Carson Hocevar, McDowell & More Live From Spire Motorsports | GP EXTENDED EDITION

PRN is reporting live from Spire Motorsports, chatting with their drivers and crew chiefs at the halfway point in the season. Andrew Kurland and Brad Gillie talk to NASCAR Cup drivers Carson Hocevar and Michael McDowell, along with the brilliant minds in their crew chief staff. 

It gets off the rails, and you won't want to miss this one. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_09 0:00

Oh, we've got a special one for you today. PRN was inside Spire Motorsports for their fan day with a rotation of drivers and crew chiefs stopping by for some exclusive conversations, only you can hear right here on Garage Packs. That's coming up right now.

SPEAKER_07 0:19

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unknown 0:44

Napa Noah!

SPEAKER_09 0:48

Oh, I'll tell you, we've got a good one for you today. My name is Andrew Curland of VRN's Garage Pats, and a few weeks ago, myself and Brad Gilly were given exclusive access at Spire Motor Sports for their fan day. They set us up in a conference room, which is where they do their competition meetings. I mean, we were in the heart of this building talking to drivers and crew chiefs. It was just a fun rotation. People were just coming in and out. It was really casual, it was fast, it was fun, and I hope that you get that. But the best way to give these conversations justice is to put it out in full right here in the Garage Pass feed. I do also want to make a note that these conversations at Spire Fan Day did happen before the passing of Kyle Bush. And I just wanted to mention that and make sure that that context was there. I know a lot of the people that we talked to were friends with Kyle, teammates with Kyle, competitors with Kyle over the years, and wanted to share this context out of respect to him, the folks at Spire who knew him so well, and of course Kyle's family, who we still have in our thoughts, and has made a very big impression on Spire Motorsports. It used to be Kyle Bush Motorsports, and without Kyle, not sure we would have the Spire Motorsports that we have today. But with that said, I do want to get to our first conversation. It's with a guy who is one of the most popular drivers in the sport right now, none other than Carson Hosevar.

Carson Hocevar Joins

SPEAKER_09 2:21

What's the Carson Hosevar effect in your opinion?

SPEAKER_02 2:24

I mean it's been fun. There's been a lot more t-shirts or whatever, really. Um lines are longer, the intros um have been louder. Um yeah, it's just I mean it's been a lot of fun for for me to enjoy it. Um Yeah, I don't I don't know. Um you know, it's just been fun to see people you know be passionate about anything in racing. So I'm just glad they're passionate about you know the 77 car.

SPEAKER_03 2:51

Um yeah, it's been fun. I I I don't even know the right way to ask you. Like, I want to say, like, what what makes you so relaxed in what you do? And what I mean by that, like, you know, you're you're calling in on Sirius XM while you're live streaming on Twitch and you know, doing iRacing, and it doesn't seem like a lot of this phases you in the way that for another 23-year-old could be overwhelming, you know, with with big stardom.

SPEAKER_02 3:16

Yeah, no, I I mean I just enjoy it. I enjoy running race cars and everything. I don't you know, I just show up and I'm really confident and you know, I just think about racing 24-7, so I don't, you know, it doesn't seem like I have to work very hard at all. Um, because I'm just thinking about it. Like it's you know, I feel like you work hard at stuff that you you know aren't wanting to do per se. Like, or it feels like work and everything. So you know, I can just show up and not watch a single thing show up and feel really confident. So I can do other other things and enjoy it and have fun. And I feel like that translates a lot more to the racetrack than you know, sitting down and stressing myself out and you know, working. Um, you know, I just get to enjoy every every second of it. I think that translates a lot a lot better to to results.

SPEAKER_09 4:12

Brad, you mentioned that Carson, you would call in to Sirius XM while on your Twitch streams. I've watched a few of them. I do want to ask and follow up on some ideas that you had on some of your Twitch streams. You want to get a bunch of mail trucks and race them?

SPEAKER_02 4:26

Yeah, it'd be fun. How's that going? Uh they're hard to find. Really? Uh yeah, they don't really sell those things. So um, yeah, it'd be it'd be fun to have a few of those. I I just think it'd be just fun to you know, dress them up and I don't know what they would drive like or race like, but I would imagine you put them on a dirt track, they'd be kind of funny. Um so that like that'd be cool. So would you go backwards? Because those are right-hand drive. No, we no, we'd probably I don't know, maybe we would. Yeah, that's that's see, there's you know you're asking questions and we'd have the answers to them now.

SPEAKER_09 4:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:58

I mean that you know, uh uh you know, we try to bend the door out so to make it like it look like a wing and stuff, like a big spoiler. Like we'd bend the door in the back and stuff. Like there's a lot of stuff like we'd you know, just anything you can like think of that you're like, I wonder what this would do. Like we I just want to be able to do it.

SPEAKER_09 5:16

You've got the mail truck idea. Are there any other cars that you'd like to try to find and race? Because I know I you were scrolling on Facebook Marketplace on the one Trit stream that I was watching for and a good solid hour.

SPEAKER_02 5:28

Uh yeah, I mean we're trying to find a bunch of third gen Camaros and race those and have fun with those. Those would be fun. Yeah, I mean, there's just a lot of things we have like listed, like uh me and my buddies, we just have like a long list of things we want to get. Um, you know, and just see what they they race like or drive like, or these would be fun in this environment that you know normally people sit like you know, put them on jack stands or you know, just have them sit in a corner and you know they're just like show pieces and we'd just race the hell out of them.

SPEAKER_03 5:59

Alright, let's go through your garage inventory. You got the Dale truck, you got the the Great Ghost, wh what all do you have?

SPEAKER_02 6:06

Uh I mean I don't have I don't have a lot yet, uh by any means, but um you know I have the Casey Kane car that was in the very first COT race at Bristol, um that was started on the front row, and that's like one of the most vivid first memories I have of watching a race uh as a kid. So like that race meant a lot to me, and then the fact I could have a car that was on the front row in that specific race is really cool. Um and then there's uh a few others um that I haven't I don't know if I've shared yet or anything that I'm working on. Uh that I don't you know my property's just getting going, so eventually I'll have it moved there that they've been just sitting in a warehouse somewhere hiding. Um yeah, it'd be really fun when I get like the next few things going. You mentioned so your property, are you building a house or do you have a yeah, I'm building a barnum and then I'm building like a little shop and stuff, and you know, the little shop is where we'll you know just kind of mess mess around and you know, just do whatever and you know not really worry about you know keeping things super nice and tidy and everything.

SPEAKER_09 7:16

So you're building a barninium. What's that process looking like? What are you most excited about once it'll be all fired up and ready to go?

SPEAKER_02 7:22

Yeah, I went and watched it last night just because they have all the rooms and everything and and whatever, and you know, I'm just excited for how it's gonna look and everything. It means just drawn exactly how I'd want to walk it, everything, and you know, I mean it's not built for anybody else other than me. So um yeah, it'd be really fun.

SPEAKER_03 7:39

All right. I remember last year uh like 2025, we were doing preseason media stuff, and I think this is when the Chili's sponsorship first started.

SPEAKER_02 7:50

It started with La Joy in 24. Okay. 25 ahead Justin at the 500, because I had another car uh or I had another sponsor for the 500, and but and then Chili's was Chili's was just starting to pick up for multiple races with me, though. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 8:06

So I remember we sat down and you looked over at your PR person and all of a sudden the idea came, I want a black hat. Yeah. You got that this year. How did that work out?

SPEAKER_02 8:16

Yeah, I mean, it was I mean, it was it was pretty easy to to ask about it. Um I mean the Chili's deal, the you know, they had the white car and it was pretty popular and they wanted to kind of keep it fresh and and everything, and you know, the easiest thing to do to kind of make a splash is go from a white car to a you know, white car, white suit to a white car. Um so yeah, so I was just happy the hat was black. I I enjoy the black hats bearing the white hats.

SPEAKER_09 8:43

I heard you wanted to wear that Chili's hat to the Met Gala.

SPEAKER_02 8:46

Yeah, I asked if I could. Just felt more I I normally don't have hats on, so you would have been the first. Yeah, it would have been funny. Yeah, how does that fit with the theme?

SPEAKER_03 8:56

Like, did you know anything about the Met Galaxy?

SPEAKER_02 8:58

Yeah, I've heard and seen it. I mean, I'm you s you know, that's you know, I think the one of the only fashion shows that you like see if you're just scrolling regularly, you know. It kind of always finds the algorithm for me, at least that you know, you always see it and you know, you see the you know, stairs and everything. So yeah, I knew I knew a little bit about it, or you know, was at least aware of it. I didn't know all the details of anything else other than just that what it was was, you know, or you know, the walkway is a big deal.

SPEAKER_09 9:34

Is that the main what what really is it? Is it a fashion show? Is it just a party?

SPEAKER_02 9:39

It's like fight club, you can't talk about it.

SPEAKER_09 9:41

Oh, really? Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03 9:43

Nice. All right, so speaking of not talking about it, like everyone was asking you about meeting Sabrina Carpenter afterwards, right? And you seem pretty elusive about answering those questions. Why?

SPEAKER_02 9:54

Yeah, no, I I mean I just had a it was fun at the Met Gala.

SPEAKER_09 9:57

It's like fun, Brad. You can't talk about it.

SPEAKER_02 10:00

You're not allowed your phones? I feel like you're diverting. You're not allowed your phones.

SPEAKER_09 10:04

Are you really not allowed? I actually love that. Live in the moment. What happens in the Met Gala stays in the Met Gala. Alright, we can move on. We don't have to ask anything.

SPEAKER_02 10:12

No, you're really you don't you're not allowed your phone though. It's kind of cool. That is cool.

SPEAKER_09 10:15

Yeah, I think that is cool. I wish there would be like more events these days without your phone. I feel like I'm always living on it. Just live in the moment, you know?

SPEAKER_02 10:24

Uh yeah, I agree. No, I I've been thinking about switching to a flip phone just for Really? Yeah, just to just to you know, like when we like like um that's actually one of the ideas I have like on my property is like we'll all have um um like if we like go like hang out on the property, like we're only allowed like the flip phone, like when you leave the house to like go out to the property, you're only allowed to flip phone.

SPEAKER_09 10:47

Wow.

SPEAKER_02 10:48

Just that you know that way you could still get a call or something, but like um you know, that way we're not just sitting there all recording the same angle and hanging out, like we're just only allowed to flip phone.

SPEAKER_09 10:59

In the moment. Wow, I love that idea.

SPEAKER_03 11:01

That's what uh what do you keep from your Talladega win? What's the what what memento?

SPEAKER_02 11:07

Um I got a scar right now. Uh so I get to keep that. Uh I cut it on the roof rail. My hand, I cut it on the room. Oh, is it? Yeah, it's right there. You can kind of see it. It's starting to go away now, but you can kind of still see where it did.

SPEAKER_03 11:21

No, I didn't know. Like, was the adrenaline so?

SPEAKER_02 11:23

I started hitting I you know, I grabbed Jeff and Victory Lane and I like looked and I was like, dang, what happened to your arm? And then I realized that it was my blood just all over his white shirt. Um, I think there's a few things that I get to keep. Um I know for sure they're giving me the nose, so that would be really cool. Oh, very good. Like, yeah, normally you're like whatever, but you know, the nose is what I ran into the wall with, so it's got a bunch of scuff marks. Yeah, like it's whatever's personal to you, you know. Yeah, so that's cool. Um yeah, no, there's there's a yeah, I like little things like you know, the trophies are obviously cool, but like you, you know, there's other things that you somehow get from it, and you know, it's pretty fun.

SPEAKER_09 12:08

We're uh we're here at fan day at Spire Motorsports. What's the uh strangest thing a fan has ever asked you to sign?

SPEAKER_02 12:16

No, it's not the strangest, but it's always the funniest is when they ask you to sign their notes app. So you just type it. That's my favorite. You you type it, you don't sign it. Yeah, you don't sign it, you just type it. So that's my favorite. Every time somebody anytime that happens, I laugh my ass off. That is that is like a blank phone or no, no, like it's the funniest thing because they'll screenshot it and then just be like, oh, he signed it. And so people are just like, it's just text. But like the truth is I signed it.

SPEAKER_09 12:48

That is hilarious. That started on Twitter a few years ago. I think someone met uh who's who's the guy from uh Jeremy Allen White?

SPEAKER_02 12:56

And he just typed it.

SPEAKER_09 12:57

And he just typed it, and they're like, Hey, thanks, Jeremy Allen White, for signing my notes out.

SPEAKER_02 13:01

That's my that's my favorite. Somebody did that with Max Verstappen, and it just literally just maxed it. They didn't put a space, so it was really funny.

SPEAKER_09 13:10

He's like, he doesn't even need the last name. Everyone knows who it is. It's Max Verstappen. Uh I want to ask you about one one more thing that I have here on my list. Uh you filled an entire house with uh blank TVs with an occasional smoke alarm jerk on YouTube.

SPEAKER_02 13:28

Yeah, so I had a bunch of buddies of mine staying. I think it was this year, like a lot of my buddies will come in and like um stay at the house for like Charlotte Week and everything. So they were all like staying there at the house, and I found a video on YouTube and it's 24 hours of um of silence occasionally broken up by a smoke alarm. Um so it's a pure black screen, so and every TV in the house I had it on full blast in sync. So it was literally just pure black. And so all every now and again it would just have a smoke detector, you know, you know, chirp every like twenty minutes. And so they just kept hearing it. Well, for after there's like ten of them within the first hour, and then there's not an and after 90 minutes in, there's not another one for four hours. So like, but like the thing is like those. No one knows the TV is on. You can't tell that's the black screen. And because I turned the brightness all the way down on all the TVs, so you can there's and I hit all the remotes. So they would never know that it's that. The best part is just to mess with them even more, I took out all the smoke detectors. So they weren't even connected. So they're looking up, wondering how it's working, because it's not it it wasn't even a one connected.

SPEAKER_09 14:48

None of them had batteries to be connected.

SPEAKER_02 14:50

No, no, no. They weren't even there. They were just wires to be out. Yeah. So they couldn't even fiddle with it and think they're fixing it. Because the worst thing that I wanted to happen was that they had it and they had the batteries out or whatever, and then they hear it and realize where so if they if they're completely gone, they're gonna have to look all around the house to find the right one, and it was and uh I only took the ones out that were near TVs. So how did it end? Did you get found out? Uh they eventually Yeah, I think they eventually found out. Uh like the next day.

SPEAKER_09 15:24

That is like cruel and unusual punishment, right?

SPEAKER_02 15:26

I think that when they were hustling, yeah, I think the next day they were they were like trying to they finally like one of them found the remote and whatever, and they went to go change the TV and realized that it was just like 18 hours into a YouTube video. Oh my gosh, that's awesome. All right, how good are you on the receiving end of practical jokes? I don't really get they they're not really that creative.

SPEAKER_09 15:46

Wow, alright. So that sounds like a challenge then. No, no, it's don't.

SPEAKER_02 15:52

They well, I think they're just scared I would just go even farther with stuff. Nice.

SPEAKER_09 15:57

Take it one step further. I want to ask one one more question. And Brad, I want your opinion on this too. Uh I was at a bar last night and ran into some friends of mine and over the course of the night I saw them like seven different times. So what's the cutoff to when you see someone like whether it's at the racetrack or something else, where you stop acknowledging them?

SPEAKER_02 16:19

Wait, I don't what do you what do you mean?

SPEAKER_09 16:20

Wait, so if you know how like you're in passing, like, oh hey man, how's it going? How many times do you see someone the same weekend at the racetrack or a night where you stop saying hello to them?

SPEAKER_02 16:32

Oh, I don't know. Um I don't know. Like I mean, I mean if you're only just like you know giving a wave, I think after like the first time, you know After the first time it's the first time you're kind of like, alright. You know, second time you maybe give like a little, you know, instead of doing the hand, you just kind of do the head nod. Right. Third time you just kind of just keep rolling. I don't know, that's fine. So three. Once. Once and a half, one and a half. One and a half.

SPEAKER_09 16:58

I stopped at five. That might have been a little too aggressive.

SPEAKER_03 17:02

You you think his friends now, Carson are going, why did Andrew keep saying hi to us last night? We saw him like five times.

SPEAKER_02 17:08

And they're like your friends, right? Yeah. You never even like, you know, after the you know, third time you didn't be like, oh, maybe I should just talk to them.

SPEAKER_09 17:16

Well, we were talking and like, alright, I'll see you later. Like, maybe I'll yeah, I'll I'll be at the racetrack this weekend.

SPEAKER_02 17:22

Wait, so you're talking to them every time?

SPEAKER_09 17:24

We would stop and it ended up becoming a running joke, like, alright, there's a thousand people in this bar. Why are why do I keep seeing you? You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 17:33

Oh, okay. Yeah, no, I was just I was thinking like you're just like walking, like you're walking somewhere and they're walking somewhere and you're just in passing.

SPEAKER_09 17:41

A lot of it was, and then we would stop and chat for a minute and then we'd keep going.

SPEAKER_02 17:46

Obviously he overthinks this.

SPEAKER_09 17:47

Yeah. I just wanted I I it was just top of mind.

SPEAKER_02 17:52

Well if you just like start like you just did the polar opposite and you just start getting mad at him, or like think you're in a fight, or just like throw something at him or something. Yeah, then I Yeah, like after the fifth time you just go, okay, well, like it's not friendly anymore. Yeah, like start going around.

SPEAKER_09 18:07

I'm starting to not like you now.

SPEAKER_02 18:09

Yeah, pretty much. Yeah, why are you following me? Or or you like the fifth fourth time you're um you just don't acknowledge them because you're waiting on them to acknowledge you.

SPEAKER_09 18:20

Right.

SPEAKER_02 18:21

What and then the fifth time you get mad at them.

SPEAKER_09 18:23

Well, then I started holding up numbers like this is the sixth time I've seen you tonight. And then I would just hold up the numbers. Did you acknowledge it every time?

SPEAKER_02 18:31

Or was it mutual?

SPEAKER_09 18:32

It was a mutual acknowledgement.

SPEAKER_02 18:34

Okay.

SPEAKER_09 18:34

I would say.

SPEAKER_02 18:35

That's fair.

SPEAKER_09 18:36

All right, that's good to know. I see you with the racetrack. It's one hello, and then turn your roll, and then we're dead. We got it out of the way. Thanks, Carson.

SPEAKER_02 18:44

Hey, thanks, man. All right, thanks, Ash. Appreciate it.

SPEAKER_07 18:48

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unknown 19:14

Napa No How!

SPEAKER_09 19:16

Here's Michael McDowell.

SPEAKER_08 19:18

Facial

Michael McDowell Joins

SPEAKER_08 19:19

hair. Maybe it's your facial hair. The facial hair looks redder.

SPEAKER_03 19:23

The fact that he has it is great.

SPEAKER_09 19:24

Yeah, it looks red. I'm ready to be. There we go.

SPEAKER_08 19:26

Michael McDowell.

SPEAKER_09 19:27

Do you ever grow a beard out? Would you ever?

SPEAKER_08 19:29

I can't. I try. Really? If I had my phone, I'd show you a picture. I get real patchy like a kid. Yeah, like Joe Dirt. A little bit like that. Um, I haven't tried it in a long time, but yeah, I don't really get facial hair. Dang. It's too bad.

SPEAKER_09 19:43

I feel like you've been good with beard.

SPEAKER_08 19:45

I don't know. I don't think my wife will let me.

SPEAKER_03 19:47

Wait, how bad is it that Andrew here can grow a beard? Yeah. But you can't. Yeah. Like you could be his dad.

SPEAKER_08 19:53

Yeah, and what's weird is my dad has to probably shave like three times a day. He's like Tony Stewart. He can grow a full beard in one day, but I didn't get that gene for whatever reason.

SPEAKER_03 20:02

So when you tried to grow one, was your wife like, hey, um, I'm not trying to be mean, but yeah, she doesn't like it.

SPEAKER_08 20:08

She doesn't like it. And I like her, so it works out fine. She says no, and I'm not that I'm not really that like um adamant about it. So it's never really been a good option.

SPEAKER_03 20:19

So is there anything that your wife likes about you, whether it's your hair or whatever? And and I know she loves a lot of things. There's a lot of things that she likes about me. But I promise I'm leading into something different. But is there anything that she's like, no, you need to leave it like this, kind of thing? Or I like it like this, so so you're just never gonna change it.

SPEAKER_08 20:37

Um I don't change a lot anyways, so there's probably not a lot of things that I could come up with or think about. No, nothing off the top of my head. I mean, yeah, I'm not a very adventurous. I mean, I've had like the same haircut for well, how old am I? Forty one, forty-one years, and I I don't think I've ever changed it, but maybe once. Yeah. Yeah. Um yeah, just not big on changes, so there's probably not a lot of things that I can think about. Um, but every time I've tried to grow out facial hair, it just does not actually grow out. It just looks funky. Yeah. It's okay though. Hey, I got a haircut yesterday. Every time I get a haircut, I can see I'm getting more of that gray in there. Why did you point at me? Well, because you you have that you're right in that transition where you have that gray, I don't want to say almost dominant, but it's taking over. Yeah, I I notice it more and more. Yeah, yeah. I don't know how you feel about it.

SPEAKER_03 21:31

I like it. So, so here this this is how I always felt. I always thought if I ever lose my hair, I'll do something about it. Yeah. But whatever color my hair is, I don't know. But now, like my beard, which my wife loves, makes me look like Santa Claus. Yeah. Or probably older than I really am. Yeah, I like it.

SPEAKER_08 21:49

So you know that I think it makes you look wise. Wise. That's what I think. When I see gray hair, I think wise. Well, if I take the glasses off, it's still the same. You actually you actually look younger with the glasses. Is often less like a professor. Oh, do I? So maybe I should get contacts. I like it. I like the glasses.

SPEAKER_09 22:06

You mentioned uh, you know, Brad kind of looks like a professor. Yes. You have five kids.

SPEAKER_08 22:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_09 22:12

In all different grades and all you know. Are you the the homework dad when it comes to the house? No, I'm the principal.

SPEAKER_08 22:18

That's what we say in our house. Yeah, so kids are homeschooled, and so my wife is absolutely like the teacher, and I'm the principal. So I only have to I go in and regulate, that's it. I don't do a whole lot of teaching, just regulating.

SPEAKER_09 22:32

Homeschooled.

SPEAKER_08 22:33

Homeschooled, yep.

SPEAKER_09 22:34

That's fascinating. Yeah. I've heard of people that homeschool their kids, and so like how does that work in terms of like picking their curriculum? And I'm sure it's fun and flexible.

SPEAKER_08 22:45

Yeah, it's a lot of work though. Um I mean, now there's so many homeschooled curriculums out there, and so that's probably the hardest thing. Is I don't know how it was 20 or 30 years ago, but there's probably only one or two out there that you could use, and everybody was probably using the same thing. But now in the digital world that we live in, there's so much available. And so it's actually a little bit overwhelming because you're like, ah, you want to pick the right curriculum, you want to pick the right stuff. Um, so you learn as you go. Um, we're kind of old school, we still get books, like because we don't want them on devices all day long. And there's some things, you know, that they do on devices, but for the most part, like it's in a textbook and it's writing it out and it's doing it like like we did, my wife and I, in school. So um, but there's you know, a lot of different opportunities for however you want to go about it.

SPEAKER_03 23:38

I love that. My wife's a teacher, and she's you know, a lot of school districts are now getting away from iPads and Chromebooks and going back to books. Yeah, because they're realizing the kids are not smarter.

SPEAKER_08 23:47

We're actually I don't want to say dumber is the right way, but they are.

SPEAKER_03 23:51

Dependent on something else. Yeah, yeah. But what freedom does that afford you as a race car driver who travels for 40 weeks a year that your kids are homeschooled to be able to have family time?

SPEAKER_08 24:03

Yeah, it's been great. Um, you know, this is something that's new for us. We haven't always done this, so um we kind of got to a place where it felt like the right timing. Um you know, not to bring this interview down, but one of the big motivators was one of my closest friends um died of cancer. He's my age, he has teenage children, had teenage children. And um it put everything really in perspective of like spending time, the time that you have with them is really important, and having more time, I feel like is important and we take it for granted. And um, they were all at a good place where they know how to read, write, they had their basic mathematics, so we didn't feel like we were taking away from um you know the really important stuff that you know that maybe they would need some assistance in school, and you know, we have community and they've had community and um they all can interact and function in society, and so we just kind of felt like hey, maybe this is a opportunity for us to um you know enjoy more of the time that we have and just make the most of it and try to create those moments and opportunities to have those moments. So that was probably a little bit of a motivating factor. And you know, my my wife was obviously she takes the the brunt of the workload and she was all about it. I'm like, you're crazy, this is gonna be a lot, but she was ready to do it. So, you know, like right now the kids are actually it's not summer break, we stay in school because we take the winter off in the off season. So, like when we get into the off season, they'll have like a full off-season. That'll be their summer and winter break combined. So you have some flexibility with stuff like that. Um, so yeah, it's worked out well. Um, and who knows, it might change, right? I we have we have a little one, we have a three-year-old, and so who knows? You know, the the kids will be you know grown up and out of the house before she's in high school. So who knows what that's gonna look like for her. But um yeah, for her right now, we just felt like this season of life, it was good to have them home and be able to spend that time and travel together.

SPEAKER_09 26:04

That's cool. I I noticed the shirt that you and everyone else at Spire's wearing today. It's I think it says Love Racing, Stop Cancer. Yeah. St. Jude's. Yeah. That's a pretty cool uh thing that you guys are doing today. How d how does all that bring everything else back into perspective when it comes to being a race car driver?

SPEAKER_08 26:25

Um yeah, no, that's great. We we have um some families here from St. Jude's and some people here from from that organization. Um, you know, as a race car driver and as a a father of five, um, you know, man, it when you go and you visit um hospitals and children's hospitals in particular, I mean it just it's heart-wrenching. It really is. It is so hard to do that. Um I'm a very visual person and I can allow my mind to to really dive into things, and so you know, it just yeah, I can see me and I can see my family, I can see one of my kids sick, and it it puts everything into perspective of you know, just what's important and and value, and you know, every day is a gift. It's not guaranteed, it's not promised. Um and so just making the most of that. And so for us, anything that we can do to help these families um you know get through very difficult times and to give them encouragement and maybe even a break, a break from uh the noises and the tests and the beeps and the nurses in and out and the doctors in and out, you know, anything like that that we can do to, you know, help give them just a little bit of a break is is great.

SPEAKER_03 27:38

That is really cool. Uh shifting over to the racing thing. Um second year here at Spire, like what what's it been like for you over here?

SPEAKER_08 27:46

Yeah, it's been great. It's been fun. Um you know, I I enjoy the process, like I enjoy the journey of it all, and um and so you know, we've come a long way. I mean, obviously Spire's come a long way before I got here. Um but I you know it makes me think about a lot of the noise, like when I was leaving front row and we were running well, right? We just won and you know I had like 12 or 15 top tens and we were like getting rolling and everyone's like, this guy's crazy, you know, Spire's running 30th, what are you doing? And um I I don't know if it's just great timing or if I have um a knack for it to know, you know, like how to be a part of that process of growing and helping the organizations, but also just seeing the the pieces come together, and so the pieces are coming together, there's no doubt about it. Um you know, we've we as a race team have come a long way in just a short period of time and contending for wins now and contending for top fives and top tens, and we got two cars right now currently, you know, in the playoffs, which is great. And um, yeah, so it's it's awesome, it's been fun. Um, like I said, I enjoy the the process. I enjoy the how do we get there and what do we have to do to get there and um feel very much a part of that. Uh, even though the 71 and my car in particular struggled a little bit this year. Um, I still feel really good about where we're at as an organization. And and I also think that we are on the rebound to, you know, we're coming off of two top tens now and a top five, and and I sort of knew we were gonna be okay. But when you have a few struggling weeks, you're like, ah, gotta get it together, but I feel like we're on the right track.

SPEAKER_09 29:30

How big is momentum going into what I kind of look at the summer stretch, which kicks off at the Coke 600?

SPEAKER_08 29:37

Yeah, it's interesting because unfortunately, if you look historically, I have this little pattern, unfortunately. I don't know what it is, but this is my this is my good stretch coming up. Normally the summer stretch is good for me, it's good racetracks. I had this little dip last year too. I wish I could stop the dip because it makes it painful um because you end up losing so much points in those dips. You know, cup racing is so tough, man. It's just really tough. And um I saw you guys giving Kyle Larson a hard time about it being like a year since he's won or something like that. I think that was the stat somebody was talking about. Obviously, his slump looks different than my slump, um, but I feel like it's just so easy to just be that far. It's not huge things because you see our teammates are running well, right? Daniel's having a great season, Carson's obviously had a ton of speed. Um, but it only takes a little bit to get off. And I feel like we've identified a few of those things. But you talk about momentum, momentum's real. There's no doubt about it. I don't want to downplay that, but I have a different logic and philosophy about it. Um, and I think it just comes from experience of riding the highs and lows of like you have good weeks and you have bad weeks. Your your preparation and what you do and how you go about it feels very similar. So it's hard to identify, oh, that was a good week, that was a bad week, what happened? But there's so many moving parts in this sport that um it only takes a little bit to just start going slightly the wrong direction, and before you know it, you gotta pump the brakes and get back on track.

SPEAKER_03 31:11

Awesome. Thank you. Very much. Thank you guys.

SPEAKER_08 31:13

Appreciate it. Cool.

SPEAKER_03 31:14

There's Michael McDowell, and we've got

Luke Lambert Joins

SPEAKER_03 31:16

more coming up.

SPEAKER_09 31:16

Up next is the crew chief for Carson, host of our in the number 77 in the NASCAR Cup series, Luke Lambert. All right, Luke Lambert. Um, race winning crew chief. How about that? Uh sounds good. What was the celebration like afterwards? I know you guys all went to Chili's, but Talladega?

SPEAKER_14 31:34

Yeah. Oh man, um, it was a good one. Um yeah, we uh we went to Chili's. That was really that was really special. Um, you know, as far as having a win and then um being able to actually get everybody from the shop almost, I mean, not every single person, but nearly everybody was able to come to the Chili's location here in Mooresville when we got land when we landed back in North Carolina, and um to be able to see everybody and take a minute to just you know toast to what everybody here has accomplished um was just an incredibly special moment. But then um, you know, we continued and uh we uh we we hung out there, told stories, uh, reminisced a little bit, watched the race, had it playing, and we just had a great time at Chili's, and then um a lot of folks came to my house and we hung out and um celebrated until it was time to go to work the next day.

SPEAKER_09 32:22

So your house was the party spot afterwards.

SPEAKER_14 32:25

Yeah, yeah. Everybody kind of crashed at my place. We had a quite a few folks there, and um some of us never went to sleep that night, and and uh we uh we hung out until the sun came up, and then it was about 10 o'clock in the morning I got in the car and came to work. Wow.

SPEAKER_03 32:40

Oh, that's fantastic. All right, so we we see the win and the celebration. We also see the days that that it doesn't happen, but I'm curious it it look, I think a lot of us saw this coming, and and we see a lot more of them coming. What about the near misses leading up to this? What about the moments where you know now you're knowing, like, hey, we got what it takes. Tell us about what leads up to it.

SPEAKER_14 33:03

Yeah, you know, th those near misses, they do all sting um and and they're um they're sometimes hard to get over. But really what we've tried to do on the 77 program going back to 2024 is to focus on um, you know, what we like to call leading indicators and the things that um are inside of our control that are dictating our performance and our results, uh, but not necessarily the results, because the results are also dictated by other variables that are outside of our control. And so um we try to not get too focused on what the final results are and how we are judging ourselves and how we're judging our progress, um, but rather what how how are we doing with our controllables? And so when we look back at these last few years, um we definitely have felt like we are tracking in the right direction and we're getting close to that win. And yes, um, you know, last year we started having races where, man, it's like we're right there and we almost can close it out. Um maybe we did something that prevented us from winning or or or missed an opportunity to strike on a win, or maybe some things outside our control, like a caution or whatever, or an engine issue or whatever took us out. Um, you know, we had those things, all of those things happen, but um we certainly could see that the path was there for us to to get into victory lane, and um it was nice to go into Talladega and see it all come together. And then also following it up, going to Texas, you know, sitting on the pole there. Um, you know, I feel like we're rolling into a section of the season where we're really going to be strong. So um it's nice to see it all come together.

SPEAKER_09 34:38

What's on the list of those controllables that you mentioned?

SPEAKER_14 34:42

Well, you know, it's it's everything from the time we start constructing a car here at the shop to how we prepare, um the conversations and planning we have with Carson and our spotter, um, all of the stuff we do with the pit crews, um, you know, pretty much what every single person does to prepare for the event, whether it's assembling a mechanical component or preparing themselves to um have a plan for that moment. And so those are the type of controllables that we try to focus on, and then um, you know, when we get in the race, execute on the preparation that we put together.

SPEAKER_09 35:16

It's fascinating.

SPEAKER_03 35:17

All right, take us to the fun part of it. And and I'm talking about the intangible. So, you know, you've been a crew chief for a long time and you've had several drivers. Carson is one of those unique ones that comes out and and gets a reaction. And I mean, you know, right now, especially people are loving you guys. But tell us about what it's like coming to the racetrack now with you know, the guy who's might be selling the most t-shirts and doing things like that. Uh, it's neat, you know.

SPEAKER_14 35:43

I mean, it's uh it's exciting to be a part of that. Something that you know we definitely hoped would be we'd find ourselves moving in this direction. Um we we've um had big plans for Carson, and you know, when you start out with a young guy, you you don't really know how it's gonna go. Um the thing that's been quite good for me with Carson is just able the ability to recognize his talent early on. It was clear early on that he was an exceptional talent, he was really fast behind the wheel. Um and you know, that's that's really what interested me most most about the opportunity working with Carson. Um but to see him and the way he's engaged with fans and then you know the way he has revealed his personality to the public um is is awesome to see how captivating it is for folks. And and um I certainly see why he's so popular. Um you know, a lot of the things that I think make him popular are his genuineness and the fact that um you know he he chooses to be himself at times when you know others would maybe advise against that. Um and um and it it comes across as a very authentic uh style that people like. And um, you know, we've certainly had to work with him on some things to to grow out of and and and to improve in progress and make progress on, but um in the end his uh his genuineness still shines through. And so um it's cool to see the fans recognize that and to see the passion that the fans are starting to get over watching him you know perform.

SPEAKER_03 37:18

You see the crowd like growing around in the garage and the pit box and different things like that. You all of a sudden kind of turn around and notice uh like like, hey man, we're the cool thing, right?

SPEAKER_14 37:27

Yeah, you definitely, you know, you go from you go from being on pit road just having your guys around to so now, you know, a few years in, it's like we have to kind of fight for space and we have to start planning to like keep people back and um you know, all those things. So uh it's it's it's a good problem to have.

SPEAKER_09 37:43

Yeah, it definitely is. Uh you talked about Carson's personality, and we see a lot of that outward-facing personality, but being a driver on a Cup Series team, you got to be a leader. What is his leadership style that you've seen behind closed doors?

SPEAKER_14 37:59

You know, it's something that I try to partner with him on and and work with him. Um, you know, he's he's really young and um he's 23 years old, and so it's a lot to ask for him to be an exceptional race car driver and to be a leader, but we do need him to be a leader and and uh the process for us developing through that has been you know helping him understand what that looks like. And um and so we've seen growth there and and you know when young guys move into the position that he's in right now, you know, they go from racing their go-kart to racing some late model to to really just focusing on like what am I doing, what's my day look like. And it's a very um it's a very you know self-centered mindset that you kind of have to get in to be a race car driver. Um when you get to this level particularly, um you're relying on a team. There's a lot of folks that that you need to rely on to be successful. And so um it's something that Carson has grown in um over the last few years, and and you know, we've been working through with him to to understand what that looks like and how important that is, because you know, ultimately it is a team sport. Um obviously the driver is probably the most important, most valuable person on the team at most weeks, but uh you can't do it alone. And um and he has he has grown to understand that and and grown to respect and appreciate that and and the way he prepares has been um has been adjusted to to really help maximize that for the rest of the team.

SPEAKER_09 39:34

Awesome. Fantastic. I do want to ask one more question. Um, where is the simulator? Is it still in the hauler, the iRacing simulator?

SPEAKER_14 39:42

So he moved he moved the iRacing simulator that we had in the hauler um to his his motorhome now.

SPEAKER_09 39:48

Oh yeah. Is that a big deal? Like would you jump on the sim with other guys?

SPEAKER_14 39:52

Um some of the guys would. I I I wouldn't do it very much, but um, but Carson would would do it a lot. So uh now he has a motorhome pretty much every week, so now he has the ability to spend a lot more time in it when it's in his bus uh in the lot and he doesn't have to sneak into the garage in the middle of the night. Exactly that. Yeah, he doesn't have to break in the garage.

SPEAKER_09 40:11

Yeah. Awesome. Thank you very much. Yeah, thank you guys, appreciate it. Here's Cruci for Daniel Suarez in the NASCAR Cup series, Ryan Sparks.

SPEAKER_03 40:20

Here at Spire Motorsports Fan Day, welcoming in Ryan Sparks, crew chief for the number seven of Daniel Suarez.

Ryan Sparks Joins

SPEAKER_03 40:26

What's going on?

SPEAKER_13 40:27

Oh, nothing much. Uh a little bit of madness here and chaos, a lot of fans out front uh kind of circling the building. Kind of cool to see uh, you know, just how exciting it is for those guys to be able to come in and get some of these drivers' autographs and and and meet some of the guys. So pretty cool uh thing going on here today at Spire.

SPEAKER_09 40:45

When I think of Spire on the crew chiefing and engineering side, I think of you. You are the face in my mind when it comes to it. And it's because you've been with this organization, you've seen it grow, you've been there at the low moments and at the high moments and riding the highs that the organization as a whole is riding this year. What's the biggest thing you've noticed about this place changing over the years?

SPEAKER_13 41:09

I think the biggest change is is getting a little bigger, but but our strength is staying the same and and true to who we are. And uh, you know, there's a lot of us that came in that maybe lost an opportunity or or racing with a chip on our shoulder because we've kind of gotten pushed aside at an at another place. So uh I think that's what makes this place special where you know everybody says they're racers and all yeah, we're all racers. But uh uh Jeff did an interview several years ago at the old shop, and a lot of people had it seemed like they had been forgotten and they came here and they're pissed and they're ready to show the world. So uh we still have that mentality. Uh we just have a a few more people, but to see uh kind of where we were and where we are now, it it just does mean a lot and it is pretty special.

SPEAKER_03 41:53

Yeah, it like I always used to say, look, everyone's got the same parts and pieces, you know, it's people that make a difference. Now, literally, everyone has the same parts and pieces, but it is the culture, and you've been a part of that since the beginning. As Andrew had mentioned, this is the one thing we hear coming out of Spire a lot, that that the environment here is just awesome and a lot of great people. Is this something that happened organically? Are there things that were like conscious decisions to say, no, we need to do this, we need to do that, this is how we need to run a business? How did it grow?

SPEAKER_13 42:23

A little bit of all of it. Really, it starts at the top, Jeff, and and just you know, his approach and and how he wants things to be. And then, you know, we had to get creative when we were really small, as you know, how do we get better? Well, it is about the people, we knew that. And all right, how do we get good people that are pretty knowledgeable to come work at a small organization when we're not having success, right? You gotta make it a really good place to work, right? So um we we kind of worked on those things first and and just kind of built it out and talked a few people into coming over, and people probably thought they were crazy for making that decision, and uh and you know, we've got a handful of guys that have stuck with us from the beginning and just it's it's really been awesome. But you know, we wear respect on all our clothing and uh it's just how we treat each other and here and everyone throughout the industry and and just anyone we come across while we're we're traveling, everything, and I think if we truly live that and and and treat each other, you know, it's it's just it's better for everybody. So the the people inside these walls, it's we talk about it every Monday morning, how three teams worth of guys kind of come together and and make things happen. You don't see that through any other team in the garage right now. And uh I I can imagine quite uh a lot of them are envious and just want to be a part of something special like that. So, you know, we still got a lot of trophies to get. Um we're trying to catch those those fast guys, but I think that's uh definitely a strength of ours that's going to play out in the long run.

SPEAKER_09 43:49

Daniel Suarez was in our broadcast booth a few races ago, and he told a funny story about how he's slowly teaching his spotter what Words in Spanish, and maybe not the nicest words in Spanish. Has he taught you words?

SPEAKER_13 44:06

Yeah, of course. It's always fun. He calls me Chispas, which is sparks in Spanish. So and oddly enough, uh Bill Anthony, our team president, and his wife had a dog name that. Oh my god. When they were younger, she's uh she's from Mexico as well. So it uh it it's been fun. We've uh we have some sayings that we we keep within the seven teams that that we try not to let slip too much on the radio, but we have a lot of fun with it. And uh I kudos to you guys for understanding them on the broadcast. It's a challenge for me each and every week. Uh, you know, when they put that helmet on and on the radio, it is it's tough to understand him with the accent. And he, you know, he's probably having a just as tough time understanding a redneck from North Carolina uh as well. So uh but honestly, we uh we make the best of it and uh we're having a good time so far.

SPEAKER_09 45:00

So Daniel, and he's very open and honest. He's like, and I'm learning words every day, and I think that's really cool. I mean, it's amazing to see how far he's come with his English. What words have you maybe taught Daniel that you can recall or remember, even just in casual conversation?

SPEAKER_13 45:16

Yeah, I don't know how much I I've taught him, but just to speak on that a little bit, it it what I thought was pretty cool, you know, I was asking him how he learned, and he would watch movies with the captions on. And I thought that was pretty cool. And and just to kind of show his dedication and and I mean, yeah, he's watching movies, which is fun, you get to, you know, but to to do that to try to learn the language just so he can be better at his job is is quite impressive. And it just goes back to his work ethic and and how he approaches everything in life, not just racing, right? He he knows what he wants and he's gonna do everything he can to achieve it. So I do appreciate that a lot. Um Yeah, I don't I don't I can't think of any words right off the top of my head that I I've necessarily taught him, but you know, maybe I'll come up with one uh in a few weeks.

SPEAKER_03 46:03

All right, Ryan. So you're uh one of the things you're famous for are your weekly haircuts.

SPEAKER_13 46:09

Which I'm due. Uh Thursdays is my day. I didn't I didn't have time to get it before fan day, so uh I'll be heading to Washington Park barbershop this afternoon uh to see my boy Javier. Uh it's just you know, those are my buddies. I like to go in there and relax, and you know, if I want to have a cocktail or just chill or you know, shoot the bull bull with the boys or whatever and get a nice cut. And plus uh I'm getting a lot of grays, so I like to get them cut out uh weekly.

SPEAKER_03 46:38

You're due. It looks like someone just ran a number two across the side of your head like yesterday. Every week. Every week. I try not to skip one.

SPEAKER_09 46:45

You really get your hair cut every week.

SPEAKER_13 46:47

Yeah, every week, every Thursday. Uh like I said, I just I enjoy the environment up there and it's it's cool, little hangout spot, and it's I get an hour a week to kind of get away and chill and and not have to worry about my phone or work or anything like that. So that's kind of my little short little getaway on uh every week.

SPEAKER_03 47:03

Uh how OCD is this? Like if you if you miss this week, and let's just say you were traveling, would you wake up Saturday in the hotel like just like oh man, I I look awful. This, you know, like I don't think the rest of us would notice.

SPEAKER_13 47:16

Well, probably not. Maybe I'd throw on a hat, which you rarely see me in a hat, but you I'll usually the only week I'll skip is uh maybe if I stay out on the west coast and I got uh got a barbershop out there I like to attend uh the good times out in Vegas. So uh actually I like cool barbershops, honestly. I I think they're just fun to go to and see like some of the old chairs and and tools that they use. Uh it's just it's neat. I actually uh I don't know. I don't know why what got me hooked on it so much, but I mean, I don't know. I feel like you always feel good after you get your haircut. So uh it's probably no different than than females going to the nail salon or something. I don't know. Awesome. Thank you very much. Thank you, Ryan. Absolutely appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01 47:56

Hey race fans, we can't wait to see you right here at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for a wicked fast, wicked fun weekend this August, as we host New England's only NASCAR Cup Series weekend. Live performances, driver appearances. Don't forget to keep an eye on NHMS.com as we count down to New England's only NASCAR Cup weekend, August 21st and the 23rd, right here at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, New England's big track, where it's always about family, friends, and fun.

SPEAKER_09 48:26

Welcome back to our inside edition of Spire Motorsports at

Travis Peterson Joins

SPEAKER_09 48:32

their fan day. Next, we talk to the crew chief for Michael McDowell and Askar Cup series, Travis Peterson.

SPEAKER_03 48:39

Travis Peterson.

SPEAKER_09 48:40

We were just talking uh before we hit record here that you were on Babywatch. You welcomed in your second girl. Congratulations. What is that like being on Baby Watch as a Cup Series crew chief?

SPEAKER_10 48:53

Yeah, I mean it's super tough, right? Because there's no such thing as paternity leave in racing. We're racing every week, anyways. And and my first daughter, we uh had to have a scheduled C-section. So it was easier on that one. We knew we were going in on Tuesday, so as long as we didn't have the baby crazy early, we were we were that was good. But I was at the racetrack uh that was a couple years ago when we made the playoffs with Michael after winning indie, and we were it was Bristol in the fall uh in the playoffs, and so it was like a cutoff race in the playoffs, so it was a crazy week. Um I'm like in the hospital, like sending sim ideas to the guys and what they need to do details on the car. And so this one was a little different because we were waiting and wanting to have the baby naturally. And uh so it was a lot scarier because we're getting closer to like actual time for baby to be do and like going to Walkins Glen, you know, it's like I can't miss this race, it's gonna be a good race for us, right? Like we went in there with a lot of confidence, didn't want to be missing it. And uh so it it we kind of got really lucky that you know we didn't plan for baby to be do around All-Star, but you know, that's a that's a okay race to feel like if you got to miss for the birth of a child because it's not a points race and all the things. So and then having Charlotte this week, it's it's making it nice. I get a lot more time at home than maybe an average uh birth in the middle of the season.

unknown 49:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 49:59

Was there any part of you going, oh, new baby, 90 minutes of practice, new baby?

SPEAKER_10 50:04

Yeah. No, uh honestly, with the long practice and our teammate having to go to a backup car, and then I think I heard the stat that the race was five minutes longer than last year's 600. I was like, you know, it's not that bad of a race to miss. Wow. And I believe that. There are a couple wrecks. I got to watch it from my couch holding my baby, so that was pretty good. That is nice.

SPEAKER_09 50:24

Very nice. You're a Wisconsin guy, aren't you?

SPEAKER_10 50:26

Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_09 50:27

I'm from the Chicagoland areas, and I know racing scene there is it's authentic, it's mad to the bone. What was it like kind of growing up in a racing scene in Wisconsin? Is that where you got hooked?

SPEAKER_10 50:39

Yeah, so uh I got into racing as a real young kid because I honestly think I went to possibly drag races at like some number of weeks old uh with my father in Chicago um at the drag strip there. Yeah. Or or Joliet, you know what I mean? So um I I did a lot of fan stuff as a kid with my dad, but my dad got a job at Joe Gibbs racing when I was in middle school, so we moved here. But I do remember like Chicagoland is where we would go because it was one of the closest big races. Uh, we'd go to Indy every now and then um just because those are the close ones to Midwest. So, like for me, knowing how much people love it up there, when we went to Road America for a while, I thought it was awesome because it's a great spot to go. Obviously, we're biased, we love going to road courses, that's a great road course. Um, but that place was packed. So I I think you know, to me, like, yeah, let's go to Chicago, let's let's go to Chicago Land, let's go to Chicago Road course, let's go to Road America. I mean, go all the Midwest. People will fill it out.

SPEAKER_03 51:29

I I love the Travis Peterson strategies whenever opportunity presents itself. Um, but and and we'll go down a little line here. So number one, how many how many backup plans do you genuinely have in your mind versus like in the moment, man, I can do something really different?

SPEAKER_10 51:46

Well, a lot of things you can sort of plan for, look at other possibilities, think, oh, if this happens, or oh, if this happens, but so much of the way cup racing works is you don't know when that untimely caution is gonna happen or how to plan for it. And you just need to kind of be ready for all things and have your numbers that you would want to reference quickly to make those decisions. Um, so you have like prescribed, like, all right, if the race goes normal, this is what I'm gonna do, or here's my couple options of things I could try. Um, but when those moments happen and there's a caution or you know, late in a stage or early in a stage or at a field window, that's when it really gets, you know, you're you're kind of flying by the seat of your pants in terms of like you may have thought of this already, but you didn't know it was gonna happen, so you're having to make the call given what you know right then in that moment.

SPEAKER_03 52:29

All right.

SPEAKER_10 52:30

Um uh uh code words, yes or no? Code words, yeah, for sure. Oh yeah? It depends on where you're running, though. Michael will be real pissed if we're running like 25th and he's like, why use a code word? Nobody's listening to us.

SPEAKER_03 52:42

How many uh and if if I'm getting like too deep in the weeds of things you can't talk about, how many code words would you typically have? Like how many contingencies are there?

SPEAKER_10 52:52

I have a strategy that gives me options on what to say. Uh so without like entirely giving it away for people listening, but there's there's a large range of vocabulary you could use to say certain things, and he is aware of what those are going into each week, and they kind of rotate so that way. You know, the goal is nobody else has to know. If you're using a code where you don't want them to know, you don't want it to be something that's repetitive.

SPEAKER_03 53:13

Have you ever tried to figure out another team's codes?

SPEAKER_10 53:17

So you you'll see what people do during the race, or you'll get a transcription of the audio, or somebody back at the warroom is listening. And so if you hear one early on and then you see what they do, you can sort of try to decipher that for the next time. But I would say everybody's in the camp of if you're using code word, you don't want people to know. So you're not like, oh, three weeks ago he used banana, and because he used banana that time, like it doesn't mean it's gonna do the same thing. So gotcha.

SPEAKER_09 53:41

That would be fun and also confusing if your code words meanings changed by the week just to try to throw the competition off. But how realistically, like if you're listening to another team's code words and you hear another one, how quickly can that information be relayed to possibly influence strategy? Like, I feel like that all still happens so very quick.

SPEAKER_10 54:05

Yeah, the timing makes it hard, right? So you you kind of have to make your own plan of this is what I want to do.

SPEAKER_09 54:11

Right.

SPEAKER_10 54:12

Or if this many people do one thing, I'm gonna do this other thing, or follow this guy, or do the opposite of this guy, right? Like honestly, Walkins Glenn, that's what I told Michael when we pitted with seven to go. I said, just do the opposite of SCG here. We're the second best car. I want to try to beat them. We're only gonna beat them by being opposite. It was it was truly that simple in my brain at the time.

SPEAKER_09 54:30

How how far did you end up stretching the fuel at Daytona? Do you remember the exact number?

SPEAKER_10 54:36

I'm pretty sure the longest in next-gen history, according to somebody on Twitter. Or X. But I I don't remember the mileage number. I think it was like 61 laps or something. I don't remember the number off top of my head.

SPEAKER_09 54:46

Did that did even that surprise you how far you were able to make it?

SPEAKER_10 54:50

Yeah. Um, you know, I think we got into that stage, and that was one where it kind of just log jammed the front and everybody started saving. Then we were at the back at the time, and all of a sudden we started to kind of see the numbers and we're like, wow, this we didn't really plan for this, but this could happen. Let's let's see if this will play out. And then it did. So I I really wish that would have played out. Um, just because it was going to be so close on all the numbers. Like, we're pretty confident we would have made it based on our post numbers, but obviously didn't get to see it play out. But we're also like probably within a second, plus or minus, on the math of the pack catching us. So, you know, we're just imagining like this coming off of four by ourselves, the whole pack catching you, like coming to the checkers, who would have got there? Like, it would have been fun to see.

SPEAKER_09 55:28

But could you imagine winning the Daytona 500 by the largest margin of victory like in recent history? It would have been sweet, but it didn't allow it.

SPEAKER_03 55:38

But oh all right, so now you know, we go back for the last however many years, um, you know, since you've been crew chiefing with Michael, even go back to front row days, and you know, you have that winning play and you're in, you know, you're in the postseason. Um, but now what's the success on that winning play? Because that winning play could still net you a finish three, four spots better than you were, and now we're counting points. We're not, you know, the the win doesn't necessarily mean anything. So what what is a successful play when it comes to doing I think it adjusts your risk, right?

SPEAKER_10 56:08

Like if you're like, okay, there's I don't know, let's make up a number. There's a 15% chance this play could win the race. In the past, if you're 22nd in points and you're not gonna get to wherever the cut line is, which is usually around 11th or whatever, right? You're like, yeah, we need that, that's a big deal. Now you're probably trying to stack something closer to 50-50 at least if you're gonna make the call, because it's not worth a huge risk of losing positions to get the win. Um, you know, and that even applies to how you try to run stages at road courses and different things, because unless you're gonna get the win and get that extra 15 points, then how you stack the most points on the day can be different, right? And so it you you kind of gotta gauge yourself on can I win with this call or can I get the most points with another call.

SPEAKER_09 56:52

That's fascinating. I I before we let you go, I just do want to say on the record, I love how you strategize these races and think differently because that's I feel like if I was a crew chief, that's exactly how I would do. And when I'm crew chiefing myself in the NASCAR video game, that's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_10 57:08

It's certainly great when it goes well, right? When I do something that doesn't go well, then it's not very fun.

SPEAKER_09 57:12

Yeah, I admire the efforts though.

SPEAKER_03 57:15

I really do. To his point, from our seat, and I'm very sincere about this. Whenever an ill-time caution comes out, yeah, you're the first person I think of.

SPEAKER_10 57:27

So I'm just trying to give you something to talk about. Come on over here anytime.

SPEAKER_09 57:31

What'd you do on the media side?

SPEAKER_10 57:33

Uh so when I was coming to Spire um at front row, I kind of had some time sitting out. Like I was going to call the races, but I wasn't allowed in the shop, and all the things that everybody does is protect their information. And so I did some radio hosting. Uh, I did some stuff with Brad. I did some stuff with NASCAR. Um, and there's a NASCAR has a program called their accelerator program or something like that, where they're like kind of doing some media training for people in the industry. Um and so it's you know something that I might want to consider post-crew chief career, but I've I've dabbled in it and it's been fun every time I've done it. So he does very well.

SPEAKER_09 58:07

Yeah, fantastic. I'd love to hear it. Awesome. Thanks, Drake. Thank you.

SPEAKER_12 58:11

Jack is working for the final time up here in turn number two. He brought a gun to a knife fight today.

SPEAKER_05 58:32

He's off into the third and twelve.

SPEAKER_03 58:33

The Toyota's Day Mark 350 at Sonoma, Sunday, June 28th.

SPEAKER_09 58:38

Tickets at ZonomaRaceway.com. Coming up next, we are talking to some of the truck crew chiefs. And one of the more legendary crew chiefs who spent a lot of time in the NASCAR Cup series, Brian Patty.

SPEAKER_03 58:52

We're we're here at Spire Fan Day with Brian Patty. So what have you been

Brian Pattie Joins

SPEAKER_03 58:56

doing all day? What's what's your fan day?

SPEAKER_04 58:58

Yeah, it's uh been a little chaotic this morning, but uh we're ro rock and roll ready.

SPEAKER_03 59:02

Uh NASCAR changed up some rules this week that apply to the truck series and you know, um having gone through inspection too many times before you'd missed practice or things like that. DVP, all those things. What uh where do you sit with all that?

SPEAKER_04 59:15

What um I mean DVP obviously just makes sense. Um try to keep you know, the cars that are obviously in crash or damage control the policy um allows them to, you know, maybe fix their vehicle and get back out, maybe gather some points. Um seeing that it's not a win and get in anymore, obviously points matter a little more than it used to. Um, you know, it's kind of 2012-ish, right? We're back when before we had the chase. Um people don't know that. I I was part of it. We've we finished second in points with uh Clint Boyer doing that. So um it's just it's a different mindset. Um it's not just a you know throw all hell to it and see if you can win the race. It's uh you gotta be calculated. It's risk management for you know for us, it's 25 races, Copic Cup, it's more. Uh, but uh yeah, that that rule is okay. I mean doesn't really affect us too much. You you hope you don't have to use it, right? If you do that, you're you're maxing out points. And uh yeah, the the the failures, uh, you know, we're fortunate we we work hard not to fail. You know, we we try not to fail on the seven. I think we failed twice in the last nine races, so it's not uh common for us to go around, but uh you know, I think it needs to hurt a little bit, right? I I I voted for str uh stricter ones um because you see the games that are getting played, so I prefer being stronger and and uh you know make it really hurt, but they don't listen to me.

SPEAKER_09 1:00:36

We we talk about personalities. I first started following sport around the early 2000s when you were with Clint Boyer. Okay, and I think there's no more outlandish person than Clint in the NASCAR garage. Is there anything that stands out to you with your time with him?

SPEAKER_04 1:00:53

Oh, obviously it was a good time, right? That's uh you know, but he's like any other driver, right? Super talented. Um and and when you're good, you're good, and when it's bad, it's bad, right? So you just try to minimize the highs and the lows and keep him steady. And um, you know, there was certain tracks that he's lights out, and there's certain tracks um, you know, that he wasn't lights out, but uh you just anybody in any season that's what you have to do. You have to manage your your uh expectations accordingly, but uh definitely away from the track, uh probably the most fun that I've ever had, right? Um you know if I could deal with that for a long period of time, but uh yeah, he's obviously still a good friend of mine. We you know we text back and forth. I text him last week, he was trying to get some help for Dover, right? So um still a good friend. All the drivers I've worked with were still friends, so including Juan Pablo, you know. So it's it's uh yeah, it's fun to keep track of those guys and and still communicate, you know, obviously five, ten, and twenty years later.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:50

All right. So is there a common thread among all drivers? Everyone has a different personality, you know, but is there something common in all drivers?

SPEAKER_04 1:02:00

Yes. Yeah, they're all they all want to go fast, right? They all want the best of the best. Um that's why we try not to we don't designate who drives what. It's it's we we prepare to win every week. You know, their mentality is the same way, right? They they're all putting in a lot of effort these days. Um maybe not in practice because it's only fifteen minutes, but you know, the the lead time now it's just a different world that it has been, you know, 15 years ago you'd get ready for a practice on a Friday and qualifying a two practice on Saturdays and race on Sunday. Uh it's just um more so getting everything at the shop correct. And those guys are putting a lot of effort in.

SPEAKER_09 1:02:35

You and Greg Biffle work together. Do you have a favorite Greg Biffle story that you can share?

SPEAKER_04 1:02:41

Well, I um not really. I mean, we just uh we got along great. Obviously, when Michael Waltrips was shutting down in 2015, uh he was one of the first ones to text me and said, Yo, I want you to r you know run the 16. Um so you know, that led obviously to my tenure at Roush and then on to the 17 in Stenhouse. So uh but it started with Biffle. You know, it wasn't Stenhouse that called me and said he wanna come to 17, it was Biffle calling trying to get on the 16. So um yeah, he was fast, he was fun. Um, you know, obviously later in his career, right? So he was you know settling down as a family and it was fun. And uh unfortunately I didn't think it was gonna be just a one year and done. So uh but yeah, we I mean I remember he he wanted me to crew chief as uh his kid when he started go-kart racing. Um, I saw him obviously last year summer. Um I went and got some autographs from him and he he just he's a great guy.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:37

Hey, there are tracks that favor crew chiefs like tracks favor drivers. I would say so, yeah. What what what what what favors Brian Patty?

SPEAKER_04 1:03:46

Anywhere I can see. And I say that because um you know you can only see squeaky lines enough, you know, so long you can only see or hear the driver talk. And I'm not saying drivers are right or wrong, but it's easier for me to correlate if I can see. So it's uh but I say that my favorite track is Watkins Glenn, so I can't really say I can really say unless you gotta trust yourself, right? But uh no, I I don't know. Uh they're all fun. Um I'm not really a short track guy, so to speak, but it's cool going to Wilkesboro. I thought that was neat. Um Martinsville's cool, but I'm not a let's go to South Boston. I'm just not a short track guy, but uh I'm more of a arrow guy, so I like the faster tracks. Obviously, all the mile and a half are are fun, but uh my favorite is still Walking's Glenn.

SPEAKER_09 1:04:38

What are those intangibles that you can see that you don't get on a computer screen that when you just put your eyes to the racetrack you pick up on? I uh I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:47

I just uh I watch attitude um lines. You know, I can see you know, obviously I watch SMT quite often, and even like when we're simming um the guys are watching the lines, I'm watching the car. And then I'll correlate backward lines, but mostly I'm looking at the at the visual of the car and how it's going around, so how it tracks, as KB would say. Um I don't know. I just I can relate to that more so just because maybe that's just my my experience and my my older age, you know, talking. But uh I mean data's still good, right? We still I mean we d we crunch data daily. Um but uh visually for me it helps me understand what happens. Lines are good, but visually it helps me.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:32

Will you will that influence your pit selection? What you can see? No, no.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:36

I well, I say that. Like if it's a good idea. I have I have picked around uh jumbotrons before to so I could see. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:43

Um but like a what you know, say a track that the pit road goes into the curve or something like that.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:49

You know, would you I I tend to I'd say Martinsville, I like uh turn three and four. I like to see uh pit entry in three and four. Um Rock and ammo struggle? But but we don't in our pit process, you know, we we pick because how you qualified the previous race, right? So you're never gonna give uh give up uh opening out, right? And then it's opening in and then it's and then it's uh rolling speed, so that's kind of the check marks you do. So if it works out, fine, but if it doesn't, I mean we don't I don't prey on that stuff anymore.

SPEAKER_09 1:06:24

This may be a dumb question, but how does that process look like during the week? Is it a Zoom call? Like is it like I just picture the like the NFL draft and everyone's like, yeah, for Inspire Motorsports.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:36

Yeah, it's kind of it's kind of the same. It's kind of the same. It's uh you know, it's every Tuesday at 9 30. Um Eric Johnson sends out with with uh truck series, sends out a uh reminder and it's a teams call, basically, video call. He puts a pit road on there and he has you know, you you we have obviously the the sequence on what you pick already, and you kind of you know people are kind of you can almost tell who's gonna do what early, right? So if you say you're sixth or seventh or eighth, you pretty much know the first four or five where they're gonna go. So you can kind of dictate, but uh yeah, it's just everybody's on mute. Sometimes they're not on accident, but uh you know, you're on mute, and you know, we're we're obviously in a uh our offices are all in the same room, so it's pretty fun. And you know, Chad and and Bono and myself are predicting where they're gonna go. It's kind of funny.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:25

I just have your new dumb and awesome idea. Wouldn't it be great if like the NFL draft, you know, you could uh trade your first pick.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:35

You can trade picks. Wouldn't that be awesome? Oh my god. No, that's that's interesting. That would be. Um now we can make this call like a public event.

SPEAKER_09 1:07:46

I'm fascinated. Like I would love to be a fly in the wall for and I'm sure it's not as interesting as I think.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:52

Yeah, it's it's not as glamorous. But I mean, you know, like they they start the meeting with uh you know, just garage how layout just kind of give you an idea what because our our information packet comes out Tuesday afternoons, so Tuesday morning kind of give you a visual like what's gonna happen. Garage area, here's your pit lane, you pick, any any rule changes maybe, or anything that they want you to see fixed for that week. And then we pick. So it's not uh it's not the NFL draft. But wouldn't that be cool? But it's uh you know, it's you know, your race, you know, Saturday, Sunday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, your race starts starts obviously on Monday, yeah, right? Or actually weeks prior, but but uh yeah, it's it starts on Tuesday trying to get a bit uh a good pit stall.

SPEAKER_09 1:08:35

I do want to ask for the people that are unmuted, like do you hear them like, oh we're gonna pick this? No. You ever and then do you ever like undercut them?

SPEAKER_04 1:08:42

It's uh no, no, no, it's hey go grab an 800-pound sprint. Yeah, you just hope you just hope you don't say something bad. So it's happened before, it's happened in our room, and then we we uh we try to learn from our mistakes and not let that happen.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:59

Hey, we uh in in our world, every microphone is always on.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:02

Uh yeah, it's uh you know we yeah. You just try to keep your secrets in the house and and just focus on picking a good pistol. Cool.

SPEAKER_09 1:09:12

Thank you. Brian, thank you very much. Thank you. Here's another truck series crew chief and one guy with a legendary nickname. It's Kevin Bono Mannion.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:22

Bono Mannion. Who calls you Bono

Bono Manion Joins

SPEAKER_03 1:09:24

and who calls you Kevin? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:25

Uh pretty much um, you know, uh everyone pretty much calls me Bono. Um not too many people actually call me Kevin, you know. Family members. Some people in my family, you know, but um um mom, dad, stuff like that, but uh sisters maybe, but um my kid calls me bono. Um you know, I I don't know. A lot a lot of people, and a lot of times you, you know, you um if there's a new secretary at work or something, they'll think they won't know there's there's a bono and a Kevin. You know, for years it'd be like, man, I I thought it was two different people, you know, when people call.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:03

So Oh, that's funny. Would your teachers call you Bono? Like, did it gain enough traction then?

SPEAKER_00 1:10:07

Um I don't know. My memory is is very poor, to be honest with you. I do remember some things, but uh quite a few people uh know me as more as Bono and that's it, you know.

SPEAKER_09 1:10:18

And so I'm sure you've been asked this a lot, but where did Bono come from?

SPEAKER_00 1:10:23

Well, it's it's really um a long, long time nickname. Um it goes back to all the way uh my sixth grade basketball jacket was this somehow we had these ugliest yellow plastic type of jackets and they would embroider everything on, and I had bono embroidered in there, so it goes back quite a ways, but um it was just from being tall and skinny and bony and and then from bony to to bono somehow. I don't know the whole don't remember that far back, but bonehead, bony, bono, so that's that's where it ended up.

SPEAKER_09 1:10:57

You won two crown jewels in the same year with Jamie McMurray, the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400. What was that run like?

SPEAKER_00 1:11:06

Well, the the uh it was it was amazing, right? And I remember I remember this Charlotte race because we were leading and first and second and we're racing Kurt Bush and uh Chip had just won the indie race, and you know, our race is so long. Uh halfway through our race or something, I get a tap on the shoulder and uh Chip sitting behind me, you know, and I it really would have been special to to win you know that crown jewel. We did get Charlotte in the fall. Uh I know it doesn't count as a crown jewel, the 500-mile race, but um yeah, that that year was just really special, you know. Um so uh just just winning indie is special. Um you know, Daytona. So so yeah, that that year uh you can you can chalk that up as incredible, right? And it um three wins, I think we had three seconds uh and didn't make the chase, and I think that was part of the potentially part of the rule of the win when you're in or winning you're in, because you know, Jamie and our team definitely deserved to be in the to chase that year, you know. Um but just either either we won or or DNF type of deal, whether it was we were going through some struggles on the engine side at the time, and and you know, and then obviously just racing stuff happens. But yeah, that was a an amazing year, no matter the outcome. But but uh them three three wins and two of them crowned jewels and second at Chicago, we had McDonald's on the truck, or truck, jeez, been a truck series too long. Uh you know, and home and McDonald's up there, and second at Darlington. So yeah, it was a really, really cool year.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:40

That was a cool year. All right, so you know, and especially back then, if we went to Daytona, if we went to a road course, you know, that if we came to Charlotte, you know, these there are places where we would expect to see Jamie really want run well. Was the brickyard one of those? I I just don't remember from that time. Um how did that win happen?

SPEAKER_00 1:12:59

You know, we we had really good really good speed that year. Um, you know, some years you have it and some years you don't, but that year uh some of the rules that were in place. Um uh we were into running rear bars that year, and uh Jamie could really uh tune and and really like the feel at a rear bar. He drove with his right foot and a gas pedal. Now I had had uh I know you had Brian on earlier, and he was my teammate crew chief there at the time, and he had Juan Pablo, and and Juan drove off the right front tire, you know, and just you know, heavy steering Formula One type of guy. Uh Juan um he couldn't he couldn't drive our setup, and we couldn't drive his setup, you know. So um, but that was a really um just the rear bar and what we had going on with it, it just was to Jamie's liking. And um yeah, as far as Daytona, that was just Jamie's really good drafter, as we know, you know, he's very aggressive. Um and and it takes to be aggressive at a speedway. But yeah, Indy, I think was was special just being being part of you know Earnhardt Ganassie racing and the Ganassi side of it and everything uh when we went up there, we made it extra special. On the Earnhardt side, it was always extra special at Daytona, speedway racing, you know, three for Dale. And um and on the Indy side, we always just uh put a lot into the cars and a lot into testing up there.

SPEAKER_09 1:14:23

You mentioned that you and Brian were teammates back then. Now you're teammates again.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:29

Uh yeah, I still don't like them, but you still don't like them. Yeah, okay. That was gonna be my question, actually. No, I'm just kidding. We we get along. Uh Brian is is uh is a very talented, very uh strict and stern and and uh no bullshit type of guy, and I think I'm the complete opposite, you know. So uh we definitely uh bust his chops here quite a bit, but uh he runs a tight ship and and uh is a good teammate and definitely gets results.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:58

Yeah, he he he looks like he's always thinking. You look like you're always laughing.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:02

Yeah, you know, there's there's a different type of I am definitely always laughing, but I mean, like I always say, you gotta have fun. Um, you know, but there's times to be serious as well, too.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:11

So hey, you're gonna run your modified anymore?

SPEAKER_00 1:15:13

Or you don't I am I am sold out. All retired. I am sold out. Yeah, our last race was with uh Corley Joy at Martinsville and we won. And um that's shoot, it's been three years, four years, three years now, anyhow. And and you know what? It was my kid and my wife, and just a couple people, and it's just hard to get help. And you know, there's a lot involved. And if you don't do it every time and every week, we still go and watch, and um it's still a lot of fun. But I I I will say I I looked on uh Marketplace last night at one, you know, so I'm I'm always looking. Um but the the the fun was kind of building it from scratch and and doing all that, so but yeah, you never know. But I I do uh kind of like not having one and then just going to watch and enjoying it. The doors never close. Yeah, thank you so much. I really appreciate it. You got it, thank you.

SPEAKER_09 1:16:06

We'll close things off with our final conversation of the day, and that's with competition director Matt McCall.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:13

Matt McCall, catch us up to Spire

Matt McCall Joins

SPEAKER_03 1:16:16

this year. I mean, a lot of changes really, the Genesis all started last year, but you know, now everyone gets informal positions and everything, and here we are. We're race winners in the first third of the season.

SPEAKER_06 1:16:27

Yeah, you know, obviously that's uh was a big goal to win the race win a race, uh, but it's been a lot of work. You know, the foundation that uh, you know, Jeff and Bill and Emma have been building pretty much for multiple years now, you know, and giving us the opportunity. Fortunately for me, my relationship with Jeff goes back over 20 years when I was attempting to be a race car driver, you know what I mean? So like we've had a good relationship over the years. So now to be able to come uh work for him has been been a lot of fun, and it's a lot of work, but that's why we do it though.

SPEAKER_09 1:16:54

Before we get to the Spire stuff, you did say, hey, back when I was attempting to be a race car driver, I know you ran some Bush and truck series races. Uh when did the switch happen in your mind that you wanted to be more on the competition and and crew chiefing and engineering side?

SPEAKER_06 1:17:09

Uh 30 years old. Uh that was when I realized if I wouldn't be a race car driver, I better get a real job. Uh so I wasn't really consider this a real job, but it's close. Um so when I turned 30, I went to be a race engineer at RCR. Uh I had a relationship with Harold Hawley at that point in time, and so sort of just started there, and there's not many weeks I haven't been at a cup race since then. All right, do you do you still race? Because you were racing for a while, right? Uh yes. So I let's see, I last I ran there was a week in here earlier this year I ran. I ran a couple races uh during the midweek. Um may try to hit one or two at the end of the year if possible again. So how well do you how how well do you do these days? Uh it was okay. It wasn't as good as I wanted to be. I think I finished fourth in uh two races. Uh, but I mean, these guys are fast, right? So you don't you don't put much time in, it's hard to keep up with them, but it was fun.

SPEAKER_09 1:17:54

What are you racing?

SPEAKER_06 1:17:55

Uh late model stock.

SPEAKER_09 1:17:56

Late model stock, nice. Oh, those things are those are fast. They're they're bad to the bone.

SPEAKER_06 1:18:01

Yeah, I mean, that's all I ever raced growing up, you know what I mean? So then I obviously got a couple opportunities to run truck and bush stuff, O'Reilly, whatever the name is now. But yes. Um but late model is like what I grew up running at Hickory. That's where I started at.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:13

So when you show up or do you find people walking by and looking at your car thinking, you know, like, man, he he like knows everything about No, I don't think so.

SPEAKER_06 1:18:22

I still have enough relationships that I still try to stay in touch with most of the guys that that run that pretty regularly, you know.

SPEAKER_09 1:18:27

So To have that background as a race car driver and still doing it, how does that impact your day-to-day roles here at Spire?

SPEAKER_06 1:18:39

Um, I mean, I'm sure it does some. Probably I'm not aware of, you know, it but just from an experience level is what it ends up being, you know. I mean, I think that a lot of times when drivers are talking about things, if you've experienced it, obviously with this next gen car, there's a lot of things that are nuances that are nothing like any car that I would ever driven before. But I think there's still some things that that are talked about regularly that you can have engagement in that maybe you not may not be able to if you didn't have that experience.

SPEAKER_03 1:19:02

All right, so I'm curious, as a competition guy, you just look at the evolution and over the years, you just you get more and more taken away from you. You know, at one point, if you wanted to spend 24 hours in the wind tunnel, you could. If you wanted to go test, you know, three days a week, you could. Um if you you know, we had practice, we don't have practice. COVID changed a lot of things. So in the spirit of all of that, if you could just get one thing back, what would what would be the most meaningful do you think that you'd want?

SPEAKER_06 1:19:31

That's probably tough. I will say it was fun practicing last week. I will say that the the Dover practice was fun. Uh so I mean I think if if we could have that every once in a while, maybe not every week, um opportunities to work on because this car is super detailed, you know. I mean, so any small details can make huge changes. So I mean you have opportunity to to put on a couple sets of tires during practice, it you can make some big gains.

SPEAKER_09 1:19:52

How m how much of a gain did you make from that long 90-minute long practice compared to the shorter ones that we get? Like how much more information were you able to get dial the car in versus what you would normally get from just sim and other researchers?

SPEAKER_06 1:20:08

I mean, it it's a lot, you know. I mean, I think uh I was on the 71 because obviously Travis was uh having his baby that weekend, and so I think we only got to make five runs. We had a had an issue with a tire that went down, uh, but it's still the amount of information we gathered among three cars was a lot of good information that's even going to carry on for the following weeks. Competition director versus crew chief.

SPEAKER_03 1:20:27

You know, um you're making different decisions in different places. What in your experience, what what what are you glad you don't have to worry about being a crew chief, or what do you stress about more being competition director?

SPEAKER_06 1:20:38

Um I mean I think the biggest thing, and actually since I got to sort of step back last week and only sort of be at the crew chief position, uh trying to kill three cars is a lot harder. You know, I mean I think that's on the weekends trying to have engagement with every team, following up what's going on. Um but you know, it's still a lot of fun. Uh I think that uh I don't know if there's anything I really miss. I enjoy crew chiefing, you know. But the group we have here and the way that we work together, it's we're still almost together all the time. So it's not like I'm besides hitting the button on the radio, it's not uh it doesn't really feel that different to me.

SPEAKER_09 1:21:07

Is this where you debrief in this conference room right here? Well walk me through what that looks like. I'm sure it's kind of what I would expect, but what's the format of a debrief on is it Mondays that you guys usually do it?

SPEAKER_06 1:21:20

Yes, I mean you know we'll come in here um and we have a moving schedule a lot because we have a lot of DIL sessions on Mondays, so we try to work around that. But the biggest thing we'll start uh with some stats, you know, sort of how the weekend went, um, and then basically just go around to the drivers and let them debrief uh to break down different what the changes were in the race, different scenarios, restarts, uh, and just go through a lot of data that you have to sort of compare to other cars um and then backtrack of what you think you need to work on for that event and then the following uh the week coming up as well.

SPEAKER_03 1:21:48

See, I want to ask like what stories could these walls tell, but you know, not every weekend goes great, but it but a lot of them do for sure. In your job, are you sort of like the glue that holds all the teams together? And you know, how much do things continually evolve? I mean, there was one point where haulers were never parked next to each other for teams. Now haulers are parked next to each other. Now we see teams consolidating that this might be the lunch hauler, they might all carry a race car, this might be the you know, organization hauler, this might be something else.

SPEAKER_06 1:22:17

How has that evolved? It has for sure. You know, I mean I think that uh when you're minimize the amount of people you can take to the track, you've got to maximize what you have for each team. So, you know, you roughly just call it, you know, just call it 10 people per team, not counting pick crews. So you can actually count it as 30 trying to work together to make everyone uh you know better each weekend. I think the the big takeaway is what you're mentioning there, is like now the opportunities are even greater. We're not really structured like that from a hauler perspective, but the way we meet for our for our meetings and the way that we approach the weekends is usually as one for sure.

SPEAKER_09 1:22:49

Where are you usually during race time? You're at the racetrack, I want to say, most of the times. Uh every weekend, if you ask my wife. Are you bouncing back and forth between pit boxes? Are you in one certain spot? Like with managing three cars, it seems like there's a lot to keep track of once that green flag flies.

SPEAKER_06 1:23:09

So I just rotate. So I go 771 77, just go through a rotation every three races. Um uh as far as the hauler I live in and the pit box I live in. Uh, and so but I still can communicate with all the others with the way our communication works, uh, depending on what pit box I'm on.

SPEAKER_03 1:23:22

So where is the trend working right now? We started the season with uh a new Chevy body, and there were a lot of questions, but it really seems like you guys are right there, you know, where the leading edge is of development and performance.

SPEAKER_06 1:23:34

Yeah, uh, you know, I think that we we started the year, our balances are pretty close, and really that's the biggest thing with this car. I mean, all the the the overall performance of the cars are pretty close as far as like if you just laid them side by side. But the uh we had a uh a great job of all our uh engineers and crew chiefs getting the balance of the vehicle, getting started, and that's sort of been on a carryover for us each week. I mean, so most weeks we unload were fairly close, which is really all that matters. Now we've missed it a couple times, but like if you if you're in a tight window and your balance is close, the weekends are fairly smooth. And obviously the metric of where you go out to qualify and dictates a lot of stuff too. So we've been able to get on the other side of that uh a few times, and that that pays off for sure.

SPEAKER_09 1:24:09

I've heard people talk about the metric and like how big it is from the week that you're in one group and then you get bumped up to the fastest group. Like what difference does that make? Not only on just a weekend perspective, but I hear that's something that you can build on for weeks if you can get a good metric.

SPEAKER_06 1:24:29

It is. I mean it just and it continues to stack. Like, you know, if you're in the second group pretty much every week, the track's closer to what it's gonna be for the race event because there's more rubber on the track, more cars have been out there. Uh, and then when you go out to qualify, it's exact opposite. The rubber gets peeled up, so it just keeps getting faster and faster and faster. So it just ends up being a stack up of what seem really small tolerances that really matter in the end, and then obviously your your pit stall dictates a lot too how your race is gonna go.

SPEAKER_03 1:24:54

You ever look at the season um in segments? Like for me, it always feels like things change once we get past the 600, and then the summer stretch is different, then the postseason stretch is different. How do you view the season?

SPEAKER_06 1:25:06

Yeah, I mean, I would say pretty similar to that. I feel like once you get to the 600, obviously the this weekend will be a couple new little trinkets or toys. You're hoping for a little more performance. Uh and then I think one thing that's changed a little bit this year is sort of the the engine rollouts are a little bit different. Uh they've got some more parts freeze, so I don't know if you'll see the jump through the manufacturers that we've seen previous years. Uh but there'll still be obviously some gains, but they'll be most likely a little bit smaller. So I feel like that's some things that show up previously that you're like, oh gosh, where'd they come from? And then maybe it's a you know it's an engine or something like that that they made big gains on. But the way that we are for um seal count and all that, that's gonna back down a little bit. Uh, but yes, I would say once you get to the 600, your next stride, you're trying to get through the next you know, six or seven weeks to see sort of where you're at if everybody's either caught up or made big gains, you know?

SPEAKER_09 1:25:50

In terms of that, like if you you could be making gains right now in the shop and you know that's gonna make a difference, how long is it typically of a waiting period time for those changes to finally see the racetrack?

SPEAKER_06 1:26:04

That's a tricky question because sometimes you make these gains, you get there and you you're worse, right? So but it's not necessarily you're worse, it's just that someone else has made bigger gains. So it's hard to quantify a lot of times because we can't go to the wind tunnel. You know what I mean? We're relying on our tools and you're trying to continue and evolve your tools every week, you know, and obviously work uh really tight with GM on that part of it, but it's uh it's sometimes it feels like it never happens.

SPEAKER_09 1:26:28

What's the euphoria like when you discover something? And obviously I don't want you to go into detail about the things you have discovered, but when you hit on something, you're like, whoa, this is this is it. What's that moment like?

SPEAKER_06 1:26:42

Yeah, I mean it it's this car is really tough to do that because the details and well sometimes what moves the needle is so small, like you you know, you're talking 15,000 sometimes, right? And like so you get to the track, like, oh we got them. This we got 15,000, and and our tools are like, oh, that's gonna be great. You get to the track, and you're not any better, right? So like the quantifying is the big part of it, but from what you're asking, like it is it is you know satisfying at times if you feel like you've made some steps forward, you get to the track and you look on the score sheet and the lap time averages and all that, and you're like, oh, okay, we we have seen some gains here.

SPEAKER_09 1:27:14

Is it my last question? And this is just me. Like, when you discover something, is it hard to keep that internal like as a competitor? Because like if I find something out, I want to tell everybody. I want to shout it from the mountaintops.

SPEAKER_06 1:27:32

He just lost his opportunity. He just killed it.

SPEAKER_09 1:27:35

I just blew it.

SPEAKER_06 1:27:37

Uh no, and I think I mean I'm gonna say some people for sure, but I feel like once you're in this grind, if you have a little something, it just makes you grind more, and it's just nah, you're not gonna advertise it, right?

SPEAKER_09 1:27:48

So I just blew my job interview, right?

SPEAKER_06 1:27:51

Yeah, no kidding. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:27:52

Good luck getting info from Matt in the garage now. You caught that, didn't you? Exactly.

SPEAKER_09 1:28:00

Awesome. Matt, thank you so much. Thank you. I appreciate it. That'll put a wraps on our day at Spire Motorsports. Man, Brad and I cannot thank the team at Spire enough. Briona, Heather, JP on the PR team, especially for setting things up. I know it was a complicated day with everyone's schedules, but they welcomed us all with open arms, and Spire is on a run. I hope you listened to this and maybe found a new favorite driver in Carson host of our Michael McDowell, uh, or in one of their crew chiefs as well. It's a great bunch over there, and want to thank them just again for taking the time with us. We hope to have more of these special extended editions of Garage Planets. Please let us know what you think. Comment, subscribe to this feed, let us know on our socials at PRN Live. And until next time, this has been Andrew Curling. Thanks for listening to PR M's Garage Planet.