RACER Weekly Audio Podcast

Ryan Hunter-Reay won the 2014 Indianapolis 500, and he can reel off the times he came oh so close again. It’s a race that rewards or frustrates on a whim, but Hunter-Reay is still in thrall to its challenge, and still fast and motivated as he seeks that second win. Last year, driving for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, he was a factor once again and led 48 laps – that’s a quarter of the race distance – before dropping out with a fuel issue. This time around, he’s adding firepower to the frontrunning Arrow McLaren team for his 18th start at the Brickyard. RHR joined RACER Weekly to talk 2026 chances, keys to the race, his enduring passion for the 500…and some of the ones that got away.      
 
#RyanHunterReay #Indy500 #Indianapolis500 #IndyCar #ArrowMcLaren

It’s a big season for off-road racing ace Seth Quintero. Already making his mark in the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship, he’s added a whole new challenge in the ARA National Rally Championship. From Saudi Arabia and Portugal aboard a T1+ Toyota Hilux GR, to the woods of Missouri and Washington at the wheel of the all-new GR Corolla RC2, it’s been a whirlwind few months for the 23-year-old Californian. Fresh off second-place finishes on Rally Raid Portugal behind WRC G.O.A.T. Sebastien Loeb and the ARA’s Olympus Rally in a 1-2 with his Toyota Gazoo Racing team boss and world rally legend Jari-Matti Latvala, Seth joins RACER Weekly to talk us through a breakout season and his journey so far. From family quad biking trips to the dunes and ravines of the Dakar Rally, it’s been quite the ride.    
 
#SethQuintero #FIAWorldRally #ARANationalRallyChampionship #GRCorollaRC2 #DakarRally

It’s early days in the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series, yet the story reads a little familiar in the race for the championship, with four-time and reigning champion Alex Palou sitting top of the points after taking three wins from the first five races. Déjà vu all over again? Maybe not, says RACER Weekly guest Oriol Servia. As the 11-time Indy 500 starter explains, the chasing pack – headed by Andretti Global’s early-season points leader Kyle Kirkwood – is closer than ever and it’s far from a done deal. Oriol and RACER editor David Malsher-Lopez look at who’s best placed to take on the serial champ, what Palou and the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing crew are still doing better than anyone else, and how the momentum could change heading into the Month of May and the season-defining Indianapolis 500.           
#IndyCar #AlexPalou #ChipGanassiRacing #KyleKirkwood #Indy500 #AndrettiGlobal

Formula DRIFT brings the sideways spectacle, the tire smoke and the noise. Visually, it’s unlike any other motorsports – short, sharp, intense action where speed, power and precision meet showmanship and style. Three-time Formula DRIFT champion Fredric Aasbø joins RACER Weekly to explain the intricacies of sitting inches off an opponent’s fender – and the wall – at the craziest of angles while dancing with 1,000hp at 100mph-plus. The Norwegian sultan of sideways talks grip vs. power, drifting’s unique combination of high-tech and human judging, his continuing motivation and his quest for the perfect run. Oh, and his love of ice racing and DJ’ing.     
#FredricAasbo #FormulaDRIFT #RACERweekly #racing #motorsport #RACERpodcasts

Robert Wickens’ inspiring return to top-level racing after suffering paralyzing injuries in a 2018 IndyCar crash continues with a second campaign in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship’s ultra-competitive GTD class. He’ll get behind the wheel of DXDT Racing’s specially-modified Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R for five races in 2026, sharing with friend and long-time teammate Mason Filippi. Robert joined RACER Weekly’s David Malsher-Lopez to explain the tech behind his Bosch-built hand controls and how the system has been developed for maximum feel and effectiveness. And as fast, confident and motivated as ever, he outlines his goals for 2026 and beyond. It starts with podiums and race wins, and then, bigger picture, the Canadian ace is targeting championships.   
#RobertWickens #IMSA #GTD #CorvetteZ06GT3R #PrattMiller #MasonFilippi #Bosch #racing #motorsports #RACERWeekly

Four races in the books in the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series, and four-time and reigning champ Alex Palou…isn’t leading the points! RACER Weekly checks in with the guy who is, Kyle Kirkwood, to get his take on the season so far and the momentum he’s carrying into some of the season’s biggest races. After winning on the streets of Arlington, Texas, the Andretti Global driver is the guy to beat as IndyCar heads to the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. With two wins in his last three SoCal starts, Kyle lets us in on a few Long Beach secrets, explains how Andretti is raising its game across the board, and looks ahead to the Indianapolis 500 and some unfinished business at the Brickyard.    
#KyleKirkwood #AndrettiGlobal #Indy500 #IndyCar #AlexPalou #RACERWeekly #ArlingtonGP #AcuraGrandPrixofLongBeach #Brickyard                                            

What’s your take on F1 2026? Have Formula 1’s latest power unit regulations broken the world’s most popular motorsports series? Or are we at the start of a new era of competitiveness, unpredictability and thrilling racing? Chris Medland joins RACER Weekly and leans into the upsides and downsides of what we’ve seen so far and how things may evolve over the coming races. Plus, is Max Verstappen’s talk of walking away from F1 real or bluff? How is the Mercedes intra-team dynamic between George Russell and rising star Kimi Antonelli working out? And is McLaren’s title defense getting back on track? Oh, and is there any quick fix for a struggling Aston Martin and Honda?                                          #Formula1 #F1 #MaxVerstappen#GeorgeRussell #KimiAntonelli #McLarenF1 #AstonMartinF1 #MercedesF1 #HondaF1

The NASCAR Cup Series season has barely started, but already Tyler Reddick and 23XI Racing are putting up record-breaking numbers. Four wins in the first six races for the No. 45 Toyota, including a record-breaking three in a row to start the year, have put the team co-owned by Denny Hamlin and NBA legend Michael Jordan in rarefied air. Add in that the first victory came in NASCAR’s biggest race, the Daytona 500, and it feels like it’s Reddick’s world and we just live in it. RACER’s NASCAR expert Kelly Crandall joined the RACER Weekly to talk 23XI dominance, the return of its boss Hamlin to winning ways at his JGR “day job,” and to take a look at who could take the fight to Reddick as the Cup Series heads into short-track mode.            
                                      
#NASCAR #TylerReddick #DennyHamlin #MichaelJordan #KellyCrandall #RACERpodcast #racing #motorsports #Daytona500

Daytona’s twice-around-the-clock Rolex 24 is the longest race on the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship calendar, but the toughest – no argument – is the Twelve Hours of Sebring. It might be only half the length of Daytona, but Sebring International Raceway’s bumpy concrete runways and the central Florida heat make this a real survival test for cars and drivers. Five-time IMSA champion Dane Cameron joins RACER Weekly to talk about Sebring’s unique challenge and the gloves-off intensity that takes hold when the sun goes down. Plus, as the defending IMSA P2 class champ targets another title, Dane talks teammates, traffic and future goals.                                             
#Rolex24atDaytona #IMSA # WeatherTechSportsCarChampionship #TwelveHoursofSebring #Sportscars #racing #motorsports #endurance

When three-time NHRA Funny Car champ Ron Capps wanted to add a second dragster for 2026, there was only one driver on his radar: rising star Maddi Gordon. Gordon made her NHRA Top Fuel Dragster debut at the season-opening Gatornationals, putting in a sensational run of results that saw her beating two former Top Fuel champs before meeting reigning champ Doug Kalitta in her first ever TF semi-final. Capps showed that his side of the Ron Capps Motorsports awning will be up there, too, posting the fastest Funny Car pass of the weekend. Both drivers join RACER Weekly to talk about that memorable weekend in Gainesville, taking their 330mph momentum into the rest of the season, and what it’s like to race a 12,000hp, nitro-burning dragster.                                            
#RonCapps #MaddiGordon #NHRA #FunnyCar #TopFuelDragster #Nitro