The Autoweek Podcast

On this episode of the “Autoweek Podcast,” Natalie Neff joins Mike Pryson, Wesley Wren and “Autoweek Podcast” enthusiasm contributor Chris Langrill to celebrate the end of the NASCAR season by reviewing the classic flick “Fireball 500” from 1966. For those unaware, “Fireball 500” takes all of the happy-go-lucky fun from the Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello Beach Party series and brings it (and them) to the stock car world. Weird? We thought so, too. But the gang dissects the plot of the movie, finds its highlights and points out its considerable flaws.   Closing the show, Andrew Stoy, Wesley, Jake Lingeman and Wes Raynal hop on microphones to give you an update of the Autoweek Fleet. The guys then dive deep into the Lexus GX460, the Volvo V60 T8 Polestar and the Hyundai Santa Fe.

On this episode of the “Autoweek Podcast,” Bud Denker, president of Penske Corp., joins Mike Pryson, Wesley Wren and Robin Warner to talk about the Detroit Grand Prix and Penske’s acquisition of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar. Denker outlines the nature of the deal, bringing light to the quick timeline of the purchase. He also shares his hopes for the future of IndyCar. Following Denker, Josef Newgarden, the 2019 IndyCar champion, hops on a microphone to talk about his banner season and his second title in three years. Newgarden also discusses the racers he had to keep an eye on this season, his favorite video games and his plans for next year. Newgarden also gives some insight into his path to IndyCar. Rounding out the show, Andrew Stoy, Wesley and Robin go for another round in the Autoweek Fleet. Highlighted in this segment is the massive Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 4x4, a Mercedes-Benz GLS and a Land Rover Range Rover. Music: “Well, at least I’m not vaping” by Summerbruise

On this episode of the “Autoweek Podcast,” Matt Weaver calls in to talk with Mike Pryson and Wesley Wren about the end of the NASCAR season, Kyle Busch’s championship and the goof that probably cost Martin Truex Jr. a second title. The team also touches on the NASCAR Trucks season ending and the future of a few Xfinity drivers. The guys also dive into the NHRA season finale and the fight that is causing a stir among drivers. After the motorsport section, Jake Lingeman and Andrew Stoy replace Weaver and Pryson to talk about the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show. The team touches on the highlights of the show, analyzing the Ford Mustang Mach-E, refreshed Genesis G90 and the 2021 Nissan Sentra. The guys also dissect the trends of this year’s LA show: namely, electrification and uber-expensive crossovers. Before the drives section, Jake and Wesley sit down with Adam Carolla to talk about his latest documentary: Shelby American. Carolla discusses how this documentary came to be, mostly because of all the leftover stories from another of Carolla’s docs, The 24 Hour War. As you can imagine The 24 Hour War covered Shelby’s involvement in the Ford endurance racing program of the 1960s. Carolla felt that the story of Shelby had to be told, and you can find it all in this documentary. The Autoweek Fleet returns for the drives portion of the show and highlights what the team has driven over the past week. The stars of this week’s show: the Genesis G70, the Ram 1500 Ecodiesel and the Ford Explorer ST. Music: “Well, at least I’m not vaping” by Summerbruise

On this special episode of the “Autoweek Podcast,” the Autoweek gang jumps headfirst into the biggest racing movie of the year, Ford v Ferrari. Kicking off the episode, Mike Pryson and Wesley Wren talk with current Ford Performance Motorsports director Mark Rushbrook about the Ford GT’s return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2016. They also talk about how exciting a movie like this must be for current Ford Motorsports endeavors. Following the Rushbrook interview, the guys sit down with Mose Nowland: the man behind the 1966 Ford GT40’s engines. Nowland talks about the 1966 race, his experience developing engines for Ford and his life in general. He also tells a tale of flying out shortly before Le Mans to Holman-Moody and Shelby America to resolve some oil leaks. After the interviews, Mark Vaughn and Wes Raynal join Wren to talk about the topic at hand: Ford v Ferrari. Mark screened the film a few weeks ago and guides us through what he liked and didn’t like about the movie. Ultimately, the consensus is that it’s good for the whole family: racing fan or not. Closing the show, Matt Damon and Christian Bale sit down with Mark Vaughn for a short interview. Music: “well, at least I’m not vaping” by Summerbruise

In this episode of the “Autoweek Podcast,” the Autoweek team is joined by its Formula 1 correspondent Joe Saward to talk about the 2019 U.S. Grand Prix. Saward joins Robin Warner, Mike Pryson and Wesley Wren to talk about the race and Lewis Hamilton’s second-place finish, which netted him the 2019 drivers’ championship. Saward also dives into the 2021 regulations, the problems Ferrari faced at the USGP and what to look forward to in F1. After Saward, Mike and crew talk about the news in IndyCar—yes, the Penske acquisition of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the entire IndyCar series. Wesley gives some advice about Speedway, Indiana, and gives Penske some advice about how to connect IndyCar and NASCAR at the Indy GP. Closing the motorsports section, Matt Weaver calls in ahead of the NASCAR race in Phoenix. Wrapping the show, Graham Kozak and Andrew Stoy join Wesley to talk about the Autoweek Fleet. The gang run through the cars currently stowed away in Autoweek Tower but highlight two: the 2020 Nissan Versa and the 2020 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63. Music: “Well, at least I’m not vaping,” by Summerbruise

On this episode of the “Autoweek Podcast,” Wesley Wren, Mike Pryson and Robin Warner talk with World Rally Championship correspondent Jeremy Hart about Rally Catalunya and Ott Tanak’s championship crowning. Hart talks with the gang about the event, the energy behind Tanak and compares him to previous champions. Hart also talks about possible changes to WRC for 2020, including drivers possibly retiring. After breaking down WRC, Robin, Mike and Wesley dissect the Mexico GP -- namely Lewis Hamilton’s performance. Robin spends time talking about the challenges teams face in Mexico because of the altitude. Robin also breaks down the possible ways that Valtteri Bottas can stay in the hunt for a drivers’ championship. Obviously, it isn’t likely that Bottas will win the championship. The middle of the show features Jake talking with Jim O'Neill and Greg Coleman about their outlandish creation: a V10-powered Ford Mustang mule. The engineers talk about the history of the car, why it was built and how they saved it from the crusher. The guys go into detail about the engine’s creation and the complete history of the car. Wrapping the show, Andrew Stoy and Wes Raynal join Jake and Wesley to talk about cars. The group introduces a new revolving feature called Autoweek Fleet, where the guys talk about the cars in, well, the Autoweek Press Fleet. This time, Andrew and Wes lead a discussion about the 2020 Porsche 911. Closing the show is Jake’s review of the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. Music: Well, at least I’m not vaping by Summerbruise

On this episode of the “Autoweek Podcast,” a few new voices join the show: Autoweek’s new editorial director, Patrick Carone, and Autoweek’s longtime digital editor, Andrew Stoy, both hop on microphones. Patrick talks about his journey to Autoweek, the future of Autoweek and one of his favorite cars. Andy talks about his journey through the automotive world and about getting back his Dodge A100. Motorsport reporter Matt Weaver is also in the studio to talk about his life as a racer and gives us a deeper insight into his day-to-day life. From there, the show shifts to an interview with “Ford v. Ferrari” stunt driver Jon Capps. Brother of NHRA Funny Car pilot Ron Capps, Jon talks about his work in the upcoming Matt Damon film and on other movies. He also sheds some light on his life racing nostalgia Funny Cars. In a strange twist, closing the show is Mike Pryson, Wesley Wren and Matt talking about the latest in NASCAR. Gearing up for the Final 8, the guys talk about possibilities at the upcoming race in Martinsville, and Wesley discusses how terrible he is at that track in “NASCAR Heat 4.” Music: “Well, at least I’m not vaping” by Summerbruise

On this episode of the Autoweek Podcast, host Rory Carroll joins Wes Raynal, Natalie Neff and Wesley Wren to discuss the latest news regarding Autoweek. The podcast will continue without Rory and will likely spin off more shows that cater to the different facets of the car world. Rory also gives an update on his Subaru project, which might become his daily driver.    After the Autoweek status update, Jake dives into something that might sound confusing: a V10-powered Ford Mustang. Ford developed a V10 and stuffed it in a New Edge-bodied SN95 Ford Mustang for development purposes. The car was mothballed after its time as a mule and did the impossible: survived the crusher. This might be one of the most special Mustangs ever slammed together.

On this episode of the “Autoweek Podcast,” host Rory Carroll navigates a trip into project car hell with Wesley Wren, Wes Raynal and Graham Kozak. The gang dives deep into their respective project cars and gives some insight into what it’s like for them to maintain their projects. Kicking off the show, Wes talks about his reliable Alfa Romeo. After a few minutes of talking about Italian reliability, Rory chimes in with his new project: a Subaru WRX wagon. Podcast devotees will be familiar with the WRX Wagon debacle, but Rory gives a quick refresher to those who aren’t. He outlines his plans for the car and how it fits in with his other projects. Graham jumps in with an update on his Packard straight-eight engine refresh and talks us through the serviceability of the mammoth Packard engine. This also shows Graham’s shift into patient wrenching, which is more soothing than frustrating. Closing the show, Wesley talks about having to move his 1954 Ford out of long-term storage because of a series of unfortunate events. That means there will be an ill-advised road trip in the podcast’s future.

On this episode of the “Autoweek Podcast,” host Rory Carroll welcomes Mike Pryson, Robin Warner and Wesley Wren to talk about Lewis Hamilton’s win at the Russian GP and to give an update on the state of NASCAR. Joining on the phone, Matt Weaver dives deep into the race at Charlotte Motor Speedway and the current NASCAR standings. From there, Pryson talks with Texas Motor Speedway’s Eddie Gossage about the AAA 500 and its schedule conflict with Formula 1. Gossage also shares his thoughts on the NASCAR playoff system. Wrapping the show, Robin talks about his time with the Rodin FZed open-wheel track toy.

On this episode of the “Autoweek Podcast,” host Rory Carroll welcomes Mike Pryson, Wesley Wren and Matt Weaver to talk about the IndyCar season wrapping, Josef Newgarden taking the championship and the final race of 2019 at Laguna Seca. The group dissects the season and the finale in California. After the motorsports section, a special guest joins the pod—noted 1980s/’90s enthusiast and Autoweek copy chief Chris Langrill, who hops on a microphone to praise RADwood Detroit. The guys discuss the show, how it’s evolved and the cars they enjoyed seeing. Jake Lingeman also joins in to talk about his problems with the idea of celebrating the era and what it’s like to show a car at the event. Wrapping the show, Graham Kozak gives a quick update on his 1951 Packard.

On this episode of the “Autoweek Podcast,” host Rory Carroll joins Wesley Wren, Jimmy Pelizzari, Jake Lingeman and Graham Kozak to talk about the upcoming season-ending race in IndyCar and the news ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix. With regular motorsport editor Mike Pryson unavailable, Kozak steps in to become the junior motorsport reporter and answers questions about the IndyCar race at Laguna Seca before picking a series champion. Kozak also dives into the F1 news with Haas and the Singapore Grand Prix. In the middle of the show, Pryson interviews Steve Beeler about the Formula Ford event held at Road America over the weekend. Beeler talks about how to get into a Formula Ford and what you can expect from a race. Wrapping the show, the gang talks about Autoweek’s Empire Hill Climb and the Goodwood Revival.

On this episode of the “Autoweek Podcast,” host Rory Carroll talks with Mike Pryson, Jimmy Pelizzari and Wesley Wren about the latest in racing, from grassroots events to Formula 1. Kicking off the show, the gang discusses Charles Leclerc’s second straight win, this one at Monza. The team also talks about Sebastian Vettel’s spin and Lewis Hamilton’s mistakes.   Following F1, Mike guides us through the playoff picture in NASCAR -- most notably, Jimmie Johnson’s absence from the championship hunt. Wesley also learns that Jimmie Johnson is not Kyle Busch.  Wrapping the show, the group previews the 2019 Empire Hill Climb. Autoweek’s own event, which is held in Empire, Michigan, is sure to be one of the most fun times of the year.

On this episode of the “Autoweek Podcast,” host Rory Carroll welcomes Mike Pryson, Wesley Wren and Jimmy Pelizzari to talk about the latest happenings in motorsport. The guys are joined by Autoweek’s roving motorsports reporter, Matt Weaver, to discuss the Portland Grand Prix and the changes to the 2020 IndyCar schedule -- most notably, the removal of Pocono Raceway from the calendar. Afterward, the guys dive into Formula 1 and the Belgian Grand Prix at the legendary Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Ferrari gets its first win in a while, with the young Charles Leclerc nabbing his first F1 victory. The group also talks about the loss of Anthoine Hubert, who died in an accident in the F2 race. Wrapping the show, Graham Kozak and Jake Lingeman join to talk about Porsche’s new EV: the Taycan. The guys discuss the price, features and competition. Oh yeah, and they talk about the turbocharger-less Taycan Turbo.

On this episode of the “Autoweek Podcast,” host Rory Carroll welcomes Mike Pryson, Wesley Wren, Jimmy Pelizzari and Robin Warner to talk about the latest in racing. Coming off the break in Formula 1, the group talks about the upcoming race at Spa, the driver shuffling and the 2020 schedule. The gang also discusses the inclusion of the Vietnam GP. After the F1 talk, the team dives into the results from the WRC race in Germany. The winner, Ott Tanak, has a commanding lead and will likely win the series championship. After the racing segment, Pryson interviews Darlington Raceway president Kerry Tharp. The two discuss Darlington’s upcoming throwback race, which is highlighting the liveries of the early ’90s this year. Wrapping the show, Jake Lingeman and Graham Kozak join in to talk about what we’d rather own: a Ford Mustang or a Chevrolet Camaro. From there, Kozak takes us on a journey into restomods with a review of the Plymouth Hellvedere.