They’re giving an update on ARCA racing—what’s going well lately and why more people are paying attention. It’s basically a “where things stand right now” check-in.
An onboard camera is a camera mounted in the race car that shows what the driver sees. It helps fans feel closer to the action because you see the race from inside the car.
The garage area is where teams work on the race car between track sessions. There are usually rules about who can be where and what teams can do.
Topic
rules of engagement
They mean the basic guidelines for how things work—what’s allowed and what’s expected. It’s basically “how you’re supposed to do things” in that racing environment.
The segment discusses how ARCA Menards series drivers move up, using the example that all 10 Cup-series drivers in that context also ran ARCA. It’s an argument about the feeder-series pipeline and how ARCA experience translates to higher NASCAR levels.
They’re talking about the racing schedule and how it includes lots of different kinds of tracks. The idea is that drivers get experience in many different situations.
Daytona is a famous high-speed oval track used in big stock-car races. Mentioning it shows the series races on very different kinds of tracks, not just one style.
Lime Rock is a road course, meaning it has turns like a typical road. The series includes tracks like this, so drivers have to handle the car differently than on ovals.
Place
Springfield
Springfield is mentioned as a dirt-track event. Dirt racing feels different because the surface grips differently than pavement.
Place
Watkins London
This sounds like they meant Watkins Glen, another famous road course. They’re listing road courses to show the series races on more than just ovals.
Place
DuCoin
This is probably a dirt-track venue in Illinois (often spelled DuQuoin). They’re listing it to show the series includes dirt racing too.
Sonoma is a road course track (not an oval). It has lots of different corners and elevation changes, so drivers have to manage grip and braking carefully.
Portland is a road course track used for racing events. It’s the kind of track where car handling and tire grip matter a lot because the turns come in combinations.
A tri-oval is a race track shape with three main turns. “Half mile” means the track is about 0.5 miles long, so it’s usually tighter and more technical than the big fast tracks.
Anderson Speedway is a very small race track—about a quarter mile. Short tracks like this usually mean close, intense racing because the turns are frequent and tight.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a NASCAR race series where the cars are based on pickup trucks. The hosts are talking about whether Ram or Dodge is coming back to race there.
O’Reilly Auto Parts is the sponsor name attached to the ARCA series. So when they say he made an “O’Reilly” start, they mean he raced in ARCA that weekend.
ARCA is a stock-car racing series where drivers race all season and earn points. Winning the ARCA championship means you were the best over the whole year.
The “truck series” is a NASCAR series where the cars are based on pickup trucks. Winning the championship means being the best driver across the whole season.
A setup is how a race car is adjusted for a specific track and conditions. Even if the driver is talented, the car can handle differently depending on the setup.
Aerodynamics is how the car’s shape interacts with air. In racing, that affects how stable the car feels and how fast it can go, and different series can feel very different.
Drafting is when race cars run close together so the car behind gets a little help from the air. It makes it easier to stay close and pass, but it can also lead to big wrecks.
Rockingham is a famous race track. It’s the kind of place where cars can be hard to drive fast and consistently, so drivers often struggle to keep clean laps early on.
Late models are a type of stock-car racing you’ll see on short tracks. The suggestion is that trying them could help a driver learn new skills and bring in more attention.
They’re talking about pickup-truck style stock-car races, not passenger cars. The idea is that doing a few of those events can help a driver get more experience and stay in a racing rhythm.
Topic
Raleigh
Raleigh is where some racing events happen in North Carolina. They’re mentioning it as a place where a driver might race in addition to ARCA to build experience.
“Full time” in racing means committing to the majority of events in a season rather than making only occasional “select starts.” The hosts argue that consistent participation helps a driver build rhythm, accumulate laps, and improve results—while also increasing series exposure.
Cleetus McFarland is a popular racing figure. The hosts are talking about how big it would be for the series if he committed to racing full-time, because his fanbase could increase viewership.
A “TV deal” is the agreement for how a racing series gets shown on TV or streaming. If more people watch, the series can often negotiate a better next contract.
AJ Almaninger is a race driver who has competed in stock-car racing. The point being made is that he moved up through the ranks faster than some people expect.
Juan Pablo Montoya is a famous race car driver who has competed in different types of racing. The host is using him as an example of someone who moved into a new discipline and adapted quickly.
“Cup” means NASCAR’s top-level series. It’s the biggest stage in NASCAR, so getting into Cup is a big deal for a driver.
Person
Marty Robbins
Marty Robbins is mentioned as an older example of a famous entertainer who showed up in NASCAR. The host is using it to say that celebrity crossover into racing isn’t new. It’s more about pop culture than technical racing.
Caitlyn Jenner is mentioned as an example of a celebrity who tried to get into NASCAR. The host is talking about how famous people sometimes try racing, which can draw more attention. It’s not about car mechanics.
Bruce Jenner is mentioned as part of the same celebrity example about trying NASCAR. The host is saying this kind of crossover happens more than once. It’s about attention and interest, not racing details.
Frankie Muniz is a celebrity name dropped as an example of someone who tried racing in NASCAR. The host is basically saying celebrities sometimes show up in motorsports, which can bring more attention. It’s not a technical racing detail—more about pop culture crossover.
Long Beach is a city where big racing events happen. It’s known for races run on streets rather than a traditional track. The host is sharing where they were traveling when they talked to someone.
They’re talking about two different kinds of racing in the U.S. NASCAR uses stock cars, and IndyCar uses open-wheel race cars. The discussion is about getting new fans to watch.
Term
domination
“Domination” here means one brand or team is basically running the race better than everyone else. It’s not just one good moment—it’s repeated speed and control.
Tony Stewart is a well-known NASCAR driver and team owner. The host is referencing a story from Stewart to explain why Toyota’s recent wins seem unusually strong.
Bill France was the founder of NASCAR. The story is using him as an example of how NASCAR leadership reacted when a driver was winning too much early on.
Daniel Suárez is a NASCAR driver. The host is talking about his win at Charlotte and suggesting it may not fully represent the overall speed of the field.
“Three wide” is when three cars drive next to each other at the same time. It’s usually chaotic and risky, but it can also help someone gain position if the lanes work out.
“Mile and a half” is how long the race track is—about 1.5 miles around. Longer ovals change how cars draft and pass, especially when many cars are running together.
A “new nose” means the race car’s front section was redesigned. In racing, that can change how the car cuts through air and how stable it feels at speed.
“Top two seeds” means the two drivers who look like the biggest favorites. It’s basically saying they’re in the best position to make a run for the championship.
Toyota is the car brand being talked about here. The hosts are saying Toyota drivers are strong right now and are competing with each other for wins and championship points.
Person
Briscoe
Briscoe is a NASCAR driver the hosts think should be winning soon. They’re saying he’s had some slow starts, but his results suggest he’s ready to break through.
“Gibbs” is a driver the hosts are talking about. They’re saying he’s finally driving with the same kind of speed he showed earlier in smaller racing series.
This phrase means the situation gets more stressful as the season goes on. The hosts are saying some drivers are better at handling that rising pressure when the championship is on the line.
Christopher Bell is another NASCAR driver. The hosts are saying he’s been in the championship fight before, so he understands the pressure when it really matters.
The “first to worst to first” is a dramatic race storyline. It means someone starts out great, has a bad moment that drops them back, and then comes back to win.
It’s a scenario where the fastest qualifier (pole sitter) ends up near the back but still wins. The point is that short-track races can flip quickly, so starting first doesn’t guarantee an easy win.
This means they intentionally reverse the order so the people who were ahead have to start behind for the next part of the race. It’s meant to shake up the field and make racing more interesting.
Phoenix is a NASCAR track where the race distance is measured in kilometers. The host is using it to show that tracks can make their races a bit different.
An “option tire” is a choice of tire type for a race. Softer tires usually grip more but wear faster, so teams have to decide what’s best for their strategy.
LIVE
All the rowdy fans are satting down And it still doesn't seem real after all these
days Nobody wants to get drunk and get loud Everybody just wants one more rowdy race
I look back on those good ol' rowdy days Like when it came up the radio filled with rage
You could always count on him for a bite of sound But it ain't the same without rowdy around
And all the rowdy fans are satting down
Welcome on in ladies and gentlemen to another edition of the Front Tritch Happy Hour Program. I am your host, Mr. Brian Nolan.
Great stuff as always from Mr. Michael Massey. He is one half of my co-host with me. So I'm going to bring him in right now at M-Massie22.
Massey, I hope you are feeling better. Do you sound better than last week? I know you were a little bit worse for the wear last week. How are you, buddy?
Hey, I think I sound better, but I don't know. You sound the same.
You could hear me sick a little bit in that song right there, but I had to do a tribute to Kyle Busch because we didn't do one last week.
The whole show was a tribute to Kyle Busch last week, but no song. But yeah, great to be here. Great to be feeling a lot better than not doing the show for my deathbed like I was last week.
And yeah, we got some fun yesterday.
Yeah, unfortunately for Dalton Hopkins, he is not going to experience this awesome program. He is currently on vacation with his fiance.
So hopefully he has a great time in Disneyland and we will talk with him next week, but we're going to bring in one of our other hosts that is a podcaster for Front Tritch.
He is the host of Through the Gears, Michael Abela Feini. Did I say your last name right, Michael? This is the first time I said it.
If I didn't, please correct me, my friend.
Very close. I almost got there, Brian. It was Bella Femmini.
Oh, Bella Femmini. Okay.
Goodness. It is awesome to have you on. Thank you so much and welcome to Happy Hour, man.
Appreciate it, guys. Great to be on. Looking forward to the talkers tonight.
Now, I'm going to bring in our guest. This guy could probably go toe to toe in statistics of ARCA with one of our ARCA guys, Mr. Mark Crystal.
That is the man that runs all of the ARCA stuff for us, the media, Mr. Charlie Crawl.
Charlie, thank you so much, my friend. First and foremost, I'm going to get a text from this man.
But how in the world do you tolerate Mark Crystal?
It can be a challenge sometimes. And just to be quite frank, I am the guy who corrects all of Mark's ARCA statistics, so there you have it.
Okay. I love it. I love that. I'm waiting for the text, Mark, because I know it's going to happen.
But in all seriousness, thanks for coming on. It feels like ARCA has really taken a huge momentum boost.
Why is it and why is the answer going to be Cletus?
Well, it certainly is Cletus. He has helped us with bringing in a lot of eyeballs, which is a very good thing.
Regardless of what racing series you are, you never have enough people watching.
Cletus has raced with us a couple of times already this year. Daytona and Talladega, he was really, really strong at Talladega.
He's going to come and run with us at Michigan this week. And I think we're going to have some eyeballs watching us there.
He'll have an onboard camera, which benefits him, which benefits us.
He's a very interesting character. He's a very interesting person.
I think we had some speed bumps with Cletus very early on, and that was just part of him getting acclimated to how this is going to work.
What are the rules in the garage area? What are the rules out on the racetrack?
When can I be in character? When should I not be in character type stuff?
Now that he knows basically what the rules of engagement are, and now that he has had some time racing another series,
I think you will see him take a very big step in his performance level here.
I know he talked about that a little bit with Freddy Kraft and Tommy Baldwin on Door Bumper Clear.
I do. I think you'll see a big step in his performance.
And I think the better he runs in any race that he's in, the more of his fans are going to be watching,
and the better off everybody is going to be at least in the very short term.
Cletus has been a mini-boon for the Arkham and Art series.
In addition to that, I think just in general, we've been in an uptick.
We've had increased car counts at just about every race the last couple of years.
Sometimes that's one car. Sometimes it's six or seven cars.
You know, that's a big atta boy needs to go out to the competition guys that work with us day in and day out
that are just really pounding the pavement and trying to get more cars to show up each and every week.
You know, I think this is just my personal opinion.
More cars on the racetrack generally leads to more action,
and that leads to more exciting races and better broadcasts.
And, you know, it just gives us all a lot more to talk about and to be excited about.
Yeah. So, Charlie, the Taupega race, I view that as probably the greatest Arkham race that I've ever watched
just because it was so exciting.
But the outside of just Cletus, there's so many good storylines.
It feels like an arc of this year because I think about the end of that race yet Isabella Robusto
trying to become the first woman to went Taylor Reimer as well right there.
You got Destiny Spurlock that's in the field first black woman.
Obviously, Andy Jay won the race. That's a really cool story in and of himself.
Do you feel blessed this year that like the Arkham field has so many cool stories going on outside of just Cletus?
Absolutely. You mentioned a lot of them.
You know, I remember when Andy came in, you know, kind of with his own self-financed race car
and it was just a bunch of him and a bunch of his friends.
And, you know, it seemed like such an insurmountable hill for him to climb to get to where he was going to be able to contend for a win.
And he's there. You know, he was in victory lane.
And I know that it meant so much to him from, you know, from where he started and to the to the class motorsports team from where they started.
What a terrific story that is. Anybody who does not know who Andy Jay Kowieck is, please look him up.
It's a terrific, terrific story.
And there was a reason why Cletus came to victory lane and gave him a big hug.
You know, those two raced really hard.
They raced with a lot of respect and those two have a lot in common.
You know, just personally, they live that life on the edge.
And they're both kind of wild and unpredictable at times, too.
So that's really, really cool.
Some of the other stories, Destiny's Burlach Destiny is such a neat inspirational story.
You know, who would have thought 75 years into into our existence that we'd have the first black female driver, you know, it's you would have thought that that would have happened a long time ago.
She's done a really nice job for the level of experience that she came in with, which was really not a lot on oval track.
She's got a very long racing resume, just not a lot as far as oval track racing was concerned.
So she's done a really nice job.
She's had two really strong races at Kansas.
I think we're going to see her have another really nice race there at Michigan.
Some of the other female drivers, as you mentioned, Isabella, Taylor Reimer, Laney Bice back with us this week at Michigan.
Laney had a terrific race the last time she was with us.
And not just in the Arkham & Ard series, but in the Arkham & Ard East and West, you've got some really great stories there as well.
The championship battle, I think in the East series is going to be pretty interesting watching, you know, the 77 and the 18 teams go at it, both for the driver's championship and the owner's championship.
You know, it's just going to be a lot of fun all the way around.
Charlie, the battle in the main series is heating up, too, with a couple of guys that have been in the O'Reilly series.
They dropped down and they're running in the top three, Ryan Vargas, Thomas Nunziata, fellow Jersey guy.
I see him on social media, too.
I like his stuff, but you have those guys and then you have guys in the truck series and the O'Reilly series.
You kind of see it mixing series.
How great is that to see guys like Gio Rosiero come down and Daniel Dai, Connor Mozac and kind of, you know, that iron sharpens iron type of thing that we see and with cup drivers going out of the rally kind of just trickles down.
Yeah, it's really neat and that's been the hallmark of the series for most of the last 40 years is this really is the preeminent training ground for drivers who would like to go and take that next step.
Somebody like Gio Rosiero, somebody like Thomas Nunziata.
You know, on any given race day in one of the top three national series, whether this trucks O'Reilly or cup, 80% of those drivers have raced with us in some form or fashion.
And I couldn't tell you the number of wins those drivers have generated in the national series.
It's in the hundreds.
It's in the thousands, you know, when it comes to top fives and it's in the tens of thousands when it comes to top 10 finishes.
You know, Arca has been a terrific proving ground over the years.
So when you need to get laps at a place like Michigan to help you race your truck, that's exactly why Gio Rosiero is here.
He's going to get come and run, you know, 200 miles in race conditions against a pretty stout field.
You know, and, you know, we saw Thomas Nunziata do that last year at Labrock.
You know, that helped him, you know, gain some road racing experience for when he was racing in the O'Reilly series later on in the season.
You know, this it's it's great to see these drivers come through, you know, selfishly, I wish we would have them a little longer.
You know, somebody like a Jesse Love.
We were blessed with Jesse racing with us from the time he was 15 all the way through his 18th birthday.
But there are a lot of these guys we might only get for a portion of a year, you know, before they're they're old enough to go and make that leap into the next big series.
So, you know, that's kind of the downside to it is we don't get to hold on to them for very long.
But it is great to see these young drivers and these drivers looking to make their their way up into the next level.
And we take a lot of pride in the fact that a lot of these drivers, the vast overwhelming majority of these drivers make a pit stop with us on their way up that ladder.
Yeah, I'm looking at arcarracing.com, Charlie, and you guys wrote an article about the Arkham Nard series graduates, how they finished at Charlotte.
All 10 drivers in the Cup series came and ran in the Arca Menard series.
I mean, that is that if that says something about your series, I don't I don't know what does that's incredible there.
But a couple more things here before we transition into more more cleatest talk.
I want to talk about your schedule because your schedule is something unlike any other series that I know.
You guys go to the big tracks like Daytona and Talladega.
You go to the big tracks like Michigan and Pocono, but you also go to like short tracks like Toledo and Elko.
You go to road course like Lime Rock.
You also go to a dirt track in the Illinois State Fairgrounds and the Decorate Fairgrounds.
Two day tracks, yeah.
Yeah, I mean, is your series the most dynamic, most unique series in terms of the schedule and in terms of the different types of racetracks?
I like to think so.
You know, we only have 20 races on the calendar, but I think in that 20 races, it's the most diverse schedule that you're going to see in a national touring series stock car division.
You know, from the little bull ring at Elko to Salem, Berlin and Toledo, you know, you've got a couple of road courses in there in Lime Rock and Watkins London to dirt tracks, Springfield and DuCoin.
All of the super speedways that we go to, Daytona, Talladega, Michigan, Kansas, Chicagoland.
The only thing I think we're missing is that street race and I'm all for it.
You know, trust me, if we could get added to the return of the Chicago street race, I think that would just be terrific.
But yeah, I think we really do.
I think we have the most diverse schedule.
And I think, you know, when you look at where the east and the west go to as well, you know, Sonoma and Portland are the two road courses that we run out west.
You know, the bull rings on the West series are just fantastic.
You know, we've got the Napa Auto Parts, Greg Biffle Memorial 150 coming up this week in a Tri-City Raceway.
That is one of the neatest racetracks in the entire country.
A true three turn tri oval half mile racetrack right at the base of the Red Mountains.
It's just absolutely incredible.
Just the scenery and the racetrack itself.
You know, the east, although four of those races are combination races with the Arkham and Art series, having Hickory and Rockingham and Flat Rock Speedway, one of my home tracks up here in the Midwest, just such a neat schedule.
You know, people ask me all the time, well, what's your what's your favorite race on on the calendar?
It's literally is like whatever one's coming up next, because every one of these races is cool.
Every one of these racetracks is special.
And I really do just have a blast going to each and every one of them.
You mentioned the Chicago Street course.
Is there another like dream track that you personally you the talking is you the race fan?
Is there a dream racetrack you'd want to go to?
That is a really great question.
I haven't thought about it like that.
You know, I've been I've been very fortunate that that we do get to go to a lot of the racetracks that I think are pretty cool.
You know, we go to Winchester Speedway off and on over the course of the last, you know, eight or 10 years.
We've been to Anderson Speedway, a neat little quarter mile bull ring just north of Indianapolis, a handful of times, particularly late 90s, early 2000s.
It's been a while I enter since a neat little place that I wouldn't mind going back to.
Boy, that is a tough one.
I think, you know, all of the racetracks that we go to are are pretty cool.
You know, I'm on the west side of things.
I wouldn't mind going back to like Orange Show Speedway just outside of Los Angeles.
I think that's a pretty cool track, San Bernardino.
I wouldn't mind getting back up to Evergreen Speedway up in Monroe, Washington with the East series.
I think it would be fun to get back up into the Northeast a little bit like Stafford or Thompson or Star Speedway, some of those traditional old racetracks.
But I think on the Arkham and Ard series side, I can't think of a racetrack that we don't currently go to that wasn't always one of my favorites.
You know, I'm pretty satisfied with how that's gone.
You're missing one.
You're missing Meridian Speedway in Idaho, Charlie.
Yep.
That would be neat to go back to.
I know.
That's right.
That would be cool.
I know.
I've been waiting.
Michael, do you have anything or do you want to, should we go to our next topic?
I would just say real quick about schedule talks always awesome.
I was wondering if on the OEM side, if the Dodge return to the trucks has sparked any conversations of any possible OEMs being interested in jumping back into Arca and Dodge left in the end of the 2010s.
So we have heard a little bit of conversation.
I am not involved in those meetings, so I'm probably not the guy to speak about those things.
But yeah, there has been some conversation with Dodge making their re-entry into, or Ram specifically making the re-entry into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
You know, having a Dodge entry in the Arkham and Art series would, you know, help bolster their driver development program.
And I think that's what they're looking to do perhaps somewhere in the future.
I don't know how serious those conversations are.
I don't know, you know, what their timeframe would be, but it would not surprise me to see that happen.
I just don't know what the timeframe on that would be.
Before we dive on into our last topic, the man, the myth legend, Mr. Mark Crystal, says it's tough to write an article saying these race tracks need to be on an Arca series schedule because it is so diverse.
But he would love to see Martinsville or selfishly Newport added to the schedule.
Yeah, Newport's a neat race track.
Okay.
So big thanks to Mark for sending in that comment.
Let's dive on into our second topic of the evening.
Massey, what is on your mind, my friend?
Well, we're going to talk some more Cletus McFarland.
He made another O'Reilly Auto Part Series start this week.
And I guess, you know, he's going to race trucks and Arca at Michigan this weekend.
So first off, I guess, how do you gentlemen thought?
How did you think he did this past week in Nashville?
And where do you think he stands on approval process?
Do you think he's ready for, you know, more starts in O'Reilly, bigger super speedways?
Or should he have more Arca races?
Charlie, we can start with you.
Where do you think, where do you see him at as development wise right now?
Well, selfishly, I think I look at it from a little more of a pragmatic frame of mind.
You know, Cletus comes in with not a lot of like full-bodied stock car experience.
You know, he's got a lot of experience racing, you know, those Crown Vicks.
That's real racing right there.
They're not goofing off, you know, but he doesn't have a lot of full-bodied stock car experience.
And he doesn't have a lot of experience at the bulk of these racetracks that, you know, we go to
and trucks in O'Reilly and Cup go to.
It would not hurt him one bit to come and chase an Arca championship full-time,
whether that was 2027 or somewhere down the road.
That would only help him in his development and help prepare him for whatever step is next down that road.
I don't think, if you talk to him, I don't think he's under any illusions that he's ready to go
and chase a truck series championship or an O'Reilly series championship just yet.
Like, I think he understands, you know, it's a big leap from where he's at right now
to whatever that next step is going to be.
You know, we've seen a lot of our drivers who were very successful, like an Andres Perez
and even a Jesse Love, who were very successful at this level.
Not saying that they haven't been successful at that next level, but it's a big step to take, you know,
and it's like going from, you know, high school football to, you know, starting in the NFL.
You know, that's hard to do. It's really hard to do.
You know, so I think him, Cleetus, coming in and running a full season with us would be very helpful to him
in his development as a race car driver.
That said, I think he's done a very respectable job in his O'Reilly starts.
I know his truck race at Daytona. I mean, that's such a different animal to begin with.
You know, I mean, I hear it all the time, you know, it looks like an Arca race out there.
Well, every race at Daytona looks like it can turn into a crash fest in a big, big hurry.
You know, I mean, why are you picking on us? You know, there's a lot of crashed cars in every one of those races.
They're very hard, you know, racing in the draft when, you know, each of those various series has different, you know,
aerodynamic qualities and different setups and, you know, it's just, it's hard.
It's a hard thing to do.
You know, he came to Rockingham in the O'Reilly car and had a couple of spins, made a couple of nice saves.
Didn't really impact anybody else's day.
You know, he impacted his own day, but didn't really impact anybody else's day.
And I think to me, that's important.
You know, you're out there learning, you're trying to figure out what you can do,
and you're not getting in there and you're not taking anybody else out while you're trying to figure that out.
So overall, I've been impressed with Cletus in his efforts.
I just, selfishly, I think I'd like to see him run a few more of our races.
And I think it would be highly, highly beneficial for him down the road.
Mike, what do you think about it?
Or Brian, you can go.
Mike, go for it, buddy.
Yeah, for Cletus, I think there shouldn't be a rush.
I think he should just do as much riding, you know, yet driving, riding as much as he wants in Arca or whatever.
I saw a comment that said he should try late models, try everything.
I think that'd be also a good way to get more eyeballs on the sport.
He brings in a lot of YouTube subscribers.
He's got a large audience, so I think the more races he runs, the better.
And I think he's only 31, he's got time to keep on developing.
You don't want to rush someone up too early.
And he didn't do, I think he just had a really tough first two races at Raleigh,
because those are two really tough tracks, like especially Rockingham.
From what I've heard, the stories are just how it's hard to run laps.
They're consistently strong, but I think, you know, and I love the fact that he's passionate about the sport.
He's making friends.
He's got good mentors.
So I think, you know, try and run maybe full time in a series next year.
Start from Arca.
Try and work in more truck in Raleigh starts.
And maybe one day he gets to the top if he gets more kind of respect from like other drivers and more laps.
And the executives catch note of that.
Charlie, for me, I feel like he just needs to do like a full Arca season,
not just like select starts here, select starts there.
Maybe maybe do a couple of truck races, couple of Raleigh races.
I feel like he needs to get into that rhythm of obviously you guys don't race every single week.
But I mean, you do race quite a bit.
I mean, 20 races is not is not a small amount by any stretch of the imagination.
What would that do for the series if you had a guy like Cleetus race every single race, let's say next year?
How big would that be for that series?
Oh, did we lose Charlie?
I think we've lost Charlie temporarily here.
Let me swing you guys over this way here.
There we go.
Thank you, Mr. Chris Graham.
This is why Mr. Chris Graham is the best in the business.
Massey, I'll just ask you this and then I'll ask Mike this question as well.
How what would it do for what would it do for the for the series, I should say, if Cleetus was to do full time?
Massey, we'll start with you, buddy.
Oh, you'd have record ratings for our guy to be, you know, that they could kind of take that that year and then the next TV deal.
You know, the TV networks will be like, What is this here?
There's just massive ratings right here.
But it'll be fun.
It'll be a fun, fun year of our kind.
I tune in every week.
I think a lot of fans would and yes, do we have him back?
Do we got you back, Charlie?
I don't know.
I don't know if we do or not.
I'm not sure if we do or not.
But Massey, go for it, my friend.
I think he would, I think, like you're saying, he would get better.
Yeah, I think we would see him win.
You know, he's got a good car and eventually the circumstance, I mean, he almost won Talladega.
So he's getting better and better in the archer car.
And then we would see that racecraft develop.
And yeah, as he makes more truck in a rally starts, we would just see that improvement.
That's, that's all he needs.
Amen, Mark.
Amen, brother.
We would have.
French.com would definitely benefit.
It's already the best archer coverage around.
So yeah, it'd be, it'd be awesome to have him there for a full year.
What do you, what do you think, Michael?
Yeah, I agree.
I think it can only help.
And I think maybe you can ring the score with him.
Why not just get all his friends and see who could run the best.
And like what, what Charles was saying, and that it's such a unique and a lot of different tracks.
He gets to run super speedways and short tracks and even dirt.
I think it could get him better and see which tracks he needs work on the most.
Maybe he could run some, some dirt.
I'm not sure what like the qualifications are for like those big like, you know, chili bowl and snowball.
There would be like, if you could get him in there too, that'd be pretty cool.
I think just to try all these different avenues of racing.
I think there'd be, like I said, content is king these days.
And you could definitely get a lot of new material with trying out different, you know, ventures.
We have some comments here.
Noah Coleman says a few, a full archer season next year would help.
He is not ready for O'Reilly yet.
I completely agree.
Their Rebel Soul 5980 says archer full time and run at least half the O'Reilly series races if possible.
Cletus is great for NASCAR.
He is bringing an entirely new fan base.
And then once one of our big fans, one of our friends, the stick says it would be so big that Charlie was speechless.
And you know what, Charlie was speechless, but we decided, we decided to let Charlie go.
A big thanks to Charles Krall.
We're coming on.
Once again, the Arkham and Ard series is going to be this weekend in Michigan.
We're going to have a smorgasbord.
That's a new word for me.
A smorgasbord of fantastic drivers from Cletus to Squirrel, Isabella Robusto.
And then you got guys like Daniel Dye as well.
So it's going to be fun.
Last but not least on this topic, it feels like there are people wanting him to fail.
Why?
I don't want to call him out, but Adam Cheek, I'm going to call you out.
Adam doesn't like Cletus.
And I don't know why.
So I'll go to you first, Mike, not Mas.
I'll go to you first, Mike.
Why is there some part of the NASCAR fan base that wants to see Cletus fail?
Well, I think there's this whole narrative around that.
He's just doing it to get views.
He's kind of like, well, clearly like you're showing so far that he's not ready.
And like, you know, I feel like people are already jumping.
I'm like, oh, he's going to try and run the Daytona 500 next year.
Like he's going to try and go crazy like that.
But like, I think just maybe for other, I mean, I could see why it could be like for more qualified drivers down the lower series.
I could see jealousy with him from within the industry, just from seeing him jump steps and rungs on the ladder to just get in there.
I could see why he has haters, but everybody, everybody's got haters.
And if he's got a lot of audience with him, I feel like, you know, the goods get that way.
The bad, I still think he's good for the sport.
And like I said, it's not like he's just doing this for money.
He's doing this because he loves what he's doing.
He had a great relationship with Beth.
Will you see that?
He's developed a relationship with the host of R.
Like he, he's trying to learn and I respect that it because I know that he kind of, I think I saw a comment where this is like the closest to every guy.
I come from racing NASCAR that at least he's trying to get better at it.
Yeah.
Massey, go for it.
Go for it.
That's a good point in that he's in an RCR car.
And you know that there's a lot of drivers in O'Reilly trucks, Arca, wherever local racing that would kill to be in an RCR car.
So it's just, they might view it as it's not earned.
It's not deserved.
But I think it's no different.
The thing to remember is that Cletus is a driver.
Like he is a professional driver with all his Crown Vic stuff and the stuff he does for his page.
So really I've started at first I was cynical as well, but I've started to more so after seeing the talent that he does have.
It's more like a, I don't want to make this comparison directly, but like a Juan Pablo Montoya or like an AJ Almaninger or something like that, like coming over.
Frontcrest.com's Michael Massey compares Juan Pablo Montoya to Cletus McFarlane.
Coming up next.
But you know what I'm saying where it's like these drivers come in from a different discipline and they kind of skip.
Like you didn't see Montoya doing late models for 10 years.
It's a prep for going to like they just threw him right in cup.
Like Almaninger, they had him do some trucks and stuff, but they put him pretty quickly in cup.
So that's why I kind of compare it to more and like he's he's a grown man.
Like he's in his 30s.
So like he doesn't have the time to do all that stuff where some of these guys, they need the development and so that they can one day hit a pinnacle that's way higher than he'll ever hit.
I don't know. People have always, celebrities have always come into NASCAR and try to run like we had Marty Robbins, the country singer, graced back in the day.
But like there was a time where Caitlyn Jenner, then Bruce Jenner tried to get into NASCAR.
So it's like Frankie Muniz is a good example as well.
You got Mark. I agree.
Yeah. So I don't know. It's kind of just part for the course. And I think people should just embrace it.
Like recognize what he is that he's not necessarily stealing a spot or anything.
Cause like that third children's car wouldn't be out there this past weekend if he didn't come bring the money to it.
So really he's he's infusing a lot of money into motor sports. And I think that helps boost everything.
Yeah, I personally, I personally like him. I don't care what anybody says. I think it helps the sport.
It brings in people that don't I'll leave you with this before we go to our first break.
What race was it? Was it I was traveling to I think was it Phoenix?
I think it was Phoenix. No, it was Long Beach. I was going to Long Beach. I get in my Uber.
I tell the guy I'm a reporter for NASCAR and IndyCar and he's like, Oh, have you ever talked to Cletus?
I don't watch NASCAR, but I but I look at Cletus's videos on YouTube.
And right there that just that sold me because this is a guy that doesn't watch racing at all,
but he likes Cletus and he says he's going to tune into every single race that Cletus is in.
Those are the people you want to bring it. And for for a guy that does not even know racing doesn't like racing,
but likes Cletus to bring him in. That's a win for the sport.
And so as many fans as we can get, I personally like it as many new fans as we can get.
I personally like it. And I think the more Cletus does in terms of results, I think the better it will be.
Honestly, kind of like Frankie Mendes. If Frankie had better results or maybe a better car, you would I could see.
I could see a lot more notable news about him in pop culture.
So honestly, I think the better Cletus does, the better I think the sport will be.
So without further ado, let's head on into a commercial break.
When we come back, we're going to be talking domination by one manufacturer in particular.
That is coming up next here on the Front Stretch happy hour program.
Welcome back to the Front Stretch happy hour program presented by
My Place Hotels and Billy Stila. Big thanks to everybody at My Place.
We stayed there in Detroit. We're going to be staying there in Michigan this upcoming weekend.
We stayed there in Detroit for the IndyCar race last year.
Last week we stayed there in Nashville for the NASCAR race last week.
We're also staying there this week for the races in Michigan.
We're bringing our producer as our fourth since we let Charlie run to do his normal nightly activities hanging out with his family.
So we're bringing in the producer, Mr. Chris Graham.
Chris, let's dive on into our third topic.
I think there's one manufacturer that is just dominating and that is Toyota, my friend.
Yeah, and it's one of those things where I heard the,
it kind of makes me think of the conversation that Tony Stewart recently had on a different groups podcast
where he talked about Bill France brought him into the trailer after he whipped everybody to get one of his first wins.
And he said, you will not do that again.
You will not stink up my show.
And kind of the Toyotas are doing that right now.
The Daniel Suarez win at Charlotte, I'm going to say was very fluky.
As much as yes, the car had pace and everything else.
That was a Toyota show up front for the majority of that race.
Tyler Redick, obviously annihilating everybody early in the season.
Denny is rapidly catching up.
I feel like this is a big, big Toyota thing.
And I don't want to say it's quite to the point of what Alex Palau is doing to IndyCar where people are going to start building because they've had enough of it.
But I think it may not be that far off of that either.
Them cheatin' Yoders.
Oh, God.
That's what the people are going to be saying.
Oh, you made our producer belly laugh there. Good job, man.
Yeah, it's the difference in the Palau thing is it's just one guy.
Whereas at least it's in this situation, it's like four cars at least.
And we saw three of them three wide for the win.
So that certainly helps things.
But yeah, I did think it was telling on Sunday night when those three are three wide.
And normally when two cars are side by side on a mile and a half, well, it's a little less than a mile and a half track.
It slows them up so much that the guy on back can come make a run.
Like Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in fourth was nowhere in the picture.
Like that's how much better those Toyotas were.
They just checked out.
We're racing side by side and still had it decided among themselves.
So I don't know.
I can't see Chevy or Chevy.
Maybe they'll like Hendrick.
I feel like we'll eventually get it.
But Ford kind of really seems out to launch right now.
Michael, what do you think about the Toyota domination?
Before everybody, because I feel like they just haven't had a whole lot of big changes because in the off season, we heard about Chevy getting the new nose.
Maybe they're still working out the kinks there.
I think that's a big reason why Chevy hasn't really been close to Toyota.
But another part of Chevy is that ECR has been terrible this year.
I think it's pretty clear that they are behind the Hendrick shop, because Spires, the second Chevy team now, because Trackhouse has fallen back.
RCR has been inconsistent.
I don't know how Almond Dinger is dragging that college car to top 20 in points in minutes.
I don't know how he wanted to stay late.
That he blew the brook, broke the break rotor in Nashville.
But then the Fords, like what Massey said, is that I looked at it just now that the last non-blaney Ford win was Texas last year.
They are lost right now.
Who's their second team?
Is it Front Row?
Because Stuart Haas has gone.
They're the Chevy team now, Haas.
But I just feel like Front Row's the second 14.
Wood Brothers fell off.
Barry's been gone since the win last year.
Oh God, he's terrible.
He's been awful.
If there's a crash, Josh Berry will be in it.
He just has no luck.
By the way, Mr. Bella Femini, I'm sure the lawyers will be contacting you for your subpoena now that you're saying that Spire is the number two Chevy team.
I think maybe the first journalist to say that.
I don't think that's something that we can totally ignore is Spire is not helping their court case by making the case on the racetrack that they're a really good Chevy team.
Yeah, and their ties were kind of, I don't want to say they were fluky, but like they got some help because I mean, most of our drafting tract, how it is kind of a box sometimes with the drafting.
But then Suarez got really helped out the timely cautions.
But they're what, eighth and tenth in points and McDowell almost won a road course.
Like, yeah, I think with just all the inconsistencies with Chevy, I guess I'll say it again is that Spire kind of feels like that number two now.
Honestly, I feel like the best Chevy right now though is out of the Trackhouse stable and that's SVG.
I feel like he looks better than.
I mean, Chase, Chase Elliott is probably the best, but then SVG might be the second best Chevy right now.
But, you know, the other two are running so badly that it just kind of keeps you from thinking the Trackhouse is the top team.
So that's just an anomaly in and of itself.
The fourth thing, I think RFK is your.
I think RFK is better than.
I think they're better than the other two Penske cars and little brother's car right now.
Like I would put Busher is probably the second best Ford behind Blaney, but they still got to win.
Is that a rousing endorsement of the manufacturer?
And I don't want it to sound like a knock on Chris Busher, but go through the Chevy stable and you go, I have six guys that I could call the number one in the Chevy stable.
The Toyota stable has four or five guys that you go, man, these could all are, you know, if you think about it in terms of like baseball pitching staffs, you have a whole bunch of ones.
You have some twos, you got some threes, fours and fives.
Ford feels like they have a one, a three, a four and a bunch of bullpen days.
Yeah.
Not wrong.
I mean, I saw a comment from Noah Coleman, SVG needs a chiropractor from carrying track house and mask. You said it perfectly. I mean, track house is falling off an absolute cliff ever since.
Um, well, I don't know if it was as far as leaving, if it was pit bull even, I mean, they've just been absolutely dreadful. I mean, if it wasn't for SVG, they would be lower than low.
I mean, and then SVG, we're going to two, two road course that he's going to get a bunch of points with San Diego and then Sonoma coming up.
So I mean, he started to learn these ovals. And I think NASCAR has been said at best. What was it last July, last August?
Once he starts getting these ovals down, he is going to be very, very scary.
Um, any, any final thoughts on Toyota dominating? We'll start with Massey.
Well, I think that we're setting up for, even if Chevy and Ford catch on, I think Hamlin and Reddick are going to have such a points buffer.
Like they'll be the top two seeds and it's going to be between those two for a championship.
Maybe a Chevy gets hot in the playoffs and gives them the run for it.
But it feels like the championships going to go through Reddick and Hamlin right now.
Yeah, I agree with that.
Go for it, Michael.
Yeah, top two seeds is this like Reddick and Hamlin right now.
But I do think that I'm excited to see like the battle within Toyota because they already cost themselves a win at a Charlotte battling trailer so hard.
But like, I feel like Briscoe is due for a win because, especially because he's got off slow last year too.
Within the summary start ripping off all these good runs and there's probably been like four or five races that bells could have won this year.
So like, and then you got Gibbs to Gibbs finally is showing that speed he had in the lower series.
And then you throw in 2311 and, you know, it's just a bunch of Toyotas taking wins from each other.
And honestly, I don't shout Eric Johnson.
He's been putting us together.
Okay, runs to and I'm going to jump in here with 11 last thing on this championship discussion is Denny Hamlin has not proven that he cannot Denny Hamlin a championship run.
Tyler Reddick has never been in that position before of that pressure ratcheting up and up.
You have guys like Christopher Bell that have been there.
So it may not be somebody outside the Toyota camp, but I do think you're it's not a given that it's going to be Denny versus Reddick for a championship.
Let's move on into our final topic of the evening.
Wow.
Mr. Chris Graham, if you want to introduce it, you can my friend.
Okay, you're kind of throwing me under the bus here and I'm okay with that.
But I'm actually the one that suggested the topic so I'm at least a little bit for it.
In on the prime broadcast on Sunday night, Dale Earnhardt Jr. made reference to Denny Hamlin taking the first to worst to first challenge.
And that is a staple at every short track around the country at least once a season.
They're going to say we'll double the prize if the pole sitter drops to the back and and wins the race.
The indoor series up here in the Northeast that runs Atlantic City, Allentown, Trenton, they do the same thing.
Anybody that wants to take the gambler can throw a little extra money in the pot, go to the back for the feature.
And if they win, they take, you know, the big prize.
Dale Jr. says NASCAR should do something like that.
I personally think that's along the lines of Mr. Nolan's idea of give the All-Star race to Cletus.
I think it might be maybe a little bit too far.
But I want to get your guys' thoughts on that type of, I'm going to say show enhancement.
Because sometimes some of these races, now they gave us a great race at Nashville this week.
I mean, that last lap was phenomenal.
But the whole race was pretty good.
I don't know that you need to enhance the show that way, but there are some tracks we go to where the racing is just not all that fun to watch.
Mike, do you want to start us off, buddy?
Oh, we're masking for that.
Go for it.
Yeah.
Okay.
I feel like it's just so kind of beer league to do that kind of promotion for a points race.
Because they invert the field for the All-Star race.
I think if you want to try that, like, hey, last half of the race, if the guy that won the first stage wants to go to the back and try and win 2 million, I think that'd be great.
But for a points race, I feel like there's a pro and a con to it.
It kind of just feels like another one in NASCAR's gimmicks, but if it's like Ryan Fries is 30 points behind the cut line at Richmond, he's like, okay, well, I need to double my points so I could get in the chase.
I'm going to try and risk it and go to the back.
I feel like that'd be a pretty entertaining way to garner entertainment before the chase.
But I feel like it's pros and cons.
It's a tough one to put an opinion on, but I feel like it's just a little...
It just reminds me of the All-Star race.
I'd be no, but I wouldn't mind it if NASCAR wants to try it maybe with a lower series first, give it a roll.
Yeah, yeah.
Massey, I mean, they created stages.
Why not this?
It could be an option, but I don't feel like it...
I feel like if they want to, they can, but it's not mandatory.
Yeah, I don't know.
I'm very 50-50 on it because, yeah, it's another gimmick.
And the more gimmicks we add, the less it feels like a legitimate race.
But it is a connection.
As you pointed out, Chris, they do that.
It short tracks out in South Boston, does it?
I remember watching when you had Lee Pulliam and Phillip Morris and Payton Sellers going for the championship there.
Probably one of the greatest championship battles you could have in a short track.
And that was the thing, who's going to the pole and get to go to the back and get the points for coming up through it.
While one of the other guys is just dominating the race.
So it's like, it was just another layer to that championship battle.
It was fun to watch.
Yeah, I do agree with the stink there that they've really simplified NASCAR this year,
where it was this very complex math equation with where the playoffs had gotten.
So that is definitely a con for it.
But yeah, I don't know how would you do it?
Would you have passing points then become a thing?
Or would it be?
Oh, God, we can do that.
Or solely if you go last the first, you get a bonus.
Like, what's the criteria we're thinking of here?
So I will add my little two cents piece to this and say,
if you go back to the pre-modern era of NASCAR.
So the modern era started in 72.
They ran 100 races a season and it was not always a 500 mile race on Sunday afternoons at one o'clock start times.
I think NASCAR would do well if they went truly back to their roots and let the tracks
have some say in what their tracks race format looks like.
So if a place like Dover wants to run the milk bowl format, which is kind of what they did for the All-Star race,
let them run the milk bowl.
Qualify them, invert everybody.
Run your first 50 laps, invert everybody, run 50 laps, invert everybody.
That becomes Dover's signature format.
If then you're not going to change the Daytona 500, Darlington's not going to change the Southern 500,
Charlotte's not going to change the Coke 600.
But I think it would be really neat to see some of these things that the tracks could come up with and say,
hey, we're going to do something different for our race.
Phoenix already does it running a 500 kilometer race.
If NASCAR says, do whatever you want with the race format so long as it stays under two and a half hours,
I am completely on board with that.
Yeah, it's kind of like when they had the option tire at Phoenix and Richmond.
Yeah, I made those two races kind of unique on the schedule.
Yeah, I don't know.
That is a good idea.
But that might be too old school though.
Go ahead, Brian.
That's probably too old school.
You're good, buddy.
With that being said, let's take our final break of the evening.
When we come back, we're going to be pouring one out.
That returns.
We decided to take it off last week due to the recent events,
but we are bringing it back this week.
That's coming up next year on the Front Stretch Happy Hour program.
Good stuff, boys.
I...
Use promo code FRONTSTRECH for 10% off.
Welcome back.
Look at that beautiful, beautiful thing of Billy's tequila.
Thank you, Mr. Michael Maas.
I don't know if that's going to help your sickness, but you know, it does not hurt.
Well, I hope not.
It does.
Big shout out to Billy's and big shout out to my place as well.
We'll start out with Mr. Stickman since he just popped off the cork.
Who do you want to give a praise to in this edition of Pour One Out, brother?
Well, not so much a praise, but I'm going to give some well wishes to Steve Wade,
a legendary NASCAR rider who does a bi-weekly column on Front Stretch Now called Wade's World.
He's actually in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
He's the only person at Front Stretch that can say they're in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
But he's in the hospital right now, so wishing him a speedy recovery so he can get back to
it and give us some more of those great columns.
I think I can say on behalf of everybody at Front Stretch, we hope Steve gets better and
comes out stronger.
Well, next head down to our lower fourth.
Mr. Chris Graham, who are you going to be Pour One Out for, brother?
You know, I try to make these kind of as interesting as we possibly can.
And I'm trying to think off the top of my head who we want to Pour One Out for.
I'm going to say our flagmen, our starters.
Denise Engel in the Arc and Menard series.
There's several of them in the NASCAR that worked in NASCAR Touring series.
But they have become kind of a thankless job of late because everything is tied to scoring
loops and when did the lights come on and everything happens in the tower.
And when I was a kid, one of my, I wanted to be Harold Kinder.
I wanted to be that guy standing up over top of all these race cars, toilet flags.
That was the coolest job you could ever possibly have.
And Aaron Lakens is on the IndyCar side is kind of turning that back into
something that you really want.
She's got a whole lot of flashing flair.
So I'm going to say NASCAR, take the helmets off them.
Let us see their personalities and put the start of the race and the restarts
back in the hands of the flag man, please.
Thank you.
I'll agree with the second part.
The first part I think is just for safety.
Just because they don't want any debris falling on them, knocking them in the head
and then, you know, lost it to the Lord.
But I know what you mean.
But yeah, Aaron Lakens for IndyCar does a phenomenal job.
That guy is awesome.
He is so cool.
I still got to read his book.
He actually has a book.
It was at the IMF.
Oh, it's phenomenal, phenomenal.
Really?
Okay.
Yes.
Okay.
Dang it.
I got because so we went to this memorabilia shop and I got the John Andretti book.
So I'm currently reading that now.
So after that, I got to read the book that Aaron Lakens did.
But good stuff, Chris.
Last but not least, Mike, what are you going to be pouring one out for, bro?
I was trying to figure out what like driver to pour an out for last week.
Maybe go like Zillich because he's had a really tough year.
Zane Smith for being up top 20 in the front row car.
But I'll go with the youngster.
I think Brent Cruz should get one to pour out for because I think he's close to that
first win.
Oh, no.
Oh, he's back.
He's back.
Oh, that was close.
Yeah.
As I was saying, Brent Cruz, I think he could get a win by next race.
I think he could get one at Pocono.
He's been fast everywhere.
So I think I'll pour it out to the young guy, only 18 years old and he's run up there
with all guy.
I think he's been putting on a show to try and get in the chase.
I'm telling you what, I think he's going to replace Hamlin at the 2028 season.
The guy is absolutely the real deal.
I've said that ever since I saw him last year.
I was going to give this to him last week, but I'm also going to give it to him this
week.
I'm going to pour one out for Kyle Larson because not only did Kyle Larson raise an
incredible son, but he is doing something really, really cool.
When everybody was around Samantha and Brexton, Owen Larson went over and just gave him a
hug, unprompted and everything.
That was really cool when it shows what kind of parenting Kyle Larson is.
That was awesome.
And then Kyle Larson won the High Limit Race on Monday and is donating all of his winnings
to the Bundle of Joy Fund that Sam and Kyle created and help struggling parents with IVF.
That says a lot about his character and everything.
I think that was just really cool.
Good job, Kyle.
Kyle Larson.
Good guy.
Good guy.
Who is a good guy that is all of my other three compadres?
I thought you were about to say Trey Lyle.
Oh, God, no.
Oh, no.
Sadly, I do got to give Trey Lyle his flowers.
He's getting married this week, so congrats to Trey.
He's getting married and we're recording this four days from now, so it is not too late to
back out, Trey.
I'm just kidding.
I am totally, I am just kidding, Storm.
I'm totally kidding.
But no, congrats.
But no, congrats to Trey and Storm.
Hopefully their wedding is amazing.
And so, but you can also listen to Trey on Bringing the Heat with Trey Lyle coming up this week.
He's got Ricky Stenhouse Jr. as a guest, so that will be a must listen to because we're
going to hear Danny Peters interview him.
And who doesn't love to listen to the England lad interview?
And I certainly do.
Mr. Michael Maske, who or what should I say?
What are you going to be writing about this week?
If at all?
Well, I'll be writing the Fire and Fridays column.
And I don't know what I'm writing about yet.
But I don't know.
One thing I was thinking about that maybe I'll write about is that will the rowdy bow become
like the new Polish victory lap?
I can see it.
That victory lap started out as a tribute talent.
Every time someone did it, but now it's just people do it.
Just that after they won the race, it's not really an attribute anymore.
Will the rowdy bow become like that?
But maybe I'll write about that.
I mean, everybody's doing even color since daughter Audrey won a dirt race and she did
it too.
So I know we were given Owen Larson.
I'd give Audrey some love as well.
So I'd be interested to read that.
Chris, you're going to be producing bringing the heat.
Yep.
I am producing bringing the heat this week.
I have to keep you knuckleheads all in line.
And then I don't know if we're watch partying.
If I'm watch partying this weekend or not.
I was not around for last weekend show.
But a whole lot of video editing content stuff that we're putting out all over the
socials as well.
I love it.
I don't know if I'm going to be around, but if I do, I will also be on the watch party
as well.
Mike, you've been taking thinking out loud our Sunday column.
Are you going to be currently, are you going to write that this Sunday as well?
Should be.
For Michigan, I'm looking forward to doing that.
And we'll see what I decided to write about.
I usually try to think of it during the race.
Sometimes it comes pretty easy.
Like with the all star race, I knew what was happening.
But last week was just had a way down to the wire to see that finish out turned out.
So looking forward to seeing how Michigan goes.
I love it.
I love it.
Also, check out all the latest content are written stuff.
Frontage.com or YouTube stuff.
YouTube.com side frontage.
And then the podcast, just search frontage on Apple podcast, Google, Spotify and more.
Next week, we will have a show.
Don't know who the guest is, but all three of the knuckleheads will be here.
Don't knock against Michael Massey and your surely Chris Graham behind the wheel does a
phenomenal job of producing us three.
Like he said, knuckleheads.
But big thanks to Mike for substituting.
He definitely will be our substitute whenever we need it.
So big thanks to Mike.
Big thanks to Michael Massey and everybody.
So she was frontage for Chris Graham.
Michael Bellofanini, Michael Massey.
I'm Brian Oh, and thank you so much for joining us.
This was another edition of the frontage happy hour program.
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About this episode
ARCA takes center stage with a check-in on momentum and viewer growth, plus a look at who’s driving the buzz—Cletus McFarland, onboard-camera plans, and track-to-track development. The hosts also zoom out to NASCAR, where Toyota’s dominance is framed through Charlotte pace, three-wide racing, and points-buffer talk around Hamlin and Reddick. Between format debates, schedule diversity, and “Pour One Out” shout-outs, the show ties driver pathways to fan engagement and future TV leverage.
