NASCAR on NBC podcast

Was Ross Chastain’s winning move over the line or totally in bounds? (2:00); dissecting how Jeff Burton saw the final lap and why “I’m OK with that” (4:00); why late-race restarts can be more “embarrassing” on road courses (6:00); did AJA have reason to be miffed? (7:30); has the “win at all costs to make the playoffs” mentality evolved recently in NASCAR? (10:00); whether today’s drivers are less artful with moving someone for a victory (12:00); any repercussions (beyond Allmendinger) for Chastain? (14:30); the progression of Chastain’s driving and attitude (16:00); and how it is similar to Kyle Larson’s in some regard (18:00); how did Trackhouse Racing get so good so fast? (21:30); the importance of Chevrolet in the equation (23:30); and the legacy of Chip Ganassi Racing (25:00); on the drivers who have yet to win (27:30); is the Brad Keselowski team penalty indicative of the pressure on teams and is there more to come? (30:00); COTA and enforcement of track limits (32:30); and should an alternative to full-course yellows on road courses be considered? (37:00); such as local yellows? (38:15); lug nuts and loose wheel penalties (41:00); Jeff Burton’s hopes for a Richmond renaissance (43:30).  Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

KP’s overall impressions on the “new” Atlanta (1:00); do drivers’ voices need to be heard or will they be heard? (3:00); where he thinks drivers’ focus should be with new tracks and layouts (safety) 5:00; what’s tricky about the new turns (6:00); the “shut up and drive” philosophy (8:00); the “tax” that drivers have to pay in superspeedway racing (10:00); will team owners push back if this tried elsewhere? (12:00); why this overhaul might be ill-suited for other 1.5-mile tracks (13:30); the layout seemed to deliver for fans who want more Daytona and Talladega (15:45); but less of a chess match? (16:45) why the new Atlanta was even more mentally exhausting for drivers and spotters than Daytona and Talladega (18:45); a tribute to "Lord Byron" being in a really good spot at Hendrick Motorsports (20:45) and why William Byron is the anchor and future of Hendrick Motorsports, not Chase Elliott (22:00); “William Byron is closer to the prom than he is to retirement (24:00); the tank-like qualities of the Next Gen car (26:00); why the lack of driver scouting data might be a reason for veterans struggling against surprises this year (28:00); Denny Hamlin’s early season struggles (30:00); thoughts on Jimmie Johnson’s sixth-place finish in his IndyCar oval debut at Texas (32:30); and becoming a legitimate contender for the Indy 500 (35:00); trying to put a potential Indy win in perspective (37:00); Kyle Petty’s new book, Swerve or Die, comes out this summer! (39:00). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson on how he’s been getting up to speed on Road Atlanta (3:00); how running IMSA still is helping Jimmie stay sharp for IndyCar (5:15); playing video games with 80 cars on track to prepare for darkness (7:30); on increasing his pace and drive time at Petit Le Mans after a disappointing Watkins Glen (9:30); why Road Atlanta could be personal redemption in trying to return to his Rolex 24 form (11:30); whether Jimmie believes more NASCAR drivers might race IMSA and if he’d like to get in a Next Gen Cup car next year (13:30); on having Chad Knaus back as a teammate (15:30); “we recognize we love working together and being around one another … the way we interact brings out the best in both of us” (18:00); on if Knaus and Hendrick will remain with Jimmie in IMSA next season (20:00); how 2021 has been “a big year of growth” for Jimmie on the business and sponsor side (21:30); the parallels of victories and losses in the business of racing (23:30); what Jimmie has learned to admire in Rick Hendrick and what he wishes he could emulate in the team owner (24:30); learning to embrace the freewheeling side of being a businessman (26:00); what’s ahead for Jimmie in 2022 (28:00); Jimmie on his buddy, Kamui Kobayashi (29:00). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

NASCAR on NBC analyst Jeff Burton on a true team effort for Kyle Larson (1:00); did teams err in downplaying the importance of qualifying? (3:30); why the race didn’t necessarily fall Larson’s way (5:45); the overwhelming superiority of the No. 5 (8:00): ranking Larson among greats such as Mario Andretti (10:30); how Burton came around on Larson … and how Larson came around on NASCAR (13:00); is Kyle Larson the best race car driver in the world? (16:30); dreaming about a Kyle Larson-Lewis Hamilton matchup (18:30); the decision by Rick Hendrick to allow Kyle Larson so much dirt racing (21:30); will Larson’s success spark a trend of Cup teams allowing their stars to moonlight more often? (24:00); putting a bow on the other contenders’ seasons (28:00); how the Next Gen car affects the outlook of Hamlin and the entire Cup Series entering 2022 (32:00); how will teams redeploy their staffing into new departments? (34:30). 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 on why the racing seems even more intense this year as the Round of 8 finale (1:00); why Steve didn’t like Denny Hamlin interrupting Alex Bowman’s burnout (3:30); an interesting analogy to the keyboard warriors (6:00); did Denny have a point? (8:00); should Bowman have gotten more credit for pulling over after knocking Hamlin from the lead earlier? (11:00); an appreciation for Hamlin’s mastery of Martinsville (14:00); the trials of Martin Truex Jr. and the No. 19 (18:00); Team Penske’s misses (20:00); the strength of the Championship 4 (24:00); is Kyle Larson the championship underdog somehow? (27:30); will the earlier Phoenix race results be an adequate predictor for the finale (30:00); sizing up Hamlin’s chances to break through (32:00). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

Xfinity Series championship contender AJ Allmendinger on  assessing his dream 2021 season and whether it’s his best ever (2:00); reflecting back on the NASCAR transition 15 years later (4:00); the “blur” of his early seasons between Red Bull, RPM and Penske (6:00); his biggest regret from the early years of his NASCAR career (7:30); the impact of Roger Penske with the Indy 500 and Xfinity (9:30); how close AJ has come to leaving racing and how he stays in a good place mentally (11:45); fear being one of his big motivators (14:30); on how joining Kaulig Racing interrupted a career shift and also made him a part of something bigger in “trying to write history” (16:00); his impact on Kaulig’s growth (18:45); whether he feels as if he’s been the feel-good story in the Xfinity Series this season (20:00); what a championship celebration would be like (22:30).  Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

NASCAR on NBC analyst Dale Jarrett on his initial impressions of Kevin Harvick’s intentional wreck of Chase Elliott (1:30); why DJ is OK with Harvick’s move and how it’s different from Matt Kenseth wrecking Joey Logano intentionally at Martinsville in 2015 (3:00); was the timing of Harvick’s payback surprising? (4:30); would Elliott have been surprised by the payback? (5:45); how much of a factor did Elliott’s closing rate play in Harvick’s crash (7:15); would Chase have returned the favor if he had the chance (9:15); how stunning it was to see Harvick make an uncharacteristic mistake (10:45); is this feud now over? (13:00); will there be repercussions from “Merry Offseason and Happy Christmas (15:00); a well-made point from DJ on the need for rivalries but what comes with that (17:00); the black flag that didn’t happen for the bumper cover (19:00); at what point should NASCAR step into the Elliott-Harvick feud (21:00); DJ’s firsthand history with NASCAR sitdowns (23:30); thoughts on Kyle Larson’s incredible comeback victory (25:30); how Larson’s championship emergence was evident in his battle with Tyler Reddick (28:00); some sage Earnhardt championship wisdom from DJ (30:30); what happened to William Byron and the late contact with Tyler Reddick (32:30); sizing up the Round of 8 (35:00). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

Exploring the brief but very memorable history of the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval through the voices of those who helped create and raced on the dynamic road course. --Joe Gibbs Racing winner Christopher Bell and Adam Stevens tour the layout and detail its appeal and challenges (3:30)--Inaugural winner Ryan Blaney and Aric Almirola recall their initial fears of the course (7:00);--Marcus Smith recounts his burst of inspiration for creating the layout (9:00);--Charlotte Motor Speedway executive vice president Greg Walter on the pushback from drivers and teams and the decision to delay the launch (16:00);--Speedway Motorsports vice president of operations Steve Swift on the international search for advice and insight (18:00);--Smith on Mario Andretti’s memorable test run in a Porsche 918 (20:00);--Swift on a very helpful lap by Kyle Busch and a humorous moment with Ryan Newman (23:00);--The jaw-dropping crash that has NASCAR very nervous (30:00); --The breathtaking finish to the debut (34:00);--How the Roval has charted a path forward for NASCAR (37:30). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

NASCAR on NBC analyst Jeff Burton on analyzing the initial contact between Chase Elliott-Kevin Harvick (2:00); why Harvick has plausible deniability in what Jeff says was a racing incident (4:30); why the rash of cut tires at Bristol? (6:30); the most interesting and compelling part of Chase’s interview for Burton (8:30); does Chase really need to prove himself in Year 6 of being in Cup? (10:30): is there a generational aspect to their differing viewpoints of what happened? (12:00); how drivers manage the balance between self-interest and building political capital (14:00); what Burton appreciated about how Elliott and Harvick handled their differences (15:30); was Chase in bounds by holding up Harvick to help Larson win (18:00); the case for how Elliott might have hurt himself by preventing Harvick from the victory (20:00); have Harvick and the 4 team turned a corner? (22:30); some surprises from the Gibbs teams, Penske and Kurt Busch (24:30); has the championship race reset to Larson, Hamlin and the field (26:30); the Xfinity Series finish (27:30); the importance of the regular-season championship and that points … still … matter (29:30); and breaking down how it affected the Cup and Xfinity races (31:30); what will become of Bristol’s dirt race after a wonderful weekend on the concrete? (33:00); tracing the recent history of Bristol’s racing (35:00); is Vegas to open the Round of 12 actually a bigger wild card than the Roval? (38:00). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.

In a sitdown about Sept. 11's impact on NASCAR, vice chairman Mike Helton recalls a difficult 2001 season already for NASCAR (2:00); the scene in Daytona as Sept. 11 began (4:00); the impromptu command center in Bill France Jr.’s office (6:30); taking care of NASCAR industry members scattered around the country (8:30); processing the emotions while determining the path forward (11:00); “Hey, this is way too big. I don’t have it in me to do it.” (12:30); unplugging New Hampshire (14:30); how the country knew it was time to stop … and then time to restart sports and entertainment (16:30); making changes to entry and security policies (18:30); the resiliency and resourcefulness of NASCAR teams that week (20:30); a memorable sea of 150,000 American flags (22:30); “it was almost as if we were shooting a movie about patriotism (24:30); an appropriate winner (26:30); the aftermath of a memorable day for Mike (28:00). Visit www.nbcsports.com/nascar and www.nbcsports.com/motors for more NASCAR and motorsports coverage from NBC Sports.