The Down & Dirty Radio Show

Steve Lauletta has been there from the beginning but he’s now officially team president of 23XI Racing as the interim title was erased. Lauletta joins the podcast this week to discuss his role and the main things the organization has going on both on and off the racetrack. From explaining how he never wanted to work for another race team after leaving the sport for a few years but being drawn to 23XI; what it looks like in the early days of starting a race team; what experience Lauletta thinks he brought that helped get things going; where the team is now almost a full year into operation and already looking ahead; what stands out from 11 years with Chip Ganassi Racing; why he wanted to start his own marketing company; how teaching tennis when Lauletta was younger carried over into his business sense; going from wanting to be a judge to working in sports; how he got to NASCAR; what a team president does on a given day or week; if anything keeps Lauletta up at night and his mindset about mistakes; what he looks for when hiring people; being a brand that goes racing; how 23XI will be different in NASCAR. Music created by Tony Monge. Please support my work through Patreon: www.patreon.com/KellyCrandall

NOTE: Language in the interview portion of this episode is NSFW. This week, we finish out the EPIC interview with Jimmy Spencer … and right off the bat, we dive into the rounds that he had with Kurt Busch. He then goes BACK in time to a run-in that he had with Hickory hometown heroes Dale Jarrett, DJ’s daddy Ned AND NASCAR. We conclude the interview talking about his sister Chrissy, and the impact her passing had on his life. Hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid then tackle the March 28, 2002 issue of Winston Cup Scene, which featured coverage of a tumultuous weekend at Bristol. There was Jimmy Spencer and Kurt Busch … Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Robby Gordon … and then in the Busch Series race the day before … Jimmy Spencer and Jack Sprague … Kevin Harvick and Greg Biffle … Ken Alexander and basically everybody else in the field.

Chris Gayle didn’t expect to be an Xfinity Series crew chief this year for Joe Gibbs Racing, but once the decision was made, Gayle decided he was going to show it was a mistake. Gayle admits there is ego involved going from the Cup Series to Xfinity Series; the thought of going for an owner’s championship versus a driver’s championship; getting his racing start in Arkansas; transferring to UNC Charlotte; if he ever had thoughts that he’d make it in NASCAR; landing at Joe Gibbs Racing; winning races with Kyle Busch as an engineer; engineer versus crew chief; insight on what isn’t seen about Ty Gibbs; his Poindexter Twitter handle. Music created by Tony Monge. Please support my work through Patreon: www.patreon.com/KellyCrandall

The General Tire Down & Dirty Radio Show Powered by Polaris RZR is live from the Sand Sports Show in this raw and unedited producer's cut.

The General Tire Down & Dirty Radio Show Powered By Polaris RZR is live from the Sand Sports Show w/ Pro Armor. Note: Interviews are cut short in this version. See the Uncut version for full audio.

NOTE: Language in the interview portion of this episode is NSFW. We talk about a little bit of everything in the second installment of our interview with Jimmy Spencer, from what winning at Myrtle Beach meant to Dick Moroso, to getting back up to speed at the Cup level with Travis Carter, Bobby Allison and Junior Johnson. Jimmy won his first couple of Cup races with Junior, but not without a little bit of controversy. Jimmy also talks about Hut Stricklin, not-so-great runs with Travis Carter (again) and Chip Ganassi and the verbal barrages he unleashed at both Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2001. In our second segment, hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid dig through the July 7, 1994 issue of Winston Cup Scene, which featured coverage of Jimmy’s first career Winston Cup victory at Daytona, and that GREAT late-race battle with Ernie Irvan. After the race, Ernie sounded like he was maybe, sorta, kinda wondering what was going on with Jimmy’s car. There’s also a feature story on some of the strange things that can sometimes happen during cautions.

From feeling like the world was crashing down on Jordan Anderson Racing in February to making some noise in the Xfinity Series, it’s been quite a year for the team. Jordan Anderson is going to try and explain it all and sum it up for us this week. Anderson digs into how long it took to decide to shift his plans for the season; how he drew in big-name Cup drivers for the Xfinity car; the feeling when not racing the car; the internal battle of car owner and driver; the selling point to bringing in and keeping partners; being able to take a step back in certain areas; having a support system in place; if thinks about what could have been; how much the year has aged him; Truck versus Xfinity Series car; the philosophy running each program; embracing the journey mentality. Music created by Tony Monge. Please support my work through Patreon: www.patreon.com/KellyCrandall

NOTE: Language in the interview portion of this episode is NSFW. You've asked for Jimmy Spencer, and now you've got him ... raw and unfiltered. In our second segment, hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid leaf through the June 29, 1989 issue of Winston Cup Scene. The issue features coverage of Bill Elliott's slump-busting win at Michigan, as well as a highly volatile night of Busch Series racing at Louisville Motor Speedway in Kentucky. Be sure and visit www.lvms.com for all your Las Vegas Motor Speedway ticketing needs!

You’ve probably heard Doug Rice’s voice calling a NASCAR race for Performance Racing Network (PRN), but if you don’t know much about him, you will after this episode. Rice explains how long he’s been with the company and his role as president of PRN and the responsibilities; first hearing about NASCAR; memories from broadcasting in college and working at the campus radio station; the impact of participating in speech and debate club; getting his foot in the door with PRN; early lessons and snafus; the importance of painting a picture; the most important thing about broadcasting; regrets about not saving things through the years; working alongside Humpy Wheeler; his top broadcasting moment; what PRN races remain this season. Music created by Tony Monge. Please support my work through Patreon: www.patreon.com/KellyCrandall

Jim Beaver is live on-site from the 2022 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally with Fistful of Bourbon and numerous guests including musician Tim Montana.

NOTE: This episode contains vivid descriptions of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. It may be too intense for some listeners. Once upon a time, Scottie Maxwell served as a weekend warrior for Hendrick Motorsports driver Ken Schrader. It was a far cry from his career as a New York City fireman. In the most emotionally charged interview we've ever done, Scottie remembers in vivid detail the events of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Also, Las Vegas Motor Speedway President and General Manager Chris Powell joins hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid to discuss their new partnership. Visit www.lvms.com for all your ticketing needs!

Corey LaJoie knows his flowing hair is starting to become noticeable and there is a reason behind that. LaJoie kicks off our conversation today explaining the look he’s going for before we jump into how the season has gone for Spire Motorsports; what goes into learning a new car/manufacturer; what LaJoie gets out of doing his own podcast and SiriusXM work; what he’s learning about the NASCAR universe through his time on the radio; how he became a fill-in for Larry Mac; why the tone of the podcast changed; having to review races for the radio and podcast; doing an audit on himself; the importance of having an opinion; if LaJoie wants to do television work; promotion for his Oct. 6 kickball tournament. Music created by Tony Monge. Please support my work through Patreon: www.patreon.com/KellyCrandall

Kevin Lepage is remembered for having sponsorship from the Vermont Teddy Bear Company ... and also an incident that took place during a 2008 Nationwide Series event at Talladega. This week, Kevin gives his side of the story in what was … by far … the most controversial moment of his career. Nearly everyone blamed the mishap on Kevin, while he has always claimed innocence. Hear what Kevin has to say … and then decide for yourself what to think. In our second segment, hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid dig into the May 1, 2008 issue of NASCAR Scene. Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart win at Talladega, and Kevin Lepage is in the hot seat after that crazy mishap. There were also rumors going around that Tony was looking to go into team ownership, and that Danica Patrick might be considering a move to NASCAR. Finally … there’s a story on A.J. Allmendinger struggling to get up to speed in NASCAR.

Josh Sims has covered NASCAR and other local sports for Fox46 in Charlotte for the past few years, but now he’s entered the stock car world full-time. Sims is already in deep with projects, and this weekend at Darlington, he takes another step with his first pit reporting gig, which we discuss first. Then we go into how different it’ll be to only have to cover NASCAR outside of the Charlotte arena; his previous enjoyment and knowledge of NASCAR; how he landed in Charlotte, to begin with; print journalism versus television; the goal always being sports; being a former athlete covering athletes; the time spent preparing for interviews; why Sims took the Fox job; wanting to tell stories and those he’s looking forward to working on. Music created by Tony Monge. Please support my work through Patreon: www.patreon.com/KellyCrandall

In the second installment of our conversation, Kevin Lepage talks about winning the first Busch Series race of his career and a stint with Roush Racing that started out with a lot of promise, but wound up pretty rocky. In our second segment, hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid dissect the November 7, 1996 issue of Winston Cup Scene, which featured a package of stories on the championship battle between Hendrick Motorsports teammates Terry Labonte and Jeff Gordon … and how much … or how little … their crew chiefs Gary DeHart and Ray Evernham worked together. Kevin Lepage won the standalone Busch Series race at Homestead, with the championship going to Randy LaJoie. And … finally … Rick had a column in this issue that ticked off an autograph seeker or two.