Five to Go

Episode 285 - Doug Rice's Last Lap sees a familiar Playoffs story emerge

Five to Go
Episode 285 - Doug Rice's Last Lap sees a familiar Playoffs story emerge
October 24, 2024
Doug, Dan, and Devin break down Joey Logano's fuel-saving win in Las Vegas and how is not as underrated as some say. They talk about Bell's runner-up disappointment, Reddick's hasty move and major wreck, and Allmendinger's big win. They also discuss Hailie Deegan's move to INDY NXT and some crew chiefs out of a job. And they also play the audio from PRN's Doug Rice's invocation, green flag, checkered flag, and sign off from his last broadcast from the booth.
Date Name
07/09/26 Episode 371: Chicago beef, EchoPark home, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on Atlanta With Dan away, Devin and Doug give their top takes on Chase Briscoe's Chicagoland Speedway win, the dominance of broken Toyotas, and what they thought of the SVG-Hill and Smith-Hocevar clashes. They also talk about Hendrick's bright signs and Tyler Reddick's expected regression. And they preview EchoPark Speedway, with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. joining to talk about superspeedway racing, why he likes Atlanta, and what he enjoys about racing his first Truck races.
07/02/26 Episode 370: Sonoma, points, Dodge, and David Ragan tests Chicagoland Doug, Devin, and Dan give their top takeaways from Sonoma, including Shane Van Gisbergen's pressure-cooker and Bubba Wallace's ungluing. They also talk about the extremely tight Cup Chase cutline, Dodge's rumored 2027 return to Cup, and the spotty record of substitute drivers. Then David Ragan shares what he experienced during the Ford test at Chicagoland and how full the drivers hands may be.
06/23/26 Episode 368: A JGR trucker takes us to the San Diego race Doug, Devin, and Dan welcome Steve Tidmore, one of the hauler drivers for Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 54 NOAPS team. Tidmore shares how he got the gig, the challenge of trying to sleep during races, the logistics of rotating drivers on the long drive out west, and how truckers had to drive on the bumpy San Diego course to get parked. Then the gang discusses Hamlin's triumph at Pocono, what they expect at Michigan, Jesse Love's move to the Wood Brothers, and the question Jenna Fryer raised about modern media. They also remember legendary NASCAR reporter Steve Waid, Doug's old friend Mark Sims, and share a Gordon Pirkle update.
06/18/26 Episode 369: Corey Heim's win at San Diego is not shocking Doug, Devin, and Dan go deep on NASCAR's first San Diego-Coronoado event and talk about why Heim's win is a surprise, but not shocking. They also discuss another Georgia driver who experienced severe highs and lows, the overall success of the weekend, and Gragson v. Magnussen. They also wonder about the pressure for SVG in Sonoma.
06/12/26 Episode 367: Michigan aero, Berry dominoes, Hamlin szn Doug, Dan, and Devin break down a wild Michigan race that Denny Hamlin grabbed a hold of and what his comments about retirement could mean. They also discuss Christopher Bell's hard hit and Dan explains the difficulty manipulating air in today's cars. They also discuss Josh Berry's firing, Austin Hill in the No. 33 car and the Silly Season implications.
06/04/26 Episode 366: Nashville hot brakes and three spicy races Doug and Dan interrupt Devin's vacation to discuss the excitement for all three of NASCAR's top series in Nashville, why brake rotors were exploding, and why attrition is an element that NASCAR has been missing out on. They also discuss Ford's weird Cup Series performance and relate that to it's very shallow development program and what that could mean for the auto industry and motorsports overall. They also preview Michigan and rate Cleetus McFarland's second NOAPS race.
05/27/26 Special Episode: Our personal experiences with Kyle Busch - an all-time great Doug, Dan, and Devin share their feelings about the tragic and sudden passing of NASCAR legend Kyle Busch. Devin scene sets, as he is in Charlotte and visited the fan tributes at the Richard Childress Racing Museum. Dan shares some conversations he had with Busch and how his death reminds him of Dale Earnhardt. And Doug shares some of his Kyle Busch memories, along with an excerpt of an interview he and Devin did with Busch at an Atlanta-area Cheddar's in 2024.
05/27/26 Episode 365: Kyle Busch on minds of all at Suarez's 600 triumph Doug, Devin, and Dan recap and emotional weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, as the NASCAR industry honored fallen troops and openly grieved the loss of legend Kyle Busch. Devin shares his interactions with fans and drivers and what the scene was like in the garage and on pit road, as the sport remembered Kyle Busch. The trio gives their main takes from Daniel Suarez's spoiling of a dominant Toyota night and on how NASCAR navigated horrible weather for the triple header. They also discuss a thrilling Indy 500 on the Greatest Day in Motorsports.
05/21/26 Episode 363: Triple Dover, Indy double, and singlehanded Glen smackdown Doug, Devin, and Dan talk about Shane Van Gisbergen's amazing comeback at Watkins Glen and compare it to Bill Elliott's rebound from losing two laps at Talladega. They also discuss Stenhouse and HYAK staying together, why Katerine Legge has less pressure than Kyle Larson for her historic "Indy-Charlotte Double" attempt, and F1's hubris. They also preview Dover and the extremely confusing All-Star Race format.
05/08/26 Episode 362: Trials at Texas, hot-served revenge, and pit road speed limiters With Dan having technical issues, Doug and Devin break down Chase Elliott's Texas win and the bad luck and trials others had. They also discuss the Busch v. Nemechek and Preece v. Gibbs clashes and if NASCAR should have penalized Preece. They also discuss pit road woes and why Doug thinks NASCAR should implement pit speed-governors. And they preview the Watkins Glen triple header.
05/01/26 Episode 361: KansaDega, new winner gap week Doug, Devin, and Dan are all back together after a couple of weeks to discuss Hocevar's breakthrough Talladega win, the complexion of the Cup race, some big news stories the last couple of weeks, and what the change in NASCAR leadership means. They also look ahead to the triple header weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.
04/24/26 Episode 360: Some streaks both good and bad that came to an end in Bristol With Devin on Culver's duty this week, Doug Turnbull recaps their weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway including his sights from the garage and his up-close view of Ty Gibbs' victory celebration. Doug shares his top takeaways from all three series in Thunder Valley, including an unheard of streak broken by Corey Heim. Then Dan Elliott joins late in the show to discuss what he saw Ty Gibbs do that won him his first-career Cup race.
04/08/26 Eposide 359: Fifth-post grades and the curious Cleetus case With Devin missing his first show in three years, you have to settle for Doug and Dan. They break down the O'Reilly and Truck races at Rockingham and discuss how sizing up anyone but the dominant drivers is difficult. They examine what Algaier's stage points say about the O'Reilly standings and how much parity there is in the Cup Series. They also discuss Cleetus McFarland's O'Reilly debut and Doug explains why he thinks the whole thing is being seen the wrong way. They also give grades - good and bad - to Cup teams with 20% of the races in the books.
04/02/26 Episode 358: Two Bubbas and some surprising stage points stats Doug, Dan, and Devin recap Chase Elliott's strategy play to win Martinsville and how well the tires and horsepower changes worked. They also discuss Bubba Wallace's meltdown and which drivers it reminds them of. Doug breaks down the stage points in the Cup Series and discusses the driver low in the standings that has a surprisingly high amount. And they also discuss the futures of Daniel Dye and Nick Sanchez and preview the O'Reilly and Truck races at Rockingham.
03/26/26 Episode 357: DarlingTYLER and where did Logano go? Doug, Devin, and Dan discuss the pressure Dan's No. 9 team faced for the Winston Million at Darlington and relayed that to the mental fortitude Tyler Reddick has shown in 2026. They talk about Reddick's Darlington win and other drivers that impressed, along with the crazy gaps between the top two in Cup points...and spots three to 16. They also ask hypotheticals about Reddick in Silly Season, wonder where Joey Logano's performance has been (for years), and preview Martinsville, a race that Dan Elliott says is incredibly important for one team.
03/19/26 Episode 356: Hamlin's mental victory and what ignited Chastain v. Suarez Doug, Devin, and Dan recap Denny Hamlin's benchmark Vegas win and what gave him the edge. They also discuss the Chastain-Suarez scrap and what may have brought that on. The trio previews Darlington and discuss how Alex Bowman's absence can affect his future. And they talk about Daniel Dye's suspension and the path forward for him.
03/12/26 Episode 355: Phoenix, Vegas, and far-too-early points analysis Doug, Devin, and Dan heap praise on Ryan Blaney and really analyze the importance of good points days, including from one driver who should have had a worse one. They also rate NASCAR-IndyCar double-bills, wonder aloud about any panic in the points standings, and preview the first 1.5-mile test this season in Vegas.
03/05/26 Episode 354: COTA history, Cleetus, Gabehart Doug talks about being at COTA in person for Tyler Reddick's historic third-straight win to start the season and Dan and Devin give their takes on the weekend in Austin and St. Petersburg. They also discuss the Alex Bowman sub for Myatt Snider and how other drivers had health issues in Austin, plus if Cleetus McFarland is biting off too much with RCR in the O'Reilly Series. And they also give their takes on the JGR-Chris Gabehart court case and they preview Phoenix.
03/03/26 Episode 353: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. sums up the start to 2026 2023 Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. joins Doug, Devin, and Dan to discuss his runner-up Daytona 500 finish, his early Atlanta wreck, his team’s approach to the season, how he trains, and his “ranch.” Then the guys preview COTA and give their takeaways from attending Atlanta.
03/03/26 Episode 352: Daytona, Atlanta, and driving NASCAR motor coaches Special guests Archie and Tina Kennedy join Dan, Devin, and Doug and discuss what driving motor coaches for Hendrick Motorsports' Jeff Gordon (Archie) and Jeff Andrews (Tina) is like, including how little time they spend at home. Archie also shares a classic Tony Stewart story and Tina shares what working for Greg Biffle was like. Then the crew gives their Daytona 500 thoughts, including what Devin saw at the track in Daytona and what Dan would do to the length of the Great American Race. And they give a weekend run down of Echo Park Speedway events and their picks to win.