Grip Strip Podcast

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 41 - Diversity In Motorsports, Bench Racing and Football Talk

Phil and Josh bring on The White Silk Podcast/Racing Show creator Phil Spain to have a frank discussion on Diversity in Motorsports and some of the double standards that exist with certain drivers.  Before that, the three gents discuss their origin stories and what made them fans.
All three give their thought on playoff football and you can listen to see if they were right or wrong...listen, download and let us know what you want to hear as the year truly takes off. 

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 40 - NFL Playoff Primer, Motorsports News and Perhaps the End of Society

Phil and Josh start Season 2 for the Grip Strip Podcast on a day that will never be forgotten for many in the US.  They discuss what took place and what it meant for the country as a whole as we currently stand. 
 
In more positive news, Phil and Josh discuss the NFL playoffs and talk about the NFL Draft briefly since Josh's Jacksonville Jaguars will have Clemson's Trevor Lawrence as the No.1 Pick along with possibly Urban Meyer as head coach?  The guys make picks on each game and deep dive which you'd expect from the GSP. 
 
Motorsports news trending also discussed to end the day and will become more of the norm as the season takes off with F1 cancellations and other series about to start like IMSA and NASCAR.  Big races like the Chili Bowl and Rolex 24 are upcoming and will be discussed on the GSP. 

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 39 - 2020 Formula 1 Season Recap Special

Phil and Josh lead into the holiday season with a 2020 Formula 1 season recap with Grid Talk Podcast Host and SportlightPro Owner George Howson.  All three discuss the sublime performance by Lewis Hamilton to earn his 7th WDC, break Michael Schumacher's wins record and currently flirting with 100 wins and poles. 
 
Phil, Josh and George go over standout drivers and teams along with what to expect from Red Bull with the announcement of Sergio Perez coming in as Max Verstappen's teammate in 2021.  What should we be looking for from the midfield after this season and going into a transitional 2021 season?  Will the cost cap truly affect anything or any of the major driver changes?
 
Phil and Josh spend the back end of the show talking football and Josh's Jacksonville Jaguars getting Trevor Lawrence with the Jets inexplicably winning a game.  They also discuss the FallBrawl league and how the season went along with looking forward to the next season.  Finally, Phil and Josh give holiday wishes and thoughts as they take a break before returning for the new year. 

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 38 - What Really Grinds Our Gears

Phil and Josh return for Episode 38 of the GSP to discuss the abysmal Abu Dhabi Grand Prix which saw Max Verstappen dominate the weekend along with the quiet return of seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton from COVID.  They discuss the race and key story lines that lead into a transitional off-season in F1 before new regulations start in 2022. 
Phil and Josh then go into what truly irritates them regarding major motorsports.  Whether its rules packages, TV, certain drivers/teams or something else, both leave it on the table for you to hear.  Fantasy Football and real football come up to end the show since Josh is in contention for the FallBrawl title as I would've beaten every team in the league this week but was playing for fifth. 

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 37 - IndyCar Roundtable Part 1 Plus Checo, George and Sakhir GP Madness

Episode 37 of the GSP sees Phil and Josh discuss the IndyCar Series on multiple facets with regular guest Spencer Neff of IndyCar1909.com and Open-Wheels.com fame.  The guys go over the 2020 season, the key combatants and expectations for some of the new drivers that will be entering one of the most competitive series in the world.  Silly season news also discussed with some predictions on who goes where along with other 2021 keys. 
 
After the roundtable, Phil and Josh go over Sergio Perez's first Formula 1 victory in his 190th start at the Sakhir Grand Prix at Bahrain.  While Checo's first win was dramatic and well deserved, the story was George Russell who filled in for World Champion Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes and led the most laps before multiple issues cost the British driver a chance at his first victory. 
 
Hamilton's absence due to COVID-19 provided a massive opportunity for the field and the chaos that ensued also due to the track layout provided entertainment usually saved for other motorsports.  Will Checo get a Red Bull seat now with this victory or will he go on sabbatical?  What to make of these new tracks that came up during the crazy 2020 season?   

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 36 - NASCAR Roundtable Part 1 and Hamilton Reigns in Bahrain

Phil and Josh return for Episode 36 of the GSP with special guest Clayton Caldwell from Talking In Circles and Frontstretch.com to discuss NASCAR in multiple facets.  The guys talk about manufacturers, series health, drivers, schedules and more with a focus on continuing throughout the off season. 
After the roundtable, Phil and Josh analyze Lewis Hamilton's dominant victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix which was marred by the horrific accident suffered by Haas F1's Romain Grosjean.  Phil and Josh talk about safety and the improvements that have come along which thankfully kept Grosjean with us and other key aspects of the race itself. 

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 35 - Thankful For Motorsports, the Pod and More

Phil and Josh discuss the XFinity and Truck Series seasons on this episode of the GSP.  This season brought along a lot of young talent but will they get up to Cup in worthwhile equipment with how things are setup? 
The emergence of Chase Briscoe, Austin Cindric and Sheldon Creed (among others) proves there's a base of talent but the old adage of Supply and Demand is a question...does Matt Kaulig hold the key to this? 
Super Teams in Trucks exist just like the other two series but can anyone infiltrate the GMS/ThorSport/KBM mix in 2021?  Phil and Josh go into John Hunter Nemechek taking a deal to run the 4 Truck for Kyle Busch and what that means short/long term for him and the 38 Cup team along with other silly season stuff. 
MotoGP ended their 2020 season with Miguel Olivera taking a home victory at the Portuguese Grand Prix on the Tech 3 KTM in dominant fashion while new MotoGP champion Joan Mir had a nightmare race.  With the return of Marc Marquez and multiple changes abound on the grid, what should be expected in 2021? 
Formula 1 goes to Bahrain with the focus on the midfield battle since Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes locked up their respective titles in recent weeks.  What should fans be looking for during this three-week season ending stretch in the Middle East? 
Phil and Josh discuss what they are thankful for during this Thanksgiving week at a time and year that has been weird, distressing and frankly insane.  They play each other in the FallBrawl league so previews of that along with Josh going off script and ranting on Shad Khan (worth the listen just for that) along with other football talk too before Josh discussed his exploits in the iRacing Freedom 100. 
 
 

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 34: 7-Time, Sports Cars, Mir Formality and Cup Series GBU

Episode 34 of the Grip Strip Podcast starts with Lewis Hamilton taking down the Turkish GP victory and his record-tying 7th World Driver's Championship in the process.  Phil and Josh discuss what this all means and whether Lewis should be knighted as one of the greatest sportsmen in the history of Great Britain. 
Stroll got the pole and had issues that possibly cost him his first win along with Ferrari actually running well in a mixed condition lottery of a race due to hard tires, cold temps and an atrocious resurfacing decision by the Istanbul Park track owners. 
 
The Roundup discussed the season finale's for IMSA at the 12 Hours of Sebring and upcoming changes along with the WEC Bahrain 8 Hours along with Joan Mir taking down his first MotoGP World Championship for Suzuki, becoming the first rider since Kenny Roberts, Jr. to win a GP title for Suzuki. 
 
Phil and Josh get into the season reviews with a Cup Series deep dive and the Good, the Bad and the Ugly about the 2020 season which saw Harvick and Hamlin dominate the regular season but ole William Clyde Elliott II take the big hardware home. 

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 33 - Clyde/Cindric/Creed and More

Episode 33 of the GSP discusses William Clyde Elliott II going out and taking his first Cup Series championship at Phoenix and the final four participants there.  What does his win mean in the greater scheme of NASCAR as a whole? 
 
Phil and Josh go into that and other standout performances like Jimmie Johnson in his last full-time Cup start.  Austin Cindric (XFinity) and Sheldon Creed (Trucks) took down the big hardware in more dramatic fashion and those races also get a focus along with silly season news.
 
The Roundup discusses MotoGP (Valencia I) and DTM (Hockenheim) before getting into the IMSA 12 Hours of Sebring, Bahrain 8 Hours for the WEC, Valencia II for MotoGP, the return of the Turkish GP for Formula 1 and much more on the GSP!

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 32 - Open-Wheels 500 Time and HARV Is Out

Phil and Josh welcome back Open-Wheels.com owner Tanner Watkins back to the Grip Strip Podcast to discuss this month's Open-Wheels 500 race on iRacing.  Tanner talks about all the pieces that had to come together to make the race happen during COVID time while balancing his current career.  Josh will be running a GSP car and try to make the field of 33 this weekend so hope to see that happen!
 
Lewis Hamilton continues his path towards a seventh World Driver's Title with his 93rd win at Imola on Sunday which the guys discussed along with other standout performances.  Phil and Josh get into the big story of Kevin Harvick missing the final four at Phoenix after leading the points for the majority of the season while winning nine races.  They give their thoughts on the racing at Martinsville where William Clyde Elliott II advanced along with Harrison Burton getting a second consecutive win in XFinity and Grant Enfinger in Trucks.
The GSP Roundup discussed MotoGP, NHRA, IMSA and other news before previewing this weekend's action at Phoenix and who the guys think will win the races and titles.  While the racing season is coming to a close, we will still be here on the GSP talking about motorsports and sports.  Give it a like, listen and let your friends know about the GSP!

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 31 - GOAT Status

Phil and Josh come back for another episode of the GSP as Lewis Hamilton passes Michael Schumacher for the most wins in F1 history with 92 at Portimao.  They discuss the race itself and what the new track presented to the drivers. 
Fellow GOAT status driver Scott Dixon took down his sixth IndyCar title at St. Petersburg even with Josef Newgarden winning the race.  Plenty of carnage and craziness took place which the guys went over.  NASCAR ran at Texas with all three series and had plenty of crashing, mist and fuel mileage. 
GSP Roundup went over MotoGP, touring cars and more before Phil and Josh previewed the events at Martinsville and Imola.  

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 30 - Mount O'Donnell, Mount Panorama and Title Time

Phil and Josh return for another episode of the GSP talking about the atrocious Kansas Cup race which saw Joey Logano win over Kevin Harvick and lock himself into the final four.  The "BAS" was emphasized along with other keys for why a faster car couldn't pass for 42 laps. 
Chase Briscoe wins his 9th XFinity race of 2020 and also gets announced as the driver of the 14 Cup car, bringing relief to one of of the hosts.  Brett Moffitt battles teammate Zane Smith late to get his first Truck Series win of 2020 and lock himself into Phoenix. 
 
In the GSP Roundup, Phil talks about SVG and Tander taking down the Bathurst 1000 in Holden's last official run on the mountain.  NHRA at Dallas sees points tighten in some of the pro categories while Petit Le Mans had argy bargy at the end.  Garrett Gerloff shines (for the most part) at Estoril in WSBK while Joe Roberts scores points at Aragon. 
 
Phil and Josh preview the IndyCar championship decider at St. Petersburg and whether Scott Dixon or Josef Newgarden will add to their championship tallies.  Keys for both are discussed along with other people who could stand in the way.  Formula 1 goes to Portugal for the first time since Jacques Villeneuve won in 1996 at Estoril with Lewis Hamilton trying to get win 92 and stand alone at the winningest F1 driver ever.  NASCAR races at Texas and its not going to be good...but we made picks anyway.   

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 29 - Records and Rain

Phil and Josh discuss Lewis Hamilton tying Michael Schumacher's win record at the Eifel GP along with other standout performances.  On the other hand, rain at Charlotte made the ROVAL Cup and XFinity races pretty shambolic.  William Clyde Elliott II won his 4th consecutive Cup road race while AJ Allmendinger benefitted from a late race mistake by Chase Briscoe to win the XFinity race.  
The GSP Roundup discussed IMSA GT at Charlotte, DTM at Zolder and Moto GP/Moto 2 at Aragon coming off the French GP at Le Mans.  Previews of the Bathurst 1000, Petit Le Mans, NHRA at Dallas, WSBK at Estoril, DTM at Zolder and NASCAR at Kansas with picks.

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 28 - Demo Derbies, Penske Domination and Much More

E28 of the GSP has Phil and Josh deep dive in the totally farcical (Al Michaels voice) exercise that is racing at Talladega which saw Denny Hamlin win even though he advanced his position under the yellow line.  NASCAR's typical #consistentlyinconsistent #selectiveenforcement showed up all weekend as dozens of vehicles were wrecked which left both host displeased.  
Justin Haley and Raphael Lessard took wins in XFinity and Trucks at Talladega as the undercard to the stupidity while Team Penske dominated at their bosses house with Josef Newgarden making the season finale at St. Petersburg dramatic with a Race 1 win at IMS Friday afternoon.  Power takes Race 2 but it's only 32 points.  Could Scott Dixon spit the bit and lose this title?
GSP Roundup includes NHRA at Gateway, WSBK at Magny Cours and previews of MotoGP/Moto 2 at Le Mans, DTM at Zolder and IMSA racing at Charlotte for the first time in 20 years this weekend.  Josh and Phil preview the Cup and XFinity cut-off races at the Roval in Charlotte along with the Eiffel GP at the Nurburgring (Milt Fitzwater voice). 
 
Like, comment, download and follow us @GripStripPod, @philipgmathew and @jphuffine on Twitter along with www.philipgmathew.com and find us on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify and other podcast platforms.
#Formula1 #F1 #NASCAR #IndyCar #MotoGP #WSBK #DTM #IMSA 

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 27 - Schedule Madness For NASCAR Cup and IndyCar

Episode 27 of the GSP has Phil and Josh deep dive on the 2021 NASCAR Cup and what was the rumored 2021 IndyCar slate with the good, bad and ugly.  Many changes were announced so Phil and Josh brought their perspectives to these changes. 
NASCAR at Vegas and F1 at Sochi recapped along with F2 at Russia, Supercars at The Bend II, NHRA Gatornationals, IMSA at Mid-Ohio and Moto GP/Moto 2 at Catalunya in the GSP Roundup.  Previews of the Harvest GP IndyCar, Gateway NHRA, NASCAR at Talladega and WSBK at Magny-Cours previewed.  
Phil and Josh end the National Podcast Day episode with talk about the FallBrawl Fantasy Football league matchup along with other fellow podcasters who have appeared and work with us.  

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 26 - Air Jordan Lands in NASCAR and Much More!

Phil and Josh come back for another episode of the GSP to discuss His Airness coming to NASCAR as a team owner with Denny Hamlin and hiring Darrell "Bubba" Wallace as his driver.  What should we expect from this team and what does this mean for Hamlin and Wallace long-term?  Ross Chastain gets the 42 ride for 2021 and is it the start of a transition within CGR's NASCAR program?  Can Ross's style (similar to Ernie Irvan in his early days) sustain in Cup?  Finally Texas Motor Speedway loses a points race to Circuit of the Americas but somehow gets the All-Star Race.  Phil loses it on TMS and Josh provides perspective on what to expect for that particular race.  
 
Kevin Harvick defeats Kyle Busch for his 9th win of 2020 at the Bristol Night Race and continues a season that brings comparisons to Jeff Gordon's 1998 campaign.  Phil and Josh discuss the post-race comments by Busch as well as who advanced/got eliminated after round one.  Chase Briscoe gets his 7th win of 2020 in XFinity and ties Austin Cindric in points as they start their playoff battle at LV.  Sam Mayer gets an "upset" win at Bristol for his first Truck win and promptly jumps in an ARCA car and wins after that.  Phil and Josh go over the good, bad and ugly on the Truck playoff opener.
 
In the GSP Roundup, 24 Hours of Le Mans recap, Supercars at The Bend Pt.1, MotoGP at Misano, DTM at Hockenheim Sprint and Garrett Gerloff breaks out in WSBK round at Catalunya.  Phil and Josh preview the Russian GP weekend and whether Lewis Hamilton will tie Michael Schumacher with 91 wins at Putindrome along with what to expect from the title combatants and the midfield and F2 talk. 
 
NASCAR tripleheader at Vegas this weekend with different tiers of the playoffs (since its NASCAR).  NHRA runs the Gatornationals this weekend for their first non-Indy race since February.  Supercars at The Bend Pt.2, Moto GP/Moto 2/Moto 3 at Catalunya and IMSA at Mid-Ohio with some notable absences due to COVID-19.  

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 25 - Too Much and Never Enough

Phil and Josh return for Episode 25 of the GSP talking about NASCAR at Richmond where Brad Keselowski took his 4th win of 2020 in dominant fashion.  We discuss who stood out both good and bad and whose in trouble at Bristol based on points.  Justin Allgaier takes two wins in less than 24 hours in XFinity and inserts his name into the title battle with a scuffling Briscoe and Cindric.  Grant Enfinger leads a ThorSport 1-2-3 as the truck series has become two superteams and Austin Hill going into the playoffs.
 
IndyCar saw Will Power and Colton Herta split wins at Mid-Ohio with an uncharacteristicly poor performance for six-time Mid-Ohio winner Scott Dixon all weekend.  We discuss all of that and what to expect with three races left in the season.  F1 had Lewis Hamilton win his 90th race but it was definitely more interesting than the usual at Mugello.  Dalton Sargeant's close call in F3 leads the Round-Up with the F2, DTM at Nurburgring, WTCR at Zolder, MotoGP/Moto 2 at Misano and Super GT at Twin Ring Motegi. 
 
Previews are a deep dive into this weekend's 24 Hours of Le Mans and American participation both drivers/teams and can an LMP2 make the overall podium again?  GT PRO and AM are tough as usual along with the LMP2 battle going the entire distance.  NASCAR races at Bristol for all three series so we make picks as well.  Listen, like, share and follow us @GripStripPod @philipgmathew @jphuffine 

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 24 - Status Whoa!

Phil and Josh come back for another episode of the GSP after Pierre Gasly wins his first F1 race over Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll in one of the wildest Italian GP's ever!  They also discuss Logan Sargeant's missed opportunities at Monza in F3 along with the Ferrari junior driver battle in F2.  Kevin Harvick wins his 8th race of 2020 in the Southern 500 while Truex and Clyde end each other.  Phil and Josh discuss the good and bad from the playoff opener and non playoff standouts.  Bruckshot Jones in the Robert Huffman tribute benefits from Chastain and Wilbur running over each other to win along with the idiotic lack of a caution that cost Briscoe a chance at victory earlier.  Ben Rhodes uses track position and a late pass on Derek Kraus to get his first truck series win of 2020 with the playoff cutoff at Richmond looming.  US Nationals discussed along with the GSP Roundup consisting of Supercars, WSBK, DTM and IMSA doing the 6 Hours at the Glen at Road Atlanta.  Previews of F1/F2/F3 at Mugello, NASCAR at Richmond, IndyCar at Mid-Ohio, MotoGP at Misano, DTM at Nurburgring and Super GT at Motegi abound on a jam packed episode of the GSP!  Add some NFL talk at the end too!
 
F1 Italian GP 3:45-27:40Cup Southern 500 27:42-48:59Xfinity Darlington 200 49:00-56:55Trucks Darlington 200 57:00-1:04:55US Nats/Round up around 1:04:55-1:09:18F1 Magello GP preview 1:09:20-1:14:00MotoGp/DTM/Super GT 1:14:01-1:15:40NASCAR Cup/Xfinity/Trucks Richmond Preview 1:15:42-1:21:13Indy Car Mid Ohio GPx2 preview 1:21:20-1:24:32NFL discussion 1:24:50-1:28:27

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 23 - Southern 500/US Nationals/Italian GP aka The Classics

Phil and Josh deep dive into the history of the Southern 500 at Darlington, the US Nationals at Indianapolis and the Italian GP at Monza.  Why have these races and tracks stood the test of time and what is so unique about each of them?  They mention favorite moments and stats of those who have been fortunate to win and some who haven't at each palace of speed.  Also, Phil and Josh go into the throwbacks, who chose not to and why some got throwbacks in the first place.  Warning, that section has some ranting and colorful language.  Download, like and let us know what you think!  

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 22: Watch and Learn

Phil and Josh discuss Byron winning his first Cup race in the regular season ending Coke Zero 400 and other events including Bubba's opportunity late and the #consistentlyinconsistent caution calls.  They go over picks for who makes it out of R1 and the tracks they'll be racing in the remade first round.  XFinity saw Ross Chastain dump AJ Allmendinger allowing Justin Haley to finally get his XFinity win at Daytona after getting screwed out of one a couple years ago.  Sheldon Creed moves Todd Gilliland out of a likely win and takes his (regular driver) series leading third win of 2020 at Gateway.  
Lewis Hamilton takes win 89 at Spa in dominant fashion while the #RedToiletsOnWheels struggle mightily a year after Charl Eclair won his first race there.  Midfield battle is tightening up after a great Renault 4/5 last weekend.  IndyCar sees Dixon get his 50th win and Newgarden take another short oval win while Pato O'Ward continues to stand out with his performances.  
The Round-Up goes over Logan Sargeant's superb win on Sunday in F3 at Spa to take the points lead while Tsunoda and Schwartzman win in F2.  Whincup and McLauglin continue their domination of Supercars at Townsville Pt.1 while Ash Sutton and Rory Butcher win at Knockhill for BTCC.  Rea and Redding will be battling till the end to see if Johnny could win a sixth consecutive WSBK title after wins at Aragon.  
Phil and Josh preview the Southern 500 and all the NASCAR events at Darlington for Throwback weekend as a precursor to another episode coming out.  Also, F1/F2/F3 at Monza, the US Nationals for NHRA, IMSA at Road Atlanta for the 6 Hours at the Glen, Supercars at Townsville, WSBK at Aragon and DTM at Assen.