Is It Larson's To Lose?

Jimmy Owens has won more than 500 races, beaten Scott Bloomquist for a Lucas Oil title, and just took down Jonathan Davenport in a photo finish at Bulls Gap. So why does he say the worst part of his career right now is that he doesn’t get nervous anymore?Kenny sits down with the Newport Nightmare and The O Show to relive that win. Jimmy hits the wall on a long green flag run, knocks about a foot of spoiler off the car, and thinks “I’m done.” Then a caution comes out, the right rear tire cools off, and he somehow holds on for the $20,000 win anyway.From there it gets good. Jimmy takes us back to the days when he worked graveyard shifts running a 400-ton press at a valve plant, then spent every weekend racing modifieds and showing up at the track of anyone who dared lead the points. He tells the story of the first time he lined up next to Bloomquist and Billy Moyer and realized who he was sitting beside. Then he and Kenny start swinging at the stuff people get fired up about:Why local racing is hurting (and why Jimmy says the money isn’t the problem)Whether kids even want to race anymoreWhat the Dome means for the sportWhether NASCAR guys like Carson Hocevar showing up in dirt is good newsJimmy’s answer on that last one might surprise you. Real fans wear Dirty Mo. Hit the link and join the crew.👇 shop.dirtymomedia.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Another year, another championship run from Kyle Larson. But at what point do we stop talking about potential and start talking about legacy? This week, Herm and Schrader tackle Larson's place in NASCAR history and whether a third title would officially put him among the sport's immortals. They also weigh in on Carson Hocevar's benching at Homestead and whether the penalty fit the offense. They also spotlight championship-clinching performances from Kaden Honeycutt and Justin Allgaier in a week that delivered no shortage of drama. Real fans wear Dirty Mo. Hit the link and join the crew.👇 shop.dirtymomedia.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Kenny Wallace has hit the Door Bumper Clear trifecta! All three hosts have now sat across from Kenny Wallace, and this time it’s our own Freddie Kraft. Freddie went from Long Island to the top of the spotter stand in the highest form of NASCAR, and he almost took a different road. He turned down a sure-thing job on the railroad to chase racing, and his mom was not thrilled. Seventeen years later, he’s Bubba Wallace’s spotter and co-host of the podcast powerhouse DBC.In this one, we’re hearing some more personal insight from one of the faces of Door Bumper Clear, including things like:What Bubba Wallace is really like, from the guy who hears him on the radio every weekHow DBC went from a spotter show to the place drivers ask to come onWhy Freddie is afraid to win the Daytona 500NASCAR returning to the ChaseHow to fix the Next Gen car The bleep button was in full effect for this one. Real fans wear Dirty Mo. Hit the link and join the crew.👇 shop.dirtymomedia.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week on Herm & Schrader, we ask the big question: Is the Cup Series championship already decided? Has Kyle Larson locked up the title, or is there still room for drama heading into the season finale at Homestead?Meanwhile, brake-checks became a major storyline at Martinsville. Were the incidents simply a product of hard racing, or should Austin Cindric have made sure Carson Hocevar left the speedway with a lesson learned?Plus, Denny Hamlin appears headed toward yet another season without a championship. As he approaches the later stages of his career, should he consider hanging up the helmet after 2027, or does he still have more competitive years ahead of him? Real fans wear Dirty Mo. Hit the link and join the crew.👇 shop.dirtymomedia.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Natalie Decker led laps at Daytona, at times got dragged for it online, and still hears she’s only here because of how she looks -- so Kenny Wallace sat her down to get the real version. Natalie walks Kenny through the whole Daytona night: the last-minute sponsor deal she swore she’d never take again, the restart where nobody wanted to work with her, a radio that stayed silent for a full lap while she ran up front, and why she pulled out of the lead when the guy behind her wouldn’t stop trying to get his lap back.Then it gets personal. Natalie opens up about years of being told how to dress and act to get taken seriously , and why she’s done with it. She talks about what Danica Patrick’s example did for her, why Denny Hamlin is her guy, and the sports psychology lesson that changed how she handles pressure. She also shares that she was born with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, kept it a secret from her friends growing up, and cried through the hardest speech of her life at an Arthritis Foundation fundraiser before asking her husband for a martini.Plus: how a go-kart, a babysitting cousin, and a “don’t tell your dad” turned a whole Wisconsin family into racers. Kenny tells the story of racing her at Marshfield when she was a teenager. And Natalie explains how she and her husband forgot to get the marriage license, so the legal wedding date and the party date aren’t the same, and why she’s still Natalie Decker.Originally aired 3/21/2024.   Real fans wear Dirty Mo. Hit the link and join the crew.👇 shop.dirtymomedia.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Kenny Wallace and Ken Schrader are back together this week after a few weeks without Schrader and Talladega gave them plenty to debate. Kyle Larson went from 11th to the win off a three-wide draft, and the Cup points race just got a lot less tight. Herm and Schrader break down how it happened, why Larson now pretty much has to lose this championship, and what those wrecks looked like to guys who’ve been there.Then the part everybody’s mad about. For a big chunk of the race the field rode around at half throttle to save fuel, until one team decided to go wide open and left everybody behind. How do you fix it? They have ideas – let’s see if NASCAR listens.Then the double-yellow line debate. Was Larson was below it when he made the winning pass? Some fans want him sent to the back, and Kenny has a story about getting burned by that exact rule – ultimately both Herm and Schrader land at the same place with this debate.Also in this one: why NASCAR is changing Phoenix’s front straightaway, Sammy Smith’s weekend sweep, a dirt racing roundup with Jimmy Owens and a $30,000 Cherokee win, and of course some jokes to end the show.    Real fans wear Dirty Mo. Hit the link and join the crew.👇 shop.dirtymomedia.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Kenny Wallace sits down with AJ Allmendinger, and AJ’s career path is wilder than you’d guess.His parents mortgaged their house three times to keep him in go-karts. He qualified dead last at Bristol and called it the happiest moment of his life. He gave his prize money back just to keep a ride. Then he won the Rolex 24, a Cup race at Watkins Glen, and the Brickyard.AJ opens up about crying in Victory Lane at the Roval, why he sits on the plane after a bad race convinced, he’s letting everybody down, and the checkered flag he almost handed away before stealing it back for his newborn son. He also explains why he drove Michael Shank’s Rolex car for free, and why he says he lives the best life in the world and is miserable every single day.Kenny trades his own racing money horror stories, they talk Kyle Larson, and AJ gives his honest take on the Next Gen car and NASCAR’s tech inspection fines. Originally aired 10/18/23.   Real fans wear Dirty Mo. Hit the link and join the crew.👇 shop.dirtymomedia.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Kyle Larson needed ten straight top-ten finishes to basically lock up the Cup title. Phoenix ended that dream in a hurry: a 22nd-place qualifying run, a car that never came alive, and a wall at the end of it.Ken Schrader’s out for a second week, so Kenny Wallace brings in Rick Mast, his old running buddy from the Busch Grand National days, and the two of them get into everything. Rick opens with the story of showing up to his daughters’ country-music birthday bash dressed as Waylon Jennings. From there, it’s Tyler Reddick ending a long drought and flipping the championship picture upside down. Seven drivers are now separated by 56 points, with Talladega, Martinsville, and Homestead left. Who will take the win is anybody’s guess.Rick drops a theory that might offend a few people: that Larson’s points lead has been hiding a Chevy problem that’s been there all year. Kenny wonders why Larson keeps telling everyone his car isn’t good, and the guys compare Denny Hamlin’s heartbreak history to Mark Martin’s and ask whether this is finally his year.Then it gets fun. Kenny passes along Dick Trickle’s three-step lesson in how to wreck somebody (pop him, lift him, then send him), and Rick answers with a Langley story about teaching a guy to quit beating on his bumper. They also dig into how the sport has changed, from the Saturday-night bullrings that raised them to the system kids come up through now.This week has plenty of recapping, reminiscing, and speculating as the season comes down to the final three races. Real fans wear Dirty Mo. Hit the link and join the crew.👇 shop.dirtymomedia.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Michael Andretti doesn’t dodge. Kenny Wallace gets the IndyCar legend and team owner to explain how Team Penske got busted with push-to-pass on their cars, why Michael thinks they knew exactly what they had, and whether Roger himself was in on it. He also reveals the meeting where he told Roger IndyCar’s marketing needs a serious overhaul, and Roger wasn’t thrilled to hear it.Then come the stories. Dale Earnhardt once begged Michael to drive for him, and it ended with Dale in the wall and a friendship that never recovered. Michael explains why he retired at 41 while leading the Indy 500, and what it’s like to rack up 42 wins and never win the biggest race in the world. He also gives his take on how NASCAR’s arrival at Indianapolis helped kick off the open-wheel split that nearly killed IndyCar. Kenny and Michael also get into life as a team owner heading into the month of May, with Colton Herta leading the points and Marco Andretti coming back for another run at the 500. Michael talks about growing up in a family that put four Andrettis in the same Indy 500, his dad Mario’s incredible journey from Italy, and how his father was still hitting 200 mph in the two-seater at the young age of 83.Originally aired 4/29/24. It’s NASCAR meets IndyCar on Kenny Conversation. Real fans wear Dirty Mo. Hit the link and join the crew.👇 shop.dirtymomedia.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ken Schrader is out for two weeks, so Rick Mast is once again stepping in to give his takes along with Herm. Kenny Wallace kicks things off by telling everybody about the dirt race he just won. Started ninth, took the lead with two to go, and made sure to thank himself in the winner’s interview. On the Cup side, Chase Briscoe wins again in a side-by-side finish with Christopher Bell, and the guys break down what almost went wrong when teammates race that close to the line. Then it’s Denny Hamlin’s turn. A stray tire lands in another team’s pit stall and drops him from 5th to last, and Kenny says it pains him to say it. Rick goes further: Denny is the Mark Martin of NASCAR. He’s a champion without the trophy, he deserves one, and the sport needs it. They get into why the little gremlins keep showing up every championship run, and why you can’t beat yourself and still win a title. Kenny and Rick debate whether Kyle Larson can string together ten straight top tens, how the stage points are changing the way these guys race, and why this playoff format might be the best NASCAR has had yet. Finally,  Ricky Stenhouse body slams Michael McDowell after the checkered flag, McDowell fires back, and everybody wants to know if NASCAR does anything about it.Kenny and Rick also get into Corey Day’s big win in the O’Reilly Series, the Jeff Gordon comparisons, and why the guys are wary of how fast the next generation of drivers is getting to the top. Max Verstappen says the paddock has become a zoo, and Kenny sees some validity in that. Rick Mast disagrees completely: if you want to be a hero to the fans, you sign the autographs, just like Richard Petty did. There’s also a heartfelt look at the Kyle Busch memorial and how the NASCAR community comes together. And in true Herm fashion, the show ends with the worst grocery store jokes you’ve ever heard.  Real fans wear Dirty Mo. Hit the link and join the crew.👇 shop.dirtymomedia.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.