in different ways, but the result is the driver falls behind by about two laps.
A “penalty after the race” means officials decide the punishment after everyone crosses the finish line. It can change the final results and points for the drivers involved.
Concept
officiated
“Officiated” means how the race officials decide what the rules mean and what penalties to apply. The speaker is saying that part of the problem is how those decisions are made.
Lime Rock is a race track in Connecticut. It’s known for being twisty and challenging, so winning there usually means you were really on point all day.
The “truck series” is a racing league where the cars are built around pickup-truck bodies. It’s a different kind of race than the top “cup” level, with its own rules and car setup.
In racing, “branding” refers to how sponsors and trademarked logos are displayed on the car’s livery (paint scheme) and related race materials. It’s tightly managed because teams must meet sponsor obligations and series rules.
A “cup car” means the top-level NASCAR-style race car. It’s usually faster and more specialized than cars used in lower series, with different setup and rules.
LIVE
It's time for Bringing the Heat with Trey Lyle.
What is up ladies and gentlemen, welcome on in to another edition of Bringing the Heat.
I am Trey Lyle, your host, Caleb Barnsett, to join us in a matter of moments.
But first, let's head to the In to the Inferno 2nd segment, the driver of the number 2 for
Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, the soon-to-be next season
driver for the Wood Brothers in the 21.
Our own Danny Peters talked to him at Sonoma about his season, his future, and much more.
The defending NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series champion, Jesse Love, now heads in
to the Inferno.
Now, it's time for...
This week he changed the screensaver on his phone to a picture of he and his dad working
on his race car when he was a little kid.
Jesse Love hoping to celebrate with his old man and he's a half a lap away.
Past his best friend to get the lead.
It is a story book ending.
20 years old from California, Jesse Love wins at Phoenix and he is the 2025 Xfinity Series
Champion.
To go into the Inferno with Craig.
Jesse Love, Menlo Park Boy, good to be home?
Yeah, absolutely.
It's always fun to come home and see family, eat my mom's cooking and then I have a couple
of restaurants I like to go to eat, not really restaurants, but lunch, box and stuff.
Yeah, it's always fun to drive around and get really good food.
We don't really have the food in North Carolina that we do out here.
Yeah, it's always fun to come home and get to put in good work and get to go surf a little
bit and do some things that we're doing.
I don't want to get to do it very often.
I feel like I come to California maybe twice a year.
Coming home was a big part of when you were on NASCAR Rise.
You were like, I look forward to this every single time.
When were you able to get up here after Coronado?
What's it like just every time rolling back up?
Yeah, I really enjoyed San Diego.
I stayed down there until Monday night and then flew home Monday night.
I've been up in North Carolina since then.
Yeah, it's been great.
I really enjoyed San Diego too, obviously.
So Cal and North Carolina are two different animals, but I really enjoy both of them for
different reasons.
So 12th of your first year, 38th difficult race last year.
What's your hopes of the weekend?
Yeah, really interesting stat line here, I feel like.
I mean, the first year here, I think we were actually really good.
I think we ran second for the race or something like that.
And we were pretty good.
We were competitive.
Probably a third place car.
Ty gives an SVG really fast, but the next year I thought I closed the gap a little bit.
And I've been qualified third or fourth.
And yeah, I thought that was probably the one-road race where I felt like I had a pretty good
shot to race with SVG and Connor.
And then yeah, I had that rear axle break.
So again, I think my first year here had a pit road problem.
And then I didn't actually spin it out racing the guy in turn 10.
So been a bad finish this year, but probably our best track for speed.
Probably the track I understand the most.
Got a good bit of laps here and it fits my driving style.
So I feel like I'm always competitive when I come here and we'll have a good shot.
We execute everything well and run a good race.
I think obviously you've got to be in the top four at the end of the race to have a shot to win.
And it's definitely more than doable and try to maximize the points we can get,
maintain track position and show the good shot.
Did you come here as a kid with your family?
Yeah, my first NASCAR race was here.
I think it was the year, maybe one of Jeff's last years,
or maybe it was the year that Tony won his race here against Denny.
Oh, I'm 10-11.
Yeah, I don't fully remember. I was really young.
But anyway, yeah, that was my first NASCAR race here.
My mom's first NASCAR race that same weekend.
So it was pretty cool.
I remember we sat in the S's and watched those little concrete stands they have.
And that was really cool.
So I really enjoyed it and always loved coming up here.
I got to run a legend car race here, actually, which is pretty fast here in a legend car.
A little single seater.
And then got to test drive a Miata here before I flipped out of the park.
I have a couple of different laps here in some different cars.
You grew up as a Jeff Gordon fan?
I did because my dad grew up racing with Jeff.
They were good friends.
Race quarter midges, A-lands, and some tracks around here.
And yeah, Jeff was always really kind and good to us.
And John Bickford was always a really great mentor to me and my dad.
And the first NASCAR shop I went to was Hendrick Motorsports,
to meet Jeff and John and hang out.
And then it was always cool when you come to Sonoma,
because you can go to Calistoga after and watch the car race.
Which, unfortunately, isn't a thing anymore.
But yeah, I always grew up liking the guys that came from California.
Took the sprint car path as well.
Always respected the hell out of those guys.
So yeah.
Speaking of the Northern California background,
why did it kind of work for you, just the Northern California racing scene as a whole?
Good question.
I think the quarter midges stuff teaches you some good things with some race craft, right?
How to make speed being wide open is an interesting technique.
And while I think there's a lot to be gained in go-cart racing,
the quarter midges stuff, there's still some things you can learn there
that you don't really learn anywhere else.
So I grew up doing that.
And then you have the red-bluff outlaw scene here with the outlaw carts.
Those are really important for development too.
Good dirt racing here.
Again, I think California sprint car guys,
especially the ones that venture out and run East Coast stuff, Midwest stuff,
are the best sprint car guys.
The midget scenes kind of died down a little bit.
But I feel like a lot of the guys out here are really good and specialized to their craft.
So I got to run a bunch of different types of race cars while I was out here.
And kind of do it in a low pressure environment.
It's so different on the East Coast.
Yeah, I definitely enjoyed running all the different cars I got to race on the West Coast.
I include going to Vegas and running the Legend stuff and the Vandalero stuff at the Bullring
and also on the road course out there.
And then also running the Junior Late Model series.
That gave me seat time and a heavy stock car at a really young age.
And of course, running the pavement midget stuff, I feel like was the most important for my development.
Because those cars are so on edge and you have to drive them so hard to make speeds.
So, yeah, it's kind of a plethora of a lot of things.
From a bigger picture lens, you mentioned kind of just all the different guys
who kind of made it yourself, Gordon, Redick, Larson,
or predominantly Southern Sport, there's a lot of Northern California influence.
Why do you kind of think that is and kind of people may not necessarily see Northern California
as kind of like driver development hotbed?
Yeah, I feel like California has made a lot of the best drivers.
I don't know if that's just luck of the draw.
I don't know if that's just like bias because that's what I'm looking at because I'm from there.
Or if there's some things that make it real.
I just think that when you're on the East Coast, when you're born on the East Coast,
you're born on the East Coast racing out there and then you don't ever leave the East Coast.
But when you're born on the West Coast, you're learning kind of some different philosophies
and driving some different cars, racing some different people,
and then you move out to the East Coast so then the guys that grew up on the East Coast
don't ever have that time on the West Coast to hear some different things,
run some really tricky race tracks.
A lot of the dirt tracks that I guess all the guys you mentioned grew up racing,
it's really technical and rough and pretty sketchy in some areas.
So, California dirt tracks are definitely a lot different than anywhere else.
You go to Midwest and it's super glass slick and smooth and on the West Coast,
it's like crazy and pulled up and technical.
So, I just think that it's all perception and you can kind of broaden your horizons a little bit
when you grow up on the West Coast and that can make you better down the road.
Some big names of one, back to back, O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Championships,
what would it mean to you to go back to back and be the first in a sporadic?
Yeah, it's definitely my thing I'm aiming for, right?
This year we've had a lot of things, some in our control and some out of our control,
like a lot of people would call it luck, I don't really use that word,
but most people would call it just bad luck,
but we've had a pretty trying year and that's kind of been my North Star
of what's keeping me motivated through all of it,
is that I'm still in a great position to win another championship
and it was nice to finally get some points on All-Guire last weekend,
but it's really challenging to get to him to win the regular season title,
but I have this weird mental block that it's not over until it's mathematically not possible anymore,
so I'm still focused on winning the regular season title
and then when the chase starts and when the post-season starts,
I always feel like I rise to the occasion and I can be the best,
and I think our team could be the best.
Last year we did have the speed to really win races and dominate a lot,
we had a couple, but we executed really well
and this year we've actually had the speed to finally dominate races and win races
and we just haven't put the other yet,
so I think that we were able to overcome the speed factor last year
and this year we have overcome the speed factor
and we have to overcome the beating ourselves on some things
and also it's kind of like golf, right?
You keep hitting terrible golf shots,
the flush ones right around the corner,
so I think that once we break through and win a cup,
one-one will win a couple and then yeah,
I think in the post-season our teams really go under pressure
and hopefully we're the best this year under pressure.
Last couple of questions,
next year you step into an iconic car number with an iconic team,
just thoughts, feelings about that for next year?
Yeah, I'm super honored and obviously to have the trust
from the Wood Brothers and of course Ford as well
and everybody at Team Penske is a huge honor for me
and something that I don't take lightly,
so that's definitely a community challenge, right?
That's what I love about it.
I never had any intentions to get a cup deal signed
and then just take it easy and chillax, right?
I want to keep working and that's what I find enjoyment in,
you know, chasing the mastery of my craft
and what I do love to do and getting better,
so next year there's going to be a lot of ways
that I'm going to keep learning to get better
and yeah, you want to succeed and move up
and of course continue to race cup
and get into your second contract year
and win races and set yourself up for success,
so I'm really grateful I can do that from a young age
and yeah, I just feel like I have a great group of people
around me also to help me succeed next year
in a tough environment in the Cup Series.
Have you been to the museum yet
and what's your first memory of Wood Brothers?
Not yet, haven't been to the museum yet.
Actually, I was talking to Ross Chastain
who's never driven for the Wood Brothers
but he's somebody with a deep respect for that whole team,
their history and obviously they've got more history
in the Cup Series than any other team, right?
So I'm looking forward to getting down there.
Obviously, timing of those things have to be appropriate, right?
Right now, I'm obviously still focused on RCR
and my job here in Team Chevy and Wheeling
and all our partners to go in a championship,
so it is hard for me to balance that right now
but I am the driver that is fully bought into
whatever program he's at currently
and wants to make it better and succeed
and when that day comes, when my time here at RCR
has come to an end, I'll be fully bought into
the Wood Brothers and their history
and forward and making a better place.
That's what I intend to do.
What would it be like with a new voice in your air?
Obviously, you have a good relationship with your crew chief
but what would it be like next year with a new voice?
Yeah, something interesting.
You know, I'm somebody I feel like,
again, maybe in scrubbing California
where you have a melting pot of different cultures
but I feel like I can fit into just about any culture
and work with different people
and I do enjoy the personal development
and the people development and the relationships
developing and things like that
and the lessons I've learned from Danny I'll never forget
and I think that we're still going to be friends
off the racetrack, right?
Yeah, he's more than a crew chief to me at this point
and yeah, maybe not working together
might make the friendship a little bit better
so we can kind of take the pressure off
but it's going to be different and it's going to be a challenge
because Danny is somebody that I really love
and appreciate, love working with as well
and have a ton of respect for
but I know whatever position
that Wood Brothers decided to put me in
is going to be a good one and I'll make the most out of it.
Last question, have you been watching
Team USA and the World Cup
or have you been watching the World Cup in general?
No, I have no interest in soccer.
I have a lot of respect for the sports
and I love athletes and Messi is somebody
that I have not studied
but read a lot about and listened a lot about
and I guess he's with Argentina, right?
Yes, sir.
Which I, you know, kind of on TikTok
I see kind of the different teams and stuff
I don't know how Argentina loses
but I heard, again, that USA is in a good spot
I saw they lost yesterday
but they're still in, I guess, Group D
but my mom's whole side of the family is from Mexico
so they're excited.
I'm obviously from America
but my half the house is also from Mexico
I saw they had a pretty big win the other night
because they were all screaming while I was trying to go to bed
but no, I see it
because that's, you know, probably the biggest deal
in the world right now, I guess
but I don't follow it enough.
Thanks, Jesse.
Thanks so much to the great Danny Peters
the folks at Richard Childress Racing
and of course, Jesse Love for that conversation
but there is some news to talk about in NASCAR
so let's go with What's Still Hot?
What's Still Hot?
It's time to upgrade you on the latest news in NASCAR.
Did you know what I mean like he does most weeks?
Of course, the app is Caleb Barnes
at Caleb Barnes Understore
Caleb, glad to have you here.
It was talked about by NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell
that both Prime and TNT would like more broadcasts
but unlikely to obviously get them anytime soon
because the current deal is set through 2031
but it does feel, you know, fans have been craving
for more Amazon Prime specifically
it feels like TNT with a lot of the same crew
in terms of in the booth
and on, you know, in the pit reporting
we say a little bit different with Marty Smith
being the studio host
if you want to call it that bear to Daniel Trotta
it feels like both have done a really good job
in the two years, year one and this is year two
do you see an expanded role
when the deal comes back up in 2031?
It'll be interesting to see if they do want to expand their role
and I think part of it might kind of depend
on the way that F1 goes with Apple TV
and all that sort of stuff
I know that they started off at F1
was going to be Apple TV exclusive
and then they've had a few different things
where they've made some of their races
and some of their broadcasts and stuff more available
to other services
at the same time I know Prime is getting some more
use with like football, NFL, that sort of thing
and so I think we'll see how these next couple years go
I mean 2031 still feels like a long way away
I mean that's five years away
so we'll see number one where that continues to go
with Prime their broadcasts
with how much work and effort they want to put into NASCAR
how much that maybe grows the base
but that is maybe my concern is
again we'll see what the trajectory of the sport is
in three to four years before I would get too excited
one way or another
I just feel like I'm still super hesitant
to be excited about
if it was a full time streaming service
on one hand there would be a benefit of
if you have your sport on one streaming service
for the entire season
it's a lot easier for people to find
it's kind of like
I think people will be more willing to pay for it
if they know oh
like there's going to be half the NASCAR season on Prime
but on the other hand
like I just know that there's still a large number of households
I still just think about like my grandpa
the people of his age
that are traditional NASCAR fans
that don't have internet
or they just don't really know how to work
different streaming services like that
so that's still where I would be worried
but again I think if you come back to me
about the trajectory of the sport
we'll see how things are with streaming
and with maybe the potential growth of NASCAR
in three to four years
I could be super excited about it
I could want Prime to take the whole season
but yeah I think the window would be there
if they want it
we'll just have to see what those parties want
same with TNT
all that stuff goes with TNT as well
except for
they're maybe a little bit easier to find
for someone sitting on the couch
with a traditional TV remote on Sunday
Well something else that had a successful weekend
was Chicagoland
produced a lot of good racing
I think the O'Reilly race
was really good
Cup race was pretty good as well
the big discussion point from this weekend
is the future of the Chicago market
whether it would be just at Chicagoland
just at the Chicago Cerechors
or both
it is the third biggest media market in the world
Caleb if you were deciding
you know you get to be
Ben Kennedy and Steve O'Donnell
what would you decide on the future
of the Chicago market and NASCAR's
racing impact there
My preference would be to stick with
Chicagoland
the Chicago street course was cool
it was a pretty good course
but it also felt like
it's just like two rectangles pretty much
but I mean it still put on some good racing
I just think the street course concept
is such a good idea to be able to
bring to different markets in different places
although
who knows
maybe that is something that NASCAR wants to try
to make a staple on your schedule
if you want to have an event that would be a classic event
like the Daytona 500
like the Coke 600
like all these races
the Southern 500
the Bristol night race
like you got to start somewhere
so if you want the Chicago street course
in 20 years to be a staple
NASCAR event then it needs to be
but I don't know
I feel like the street course is a cool concept
to be able to bring to other places
meanwhile Chicagoland
has been such a great track
I mean the next gen car
has been a good mile and a half car
but even other
like before the next gen car in the gen 6
it was still a pretty good track back then too
and so I would like to see
Chicagoland stay there
I know there's been a lot of talk about their infrastructure
and some of that
I don't know necessarily about like
I mean you could put gravel in the parking lots
or try to pave it
but that would be a lot of money
and then it might kind of affect some of the tailgating experience
it's really hot to tailgate on concrete
as opposed to grass
or something like that in the middle of the day
I would like to see the
Chicagoland oval race
move back to the fall
like it used to be one of the chase races
maybe not necessarily in the chase
but like one of those last few before
like in late August
or you put it back into the chase
slash playoffs
whatever we're calling it these days
I think that would be better
for weather wise
kind of like how Watkins Glen had its traditional date
was fine weather wise
and then this year
they had the same parking lot but issues
so I think you could move that
to the Chicagoland date
and then who knows
maybe you want to put the Chicago street course
back on July 4th
so but yeah
I would prefer to see the oval stay
and then it's up to NASCAR
to dream away with their street course
concept
Yeah I actually like
I mean if they're going back to Chicago street course
I'd be fine with that
I think that should be a more of a rotating piece
but Chicagoland is a great race track
it's always delivered great racing
you know I think
the idea that since it's not in the actual city of Chicago
is quickly dying
since it's on the outskirts of Chicago
since the football team
is currently set to move to outside the
like you know they're two biggest options
for the new stadium
are not even in the city of Chicago
and if you have any Bears fans listening
ask them
you know a Bears fan
they know about that
so I think the idea of Chicagoland
you know
oh it's not in Chicago
we're not in the Chicago market
it's just blasphemous
so I think there's room for both
I do think though
you can't have it every year in both markets
maybe you do a
a special week in Chicago
like one week where you do both
because if you're going to have all these weeks
to limit travel would be
more ideal
and they could just stay in Chicago for the week
that would be
that would be a creative way to do that
so that's something to keep in mind
as well
and now let's update
the folks on our in season challenge Caleb
we're not doing that bad
we're tied for second amongst the podcast
Mike Neff
okay
in first place at 230
we're tied with the pit straight at 170
more importantly for us
we are
we're guaranteed not to finish last
and we're beating happy hour
those are the two boxes I want to check
those two we're checking
you know
Michael is going to be doing
our betting podcast through the gears
he is guaranteed to
to have last place
it hurts that his champion Joey Logano
was out in the first round
and so on and so forth
he just
had a rough
you know rough Chicago land
or rough excuse me Sonoma
and
simply put it just
it was a rough
rough time for him and Joey Logano
being
so close
to ultimately tasting
victory there but unfortunately
he also had SVG in his
semifinals
good news is he still has Chase Elliott
alive and well for that
but again
he has Joey Logano
out but Eric Jones beat him
in the first time
but for us we're doing okay
we still have a shot to win
Mike Neff is pulling away
he's doing really well right now
it could come down to
how far Chase Elliott goes in all of this
really to carry us
because if Brisco can beat Chase Elliott this week
that will do really good things
for you or excuse me
if yes if Chase Elliott can beat
or Chase Brisco can beat
Chase Elliott this week
if I could speak
it'll do really good things for us
going forward so just keep that in mind
as we head into
the weekend
here on there
rest of our bracket
as you can see if you're watching on the YouTube stream
we're doing our champion
who is Ryan Blaney still alive
and that's the most important thing
I feel pretty good about that
I think if we had to change the final
I'm going Ryan Blaney
I actually might go Brisco
as it resets I think Bowman
I don't think you can compare the Alex Bowen run
even though it could be the 30
32 seed
heading all the way to the final again
I don't think you can compare that to
Ty Dillon last year
because it is Alex Bowman in a Hendrick Motorsports car
but again we're going to be rooting heavy for
Chase Brisco because I think that opens the floor for us
to actually get the dub killed
okay I like that
it's been very chalky so far
not quite what I expected
but also we didn't have a super
speedway in the first round
and this week
could definitely mess up a lot of people's brackets
it could indeed
well there was a feud this week
did you hear about it?
a couple on the racetrack but one in particular
we're doing a rare
this might be the first time we've ever done this
it's a two for one special on the sound bite of the week
so let's just play both clips
and then we're going to talk about it
SVG and Austin Hill
are your focus of the sound bite of the week
well Tony what angered you at the end of the race
what did you take issue with?
what the hell do you think I was mad about?
dumb little s**t runs us clear down to the infield
he wants to s**t about everybody else
and he's one that drives like a little s**t
I'mma bust his a**
thanks Tony
it's time for the sound bites of the week
I'm sure y'all have seen the replay
so if I have to explain it
people probably need to get glasses
you think this is great back for Sandy
I don't know
will you go talk to him?
will you go talk to him?
I don't know how much I'm going to get out of him
it's too slow at all
or how many incidents it was
watching it slow and we're beginning to back
no
I was there in the corner normal
um
everyone blocks everybody's air
off right
that's the way the stuff goes
I was just going down and he walked me there off
and from all his skin point
it was like he sped up
I was shooting from the bottom
trying to get clean air up so high
and he just dropped my nose
dropped my nose
sorry about that
it was nice people
it happened
does it warrant a conversation at all with him?
I'll talk to him but he just grunts
he just grunts
shot to Bruce Pinkstein by the way
being the underline
uh
so Caleb
there was an incident
at the track
by the way Zingsmith got in this too with Carson
neither of them said anything
to indict them obviously Ryan Preiser
priest earlier this year shout out to adult Hopkins
we played the clip kind of
incriminated himself
we'll just put it that way
and he got a points penalty
that really has put him behind the eight ball
when it comes to the cut line
putting him near it
if he doesn't have I think
50 points
then it's he's probably in a lot better shape
when it comes to the cut line
anyways
your thoughts on no penalty
for SVG this situation
what do you think?
I mean it's the right call
um
based on just the way that NASCAR's always been
but it's the wrong call
based on the precedent they said
earlier this season
and that's probably the hardest thing
that I have or the hardest time I have with this
is um
making these kind of inconsistent
changes and rulings mid season
is super frustrating
it's something that we've kind of dealt with in the past
it's one thing to set a precedent
and continue through the season at the end of the year
say alright yeah we messed up this year
but uh we at least
officiated the same but um
and I guess like
technically it's not the same
because
priest said something over the radio
but I mean
just saying something over the rate
like what priest said like he's gonna get it
the next time I'm around him
like drivers say that
all the time probably at least
there's at least one driver who says it every race
and um so like
it's just the
the level and then
in addition to that like the ruling afterwards
of the whole explanation of well oh
in our judgment
the 60 didn't give the 54 a break
like that's part of racing
like you just don't give breaks to guys sometimes
especially after they've run into you a couple times
and that's why Shane
did what he did this week and so
um like I
I think it was the right call to not penalize them
and still in hindsight
and I don't think anybody in
whenever the priest penalty was handed out I don't think anybody was like
oh yeah that's the right thing either
um I think you can have
levels to this of
if you right hook someone into the fence at an oval
like that's obviously very dangerous that warrants
a punishment a suspension
for an intentional crash and you can even
I mean like what Austin Dillon did
like that's also intentional crashing
just being reckless but there's a difference between
a reckless intentional
crash and
kind of getting even with someone
or taking them back out because
with hosts of R with all the people that he's run into
it's kind of like
he runs in all these people on accident but then
the drivers can't really respond
and show their frustration because they're afraid of getting a penalty
and same with SVG
like I know Austin Hill's mad about it
but in the mind of SVG fans
and um for me as a neutral observer
like Shane's kind of gotten
done dirty by Austin two weeks now and so
um I feel like
hopefully they would just call it even now
if they get into more intentional wrecking that's when NASCAR hopes to step in
ultimately
I think NASCAR
one of two things um
we're a far cry from the boys have at it
days and that might have been a little bit too far as well
but if NASCAR
wants to try to
penalize any sort of intentional
in their judgment intentional wrecking
as much as I hate to advocate for more
in-race penalties I think
you would need to make this sort of like a cars tour
rule like if it's if you're the one
who causes the crash you get sent to the back of the line
and I know at some tracks
that might not seem like a huge penalty
um especially like
if Chicago lands a track with a lot of passing
if Shane had a faster car
like if it was a guy like Denny Hamlin
getting even taking someone out he could have made
made the distance back up but
I think if NASCAR wants to be able to
try to get a bit of a
handle on it without
having to go back and evaluate the
S&P data and any sort of radio
comments I think they could just solve it by saying
oh well in our judgment
you wreck this guy intentionally
we're gonna send you to the back
maybe hold you a lap something like that
they have the rough driving penalties I know that's been enforced
a couple times too but it just feels like
there's a lot of inconsistency
sometimes they'll give the two lap penalty in-race
sometimes they'll give a penalty after the race
and find drivers and give them the poise
penalties sometimes they'll just do nothing
so the inconsistency
is frustrating it was the right call
but also like
we just gotta
gotta shorten things up with
those rules and the way those are viewed and
officiated
yeah I
tend to agree with you I do like
the fact that
they didn't do anything here I felt like that was the right call
there's reasonable
doubt in this
to me I don't think going back to the priest thing
I don't think priests should have gotten anything
for what happened to him I think the only
time you truly need to
truly punish someone is if it's a right
rearing and it's a truly
like
like intent to harm
kind of wreck
which is what right rearing is what SVG
did was like
well you gave me no room
and cost me
you know a race that would be
is very impactful my season you're not running for points
like
X Y and Z and I know
Austin's technically running for owners points but my point being like
points in the season
I'm just not going to cut you a break here
same thing went with Zane Smith and Carson
as far all right
one more time around
time for our final thoughts
let's wrap this
podcast up
it's going to be a drag race all the way back to the start finish line
no counting
they're side by side
wrap to the line
the checkered flag is out
and it's time for the final thoughts
final thoughts
kail barnes
anything you want to rant rave or review
the floor is yours
well I guess just
speaking of ryan priest
I don't know if you might have not
have seen but if you
haven't seen go check out his social media pages
ryan priest has a new shirt
it says don't hit the button
and that's just about it
has a little logo underneath so
I think I love those things
the little funny kind of digs
that something that
cost you money or a little bit more in ryan priest's case
so
I love the personality
the energy that priest and busher bring
to that team with rfk and their
dynamics you see them in the commercials
they're going back and forth a little bit online
some of that fun stuff and that shirt
it's just the latest so
little light hearted moment
after I'm sure
he was very frustrated seeing the
no penalty announcement yesterday but
hey as the shirt says
if you're a driver don't hit the button
don't hate the button
indeed well I want to
give a shout out to Thomas Anunciata
who's running in
the arca race at lime rock this
weekend and just with nitro
motorsports and Chris can you throw that
up there for me just
a badass of a pain scheme
in honor of Kyle Busch it's the M&M scheme
obviously not actually M&M's
but I just want to end with shout out to
Thomas Anunciata
he I believe is the defending
race winner at lime rock
if I'm not mistaken
he's also set to
in the arkman art series he's set to
race in the truck series as well
so he
and as I look
yes he did he is the defending
race winner at lime rock so
really cool deal from Thomas
Anunciata to rock this
scheme this weekend
in a it feels like
ark is kind of the only place you can get away with doing
this this level of a
branding
which because I don't know if Mars approved
it would be my guess
just throw that out
there I don't
think you can do it in a cup car
because it's such an iconic brand
so but
shout out to Thomas Anunciata that's a really
cool really cool scheme this
weekend and we should have some really cool racing
this
weekend at lime rock
in the truck series in the arkman art series well
coverage there we'll also have coverage at
echo park speedway
or Atlanta like normal people
will say it
with a fun race a fun two sets
of races another round
at Caleb Barnes underscore Caleb
are you writing this weekend
I am not writing this weekend
I'm just going to be actually
enjoying the sun it's Sunday
night race yeah I was going to say Saturday night but it's
Sunday night so I'll be able to enjoy it
Sunday night
football
psych it's racing on TNT
maybe if it goes to
Monday you can buy nitro motorsports
and WCW Monday nitro
and call it like Monday racing nitro
I don't know
just throwing that out there TNT
got ideas for you anyways
for Chris Graham who'll produce this
for Caleb Barnes at Caleb Barnes
underscore you can follow me at TraylaoVT
make sure you check out through the gears check out the ladies episode
happy hour check out stock car scoop
after the race Sunday night with Eric Schneck
and much more
this was this episode
of bringing the shout out to Danny Peters as well
who give us a great interview with Jesse Love
we'll be back next week
for some more fun
and maybe more boxes behind me
that will do it for us today
goodbye everybody
About this episode
Jesse Love talks with Trey Lyle about his season momentum, his Sonoma visit, and why Phoenix has been a breakthrough track for him. The defending O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion reflects on a tough year of misfortune and execution issues, while still believing he can win back-to-back championships. Love also opens up about his Northern California racing upbringing—midgets, sprint cars, and dirt—plus growing up idolizing Jeff Gordon. He’s “honored” to join the Wood Brothers in 2027, driving an iconic number with Ford and Team Penske support.
