Texas Motor Speedway is another major NASCAR track. A “preview” usually means talking about what to expect and how teams might adjust their cars for that track.
In NASCAR, the Cup Series is the highest level of racing. A “first-time winner” means a driver has finally won a Cup race for the first time, which is a huge deal because it usually takes both driver skill and strong team strategy.
The crew chief is the team member who makes the big strategy calls during the race. They talk to the driver and help decide when to be aggressive and when to play it safe.
“Two to go” means the race is almost finished—only two laps left. Teams use that moment to tell drivers to be careful and set up the final push for the win.
“In contention” basically means you’re still in the fight to win. The key is not getting yourself in trouble early—staying in a good position and making smart choices until the end.
The “outside line” is the part of the track closer to the outer edge. Sometimes it helps cars move forward, but it can also be risky if other cars crowd into the same space.
In NASCAR, the “garage” is where the teams and drivers hang out and talk. The hosts are saying that even if people don’t like a driver, other racers can still respect them for how good they are.
The Dodge Charger is a car made for performance, meaning it’s designed to feel powerful and quick. People may mention it in racing talk because the Charger name is associated with fast, aggressive driving. It’s basically a performance sedan that’s known for going hard.
A “first-time winner” is someone who just got their first career victory. In racing, that’s a huge deal because it proves they can win, not just race well.
Jeff Dickerson is the person the driver keeps talking about as a big influence on performance. The idea is that he helps spot problems and gives guidance so the driver can go faster and be more consistent.
Spire Motorsports is the racing team behind the car. When they win a big race, it shows the team’s hard work and resources are paying off.
Term
cubic dollars
“Cubic dollars” is a joking way to say racing success often comes down to having enough money. More funding can mean better equipment and more support to help you win.
The hosts are describing how NASCAR teams invest in talent—engineers, crew members, and leadership—to improve competitiveness. In motorsports, better staffing and resources can lead to faster development, improved car setup, and more consistent results.
NASCAR doesn’t only care about who wins one race. Drivers earn points based on where they finish, and those points add up over the season to show who’s doing well overall.
Joe Gibbs Racing (often shortened to “Gibbs”) is a major NASCAR team with a reputation for strong driver development and race execution. Mentioning it alongside Hendrick highlights the competitive benchmark teams aim to reach.
IndyCar is the open-wheel racing series in the U.S., and it’s being used as a comparison point for how teams operate and invest. The idea is that top-level motorsport teams share similar philosophies about staffing, development, and execution.
Company
Pinsky organizations
They mention another racing organization here, but the name in the transcript is unclear. It sounds like they’re listing top teams that others want to compete with.
“Trucks” means NASCAR’s Truck Series, which is like a stepping stone for drivers. They’re saying the team moved him up to a bigger level because they believed he could handle it.
A racing simulator lets drivers and engineers practice and refine setups without using track time. Teams use it to study track behavior, test changes, and improve driver feedback loops, which can translate into better on-track “speed.”
In NASCAR, one crash can quickly cause other crashes behind it. If the front cars suddenly slow down or get hit, the cars behind them may not have time to react, so it turns into a bigger wreck.
Blocking means one car moves to make it harder for another car to pass in a certain lane. If the cars behind can’t adjust quickly, it can contribute to a wreck.
Momentum is basically how hard it is to slow down once you’re moving fast. In a race pack, if one lane gets disrupted, the cars behind still have that forward motion, so the crash can keep building.
A post flap is a small aerodynamic piece that changes how air flows around the race car. In NASCAR, that can help the car feel more stable so it doesn’t get lifted or loose when things get chaotic.
A super speedway is a huge oval track where cars go very fast and often run close together. Because they’re so fast and so close, air and aerodynamics matter a lot for how stable the car feels.
“Unstable” means the car doesn’t feel predictable—like it wants to slide, wiggle, or get loose when you’re pushing hard. If the car isn’t behaving well, drivers often end up driving more aggressively to try to make it work, and that can lead to more crashes.
A “rules package” is NASCAR’s set of rules that determines how the cars are built and how they’re allowed to run. If the rules make the cars harder to drive fast and consistently, drivers end up pushing harder, and that can make crashes more likely.
Winter testing is when teams work on the cars during the off-season to try new setups and improvements. The idea here is to make the cars more stable so drivers don’t have to push as hard to get results.
They want racing to be more controlled—like you can work your way forward without everything turning into chaos. If the cars are stable and predictable, it’s easier for drivers to move up the field safely.
Pack racing means lots of cars are bunched up together. Drivers try to stay in the group to go faster using drafting, but it can get chaotic if nobody can make progress.
Drafting is when one car follows closely behind another to get a speed boost. The air behind the lead car helps the trailing car go faster with less effort.
If a car is unstable when another car pushes it, it means it feels hard to control. The car may want to slide or change direction unexpectedly, which can lead to wrecks.
In NASCAR, “bumpers and things” is shorthand for how cars interact physically and aerodynamically when they’re pushing each other. Bumper-to-bumper contact and the way cars are shaped can affect stability, especially when cars are forced into tight lanes at high speed.
A “stage” is a segment of a NASCAR race where competition is broken into parts, often with points awarded at the end of each stage. Changing stage lengths can alter strategy—when teams pit, how aggressively they run, and how they position for the final stage.
“Cause and effect” here describes how specific rule/format changes (like mixing stage lengths) lead to predictable changes in driver behavior and race outcomes. The speaker is arguing that it’s hard to fix pack-racing problems because the chain reaction from one change can be complex.
At superspeedways, pack racing reduces available space and increases the chance that pushing too hard leads to contact. When drivers are forced to gain position in tight lanes, one mistake can trigger a multi-car wreck.
Pit road is where the crew changes tires and makes adjustments during a stop. If something goes wrong there, you can lose a lot of time or even get into trouble.
The tire carrier is the crew member who handles the tires during a pit stop. They have to be in the right place at the right time, or the stop can turn unsafe.
“19 car” refers to the race car running with car number 19, which in NASCAR is tied to a specific driver/team. The hosts are calling out a pattern of mistakes from that car, emphasizing how repeated errors can compound during a race.
A pit stop is when the car enters pit road for service such as tire changes and adjustments. The timing and execution of pit stops strongly affect track position, especially at superspeedways where restarting in traffic can be difficult.
Term
air to the wrong side
This sounds like the driver came in too aggressively and lined up incorrectly for the pit crew. That kind of misalignment can make the stop slower or even unsafe.
During a pit stop, the crew has to swap fuel cans quickly and correctly. If something gets stuck during that swap, the car may not get enough fuel and can run out or be forced into trouble.
Running 11 laps short on fuel means the car’s fuel strategy and pit stop execution didn’t provide enough fuel for the remaining distance. In NASCAR, that forces teams into a high-risk situation that can lead to late-race wrecks or being unable to maintain pace.
The white flag means the race is basically over—one lap left. Everyone is trying to set up their final move, so mistakes or traffic can decide the finish.
In NASCAR drafting, one car can help another go faster by staying close behind. That “pusher” helps the other driver get a better run for the final stretch.
When lots of similar cars are bunched up, it can change how drivers line up behind each other. That can make it harder to get the exact lane you want at the end.
Sometimes the cars don’t line up the way they planned, and they end up too close or in each other’s way. When that happens in a tight pack, it can ruin your run and cost you the finish.
A “mile-and-a-half” track is a NASCAR oval that’s roughly 1.5 miles around. These races usually reward cars that stay fast for a long time and don’t get caught up in crashes.
In NASCAR, one bad race can really set you back in the standings. Since the next race doesn’t erase the last one, teams have to keep finishing strong and avoid wrecks.
A “push out” is when another car helps you by giving you a tow in the draft or improving your position. It can be the difference between getting a good lane to pass or getting stuck.
“Pitted 17 times” means the car went to the pits a lot. That often happens when there are many cautions or when teams keep changing strategy, and it can make the race harder to manage.
Concept
Tour up car
They’re saying the car got “tore up,” meaning it was damaged from wrecks or contact. A damaged car can handle worse and may need extra effort to keep it running and finish.
When a driver signs a contract extension, it means they’re staying with the team for longer. That gives the team more stability to plan sponsors and keep the right people working together.
In NASCAR, sponsorship leverage is the negotiating power teams gain when they can guarantee continuity—like a driver under contract and a stable team structure. That makes it easier to secure sponsors and justify marketing investment because the team can plan ahead.
Rockstar is a beverage brand that sponsors NASCAR. When the hosts talk about it here, they’re basically describing which companies are backing the team and showing up in the branding.
Celsius is another drink brand showing up as a sponsor. In NASCAR, sponsors like this help fund the team and get their logo on the car or in team promotions.
Monster is a popular energy drink brand that sponsors NASCAR teams. When you hear it in a discussion like this, it usually means it’s one of the companies paying for branding and promotion.
A performance director helps guide the team’s overall performance plan. Instead of focusing only on one race, they help decide how the team should develop and improve the car.
It means the team makes a bold change right away instead of waiting. In racing, that can be something like changing who calls the shots or how the car is set up so the driver can start running better.
A “top ten” finish means the car placed 10th or better in a race, which is a key performance benchmark in NASCAR. The hosts use it to show progress for RCR and to compare results between cars.
This is NASCAR changing who runs the organization at the top level. That kind of leadership can affect how the sport is run—like rules and priorities—over time.
ARCA is another type of stock-car racing. It’s a place where drivers and teams can gain experience before moving up to bigger NASCAR-level competition.
Term
late-model team
Late-model racing is a grassroots-level stock-car series. Teams that run it usually learn a lot about preparing cars and competing week to week.
The garage area is where NASCAR teams work between sessions—making adjustments, coordinating strategy, and handling car setup changes. It’s also a place for team leadership and crew chief communication to show up in real time during a race weekend.
They’re talking about the NASCAR CEO—basically the top leader of NASCAR. The point is that the job is demanding during the racing season, and the CEO’s presence can matter a lot.
They mention NASCAR runs on a very busy schedule—many race weekends each year. The idea is that it’s hard to step away because there’s always another event coming up.
Dover is a NASCAR track where racing can be tough on the cars and tires. People call it a “bear” because it’s challenging to drive well for a full race.
Daytona is a legendary NASCAR track. Races there can be chaotic because cars run close together at very high speed.
Brand
RAM group
RAM is a truck brand, and “RAM group” here likely means the brand’s NASCAR-related program or sponsorship. The host is saying it’ll be fun to work with the guests through that connection.
Term
mechanical bowl
They’re talking about a punishment ride called a “mechanical bowl.” The idea is that whoever loses a challenge has to go do that ride as part of the segment.
They mention a “joystick,” which is basically a controller used to control something—probably a simulator or game. It helps explain how the challenge works.
“Mile-and-a-half” just means the track is 1.5 miles around. That length affects how fast the cars run and how hard the tires and brakes have to work over a full lap.
Banking is how “tilted” the track is in the turns. More banking usually helps the car stick better, but it can also change how you have to steer and accelerate through the corner.
If the car “pushes” the front tires, it means the front end won’t turn the way you want. That usually makes you slower through the corner and forces you to be more careful with steering and throttle.
“Loose” means the car is unstable and the back end can slide around. If it happens right as you enter a corner, it’s harder to control and can lead to mistakes or crashes.
Side force is what keeps a race car moving through a turn without sliding. They’re saying this track can create a lot of sideways tire load, which makes the racing feel more intense.
“Door-to-door” means two cars are driving next to each other really closely. That’s exciting, but it’s also risky because small mistakes or bumps can cause contact.
A setup is how the race team tunes the car for that specific track. It’s basically the car’s “settings” to make it handle better and last longer on the tires.
Drivers and teams usually know which corners are the key to going faster. If turns 1 and 2 are where you can gain spots, you build the car and plan your driving around those turns.
The crankshaft is a major engine part that turns the engine’s motion into usable power. If it fails, the engine can be destroyed and the car is out of the race.
Concept
harmonic bounce
Sometimes a race car can start shaking in a repeating way. If that vibration gets bad enough, it can stress parts until something breaks.
Team Penske is one of NASCAR’s top teams. They’re mentioned here because the conversation is about who’s been strong at Texas and who might be able to win.
“Balance” means how the race car feels in the turns. If the balance is right, the car turns predictably and sticks to the track better, which helps it run faster and more consistently.
In NASCAR, the “box” is the specific pit stall area where the car must stop for the team to service it. Missing it can delay the stop or prevent the crew from safely and correctly completing tire and service work.
Track position just means where your car is compared to other cars on the track. If you lose time in the pits, you usually fall back and have to work your way forward again.
It’s basically a joke about people thinking racing is simple. The reality is that NASCAR takes a lot more people and systems than just a couple cars in a garage.
They’re using a go-kart track as an example. If you can’t handle the physical strain in quick kart races, it’s a reminder that real racing is even more demanding.
They’re talking about spending the week practicing together. That helps the driver and team learn how the car behaves and get ready for the race.
Topic
modified guy
They mention a “modified” racer, meaning a different kind of stock-car style used in certain short-track series. It’s not the same as the big NASCAR Cup cars you see on TV.
Concept
style tracks
“Style tracks” is NASCAR shorthand for track types where certain driving styles, setups, and car characteristics tend to work better. Examples include superspeedways, short tracks, road courses, and intermediate ovals—each rewards different approaches to setup and racing lines.
Concept
couch in my motorhome
They’re describing how they watched the race from their motorhome instead of the stands. A lot of NASCAR fans travel and camp out for the weekend.
In NASCAR, “victory lane” is where the winner goes right after the race to celebrate. It’s basically the official spot for the trophy/celebration moment.
Skid marks are the black lines you see on a race track when tires slide. They usually mean the tires didn’t have enough grip for the speed or braking at that moment.
Concept
jockey car
A “jockey car” is a support car that shows up on track for certain duties or events. In this conversation, they’re joking about it being covered in skid marks.
The hosts are reframing a recurring segment from “best burnout” to “best celebration,” highlighting driver-driven crowd moments rather than tire-smoking burnouts. It’s a show-format change that signals what kind of on-track antics they want to spotlight.
“Premeditated” just means he thought about it beforehand and made a plan. Instead of doing something by accident, he had an idea in mind and worked to pull it off.
This means the driver had to correct the car so it didn’t get out of control. Even during celebrations, NASCAR cars can still behave unpredictably, so staying steady matters.
Toyota is one of NASCAR’s major manufacturers, supplying race teams with engines and chassis packages under the current NASCAR rules. Manufacturer choice can correlate with team performance, driver fit, and how well the car setup matches a track.
A top fuel dragster is the highest class of drag racing in the NHRA/dragster world, known for extremely powerful engines and very short, straight-line runs. It’s a different discipline than NASCAR, so winning there suggests elite throttle control and team execution under intense conditions.
“Truck racing” here likely means NASCAR’s truck series. It’s a different kind of race than the main Cup races, and it’s where many drivers cut their teeth.
They’re wrapping up by previewing the next race in Texas. That usually means talking about what might happen and what strategies or storylines to watch for.
LIVE
Always cool to see a first-time winner that he soaked in every bit of it
If I had a crew chief that talked about me like that, I would fire his ass quickly and it's tall digger
Probably a lot of skid marks happening on people if you're gonna throw stuff like that out there
You need to at least understand what you're talking about
Welcome to Kevin Harvick's happy hour presented by Nascar Fox. I'm Kevin Harvick
She's Caitlyn Benzie and our head dingo Mama Smith. Hey chief Dingo
Just came up with this new name for you call me whatever you want. Just don't call me late for dinner. You know what I'm saying?
That's right. That's right. There you go. Yeah, I like that new name for you. Yeah solid
Listen, I'm a C-suite executive in a lot of different places. You know, I mean C-suite. Well, you just called me chief. I did
C-suite executive in a lot of places. Oh my gosh, especially when I come here. It's like mama sips and self-hype
That's right. So nobody loves me more than I love me. How was the party this weekend?
Did anybody show up? Yeah, Sunday. Yeah, son Nascar Sundays. Yeah, brother a lot of industry people. I saw we had a lot of industry people
That's good. Yeah, shout out Bozy
Parker Klingerman showed up off axis showed up, but we had 70 to 80 people
Wow, but he was not in attendance. I wasn't there. Yeah, I was at Talladega. Who was who was in charge?
So speedy Pete and
Yeah, speedy Pete that that sat in how did he get his name speedy Pete? Why do we call him speedy Pete?
He's just quick man. Okay. Yeah, I don't know if it's in a car necessarily, but he's quick
We got dingo and speedy Pete dingo and speedy. That's like a cartoon. It is a cartoon. That could be good
No, we're not gonna do that. So yeah, no, but we had a great time hoppin was alive and we're going back
It's the racing version of of Ren and Stempe. Mm. That makes sense
All right, no one remembers that show
Everybody there's a lot of people that have watched Ren and Stempe. It's still on Nickelodeon. I mean they would play reruns
Welcome in everybody in Dingo to episode 22. We are here and we are ready to talk about Dingo Daga
And we're going to preview Texas Motor Speedway this weekend and you of course have a solid sips lined up
Yo, the
Global segment the sips are exciting and you know some fans wanted me to tell you some things about them
So when we get there, I'll relay a message
I have a message from a fan as well for Kevin. I was contributed to me via Bob Pocrus
Okay, I'll need to show you
We love coming in here on a Monday when we get to talk about first-time cup series winners
And once again, we have that story with Carson host of art
Could it have been scripted any better for Carson?
Look as we as we watch the the last lap here of of of this finish
I I fully thought
You know Chris Busher was was in charge and in the best spot, but as we saw at Daytona
I mean host of art put himself in a position to have a chance and we heard his crew chief Luke Lambert actually say
Hey, look, we just got to be patient
We got to keep ourselves in the right position until we get the two to go and Carson didn't make any mistakes
And and I think that is one thing that we've seen a lot less of are those just dumb moves
being over aggressive or doing something silly and and taking yourself out of contention and he didn't he didn't do that and
You can see the maturity that the 70
Seven car and and its driver have had week after week after week keeping themselves in contention in this one
And ultimately getting to victory lane
But you see that outside line right here
You're just gonna kind of get tangled up just a little bit and chase Elliott shoot to the middle
They wrecked behind him and from from there. It was all hosts of art to the start finish line
So always cool to see a first-time winner, but
Look as many as as much criticism as as Carson takes
He's always willing to just take it head-on. Yep. He's very creative. He's willing to lean into things
He had probably one of the best victory celebrations that I've ever seen
With with the way that that he was
Side of that car waving to the crowd trying to catch a few of them that didn't didn't like it throwing a few beer cans at him
You know that that's the great part about what he does is he is he is willing to take that criticism head-on and
The fans absolutely loved the celebration afterwards and I think that with our fans
It is a very popular win. Yeah, it absolutely is I love watching him just kind of do things his own way
We've seen this for several years now Carson
Kevin talked about not afraid to kind of do things a little differently. Yeah, and we've seen so much maturity out of him
I think back to when he was in the trucks and some of those learning moments
He had from that series and where he is now this seemed just like a lot of respect from the other competitors to going to
Congratulate him and on this that was so that was the thing that I wanted to make sure we noted was
It was like a week ago
Kyle Bush was on a podcast and it was like guys. I hate and
Carson
Carson wins like a week after that and one of the guys that stopped made sure to acknowledge his was cow bush
So like I think it's important for people to understand like just because some of the guys in the garage
They might not love Carson Hulsavar, but they respect what he's doing
and they might not like but they respect the talent and the ability and
What Kevin says about him just being a hard charger like he's a racer's racer when it comes to that
You just want him to do it a little bit more. Yeah a little bit more smartly sometimes
But everybody that drove by his car gave him a thumbs up gave him it like because they know how important the first time
Winners it's just it's a massive moment and he soaked in every bit of it
And I'm so like it's rare that you see people that excited like to win
Right, and you think that you'd see it like that all the time
But just some guys don't come across that way, but the way he did it. I thought was great
I think it's yeah, and they took the trophy to to Chili's
After they after they got home and we're able to sell but that's my point, right?
He's willing to lean into those things
Let's go support our sponsor have a victory celebration take the trophy and you know
I was I was doing a bush appearance in Kansas, and he was in the Chili's
signing autographs and and just doing things that that he does and and shows up in
Random cars and and doing, you know fun goofy
Braces it and you know, I think he
You hear him mention Jeff Dickerson a lot, and I think that you know Jeff
Obviously understands when you have a special talent behind the wheel that has some quirks
And different things to go along with them and issues with running people over
But he's fast and when you have a guy that's fast you can and will
It seems like he listens. I mean, I don't know this for sure
It seems like he's maturing and listening
But he constantly mentions Jeff Dickerson, and I believe that Jeff's probably in his ear constantly like hey man
If you'll just fix some of these things
You've got the ability and speed to and and just racing IQ to go out there and win races and and you know
Be a champion down the road and and I think that you know Dickerson and the Spire Motorsports group also realizes that
He can probably carry their company
From from an ability and and potential standpoint and you know that ability and potential showed up at at Talladega with a with a win
To the point for both of you about how big this is for Spire, you know, they haven't been around that long
We've seen them make a lot of moves and different executives. They've hired and brought over
They're very serious about being in the Cup series. How big is it for them as an organization?
well
The the one thing in racing that it takes to be successful is cubic dollars
And they are not being shy about spending money and hiring people you see the Chris Gabe Hart situation of
Everything that they've done to go out and stand behind him and and you know, you see, you know, they hired Rodney Childers last year
I know that one didn't work out
but they're they're they're willing to go out and spend the money to get themselves in a position where they can be winners and
You know, you look at the points right now and Suarez and and host of our is seventh in the points
Yeah, yeah, seven and you know when when you see that
It's been pretty quiet
But when you look at the results of grinding away and keeping yourself in a position
We've we've talked about host of art Daytona
We talked about him obviously at Talladega winning and a couple other times this year
We've consistently talked about Suarez because he's been so much better than he was in the track house car
So when you have the the ability to go out and get the right people
You're only as good as the people that you have around you and they keep acquiring
More and more good people and have the ability to go out and spend the money on the things to compete with the Hendrick
Gibbs
Pinsky organizations like like they do an Indie car. Yeah, I mean not only not only do they have the good people
They're putting them in the right spots. It seems like yeah giving them the opportunity to succeed
And you know you look at obviously Carson what what Jeff has done for him and making him a cornerstone of that company
Yeah, early like before probably anybody in the garage. They're like, I think people knew he had talent
But they're like you're gonna you're gonna move him from trucks. Yeah, cuz he's
Like yeah, okay, that seems like a bit much you guys aren't even like really that competitive
But he they know the dice on it and it's working having the guts to do that
I also know from from within because from the outside looking in you're like, yeah, what what yeah, why?
Why would you do all these things and in but I think when you're in there grinding every day?
And you see the simulator and you hear the conversations and you see the results and you see the speed and everything that that those guys are
Seeing on a weekly basis. They obviously had the confidence to do it and we're right. Yeah
The one one of the things too like that you talk about that maturity
I think you'll see another big step now that he's won one because a lot of the pressure is
Off now because you've won now you're a winner
So now everyone knows you belong so now you can keep making those steps and building blocks and also man the relationship between him and
Cletus
Like when Cletus was in the arca race and he's jumping on the wall super hype for him
Yeah, and Cletus calls in during his press conference interview and they have a conversation
I just think that whole thing is really good
He's got good people around him and it seems like they're building him in the right way
Yeah, very cool moment for a Carson host of iron company. So before we get to some of the solid finishes from the day
I want to go back to the incident that kind of changed the whole complexion. Yes of this race
So with 73 to go big incident that involved nearly the entire field and I want to
What you think Kevin of what you saw happening here with Bubba Wallace and kind of the chain reaction
Actually started a little further back it did yeah, and so you see
Bubba Wallace kind of be the at the front of the wreck
But it really all started when Ross Chastain moved up to block the middle line
And they had a head of steam and when he moved up obviously he was
Not at the same rate of speed that they were and then Bubba moved up to block him to almost double slow that line down
It piled three four or five cars up behind him to be bumper to bumper and those fourth fifth
Cars in that line have no idea what's happening at the front
But that that momentum was so strong with that lane and those cars connected like that
It's it's like taking a hammer and a longer punch and getting getting that that
Momentum that you just can't stop at the bottom at the front of this
You know where Bubba Wallace was kind of spit out by that line because of the inertia and momentum that that lane had compared to
The speed that he was going yeah
I do want to note that a post flap that they put on definitely works
Because it put out put that car back on the ground because it started it was starting to live
And when you're lifting into the corner like that like because the way the wall like you can get it's a scary situation
So especially when you're backwards like that another car and it lifts you up
We kind of saw that with cars and quaple yeah last week
So that wreck was it was wild but then a lot of things of why people love Talladega
They love to see that we don't want to see cars torn up
But it's nature of the beast, but I think some of the guys really are looking forward to this pre season testing of
The super speedway to try and figure out how to push better because it seems like yeah
Yeah, we have a little situation. I want to go to Joey Logano statements
One of the teams who was collected and out for the day after that
He was saying the cars are unstable and everyone starts pushing and racing aggressive until we fix that
We're gonna continue seeing it you agree with that statement
Well, I mean look we've talked about this on this show for a couple years now
And and you know even when I was driving the cars you have to push so hard for very little gain
And I think the drivers definitely want to be able to gain more when when they're pushing that hard because what happens is you just wind up
You keep pushing until somebody gets wrecked and that's too far
But you have to find that point because you you want to try to gain an advantage and you keep pushing the guy and he's not
Spinning out or not getting squirrely and so you keep pushing him a little bit harder and pushing a little bit harder
And eventually it winds up being too far
But that that's that's the that's the nature of the beast of the rules package that we have and I think that
NASCAR going down a road to try to fix some of these problems with the winter testing and ideas as we go through the season here
Because you want the guy to be able to drive from the back of the pack to be able to methodically move through the pack
And have the runs be big enough to to be able to do that
We all want pack racing, but right now the pack racing is where it just nothing moves
Right though the lanes don't move until somebody finally decides to pull out and even then it in a couple laps
It it'll cycle back into into those two lanes and and you just you can't gain enough for how hard that you're pushing
And you know, I think that the Toyotas are obviously the worst to to be pushed
You heard bubble Wallace talk about his car being very unstable being pushed
We saw that with Eric Jones at the end of the race
So they seem to be at the biggest deficit from from that standpoint in with their the back of their car and the bumpers and things
That the way that they're designed. Do you think the stage because we had to change the stages up a little bit
Did you think that was a positive? Do you think it worked?
It was it was a positive for the end of the race
Yeah, the positive out of the whole situation is the willingness
Yeah
That the teams and NASCAR had to change it up to try to say okay
We got it
We know we got to make this better and we know we have to push it in a direction
That is different than what it currently was and to to go and mix those stages up and and you know
It turned into a lot of strategy in in the first stage to try to position themselves
And it became pretty intriguing because of the way that everybody was all mixed up
But it's the fans are not going to be happy if it's not a pack style race
But I think balancing that from a driver standpoint right now
We have them in a pack to where they can't move and you push and shove and you don't get very much reward
And that's what's causing the wrecks
They got to be able to to come and go a little bit easier with with the pushes and the way that the cars will pull up and
And all those things that that go with it so very difficult
Scenario to fix because the cause and effect of the things that you do
You don't really know until you get into this position
But this particular super speedway rules package has been this way from the very beginning
It looks beautiful on TV when all the cars are packed up
But it's very frustrating for the drivers because the only way to go forward is to push harder harder harder until somebody wrecks and
You know basically all of these races end with a wreck from somebody getting pushed too hard
Yeah, and there's just not enough gain and there's not enough comers and goers if you get to the back of the pack
it's all about
You know having to have somebody something else to happen to get back up there because you're not driving your way through the
Fields by making good moves when one lane's coming and going yeah
Kevin you were talking about the changes to the stages in the first stage we started to see a lot of mistakes on pit road
Chase briscoe he ends up going way too far in his pit box actually hits when his tire carrier CJ Bailey
This could have been a lot worse, but hey pretty hard less than ideal situation
a lot worse but the part that worries me about this scenario is the
Consistent mistakes that we keep seeing out of the 19 car and in situations like this pushing too hard
First pit stop of the day you should air to the wrong side of being too aggressive. You should be a little
Conservative a little bit conservative because you hadn't been on the pit road
You hadn't made a pit stop and and all the things that that go with that
So I'd rather make up a little bit of ground then slide through my pits and basically ended ended the 19th day
And and that has been a consistent theme
From from you know the 19 and the mistakes that that are being made fortunately CJ is okay
We did hear from him a little interviewed him, but
Tough deal for that pic
I mean you manage when you talk about how do we talk about how tough?
Like drop the drivers are the picker the picker guys are they're playing real-life Frogger
Oh, no one's an athlete over here. Oh, yeah, we have no we have no
It's just made up of a bunch of or any tough tough minded gritty people right? Yeah, but that was I mean that's probably the most
Direct shot. I've seen someone hit it get hit in a little while and he and CJ pop right back up
So good on him. Yeah, good on him
Kyle arson his team also had some trouble with the fuel can getting hung up on their stop
Yeah, really weird scenario when they handed that first can back you'll you'll see the can with the fuel right here
It's gonna get hung up with the second can when they make the exchange right here
Yeah, we're 11 laps then yeah, they were 11 laps short on fuel and put themselves in it in a bad spot there
So in the end he wound up getting in that massive wreck and in in in his day
So tough day for for the five team of Kyle arson. Yeah, it looked like it was just like perfectly
Perfectly on perfect. Well, there's a lot happening in a short amount of time and and you see weird stuff like like that happened
But I've never seen that happen. It's all fuel like that is all fuel situations of that their job is the most important
Road, that's right. Yeah, so a couple teams having the issues on pit road going back to the drivers that finished
Well, Chris busher was the runner-up
He said it was a little lonely up there once they lost Eric Jones out of the equation to help him with the pushing
But the big thing he said is just a solid execution. What did you see from that team?
Well, it's a typical Chris busher day, right like he keeps himself in convention
Eventually he wins a couple of those races
But this one he came up one spot short and and I really thought he was in the best spot as we were taking the white flag
He had Stenhouse behind him who was as we all know is a great pusher and on the bottom
You know, you had but the problem where there were so many Chevrolets up there
But at that point you kind of take what you can get where it where it works against you is when everybody
Scatters as to who they choose to follow yeah last minute and ultimately it didn't come down to that because his line got tangled up
And and he didn't he didn't really have a chance to stay with an organ organized line like that like the bottom did but
Chris does a great job and and that team's been grinding away and and he's he's got himself
You know up in the points to at least have a chance to get into that top six to keep himself into that
Championship conversation
But it's all gonna come down to the mile-and-a-half racetracks for for the Fords and and I think that he capitalized on his day
Many of the other four drivers did not and I think that that is
Ultimately their last chance to win a race for a while until they go back to Daytona
Yeah, I mean but sure is just like a model of consistency
He just he they grind it out. They they don't get into other people's messes often
They don't make messes for themselves. Yeah
And I think that's the biggest thing especially with this the way the system is is like you can't there's no bounce back the next week
So you need to be consistent just keep being in the right places and putting you giving yourself the best opportunity
I thought with the way busher was with the 47 who obviously is gonna do everything humanly possible to win the race
Him getting if he could have gotten the push out
That puts them both in a better spot because now the 47 gets to decide Ricky gets to decide if he wants to go around
Or not and Chris gets the opportunity to control a lane and they just couldn't get that and
Bowman is a really good wingman to have if you're the 77 like he you had nowhere to go
At that point he's locked into the end of the into the back bumper of the 77 because he he didn't have a lane
Had one choice. Yeah, that's right good for Chris busher the
Prosper Texan had a Texas in the Texas
Prosper Texas
So there was one more driver that I wanted to hit on and that would be Tyler Reddick because he's still got a top 15
Performance somehow despite the things that happen. I mean it's just like he's always just there
You I mean that guy is somehow manages to be there
I finished 14th crashed a couple times blew a tire pitted 17 times
Tour up car and you know, they just they just they just stayed at it and kept themselves in the game and and
You know, I think as as you look at all the scenarios that they had to work through getting out of there with a 14th place finish
You know ahead of a lot of the guys that that he was racing with behind him in the points
Kept them, you know from from losing any ground and also big weekend for retica, you know announcing the fact that
He's extending his 2311 contract
Yeah, and I think that
Puts them in an even better position
Absolutely because of the fact that now they can get ahead of the sponsorship stuff
They can know that they're they can start to get all their team guys locked in knowing that Tyler is going to be the driver of the car
I mean it is an endless amount of opportunities that it created to put in a better spot for
2311 the 45 car Tyler retic his team his crew chief his engineers
Everybody is in a better spot with Tyler under contract life is good for Tyler retic
Yeah, I mean he lot like, you know beast moved on from that group and
With it being a contractor on everything like him being so good at the beginning of the years the leverage for that
Oh is massive like for him and for the team because they need to lock in sponsors
Well, our guys are in contract here and we have open space and he's one of the best in the in the series right now
So you want to be on the date on a 500 champions car? Okay?
Come on with us. Yeah, and it worked out like the rock they signed the rock star deal
And then he signs his new like all those things are they're connected
Yeah, and you know, I think a lot of people were like, yeah, they got three different drinks on there
I had no idea that
Celcius owned rock star
So all interconnected got actually got four. Yeah, cuz they have monster. They have Celsius
They have rock star and then coke is with Bubba. Yeah, good point. There you go. Wow thirsty bunch
Brought me to the news and notes the first one being Tyler retic with the contract extension
The next one just was announced not long ago Kyle Bush getting a new crew chief Jim Pullman will assume a different role in the company
Andy Street performance director will be the guy calling the shots on top of the box that didn't take long. No and look
Here's the problem that I saw with this scenario Jim Pullman's just like Kyle Bush
You know very personal very rough fiery tumble fiery
That that was it never sounded like it was going to work and and we talked about this somewhere
I don't know where but Richard Childress not being afraid to
Pull pull the trigger. Yeah, when he needs to to make changes and and you know, here
We are just after Talladega what 11 weeks in to or so. I don't know. I'm bad. I'm bad. Yeah, so
Pulling the trigger on on making that change right now to see if there is life in that situation to get Kyle back on track
I think I think Richard believes that Kyle Bush can get it done behind the wheel
It's just a matter of putting them in the right scenario, but
At some point you have to put the whole company in a better scenario
So that the three car runs better so that Kyle runs better
Got their first top ten of the year for RCR this weekend at Talladega finished tenth
That's the best finish of the year for either of those cars and you know, I think that Andy Street
He was at RCR when when I was at RCR a very mild mannered been around for for a long time
We've seen him seen him on those O'Reilly series cars in the past. So
Now it's now it's now it's I just it was just a it was just a
Really really really
combative scenario that you had with those two personalities of Jim Pullman and and Kyle Bush in the car
You can sense that just from listening to the radio
Yeah, and I if I had a crew chief that talked about about me like that
I'd have I would fire his ass quickly
Because that is unacceptable. They can be mad at me
But you know talking like that they talked on that channel to after Bristol that week that was that was unacceptable
That is the wrong guy combative chemical mixture right there. I don't think any
Yeah, highly combustible. I don't think any any time Kyle Bush has been good
Well, I'm great, but good his crew chief has always been good at
Let's think about the cowboy
Stevens yeah, I'll mannered guy many years was with him more
But here when I hear when I hear the crew chief talk about me like that
He has zero confidence in anything that I'm doing in the car and that pisses me off
If I'm the driver, I mean if you're gonna talk about me like that
I don't care if I can't hear you or not and he did the moment. No, that's that's what you mean and
You know, I just after that I was I was like there is no way that this will possibly work
Because this is way too toxic. I mean, there's a reason you and Rodney were so great for each other to different personalities
I had I had I had pretty I mean Gil Martin Todd barrier
You know and Rodney all all guys that were fairly mild mannered until you just tip them completely over the edge
But you can't Kyle Bush cannot have a guy that's tipped over the edge anytime something goes wrong
And it just seemed like that was the scenario that that they were in so I was I was I don't even drive the car
I have a have a any skin in the game and I was pissed off
I think it shows one thing to that RC
Like you said believes in Kyle and like they believe that he can turn it around
And so make those moves like those are the type of things you do
there isn't one minute of the day that Richard Childress is walking around happy right now and
That man loves racing and he is the one of the most competitive people that you will ever meet in your life and and does
not want to do anything but win and I
Can promise you that him making that he he is in there making moves to try to figure out how to fix this mess
Well, we'll see how that change how that plays out
We also are eager eagerly anticipating another very big change to the sport and what this may mean
Over the weekend NASCAR announced that Steve O'Donnell will be the CEO in the 78 year history of the sport
It's the first time an individual was chosen for this role that was outside the France family two questions for you
What impact will he have and what would you like to see him focus on first? Well first?
I love the perception of the family not
Running the show running the show and I you know Ben is right there right like he's eventually going to be running the show
He's right there. He's eventually going to be running the show
you know, I think that that
Jim was
In a couple battles with the lawsuit and all the things that that happened over the last couple years and and I think that
With all the challenges that we have in front of us from the car and and just you know, trying to put the sport back into being who they are
And I think it was it was probably going to be a pretty big task
And I think Steve O'Donnell coming into this position having worked with Mike Helton and and going through a lot of the great
Through all of the great periods of this sport and working at it from a number of different aspects of
Positions and things that he's been in
He knows
When it felt the best and he knows what this sport can and should be
And I think that getting back to those simple NASCAR ways is something that Steve has seen
Ben has been behind the wheel of trucks and arca cars owner owns a late-model team
He's he understands the competition side when we interviewed those two hearing them
constantly go back to the competition side of things and and
Communication competition and communication. I hope that's where they focus on and having that constant consistent communication with
You know the competitors and the drivers and the owners and and not just when it's going bad
But when it's going good as to what's next, let's get in we got to get it
We have to get in front of things even when things are going better
It always has to be about what is next and what are we are doing?
So I like the changes
I'm looking forward to to seeing where they go and and you know two guys that that have been involved from the competition side
Lead in the charge pain in the garage area at Talladega this weekend
It seemed like this was a very well received change from people that I was talking to you on the competition side just industry-wide
This was positively received. What did you gather from your conversations?
Yeah, so I was actually walking in on Sunday
and
ran into Steve and we had a we had a little chat and
While we're talking a fan comes up. He goes. I don't mean to interrupt
Steve I've heard you on a couple of podcasts here recently really excited about where you're headed and what you're saying
It's awesome, and I look at Steve. I go that probably doesn't happen very often. He goes. It's never happened before
Through right right you've said all the right things now. You got to follow through. Yeah
That's the most important thing here
We can't just say all the right things and and then not follow through and I would tell Steve that if he was sitting right here
You've done all the right things getting to this point and you've said all the right things
I'll make them happen and I want to say and I want to say one thing about the on the gym aspect like Jim
Took over a position when at a time where it was a lot asked for it didn't I didn't really
He had to do it and
got us back in line and
Did has done done a great job to getting us to this point and
Brother is he's gonna keep doing he's gonna keep being around and it invested
But I think we're at a point and still chairman of the board still chairman
He's still here, but like for him you've done like
You've reached you're also older like take some time to do something else that you enjoy as well
The guys that are here they're here and they're gonna keep this thing rolling
And I think that I think the the NASCAR CEO is a
38 year weekend 38 weekends a year job at least a bare minimum when you're racing
Yeah, he needs to be there and I don't know that that's a point in Jim's life where he wants to be there 38 weeks
But if it's like every good team owner the ones that are good are around every week and
You know present and I think that's where you see you know some of the some of these things that that venture off and in racing
It's a 24-7 position if you're gonna be good at whatever you're doing whatever you're doing a historic moment for the sport
We look forward to seeing what Steve O'Donnell will do in his new role a fun news item
Our Fox colleagues of Clint Boyer and Jamie McMurray will be returning to the seat for the craftsman truck series as part of the college
Program Clint will be racing at Dover and Jamie Mack will be racing at San Diego
It's I think it's awesome. I think it is absolutely awesome
You know Tony Stewart being back in the truck at Daytona and now you see
Clint in the last Fox race of the year with the all-star race at Dover
Going to be in the truck and I'm gonna sit up. I might just I told him I said I might just sit on the pit box
So I can critique the shit out of you
As many ideas and and all the BS that you come up with I can't wait to just sit here and tell you how bad you
When you when you get done, so I hope he has fun
I hope they both have fun and enjoy it not it's not gonna be you know, the performance isn't gonna be fantastic
But enjoy it. You know that whether you do good or bad just go out there and have fun with it
And be in the moment to take it for for what it is. And so
You know, it's McMurray, you know, he's he's I think he's taken a little more serious than clock
I take I take the piper to school all the time and every morning that I that I take her to school
I see McMurray out running through the neighborhood. So he's definitely physically. Yes, I mean to be ready
Yeah, yeah, I don't know that my man Clint is physically ready for a hot Dover day a hot Dover
And it's over and Dover's like that's a bear. I hope it's like 90. That's a bear like he picked it
Like he didn't pick like a he's really right around track. He picked up. He was really good there, but I'm not quite sure
that he's
I'm excited I'll be you know, obviously I do a lot of stuff with the RAM group
And so it'll be fun to have Clint and Jamie on board with us and
I hear the I hear the whoever finishes better the loser has to ride the mechanical bowl at the oh at the display at the display
I can't decide if I want to see just boy or get smashed on the thing or if I actually want to see
I think I'm leaning towards Jamie Mack having to get on this mechanical
It would be better
Well, we look forward to that our guys getting in the trucks can I run the joystick? Yeah, absolutely
Yeah, I would love to be the one running the joystick of whoever has to ride that ball. Yeah, I can I can make that happen
Okay, great. Yeah. Thank you. You were craftsman trucks are actually back on track this weekend the series returns
Everyone's headed at Texas Motor Speedway
Mile-and-a-half track different banking on each ends talk to us about the nuances of very unique
Since they've they've redone this particular track and really the key to this track is how you enter turn one and when you can get back
In the gas on the exit of two so
Really easy for the truck to or car to to push the front tires
You do not want your car to be loose into turn one or truck
So, you know, it's a the other end and three and four carry a lot of momentum a lot of bumps down there that you
Gotta navigate through big bump through the through the middle of the corner higher
You go up through through three and four, but it is it is definitely hammer down through three and four a lot of finesse
Through turns one and two one and two a guarantee. We will see side
Force action like you ever seen all year
Especially in the truck when they get door-to-door and the guy on the top kind of puts on the the door on the guy on the bottom
It's it's a real sketchy
Situation it's so it's so fast over there and flat and like
It's it's one of the weirdest corners that I've ever driven in my life
It's turn one it at Texas because you it's so wide when they made that that end of the racetrack wider
You go off into the corner and you're like
I can't really see the bottom of the corner down there
But so you just kind of follow the dash lines the hash marks and and you know
You got to drive the thing down to the bottom of the racetrack until the groove moves up
But it is a very wide I'm gonna be honest this track when it first got when it first reconstructed it
The racing was very different, right? Yeah a little bit to be desired for
But it's got weathered and like the way the cars are now and trucks are in the setups
I think it's turned into one of our better races the last couple years money's made in turns one and two though
Money's made in turns big honey. That's right. Hey, I got a great story from Texas
I was just gonna ask more stories
Yeah, have I told the hundred dollar bill story on this show the what tell it again if you have a freshest
so we were racing the race one night at at Texas and got done with the race and and
Get out of my car and they're you know, they always I pulled back to the hauler obviously didn't win
On the car right and I pull up into the hauler and I get out and the guys cleaning everything off and he grabs this
Piece of debris off the grill hundred dollar bill. Yeah, that is cool. Stuck it stuck to the I don't know what I did with it
It's pretty crazy. You'll come in and you'll have razor blades stuck in the thing. You'll have that's insane
I mean you have all kinds of random stuff just be stuck in the nose of the car
I bet so you won there three times does one stand out to you more than the others
That was a big focus for for Rodney when I started, you know, because we we'd always just at RCR
I always struggled at at Texas on Sunday. We were always dominant on on Saturday and Friday and the in the
Bush cars and in the trucks so
But Sunday was was always a struggle could never make it work and even the first couple years at at
Stuart Haas we I think one year the crank fell off the harmonic bounce off the front of the motor
absolutely destroying them and
You know, so we we went through a couple years of struggle and finally broke through and then we won, you know
So I feel like we should have won about ten of them there
But ultimately only one only one three, but that was one of our best tracks on Saturday, man
We we always know who was always really good there, too
Greg Biffle. Yeah, he was always great at Texas
Hmm. Yes. So the last time we were there because we only visit that track once now a year, which is different
Team Penske won with Joey Logano Kyle Larson dominated some stretches of the race led 90 laps
So who are you kind of watching this weekend? Yeah, I think that the only way that that's I mean really the only forward that can win
Right now is is Ryan Blaney unless there are some extreme circumstances of wrecks or crazy strategy or something
I just don't see any of the rest of those cars
Unless they have made some crazy leaping in
They're handling the things they have going on winning on a mile and a half. I just I don't I don't see that
I think Blaney is the only one truly capable of having enough speed to win on a mile and a half. So
Yeah, I think that's that's my opinion about those that scenario I mean
It's really hard not to pick a Toyota like a JGR Toyota 2311 one right now. They're just the Hendrick
Teams are getting better, but they're not there yet. And so it's hard right now
I think they have a strange I would agree
I think that the you know the 2311 cars and Joe Gibbs racing and those Toyotas are
They're gonna be hard to beat because you have to have the car to be able to turn and grip to go with it
And they have that right now. So I
Do agree that I think that the you know that the Hendrick cars have gotten better
I think that they obviously have the potential to make their cars as good if not better than the Toyotas if they get the balance figured out
But they hadn't got there yet. Okay, you're just gonna have to watch it to find out
See how the series performed this weekend at Texas
It is time now for everyone's favorite segment according to him
Ladies and gentlemen
Welcome to your favorite segment on Fox Sports
Mamba social sips. Hey, I was in I was in the in the fan zone
Walking through and some fans were wanting a picture or whatever. They're talking like hey tell Kevin that because they're Chase Elliott fans
They're like tell Kevin the only reason we like him now is because you're on this show
And I said I'll let him know for you. So you they you got some new Chase Elliott fans. That's you. That's so let's get into it
Like always word of the week
We're gonna start right there. You like that. You just you know, that's gonna do one of the week run it
You watch this see he's on the outside. Oh, man
It's a tire wipes out the carrier guys back up on his feet, but he totally missed the box coming in
Yeah, this is definitely quite the diabolical situation for Joe Gibbs racing just a disaster on that first pit stop
It's not not every word needs to be
Hard right some of them just need to be fun and that's one was perfect. It's a trendy word
Did you pick it? Yeah, I picked it. You did. It was very well. It just flowed. Yeah, you know
They didn't notice. Yeah, yeah, booth booth never noticed
I never had to set it up like I did last week to have have the frame
Of the two guys that I wanted in the frame
To use the word that I don't even remember from last week, but this one was way easier
Yeah, don't worry. We only got a couple left. So we got some hitters coming for you
Stephen A Smith is a
World-renowned
reporter of sports
He's built a media empire. He's actually been at
2311 and visited them before and seemed to be a big fan of racing
but last week he said that NASCAR drivers are not athletes and
I'm not gonna read the whole quote, but he basically was saying that if if you're a
Grandma and can drive 70 and you're 70 years old and can drive a car
Then that would mean you're not an athlete and he said golfers aren't athletes as well
And I just was floored by that Kevin. Yeah, well
Look, I mean, it's it's hard to it's hard to have a conversation with somebody who's very uneducated about our sport
And you know, I think that if you're gonna throw stuff like that out there, you need to at least understand what you're talking about so
Yeah, I think the guy just likes to hear himself talk and and bring stuff up to see who can who can bring the most clicks
He's definitely got some clicks out of this scenario
Yeah, Joey Logano is saying because he was questioned a lot of the drivers were questioned about this over the weekend
And Joey is like, well, I think this is a prime example of someone just wanting views wanting clicks
And he's like, there's so much more that goes into this
Of course, you know mental side physical side that if you're not
Engrained with this sport and the competitors you would not have no idea
I mean, he probably still thinks that I mean, I guess he has been to 2311
But there's a lot of people that think it operates out of a two-car garage. Yeah
I go to the Chevy dealership and pick up your new car this I would I would Stephen a
Unk I would challenge you to come to a
Come to track house motorplex. It's rental go-karts. If you can run
Two races without feeling like your arms are falling off
Then maybe but I don't think you can and that's in ten minute races. So good luck. All right onto the next one
Hendrik won on Saturday Corey Day first-time winner
Was pretty great and he also had Jason Kelsey on his
Participating yeah, but he actually need practice with them all week. Yeah, this is not like a stunt
This is Kyle arson needed him on his pit stop. Yeah
Probably need a little bit of help. So he helped with the second can
Corey dated a great job goes on to win the race
Yeah, he won the high-limit race. He did I actually Texas
Actually texted someone on his team. I'm like, oh, he's probably gonna be locked in
And you guys are probably gonna win this weekend and they went off and did but I was right there for the win
Let's check out this sound for it
I was like, what do they say? Yeah, they so I wondered what they were saying
I thought they were gonna say honestly thought they're gonna say we're going to Disney because you know, that's what everybody
But they're like boulevard. I'm like that was way better way better. So he was out there
He was with Clint. It's really neat to see other who was taking that in Jason Kelsey. Oh, was it Jason was with the Clint
Beast mode March on Lynch was out there. They were at the Kittmore concert. Our guys had a head of entertainment. He is having a good time
Yeah, she's entertainment
We had a weekend of first-time winners all three series all three free series
Andy Jankowiak the pride of Western
Got it done shout out Andy Sice as well who's a part of this team
Modified guy and him and Cletus
Going after it Gus Dean in there too Gus could have wrecked Cletus very easily and gave him some room
And then around the top comes Andy J
Delivered the goods and he's been close on those style tracks in the past too
Just hasn't been able to cross that threshold, but what a good dude. Yeah, maybe it was actually a really good race
And I was I was watching from like couch in my motorhome and every time I thought Cletus was getting ready to take the lead
I'd go outside because the crowd reactions were unbelievable
And it was it was it was really cool to see
and hear the
Reception that that he was getting from getting better both of these guys have a great story as far as
What what what they've what they've done to to get to this point, but crowd loves Cletus cut listen
There's no denying it. Yeah, I think our hardcore haters don't like Cletus. No, they hate everything
No, and they yeah, they're gonna have themselves
I believe they're gonna have to start walking some of that hate back because yeah, not only is Cletus like getting better like
Objectively getting better. Yes. He is
In with the teams and the drivers like he's working and he's building these relationships
The fact that he was in victory lane with Andy Jane Koyak like bro, he's all about it
So Cletus brother, just keep doing your thing do your thing. I don't think you have to worry about that
No, I'm gonna do his own thing. I know he would have thought he won the race. He's staying on top of that car
I love it man. I'm all about it squirrel didn't have that much luck. No, but he did a pretty good job, too
He got caught up in someone else's mess nuts cracked really enjoying that series this year
It's actually it's been really cool to watch
Didn't even hear me. I heard the nut
Did you hear us talking about the jockey car the skid marks
Yeah, we were talking about the jockey car and and you know, they got those they the
Bodies on the underside of their car and we were talking all the skid marks were all over the track and
Jockey car was leading and hopefully doesn't get any skid marks in his underwear. Oh
It is I mean you gotta have fun with some of the sponsor stuff. Yeah, it's hilarious
A lot of skid marks. That's right. I've done people
Skid marks in the jockeys underwear. Have you ever left some skid marks in your fire? Okay, move it on. Oh, yeah, absolutely
Sometimes you just got a little you gotta you can't be uncomfortable in there
Okay
Have you no, no, I've never raced that long. Have you ever checked? No, I just
Yeah, if you want to leave a voicemail
805 3174175 if you want to leave a mail back question. Harvick happy r4 at gmail.com
Okay, there you have it well done on sips
Time now for the last call and this might take some time to grade this celebrations
Plurals because there's a lot to digest
For its own show. Oh, yeah, here's here's just the burnout piece. So what do we think of this?
I we're gonna change the name officially changing the segments name today from best burnout to best celebration
Yeah, all right, and this one hands down wins the best best celebration. No competition. No competition on this one
Creativity this is hands down a plus and this is allegedly
Carson had said he this he premeditated this for some time
He'd had this plan in his head of what he wanted to do and just wasn't quite sure how easy would be to execute
No, that guy is in the photography like area he is not supposed to be down there
I thought I thought for sure that he had like the double barrels hanging out right there, but it was his phone. Yeah, I
I
Carson
Great job getting the car back under control because I was slightly worried a couple of times
But when he drove it back up to the fence and about buckled the whole hood
I'm like this guy is doing crazy celebration. It was awesome. There's a friend and the crowd was going nuts
I was having I was more entertained by watching the crowd. Mm-hmm. I'm telling you super popular win those those fans were
Really really really hyped and it's not every time that you see that usually it's just a little cheer and it was yeah
You know, he just he did a great job and and he's willing to lean into stuff like that
That's what's gonna set him apart from from a lot of the other drivers
Yeah, if you want some if you want some discount code on cars and holes of our merch you can go to NASCAR Sundays
We have a 10% discount code
It might last longer, but right now it's 25% off, but it's only 24 hours
So by the time you see this
No, we still got 10% we're good, okay
Very cool for Carson Hosebar, but all the chilies are packed across the nation supporting him high marks for Carson
Okay, speaking of high marks. Oh, geez
You guys come on for once now. No, I love it. I love the fact that you're winning and not him
So if I can't win I hope you win I picked Carson to win and you know
I kind of went out on a limb with it, but I had a strong feeling apparently he did too because he said I knew I was gonna win
Yep, so there we go 40 points for me 38 Mamba
How many wins do you have this year? I'm protesting. Have you won two? I think two or three. I've won. I'm still protesting
She's
One one two. So there you go. Yeah, I'm gonna come out you guys left me out for a whole week
Listen, you can be mad about this all you want, but
You could have sent in your pick and you did not nobody asked. I shouldn't have to ask
Okay, he's just you should just do it. Whatever. I'm gonna win anyway
All right, well our next chance to redeem is right now for picks for Texas motor speed
All right. Well, I think we've all pretty much agreed that we're gonna pick a Toyota
Have we yeah, okay, like I mean you said it not me. I know I said it's hard to pick against
Yeah, so I think my Toyota is probably
My Toyota is going to be Christopher Bell. Oh, that's mine, too
I had a couple weeks ago and he didn't pull through but I'm hoping for a better result. Yeah, I was singing C-bell
Oh, but I
Feel like someone needs to go against the grain give me number five the champ Kyle Larson
It's gonna happen. It's got one of these weeks. I mean they were they were decent at Kansas
They were decent at Vegas. It's gonna hit. It's gonna go ahead. Yeah, so let's hit this weekend. There you go
I like that. I talked about it. He led 90 laps at this race a year ago
So it's good to be the guys that's a confidence for the dirt guys a bell and Larson for this weekend at Texas
So we'll see how that goes. All right now your Thursday episode
I'm excited for this. I am to and that both of them are there to participate. Yes, Tony Stewart and Leah Pruitt
Yes, Tony coming off of his
first win of the year in his top fuel dragster and
They were in Charlotte last weekend for the race
So I went out on Thursday and interviewed Tony and Leah to catch up on life and her being back in the car and Tony's
Came off of the weekend two weeks after after his win hadn't been back in the car
so got to spend a lot of time with with Tony and
Leah and
Dominic yeah in the tent running around everywhere smashing ice just wide open. So he
He's gonna be he's gonna be a handful, but we had a great interview. Yeah, I got to see even talked a little bit of truck racing, too
Oh, I got to see Nelson his dad. Oh, you did. Yeah, so we would he gave me his
Weekend advice was hey kid don't take any wooden nickels, and I'm like, I don't even think they make nickels anymore
Wooden nickels. Yeah, that's funny. Well, we look forward to hearing that. So I promised you I had something from Bob
Okay over the weekend, I guess at the tweet up perhaps maybe this happened this guy has a tattoo of forever
Submit this
On his farm. Yeah, but like look how young he is
This is a young man to already be committed for life on his skin to Kevin
I've seen a lot of those forever tattoos and fortunately we had a we had a great fan base and
Yeah, that is that is definitely dedication never never surprises me
Should we get one of those for him? Like just your you must be joking. Yeah, you can get one on your wrist right here
Yeah, no, you got a big fan. You can just you can put happy hour. Yeah
When you hold your arms up
They say happy hour like this. I gotta be honest the intruding thoughts I had in my brain to hold back
I can't comment on this. Yeah, we had to end the show on that high note. So all right, I'm a happy note
All right, thanks for joining us. We will see everybody after Texas next week
About this episode
Carson Hocevar’s first Cup win at Talladega drives the conversation, with Kevin Harvick breaking down how he stayed patient, avoided mistakes, and capitalized on the late chaos. The crew digs into Hocevar’s bold personality, his victory celebration, and why the garage respects his raw speed even if his style rubs some the wrong way. They also examine the big wreck that reshaped the race, Spire Motorsports’ growing investment, Kyle Busch’s new crew chief situation, and a quick preview of Texas Motor Speedway.
Carson Hocevar’s first NASCAR Cup Series win at Talladega, his unforgettable post-race celebration, pit road mistakes, and major NASCAR leadership changes headline a wild weekend of racing action and analysis. On this episode of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, Kevin Harvick, Kaitlyn Vincie, and Mamba Smith break down Carson Hocevar capturing his first Cup Series victory at Talladega Superspeedway, dive into the costly pit road errors across multiple teams, and react to Andy Street being named the new crew chief for Kyle Busch. The trio also discuss NASCAR announcing that Steve O’Donnell will become the CEO, they highlight Andy Jankowiak winning the ARCA race with Cleetus McFarland finishing second, preview the upcoming race at Texas Motor Speedway as Kevin shares a hilarious Texas story, and they react to the latest Mamba’s Social Sips.
0:00 - Intro
2:30 - Talladega Weekend Recap
23:34 - New Crew Chief For Kyle Busch
34:56 - Texas Preview
40:13 - Mamba’s Social Sips
48:27 - Last Call
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