NASCAR on NBC podcast

The first female driver to win a pole position and race in the NASCAR K&N Series on how she gravitated toward NASCAR (1:45); if she had any desire to race dirt bikes like her famous father, Brian (2:55); the occupational hazards of being in freestyle motocross and whether dad discouraged her from doing it (3:55): how being raised at the track made her want to race (4:25); her memories of dad’s many near-death experiences and life-saving surgeries (5:25); her first win as an 8-year-old (6:45); the numerous times that Hailie’s off-road vehicles were on fire (8:00); her career plan for NASCAR (8:30); why she is comfortable with the media, particularly on social, and how she learned from her father’s interviews (9:30); why Hailie graduated from high school two years early and has no regrets (10:30); the hours and effort she puts into her racing career (11:30); the balance of Hailie’s mellow and super aggressive sides (14:30); the chances that she might drive for Kyle Busch someday (15:30); her Steve Phelps connection (16:30); how she deals with those who might look at her as a girl before a race car driver (17:00); the bump and run that secured her historic victory in Idaho (17:30) how she thinks her teammate, Cole Rouse, felt about it (18:30); her response to Cole’s surprising offer on Twitter (20:00); her outlook for the rest of the season (21:00). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

The Xfinity Series chamiponship contender on why capitalizing on opportunities has been the key to his career season (1:00); why communication is important for his team, even between his daughter and crew members (4:00); the special helmet that he is wearing through the playoffs and designed by his daughter (6:00) and why it’ll mean rainbows and unicorns all the way through the playoffs (8:00); the Allgaier family’s love for graphic design (9:30); how Justin was influenced by his grandfather, a World War II Navy veteran (10:30); Justin’s business in making graphics and lettering for race cars (12:30); on being miserable for two years of irrelevancy in Cup (13:30); the fortunate twist of fate that led to his ride at JR Motorsports (16:00); what the right opportunity would look like if he had the chance to return to Cup (18:00); the special connection with his primary sponsor (19:30); his frustration but understanding of the lack of Cup prospects (20:45); on his cancer scare this year (22:45); being comfortable with raising awareness about his need for a colonoscopy (24:15). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

The president and CEO of Speedway Motorsports Inc. on Charlotte Motor Speedway's new road course being the talk of the playoffs (1:00), whether the goal was to freak out drivers about how treacherous the track might be? (2:45); why drivers seemingly have bought into the Roval as a good thing even if it makes them uncomfortable (5:00); whether it proves what might be perceived as bad for drivers is good for fans (6:00); on the resistance he faced to the Roval (8:15); Mario Andretti’s involvement with the road course and how Marcus secured the Porsche 918 to put him on track (10:00); Mario’s three pieces of Roval feedback (12:00); how Marcus came up with the Roval idea for the Cup Series (14:00); on if there were any moments of doubt it wouldn't work (16:45); the appeal of road courses as the new short tracks (19:45); could this be a blueprint for street races? (21:30); will the drafting/All-Star Race package be coming to the 2019 Coca-Cola 600? (25:00); should NASCAR pull back on the drafting package because the racing has been better lately? (26:45); how Charlotte’s new synthetic turf should help with crashes and is it headed to other tracks? (29:30). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

The new first-time Xfinity Series race winner on addressing Chip Ganassi Racing after his Las Vegas victory and the many questions he asks to stay preoccupied (1:00); the surreal feeling of lapping cars and the mistakes of letting one by (5:00); why a nice guy makes so many other guys angry and why he races his competitors so hard (7:30); where things stand with Kevin Harvick (12:30); has he met Chip Ganassi yet? (13:45); correcting some Wikipedia inaccuracies about Ross' life, starting with the racing history of his dad and grandfather (16:00); why he wants to return to watermelon farming after racing (20:30); the risks of being a watermelon farmer (22:30); the story behind JDI (24:00); when Ross got fired four years ago, and his career seemed over (26:30); why he is OK with driving without being paid (31:00); the best (or worst) sponsorship story he has (34:00); could Chip Ganassi Racing or DC Solar help him beyond Richmond? (36:15); can he win the championship with JD Motorsports? (37:25) Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver on the curious dichotomy of the big sprint car event but small sprint car scene in his native state of Oklahoma (1:00); his big break in racing and its tie to Kyle Larson (3:00); how a resemblance to a World of Outlaws helped him (5:00); as did Larson’s departure from a Toyota ride (5:50); the good and bad of following a first-class talent (6:45); why Christopher isn’t that interested in the attention that comes with his job (7:45); how he keeps his hand in dirt racing while running NASCAR (8:30); on why he’d be happy running both dirt and pavement for the foreseeable future (11:00); the potential for running Xfinity and Cup on dirt (12:15) and the tracks that he thinks could handle it (14:15); some suggestions on equipment and schedule modifications for running NASCAR on dirt (15:00); his chances in the Xfinity playoffs (15:45). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

The NASCAR on NBC analyst helps break down some of NBCSports.com's new playoff power rankings, including how he would rank crew chiefs (1:45); the ways he ran his Cup teams (4:00); his methodology for evaluating crew chiefs on strategy (6:00); what makes good leaders (9:45); who leads the team more, crew chief or driver (11:30); the importance of time efficiency and delegation (12:45); who is the best crew chief in NASCAR (15:00); the definition of driver talent (16:30); who is the best driver in the pits (17:50) and in team engagement (18:30); why did no one catch up to the Big 3 in the regular season (19:30); the puzzling disparity between Stewart-Haas Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing (23:00); can Chevrolet turn it around with the new Camaro? (24:00); the importance of collaboration (27:30). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

After spending a few dozen hours in a Charlotte courthouse covering the legal saga for NBCSports.com, NASCAR Talk editor Dustin Long provides his analysis and insight on why BK Racing filed for bankruptcy (1:30); what former owner Ron Devine’s plan was to keep control of the team (4:15); the process of appointing a trustee (6:00); what were the chances of Ron Devine getting the team back without a sale? (9:45); given the outcome, would Devine have had a better option than Chapter 11? (12:15); explaining the bidding process for BK Racing (13:30); what amount was the court hoping the team would fetch instead of a bid it called “disappointing”? (15:00); the plan ahead for BK Racing and Front Row Motorsports (18:45); reassessing where this leaves the charter system (21:00); what court filings revealed about the purse structures (23:30); can a team make money while running on a shoestring budget under the charter system? (27:00); the challenge of balancing income with performance (31:00). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver on his love of University of Georgia football (1:00), why he took the words of coach Kirby Smart to heart (1:45), the motivational tactics of football coaches (2:30), whether he ever ponders having gone to college to have a rooting interest (4:30), his relationship with Jimmie Johnson and the in-depth conversations they've had (6:30), how he played a role in putting his father, Bill, in the upcoming Road America race (9:00), the email he sent Bill Elliott with driving tips for the track (10:30), stepping into a more featured role in national advertisements (12:30), what he's learned and appreciates about Dale Earnhardt Jr. as a high-profile spokesman (13:45), if he has plans to seize control of his brand in future (16:30), why he believes his team can find another gear as it did the past two seasons heading into the playoffs (18:00). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

The Motorsports Analytics founder on Chase Elliott’s first win and why it’s the perfect representation of stylized, modern-day NASCAR (2:00); the impact of restarts on Elliott’s results and why this part of the schedule fits him well (4:00); why David doesn’t think Chase Elliott necessarily has been struggling this season (7:00); when the trend of “stylized racing” began in NASCAR (8:30); the importance of restarts in talent evaluation (9:30); why underrating Chase Elliott changed David’s opinion on evaluating Late Model drivers (11:30); where Elliott was ranked in K&N in 2011-12 and why he’s been a late bloomer compared with others' results (14:00); why USAC might be underrated for evaluation (17:00); defining PEER, the key stat David uses in driver evaluation (19:00); what some eye-popping passing stats say about whether Jimmie Johnson remains as good as ever despite his slump (21:00); why David believes engineers are undervalued vs. pit crew members (25:00); reaching the physical limits of a pit stop (32:00); could we have seen The Big Three coming last year … (35:00); … and how much of its success is rooted in driver ability? (36:30); Kyle Larson’s greatness (37:30); Denny Hamlin’s strange season (39:30); who is the fourth driver who will join The Big Three in the championship round (41:00) Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver on his inquisitive nature and a funny anecdote about the question he asked at his first go-kart race that opened some important doors (4:15); how Daniel brought his father, Alejandro, into racing (7:15); his big break on the Mexico racing scene (11:00); why he feels gracious to have gotten the opportunities he did (18:00); the story behind a vintage bus he bought for his family (21:00); what leaving them behind in his home country was like (27:00); the arduous process of obtaining a green card and whether U.S. citizenship is an eventual goal (29:00); how that has informed and shaped his views on immigration (36:30); learning English through books, cartoons and movies (38:30); the interesting backstory of his manager, Gustavo (40:30); the raucous reception he received in his home country after winning the Xfinity championship (44:30); and his chances at getting his first Cup win at Michigan International Speedway this weekend (46:30). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.