Victory Lane

NASCAR Director of Influencer Marketing Ausley Karner joins Davey Segal (1:50) for an insightful conversation surrounding her job, one that is on the newer side but still holds importance in 2026. She explains what her definition of an influencer is, why NASCAR sees them as an important asset to their marketing strategy, how she got this specific job, why NASCAR finds it important to be in the influencer market and how she and her team go about executing campaigns and measure success. Plus, Karner dives into how her department has grown, how they measure success and failures, focusing on tentpole events for influencers, not neglecting the "homegrown" influencers in the NASCAR space, the newly released Jason Kelce collab and more, including who she still wants to get out to the track, whether she gets starstruck or not, how she helps plan schedules minute-by-minute and what she sees the future of the space looking like. Davey also discusses the sudden and tragic passing of Kyle Busch, and the life and legacy he leaves behind.

Longtime crew chief Frank Kerr joins Davey Segal (1:45) to dive into his extensive career in motorsports, both behind the wheel and atop the pit box. Kerr details what it's like working with Brennan Poole and for Alpha Prime Racing, the unique relationship he has with both his driver and team owner, working with other drivers in the past, his two wins in the then Nationwide Series with Marcos Ambrose and more. Kerr explains why he still to this day misses the feeling of being behind the wheel of a sprint car, why he opted to walk away as a winner with some still left in the tank and how the transition to becoming a crew chief and working in NASCAR happened. Plus, some of his gnarliest injuries, a Cup car falling on him (yes, really) at Bristol, what else he'd like to accomplish in his career, at APR and more.

Legendary extreme sports athlete and racer (and fellow Marylander) Travis Pastrana joins Davey Segal (2:50) to discuss his return to NASCAR and the Truck Series a couple weeks ago at Daytona, shaking and baking with his buddy Cleetus McFarland, how difficult parachuting in to race these days is and whether he'd entertain doing more one-offs in NASCAR down the road. He also discusses some of his gnarly injuries over the course of his decorated career, why a recent one stands out, where he first got influenced to pursue a career like this and what else is on his bucket list to race/drive/do. Plus, he explains how he got his life back thanks to some new medical treatment, why he believes staying active and to keep moving is of the utmost importance, the idea behind "Pastranaland" and what the future looks like for him.

It's been a minute, but Davey Segal is back and at Daytona International Speedway to kick off the 2026 season! He provides an update on the podcast, what he's been up to the last few months and what we can expect from the season ahead.

All good things come to an end, and 2025 marks the end of an institutional powerhouse in Venturini Motorsports. The patriarch of the organization, Bill Venturini, joins Davey Segal (3:45) to reflect and reminisce on the several decades of ownership in the ARCA Menards Series. From humble beginnings in Chicago to the high banks of Daytona, Big Bill was there every step of the way, with his wife Cathy by his side. He explains why now is the right time to step away from the sport, what made Nick Tucker and Nitro Motorsports the right group to take things over, how proud he is of his son, Billy, who has run day-to-day operations (who makes a surprise appearance!), why the ARCA Menards Series has been the right platform for them all these years, how he feels about the health of the series, the legacy he feels like he's leaving behind and more. Plus, how the patented Victory Lane kiss originated, their relationship with Toyota, his plans in retirement, how the feeling of winning races and developing drivers differ and much more.

TRICON Garage crew chief Scott Zipadelli returns to the podcast (9:10) on the heels of the No. 11's series-leading ninth win of the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series season. He dives into how successful and fun 2025 has been, their quest for double digit wins and an elusive championship. He also shares his strong opinions on the much discussed playoff format, why he prefers things the old way where more consistency was rewarded and coming to grips with the fact that they *might* only have a 25% chance at winning the championship this year in Phoenix. He also reflects on a special win at Lime Rock Park earlier this year, shares the weak spots for the No. 11 team right now, how good Corey Heim really is, being second on the NCTS all-time wins list as a shot caller and more, including his biggest competition for the title and if they've reflected on their 3+ years together as a group with the writing on the wall that this year may be the final one together. Plus, Davey recaps the Round of 12 opener at New Hampshire, Papa Segal pays homage to John Force and more.

23XI Racing crew chief Davin Restivo joins Davey Segal (2:30) ahead of the final 10 races of his rookie season atop the pit box with Riley Herbst. They discuss what the first 26 weeks have been like, if anything changes in their weekly approach being a non-playoff team, how the No. 35 team may be able to help the No.'s 23 and 45 while in the postseason, how much he's learned in his rookie year as a Cup Series shot caller and more. Restivo also details his background in the sport, getting started at the Truck Series level and working with Kyle Larson, ultimately landing at Stewart-Haas Racing and how he got the call that he'd be working with Herbst as his Xfinity Series crew chief after being an engineer for Aric Almirola in the Cup Series. He also dives into Herbst's groeth confidence behind the wheel, what it's like working for 23XI Racing, the Gen 7 platform and more, including what the next 10 weeks may hold for the No. 35 group. Davey also reaps the regular season finale at Daytona and looks ahead to the 2025 Cup Series playoffs that kick off at Darlington.

RFK Racing crew chief and veteran of the industry Derrick Finley joins Davey Segal (2:40) to discuss working with Ryan Preece, why the Northeast racer stands out as one of the best Finley has ever worked with, the current push for the playoffs and battling a teammate for a postseason spot and how it is racing against and working for your boss in Brad Keselowski. Finley dives into his upbringing in New Mexico, the racing scene out West, playing football at UNM, why he chose mechanical engineering and motorsports after college, working for Dale Earnhardt Inc. fresh out of school (and some stories to boot), the mentorship he received from Travis Carter, getting the call to crew chief in Cup for the first time in 2003, stops at multiple organizations along the way, what brought him over to RFK Racing and why he got back atop the pit box for 2025 despite not really wanting to. Plus, the intricacies of working on a Gen 7 car in today's NASCAR, whether they're trying to win or point their way into the playoffs, the story behind his famous skull flame pants, his taste in rap music, interesting animal analogies and more. Davey also recaps another dominant road course performance from SVG and looks ahead to Richmond.

Rev Racing and Alpha Prime Racing’s Lavar Scott joins Davey Segal this week (6:15) to dissect his first career Xfinity Series start at his home track of Dover Motor Speedway, the emotions of having to qualify his way in, what he learned during the race and how everything was heightened with over 100 friends and family members in attendance. Scott also dives into his racing background as a third generation driver, what he was able to learn from his mom and grandfather growing up, the reason for him pursuing circle track racing and not straight line drag racing, competing with his brother growing up, applying for and getting accepted into the Diversity program with Rev Racing, moving to North Carolina at 16-years-old to live in a trailer with his grandmother and more, including his commitment to fitness and nutrition, how his second year in ARCA competition has been going and what his 5-10 year plan in NASCAR looks like. Plus, Davey recaps Bubba Wallace’s Brickyard 400 win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, looks ahead to Iowa Speedway and Papa Segal pays homage to The Voice of NASCAR.

Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi! Kaulig Racing crew chief Andrew Dickeson joins Davey Segal (8:55) as their cinderella run in the inaugural In-Season Challenge continues. He walks through what it was like for him atop the pit box as Ty Dillon moved Alex Bowman out of the way for a spot in the Final Four, how confidence and performance have gone hand in hand (and up) in the last month, the culture he's attempting to create on the No. 10 team, arriving at the track with a chip on their shoulder and why he believes in his driver. Dickeson, an Australian native, also dives into his background in motorsports (spoiler alert: he had none), how he got his hands dirty in Supercars, simultaneously working in racing, bartending and getting his engineering degree, the decision to pack up and move across the world to pursue a career in NASCAR, how he went about finding a job with race teams and his progression up the engineering ladder that eventually led him to becoming a crew chief. Plus, a hilarious story involving Richard Childress calling Dickeson while in Australia (and maybe a bit inebriated) asking him to become the full-time shot caller on the No. 10. Dickeson also explains the similarities between U.S. and Australian racing culture, why Marcos Ambrose deserves more credit for helping NASCAR's image down under, what it's like working at Kaulig Racing, expectations for the rest of the season and more. Davey also reviews another SVG dominant performance in Sonoma, previews the Monster Mile in Dover and Papa Segal pays homage to one of the best to ever strap in behind the wheel on road courses: Dan Gurney.

Trackhouse Racing Senior Performance Engineer Jose Blasco-Figueroa joins Davey Segal (5:45) to discuss what his role encompasses and how its evolved over the years in motorsports. He explains how technology has advanced over the years, how internet going down at the track takes him back to the old days of racing, his background working for General Motors in Mexico City, dropping off résumé's to race teams in the Charlotte area, eventually getting a call back (from multiple teams in mere minutes!) and going to work for BK Racing and learning on the job. Being a Mexico City native, Blasco-Figueroa details how special it was to compete at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez this year, the wild three-week stretch that included him becoming an American citizen, winning the Coca-Cola 600 and in Mexico City, addresses the news of Daniel Suarez not returning to the team in 2026, helps preview the Chicago Street Course weekend and more. Davey also reviews Chase Elliott's thrilling victory in Atlanta at EchoPark Speedway, looks ahead to the Windy City and Papa Segal pays homage to Larry McClure.

Five-time NASCAR Mexico Series champion Rubén García Jr. joins Davey Segal (6:00) to reminisce on days gone by and look ahead to the NASCAR Cup Series’ inaugural trip to Mexico City. He updates us on what he’s been up to since returning to Mexico, if he feels like the Jimmie Johnson of the Mexico Series, how the competition compares to that of stock car racing in the United States, why he feels like the Mexico Series feels like late model racing and the “Winston Cup mindset,” doing more with less, how much Mexican racing fans follow racing in America, differences in race strategy, how well known Daniel Suarez is to Mexicans and more. García Jr. also explains his thought process in coming to the U.S. to participate in the Rev Racing Drive for Diversity program in the 2010s, what the entire experience was like, pulling double duty in the states and Mexico a few times and the relief of finally winning a K&N Pro Series race. He also discusses his upbringing in motorsports, highlights an oval or two in Mexico that may be suitable for the Cup Series, his limited experience racing in the national series and why he’d love an opportunity to return to America to try his hand at NASCAR in the states again. Plus, the deal that came close to being done to put him in a competitive Cup car at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez and what fans and drivers alike can expect when they arrive at the track. Davey also recaps Denny Hamlin’s Michigan win, looks ahead to Mexico City and Papa Segal pays homage to a namesake of the circuit this weekend in CDMX.

Sam Hunt Racing Crew Chief Kris Bowen joins Davey Segal (7:05) to discuss building up their current Xfinity Series outfit and how things are going working with Dean Thompson full-time. Bowen explains how and where the recent strides and speed has come from on the No. 26 team, his relationship with Thompson, why having kids of his own helps him work with drivers, how having a racing background himself has made the transition to crew chief a rather smooth one and the decision making process behind hanging up the steering wheel for good. Bowen also dives into his relationship with owner Sam Hunt, why it works despite Hunt being a decade younger than him, the satisfaction he gets from building something from the ground up, why he has no plans or desires to go anywhere else in NASCAR, his dedication to fitness (5 am crossfit workouts for 15 years!), his unhealthy gummy bear obsession to relieve stress atop the pit box, realistic expectations for the rest of the season and more. Davey also recaps the Coca-Cola 600, Ross Chastain's improbable march to victory, explains why the Prime Video broadcast was so good, looks ahead to Nashville and Papa Segal pays homage to Humpy Wheeler.