NASCAR's iRacing boom with Parker Kligerman and whether Twitch translates to real-world racing

The anxious moments of waiting to be declared a Daytona 500 winner (1:30); Byron explains how he went from winning races online to winning in real life nearly overnight (3:30); the “impostor syndrome” of racing against Jimmie Johnson, his former neighbor (5:00); why Byron entered the 2024 season with a chip on his shoulder (6:30); how Byron overcame being a big factor in a massive wreck to refocus on winning a career-defining race (9:30); the thoughts of team owner Rick Hendrick and executive Jeff Gordon, former No. 24 driver (12:00); defending Cup champion Ryan Blaney on the bigger voice he’ll have in 2024 and how he’ll use it (15:00); Blaney’s reaction to the Netflix docuseries (17:30); Joey Logano on handing off the champion’s journal to his Penske teammate (20:30); Jimmie Johnson on Legacy Motor Club’s move to Toyota (23:30); Erik Jones on his transition through Cup (27:00); Brad Keselowski on expecting big things but also accepting responsibility (30:30); Martin Truex Jr. on the next generation of Cup drivers and why he doesn’t let bad days get to him anymore (33:00).

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Why the 2004 season was a crossroads of so many eras beginning and ending for NASCAR (1:30); former NASCAR on NBC announcer Allen Bestwick and sports journalist Brant James recall the impact of a visit by President George W. Bushto the Daytona 500 (5:30); the scene as President Bush arrived at the track (9:30); the president’s prerace interview (11:00); the delayed opening ceremonies and the command to start engines (12:30); how this was different from previous presidential visits to Cup races (15:00); Ben Affleck’s Daytona 500 appearance and NASCAR as a place to “see and be seen” (16:30); the debut of Nextel as the new title sponsor of the NASCAR Cup Series (20:00); how Nextel changed the approach to NASCAR commercials and marketing (22:30); the origins of the Chase for the Nextel Cup Championship format and NASCAR’s reasons for making the major change (26:00); how NASCAR introduced the controversial new playoff-style system and fended off criticism from fans and the industry (28:00); why Dale Jr. was an overwhelming prerace favorite to win his first Daytona 500 (35:30); the prerace twists between Dale Earnhardt Inc. teammates Dale Jr. and Michael Waltrip and the tension between their teams (38:30); the massive wreck that took out Waltrip in the Daytona 500 (40:30); the surprising wingman bromance between Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart (42:30); the surprising way the Daytona 500 ended with 300 consecutive miles under the green flag (45:00); the winning pass and the jubilant aftermath for Dale Jr. (47:30); how Dale Jr. tied all of the emotions together in his typically confessional and emotive postrace interviews (50:00); the congratulatory phone call from President Bush to Dale Jr. after the race (55:00); the Busch Series win postscript for Dale Jr. (58:00); how Earnhardt Jr.’s victory on Feb. 15, 2004 at Daytona closed the loop on his July 7, 2001 triumph at the same track (1:00).

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Ryan Blaney on an emotional night in Nashville (3:00), thanking those who helped him earn the championship (7:00), his first meeting with Roger Penske (9:30), the responsibilities of being the reigning champion and what’s to come (11:00); Kyle Busch on his newfound popularity in 2023 (12:30), the sale of Kyle Busch Motorsports and why the timing is right for the next step in his career (15:00); Denny Hamlin on a new pathway to the championship and a new shop for his team with Michael Jordan (17:30), the shoulder injury he suffered last year that needed surgery (19:30) and if he’s become the loudest voice among drivers (21:30); Ross Chastain on the boost of winning the season finale (23:00), what it’s like being a polarizing rising star both booed and cheered (25:00), how he constantly reinvents his game (26:00), the watermelon farm refuge (28:00); Chase Elliott on a year he’d like to forget but needs to remember (29:00) and what it means to be a six-time Most Popular Driver (31:30).

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With his IMSA team sidelined from the Rolex 24 at Daytona for the first time in 20 years, Mike Shank discusses the disappointment of being unable to defend its title after winning the race in 2022-23 (2:30); where Shank will be instead of heading to Daytona (4:00); tracing the long, successful history of Meyer Shank Racing from the Rolex 24 to winning the Indy 500 (5:30); the afterglow of its 2023 Rolex 24 victory (7:30); and then the fallout from its penalty (9:00); how IMSA addressed the infraction to prevent it from happening again (10:30); the repercussions with Acura and Honda (13:00); how the rest of the 2023 season went for Meyer Shank Racing (16:00); the team’s victory in the Petit Le Mans season finale (18:30); where MSR’s drivers have landed for the 2024 Rolex 24, and why Helio Castroneves will miss a shot at winning his fourth consecutive Rolex 24 (20:00); Shank’s feelings about being overlooked this year (23:00); what the prospects are for MSR returning to IMSA in 2025 (25:30); the help that Shank is getting from IMSA in trying to return.

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Background on why the 2024 season comes at a critical juncture for Wayne Taylor Racing Andretti (1:00);what a hectic offseason has felt like (6:00); how much the team has grown and what that impact has been like on a close-knit team that prides itself on family (10:00); why it’s so important to maintain the team’s efficient culture of maximizing its resources (14:00); Taylor’s famous attention to detail and an anecdote about how that ties into WTR Andretti’s success (19:00); the challenges of hiring dozens of people amid a shallow motorsports talent pool (24:00); how the team goes about managing a driver lineup with Indy 500 winners and F1 champions (30:00); how the engineering staff adapts to building cars around what eight drivers want (35:00); the outlook for bringing Acura its fourth consecutive Rolex 24 victory as the only team running the Honda brand this season (40:00); what's the team's next big challenge (45:00).

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Another all-star field gathers for the world’s first “Race of Champions” of the year (2:00); Jenson Button and Felipe Massa head the list of Formula One winners on the entry list (4:00); why driving the GTP hybrid prototype is so difficult (7:00); another heavy IndyCar component and why the hybrid will enhance those ties this year (11:30); Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden on his adaptation to the premier category and the hybrid (14:00); Marcus Ericsson on trying to open his Andretti era with a Rolex 24 win (17:00); Colton Herta’s impressive Rolex 24 record and what he enjoys about the special dynamic of teammates in sports cars (19:00); Roger Penske’s deep roots in sports cars and why Le Mans and Daytona remain high on his victory target list (21:00); will Porsche Penske Motorsport improve on its Daytona disappointments of 2023? (23:00); with defending winner Meyer Shank Racing off the grid, Wayne Taylor Racing adds a second car in trying to bring Acura its fourth consecutive victory (26:00); the explosive growth of manufacturer involvement in the GT categories (30:00); the return of Corvette vs. Mustang (32:00); will the race top last year’s record-setting crowd? (34:00).

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Ryan Blaney’s no-doubt, clutch victory at Martinsville confirms his championship-level talent (1:00); how Blaney deftly managed his final charge to the lead (4:15); the offseason mental preparation and improvement put in by Blaney and how it paid off (7:00); the newfound speed of the Penske Fords lately (11:00); William Byron’s gutty performance to make the Championship 4 (16:00); what it feels like to drive with a cooling system that has malfunctioned (19:00); another letdown for Martin Truex Jr. and his team (22:00); another disappointment for Denny Hamlin (26:00); how DJ can relate to DH still seeking a title at age 42 (30:00); Xfinity championship preview (35:00); Cup championship preview and DJ’s pick (38:00); a big sports weekend in Phoenix as the World Series is in town with the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks, who have been red-hot since DJ threw out the first pitch (42:00).

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The Kyle Larson-Ryan Blaney incident that was the turning point (1:00); how the essence of Larson factored into the incident (4:30); why Stage 1’s strategy revealed a lot about the Chris Gabehart-Denny Hamlin dynamic (8:30); what happened to Denny Hamlin’s car in his crash and Gabehart’s message to Hamlin (10:30); another Martin Truex Jr. radio moment lambasting his team (15:30); is being yelled at by your driver part of being a crew chief? (20:30); the varying parameters of crew chief-driver relationships (26:30); was Bell’s victory a surprise given his mood after Las Vegas? (30:00); sizing up the Homestead fortunes of other drivers (33:00); can William Byron advance just with a strong stage points performance at Martinsville (38:00).

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Does Las Vegas winner Kyle Larson have a massive championship edge with two weeks to prepare for Phoenix? (1:00); does he ignore Homestead and Martinsville in preparing the next two weeks? (5:00); Larson’s moment of nearly wrecking off Turn 2 (7:00); how he was able to save the car by going against instincts (9:30); Christopher Bell’s charge to nearly beat Kyle Larson (12:30); more pit stop woes for Bell and his team (18:00); why switching crews might be more complicated than it seems (22:00): why the playoff contenders seemed rather gloomy despite the lack of major on-track trouble for any of them (24:30); the critically damaging strategy call for Martin Truex Jr. (27:00); the competitiveness of the field and effect on passing (31:30); Ryan Blaney’s disqualification (34:00); Homestead preview (36:00).

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Parker explains his busy schedule on a Monday/Tuesday coming out of a race weekend (1:30); delving into DIL and a love-hate relationship with simulation (5:00); an idea for the NASCAR Simulator Olympics (7:30); A.J. Allmendinger’s emotional Roval winner’s interview and story (10:00); the first time Parker raced against Allmendinger online nearly 20 years ago and what makes AJ so good on road courses (15:30); Next Gen road course assessment (19:00); Kyle Larson’s rebound and shop visit from a practice crash (22:30); Truex’s chances and Championship 4 predictions (25:00); recounting the last lap of the Xfinity race and the No. 48’s overall weekend at the Roval (30:00); on having a confidence meter that’s pegged for the 2024 season (36:00); reflecting on Parker’s “all-in” return to racing and learning to avoid being “a negative self-talker’ (39:00); the psychology of driving a race car (43:00); remainder of season outlook (46:00).

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