NASCAR on NBC podcast

NASCAR drivers Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart share their experiences racing in the Indy 500, discussing challenges, logistics, and their memories. They reflect on the cultural differences between NASCAR and IndyCar, the intense preparation required, and racing against unfamiliar competitors. Indy 500 pole-sitter Scott McLaughlin talks about team nicknames, preparation, and respecting world-class teammates. The podcast provides insights into the demanding world of racing and the dedication required for success.

What’s at stake for KyleLarsonin attempting a herculean feat of auto racing and why he loves running the big events (2:30); why Mario Andretti has been so impressed by Larson (6:00); the Hendrick Motorsports star’s quest for greatness (8:30); the three dreams that Larson will be fulfilling simultaneously by running the Indy 500 (13:30); the route that Jeff Gordon nearly took to racing at the Indy 500 (18:00); the 2013 Indy 500 visit that solidified Larson’s desire to compete in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing (23:00); the perspectives of Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch on joining their exclusive club of drivers who have run both races (26:00); the off-track stressors that Larson will be facing in attempting The Double (33:00); how 2013 Indy 500 winner Tony Kannan is helping Larson adapt to IndyCar while shielding him from information overload (36:00); NASCAR Hall of Fame team owner Rick Hendrick addresses his enthusiasm for being a co-owner of Larson’s Indy 500 entry (39:00). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

Denny Hamlin gets hot in short track season behind the best pit crew in the Cup Series (1:30); the increased importance of pit stops in the Next Gen era (5:00);why Martin Truex Jr. was unhappy with Denny Hamlin (9:30);Kyle Larson’swild finish (12:00); Chase Briscoe interview (15:30); the outlook for Stewart-Haas Racing and taking a leadership role (19:00); being in a contract year (21:30); why is approach has been more aggressive this season (23:00); Carson Hocevar interview (27:00); being trusted with helping guide Spire Motorsports’ vision (30:00): Zane Smith interview (34:30); Hendrick Motorsports brings its 40th anniversary celebration to Martinsville (36:30); Chase Elliott’s first memories of meeting Rick Hendrick and getting a full personal tour of the team’s campus (39:30); William Byron recalls his memories of watching Hendrick’s success at Martinsville as a fan in the grandstands (43:00).Dustin Long's Friday 5 column on the 7-second pit stop frontier: https://www.nbcsports.com/nascar/news/friday-5-how-much-faster-can-nascar-cup-pit-crews-go Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

Toyota’s strong showing at Phoenix (2:30);the No. 20 scores a “cathartic” victory that shows the team remains championship caliber (6:30); the impact of a new short track rules package (9:00); the latest on adding horsepower (10:30); the struggles in the pits for Kyle Busch and his team (13:30); checking back on Kyle Larson’s Vegas win (16:00); Rajah Caruth reflects on his breakthrough victory (17:30); Steve Phelps on NASCAR considering Dodger Stadium for a Cup race (19:30); the charter system races the IndyCar Series and Michael Andretti’s candid comments to Roger Penske (22:30); IndyCar stars discuss an eye-popping contract extension for Pato O’Ward (24:30); St. Pete winner Josef Newgarden on having a new outlook and learning to love his job again (29:30). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

The anxious moments of waiting to be declared a Daytona 500 winner (1:30); Byron explains how he went from winning races online to winning in real life nearly overnight (3:30); the “impostor syndrome” of racing against Jimmie Johnson, his former neighbor (5:00); why Byron entered the 2024 season with a chip on his shoulder (6:30); how Byron overcame being a big factor in a massive wreck to refocus on winning a career-defining race (9:30); the thoughts of team owner Rick Hendrick and executive Jeff Gordon, former No. 24 driver (12:00); defending Cup champion Ryan Blaney on the bigger voice he’ll have in 2024 and how he’ll use it (15:00); Blaney’s reaction to the Netflix docuseries (17:30); Joey Logano on handing off the champion’s journal to his Penske teammate (20:30); Jimmie Johnson on Legacy Motor Club’s move to Toyota (23:30); Erik Jones on his transition through Cup (27:00); Brad Keselowski on expecting big things but also accepting responsibility (30:30); Martin Truex Jr. on the next generation of Cup drivers and why he doesn’t let bad days get to him anymore (33:00). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

Why the 2004 season was a crossroads of so many eras beginning and ending for NASCAR (1:30); former NASCAR on NBC announcer Allen Bestwick and sports journalist Brant James recall the impact of a visit by President George W. Bushto the Daytona 500 (5:30); the scene as President Bush arrived at the track (9:30); the president’s prerace interview (11:00); the delayed opening ceremonies and the command to start engines (12:30); how this was different from previous presidential visits to Cup races (15:00); Ben Affleck’s Daytona 500 appearance and NASCAR as a place to “see and be seen” (16:30); the debut of Nextel as the new title sponsor of the NASCAR Cup Series (20:00); how Nextel changed the approach to NASCAR commercials and marketing (22:30); the origins of the Chase for the Nextel Cup Championship format and NASCAR’s reasons for making the major change (26:00); how NASCAR introduced the controversial new playoff-style system and fended off criticism from fans and the industry (28:00); why Dale Jr. was an overwhelming prerace favorite to win his first Daytona 500 (35:30); the prerace twists between Dale Earnhardt Inc. teammates Dale Jr. and Michael Waltrip and the tension between their teams (38:30); the massive wreck that took out Waltrip in the Daytona 500 (40:30); the surprising wingman bromance between Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart (42:30); the surprising way the Daytona 500 ended with 300 consecutive miles under the green flag (45:00); the winning pass and the jubilant aftermath for Dale Jr. (47:30); how Dale Jr. tied all of the emotions together in his typically confessional and emotive postrace interviews (50:00); the congratulatory phone call from President Bush to Dale Jr. after the race (55:00); the Busch Series win postscript for Dale Jr. (58:00); how Earnhardt Jr.’s victory on Feb. 15, 2004 at Daytona closed the loop on his July 7, 2001 triumph at the same track (1:00). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

Ryan Blaney on an emotional night in Nashville (3:00), thanking those who helped him earn the championship (7:00), his first meeting with Roger Penske (9:30), the responsibilities of being the reigning champion and what’s to come (11:00); Kyle Busch on his newfound popularity in 2023 (12:30), the sale of Kyle Busch Motorsports and why the timing is right for the next step in his career (15:00); Denny Hamlin on a new pathway to the championship and a new shop for his team with Michael Jordan (17:30), the shoulder injury he suffered last year that needed surgery (19:30) and if he’s become the loudest voice among drivers (21:30); Ross Chastain on the boost of winning the season finale (23:00), what it’s like being a polarizing rising star both booed and cheered (25:00), how he constantly reinvents his game (26:00), the watermelon farm refuge (28:00); Chase Elliott on a year he’d like to forget but needs to remember (29:00) and what it means to be a six-time Most Popular Driver (31:30). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

With his IMSA team sidelined from the Rolex 24 at Daytona for the first time in 20 years, Mike Shank discusses the disappointment of being unable to defend its title after winning the race in 2022-23 (2:30); where Shank will be instead of heading to Daytona (4:00); tracing the long, successful history of Meyer Shank Racing from the Rolex 24 to winning the Indy 500 (5:30); the afterglow of its 2023 Rolex 24 victory (7:30); and then the fallout from its penalty (9:00); how IMSA addressed the infraction to prevent it from happening again (10:30); the repercussions with Acura and Honda (13:00); how the rest of the 2023 season went for Meyer Shank Racing (16:00); the team’s victory in the Petit Le Mans season finale (18:30); where MSR’s drivers have landed for the 2024 Rolex 24, and why Helio Castroneves will miss a shot at winning his fourth consecutive Rolex 24 (20:00); Shank’s feelings about being overlooked this year (23:00); what the prospects are for MSR returning to IMSA in 2025 (25:30); the help that Shank is getting from IMSA in trying to return. Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

Background on why the 2024 season comes at a critical juncture for Wayne Taylor Racing Andretti (1:00);what a hectic offseason has felt like (6:00); how much the team has grown and what that impact has been like on a close-knit team that prides itself on family (10:00); why it’s so important to maintain the team’s efficient culture of maximizing its resources (14:00); Taylor’s famous attention to detail and an anecdote about how that ties into WTR Andretti’s success (19:00); the challenges of hiring dozens of people amid a shallow motorsports talent pool (24:00); how the team goes about managing a driver lineup with Indy 500 winners and F1 champions (30:00); how the engineering staff adapts to building cars around what eight drivers want (35:00); the outlook for bringing Acura its fourth consecutive Rolex 24 victory as the only team running the Honda brand this season (40:00); what's the team's next big challenge (45:00). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

Another all-star field gathers for the world’s first “Race of Champions” of the year (2:00); Jenson Button and Felipe Massa head the list of Formula One winners on the entry list (4:00); why driving the GTP hybrid prototype is so difficult (7:00); another heavy IndyCar component and why the hybrid will enhance those ties this year (11:30); Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden on his adaptation to the premier category and the hybrid (14:00); Marcus Ericsson on trying to open his Andretti era with a Rolex 24 win (17:00); Colton Herta’s impressive Rolex 24 record and what he enjoys about the special dynamic of teammates in sports cars (19:00); Roger Penske’s deep roots in sports cars and why Le Mans and Daytona remain high on his victory target list (21:00); will Porsche Penske Motorsport improve on its Daytona disappointments of 2023? (23:00); with defending winner Meyer Shank Racing off the grid, Wayne Taylor Racing adds a second car in trying to bring Acura its fourth consecutive victory (26:00); the explosive growth of manufacturer involvement in the GT categories (30:00); the return of Corvette vs. Mustang (32:00); will the race top last year’s record-setting crowd? (34:00). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.