The Down & Dirty Radio Show

Greg Stumpff is the owner and one of the artists of Off Axis Paint, which is an airbrush company that works with some of NASCAR’s biggest names for their helmets. Stumpff joins the podcast to describe how the process works and how long it takes from start to finish; working through the approval process with teams and sponsors, and how involved a driver is; keeping in mind safety regulations; how a brief stint racing on dirt helped him understand the business or motorsports; what goes into the workload being busy during the year and then slowing down, and driver’s needing multiple helmets a year; the influence his high school art teacher had; when the lightbulb went off to combine a passion for art and racing; having other artists to look up to; the challenges of the job and unique paint colors; other projects he’s taken on over the years; what he accomplishes going to the racetrack. Music created by Tony Monge.

Jim Beaver has Trophy truck driver Harley Letner on the show to talk about his 3 for 3 start to 2021, Fistful of Bourbon Ambassador Fistful of Terry calls in, and Chris Leone is on with some power rankings. Be sure and follow @JimBeaver15 on social media and subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

This week, in the final installment of our interview with Hut Stricklin, Hut talks about practicing the number 28 Robert Yates Racing Ford at Charlotte and the impact that had on Dale Jarrett’s season with that team. He talks about his second-place finish in the 1996 Southern 500 at Darlington, his eventual decision to get out of the sport, what he’s doing now and a life-threatening disease he endured several years ago. In our second segment, hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid break down the September 5, 1996 issue of Winston Cup Scene, which featured coverage of Jeff Gordon's win in the Southern 500, Hut's second-place finish, Dale Jarrett's attempt to win The Winston Million and rumors that Dale Earnhardt was going to buy North Wilkesboro.

If you’re a motorsports fans who watches Fox Sports quite a bit, then you’ve seen Jamie Howe as she covers multiple racing disciplines for the network. Howe breaks down everywhere she’ll be in 2021; if she easily remembers things or spends a lot of time studying; the materials Howe carries with her during race weekend; where a love of storytelling came from; when and where she was exposed to racing for the first time and going to college for broadcasting; the challenges of reporting from one series to another; why Howe doesn’t mind being someone who jumps across different series; looking at her first opportunity to cover the Xfinity Series; what Howe does to get away from racing; if there is a series she hasn’t covered that she’d like to one day. Music created by Tony Monge.

Big Indy 500 show with drivers Alex Rossi, James Hinchcliffe, and Dalton Kellett calling in to talk about this weekend's Indy 500 and Tiffany Stone calling in to chat on all things dirt. Be sure and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, tune in on SiriusXM 217, and follow @JimBeaver15 on social media.

In the second installment of our interview with Hut Stricklin, Hut talks about hanging out with team owner Junior Johnson and one of Junior’s best friends, the one and only Millard Ashley. He also tells the incredible story of agreeing to go with Davey Allison to that fateful test at Talladega, but then having to back out when he got a bad case of food poisoning in New Hampshire. Finally, Hut also tells us what he REALLY thinks about Jimmy Spencer. In our second segment, we take a deep dive into the April 21, 1994 issue of Winston Cup Scene, which featured coverage of Terry Labonte's first win with Hendrick Motorsports, and a clash between Ken Schrader and Jimmy Spencer; an awesome column by Deb Williams about drivers-meeting hijinks; and a feature on a teacher who used racing as an incentive in her classroom.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is bouncing around the playoff bubble and he’s here to assess where JTG Daugherty is going into the summer. We also go into whether being a part of the playoff conversation is good enough; the thought process of building something with a race team; what he’s seen from year one to year two with the team; how much crew chief Brian Pattie takes the reins versus Stenhouse’s input, and how it’s changed this year; adapting to a Chevrolet body and chassis after so many years running with Ford; how two different aero packages change a driving style; why there is a disconnect between what racing drivers like and the fans like; what people don’t understand about his “aggressive” driving style; the uniqueness of switching mentalities of showing up and racing versus weekends where this is practice. Music created by Tony Monge.

Jim Beaver has 3 time Indy 500 pole sitter Ed Carpenter on the show talking about qualifying weekend, Michele Abbate is back talking about her NASCAR Trucks debut, and Polaris RZR factory racer Maddie Wedeking is on to talk about her big win at Baja Nevada. Jim also talks off-road news, Monaco GP, and the latest on X Games.

This week, we have the first of what will be a three-part interview with Hut Stricklin. In this episode, Hut talks about the origins of the nickname; meeting Pam Allison, Donnie’s daughter; and the role that Pam’s cousin, Davey, played in that. He sets the record straight on NOT being an official member of the Alabama Gang; dominating on short tracks, before making the decision to move to Winston Cup; landing with team owner Rod Osterlund; going to drive for Bobby Allison; finishing second to Davey at Michigan in June of 1991, before ultimately leaving Bobby’s team at the end of the 1992 season. In our second segment, we check into the June 27, 1991 issue of Winston Cup Scene, which featured coverage of Davey Allison’s win and Hut Stricklin’s second-place finish at Michigan; a benefit for Wendell Scott; Junior Johnson’s return to the garage after a four-race suspension, which he was NOT happy about; and everybody denying Silly Season rumors that eventually came true.

Nigel Kinrade has been on the NASCAR circuit for 30 years now and he’s one of the best to carry a camera. In this episode Kinrade explains what he does and the big name clients he works for; how the job has changed through the years with technology advancement and the digital era; if he knows in the moment he got the shot or something cool; what brought him to the U.S. in 1991 and how he got into NASCAR; the culture shock of stock car racing; keeping things from getting boring every week and every year; when photography became a passion; things people might be surprised to hear Kinrade does or the job requires; building relationships with drivers and teams when invading their space; some of the memorable events he’s photographed; favorite places to shoot and the creative challenges of others; what he’s looking forward to (in his position) as the year goes on. Music created by Tony Monge.

In the third and final installment of our interview, Ronnie Thomas talks about a 1981 run-in with law enforcement in his hometown of Christiansburg, Virginia, as well as his days as a Late Model Stock icon. In the April 9, 1981 issue of Grand National Scene, we find news of Richard Petty's win at North Wilkesboro, Dave Marcis' pole run, the first race of Mark Martin's Winston Cup career ... and the hiring of Steve Waid as executive editor.

Meet Jonathan Sieber IV - Jonathan and Jarod have known each other for numerous years. Jonathans automotive affinity runs deep growing up in Detroit working for many different companies and different capacities, currently running Porsche Classics USA in Georgia to the past companies such as Recaro & MOMO. Take a listen to the history and knowledge that Jonathan shares while Jarod was in Atlanta, Georgia for Formula Drift round 1. The podcast was recorded at The Corner Tavern in Hapeville, GA just across the street from Porsche Experience Center, hence while it has some background noise. Jonathan is a true Roadrunner!

NASCAR newcomer Jade Buford is off to a solid start to the 2021 season with a brand-new race team, Big Machine Racing. Buford discusses how things have gone; the expectations coming into the season; how long it takes him to get comfortable each weekend without practice and qualifying; the toughest thing about competing in the Xfinity Series; the depth of competition and aggressive from sports cars to NASCAR; some insight into the Big Machine Racing team; what Buford’s first experience was like on a NASCAR oval; what his preparation is any given week to prepare for tracks he’s never competed on; leaving sports cars for stock cars; the skills needed to be a successful road course driver; growing up in Nashville, TN and how he got into racing; starting a driving career at 18 and going straight to sports cars; Buford shares some of his hobbies and things he enjoys away from the racetrack – like hanging off rocks; participating in American Ninja Warrior three times and how the show works; what will be a successful season for his team; if he wants to stay in NASCAR long term. Music created by Tony Monge.

In the second installment of our interview with Ronnie Thomas, he talks about his frustrations boiling over, an incident with D.K. Ulrich, Eddie Gossage getting to drive his race car, the legendary Wendell Scott and the deal making that went on behind the scenes between him and some of the bigger teams in the sport. Rent a ride? How about rent a caution? Hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid then dig into the July 20, 1978 issue of Grand National Scene, which featured coverage of Cale Yarborough's dominant win at Nashville, the best finish of Richard Childress' Winston Cup career and Ronnie Thomas' first top-10 showing. The issue also carries the heart-breaking story of Rick Newsom, and an in-depth interview with Richard Petty, in which The King shared how he REALLY felt about movies and television. Maybe best of all ... the Petty interview reveals a connection between the 1953 movie The Moon is Blue and the iconic television shows M*A*S*H and The Big Bang Theory.

Matt Yocum, formerly of Fox Sports and now SRX, is looking back at the end of his time covering NASCAR for Fox and what's ahead with SRX. Yocum discusses being out of the routine of covering NASCAR; joining DirtVision last month for the World of Outlaws at Bristol; his love of all things motorsports; memories of Dale Earnhardt and the significance of his Twitter cover photo; developing a relationship with Tony Stewart; the stories behind Stewart getting his back waxed on live radio; cultivating relationships with drivers over the years; the appeal of joining SRX as a pit reporter and being able to tell stories; the preparation going into a new series; why fans should tune into SRX this summer. Music created by Tony Monge.