EP 2131: Mid Season Evaluation: Lee Spencer, Reid Spencer, Brett McMillan

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The O'Reilly Auto Parts Pit Reporters
EP 2131: Mid Season Evaluation: Lee Spencer, Reid Spencer, Brett McMillan
July 28, 2021
With the Olympic break upon us, Lee Spencer of Racinboys.com and Reid Spencer of the NASCAR Wire Service join Brett McMillan for a review of the season thus far.
Date Name
07/28/21 EP 2131: Mid Season Evaluation: Lee Spencer, Reid Spencer, Brett McMillan With the Olympic break upon us, Lee Spencer of Racinboys.com and Reid Spencer of the NASCAR Wire Service join Brett McMillan for a review of the season thus far.
07/23/21 EP 2130: Keswlowski Goes Into Ownership Brad Keselowski is going to NASCAR ownership and Aric Almirola’s going to the playoffs, but only one of those is a surprise! Brett McMillan is joined by John Roberts from SiriusXM and Jordan Bianchi from The Athletic to discuss Keselowski’s future as an owner/driver and what this could mean for the remainder of Jack Roush’s hall of fame career. The shakeup at Team Penske brought big changes to the Wood Brothers, who are putting Harrison Burton in their car next season. Is that a surprise? And what’s next for Matt DiBenedetto?
07/14/21 EP 2129: Nate Ryan, Alex Andrejev. Brett McMillan hosts. It was a Busch bash in Atlanta, who’s ready for a lobsterfest in Loudon? Brett McMillan is joined by NBC’s Nate Ryan and Alex Andrejev of the Charlotte Observer to discuss the heated comments from drivers about the major change to Atlanta Motor Speedway. The driver’s council is no more, but Nate explains why Denny Hamlin believes it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Plus, as some older drivers like Kevin Harvick step down from leadership roles in the garage, who among the next crop of talent will lead the sport into the 2020s? And did NASCAR find the secret to Hendrick’s success?
07/07/21 EP 2128: Change Coming to Atlanta Motor Speedway One more time around Atlanta before it finally gets repaved...but that isn’t the only change coming to AMS! Brett McMillan is joined by FS1’s Vince Welch and Jeff Hammond from SiriusXM to recap the upcoming Atlanta reconfiguration that the drivers weren’t asked about! Chase Elliott scored the win at Road America; what’s the secret to his road course success? Plus, NASCAR’s Scott Miller explains why local yellows aren’t feasible at most courses and the trucks are going dirt racing in America’s heartland!
06/30/21 EP 2127: Alan Cavanna, Adam Stern, Brett McMillan What better way to celebrate the Fourth of July at a track named America? Brett McMillan is joined by Alan Cavanna from The Positive Regression podcast and the Sports Business Journal reporter Adam Stern to preview the Cup Series’ first trek to Wisconsin in over 60 years. Pocono’s doubleheader was great in every way but one...and it could be the most important factor of all. Alan makes a passionate case that Kyle Busch winning is why we love racing and our panel gives some insight to Kyle Larson’s dominance. And the other big news this week: Who will replace Jeff Gordon at Fox Sports?
06/23/21 EP 2126: Jonathan Merryman, Tom Jensen, Brett McMillan Kyle Larson won again but he’s not perfect...is he? Brett McMillan is joined by NASCAR.com reporter Jonathan Merryman and Tom Jensen from the NASCAR Hall of Fame to break down another dominant Kyle Larson win. Hendrick currently has a huge gap on the field but can they keep it up through the playoffs? The charter system was introduced to give owners a bargaining chip when their team shuts down. Has it finally reached a point of value for new teams coming into the sport?
06/16/21 EP 2125: Reid Spencer, Holly Cane, Brett McMillan For the second time in two months, we’re off into the great unknown! Brett McMillan is joined by NASCAR Wire Service writers Reid Spencer and Holly Cain to preview the Nashville race weekend and recap Kyle Larson’s exciting All-Star win at Texas. Was the new All-Star format a hit? Our panel seems to think so. Hendrick Motorsports has been unstoppable lately but is there concern that they’re peaking too soon? Reid doesn’t think so, plus Kyle Busch is one win away from his 100th Xfinity Series victory. What does Brett think he has in common with Jimmie Johnson (other than he wins a lot)?
06/09/21 EP 2124: Kelly Crandall of Racer.com, and Rob Albright of PRN Kyle Larson staged another showcase and will Texas make the All-Star Race bigger? Brett McMillan is joined by PRN’s Rob Albright and Kelly Crandall of Racer.com to break down the Toyota Save Mart 350, including the former F1 driver who coached Kyle Larson on road racing. Plus, Jeff Gordon is rumored to take on a bigger role at Hendrick Motorsports, speed isn’t everything, even at Talladega, and there’s the complicated format for the All-Star Race. Has the event simply run its course?
06/02/21 EP 2123: Alex Andrejev of The Charlotte Observer, and Dustin Long of NBC Sports Kyle Larson put a hurting on the field at Charlotte and established himself as the championship favorite! Brett McMillan is joined by NBC’s Dustin Long and Alex Andrejev of the Charlotte Observer to recap the Coca-Cola 600 and discuss Hendrick Motorsports’ historic victory. Plus, our panel discusses Ty Gibbs’ future after another win in the Xfinity Series. Just how good can he be? And what can we learn from COTA that could apply to this weekend’s event at Sonoma?
05/26/21 EP 2122: Jim Utter, John Roberts, Brett McMillan Out of the rain and into the night, we leave Texas for the longest race of the year, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte! Brett McMillan is joined by Motorsport.com reporter Jim Utter, who discusses the historic weekend at COTA and why you can’t judge the track based on the weather’s impact on Sunday’s race. And now that NASCAR has set the precedent that racing in the rain is OK, how much rain is too much? Jim explains why he was disappointed in NASCAR’s decision to continue in a downpour. Then we’re joined by John Roberts from SiriusXM Radio to discuss the future possibility of racing on an oval in the rain and Alex Bowman’s impressive season replacing Jimmie Johnson in the 48 car.
05/19/21 EP 2121: Jamie Little of Fox Sports, Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic And now, for something totally different: The first of three tracks Cup drivers have never raced on before! Brett McMillan is fired up for COTA and he’s joined by FS1 pit reporter Jamie Little and Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic to look back at Hendrick’s showing at Dover and the highly anticipated race at COTA. Chase Elliott is NASCAR’s road course ace. Is this weekend’s race what he needs to kick off his championship defense? And what about Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick? Plus, after winning the Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonus, what will it take for Josh Berry to land a full-time ride?
05/12/21 EP 2120: Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports, Chris Knight of CatchFence.com Martin Truex Jr. crushed the field to score another win at one of his many “home” tracks! Is it his title to lose? Brett McMillan is joined by Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass and Chris Knight of Catchfence.com to review the Goodyear 400 and debate what makes a “good” race in today’s NASCAR. The NextGen car will hit the track next year. How big of a change will it be, and should NASCAR be concerned about a lack of multi-car tests before next season? Plus, Bob explains why NASCAR shouldn’t stop looking for “Game 7” moments and what does the Marcus Lemonis-Sheldon Creed Twitter interaction say about the state of sponsorship in 2021?
05/05/21 EP 2119: Brett McMillan, Lee Spencer, Jeff Gluck Why not take mom to the race on Sunday! Brett McMillan welcomes Lee Spencer of RacinBoys.com, and Jeff Gluck of The Athletic to the panel.
04/27/21 EP 2118: Nate Ryan of NBC Sports, and Kelly Crandall of Racer.com It was another wild one at Talladega but the finish isn’t what has everyone talking. Brett McMillan is joined by NBC’s Nate Ryan and Kelly Crandall from Racer.com to discuss possible safety changes to superspeedway racing after Joey Logano’s wild ride. What, if anything, can be done to stop the blowovers? Plus, Jeb Burton’s win at Talladega locked him into the playoffs but is he a serious contender for the Xfinity Series title? And what are the chances we get another new winner at Kansas?
04/21/21 EP 2117: Adam Alexander, Dustin Long, Brett McMillan What does Denny Hamlin have to do to win a race? Could Talladega be the cure for his winless drought? Brett McMillan looks ahead to the Geico 500 with NBC’s Dustin Long and Adam Alexander of Fox Sports 1. Who would’ve predicted we’d have three Hendrick Motorsports winners and none of them are Chase Elliott? Adam explains why he’s a fan of Alex Bowman who’s always in “prove it” mode, while Dustin tells us about the biggest storylines in the Xfinity Series. What does the future hold for Josh Berry? And is Ty Gibbs destined for greatness?
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?