NASCAR on NBC podcast

Why did this race end with such a long green-flag run? (2:30); two critical moments that tipped the race in favor of Michael McDowell over Daniel Suarez (6:00); how Next Gen has been a game-changer that has lifted Front Row (9:30); Denny Hamlin’s inadvertent shot at McDowell’s road course prowess (12:00); being a driver involved in team direction and personnel decisions (14:00); the fateful meeting that laid the ground work for a successful union between Michael McDowell and crew chief Travis Peterson (17:00); how being a crew chief at Front Row would be different than Hendrick (20:00); Michael McDowell’s career story (22:00); “He never gave up, but he never gave in” (27:30); assessing Shane van Gisbergen’s 10th place (31:00); what’s next for SVG in 2024 and what would be an ideal schedule to prepare for being full-time Cup in 2025 (35:00); on the likelihood of NASCAR returning to the IMS oval next year (38:00); a novel concept from Burton on announcing Roval or oval a few months ahead of the race (40:00); playoff cutline outlook for the last two races (41:30).

Why was the racing so good at Michigan, which featured a record 16 leaders (1:00); impact of the car and stage racing (3:30); breaking down the strategy elements of Chris Buescher’s victory over Martin Truex Jr. and the crucial decisions on when to make the final pit stops (7:00); how Buescher and Tyler Reddick helped each other to stay ahead of Truex (10:00); why it made more sense for Buescher to stay out to start the final stage (13:00); why Truex didn’t wait longer to make his final stop after Buescher made his (15:15); the final 20 fruitless laps of Truex’s pursuit and praising Buescher’s sublime drive to close out the win (17:00); has Chris Buescher’s star emergence been surprising this season? (20:00); Brad Keselowski, Steve Letarte’s personal NASCAR on NBC reviewer (22:00); Keselowski’s impressive impact on the look and the results for the former Roush Fenway Racing (25:00); how does 23XI Racing address its pit crew woes? (30:00); why were drivers losing control when on the inside at Michigan? (33:00); how did CBell finish 13th with a car that seemed heavily damaged? (36:30); playoff outlook for Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott (38:00); a preview of Indianapolis’ international lineup with Shane van Gisbergen, Brodie Kostecki, Kamui Kobayashi, Jenson Button and Mike Rockenfeller.

What we know about Richmond winner Chris Buescher (2:30) and why his persona might be both underrated and appreciate (5:30); where does Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing rank in Cup (8:30); how teams approached the race on strategy expecting long green-flag runs (11:00); how did the style of racing at Richmond change (14:00); Martin Truex Jr.’s confusion with his team’s strategy (16:30); Truex’s frustration while still mulling his future (20:00); a plethora of pit mistakes (21:00); how being a TV pit reporter is different from radio (24:00); the backstory of how Kim handled the postrace interview with Kyle Larson at Pocono (27:30); why the interview went to a rare third question and Kim’s thought process on the follow-ups (33:00); whether Kim got any feedback on the interview from Larson, Hamlin or the rest of the industry (37:00); the impact of Pocono on how drivers will race Michigan this weekend (41:00); Bubba Wallace’s impressive Richmond and what it means for Michigan and making the playoffs (43:00).

The surprise of this being Truex’s first Cup win at New Hampshire (1:30); what it’s like for a driver to win at the track where he grew up at (4:30); how has Martin Truex Jr. recaptured his championship form of 2017-21? (9:30); what are the odds of Truex returning in 2024 (15:30); Truex and crew chief James Small being on the same page for a critical pit stop (18:30); Ryan Blaney’s pit crew error, and should teams use code words? (21:30); a costly mistake for Christopher Bell’s crew as well (24:00); the tightening of the playoff cutline and what it means for Daytona (25:30); what DJ likes about the approach by Michael McDowell and his team (28:00); win or else for Chase Elliott’s playoff hopes (30:00); Joey Logano’s impressive performance (34:00); Pocono preview (37:00).

What’s it like for a crew chief to anticipate strategy calls in a rain-shortened race (1:30); “there’ll be as many road course races as rain races this season” (5:00); having a “war room” staffer who’s the meteorologist (6:30); and could the war room be at the track in the future (7:30); NASCAR’s decision to keep the pits closed while running under yellow (9:30); the factor of last year’s call at the Daytona regular-season finale (12:30); the crux of keeping the pits closed (17:00); William Byron’s impressive recovery from 36th to first (21:30); the seemingly perfect pairing of Rudy Fugle and William Byron (27:00); analyzing Kyle Laron’s exploding right-front tire (32:00); NASCAR’s decision to hold the yellow a couple of times (34:00); the scintillating racing on Atlanta’s new pavement and how long can we expect it to last (39:00); why it was about driving at Atlanta instead of steering at Talladega (41:30); improving the fan experience around Atlanta and how that’s part of the reimagining of the NASCAR schedule (44:00); New Hampshire preview (47:30).

Putting Shane van Gisbergen’s historic victory in NASCAR context (1:30); appreciate SVG’s racecraft as much as his pure speed (4:00); giving Justin Marks a lot of credit for “the perfect pick” (7:00); a big year for NASCAR’s international footprint (8:45); why the Next gen is a friendlier platform of car for international drivers to adapt (10:30); is SVG really 5-8 years ahead of the field as Kyle Busch alluded (13:30); the Cup drivers who were left humbled (16:00); SVG’s heel-to-toe technique, and was it the difference in his speed (19:00); how the best road course drivers make speed with the brakes and clutch (22:00); will Cup teams now be studying if they can gain speed by left-foot shifting? (23:30); and can this lost art be reclaimed (25:30); should NASCAR go to single-file restarts on road courses? (27:00); did the wet to dry conditions make Chicago a better race? (28:00); impressions on a 30-year veteran of the NASCAR Cup Series industry watching the first street race ever (31:00); what’s the future of Chicago and NASCAR street courses in general (34:00); Atlanta and Chase Elliott’s path to the playoffs (40:30); why Atlanta qualifying and track position could be critical (42:00).

Sizing up Nashville and why Ross Chastain’s car came to life at night. (1:30); how the No. 1 team optimized handling for Chastain (4:30); Chastain and his more patient approach to navigating traffic and less friendly drivers (7:30); an interesting conversation that DJ had with Ross (10:00); the conversation that Ross had with Justin Marks (12:30); is Chastain getting more respect now since Darlington? (15:30); the Rick Hendrick factor (16:30); is Ross Chastain now a championship contender? DJ asked him and got an interesting response (20:30); the humbler side of Ross Chastain and his relationship with “Mr. Jarrett” (23:00); analyzing what happened in Ryan Blaney’s crash (26:00); SAFER barriers everywhere, regardless of cost (29:00); Nashville Superspeedway’s quality racing (31:30); Chicago Street Race weekend preview (34:00); how many more winners will there be in the 2023 Cup season? (38:00)

Sizing up Nashville and why Ross Chastain’s car came to life at night. (1:30); how the No. 1 team optimized handling for Chastain (4:30); Chastain and his more patient approach to navigating traffic and less friendly drivers (7:30); an interesting conversation that DJ had with Ross (10:00); the conversation that Ross had with Justin Marks (12:30); is Chastain getting more respect now since Darlington? (15:30); the Rick Hendrick factor (16:30); is Ross Chastain now a championship contender? DJ asked him and got an interesting response (20:30); the humbler side of Ross Chastain and his relationship with “Mr. Jarrett” (23:00); analyzing what happened in Ryan Blaney’s crash (26:00); SAFER barriers everywhere, regardless of cost (29:00); Nashville Superspeedway’s quality racing (31:30); Chicago Street Race weekend preview (34:00); how many more winners will there be in the 2023 Cup season? (38:00)

What’s going on with Ross Chastain since Darlington? (2:00); or is it what’s happened to Trackhouse Racing? (4:00); why the timing of Chastain suddenly being managed more directly by the team (7:00); NASCAR’s view of Chastain (11:00); was the team too public? (13:00); the Rick Hendrick factor (15:00); Denny Hamlin in the era of the driver podcast (17:30); do some drivers need to leverage their success into bigger platforms and voices? (22:00); should NASCAR penalize drivers ex post facto? (27:00); the resurrection of Kyle Busch as a franchise driver at Richard Childress Racing (32:00); does Joe Gibbs Racing feel regret about letting Busch go? (38:00); the Austin Dillon effect (40:00); the car vs. driver through the Next Gen lens (44:00); trying to assign a percentage to a driver’s impact (48:00); the Next Gen culture shift in NASCAR (54:00); are penalties and fines dominating the Cup Series narrative too much in 2023? (1:00); state of short track racing in 2023 (1:04); should future track schedules feature more rebalancing to fit where the cars are delivering the best quality of action? (1:10).

On a reinvigorated Martin Truex Jr. a year after he openly contemplated retirement (1:00); a driver who can win emphatically when his car is right, especially at Sonoma (5:00); do Truex’s victories this year increase the likelihood that he sticks around beyond 2023? (7:30); is Kyle Busch a title contender now (10:00); how Busch and RCR have answered some questions the past two weeks about the short-track package (13:30); Chase Elliott’s interesting top five and where he is with Next Gen on road courses (16:30); Hendrick’s lack of speed overall (18:30); the difficult for Chase Elliott of finding a rhythm during such a choppy season (21:30); feeling “lost” when out of the routine from living at a racetrack your entire life (24:00); the penalty to Tyler Reddick for doing something that helped the greater good, and that KP considers the best call of the 2023 season (27:00); State of Trackhouse Racing (31:00); sizing up the unknowns as the NASCAR on NBC schedule kicks off in two weeks (35:00).