The Down & Dirty Radio Show

Andrea Brimmer is the chief marketing and public relations officer at Ally and joins the podcast to take us inside NASCAR sponsorship. Brimmer looks back on the ’21 season for the No. 48 team; branding around the driver and not having the driver adjust to the sponsor’s brand; a bit on Brimmer’s history in the automobile world; where Brimmer’s passion comes from and understanding athletes; how sports has helped her today; what it was like for Ally to first come into NASCAR; how Ally looks at return on investment; fan loyalty; what Ally looks for in a partner; what’s been learned in Ally’s first few years in the sport; their role in diversity and inclusion; Do It Right; being disruptive; being an active partner; utilizing more space on the Next Gen car for sponsor placement. Music created by Tony Monge. Please support my work through Patreon: www.patreon.com/KellyCrandall

In our first episode of 2022, hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid discuss Rick's bout with boredom during his COVID quarantine and an incredible Christmas gift given to him by a listener. Kenny Wallace is ... well ... Kenny Wallace. And that's basically all the summary anybody needs! In our second segment, Rick and Steve thumb through the May 3, 1990 episode of Winston Cup Scene, which featured coverage of Geoff Bodine’s win at Martinsville, his first for Junior Johnson. The victory came just two days after a devastating loss for Junior and his then-wife, Flossie. Chuck Bown led all 200 laps at Lanier Raceway in Georgia, with our boy Kenny Wallace running a distant second. There were also reports about boating mishaps that left Bill France Jr. with two broken ankles, and another that scared Michael Waltrip WAY more than his infamous Bristol Busch Series accident just a couple of weeks before.

Jade Gurss is back with another must-read auto racing book, this time having worked with Al Unser Jr. Gurss, who had known Unser back during Unser’s driving career, takes us inside the work to tell Unser’s story in the best way; the reason for starting the book with Unser’s suicide attempt; the willingness of Unser to be vulnerable; the honesty and openness of Unser’s intense personal life and decisions; drug use and the Penske days; vivid memories on winning the Indianapolis 500 but feeling adrift afterward; how complex Unser is; not wanting to tell just a racing story; the fact-checking process; what Gurss was looking forward to hearing from Unser about; how it felt after such an intense project was done; what the takeaway for readers should be of Unser’s story. Music created by Tony Monge. Please support my work through Patreon: www.patreon.com/KellyCrandall

Live Fast Motorsports made it through its first year as a NASCAR Cup Series team and co-owners BJ McLeod and Matt Tifft are calling it a success. Both McLeod and Tifft join the podcast this week to offer their perspectives. First up, McLeod dissects the season and how it was different from putting a car on track in 2020; what being an owner was like on the weekend’s he wasn’t driving; the biggest takeaway of fielding a full-time Cup Series car; what the measuring stick of success was and how that sets up for 2022; the high of the season; what it’s like being a Cup Series driver; being in meetings with NASCAR as an owner; having the car fully sponsored and a presence on social media; putting other drivers in the car; working with Tifft. Tifft reflects on being a team owner in NASCAR; the budget of Live Fast versus other teams; how good it is for Tifft to be involved in racing again; the difference in driver mindset and watching the car; focusing on variables off the racetrack; how Tifft saw success for the team; being in meetings with NASCAR; going from friend to team co-owner with McLeod; if Tifft had fun in 2021. Music created by Tony Monge. Please support my work through Patreon: www.patreon.com/KellyCrandall

By now you know there is so much that goes into building a race car and not just for the race teams, which makes Tommy Joseph a great guest. As an aerodynamics supervisor for Ford Performance, he’s taking us inside what that means and everything going on at the Ford Tech Center; scale model testing; the limit of wind tunnel testing; what Ford has been able to work on during the parts freeze; the thrill of being involved in designing Next Gen; when racing aerodynamics became an interest; getting his foot in the door in Formula 1; engineering in F1 versus NASCAR; coming back to the U.S. and working for Ford; the F1 world versus the NASCAR world; the difference in a car enthusiast and someone who likes competition; what makes a good engineer or aerodynamic supervisor. Music created by Tony Monge. Please support my work through Patreon: www.patreon.com/KellyCrandall

2022 is already shaping up to be one heck of a year for The Scene Vault Podcast ... and in this week's season finale, we share previews of conversations already in the can with Kenny Wallace, John Dodson and Mike Beam.

Chris Miko is one of the hauler drivers at Joe Gibbs Racing, and it’s his job to make sure that Kyle Busch’s No. 18 Toyota makes it to the racetrack. But that’s not all Miko does. This week, Miko takes us for a ride through his 21 years in the sport; being a show car driver; finding a love of NASCAR at a young age and getting his foot in the door professionally; additional responsibilities for the race team other than driving the hauler; how having a co-driver works; how Miko spends so much time on the road; adventures with fans, fellow truck drivers, and cops; the importance of meeting NASCAR’s unloading schedule; easiest and hardest tracks to park the hauler; the nerve-racking experience of entering onto the Bristol dirt; the pride and possessiveness a hauler driver has for their equipment; everything that can be stored in a team hauler; the processing of packing up after race weekend and miles spent on the road; bringing Jurassic Park to his driveway. Music created by Tony Monge. Please support my work through Patreon: www.patreon.com/KellyCrandall

Our listeners sent in several questions for this special episode, and let’s just say that between Kyle Petty’s bootlegging and bull riding adventures and Steve Waid, Tom Higgins and the Knights of the Mystic Sea, this segment isn't going to be forgotten any time soon. We also did something a little different this week in our second segment. Hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid asked each other the questions they'd always wanted to know. The results were, at times, absolutely hysterical and at other, very deeply emotional.

On the latest iRacing Downshift, Greg and Kevin welcome Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Motorsport Strategy Director James Vowles to discuss bringing the Mercedes-AMG F1 W12 E Performance to iRacing, how the team and iRacing have worked together to develop both the car and the sim itself, and the special format to the Tuesday night league he runs. We’ve also got a look at the rest of our exciting new content for 2022 Season 1, including two new touring cars, an updated Watkins Glen, Knockhill Circuit, and the Porsche Experience Center Hockenheim!

Kip Childress is back! There is so much more to cover about being the Cup Series pace car driver, but before we get into that, he's going to share a job he has covering sports away from the racetrack. After a nice discussion on high school sports, we dig into the importance of knowing the NASCAR rule book from inside the pace car and being aware of your surroundings; New Hampshire rain and Kyle Busch’s anger; time spent during rain delays; being in the pace vehicle at new venues like Bristol dirt and finding sightlines; how track compounds affect driving the pace car; procedure for the choose rule; post-race duties; if Childress can hear the fans react to big moments; getting to drive new manufacturer cars; getting the field out of the garage in the correct order; a season in review. Music created by Tony Monge. Please support my work through Patreon: www.patreon.com/KellyCrandall

This week, we share the third and final installment of our interview with Rick Wilson. In this episode, he talks about the decision he made to leave Morgan-McClure Motorsports and how that might not have worked out in his favor; being on the outside of the sport looking in; and his run with Petty Enterprises. We do something a little different this week in our second segment, and it’s something for our REALLY old-school listeners. It’s a short interview conducted by iconic early NASCAR journalist and PR rep Russ Catlin with Buddy Shuman and Joe Weatherly going into the 1955 Southern 500 at Darlington. It's the first time in more than 65 years the sound bite has been heard in public, and we're joined by NASCAR Production's Ken Martin to discuss the contributions of Catlin, Shuman and Weatherly and the significance of the clip.

Brian Wilson and Harrison Burton are paired together at Wood Brothers Racing and they stop by the podcast to talk about it. Wilson describes getting his shot as a Cup Series crew chief; being familiar with the series; what he’ll expect from Burton; working with another young driver; making a name for himself in the Xfinity Series; the open notebook between Wood Brothers and Penske; working on Next Gen; going from developing Austin Cindric to racing against him. Burton dishes on having a proven veteran as his leader; how he’ll lean on Wilson; building chemistry with each other; time already spent in the simulator; putting his time in the Xfinity Series behind him; what Burton learned about himself in those years; any plans to document a rookie Cup season; learning Next Gen; any unusual advice given about the Cup Series; and facing the hype of the Wood Brothers 100th win. Music created by Tony Monge. Please support my work through Patreon: www.patreon.com/KellyCrandall

In this week's installment of our interview, Rick Wilson talks about his years with Morgan-McClure Motorsports and crew chief Tony Glover; his VERY close second-place finish to Bill Elliott in the 1988 Firecracker 400 at Daytona; what he coulda, shoulda, woulda done differently in that event if he had it to do all over again; and a bad crash at Richmond that left him with two broken feet and an all-time attempt to race the next week. Hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid then dig into the April 13, 1989 issue of Grand National Scene. Rusty Wallace has vertigo, but he wins the Valleydale 500 at Bristol. Darrell Waltrip finishes second after spinning his brother out. Waddell Wilson gets whacked in the head with a metal pole during a pit stop. Dick Trickle doesn’t have radio communications with his pit crew. There are TWENTY cautions. A team doesn’t shut the gate on its hauler leaving the race track, causing all manner of parts, pieces and equipment to fly out of the back. Rick Wilson wins the rain-delayed Busch Series race. Rick Mast has the flu, and Dale Jarrett's car is destroyed by a crossover gate that opens unexpectedly. Dale Earnhardt doesn’t want to be at the Monday, rain-delayed race … and he promptly parks his car.

Bob Tasca III lives a fascinating life as an NHRA Funny Car driver on the weekend but the vice president of Tasca Automotive Group during the week. In our conversation we dig into a busy portion of the NHRA schedule; the great Funny Car points battle; the mental battle of Sunday eliminations and not getting another run; what it was like when NHRA went to a playoff format; what Tasca is processing in the three seconds he’s down the track; learning to respect the power of a nitro car; joining the 300mph club; electrification in NHRA; working with Tony Stewart on the Cobra Jet program; what it’s physically like to drive a nitro Funny Car and the sensation of speed and if you can lose that; following in the family footsteps; dealership Tasca versus driver Tasca; needing an adrenaline rush; splitting time between the dealership and racing; how his family coined the ‘win on Sunday, sell on Monday’ phrase; being surrounded by great men like his father and grandfather; having the dealership work serve as a distraction from racing; the most exciting thing about drag racing. Music created by Tony Monge. Please support my work through Patreon: www.patreon.com/KellyCrandall

We share the first of what will be a three-part interview with Rick Wilson in this week's episode. Rick talks about his start in the sport; his relationship with Dick Hutcherson and A.J. Foyt; how a tragic accident during qualifying for the Indianapolis changed the trajectory of his career; the impact his win in the 1984 ARCA race at Daytona had on him; and finally, how a ride with Morgan-McClure Motorsports came down to Rick and a youngster by the name of Davey Allison. The February 16, 1984 Grand National Scene featured a short story at the FRONT of the paper on Rick Wilson’s Daytona ARCA victory; Cale Yarborough OFFICIALLY becoming the first person to qualify for the Daytona with a speed of more than 200 mph; Neil Bonnett’s win in the Busch Clash; and Ricky Rudd’s infamous end-over-end, side-over-side series of barrel rolls in that event. There were a also couple of great columns in this issue on a brand-new owner coming into the sport and the doubts he was having about the team’s chances at success right out of the box and a volunteer crewman for Jimmy Means by the name of Junior Johnson … but not THAT Junior Johnson.