Five to Go

Episode 316: Iconic name change and the separation of church and state

Five to Go
Episode 316: Iconic name change and the separation of church and state
June 5, 2025
Doug, Dan, and Devin get into all sorts of news stories, including Blaney's Nashville breakthrough and the strategy that won it for him. They also discuss the Atlanta Motor Speedway name change, Jim France's reported broken deal to put a driver in a Cup car, and the debate over Kurt Busch making the NASCAR Hall of Fame. They also discuss the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame's inductees, strange Mexico provisionals, and the weekend ahead for NASCAR in Michigan.
Date Name
06/05/25 Episode 316: Iconic name change and the separation of church and state Doug, Dan, and Devin get into all sorts of news stories, including Blaney's Nashville breakthrough and the strategy that won it for him. They also discuss the Atlanta Motor Speedway name change, Jim France's reported broken deal to put a driver in a Cup car, and the debate over Kurt Busch making the NASCAR Hall of Fame. They also discuss the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame's inductees, strange Mexico provisionals, and the weekend ahead for NASCAR in Michigan.
05/29/25 Episode 315: Mega show for a mega race day and epic wins Doug and Dan hear Devin's take from the track at the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte. And they break down Ross Chastain's expert move to take the race from Byron, the mood around Larson's stunted double, Palou's "blink of an eye" winning move, expensive pit equipment, and what F1 fans just don't understand.
05/22/25 Episode 314: Put the gripes on ice, the helicopter egg drop Doug, Dan, and Devin discuss the North Wilkesboro All-Star Race and if Joey Logano had legitimate complaints about Christopher Bell afterwards. They also talk about why the cars raced better, future All-Star Race ideas, and the impressive No. 71 Pit Crew Challenge win. Dan also recalls the Gresham Motorsports Park helicopter egg drop and how it could have gone really badly.
05/15/25 Episode 313: The human element on display in Kansas, super tight standings Doug, Dan, and Devin break down Kyle Larson's dominance and the errors that eliminated his challengers. They also preview North Wilkesboro and the All-Star Race and share the latest from the anti-trust lawsuit.
05/07/25 Episode 312: Texas triple delivered With Dan away, Doug and Devin break down all three NASCAR races from Texas Motor Speedway, led by Doug's view from covering pit road all weekend. They discussed how Logano positioned himself to win, why the treacherous bump and grass should stay, and how strategy also shook the running order. They also talk about TNT/Max's personnel lineup, the latest lawsuit news, and a suitor for a NASCAR exec.
04/30/25 Episode 311: 'Dega, DQs, and smoked out at Spire Doug, Dan, and Devin return to recount the unfulfilled anticipation from the recent Cup Series race at Talladega and how the Xfinity race was much more entertaining. Devin talks about the disappointment in the big crowd, but also the relief in the lack of a "big one". Dan also says post-race DQs could be caught in pre-race inspection. The crew also discusses what could have been for the All-Star Race and the strange dismissal of Childers from Spire Motorsports.
04/16/25 Episode 309: Diagnosing Bristol and our view from the track After Doug Turnbull's and Devin Kupka's trips to Bristol Motor Speedway, they break down Kyle Larson's dominant performances with Dan Elliott. The trio discusses the causes and potential fixes for the lack of passing - and how that was not only a problem in Sunday's race. They also preview Rockingham, talk about how tires have changed, discuss the future of Xfinity and Truck Series chassis, and analyze some dangers on the Cup Series pit road. And Devin has some eye-popping stats on how clean the Cup Series race was.
04/09/25 Episode 308: Drama in a dry Darlington race and Hendrick's possible new goal Dan, Devin, and Doug go over Denny Hamlin's late Darlington win and the three types of heartbreak for Byron, Reddick, and Blaney. They also discuss why Kyle Larson came out so many laps down and what Hendrick's new strategy may be...along with a possible lofty season-ending goal. And they explain what a NASCAR commissioner means and another strange litigious moment.
04/02/25 Episode 307: Rough driving Martinsville meltdown...and another intriguing lawsuit With Dan back in the saddle, he, Devin, and Doug break down Denny Hamlin's dominant Martinsville win and what it could spell for the rest of the season. They also discuss the topic of the week in NASCAR: how to deal with the messy driving from that Xfinity Series Martinsville race. The crew also tackles what could be the start of Silly Season with the Legacy Motor Club lawsuit with Rick Ware Racing, how soft the Goodyear tire can go, and how harrowing changing tires used to be on pit road.
03/26/25 Episode 306: A deeper look at points and the drivers in a big hole after Homestead With Dan Elliott away, Doug Turnbull and Devin Kupka dig into the Homestead-Miami results and share how they expected Larson to break out and why they think Bowman has done a lot to save his job. They also check the stat lines on drivers who are struggling and share the stat in the standings that is easy to overlook. They also look at the Martinsville entry lists and the surprise names on them, including a retinal doctor and a cancer survivor.
03/18/25 Episode 305: Vegas brings a first for Wood Bros. in nearly 40 years With Dan away, Doug and Devin discuss the highlights from a raucous Las Vegas Motor Speedway race and they quantify what Josh Berry's win means for both the driver and the Wood Brothers team. They cover the numerous pit road miscues, the importance of tires in 2025, and the drivers going the wrong way in the standings. And they also talk about NASCAR in SoCal and look ahead to Homestead for all three series this weekend.
03/13/25 Episode 304: 2025's fantastic start, penalty yin-yang With Dan away, Devin and Doug discuss Christopher Bell's rare three-peat and all the ins and outs of three exciting Phoenix finishes. They discuss the option tire and whether it passed the eye test and the tough breaks for several other drivers caught up in wrecks. They also talk about a potential false read in the TV ratings, Cousin Carl going Prime time, and why they generally agree with how the Briscoe and Cindric penalties turned out.
03/04/25 Episode 303: A heavyweight COTA finish, soft tire spice in Phoenix Doug, Dan, and Devin talk about the classic showdown between Christopher Bell and Kyle Busch in COTA and what they left wanting more of. Doug shares his view from Turn 6, including Hamlin's dumping of Dillon. They discuss the funky weight in cars, tire management, Ty Gibbs' early struggles, and Katherine Legge's Cup Series debut. They also talk about the option tire in Phoenix and why tire management needs to be more important in the Gen-7 car. And they toss around the conundrum around Ross Chastain vs. AMS and COTA.
02/27/25 Episode 302: Atlanta is the best race on the Cup circuit With Dan away, Doug and Devin share their weekend updates from being on the ground at Atlanta Motor Speedway, including Devin's up close view of Ross Chastain and Ryan Blaney confronting Carson Hocevar on pit road. They discuss why AMS is the best Cup race these days and what makes it different from Daytona and Talladega. They also dig into the prickly "last lap caution" issue and go over some bold fixes. Devin and Doug also talk about what Corey Heim's 23XI deal could mean for another driver's future and preview the weekend's races at COTA.
02/18/25 Episode 301: Luck and fuel in Daytona and our AMS home track primer Doug, Dan, and Devin share their impressions of the Daytona 500, including Byron's survival of the luckiest and what to do about fuel-saving. They also recap the other three of the weekend's races and chew on Cleetus McFarland's in-car YouTube chats. And they discuss the rigidity of the Cup cars and the timing of the caution flags to end the races. Lastly, the crew breaks down the AMS race weekend and where fans can meet Joey Logano and see a new paint scheme.
02/11/25 Episode 300: Daytona preview and the five races we most anticipate Doug, Dan, and Devin pour over the entry lists and the weekend schedules to preview NASCAR's opening weekend in Daytona. They make some predictions and debate the importance of the Daytona 500 crowning elite winners. They also talk about the five races they each look forward to the most this year and Dan has quite the story about Talladega and a 300 pound block of ice.
02/04/25 Episode 299: Chase's Clash and working on cars in haulers Doug, Devin, and Dan recap Chase Elliott's dominant Clash victory and discuss whether or not NASCAR has solved the short track problem. They also discuss teams disappointed with their Clash run, why this race could be a springboard, and what the future of the Clash could be. They also discuss off-site inspections, the Chevy "nothing" car, Ford's EV stock car, a change up top at Penske, and what FOX lacked in the Clash broadcast. They also discuss breaking news about Xfinity that dropped during the recording.
01/29/25 Episode 298: The Clash, The Rock, and 2025 is alive Doug, Dan, and Devin break down what they expect from The Clash at Bowman-Gray Stadium and whether or not the move from the non-traditional fan is the right one. They also discuss why Rockingham may be the perfect NASCAR track and react to Kasey Kahne's return there. The crew also breaks down a flurry of pre-season headlines (including Corey LaJoie's new plan) and mourns the loss of two influential NASCAR figures.
01/22/25 Episode 297: JRM takes on the 500, NASCAR gets FAST With Dan away, Doug and Devin comment on JR Motorsports attempting the Daytona 500 with Justin Allgaier, Truex Jr. and Johnson taking more stabs at it. They also talk about some new entrants to The Clash, Cody Ware's move to the No. 51 car, and the latest in the NASCAR antitrust suit. Then they discuss NASCAR's launching a FAST channel on Tubi and its importance.
01/15/25 Episode 296: NASCAR's new rules, plus author Lee Weeks and Matt DiBenedetto Doug and Devin break down NASCAR's latest rules bulletin and weigh in on the damaged vehicle changes, the Playoff waiver, and the open exemption provisional. They also discuss Mike Wallace's not being allowed in the Daytona 500 and the difference in FOX's promos of NASCAR and Indy. Doug also interviews "Sundays at the Track" author Lee Weeks (:53 min) and driver Matt DiBenedetto (1:10) on his faith journey, which is among those profiled in the book. DiBenedetto also discusses the end of his Cup career and new opportunities in the Xfinity Series.