To borrow a line from this episode, “this is a great story because it’s got Paul Tracy melting his feet off and a bunch of stuff blowing up and Mario Andretti sits on his porch giving the stink eye at one point.” (The Mario in the headline is a different Mario. Headline Mario was Swiss.) (Digression: Headline Mario sounds like the *worst* Nintendo game. “Hey, Timmy! Come by my house after school! We can play Headline Mario and eat Cheez-Its!”) (Timmy: “Uh . . . I have to . . . wash my...

They do! But first: SAM HAS A NEW BOOK OUT. It’s called “Smithology”—available now on Amazon in print and as a Kindle e-book. Check it out, if you have a sec? This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. We call this format “Sam Tells a Story.” And in this case, that story is another dive into all the stuff you wanted to know about car magazines but never had a chance to ask. Jeff and Ross have questions on the topic. Sam hates talking about himself and is convinced that these...

The catch: We’re the fans. (Bet you didn’t see that coming.) “If you have the chance to make something beautiful,” Dan Gurney once said, “and you don’t, well, what does that say about you?” This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. This episode’s format is called "How I Got Here." It’s a free-form dive into the people, places, moments, and machines that made us care about racing when we were young. In this case, that means the one and only Daniel Sexton Gurney—the legendary...

Once, in the 1990s, a fancy Italian carmaker hadn’t gone sports-car racing in 20 years. Maybe they were too busy figuring out new ways to make a 348 catch fire or something. Then some influential folks made a few particularly expressive hand gestures and the Italians agreed to do it—but just this once, and then you gotta vaffanculo, alright? The shrieking red funkbullet that resulted won much and made a noise to eat your brain. Hold onto your butts: Today, we tell the story of the Ferrari...

Step one: Know you might die trying. In 1993, at the tender age of 36, a host of this show tried to qualify for one of the greatest races on earth. He didn’t make it in, but he did lap a 900-hp car at more than 220 mph, suffer third-degree burns on his face, and meet a hospital. Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was your month of May? (No, really: That’s what we asked Ross to talk about—the Indy 500 rookie experience. The flames that nearly killed him were just part of the story.) This...

“He was the craziest devil I ever came across in Formula 1.” —Niki Lauda Gilles Villeneuve got his start racing snowmobiles, crashing on sheet ice at 100 mph. Enzo Ferrari loved him; Ronnie Peterson said he was a menace. And in upstate New York in the fall of 1979, in blinding rain, an entire F1 paddock stopped what it was doing to watch him do what no one else could. This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. This episode is our monthly deep dive into an epic moment from racing...

What makes a special place special? Wonderful people? Beautiful scenery? How you keep going back for more in the face of terrible odds? Some tracks are more than just tracks, and Wisconsin's Elkhart Lake—Road America—is far more than meets the eye. This show’s format rotates every episode, because squirrel. We call this format "Sam Rambles About a Thing." Related Trivia: Ross has opinions about track limits. You might get to hear them, you might not. Jeff recalls a time when his uncle Boom...

Answer: The blowy thing goes WHOOSH and the invisible gas that keeps us all alive goes WHEEE and the racey thing stays put. And later, if you have done the math right, you maybe drive around in circles better than everyone! Alternate, more grown-up answer: physics and stuff. This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. This week's approach is called “Jeff Teaches Sam a Thing.” Jeff knows a lot about a subject—in this case, how race teams use indoor wind to develop aerodynamic...

It’s another “No Dumb Questions!” You email us to ask, we sit down to answer. There are no dumb questions, but there might be some dumb answers. Today’s focus is . . . going faster with data and friends! Many race teams use data feeds to help their drivers improve. (Examples: brake pressure; speed over time; the four-dimensional thermocouple plot that lets Toto Wolff know just how far down to unbutton his shirt.) Can those data systems lie? Can friends at the track help you get faster? And...

“It will never have enough . . . until I can spin the wheels at the end of the straightaway in high gear.” A man named Mark said that. Mark engineered and drove race cars. In the early 1970s, he was handed a barely drivable, 700-hp Porsche. Because Mark had a brain the size of a planet, he made the car a blisteringly fast, 1500-horse dollbaby. It was so good, in fact, that it killed a prestigious international racing series deader than hell. What happened in between is utterly bonkers. This...

There are so many answers to this: A favorite color. Human legs. An enjoyment of oxygen. But chiefly—this is the fun part—you can coach yourself to be better. Great, you say: How? We’re glad you asked! Ross is a professional performance coach—he helps race drivers get faster. And many of them, pro and amateur alike, have asked how they can improve when he’s not around. So we give you a primer! This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. We call this format “Ross Teaches Sam a...

And other things! Step right up to hear about work life at one of the world’s strangest day jobs! Do we share secrets on this episode? Do some of them involve Sam giggling at the wheel of a NASCAR Cup car at Road America, or Ross curb-jumping minivans at Thunderhill with Black Sabbath blasting from the speakers? Will this episode’s description be all questions, or will it actually have something to say? I don’t know—what do you think? This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. We...

It’s the return of “No Dumb Questions!” You email us to ask, we sit down to answer. There are no dumb questions, but there might be some dumb answers. Today’s focus is . . . rain driving!  How do you adjust your mindset to be quick in the wet? What does Jeff do in the rain that many race engineers don’t? What does any of this have to do with the time Sam rode down a rally stage at speed with Ken Block? This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. For this episode, we’re borrowing...

Sixty-nine years ago, two Englishmen entered an open-road race known for killing people. Ten hours later, they had seen nearly 1000 miles of Italy, left fourth-gear jumps four wheels up, and spent heaps of time at 170 mph. All in a car with no safety belts, no roof, and an engine borrowed from Formula 1. And they won. What does that look like through a modern lens besides . . . absolutely bonkers? This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. This episode is our monthly deep dive...

What do Formula 1, NASCAR, IMSA, and countless moms of teenagers have in common? Answer: They all know *exactly* what’s going on in that dark room but have decided to stay out of it. This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. This week's approach is called “Jeff Teaches Sam a Thing.” Jeff knows a lot about a subject—in this case, the insanely expensive “driver in the loop” racing simulators used by pro teams—and Sam asks questions. Warning: We get lightly tech-nerdy here. Related...

In the early 1990s, McLaren built the last great analog supercar. It wasn't supposed to be a race car, but they took it to Le Mans and won anyway. Why do we care? Sam and Ross have each driven a McLaren F1 on track. The same one, in fact—a factory-backed GTR that finished eighth at Le Mans in 1996. They loved it, but who wouldn't? Why does a machine like that make such a dent on people? This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. We call this week's approach "It *is* the Car."...

Like Lionel Richie, the French do it all night long—on public roads, at more than 200 mph, every June. Why is the 24 Hours of Le Mans one of the greatest things on earth? The reasons are endless. And we’ve raced in it! (Well, Ross and Jeff have.) This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. Last week was our monthly centerpiece, where we dive into an epic moment from racing's past. This episode's format is called "Sam Rambles About a Thing." (Caveat: That he loves.) Jeff is busy...

Drama, science, and 200-mph dogfights: The world’s most famous race is so much more than three hours of left turns. Sam, Ross, and Jeff use the story of Alexander Rossi’s landmark 2016 Indy 500 win—he coasted over the line with an empty tank—to highlight everything that makes the 500 great. Related Trivia: Jeff has engineered cars at Indy. Ross nearly died there in 1993. Sam once stood inches from Turn 1 in qualifying and drank a Coke while losing his mind. This episode of It's Not...