Cars Yeah
Ginger Baker Rust
Last episode 11 months agoCars Yeah is a 4-day a week podcast produced and hosted by Mark Greene. Mark interviews Inspiring Automotive Enthusiasts™, people who have wrapped their lives, careers, and business around their passion for automobiles, motorcycles and trucks. Together we inspire listeners and fellow automotive enthusiasts showing them that it's possible to have a life, career, and a business in the field they love. Enjoy over 2,300 shows.
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Episodes (2578)
1251: Jody DeVere is an internationally recognized speaker.
Jody DeVere is an internationally recognized speaker, trainer, often quoted industry pundit, and spokesperson for the automotive industry on the women's market. She has been featured by the New York Times, NPR, Wall Street Journal, CNN, Fox Business, Forbes Women, Oprah Magazine, and Parenting Magazine, to name a few. As CEO of AskPatty.com, she provides automotive education to women consumers and an interactive online Certified Female Friendly® certification training program for automotive retailers on how to attract, sell, retain and market to women. Jody is a champion for women in the automotive industry and her company serves as the first point of contact for women seeking the very best experience when purchasing a vehicle.
1250: Lynn Kehoe is the Founder and CEO of Shift Up Now.
Lynn Kehoe is the Founder and CEO of Shift Up Now. Her goal is to use motorsports to show girls and women how to develop courage and confidence so to succeed in achieving their personal and professional goals. She manages drivers for speaking engagements with groups to share their racing experiences and help to build leaders in the industry. She started racing in 2015 after spending 3 years moving up the ranks in a High-Performance Driving Education program. She earned her first competition license through the Sports Car Club of America and holds a Time Trial license with the National Auto Sports Association. She has ice raced with the Adirondack Motor Enthusiast Club and she trained at Le Mans, France, attending a Porsche Driving School Stage GT3 RS. Before Shift Up Now Lynn had a successful career spanning three decades in financial services, real estate investing, business development, and consulting.
1249: Crystal Snow is the Founder and Director of Car Kweens.
Crystal Snow is the Founder and Director of Car Kweens Association located in Oklahoma. Her goal was to create a nonprofit organization whose mission is to support and encourage women in the automotive industry and hobby. Crystal's goal is to support women through sponsorships, by supplying replacement parts, pay for continuing education and drivers training courses. She wants to provide women unique opportunities in the industry that is often dominated by men. She organizes meetups, exclusive educational events, and an all-female driving event she titled the FastHer Road Rally. Crystal is the mother of two boys, wife to a mechanic, and a lifelong automotive enthusiast.
1248: Cindi Lux is a race car driver who has won thirteen.
Cindi Lux is a race car driver who has won thirteen road racing championships, more than 80 victories, and over 160 podium finishes along with 50 pole positions. Her 13 career road racing titles include the American Le Mans Series, Women's Global GT Series, SCCA and Trans Am Northern Cub events. She earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oregon Motorsports Museum Association, was the Oregon SCCA National Driver of the Year, and Pro-Driver of the Year to name just a few of her awards. She figured out how to balance her busy race schedule with a demanding business schedule. She is one of the leading program managers in the world, a managing partner of the Hahn Automotive family of dealerships, and manages Lux Performance group with her husband, Fred.
1247: Lisa Clark is a race car driver who was born in Phoenix, AZ.
Lisa Clark is a race car driver who was born in Phoenix, Arizona. She grew up participating in desert motorsports from a young age. Being raised by a single father, she spent weekends riding dirt bikes, playing in the garage, and working around cars with her dad. Today, a mother of two daughters, Lisa continues to have a passion for motorsports but being a mother took up most of her time. It wasn't until later in life that she began racing. She's worked her way up the ladder in the racing world and currently drives as an amateur in the Ferrari Challenge series.
1246: Margaret Palango is the Executive Vice President of Autoshop.
Margaret Palango is the Executive Vice President at Autoshop Solutions. She has overseen and been a key catalyst in Autoshop Solutions' growth into the award-winning website design and Internet marketing agency it is today. Margaret leads all of their corporate marketing initiatives, as it continues to be the industry's gold standard for online marketing solutions. She joined the company in 2006 when she began establishing its brand position for quality customized website design and progressive Internet marketing. Margaret started by handling direct customer interface and then on to managing the entire website production. She now spends her time working with industry partners to bring innovative solutions to the automotive aftermarket. On the weekends she is often found driving her cars to a local PCA event and she is an active member of the North Carolina Hurricane Region Porsche Club. A shout out to past Cars Yeah guest Deb Pollack for introducing me to Margaret.
1245: Jessica Fickenscher is a 19-year veteran of Speedway.
Jessica Fickenscher is a 19-year veteran of Speedway Motorsports where she facilitates capital improvement and property development projects across all eight of Speedway Motorsports' premier NASCAR facilities. She also explores New Fans First Initiatives and supervises the company's relationship with food services partner, Levy Restaurants. Jessica also oversees business and operations for Speedway Motorsports' subsidiary, U.S. Legend Cars International, the world's largest producer of fun and affordable racecars, as well as INEX, the sanctioning body for U.S. Legend Car racing worldwide. She served for seven years as Vice President of special projects and previously worked as Director of Special Projects, Director of Client Services, and Manager of Client Services.
1244: Amelia Dalgaard is the woman behind the edgy.
Amelia Dalgaard is the woman behind the edgy and often hilarious blog Motorhead Mama. She is also the President of the Motor Press Guild and the Director of Content for CarLabs.ai. Amelia started her career as a TV writer and producer. She was a part of VH1's hit show Pop Up Video & Bloomberg's colossal flop The Morning Music Wire. Amelia also led the Southwest team for Design Within Reach as the company went from one store to 25 and through its strong IPO. Since launching Motorhead Mama, Amelia has test driven over 100 vehicles and crashed very few. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, two dogs, two kids, and roughly 4 million other automotive enthusiasts.
1243: Kim Kuzma grew up in a racing family.
Kim Kuzma grew up in a racing family watching her Grandpa Kuzma, her father, Bob, and brothers race circle tracks in the Pacific Northwest. Her Uncle Eddie Kuzma built FIA, USAC, and Indy Car and midget chassis and was inducted into the Indianapolis Hall of Fame posthumously in 2003. Kim is active with three Portland, Oregon based amateur race clubs and serves with Cascade Sports Car Club as Active Chair and their Race Official Division representative. She is an on-track marshal, Assistant Chief Starter and her professional race marshal series experience includes Formula 1, IndyCar, American Le Mans, NASCAR, and Champ Car World series duties. She has been on the Start Team for the past two years at Circuit of the Americas USGP and she is the Team Manager for Lucky Dog Racing Series team Worker's Revenge. In 2014, Kim was awarded SCCA Worker of the Year for outstanding performance.
1242: Cindy Sisson is a sports marketing professional.
Cindy Sisson is a sports marketing professional with decades of experience building major sports properties. She is the former partnership Director for the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California. She served as a Board Member, Senior Advisor, and Director of Development to the National Foundation of Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition, a congressionally chartered foundation. She was the Co-Founder of ConnectTivity, an agency that assists nonprofits and schools to raise funds through creative fundraising solutions and she served as President of HOPSports, a global health, and wellness network dedicated to fighting childhood obesity. Cindy has worked with the Olympics, the LPGA, NASCAR, the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and PGA and youth sports programming. While in NASCAR, she worked with Roush Racing and Kyle Petty's Charity Ride Across America.
1241: Rachel Blatt is the Founder of Royalty Logistics.
Rachel Blatt is the Founder of Royalty Logistics, an automotive transport and shipping company located in Ferndale, Michigan. Royalty Logistics is a certified, woman-owned company that specializes in moving vehicles for auto auctions, rental car companies, and dealerships. Growing up in Michigan, she was a huge fan of classic cars and attended the Dream Cruise and North American Auto Show every year with her family. Rachel previously worked in the tech sector and decided the auto transport business would be her way into the auto industry, where she could share her passion and love for cars. Rachel excelled as the top transport broker at Wholesale Inc. and United Road before venturing out to start her own company. She is a huge fan of continual self-improvement and is on a mission to help her customers and make everyone around her a huge success.
1240: Valerie Thompson is the team owner and driver.
Valerie Thompson is the Team Owner and Driver at Valerie Thompson Racing. She is the first female motorcycle rider to go over 300 mph, earning her the title of "World's Fastest Female Motorcycle Racer." She posted her best top speed of 328 mph in 2018 at the DLRA Speed Week competition in Southern Australia, piloting Denis Manning's Team "7" Racing streamliner. Valerie is an 8-time land speed record holder with membership in seven different 200 MPH Clubs, one 300 MPH Club and she is a lifetime member of the famed Bonneville 200 MPH Club. She was inducted into the Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2018. Valerie's current quest to become the world's fastest motorcycle racer is the subject of P-51 Pictures' and MN8 Films' upcoming feature documentary, Rockets and Titans. Her many racing accomplishments have earned Valerie the moniker of "America's Queen of Speed." A shout out to past Cars Yeah guest for introducing me to Valerie, a very fast racer in her own rights, the great Lyn St. James.
1239: Karen Salvaggio owns and operates Thunder Valley Racing.
Karen Salvaggio owns and operates Thunder Valley Racing. She is a builder and racer who began her career in 1985 at NASCAR dirt track events in California. She moved to road racing with the Vintage Auto Racing Association and competed in the Women's Global GT with the American LeMans Series. She's earned over 200 first place finishes in driving competitions including Top Eliminator at the Pomona Drags in 1999 and the 2011 Western Endurance Racing Championship. Karen served nine years in the U.S. Air Force as an aircraft mechanic and earned a Bachelor's Degree, a Master's Degree, and a Doctorate. She's served as a Select Committee member on the SEMA Businesswomen's Network and has appeared on TV shows as well. She is also a personal driving coach at the track. Today, Karen builds and races Factory Five Racing Daytona Coupes with SOVREN and continues to develop Thunder Valley Racing as a premier source of racing equipment and support for women Racers.
1238: Jay Quail is the Executive Director of the Classic Car Club.
Jay Quail is the Executive Director of the Classic Car Club of America, known as the CCCA, where he has been a member for over 35 years. Jay has held this position since his appointment in 2008 and oversees the day-to-day operations from its Chicago headquarters. Jay also sits on the CCCA and the CCCA Education Foundation Board of Directors, Ex Officio. He is a member of numerous automotive organizations including The Lincoln Owners Club, Society of Auto Historians, Worldwide Automotive Professionals, and the Association of Non-profit Executive Directors. Jay's passion and year of expertise is pre-war cars built prior to 1939. He is the Master Judge in the CCCA and judges at numerous concours events around the country. A majority of his career, prior to the CCCA, was in investment banking and financial equities, where he retired in 2003.
1237: Matt Teske is a Marketing Director and Brand Strategist.
Matt Teske is a Marketing Director and Brand Strategist with 20 years of experience in the automotive industry. His talents caught the attention of General Motors when he was just 19, which lead to a career managing numerous special projects and marketing campaigns for automotive OEM clients including Chevrolet, Toyota, dealerships, and aftermarket companies. His work has been featured in publications including Forbes, Motor Trend, Newsweek, The Verge, and at major shows including Sema and NYIAS. Matt developed Chargeway after years of research into the electric car industry. His conclusion: in order for electric cars to move beyond early adopters, there needs to be an easier way to explain and enjoy "electric fuel". Chargeway replaced the technical and engineering based language to a more simple, visual explanation.
1236: Alex Littlewood is the Founder and CEO of Motoroso.com.
Alex Littlewood is the Founder and CEO of Motoroso.com, a website for enthusiasts to plan, build and share everything that powers their lifestyles. Alex launched the beta version of Motoroso's site in late 2015, and in January of 2019, he launched the "Motoroso Marketplace", which is the worlds first dedicated auto parts marketplace. The site has over 250,000 products available at launch, sold by hand-selected vendors, and they offer free shipping on all purchases with no minimum. Alex led a 10+ year startup career in the Silicon Valley, including Wildfire which was acquired by Google. He then started Motoroso, and after selling his house to fund the company and going through the TechStars accelerator in Detroit, he decided to move the company to the beautiful Central Coast of California. In conjunction with Motoroso's marketplace launch, they have also begun creating video content in their 2,000 square foot video studio in downtown San Luis Obispo. Alex raced a motorcycle in the AFM and WERA road racing series, and can often be found on the track at Laguna Seca, Sears Point, and Miller Motorsports Park.
1235: Jim Krouskop is Managing Partner and Founder of 360Sonar.
Jim Krouskop is Managing Partner and Founder of 360Sonar, a boutique recruiting and talent search firm located in Seattle. He has over 20 years of technology management and recruiting experience, primarily for high-tech organizations across the US. Jim is also co-founder of 3 Pedal Posse, a growing community of car enthusiasts who enjoy 3-pedal driving and hanging out with like-minded car enthusiasts. He received a Bachelor of Arts and Master's degree in Urban Planning from UC, San Diego and the University of Washington. Originally from Southern California, Jim is an avid car and Porsche enthusiast, amateur photographer, aspiring writer, and Scotch drinker. His 3 Pedal Posse Co-Founder, Mauricio Bendana was yesterday's guest here on Cars Yeah.
1234: Tina Smith is a 27-year veteran in the automotive industry.
Tina Smith is a 27-year veteran in the automotive industry. She is a true barrier breaker overcoming adversity and all the stigmas around becoming an automotive technician, especially a woman technician. She was the only female in her high school auto mechanics class and was the first woman to graduate from the Chrysler Apprenticeship program in Automotive Technology. She has held positions ranging from service, parts, engineering, and sales. Tina is passionate about the automotive industry and now is giving back through her work with the TechForce Foundation. Tina is "paving" the way for tomorrow's technicians. TechForce Foundation is a nonprofit, 501 c3 that champions students to and through their education and into careers as professional technicians.
1233: Mike Finnegan was born and raised in southern California.
Mike Finnegan was born and raised in southern California and heavily influenced by the vibrant surf, snow, skate, music, and car culture. He spent the last 15 years as an automotive journalist. The consummate do-it-yourselfer, Mike taught himself how to wrench, weld, fabricate, and build engines so he could go racing. From lowered mini-trucks to hot rods to over-powered drag boats, he has won national championships as both driver and crew chief of many drag boats. Today he is also the host of the TV show Roadkill on YouTube and Motor Trend on Demand. His shop, Finnegan Speed and Marine, keeps him busy creating and building dreams for himself and others.
1232: Big Mike has grown to become a household name and icon.
Big Mike has grown to become a household name and icon in the import automotive culture. As a show judge and event emcee, he travels across the United States and around the globe participating in major events. As a journalist, he contributes to a multitude of online and print automotive publications representing the Compact Tuner industry. He sits on SEMA educational panels, inspiring a new generation of enthusiasts. He was born and raised in southern California and in 2005, his first feature appeared in print. Since then he's built numerous cars earning awards and placement on renowned magazine covers and within their pages. He competed in the SEMA Battle of the Builders and earned a top 10 finalist position. You've seen him on Discovery TV in front of the camera and behind the scenes as an integral part of the import culture. Big Mike will be one of the enthusiasts I get to interview on the Celebrity Stage at this year's Classic Auto Show in Costa Mesa, California, March 16 and 17.
1231: Steve Gibbs has been an integral part of the National Hot Rod
Steve Gibbs has been an integral part of the National Hot Rod Association, known as the NHRA, for over 50 years and his career began back in 1961 at the old San Gabriel Drag Strip where he became a Drag Strip Operator. He operated Irwindale Raceway beginning in 1966 and then went to Fremont Raceway, then Corpus Christi Raceway, and was hired by the National Hot Rod Association, later appointed as the NHRA Competition Director. All told, he directed nearly 400 NHRA National events in over two decades with his duties stretching worldwide. Recipient of numerous awards and accolades, he was instrumental in the development of the Wally Parks Motorsports Museum and the California Hot Rod Reunion. Steve's involvement in the sport knows no bounds. Steve will be with me at this year's Classic Auto Show in Costa Mesa, California, sharing his history of drag racing as part of his Nitro Revival with the Classic Cackle Cars.
1230: The fearless Jessi Combs was born for everything automotive.
The fearless Jessi Combs was born for everything automotive. Her passion to get in the driver seat and behind the wheel of nearly anything with a motor has led her through some amazing and unusual achievements. With a degree in custom automotive fabrication, Jessi has reached out to millions with her build skills on TV shows such as All Girls Garage, Mythbusters and Overhaulin' to name a few, as well as through community and educational outreach. As the fastest woman alive, unofficial "Queen" of the Hammers, Ultra4 National Champion, and a Baja 1000 podium finisher, she empowers many through the act of simply leading by example. Her desire to show more women (and men alike) that they, too, can build their ideas, go fast, get dirty, have fun, and still be feminine shines through everything she does in life.
1229: Mauricio Bendana is the co-founder of 3 Pedal Posse.
Mauricio Bendana is the co-founder of 3 Pedal Posse and SoDo Speed. 3 Pedal Posse is a growing community of camaraderie-based automotive enthusiasts who share good times and great adventures with like-minded people. He is also the Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Project Planning Partners, a commercial real estate consulting firm that specialized in corporate services and foundational planning in the greater Puget Sound Region. He has over 25 years of experience in headquarter and portfolio management within the commercial real estate space. Mauricio shares his automotive passion with his wife Jody, a winemaker and Porshefile, their two minions, and a dog. They are avid classic Porsche fanatics who enjoy driving and hosting shows, tours, and builds. 3 Pedal Posse debuted their first build at the Rennsport Reunion last summer at Laguna Seca.
1228: Stuart Sobek is the Founder and Chairman.
Stuart Sobek is the Founder and Chairman of the Las Vegas Concours d'Elegance. This inaugural event will debut on October 25 through the 28 at the exclusive Dragon Ridge Country Club. Stuart has been in the car collector world for more than 31 years. Fueled by his first visit to Pebble Beach in 1987, he has been collecting and showing cars ever since. His passion began and still remains in exotic cars. Being a long-time member of many car clubs, including the Lamborghini and Maserati Clubs, enabled him to learn and increase his knowledge and passion for these unique automobiles. As a collector, he has personally owned and logged many miles behind the wheel of some fantastic rides, both on the street and the track, so he knows first- hand, many of their favorable traits and idiosyncrasies. Stuart is a member of the CCCA and Checkered Flag Lifetime Member of the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles, California. You can learn more the Las Vegas Concours d'Elegance on the website lasvegasconcours.com.
1227: Rick Case and his wife Rita are the founders.
Rick Case and his wife Rita are the founders of the Boca Raton Concours d'Elegance that takes place on February 22 through the 24. Rick and Rita have been partners in business, life, and in their humanitarian efforts since 1980, and they have helped to raise over $50 million to support their local communities over the years. Together they have built an award-winning automotive dealership group, 16 strong, located in Cleveland, Atlanta, and South Florida. The Boca Raton Concours d'Elegance, now in its 13th year, will take place at the Boca Raton Resort & Club and will feature world-class automobiles including a celebration of Bentley Motorcars and its 100th Year Anniversary, collector of the year, Mr. Robert Jepson's vintage automobile collection, and car collector and comedian, Jay Leno, will be on hand. The event is the world's largest Concours d'Elegance owned by a charity, and it fully benefits the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County.