Grip Strip Podcast

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 129 - Championship Players

Phil and Josh are back for E129 of the GSP to discuss Kevin Harvick going back-to-back in the Cup Series at Richmond Raceway and everything else in the world of motorsports.  The guys cover Ford's big day at the track formerly known as The Action Track along with the points leading into Watkins Glen this weekend.  Chandler Smith added another victory to his 2022 tally in the Truck Series in dominant fashion while locking into the Round of 8 in the Truck Series playoffs.   The results are top-heavy with playoff contenders but what do Matt Crafton, Carson Hocevar and Christian Eckes need at Kansas to advance? In the GSP Roundup, Phil goes over the Formula E season finale in Seoul, NHRA at Topeka last week and Brainerd this weekend, the World of Outlaws Knoxville Nationals, MotoGP/Moto2 at Austria, Supercars at Sandown and a possible reconfigure of the cesspool named Texas Motor Speedway.  Josh returns with Phil to preview and make picks for the IndyCar race at World Wide Technology Raceway/Gateway with seven drivers within 58 points and just three races remaining in the 2022 IndyCar season.  Cup and XFinity will be at Watkins Glen with some major names making rare appearances, so the guys make their picks and preview what you should expect from them. The crew goes over Week 1 of the NFL preseason and the upcoming FallBrawl Fantasy Football draft and Josh does the Sim Segment before Show Close.

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 128 - Winning Never Gets Old

Phil and Josh are back for E128 of the GSP to discuss veterans getting back to victory lane.  Kevin Harvick broke a 65-race winless streak with a timely victory at Michigan International Speedway, giving the Cup Series 15 winners so far with three races to go in the regular season.  The guys go over the race, Bubba Wallace's continued upswing (with his first pole), and other concerns for the likes of Ryan Blaney and Martin Truex, Jr. who are now in peril to make the playoffs while running 2nd and 4th in season-long points.  On the XFinity side, Ty Gibbs continues to show his skills with his fifth victory of 2022 and fighting off the JRM brigade in the process.  For the drivers contending for the playoffs, all seemed to do well leading into the last off week of the 2022 season.  In Nashville, The Iceman Scott Dixon broke his tie with Mario Andretti earning his 53rd IndyCar win.  In the process, Dixon also cut his points deficit to series leader Will Power down to six points with three races to go.  While the rookies had their moments along with plenty of veterans, frustration reigned supreme for Power, Marcus Ericsson, Josef Newgarden and many others who were affected in a carnage-filled race. For a condensed GSP Roundup, Phil covers the IMSA race at Road America, MotoGP/Moto2 at Silverstone, Formula E's season finale with a doubleheader in Seoul and NHRA at Topeka before the guys preview Cup and Trucks at Richmond International Raceway along with picks.  Phil and Josh go over football with the NFL preseason starting and Josh brings back the Sim Segment after a week away.

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 127 - What’s a Contract to You?

Phil is back with special guest host Joe Passero of Fansided/Beyond the Flag to discuss all the motorsports action from the previous weekend on E127 of the GSP.  The crew covers Tyler Reddick's second Cup win of the 2022 season at the Indianapolis Road Course.  The driving standards and respect are low but it has become par for the course.  At the same time, the points situation becomes clearer as the series moves to Michigan.  AJ Allmendinger dominated in the XFinity Series and added much needed points to his lead in his chase for the regular season title plus 15 playoff points.  The Truck Series returned to Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park for the first time in a decade with Grant Enfinger getting a massive win in the series playoff opener. IndyCar was part of the Indianapolis weekend once again, with Alexander Rossi breaking a three-year winless streak with a strong performance but gets penalized after for a ballast infraction which stinks like the great TGBB.  Formula 1 drove into their summer break with Max Verstappen getting another victory from 10th and solidifying a World Driver's Championship in 2022 in the process with Ferrari doing their typical *&^% stepping.  Mercedes takes a double podium with Sir Lewis Hamilton's momentum continuing and George Russell getting his first career pole.  Outside of the racing itself, Sebastian Vettel announced his retirement which set off a chain reaction of moves and contract issues for drivers that will continue to be discussed.   In the GSP Roundup, F2/F3/W Series at Hungary, Formula E in London, Supercars at The Bend, World Superbike in the Czech Republic, IMSA at Road America and MotoGP/Moto2 at Silverstone.  Phil and Joe preview the Cup and XFinity racing at Michigan International Speedway with picks along with IndyCar on the streets of Nashville.    

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 126 - Points & Health

Phil and Josh return for E126 of the GSP to discuss the craziness that ensued at Pocono Raceway which saw the winner and second place driver disqualified along with plenty of penalties outside of this.  Denny Hamlin crossed the line first with pole-sitter Kyle Busch finishing second and no selling his car owner Joe Gibbs in the process but William Clyde Elliott II took the win after post-race inspection due to tape underneath the wrap.  The guys discuss all the penalties, the racing and the crowd itself with The Tricky Triangle having a great turnout even though it was boiling hot.  Ty Gibbs made his Cup debut in place of Kurt Busch who was ruled out after concussion like symptoms from a qualifying crash and did a solid job.  Noah Gragson held off Gibbs the day before in the XFinity while Chandler Smith put himself in great position for Truck Series championship after a dominant performance in the Truck Series regular season finale.  For the IndyCar Series, Josef Newgarden dominated race one at Iowa Speedway and was on his way to another win before crashing and eventually having to be flown out of the track.  The beneficiary from Newgarden's rare error was Pato O'Ward, who reinserts himself into the title battle.  Phil and Josh go over the races and points leading into Indianapolis Road Course. At the French Grand Prix, Max Verstappen benefits from another Charles Leclerc error/Ferrari mechanical issue which saw Leclerc crash out of an F1 race lead for the third time in 2022.  Mercedes with Sir Lewis Hamilton and George Russell gave The Silver Arrows their first double podium of the season with Ferrari screwing up Carlos Sainz strategy.  On the GSP Roundup, Phil goes over F2 and W Series in France along with adding F3 at Hungary, Formula E at London, Supercars at The Bend and World Superbike at the Czech Republic.  The guys go over NASCAR Cup/XFinity at IMS Road Course along with the Truck Series Playoff opener at Lucas Oil Raceway Park along with picks. Phil and Josh also preview the IndyCar race at the Indy Road Course along with the Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix before NFL Talk, Josh's Sim Segment and the Show Close.

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 125 - Big Moves and Attitudes

Phil and Josh return to discuss IndyCar, F1 and many other series on E125 (or 124.5, depending on who you ask) of the GSP.  The guys discuss the news of NASCAR Cup and an IMSA series racing on the streets of Chicago and what it means for NASCAR in general.  After that, Phil and Josh cover Alex Palou being employed by two teams in IndyCar - Chip Ganassi Racing and McLaren Racing.  What does this mean for AMSP, CGR and the possibility of it leading to an F1 ride?  Who would replace Palou at Ganassi?  Speaking of Ganassi, his greatest driver ever is Scott Dixon and "The Iceman" added to his legacy by tying Mario Andretti with 52 wins after his triumph at Toronto.  The guys go over Dixon's performance that brings him back into the title picture while pole-sitter Colton Herta dealt with balaclava issues but still finished second.  Marcus Ericsson and fellow countryman Felix Rosenqvist had solid weekends on the streets of Toronto.  Graham Rahal had his best run of 2022 as RLL Racing leads into a big weekend at Iowa Speedway. In the GSP Roundup, Phil goes over SRX at I-55 Speedway where Tony Stewart won another race on dirt and leads into the season finale at Sharon Speedway, WSBK at Donington, IMSA GT at Lime Rock, NHRA at Denver, Formula E in Brooklyn, and previews of F2 & W Series at Paul Ricard.  Phil and Josh preview the French Grand Prix F1 race along with the doubleheader at Iowa Speedway for IndyCar before Josh's Sim Segment and Show close.

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 124 - Ralph Sheheen! Plus NASCAR Talk with Phil, Josh and Joe Passero

Phil and Josh bring back regular contributor Joe Passero of Beyond The Flag/Fansided to interview legendary motorsports commentator and co-owner of Speed Sport Ralph Sheheen.  Ralph stays on for nearly an hour to discuss his early days and current projects in motorsports along with providing plenty of great advice for those who are looking to get into the motorsports broadcasting/journalism business.  Ralph also went over some great stories and moments along with his amazing collection of books and memorabilia (which you can see on the YT channel feed)!  Ralph also assisted Phil in going to commercial since Phil was still in fanboy mode!  After the interview, the trio discussed Tyler Reddick's shocking move to 23XI for 2024.  What does this mean for him, 23XI, RCR and who's in play to replace him at RCR?  Could Dale, Jr. and JRM come into Cup?  New Hampshire saw Christopher Bell win his second career Cup Series race and become the 14th different winner in 2022.  The guys go over other key stories like Martin Truex, Jr. and Kevin Harvick who dominated the race along with some drivers that had strong runs but have struggled so far in 2022.  Clyde continues to finish up front and add to his points lead with a solid chance to win the Regular Season title. On the XFinity side, JRM continues their domination with Justin Allgaier winning at NHMS for the first time but solidifying his shot for an elusive first title.  Ty Gibbs was the other dominant figure but had mechanical issues while Landon Cassill had a career day ruined by a post-race penalty.  The finishing order was definitely random with all the attrition that took place. Phil, Josh and Joe previewed the triple header at Pocono Raceway this coming weekend along with picks.  Zane Smith essentially needs to start on Saturday to win the Regular Season title and earn another 15 playoff points while all the regulars are looking for one more win before moving to IRP for the playoff opener next week.  Can Matt Crafton make the playoffs or will the three-time series champion miss out due to an outside driver winning?  In XFinity and Cup, both races could play a big role in the points battles and possibly another winner making the cutoff more interesting. 

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 123 - Charles, Clyde & Canada

Phil and Josh discuss all the action from Austria, which saw Charles Leclerc get his first win since April and Verstappen struggle but still finish second.  Ferrari almost throw it away after Carlos Sainz's engine melts down and Leclerc has throttle and gearbox issues but held on.  Lewis Hamilton continues his podium streak while Mercedes comes home with a 3-4 finish while they develop a better car.  Alpine and McLaren are tied in Constructors while Haas scores double points and other keys from the weekend. NASCAR Cup and XFinity raced at Atlanta with two Georgia drivers getting wins: William Clyde Elliott II gets his league leading third win of 2022 while Ross Chastain takes plenty of headlines making contact with two Gibbs drivers.  Phil compares Chastain to one of his early favorite drivers - Ernie Irvan.  The guys discuss Ross and what he needs to do so he can actually compete for this championship.  Corey LaJoie gets as close as he ever has to a Cup win and a playoff flipping result but Elliott's late race defense sees LaJoie hit the fence and finish 21st.  In XFinity, Austin Hill takes his second win of the year while the rest of the pack steps on themselves. Trucks ran at Mid-Ohio with the heads-up battle between Parker Kligerman and regular season champion elect Zane Smith taking center stage.  Kligerman takes his and Henderson Racing's first win in Trucks since 2017 while Smith pads his lead.  In the Roundup, Phil goes over F2/F3 at Austria, WEC at Monza, Supercars at Townsville, Extreme E at Sardinia Doubleheader, SRX at Nashville and I-55, WSBK at Donington, IMSA GT at Lime Rock and Formula E in Brooklyn.  Phil and Josh preview the first IndyCar race in Toronto since 2019 which leads into a busy period for the IndyCar Series along with NASCAR Cup and XFinity at New Hampshire. Josh lets us know what's going on in iRacing, F1 2022 and other games in the Sim Segment before Show Close.

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 122 - First Time, Long Time

Phil and Josh return for E122 of the GSP to discuss first time winners in Carlos Sainz (F1), Tyler Reddick (NASCAR Cup) and Logan Sargeant (F2), amongst all the other great racing action from the previous weekend.  Phil opens with a rant about league bowling before the guys get into Sainz picking up his first pole and win at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone.  Other key talking points included the resurgence of Sir Lewis Hamilton, the recovery by Sergio Perez and the huge 1st lap accident that thankfully saw Zhou Guanyu escape serious injury. NASCAR Cup and XFinity ran at Road America which saw Beau Reddick's dad beat William Clyde Elliott II in a largely uneventful, processional Cup race.  In the XFinity race, Ty Gibbs passed defending Cup champion Kyle Larson late but the story was Noah Gragson and his intentional hook of Sage Karam down the back straight, causing a massive pileup.  Phil was not happy and expressed as such for his second rant of the show.  Scott McLaughlin won his second IndyCar race at Mid-Ohio (mistakenly said 3rd on the show) in an eventful race for the Andretti Autosport teams along with other Chevy powered efforts that had mechanical problems including pole-sitter Pato O'Ward.  Alex Palou continues to linger in his title defense while Will Power had an enormous recovery to finish on the podium and cut his deficit to points leader and Indy 500 winner Marcus Ericcson in the points.   For the GSP Roundup, Phil goes into the SRX at Stafford and Nashville, F2/F3/W Series at Silverstone, IMSA Weathertech Sports Car Championship at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park along with Michelin Pilot Challenge, Formula E at Marrakesh, Extreme E holding a doubleheader in Sardinia, WEC at Monza and Supercars at Townsville.   Phil and Josh preview the Austrian Grand Prix for Formula 1 along with Cup/XFinity at Atlanta for super speedway action while the Trucks return to race at Mid-Ohio.  Josh lets us know what's going on in the world of sim racing with his Sim Segment before show close.