NASCAR on NBC podcast

NASCAR on NBC analyst Jeff Burton returns to the NASCAR on NBC Podcast for his first appearance in a year and five days to break down the NASCAR Cup race at Phoenix Raceway, including recalling the last time we did this pre-pandemic (1:00); what stood out about Martin Truex Jr.’s victory, aside from being so good after scrubbing the wall (2:00); was this a bit of a breakthrough victory for the No. 19 team? (4:00); a deeper look at crew chief James Small (6:00); if the nature of the surprising turnaround in the race is a trust and confidence-builder (8:00); why Jeff likes monitoring the radios of drivers who are struggling (9:30); stage racing as illuminated through fantasy racing (10:30); as he’s been saying for the better part of five years on this podcast, Burton clearly explains once again why points … still … matter (13:00); breaking down the final restart in which Truex beat Logano (15:00); why Phoenix restarts are unlike any other since the reconfiguration (18:00); did Joe Gibbs Racing addresses its Phoenix weaknesses (20:30); five winners in five races: Can it continue? (22:30); what about more than 16 winners in the regular season? (24:30); Atlanta Motor Speedway and Kevin Harvick’s wheelhouse (27:00); the pride of being so good as a driver, your technique can’t be replicated (29:30). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

NASCAR on NBC analyst Steve Letarte breaks down the NASCAR Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, including Kyle Larson breaking the “underdog” streak (1:00); how it felt to see a crowd (though limited) at Las Vegas this time (2:00); is Larson getting up to speed so quickly a surprise? (4:00); sizing up the surge by Hendrick Motorsports (6:30); why Rick Hendrick would say this might be the most chemistry is team ever has enjoyed (8:00); wondering what Hendrick driver debriefs are like these days (10:30); how it might have evolved from the Jeff Gordon/Jimmie Johnson era (12:00); why now might have been the perfect time for Chad Knaus to be put in charge of Hendrick’s competition overall (14:00); do the Hendrick drivers’ styles mesh because they’re of the same age? (16:00); and how they might fit together just as well in office cubicles (18:00); the 1-2-3 countdown of the best teams in Cup (19:15); Kyle Busch and a simulation to real world discrepancy (21:00); on the beauty of Kyle Busch hating a third-place finish (23:30); is that tough on new crew chief Ben Beshore? (25:00); the struggles of Stewart-Haas Racing (26:30). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

NASCAR on NBC analyst Steve Letarte breaks down the NASCAR Cup race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where he returned as a de-facto crew chief for the first time in several years and explained how race day felt (1:00); what surprised him the most about what the NASCAR garage looks like now vs. 2014 (2:30); how the race unfolded (5:00); why Corey LaJoie seemed less worried about everything than Steve (6:30); how Steve still found his happy place despite his car being out for the last 100 laps (8:30); how Sunday compared to his first race as a crew chief nearly 15 years ago (10:30); how crew limitations could impact the crew chief transitions for engineers (12:30); the extra duties that come with being on a pandemic-era pit crew (15:30); Steve’s insight and experience with Rudy Fugle winning his third race as a Cup crew chief (18:00); good signs for Hendrick Motorsports (20:00); who is Rudy Fugle (21:30); explaining how the “parts freeze” is affecting the Cup Series (23:30); why it’s helping the smaller teams (27:00); will NASCAR do more of this for parity with the NextGen car (29:00); challenging the parity discussion (31:30); Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

NASCAR on NBC analyst Steve Letarte breaks down the NASCAR weekend at the Daytona Road Course, analyzing how Christopher Bell and Ty Gibbs are making the future seem bright at Joe Gibbs Racing (1:00); why are so many inexperienced drivers getting their first NASCAR national series victories at road courses? (3:00); some insight on what Letarte knows about Bell and Gibbs before their breakthroughs (5:30); appreciating the rarity of consecutive first-time winners (7:30); the turning point of the race, starting with NASCAR’s officiating decisions (10:30); appreciating the tire wire and strategy from having options (13:00); the discussions NASCAR needs to have on officiating road courses (15:00); looking at local yellows and talking to the drivers before COTA (17:00); some other considerations before making policy changes (19:00); what the CBell victory meant for his crew chief after Adam Stevens had a bit of a contentious split with Kyle Busch (21:30); making the case for the “team of rivals” approach (24:00); the impact of two first-time winners on the playoff picture (27:00). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

NASCAR on NBC analyst Steve Letarte breaks down the Daytona 500, analyzing the breathtaking final lap and what he saw between Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano (1:00); Are we learning you shouldn’t block while leading on the last lap of the Daytona 500? (3:30); How does Roger Penske handle the aftermath? (4:30); on Michael McDowell’s underdog story (7:00); how the race's turning point was all about pit strategy (11:00); why Daytona turned out to be a numbers game that Toyota and Denny Hamlin couldn’t win (13:00); was Hamlin right to be confused why the Chevrolets waited until the last lap to make a move? (14:15); the missed opportunity of breaking manufacturer ranks (16:00); why the Toyotas still shouldn’t kick themselves too much (18:00); on whether the six-hour rain delay (and big crash before the red flag) impacted the rhythm and flow of the race (20:00); the ability to control a race like Dale Jr. and Denny Hamlin can (22:00); Stevie’s Speedweek in Daytona and how it felt weird (23:30); how does McDowell’s victory shake up the playoff picture (26:00); the increasingly wild-card nature of the regular season (28:30). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

The newly named Chevrolet sports car program manager who oversees Corvette Racing and also has managed the Cadillac program that has four consecutive overall victories in the Rolex 24 at Daytona on her new expanded role as a major manufacturer executive in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Series (1:00); how many people she oversees (3:00), the great start to the Rolex 24 that GM Racing enjoyed on the first weekend in Daytona (5:00); what it’s been like dealing with the attention on Chase Elliott and Jimmie Johnson (7:00); how the program and teams integrate the superstar drop-ins (9:00); the excitement of vying for a fourth consecutive Rolex 24 victory with Cadillac (11:00); how Laura got into racing while growing up in Baltimore (13:00); the first race car project she worked on in college (15:00) how she became a car person (17:15); on making the shift from the production to the racing side of General Motors (18:45); adding the oversight of the Corvette Racing to her managing the Cadillac program (21:30); on taking over the role formerly held by Corvette Racing icon Doug Fehan (23:30); does she see encouraging signs of more women in auto racing (25:30); the importance of female role models like herself and mentor Alba Colon (28:00) on if being a woman in racing has resulted in different treatment (30:30); some instances in which she’s had to get stern with teams (34:00); how she has fun away from the track (37:00); what her biggest concerns are trying to win the Rolex 24 at Daytona (40:00) Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Rusty Wallace and Dale Earnhardt Jr. share everything they love about Bristol Motor Speedway ... their first impressions on rolling into NASCAR's "Last Great Colosseum," the secrets to some of their success, why they tell every fan it's the first NASCAR racetrack where they should attend a race, the toll it takes on drivers and the special atmosphere and allure it holds. Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

The brain trust of Toyota Racing Development's vaunted TD2 driver development pipeline on some of Toyota’s up and comers such as Chandler Smith (1:00); “you have to remember they’re still just kids” (2:30); more of the name in and out of the program (4:00); the importance of USAC dirt racing (5:30); how Toyota Racing Development deals with having teams provide the slots for its drivers (7:30); thinking about the “greater good” for auto racing (9:30); dealing with the luck, good and bad, of keeping drivers or having them get away (11:00); the NextGen timeline with driver development (12:30); exploring William Byron in depth (13:30); what it’s like dealing with “NASCAR dads and moms” (15:00); “Parents have seen their kids run perfect races, and they expect that every time.” (17:00); why drivers whose parents “let go” tend to have more success (19:00); holding younger drivers accountable for their actions (20:00); teaching the real-world consequences for off-track behavior (21:30); the rage-quitting incident and how that was used as a teachable moment (23:30); trying to find the line of what is offensive vs. generational (24:30); but also encouraging drivers to have personalities – and neck tattoos (25:45). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

The brain trust of Toyota Racing Development's vaunted driver development pipeline on their backgrounds with TRD (3:00); being based in California but being “comfortable” with that and the travel it demands (5:00); the origins of the driver development program (7:00); which includes physical training, social media and health and nutrition advice (9:00); figuring out to pay for the program and rising star Christopher Bell (10:30); “if we need tried to go back and do this 100 times, it probably doesn’t work” (11:30); the importance of being hands on, understanding every prospect won’t stay and getting the byproduct of teams working together more often (13:30); kicking off the program with a home run in Christopher Bell (15:00); reflecting on Erik Jones and Bubba Wallace being in the program before it was fully formed (16:00); William Byron’s time with TRD (17:00); the “family selection” process (18:00); how Toyota attaches sponsors to drivers the way teams would (19:30); how dealing with the sponsorship as a manufacturer differs from managing it as a team (21:30); preparing “kids” for meeting with sponsors and learning businesses (23:00); incorporating the elements of “Sports Science” and “Moneyball” analytics (25:00); learning about how to analyze drivers through the Texas Rangers and TCU (26:30); ensuring that drivers get a “report card” on their progress (28:00); teaching drivers basic information like how to handle running out of gasoline on track (29:00); how the metrics of “Moneyball” and “Sports Science” work together (30:30); the simple ways of teaching drivers about nutrition and simple things (32:00); the importance of removing team variables to enhance evaluations (34:30); what trying to develop drivers is like during the middle of a pandemic (35:30); keeping drivers exercising and in communication across long distances during lockdown (37:00); managing expectations about getting in the car after a long layoff (39:00); how TRD is advising its younger drivers on returning to track as racing restarts (40:30). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

The two-time Daytona 500-winning crew chief for the No. 11 Toyota of Denny Hamlin on how he finds benefit in iRacing by running practices races with Hamlin, and learning to improve communication (3:00); his passion for iRacing and how long he’s been involved (4:30); his racing background in Super Late Models (6:00); how many wins in real life vs. iRacing and his history with owning a simulator (8:30); how iRacing can help build the Gabehart-Hamlin relationship, particularly in a world without practice (10:00); the difference between how IndyCar and NASCAR are approaching iRacing (12:30); what he’s learned from watching Hamlin on Twitch (14:00); getting a rare window into a driver’s mindset with the helmet off (15:00); what makes Hamlin so good at iRacing (17:30); how iRacing is a level beyond IROC (19:30); what the absence of fear – and the pressure of big-time sponsorship -- mean (20:30); is he glad 7-year-old Taylor Hamlin won’t be ending a No. 11 race on a real track anytime soon? (22:00); what the preparations for the 2020 season have been like (23:00); what will be the biggest obstacle facing teams? And the impacts of social distancing on teams (25:00); what’s been happening at Joe Gibbs Racing (27:00); how is the No. 11 approaching the rest of 2020 after starting off so well at Daytona but then having a long layoff? (29:00). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.