Five to Go

Episode 295 - Big Daytona 500 names, rotating races

Five to Go
Episode 295 - Big Daytona 500 names, rotating races
January 10, 2025
Doug, Dan, and Devin talk about some surprising and big names entering the Daytona 500, the growing list of NASCAR drivers in the Rolex 24, and the NASCAR team that may want to run Indy. They also discuss some Truck, NXS, and ARCA driver news, the start date for the NASCAR monopoly lawsuit, and Chase Elliott's popular new sponsor. They also toy with the idea of having NASCAR races rotate on and off the schedule.
Date Name
01/01/26 Episode 345: Our 2025 NASCAR superlatives With Dan away, Doug and Devin reflect on a tumultuous NASCAR season and explain why only one driver qualifies as the sport's main character of the year. They also explain drivers and teams they saw both improve and under-perform and why predictions are so difficult. And they discuss yet another NASCAR tragedy, as Denny Hamlin's father, Dennis, passed away in a house fire.
12/20/25 Episode 344: The best way to remember Greg Biffle and the other six killed this week Doug, Devin, and Dan reflect on Greg Biffle and the six others killed in Thursday's plane crash in North Carolina. Doug and Dan share some personal interactions with Biffle. Dan talks about Biffle's perseverance during a long testing day at Gresham Motorsports Park and Doug recalls a particularly good media session with the Biff. They also talk about the others killed in the wreck and how the NASCAR community has experienced so much loss in aviation. They also quickly give their take on the beef between Denny Hamlin and Larry McReynolds after the conclusion of the lawsuit.
12/14/25 Episode 343: Post-lawsuit aura Doug, Devin, and Dan share their thoughts after NASCAR and the teams settle the antitrust suit and what lies ahead for the sport. They also talk about the breaking point that they think led to the settlement and why it could bolster the other national NASCAR series. They also talk about Nick Sanchez losing his ride, Levar Scott to Alpha Prime, Stephen Nasse finally winning the Snowball Derby, and Keelan Harvick's Snowflake triumph.
12/06/25 Episode 342: Trial goes green, mood goes black Doug, Dan, and Devin share their thoughts after a robust opening week in the NASCAR antitrust suit. They explore whether their opinions on either the teams' or NASCAR cases really changed after testimony from Denny Hamlin, Bob Jenkins, Steve O'Donnell, and others in the Charlotte court. They also discuss if money really solves the problems and if there is anything in the case that would actually make an ardent fan not watch in 2026. And they cover big news with Chris Gabehart and some other NASCAR offseason news.
11/25/25 Episode 340: Tommy Joe Martins on running a small team and what top-20 in points really means Doug, Devin, and Dan welcome Alpha Prime Racing co-owner and former driver Tommy Joe Martins to do a deep-dive in the economics of running his race team and the key differences between Alpha Prime and the championship-winning teams. Martins previews the awards ceremony he created for all teams, the Grand National Bash, and shares why he is so outspoken on behalf of lower-level teams. Martins also answers why charters and spec cars haven't come to the lower series and why he opposes Cup drivers running in Trucks and O'Reilly Auto Parts races. Martins also talks about why the celebration was so big when driver Brennan Poole finished top 20 in points at the checkered flag in Phoenix and how it fiscally was like a race win.
11/09/25 Episode 338: Hypocrisy and and misunderstanding in the format outrage Doug, Devin, and Dan review the championship races in Phoenix and get to the heart of the outrage and misunderstanding that some people have with Hamlin's heartbreak and Larson's surprising Championship win. They also discuss Silly Season and the increase next year of Cup drivers in lower series races.
10/29/25 Episode 337: Throw a blanket over the Cup-four, young spinners Doug, Dan, and Devin break down William Byron's dominant, clutch Martinsville win and detail what this means for Byron and Larson in Phoenix. The crew also gives their championship picks, previews championship weekend, and shares an interesting wrinkle in the Xfinity Series title. They also talk about young drivers hurting their futures and what info is missing to really drive the lawsuit narrative.
10/22/25 Episode 336: Playoff cutoff trends, Martinsville difficulties Doug, Devin, and Dan recap Chase Briscoe's Talladega win and how the tables turned for Penske. Devin also compares Talladega's crowd-energy in the stands to last year and analyzes the Playoff bubble now versus past years in this format. Dan shares why he would not want to run Martinsville or Talladega as a Playoff driver and what he plans to do at the annual Dawsonville Mountain Moonshine Festival this weekend. The crew also breaks down some Silly Season news and reasons why F1's Apple TV deal could be problematic.
10/16/25 Episode 335: Heartfelt Hamlin and a deep dive on race manipulation Doug, Devin, and Dan discuss Hamlin's emotional triumph in Vegas and why win 60 hit differently. They also talk about the trickiness in the Ty Dillon vs. William Byron crash and why "must win" is premature. Then they give their opinions on NASCAR's officiating of race manipulation and why that is so difficult. They also preview Talladega, including the surprisingly good driver there in the Gen-7 era.
10/09/25 Episode 334: What people are missing in reviewing the Roval Doug, Dan, and Devin sum up the Roval cutoff race from Charlotte and why Shane van Gisbergen's dominant win and Ross Chastain's Playoffs loss are both misunderstood. They also preview Vegas and give their shot-in-the-dark Playoff predictions.
09/25/25 Episode 332: Race craft, conflict, modern crew chiefs Doug, Devin, and Dan give their highs and lows from New Hampshire and why Ryan Blaney was already an elite performer before his dominant win. They also break down where both Hamlin and Gibbs went wrong in their conflict and why Gibbs needs to work on his race craft. They then explore the idea of third teams weakening organizations and preview Kansas. And Dan Elliott also asks what a modern crew chief's role is, as Trackhouse poaches Randall Burnett for Connor Zilisch.
09/20/25 Episode 331: Bell, Bris-tires, and Dan's radio hacks Doug, Devin, and Dan dissect the surprise tire wear fest won by Christopher Bell at Bristol last weekend. They each share their biggest high and low from the race weekend and Doug and Devin share the comments they heard from drivers and teams while they were on pit road and in the garage. Then they preview New Hampshire and discuss how difficult finding standout drivers is, along with Dan Elliott's funny story on fans hacking radios.
09/10/25 Episode 330: Bandwagons, deadweight at Gateway; cheers to Rob Albright Doug, Dan, and Devin share their biggest Cup Series takes from Worldwide Technology (Gateway) Raceway: Hamlin's bandwagon to the championship, if Hendrick rebounded, and the strategy that changed the race. They also predict how the Playoff drivers below the cut line will fair in Bristol and discuss safety in post-race celebrations. The crew also discusses enforcing post-race weight-drops and what drove the Hass Factory Team switch to Chevy. And Doug gives a toast to longtime PRN announcer Rob Albright, who calls his last race this weekend in Bristol...with a divine twist.
08/14/25 Episode 326: SVG shines during "Austin Hill Summer" Doug, Devin, and Dan discuss what made SVG dominant in Watkins Glen both Saturday and Sunday and the differences that Dan noticed in the gearing of Van Gisbergen's Cup car on pit road. They also talk about Connor Zilisch's Victory Lane spill and how drivers bounce back from injuries, why Austin Hill was just racing, and the Playoff bubble in all three NASCAR series. They also discuss the weird mid-season driver changes (again) in the Craftsman Truck Series and preview Richmond. And Dan remembers a race fan who hexed drivers who did not sign autographs.
08/08/25 Episode 325: Strategy vs. passing: Dan Elliott has some ideas Doug, Dan, and Devin break down William Byron's fuel-stretching, overdue win at Iowa Speedway and how one team owner almost hurt his teammates' Playoff chances. They also discuss the strange dismissal of Kaden Honeycutt and another yellow flag foible. Dan Elliott gets fired up about strategy's increasing importance in Cup racing and pays dues to former Elliott/Melling crew member Johnny Brown. Devin Kupka also remembers his grandfather. And the crew also celebrates the most recent Georgia Racing Hall of Fame inductees: Mike Helton, Ethel Flock Mobley, Fulmer Lance, Bob Morris, and Johnny Thomas.
08/01/25 Episode 324: The best Indy race last weekend and NASCAR staying classy in a new place Doug, Dan, and Devin recap the weekend that was in Indy, including in-depth analysis from Devin, who attended every race. They discuss the breakthrough for Bubba Wallace, Austin Hill's bad behavior, Denny Hamlin's twilight contract, and NASCAR's move to San Diego in 2026. They also sift through the ramifications of FOX buying into Indy owner Penske Entertainment and what Dan and Devin think will happen in the near future for NASCAR because of it.
07/24/25 Episode 323: Old man Hamlin guts out Dover over Elliott Doug, Devin, and Dan do their first-ever livestream right after the Dover Motor Speedway Cup race and discuss how Hamlin survived a red flag and several late restarts to win his 58th-career race. They also talk about how Chase Elliott dominated and lost, the strategy calls that won and lost the race, and how tough passing was. They also preview the Brickyard and stew over the latest team losses in the antitrust suit. And the crew remembers NASCAR champ and Georgia resident Rex White.
07/16/25 Episode 322: Pump the brakes with all that GOAT talk...for now Following another SVG beat down on a road course, Doug, Devin, and Dan break down the Cup Series Sonoma race and the Playoff implications for Van Gisbergen. They also discuss the real dangers of pit road and also the Ty Gibbs nothing-burger. They chew on the what-ifs of 23X1 and FRM losing their charters and how Chris Buescher seems to be racing differently under pressure. And they preview Dover and the In-Season Tournament's remaining drivers.
07/09/25 Episode 321: Could the FIA fix a perceived NASCAR caution problem? Doug, Devin, and Dan break down SVG's Chicago street course dominance and the drivers that had some sour days in the Windy City. They also talk about the caution controversy at the race's finish, if FIA-compliance could even help the sport in the anti-trust suit, and why Devin thinks the finish was consistent. They also talk about track safety, the anarchy in the in-season tournament, and preview more road racing in Sonoma.
07/02/25 Episode 320: Elliott. EchoPark. Classic. Doug, Devin, and Dan dig deep on Chase Elliott's breakthrough win in Atlanta, discuss why this race had such frenzied complexion, and say where they would like EPS' second race on the schedule to be. They also discuss the domino effects of Daniel Suarez's departure from Trackhouse and what Legacy MC and the sale of Rick Ware Racing have to do with it. Then they preview the Chicago Street Race and remember Daytona 500-winning car owner Larry McClure.