Drivin' Life

To say Ken Thwaits is “driven” is an understatement.

Ken is a Successful Businessman, Professional Race Driver, Accomplished Pilot and Automotive Enthusiast.  He began racing in his teens, eventually turning pro in 1979, and winning the Mazda Pro Series national championship in 1984.  In 1993,  Ken and Johnny Unser saw an opportunity to utilize their specialized professional driving skill set and industry knowledge to create and grow a new business, Precision Dynamics International (PDI).  PDI has grown into a full-service automotive training and marketing company – working with automotive industry giants such as Nissan and Hyundai to name a few – to provide dealer training programs, consumer driving events, and meeting and conference events.

Ken still cannot resist the call of the racetrack.  Today, his racing team and Showtime Motorsports brand includes race cars, and an outstanding classic Camaro collection.  We sat down with Ken in his mancave/race shop to talk about his passion for all things automotive.  We hope you enjoy Kens story as much as we did!

Join us for a great conversation and update about Nascar's announcement to return to Nashville with Mike Tatoian, the Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of Dover Motorsports, Inc., and he also serves as the president & CEO of Dover International Speedway aka "The Monster Mile".  Mike talks with us about his history in the sport, how things have since he came to the track in January 2007 and gives us insight about the big news that  in June 2021, the rebirth of Nashville Superspeedway will take place as the facility will play host to a NASCAR Cup Series weekend and over 100+ plus events that will occur on the property... Let's talk racin'

Fred Ashmore joins us on the show.  25:55 is an insane number when you consider that it represents the time it took for one man to drive from New York to LA.  Making only one stop for fuel, in a RENTAL CAR!  As usual, we dig a little deeper than just the details of the record setting run, which we do discuss.  We talk about the early years and what got Fred excited about cars, both driving them and building them.  He also talks about how he got involved with the cannonball run, and how that lead to several more records.  And of course, there is more to come, Take a listen and enjoy our conversation with Fred Ashmore.

Today we rejoin Alex Smith for part 2 of our conversation.  In this episode, Alex shares more stories about his relationships and his love of VIR.  We also get to hear a little more about who he is.  From his business philosophy to his book.  When you finish todays episode I think you will understand why Owen and I got so caught up in this conversation.  Please join us and Enjoy Part 2 with Alex Smith

Alex Smith and the Smith family are fondly referred to as the First Family of VIR (Virginia International Raceway) by our own Owen Trinkler.  We sat down with Alex, in his villa at VIR for a conversation about his passions.  His passion for his wife and family.  His passion for his career.  His passion for the relationships they have created over the years, and his passion for driving.  This conversation was very personal for Owen and you can hear that in the episode.  I should say episodes.  We had such a great time with Alex, we had to split our time over 2 weeks.  Join us for Part 1.  We hope you get as caught up in the conversation as we did!

Alex Smith and the Smith family are fondly referred to as the First Family of VIR (Virginia International Raceway) by our own Owen Trinkler.  We sat down with Alex, in his villa at VIR for a conversation about his passions.  His passion for his wife and family.  His passion for his career.  His passion for the relationships they have created over the years, and his passion for driving.  This conversation was very personal for Owen and you can hear that in the episode.  I should say episodes.  We had such a great time with Alex, we had to split our time over 2 weeks.  Join us for Part 1.  We hope you get as caught up in the conversation as we did!

Most people know John Oates as a Rock 'n Roll superstar who sold over 40 Million records and is in the Songwriters Hall of Fame... which is true.  We also sat down with John the car collector, race car driver and auto enthusiast to discuss how his passion for music and automobiles intertwined brought him to collect some amazing pieces of both cars and guitars!  Hope you enjoy the stories and time with John as much as we did!

We invite you to join us over the next two weeks and share in the conversation we recently had with Mr. Bob Ingram.  If you know the name, you know the Ingram Collection.  Bob and his family have built what is arguably the world's most significant privately owned Porsche Automobile collection.  Or, as Cam Ingram said in a recent article, 'perhaps it's better known as the Peoples Porsche Collection.  Cohost Owen Trinkler has been friends with the Ingram family for many years, so we decided to take a little road trip to Raleigh-Durham North Carolina to sit down Bob and talk about the collection, the stories and the passion for Porsche.  Fittingly, we set up our equipment in the Vehicle Delivery Showroom at Porsche Southpoint and had a wonderful conversation.  Enjoy Part 1

DrivinLife was invited to go and check out Cruise'n N Groove'n in Pleasant View Tennessee over the weekend.  So we decided to set up the podcast gear and talk to some of the auto enthusiasts that made the trip.   The event is held every 3rd Saturday of the month.  Put it in your calendar and out to see vintage cars, enjoy some great food choices, and have a family fun evening.  We had a blast and plan to go back again later this summer.  Give it a listen and enjoy this special event podcast brought to you by the Hampton Inn Pleasant View.

We invite you to join us for part 2 of the conversation we recently had with Mr. Bob Ingram.  If you know the name, you know the Ingram Collection.  Bob and his family have built what is arguably the world's most significant privately owned Porsche Automobile collection.  Or, as Cam Ingram said in a recent article, 'perhaps it's better known as the Peoples Porsche Collection.  Cohost Owen Trinkler has been friends with the Ingram family for many years, so we decided to take a little road trip to Raleigh-Durham North Carolina to sit down Bob and talk about the collection, the stories and the passion for Porsche.  Fittingly, we set up our equipment in the Vehicle Delivery Showroom at Porsche Southpoint and had a wonderful conversation.  Enjoy Part 2