Is Hocevar & Heim NASCAR's Next Great Rivalry?
About this episode
In case you've been living under a rock this week, we've had ourselves a week here at Dirty Mo Media — so why don't we take the best 30 mins, package it into a highlight show, just like we do every week. Deal? Deal.
We start off with Dirty Air, where Carson "The Hurricane" Hocevar plays host for Dale Jr. while he's out doing something or other in California in between San Diego & Sonoma. Carson dives into the incident between him and first-time winner Corey Heim, the celebration the fans missed out on, and... oh yeah, Cleetus calls in.
Next up, Denny Hamlin discusses the final battle between his two drivers, Tyler Reddick & Corey Heim. Did Tyler do the right thing by letting Corey go? DH's answer might surprise you.
On Business of Motorsports with Kelley Earnhardt Miller, CEO of Lionel Racing, Howard Hitchcock explains the process of getting diecasts into consumers' hands, and how it takes longer than you might think.
Lastly, Ray Evernham was a guest on Door Bumper Clear, along with Bozi Tatarevic, and we asked Ray when he knew Jeff Gordon was a star.
That's all for this week! See you next time on Dirty Thirty.
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throttle wapping
"I was like, throttle wapping at fans and waving at them and everything... So I just went really slow and got to embrace it with fans, and I looked like a parade lap... like I was waving, and I was like, hey, you know, throttle wapping."
It means the driver briefly taps the gas over and over. It’s usually done to make the engine sound cool and to hype up the fans while the car is moving slowly.
“Throttle wapping” is a slang way to describe quick, repeated blips of the throttle—usually to make noise and show off while slowing down or during a victory/celebration moment. In racing broadcasts, it often signals the driver is intentionally rev-matching or just theatrically revving for the crowd.
road course
"a lot of them were cheering and they were probably like, yeah, firstly let's finish on a road course."
A road course is a track with lots of turns, more like regular roads than a simple oval. It changes how drivers brake and steer compared to oval races.
A “road course” is a type of racing track layout that uses turns similar to public roads, rather than an oval’s mostly left-hand corners. NASCAR events that include road courses require different braking and cornering technique than oval racing.
parade lap
"So I just went really slow and got to embrace it with fans, and I looked like a parade lap on a local night, like I was waving..."
A parade lap is when a driver goes around the track slowly after the race, mostly to celebrate and wave to fans. It’s not about racing fast—it's about the moment.
A “parade lap” is a slow, celebratory lap driven after a race—often to acknowledge fans, sponsors, or the crowd’s reaction. Drivers typically keep the car under control and at reduced speed rather than pushing for performance.
turn seven
"I'm going to roll over to turn seven, and I know exactly where a gap is."
Turn seven is just the name of a specific corner on the track. Drivers talk about corners by number so everyone knows exactly which part of the course they mean.
“Turn seven” refers to a specific numbered corner on a circuit. Drivers use corner numbers as a shared reference point for strategy and driving lines—especially when discussing where they’ll do something (like a celebration move) or where a gap might open.
waterslide decals
"The factory then transfers it to, um, uh, essentially a decal supplier. So, um, if you've ever done modeling, which we now have a whole category of models, um, there are the waterslide decals, the kind of slimy little waterslide decals."
Waterslide decals are like the stickers you soak in water, then slide onto a surface. NASCAR uses them to put sponsor logos and graphics onto the car without painting every detail by hand.
Waterslide decals are thin, printed graphics that you soak in water so they can slide onto a surface. In NASCAR car production, they’re used as a practical way to apply complex sponsor and paint-like artwork without hand-painting everything.
Tampa printing
"it uses machines like it for, so for the marks on the windshields, that's a process we call Tampa printing. Um, it basically, each station has a different color."
“Tampa printing” is a specific way to print car graphics so they look right and line up. In this context, it’s used to put markings on the windshield area using machines that handle different colors.
“Tampa printing” is a specialized printing process used to apply markings—here, specifically on windshield areas. The key idea is that multiple colors are printed in a controlled, station-by-station workflow so the graphics land in the right place and match the approved artwork.
V six
"Um, and it was a Buck Baker school car, a Pontiac with a Chevrolet V six."
A V6 is an engine with six cylinders arranged in a V shape. It’s a common engine type, and in a race car it influences how the car makes power and fits under the hood.
A V6 is an engine with six cylinders arranged in a “V” shape. In racing, the engine’s layout affects balance, packaging, and how the power is delivered to the drivetrain.
Charlotte
"And, uh, we got at Charlotte, you know, that, they got to observe Jeff to, to, you know, uh, say he's approved for the race."
They mean the NASCAR track in Charlotte, North Carolina. Track conditions there can strongly affect how the cars handle.
“Charlotte” refers to Charlotte Motor Speedway, a major NASCAR venue in North Carolina. It’s known for high-speed oval racing and for how track conditions can change the car’s handling a lot.
completely sideways
"Got in the bumps, gets completely sideways, just straightens the thing out, keeps"
“Completely sideways” means the car slides so its front isn’t pointed where it’s going. That usually happens when the tires lose grip, and the driver has to correct it quickly.
Being “completely sideways” describes a loss of directional control where the car’s nose points away from its direction of travel. In racing terms, it’s often the result of traction loss—sometimes triggered by bumps—followed by driver correction to regain stability.
the bumps
"And he got in the bumps. Remember the bumps used to be low at Charlotte."
“The bumps” are rough spots on the race track. When a car hits them, it can get jolted and lose grip, which can make it slide or spin.
“The bumps” are sections of the track surface that are uneven or have worn spots, causing the car to bounce or upset its balance. On an oval like Charlotte, hitting bumps can quickly change traction and make the car rotate or go sideways.
pit
"Jeff used to be able to think about positioning on the racetrack and getting ready to pit and saving fuel and doing all those things at the same time, leading those races."
A pit stop is when a race car pulls into the pit area to get serviced. Teams use it to change tires, refuel, or make adjustments, and doing it at the right time can help the driver race better.
In racing, a pit stop is when the car enters the pit lane to service the car—typically changing tires, refueling, or making adjustments. The timing and strategy of when to pit can strongly affect track position and race outcome.
fuel
"Jeff used to be able to think about positioning on the racetrack and getting ready to pit and saving fuel and doing all those things at the same time, leading those races."
In NASCAR and other stock-car racing, fuel management is about using the available fuel efficiently to avoid running out before the next pit stop. Saving fuel can also influence how aggressively a driver can push while still meeting race strategy.
higher mental bandwidth
"I call it higher mental bandwidth. In sports car, I've gotten to work with some gentlemen drivers and a lot of very high level pros."
It means the driver can handle a lot of tasks and information at the same time. In a race, that helps them make better decisions while also staying focused on driving.
“Higher mental bandwidth” refers to a driver’s ability to process lots of information at once—car behavior, track position, pit timing, and strategy—without losing focus. In racing, that mental capacity helps drivers and teams coordinate decisions in real time.
springs
"As a mechanic on pit lane, if I'm listening to a driver describing this, this and this, I start thinking in my head already, all right, we're probably going to have to move the bar. We might have to get these springs or do this or that."
Springs are part of the suspension that help the car absorb bumps and stay stable. In racing, teams can change spring settings to make the car handle better in turns and over rough track.
Racing suspension springs control how the car supports its weight and how it responds to bumps and cornering loads. Changing springs is a common setup adjustment to tune ride height and handling balance.
move the bar
"As a mechanic on pit lane, if I'm listening to a driver describing this, this and this, I start thinking in my head already, all right, we're probably going to have to move the bar. We might have to get these springs or do this or that."
This sounds like a team shorthand for tweaking a suspension adjustment. The goal is to change how the car leans and grips in corners so it drives the way the driver wants.
“Move the bar” is a shorthand for adjusting a suspension bar/rod setting, often related to sway bars (anti-roll bars) or other linkage that affects roll stiffness. Small changes can noticeably alter cornering balance and how the car feels on entry and exit.
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