Grip Strip Podcast

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 158 - F1 and IndyCar Time

Phil and Josh come back for E158 of the GSP to cover all things motorsports and the season really takes off with F1 and IndyCar having their season openers.  However, the guys cover NASCAR at Fontana (likely for the last time) with Kyle Busch winning in only his third start for RCR in Cup and John Hunter Nemechek in XFinity for JGR after rain affected the entire weekend.  Both races are reviewed and early points checks are done for both series.
In depth previews of the NTT IndyCar Series and Formula 1 World Championship come next with Phil and Josh making predictions on champions, rookies and other key story lines to focus on leading into St. Petersburg and Bahrain accordingly. 
The GSP Roundup covers Formula E at Cape Town, WSBK in Phillip Island, F2 & F3 at Bahrain and Indy NXT at St. Petersburg before the crew previews the Las Vegas triple-header for NASCAR with win and wild card picks prior to Josh's Sim Segment and Show Close.

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 157 - NASCAR is Back

After a busy weekend at Daytona to open up the 2023 NASCAR season, Phil and Josh are back to cover all the action on E157 of the GSP.  OH RICHARD (Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.) broke a 199-race winless streak by capturing the 65th Daytona 500.  The race actually went 530 miles due to overtime but the JTG-Daugherty driver is now immortalized as a 500 champion along with a playoff berth.  The guys get into the race itself, the wrecks, standouts and picks made before moving into XFinity and Trucks, which saw repeat winners in Austin Hill and Zane Smith respectively. 
F1 is gearing up for their only pre-season test of 2023 prior to the season opener at Bahrain in a couple weeks and IndyCar is also looking towards their opener at St. Petersburg, so Phil updates any pertinent news items prior to a full preview next week for both series.  The GSP Roundup is short and sweet with Formula E in Cape Town, South Africa for the first time along with WSBK opening their 2023 campaign at Phillip Island in Australia. 
Phil and Josh preview what likely is the last race at Auto Club Speedway for Cup and XFinity and make their picks for both races before Josh covers his exploits in the iRacing Daytona 500 (both fixed and open setup attempts) and the show close.

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 156 - Daytona Dreaming

Phil and Josh return for E156 of the GSP to get into Speed (half) week at Daytona for NASCAR, culminating in the Daytona 500.  However, the guys get into the Super Bowl which saw KTF (aka Patrick Mahomes) and the Kansas City Chiefs win their second Super Bowl in the last four years, coming back against the upstart Philadelphia Eagles.  Phil and Josh discuss the key plays and players in the game along with other significant moments.  Updates on coaching and GM searches are looked at before moving onto NASCAR.
All three major series open up their season, so previews of the Craftsman Truck Series, XFinity and Cup Series are done with final four and championship selections made.  Formula 1 car reveals and IndyCar news is brought up next prior to the GSP Roundup that includes Formula E, WRC and MotoGP. 
The Tate Fogleman Algorithm makes its return to the GSP for Daytona, with Josh getting the machine out of hibernation to possibly make another insane choice.  Phil and Josh make their picks for all three races, wild cards and who gets the front row and goes home for the 500 (Phil whiffed on both open choices).  Josh gets into the iRacing Daytona 500 with an opportunity to join legends in racing as winners of both Indy and Daytona among other races for this week prior to the Show Close.

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 155 - Put Some Respect On This

Phil and Josh are back for E155 of the GSP to recap Martin Truex, Jr's win at the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum.  The cluster of the "race" featured 16 caution flags and an average speed just over 22 mph.  The guys get into this event and who stood out, like Ryan Preece and Darrell Wallace, Jr. 
While they had an opportunity, the RFK Racing duo of Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher missed the main for a second consecutive year.  Phil and Josh look at that, who else of value missed the main and key news stories leading into Speedweek at Daytona. 
The Super Bowl is on-tap with the Eagles and Chiefs facing off in the Andy Reid/Kelce Bowl or the KTF coronation ceremony.  The crew make their predictions known along with what to watch from both sides in Glendale.  IndyCar, F1 and other pertinent news items are discussed prior to the GSP Roundup, which includes previews of the Indian E-Prix in Hyderabad and Rally Sweden for the WRC.  
Josh lets us know about all things sim racing in his Sim Segment before Show Close.

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 154 - Watches, Medals and Champs

Phil and Josh return for E154 of the GSP to discuss a wild NFL conference championship weekend and the Rolex 24 at Daytona amongst other events.  Kansas City and KTF made their third Super Bowl in the last four years after withstanding Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, which means JD Harmeyer is a mush-mouthed bald guy. 
Prior to that game, the San Francisco 49ers season ended six plays into the game after a Hassan Reddick sack and forced fumble on Brock Purdy, which left Mr. Relevant unable to throw and looking at elbow surgery.  Phil goes off in frustration and anger after another close call and the Eagles basically being able to coast to victory.  Also, tech difficulties happened, just like the entire 49ers team had that day.
In more positive news, Josh attended the Rolex 24 and let us know about how the atmosphere was for the first race of the new GTP era in IMSA.  The guys get into the race and talk about all the class winners including the Meyer-Shank Acura team repeating as Rolex 24 champs with new hire Colin Braun.  With plenty of talk that the GTP's may not make it, the race came down to four cars (Two Acuras & Cadillacs) battling at the end.  However, Porsche and BMW struggled but they all have time to adjust prior to Sebring in March.
Phil and Josh cover NASCAR news before the GSP Roundup looks at the Race of Champions and the Formula E Saudi E-Prix doubleheader.  For the second consecutive year, the NASCAR Cup Series will start their season at the LA Coliseum for the Busch Light Clash.  The crew previews the race and makes their picks before Josh's Sim Segment and Show Close.

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 153 - 38th Special

Phil and Josh return for E153 of the GSP with more NFL Playoff talk and a preview of the Rolex 24.  With the Jaguars exiting the playoffs at the hands of Mahomes, Josh was disappointing but knows the future is bright for his team after a lean period for the organization.  San Francisco has now won 12 consecutive games going back to a loss versus Kansas City in October, giving Phil a healthy jolt on his birthday week.  The crew discusses Divisional weekend along with previews of both championship games with picks.
The 61st Rolex 24 at Daytona takes place this weekend with the GTP nomenclature returning to IMSA for the first time since 1992.  Nine cars from four manufacturers will take the start on Saturday, looking for reliability and the opportunity to earn overall accolades along with some nice Rolex watches.  Each class is covered along with some familiar names for NASCAR fans racing in the Michelin Pilot Challenge.
Over the past week, there's been plenty of NASCAR news, so Josh and Phil get into the key stories with the Clash only a couple weeks away.  One big topic involved odds for winning the 2023 Cup championship, which had some interesting lines.
The GSP Roundup looks at Sebastian Ogier's record-breaking ninth victory at Rally Monte Carlo, Supercross in San Diego, Nitro Rallycross at Trois Riviere, along with previews of Formula E in Saudi Arabia and the Race of Champions.  Josh gives us the latest news from the world of sim racing during the Sim Segment before the Show Close.

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 152 - Sports Cars, Football and Motorsports Worldwide

Phil and Josh return for E152 of the GSP to discuss the NFL playoffs, which saw Josh's Jacksonville Jaguars make one of the biggest comebacks in NFL history vs. the LA Chargers.  Josh was on site for the game and with his brother who happens to be a Chargers fan.  Phil celebrated after a difficult first half for Mr. Relevant Brock Purdy, since the 49ers advanced and will host the Cowboys in the divisional round.  The crew covers all the games and make their choices for divisional weekend.
Kevin Harvick officially announced his retirement from Cup racing after the 2023 season.  Phil and Josh give their thoughts on the man known as Happy and many other nicknames.  Jimmie Johnson returns to Cup in 2023 as a car owner and introduced Legacy Motor Club aka PettyGMS.  Travis Pastrana was announced as a third driver for 23XI at the Daytona 500, adding more spice to the open field, including Seven-Time. 
Phil and Josh review the 2022 Weathertech Sports Car Championship with the Roar on tap.  The guys give their views on the champions and early observations for 2023. The GSP Roundup looks at the Chili Bowl, Dakar Rally, Mexico City Formula E and previews the Roar Before the 24 and Rally Monte Carlo. 
Josh gets into the 24 Hours of Virtual Le Mans controversy and other happenings in the world of Sim Racing prior to the show close.

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 151 - PLAYOFFS?! With Phil, Josh and Niner Nate

Phil and Josh return for E151 of the GSP and bring on 49ers #FTTB fan Niner Nate to discuss the playoffs and all the happenings in Week 18.  Josh gets to mark out after the Jaguars won the AFC South and advanced to a home playoff game vs. the Chargers.  Phil and Nate cover the 49ers victory vs. Arizona to lock up the two seed and hosting divisional rival Seattle at Levi's. 
All three discuss the match-ups and their picks along with who fell short of making the playoffs.  Black Monday for NFL coaches took place, so the guys went over who is out and who may be in play for those jobs.  Phil and Josh recap the FallBrawl fantasy football league in 2022, with both guys making some money.
Racing talk starts with the Andretti Global intent to join Formula 1 with Cadillac support and Alpine/Renault power units, and the push back received by the FIA/FOM and the teams.  Both guys had strong opinions on the current situation.
The GSP Roundup has Supercross Anaheim 1, Dakar Rally, a preview of the Chili Bowl and Formula E along with IMSA and NASCAR news.  Josh's Sim Segment has plenty of iRacing info before Show Close.

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 150 - Milestones, NFL Playoffs and Season 4

Phil and Josh are back for 2023 and Season Four of the Grip Strip Podcast!  The show starts on a somber note after the events that saw Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin collapse on the field during Monday Night Football.  Thankfully, Hamlin is on his way to recovery after the show was recorded.  The crew goes over the concerns for Hamlin and how the game stoppage will affect the Bills, Bengals and the AFC Playoff Picture. 
Josh gets into the massive Jacksonville Jaguars Week 18 game vs. Tennessee with a division title and playoff spot on the line.  Phil discusses the 49ers close call vs. the Raiders and what's at stake going into the last week vs. Arizona.  The guys let you know who's in and out of the playoffs and run down the Week 18 slate. 
Following on the somber tone after football is the passing of Ken Block.  Phil and Josh pay their respects to the man who made Gymkhana a worldwide fascination and brought so much more to the world in general.  Season recaps for XFinity and Trucks are next with key stories from the season past and a preview of the upcoming year plus the viability of the series at this time.
The GSP Roundup covers Dakar, IMSA, NASCAR, Formula E, Formula 1 and Supercross at Anaheim 1 before Josh's Sim Segment and Show Close.

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 149 - Happy Holidays, Football and F1

Phil and Josh close out Season 3 and 2022 with the GSP recapping Formula 1, NFL and more.  The breaking news that definitely affects former iRacing Indy 500 winner Josh was IndyCar taking away the license from iRacing and the fallout from that decision.  The guys go over what has been a terrible off-season for the IndyCar Series in general and how the decision truly goes at a core part of the fan-base.
Afterwards, NFL discussion with Josh's Jaguars and Phil's 49ers both doing well along with their fantasy teams in the midst of a title run in FallBrawl.  The F1 Season recap started with Fish Lips and the dominant season, which saw him win his first legitimate World Drivers Championship.  The crew gets into all the issues with Ferrari, even though they finished 2nd in constructors and drivers with Charles Leclerc.
Checo Perez becomes the new-age Mark Webber and loses out on 2nd in drivers while Mercedes takes a huge step back with the new regulations.  However, George Russell becomes the second legitimate driver to defeat Lewis Hamilton over a full season after winning two poles and his first race at Brazil.  Can Lewis return to form after going win-less and without a pole for the first time in his illustrious career?
The midfield was tightly packed and had great battles throughout the season plus 2023 driver & team principal changes, manufacturers committing to the 2026 power unit formula and the controversial ban on personal and political statements - due largely to certain places F1 hosts races.  
The GSP Roundup covers Porsche Penske Motorsports announcement of drivers in IMSA and WEC, NASCAR news updates, Coca-Cola becoming the presenting sponsor for Erebus in Supercars, F1 Academy for Women teams announced, WRC lineup updates for the Rally 1 class, NHRA news and the announcement that the 2023 SuperMotorcross season will be shown exclusively on Peacock.
Josh comes back for the Sim Segment before the guys finish out their 2022 season.  Happy Holidays and see you all in 2023 for Season 4 of the Grip Strip Podcast! 
 

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 148 - Football and IndyCar Season Recap

Phil and Josh are here to discuss all things NFL and recap the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series season.  For the NFL, Josh and Phil go into the Jaguars and 49ers respectively before reviewing their fantasy teams and the league itself. 
Afterwards, the crew recaps the IndyCar season, which saw Will Power win his second title in a year where the Penske drivers finished 1-2-4 in the standings.  Phil and Josh detail the exploits of Power, Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin along with Ganassi's Scott Dixon and Marcus Ericsson. 
Pato O'Ward, Colton Herta and the strong rookie class get their due as well in the recap.  During all of this, Phil's basement drains were being snaked after the basement bathroom overflowed.
The GSP Roundup includes SRX, NASCAR, Formula 1 and IMSA before Josh's Sim Segment with his new Fanatec pedal set and Show Close.

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 147 - Cup Series Season Review and More

Phil and Josh return for E147 of the GSP starting with NFL talk with both of their teams having major injury concerns at the Quarterback position.  Josh's Jaguars get demolished by Detroit, but avoid a catastrophe with Trevor Lawrence while the 49ers destroy the Dolphins but lose Jimmy G for the season.  Fantasy talk also ties in with the last week of the regular season in FallBrawl upcoming and both guys looking for a win to get in.
Phil and Josh start the season recap portion of the year with the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season and Joey Logano's second championship.  The guys discuss the meaning and significance of Logano's triumph at Phoenix for Penske and Ford along with the future as the likely leader of the blue oval brigade once Kevin Harvick decides to retire. 
Phil and Josh cover the parity that existed in 2022 with 19 different winners and five first time winners.  The crew goes over the other members of the final four before making picks for who under-performed in 2022 and can rebound and who over-performed and is due for a letdown.
Phil starts the GSP Roundup and trusts Motorsport.com too much regarding the Adelaide Supercars race before he recovers to the series site.  Snowball Derby, Rolex 24 testing and news from around the world of motorsports is looked at before Josh's Sim Segment and Show Close.
 

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 4 - Chase Flips Off Kyle, Then Beats Kyle For $100K...Darlington & Charlotte Recaps

Phil and Josh discuss the events at Darlington in the Cup Series Toyota 500 at Darlington and Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte which saw Chase Elliott pay the price in both events.  Phil and Josh also recap the emotional victory for Chase Briscoe at Darlington and Kyle Busch's 97th Xfinity win at Charlotte.  While previewing the Cup Series Alsco 500 at Charlotte, Phil and Josh also give live reactions to the Truck Series North Carolina Education Lottery 200 which saw Chase Elliott take down Kyle Busch and get $100,000 for charity.  Plenty to dive into on the GSP!

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 146 - Football Talk & Motorsports Scrooge

Phil and Josh return for E146 of the GSP to discuss the NFL and motorsports.  The guys get into their favorite teams and fantasy teams to start the program along with a review of records and who is in contention for the playoffs. 
Phil and Josh went over key news topics not previously discussed on the show prior to the GSP Roundup which went over Extreme E in Punta Del Este, WTCR in Jeddah and Supercars in Adelaide for their season finale. 
The crew goes over what or who made them angry or frustrated in the world of motorsports in 2022 before Josh's Sim Segment and Show Close.

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 145 - Thankful Tithings

Phil and Josh return for E145 of the GSP to discuss the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix which saw Max Verstappen win his 15th race of the 2022 Formula 1 season.  The guys also go over the battle for second in the drivers and constructors championships plus other news leading into the post season test. 
NFL Talk comes up next with Josh's Jaguars and Phil's 49ers coming up plus their fantasy teams before the GSP Roundup covers F2 at Abu Dhabi and whether Logan Sargeant would earn enough points to get his Superlicense.  Previews of Extreme E in Punta Del Este, WTCR in Jeddah and the South Carolina 400 which Junebug raced in at Bass Pro Shops throwback late model.
Phil and Josh lead into Thanksgiving and the holiday season by discussing what they were thankful for in the 2022 motorsports season before Josh's Sim Segment and Show Close.

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 144 - Great George and More

Phil and Josh return for E144 of the GSP to discuss George Russell's first career Formula 1 victory at the Sao Paulo/Brazilian Grand Prix.  The guys get into the feature and sprint races along with the qualifying, which saw Kevin Magnussen qualify on pole for Haas F1. 
Controversy reigned with current double world champion Max Verstappen getting into it with Sir Lewis Hamilton yet again along with ignoring a team directive to move over for teammate Sergio Perez in his battle for 2nd in the driver's championship.
Hamilton finished second to provide Mercedes their first 1-2 of the 2022 season with Carlos Sainz finishing third after taking an engine penalty.  Sainz teammate Charles Leclerc and Perez are tied with one race to go while Ferrari holds a 19 point lead over Mercedes heading to Abu Dhabi.  Other aggressive issues took place with the Alpine teammates while Nico Hulkenberg is returning to drive for Haas in 2023.
Phil and Josh then got into a discussion about who they would add to the Top 50 drivers in NASCAR history with the 75th year celebration starting in 2023.  Some interesting choices were covered by both before Phil got into the GSP Roundup reviewing NHRA's finale at Pomona, WEC at Bahrain, WSBK in Indonesia last week and Phillip Island this week, WRC Rally Japan and a preview of the F2 finale at Abu Dhabi.  
The NFL discussion gets into Josh and Phil's actual teams and fantasy teams before they previewed and made picks for the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix along with giving their thoughts at the end of Sebastian Vettel's legendary career.  Josh does his Sim Segment before the Show Close.

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 143 - Championship Season

Phil and Josh welcome Talking In Circles creator Clayton Caldwell back to the GSP to discuss all the happenings at Phoenix Raceway for NASCAR championship weekend.  The crew covers Joey Logano becoming a two-time Cup Series champ and the first multiple champion for Ford since David Pearson. 
They also discuss the other four drivers racing for titles along with the shocking news of Coy Gibbs passing.  News of Jimmie Johnson returning to NASCAR as a part owner of Petty GMS along with a limited schedule along with Project 91 news is also went over. 
Ty Gibbs won the XFinity title after a tumultuous week leading up to the race and having to deal with the loss of his father soon after.  JRM had three of four drivers in the final but all had issues on pit road at some point which played a part in their inability to defeat the JGR driver. 
Zane Smith was similarly dominant in the Truck Series finale to give Front Row Motorsports their first championship.  The big news for that series is Kyle Busch Motorsports going to Chevy and having Chase Purdy as their full time competitor for the title along with partnering with Rev Racing to bring ARCA champion Nick Sanchez up to run for ROTY. 
The GSP Roundup covers Pecco Bagnaia winning Ducati's first MotoGP title since 2007 with Casey Stoner along with the first Italian champ since his mentor Valentino Rossi in 2009.   Moto2 saw Augusto Fernandez lock up the title before moving up to MotoGP.  Super GT saw Nissan win their first title since 2015 and the Calsonic Impul team win for the first time since 1995 along with Iron Lynx being announced as the factory team for Lamborghini in the LMDh category, WRC preview for Rally Japan and WSBK in Indonesia. 
Phil and Josh go over Week 9 for NFL both with their regular and fantasy teams before doing the preview and picks for the Brazilian Grand Prix before Josh's Sim Segment and Show Close.

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 142 - Just Send It For Posterity

Phil and Josh return for E142 of the GSP to discuss Chris Bell winning at Martinsville along with Ross Chastain doing a video game move to get into the Final Four.  The guys get into what happened at Martinsville along with who makes the championship (Logano, Bell, Clyde and Chastain) after Chase Briscoe had a chance after the last restart to make a hail Mary but Chastain did exactly that.  Issues for KyBu, Reddick and a DQ for Brad K are also a part of the Cup discussion.
Phil and Josh get into Keebler Gibbs running over his teammate Bruckshot Jones to win his 6th race of 2022 and also eliminating his teammate from the Final Four to allow JRM to get three drivers into the championship race.  The guys go over the actions and the possible results this weekend regarding Keebler, who didn't show any remorse for his actions until Media Day. 
Fish Lips broke a record with Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel for most wins in a season at the Mexican GP for F1 while Lewis Hamilton got another 2nd place finish and Sergio Perez got another podium to get his fans off their seats. Perez holds a five point lead going into the last two races in the drivers championship while Ferrari holds a 40-point lead in the constructors championship.  Daniel Ricciardo won driver of the day with his maneuvers, even with a mistake that saw Yuki Tsunoda get eliminated from the race. 
In the GSP Roundup, Phil covers Supercars at Surfers Paradise, NHRA at Las Vegas which included Tony Stewart's debut in TAD along with the MotoGP/Moto2 finale at Valencia.  Phil and Josh get together to discuss NFL Week 8 prior to the trade deadline and what their teams did in fantasy and real life before moving forward.  Josh and Phil preview the triple-header at Phoenix with picks and wildcards for the title favorites along with who else could contend this weekend.  Josh gets into his Sim Segment before show close. 

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 141 - Down To The Wire

Phil and Josh return for Episode 141 of the GSP and open with football news since Josh's Jacksonville Jaguars traded running back James Robinson prior to the show.  Josh goes off and that opens up a football discussion for both regarding their actual and fantasy teams. 
NASCAR had a tripleheader at Homestead which saw Kyle Larson dominate and win but he sent Martin Truex, Jr. on pit road late in the race to assist in his victory.  With one race left before Phoenix, the likes of Chris Bell and Chase Briscoe are in must win situations while Ryan Blaney and Hamlin are in the mix points wise.  William Clyde Elliott II, William Byron and Ross Chastain currently hold the other three spots behind Joey Logano.  Issues for 23XI after showing great speed along with other big drivers but AJ Allmendinger continues to have success with six consecutive top 10's.
Gagson won his 8th XFinity race of 2022 to lock himself into the XFinity championship race at Phoenix while Keebler Gibbs is in good shape points wise.  Allmendinger, Justin Allgaier and Austin Hill have a chance via points but Sam Mayer and Brandon Jones need a win.  Ty Majeski won his second race in the Round of 8 while teammate Ben Rhodes got an assist from the remainder of ThorSport to advance into the Final 4 with Zane and Chandler Smith.
Formula 1 ran at Circuit of the Americas in front of a massive crowd and Lewis Hamilton led late into the US Grand Prix...but the usual result took place in the end.  Verstappen helped to win Red Bull their first Constructor's Title since 2013 on the weekend that Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz passed away.  The crew covers the race and all the movers heading into a doubleheader with Mexico. 
The GSP Roundup gets into MotoGP/Moto2 at Phillip Island, WRC Rally Spain, WSBK in Argentina and previews of Supercars at Surfers Paradise and NHRA at Las Vegas which will see the debut of Tony Stewart in a Top Alcohol Dragster.  Phil and Josh preview and make picks for the F1 Grand Prix of Mexico along with NASCAR Cup and XFinity at Martinsville plus who advances.  Josh gives us all the news on the iRacing and gaming area with the Sim Segment before Show Close.

Grip Strip Podcast Episode 140 - Pandora’s Box Part II

Phil and Josh return for a second GSP episode this week to follow up on the Bubba Wallace suspension and takeaways for the driver, team and sport itself.  The guys also check on other pertinent stories heading to Homestead before Phil does the GSP Roundup covering MotoGP/Moto2 at Phillip Island last week and Sepang this week, NHRA in Dallas, WRC Rally Spain and WSBK in Argentina. 
The crew gets into NFL Week Six for their actual teams and fantasy teams before previewing the US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Phil and Josh make picks along with discussing FP1 drivers like Logan Sargeant, Alex Palou and others before Josh's Sim Segment and Show Close.