Autoweek Podcast

On this episode of the Autoweek Podcast, host Rory Carroll joins Mike Pryson, Wesley Wren and Jimmy Pelizzari to talk about a whole lot of racing. Tackling the NASCAR front, Matt Weaver calls in to talk about the state of the series and bring anyone up to speed who hasn’t been paying the closest attention to NASCAR this year. He also talks about the upcoming race schedule change and how it will affect certain tracks and the racing package as a whole.   After Weaver leaves, Rory receives breaking news: Tyler Reddick will drive a Chevrolet Camaro at the race at Bristol Motor Speedway with an incredibly cool Dolly Parton livery. From there, the guys dissect the F1 race at Bahrain and wax poetically about Charles Leclerc’s near-victory at the race. The team notes that Ferrari’s struggles from Australia seem to be ironed out -- or at least turned into new struggles.   From there, the show moves to an interview with IndyCar driver Max Chilton, who talks about the differences between F1 and IndyCar, the Month of May

On this episode of the Autoweek Podcast, host Rory Carroll joins Mike Pryson, Jimmy Pelizzari and Robin Warner to talk about the start of the Formula 1 season. The gang dives into a discussion about the dominance of Mercedes, the struggles of Renault and the flop of Ferrari. The team also champions the Red Bull switch to Honda power and talks about the regulation changes made ahead of the 2019 season.   Aside from F1, the guys dissect the World Endurance Championship and IMSA race at Sebring -- tipping their hat to drivers who finished one race, only to hop in a different car to run again the following day. Pryson gives a recap of the NHRA’s “Unfinished Business” event. Wrapping the motorsport section, Al Pearce calls in to talk about Kyle Busch’s 200th win and where that falls in the history books.   Next, Jake Lingeman and Wesley Wren join Warner and Carroll to talk about the Audi e-tron all-electric SUV. The discussion leads to a philosophical debate about the evolution of electrification and the environme

On this episode of the Autoweek Podcast, host Rory Carroll is joined by Graham Kozak and Wesley Wren at the Detroit Autorama live on the show floor. Responsible for judging the multi-million dollar Ridler contenders Butch Patrico, the co-chair of the Autorama and the president of the Michigan Hot Rod Association, gives insight into judging a Ridler winning car. Patrico also talks about the Great 8 Finalists, the evolution of the Autorama and what it’s like to win the Ridler for the owner of the car. After Patrico, Mike Pryson interviews NHRA legend Joe Amato about his upcoming participation in the “unfinished business” race in Gainesville, Florida and his drag racing legacy. We learn that Amato might have stepped away from drag racing, but still has a desire for straight-line performance with his Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye -- a 797 hp powered pony car. Despite leaving the sport behind, Amato talks about keeping up with the sport and staying in touch with his racing peers. After the Amato interview, w

On this episode of the Autoweek Podcast, host Rory Carroll joins Mike Pryson and Wesley Wren to talk about the 2019 Daytona 500. Adding to the mix, NASCAR enthusiast and Autoweek motorsports reporter Matt Weaver calls in to talk about what we learned from this year’s race. The guys dive into the implications -- or lack thereof -- of the race results and throw away their tinfoil hats as conspiracy theories are debunked. Friend of the show Killer Mike’s driver’s meeting is also a point of discussion. Afterward, Graham Kozak hops on a microphone to take part in the Autoweek Podcast’s only reoccurring feature -- The Pain of the Trivia Game. Rory asks questions from the 1985 edition of Autoweek’s poorly executed trivia game. Play along and submit your results below or send them to our executive producer. Wrapping the show, Jake Lingeman talks about the 2020 McLaren 600LT Spider and avoids talking about the McLaren 720S Spider -- though he does talk about driving the coupe variant.

On this episode of the Autoweek Podcast, host Rory Carroll joins Mike Pryson, Jimmy Pelizzari and Wesley Wren to dive into the upcoming NASCAR kickoff race at Daytona. Joining the group by phone, Al Pearce chimes in with his extensive knowledge of the series as well as his predictions of the upcoming race. The gang tries to tackle the changing rules headed for the 2019 NASCAR season. Afterward, the group discusses the constantly evolving NHRA landscape ahead of its first race in Pomona, California. Living legend Tony Schumacher will be watching the racing from the sidelines as his sponsorship for his Top Fuel dragster was pulled. Courtney Force and Tanner Gray also won’t be returning to the series. From there, the Pryson finally acknowledges that Fernando Alonso is more than just a hype machine, and might be the best living racer after his performance at the Rolex 24. Moving from the motorsport section, Graham Kozak hops on a mic to talk about the recent Grand National Roadster Show, the latest America’

On this episode of the Autoweek Podcast, host Rory Carroll dissects this year’s Detroit auto show with Wesley Wren, Jake Lingeman and Mike Pryson. Obviously, the group talks about the various new cars revealed during the media days of the event -- namely, the Toyota Supra, the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 and the Ram Heavy Duty pickups. The gang also talks about the future of the Detroit auto show and its upcoming move to the summer.   Before that, Mike Pryson talks with the vice president of IndyCar’s communications team, Curt Cavin, about new title sponsor NTT. The interview has Mike exploring the intent of the new sponsorship, as well as Curt’s history as a contributor for Autoweek and the Indianapolis Star.    From there, you can listen to Jake, Wesley and Mike talk to our own Jimmy Pelizzari as he gets ready for his trip to Atlanta, Michigan, to race in this year’s Sno*Drift Rally. This is the first year that Sno*Drift will be run under the American Rally Association’s banner, kicking off their season.   Wr

On this episode of the Autoweek Podcast, host Rory Carroll is joined by Mike Pryson, Jake Lingeman and Wesley Wren to dissect the Roar Before the 24 Hours of Daytona. Calling in, because he was actually there, is Steven Cole Smith with a report on what teams look strong, the hype surrounding Fernando Alonso and what you can expect from the upcoming IMSA race.   From there, Graham Kozak hops on a microphone to talk about the Mecum Kissimmee auction with the team. The group has a conversation with Mecum’s Dave Magers to get a feel for the current state of the classic car market, the auction world and more. Magers mentions some noteworthy cars slated to sell in the final weekend of the auction and talks about other Mecum auctions aside from the big Florida sale.   After that, Graham, Rory and Wesley dive into the first of the Autoweek and eBay Motors garage videos -- “the brake job.” The team talks about how the video shoot went behind the scenes, what Wesley’s first time behind a camera was like and what you ca

On this episode of the Autoweek Podcast, host Rory Carroll joins Graham Kozak, Jake Lingeman and Wesley Wren to dive into Graham’s recent feature stories: revisiting Michigan’s U.P. with a pair of entry-level off-roaders and his trip to Ralph Lauren’s collection in New York. You might remember Wesley talking about the off-roading experience from his perspective from an earlier episode, but Graham adds to the story with his thoughts on the trip. As for his talk with Ralph Lauren, his tour of the collection and new found fashion tips all get their time to shine later in the episode. The gang also talk about some new metrics from the podcast -- so if you were interested in knowing how well the Autoweek Podcast does internationally, here’s where you’ll find it. Wrapping the show, Rory, Jake, Wesley and Graham all parse through the upcoming Chevrolet Silverado HD’s design. Some love it -- some hate it, and you can listen to all on the Autoweek Podcast.

On this special episode of the Autoweek Podcast, host Rory Carroll joins Graham Kozak, Wesley Wren and Jake Lingeman to talk about the 2008 film “Speed Racer.” Directed by the Wachowskis -- hot of their success with “The Matrix” -- the movie didn’t generate quite the box office success or critical acclaim likely expected during its release, though the gang seems to appreciate it a decade later. If you haven’t seen the movie: don’t worry -- Rory and crew tackle a comprehensive plot summary before picking apart the parts of the movie they liked best. The team also takes questions from Twitter. Is the movie good? Find out on this holiday special.

On this episode of the Autoweek Podcast, host Rory Carroll joins Mike Pryson, Wesley Wren and Jimmy Pelizzari on a phone call with resident NASCAR reporter Matt Weaver to talk about Brett Moffitt losing his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series seat for 2019. Weaver also guides the group through his recent trip to the Snowball Derby. After the call, Wesley swaps seats with Robin Warner, and the gang jumps into one of the most hotly debated office topics -- Fernando Alonso’s legacy. The team goes through Alonso’s career and debates the merits of the now-retired F1 driver. It’s also unearthed that Rory drove Alonso’s La Ferrari. Wrapping the show, Pryson talks with NHRA Top Fuel Dragster champion Steve Torrence. Listen below, on iTunes, Spotify or anywhere podcasts are played.

On this episode of the Autoweek Podcast, host Rory Carroll joins Jimmy Pelizzari, Mike Pryson and Wesley Wren to talk about the end of the NASCAR season. Adding some actual relevant information, veteran NASCAR correspondent Al Pearce calls in to explain the season’s wrap and give us the word from the team garages. Pearce talks about Logano’s season, the frustration with some fans about his victory and the history of NASCAR champs without a lot of race wins. Pearce also leads a discussion about the late NASCAR legend David Pearson. Pearce talks about the moment of the first NASCAR Hall of Fame induction, Pearson’s absence from that first class and Richard Petty’s response to Pearson’s death. After the NASCAR talk, Pelizzari leads us off-road and on to the stages of the World Rally Championship. Pelizzari wraps the 2018 season, highlighting the final race in Australia. He also discusses the shuffling happening in the offseason and gives insight as to next year’s calendar, which can be watched on WRC’s bespo

On this episode of the Autoweek Podcast, host Rory Carroll talks with Mike Pryson, Jimmy Pelizzari and Wesley Wren about Lewis Hamilton’s fifth Formula One championship crown. The gang discusses the impact of Hamilton’s fifth title, as well as his position in the history of F1. They also dive into how Hamilton clinched the title, despite not having the fastest car on the field. The motorsport section also tackles Kevin Harvick’s spoiler issues and the NASCAR points possibilities. In this CarLife section, Jake Lingeman and Graham Kozak hop onto mics to tackle nostalgia through two different lenses. The first, Norman Mayersohn calls in to explain the California Hot Rod Reunion and paint the picture of the nostalgia drag racing world. Norman also talks about his history behind the wheel of race cars during the 1960s. Following that, Bradley Brownell calls in to talk about a slightly more modern event -- Radwood. Brownell is one of the founding members of the ‘80s and ‘90s themed car show, which appears to feed

On this episode of the Autoweek Podcast, host Rory Carroll talks about his recent trip to the US Grand Prix at Austin, Texas. He and Jimmy Pelizzari go over the food, general experience and Rory’s discussions with Daniel Ricciardo and other members of the Red Bull Racing team. The gang also talks about the race, their expectations going into it and Kimi Räikkönen’s upset win over the dominant Lewis Hamilton. After the Formula 1 chitchat, Jimmy tells us about his trip to the Lake Superior Performance Rally, where his Subaru got a stage win. He also talks about his end-of-season results. Jimmy riffs briefly about the history of LSPR before guiding you through his trip behind the wheel of his Subaru rally machine. Following that, Jake Lingeman and Wesley Wren interview Deepak Kamath, Deepak Gupta and Avinash PS of the Dominar Polar Odyssey excursion. For those unaware, these three are riding motorcycles from, essentially, the North Pole to the South Pole. Wesley and Jake ask them about the start of their journ

On this episode of the Autoweek Podcast, host Rory Carroll is joined by Natalie Neff, Graham Kozak and Wesley Wren to reboot the popular “Spooktacular” episode. In the second “Spooktacular,” the gang reviews the 1971 Steven Spielberg classic “Duel” and John Carpenter’s 1983 adaptation of Stephen King’s “Christine.” Starting with “Duel,” Graham guides listeners through a review that covers the entire film and talks about why it works as a scary car-related movie. At the end of the review, the group rates the film on a Spookometer and then on its watchability. Our “Christine” review follows a similar path, with Natalie leading the discussion and Wesley chiming in with inane facts from the book. Later in the episode, the crew talks about the scariest moments they’ve had in a car -- continuing the theme from the first “Spooktacular”: Cars aren’t scary. Wesley almost falls out of his 1954 Ford and Graham’s 1951 Packard might be possessed (undermining his criticism of “Christine”). However, when it comes to Natal

On this episode of the Autoweek Podcast, host Rory Carroll joins Mike Pryson, Jimmy Pelizzari and Robin Warner to talk about the Formula 1 race in Sochi, Russia -- the Russian Grand Prix. The group talks about the team orders that put Lewis Hamilton in place to win the race and the fallout afterward. The group also talks about the growing problem of junior drivers in the series. Before that, Matt Weaver calls in to discuss the current state of NASCAR, the effect of the Roval and Tanner Gray’s jump from the NHRA to NASCAR. Weaver also has to fend off a dog during his call. After the motorsports section, two-time NHRA U.S. Nationals winner J.R. Todd calls in to talk with Pryson and resident Hoosier Wesley Wren about his life, his transition from a Top Fuel dragster into a Top Fuel Funny Car and his recent trip to Kyle Larson’s wedding. Todd also talks about the Tanner Gray jump from drag racing to circuit racing, but notes all of his friends from the NHRA will support Gray after the transition. After the

On this episode of the Autoweek Podcast, host Rory Carroll talks with Mike Pryson, Jimmy Pelizzari and Wesley Wren about Scott Dixon clinching the IndyCar championship. Giving further insight, Bruce Martin calls in to talk about his thoughts on Dixon winning the championship, the race at Sonoma and analyzes the picks from earlier in the year. After Bruce hangs up, Jimmy, Wesley, Mike and Rory talk about Formula 1 at Singapore, Kimi Raikkonen’s switch to Sauber and Lewis Hamilton’s continued domination. After the motorsports section, the group is joined by Jake Lingeman to talk about the 2018 Empire Hill Climb. Jimmy talks about his experience racing up the hill in a Mazda MX-5 cup car, and how he managed to spin out. The gang also talks about Peter Cunningham’s dominant, record-setting lap in his Acura TLX-GT Pikes Peak racer. Wrapping the show, Jake talks about road tripping in a Bentley Bentayaga and Rory reviews the Porsche 911 GT3.

On this episode of the Autoweek Podcast, host Rory Carroll joins Mike Pryson, Wesley Wren and Jimmy Pelizzari to talk about the recent happenings in Formula 1, IndyCar, NASCAR and the NHRA. Calling in, Al Pearce guides Rory and crew through the Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington, its implications for the playoffs and how the NASCAR season could play out over the rest of the year. Al also talks about how he broke his arm. After Al hangs up, Mike and Wesley dive into the NHRA U.S Nationals at Indianapolis, and Jimmy talks about the F1 race at Monza. After the motorsports section, Graham Kozak and Jake Lingeman replace Mike and Jimmy to talk more about the rest of the car world. Graham and Rory talk about their time at Monterey Car Week, Pebble Beach and the Quail. The group also talks about the LeMons gathering held in conjunction with Pebble Beach. Later, Wesley rambles almost incoherently about tools while talking about Craftsman’s relaunch under the Stanley Black and Decker banner. Wrapping the show, Jake

On this episode of the Autoweek Podcast, host Rory Carroll talks with Mike Pryson, Wesley Wren and Jimmy Pelizzari about the latest news in racing. Bruce Martin calls in to update the crew on IndyCar -- namely, the looming Fernando Alonso decision and Robert Wickens’ crash at Pocono. Martin also brings the group up to speed with the current state of IndyCar.   After Martin’s portion of the show, the group dissects Toyota’s recent loss at the hands of the scrutineers and the pitfalls of MSG before shifting to an interview with Max Chilton.   In our session with Max Chilton, led by Robin Warner, the driver talks about his family of racers, his place in IndyCar and the differences between British and American culture.   After the interview, Wesley recounts his recent off-roading adventure in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. You’ll hear about clearing trails with a Mahindra Roxor’s winch and about getting stuck in a mud bog.   Wrapping the show, Rory, Jimmy and Wesley talk about the 2018 Woodward Dream Cruise.

On this episode of the Autoweek Podcast, host Rory Carroll joins Mike Pryson, Wesley Wren and Jimmy Pellizzari to talk about Daniel Ricciardo’s shift to Renault. The gang also are joined by Autoweek’s NHRA analyst Susan Wade for a report on the NHRA event in Seattle, as well as a general update about the status of professional drag racing. Susan talks about two big controversies that happened during Seattle’s NHRA event. Later in the episode, Robin Warner interviews NHRA top fuel funny car driver Bob Tasca III. Tasca talks about the future of electrification in drag racing, the future of the car industry and how he recovered his first car on craigslist. From there, Graham Kozak joins the fray and Jimmy talks about his experience racing in Michigan’s Summer Sno*Drift rally, placing third in class. Jimmy, for those that forget, races in Rally America with a modified 2.5 RS Subaru. Graham wraps the show leading a discussion about his recent drive with a Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye and Challenger Scat Pa

On this episode of the Autoweek Podcast, host Rory Carroll is joined by Mike Pryson, Jimmy Pelizzari, Wesley Wren and our resident NASCAR expert Matt Weaver to dive into the status of the sport. After a deep analysis of NASCAR, its tracks and possible changes to the future of the sport, the group dissects the British GP and the German GP -- namely, Vettel’s near-win in Germany and how team orders affected the race. After the motorsports section, Robin Warner and Wesley have a phone conversation with journalist and race car driver Robb Holland about his life, his house near the Nurburgring and his new television show, “Faster.” Following the interview, Jake Lingeman and Graham Kozak replace Jimmy and Mike at the table to have another Project Car Update segment. Graham shares some sad news about his Packard. Thankfully, everyone else’s project car news is about what you’d expect. The project car talk transitions smoothly into a discussion about the Ford Mustang RTR Spec 3 -- Vaughn Gittin Jr.’s special editio