EP 2102: Brett McMillan and Brad Gillie welcome Reid Spencer and Jordan Bianchi

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The O'Reilly Auto Parts Pit Reporters
EP 2102: Brett McMillan and Brad Gillie welcome Reid Spencer and Jordan Bianchi
January 5, 2021
Brett McMillan and Brad Gillie welcome Reid Spencer of the NASCAR Wire Service, and Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic
Date Name
04/14/21 EP 2116: Tom Jensen, NASCAR Hall of Fame, Chase Wilhelm, NASCAR.com, Brett McMillan It was another victory for Truex at Martinsville! With three wins in his last four Martinsville starts, is Martin Truex Jr. a lock to reach the championship finale? Brett McMillan is joined by Tom Jensen of the NASCAR Hall of Fame and NASCAR.com’s Chase Wilhelm to review MTJ’s second win of 2021 and if he and crew chief James Small finally got their mojo. And after two solid runs on short tracks, are Bubba Wallace and Daniel Suarez capable of racing into the playoffs?
04/07/21 EP 2115: Lewis Franck of Reuters, and Adam Stern of the Sports Business Journal From the dirt in Thunder Valley to under the lights at Martinsville! Brett McMillan is joined by Adam Stern of The Sports Business Journal and Lewis Franck from Reuters to preview the Blue Emu 500. Plus, we discuss new venues on the circuit, why a street course might be a higher hurdle than many people expect and list the reasons why the Food City Dirt Race was a success despite the rain. And with the season almost at the quarter post, which drivers are desperate for a good run?
03/31/21 EP 2114: Jim Utter, Alan Cavanna - Hosted by Brett McMillan Another race, another new winner! After Joey Logano brought home the Bristol dirt race, how long will the streak keep going? Brett McMillan is joined by Alan Cavanna from the Positive Regression podcast, as well as Motorsport.com writer Jim Utter. What did our panel think of the historic race in Thunder Valley? Plus, we found out dirt experience didn’t mean all that much...what does that mean for future dirt races? And finally, what does Aric Almirola have to do for a good finish?
03/23/21 EP 2113: Jordan Bianchi, Mike Neff, Brett McMillan Now it’s time to go play in the dirt...but can it possibly live up to the hype? Brett McMillan isn’t so sure, as we’ve been talking about this race for almost a year! On this week’s show, we’re joined by Jordan Bianchi from The Athletic and Frontstretch.com columnist Mike Neff to preview the highly anticipated dirt race in Thunder Valley. Jordan tells us why no matter the result, this marquee event has already been a major success for NASCAR. Looking back to the Atlanta finish, how much of Kyle Larson’s loss was because of Joey Logano? Mike tells us not very much and Brett wants to know: Is 500 miles too much?
03/17/21 EP 2112: Alex Andrejev, Reid Spencer Five races, five different winners. How long until we see a driver earn their second win of the season? Brett McMillan is joined by Reid Spencer of the NASCAR Wire Service and Charlotte Observer reporter Alex Andrejev to discuss Martin Truex Jr.’s win at Phoenix. After “only” winning once last year, is MTJ poised to be a title contender again in 2021? Plus, NASCAR’s new ownership movement continues, as Roush Fenway’s parent company is now owned by Lebron James. What are the chances we see LeBron and Michael Jordan at the track together?
03/09/21 EP 2111: Jeff Hammond, Bob Pockrass, Brett McMillan Hendrick Motorsports has gone back-to-back, are they going to be in the mix every weekend now? Brett McMillan is joined by Jeff Hammond of SiriusXM and NASCAR on Fox’s Bob Pockrass to discuss the Pennzoil 400 and Kyle Larson’s fast start with his new team. What does Larson’s runs to this point say, if anything, about Jimmie Johnson? Now that Hendrick Motorsports has seemingly found its groove, is the lack of testing and practice going to favor their stable of young drivers? And is Jeff Gordon set to take over when Rick Hendrick calls it a career? Finally, as we head to Phoenix, home of the championship race, does this weekend give drivers already locked into the playoffs a free testing session?
03/03/21 EP 2110: Brett McMillan, Lee Spencer, Dustin Long With the way this season’s starting, it’s a great time to head to Vegas and put some money on a longshot! On this week’s show, Brett McMillan is joined by Lee Spencer from RacinBoys.com and NBC Sports columnist Dustin Long. With three surprising winners to start 2021, is there something that can pinpoint to so much parity? William Byron and Rudy Fugle wasted no time getting to victory lane, giving Rick Henrick something to smile about as his young driver is working with his third crew chief in as many seasons. NASCAR announced the format for the dirt race at Bristol, but it’s not the heat races that caught Lee’s attention.
02/24/21 EP 2109: Nate Ryan, Chris Knight Another race, another first-time winner and the playoff battle is already heating up! Brett McMillan is joined by NBC’s Nate Ryan and Chris Knight of Catchfence.com to discuss Christopher Bell’s victory at Daytona and look ahead to the first “real” race of 2021. With two playoff slots already taken, could one of NASCAR’s biggest stars get left out of the playoff field? Also, our panel digs into the penalty handed down to Chip Ganassi Racing and whether NASCAR’s decision to throw the yellow flag for rain was the right call considering its impact on the race.
02/17/21 EP 2108: Alan Cavanna, Kelly Crandall Except for the rain, that was a heck of a way to start the season! And don’t get it twisted, Michael McDowell winning at Daytona might be a surprise, but it’s no fluke. Brett McMillan is joined by Alan Cavanna, co-host of the Positive Regression podcast, and Racer.com writer Kelly Crandall to recap the Daytona 500. Now that the first playoff spot is claimed, just what kind of performance can we expect from McDowell and his Front Row Motorsports team? Our panel weighs in on some big-picture topics, including possible changes to the charter system, if NASCAR will keep shaking up the schedule with new venues and if television partners have too much power in determining start times, practice sessions and qualifying. And as we head back to the Daytona road course, will we get a race as exciting as the Clash?
02/10/21 EP 2107: Jonathan Merryman of NASCAR.com, Jerry Jordan of Kickinthetires.net Crank ‘em up! How are we feeling about the new Daytona speedweek schedule? Brett McMillan is once again joined by PRN’s Brad Gillie for the 2021 season preview edition of the Pit Reporters. First, we hear from NASCAR.com reporter Jonathan Merryman, who tells us his favorite storylines entering the season Denny Hamlin is looking for a record third-straight Daytona 500. And despite the odds being against him, would you take anyone else in the field? Plus, despite the fanfare, history will show that Bubba Wallace wasn’t the first driver to run a race for Michael Jordan’s 23XI team. Then, we hear from Jerry Jordan of KickinTheTires.net to discuss if NASCAR will have to move any races due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and if Pit Bull investing in the new Trackhouse Motorsports team will lead to an influx of new fans.
02/03/21 EP 2106: Brett McMillan, Brad Gillie, Adam Alexander, Louis Franck Denny Hamlin got a contract extension...will he win a championship before it’s up? Brett McMillan is joined by PRN’s Brad Gillie, as well as FS1’s Adam Alexander and Lewis Franck of Reuters as we look forward to racing at Daytona and the 2021 season. Now that Hamlin and FedEx are locked into the No. 11 car for a few more years, we look back on when it wasn’t that long ago people were asking if he was going to be the odd man out at JGR. Adam talks about AJ Allmendinger’s return to full-time racing with Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series and if he could be a dark horse to win the title, and Lewis tells us the new venue he’s most looking forward to in the new season: spoiler alert, it has left and right turns.
01/26/21 EP 2105: Brett welcomes Brad Gillie, Bob Pockrass, and Adam Stern Brett McMillan welcomes Brad Gillie of PRN, Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports, and Adam Stern of The Sports Business Journal.
01/19/21 EP 2104: Brett's guests are Brad Gillie, Bruce Martin, and Jeff Gluck Brett's guests are PRN's Brad Gillie, Bruce Martin of Speed Sport, and Jeff Gluck of the Athletic.
01/12/21 EP 2103: Brett's guests are Brad Gillie, Dustin Long, and Chase Wilhelm Brett's guests are Brad Gillie of PRN, Dustin Long of NBC Sports, and Chase Wilhelm of NASCAR.com
01/05/21 EP 2102: Brett McMillan and Brad Gillie welcome Reid Spencer and Jordan Bianchi Brett McMillan and Brad Gillie welcome Reid Spencer of the NASCAR Wire Service, and Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic
12/30/20 EP 2101: The O'Reilly Auto Parts Pit Reporters Brett McMillan welcomes PRN's Brad Gillie, Tom Jensen of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports.
12/23/20 EP 2052: The O'Reilly Auto Parts Pit Reporters Guests are Adam Stern of the Sports Business Journal, and Lee Spencer of Racinboys.com
12/16/20 EP 2051: The O'Reilly Auto Parts Pit Reporters Brett McMillan welcomes Alan Cavanna and Chris Knight.
12/09/20 EP 2050: The O'Reilly Auto Parts Pit Reporters Guests are Brad Gillie of PRN, Jim Utter of Motorsport.com, and Nate Ryan of NBC Sports. Brett McMillan hosts.
12/02/20 EP 2049: The O'Reilly Auto Parts Pit Reporters Brett welcomes John Roberts of Sirius/XM's NASCAR channel, along with Brad Gillie and Rob Albright of PRN.