Dinner with Racers

Mark Dismore, Jr. has one of the most unique and notable careers in the sport. A true racer’s racer, Mark emerged as a karting phenom to navigate his way all the way into IndyCar…. and we managed to get NONE of that story. Instead, here’s Zach Veach. Dinner was served at Dawson’s on Main in Indianapolis, IN, with Sun Way Street’s “Who Said I Cared” taking us out. Thanks to Continental Tire for making this all happen!

Adding another NASCAR Hall of Fame member to our roster, Ron Hornaday Jr. is one of the most beloved members of the community. A start of the western stock car scene through the 1980’s and 1990’s, Ron’s primary fame came from his success in the NASCAR Truck Series, amassing countless wins en route to three titles, as well as enjoying success in the Cup and Xfinity series. Outside of the car, Ron is also beloved for his support of young drivers coming up through the sport, including the famed “Camp Hornaday,” a spare bedroom and couch in his house made available to promising young talents with limited means. Lunch was served at Scratch Kitchen in Mooresville, NC, with Ben Bostick’s “The Other Side of Wrong” taking us out. Thanks to Continental Tire for making this all happen!

Put simply, Brian Beierwaltes is the boss! His technical title is Head of Marketing at Continental Tire, but as far as DwR is concerned, he’s the guy. Don’t be fooled though, Brian is also a racer. A club racer way before he ever joined Continental, Brian eventually went to IMSA and their marketing department, ultimately serving as a driving force in the re-launched IMSA following the merge of Grand-Am and ALMS, before heading to Continental Tire where he continues to let us get away with stuff. Lunch was served at Farmhaus in Fort Mill, SC, with Rex Banner’s “Down to Business” taking us out. Thanks to Continental Tire for making this all happen!

Cory Kruseman is another dirt racing legend. Part of the 1990’s/2000’s pack racing against names like Tony Stewart and JJ Yeley, Corey has won the Chili Bowl twice, multiple sprint championships, ultimately claiming his place in the Sprint Car Hall of Fame. Today, Corey is most known for having the lone dirt oval racing school on the West Coast, “Cory Kruseman’s Sprint Car and Midget Driving School.” Lunch was served at Cronies Sports Grill in Ventura, CA, with Danny Minus’s “Hello Sunshine” taking us out. Thanks to Continental Tire for making this all happen!

Steve Hallam is one of the great unsung heroes of the sport. Raised in Liverpool, what began as a career in automotive engineering turned into one of the most prolific careers in motorsport, engineer for teams such as Lotus, McLaren, TRD, Tekno and with drivers that include Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, Mika Hakkinen, Shane van Gisbergen and of course… Ben Barnicoat. He’s had a dream career but don’t tell him that, he’s English. Dinner was served at Sapori Ristorante in Newport Beach, CA, with Paper Planes “Arrow Flies” taking us out. Thanks to Continental Tire for making this all happen!

Kamui Kobayashi is one of the most exciting guests that we had this year. Widely considered one of Japan’s greatest drivers, his career has spanned from Toyota’s Junior program to becoming one of F1’s most insane drivers, to eventually becoming a staple of Toyota Gazoo Racing’s prototype where he’s won Le Mans like 100 times, and juggles his role as both driver and Team Principal. Dinner was served at Stonewood Grill in Daytona Beach, FL, with Captain Quibz’ “I Can’t Help Myself” taking us out. Thanks to Continental Tire for making this all happen!

Daniel Morad can best be described as a classic example of when talent meets tenacity. A go-kart phenom from Canada, Danie’s career, started on limited funding, has had a multitude of hills and valleys that have seen him go from being a Red Bull junior driver, to street car instructor, then back again to the top step of the podium at Daytona. Realizing his career counts as much on out-of-the-car relationships as it does performance, the real emphasis in this episode is how Daniel worked on himself to become one of America’s sought after GT drivers. Lunch was served at Bonefish Grill in Daytona Beach, FL, with Ofer Koren’s “A Man Aman” taking us out. Thanks to Continental Tire for making this all happen!

If you’ve ever watched Formula One on TV, then you’ve probably seen Paul di Resta… first as a driver, then as a commentator, but his career history stems so much further than that. Raised as part of the extended Franchitti family, helping at his father’s nightclub as he tries to earn a living, Paul’s success extends with DTM championships with Mercedes, to driving for Force India in Formula One, to now an extended endurance racing career with both Peugot and United Autosport. Lunch was served at the Dahlia Mexican Kitchen in Daytona Beach, FL, with Louis Island “Found Ya” taking us out. Thanks to Continental Tire for making this all happen!