Drivin' Life

TeamTGM had an incredible weekend at Daytona. P2 and P6 in the Michelin Pilot Challenge 4 hour race on Friday and P7 in the Rolex 24 Hours at Dayton On Saturday/Sunday. In addition to the racing we also had the pleasure to meet up with Edvin Dzafcic from Trak Racer as he dropped off a complete sim rig for Owen. Seeing as how Owen was pretty busy all weekend, the boys set the rig up in the infield RV lot for some late night racing of their own at Daytona. Listen in as we talk to Edvin about the weekend and get race feedback from Owen!

Jody Covington has been a long time kart racer and enthusiast. Join us as we talk about his passion for karting, when it started and his journey to re-establishing the Tennessee Karting Association. Along the way Jody became friends with and helped our very own Owen Trinkler. The journey has now come full circle as Jody is now helping Owens boys get their start in karting. This is a great conversation and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

MTSU place kicker, Matt Crews, brings IndyCar to Nashville. Ok, technically thats true, buttt.......Listen to this episode of DrivinLife and hear about the path Matt took from MTSU place kicker to CEO of the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix.

Ken Thwaits with Showtime Motorsports and Franklin Road Apparel sits down with the guys to talk about the TransAm race at the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix.  To say he had a lot going on that weekend is an understatement!  He shares with us how he became a sponsor of the race.  How he had a brand new race car delivered just days before the race.  And, how he raced from the back of the field up toward the front.  We hope you enjoy this conversation with Ken as much as we did!

The event that DrivinLife and Nashville have been waiting for.....the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix!! Join Owen and Donovan as they get after the recap of the full weekends worth of events. Plus we throw in about 3 minutes of Nascar at the Glenn and IMSA Michelin Pilot Series racing at Road America. Lets jump right into this episode!

Another great weekend of Racing! Formula 1 at Azerbaijan brought us great racing, huge disappointment and mistakes. Nascar saw the Xfinity series at Mid Ohio with some new pit rules and maybe not a surprise winner. The Cup series was at Sonoma where we saw great racing, fast cars and familiar faces at the end. Listen in as we give a run down of all the weekends racing

Join us on this episode as we sit down with Ken Thwaits to talk about the weekend at LIme Rock Connecticut. Or as Owen fondly called it...Slime Rock. It was wet again this weekend for the Trans Am race and Ken was immortalized with a beautiful shot of him going off track in turn one. Listen in as Ken gives us the full race breakdown.

Join us as we recap all the racing from the Memorial Day Weekend. Two incredible races in the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Both were fantastic races and Owen and Donovan couldn't wait to share this Recap Show! Let us not forget that the Memorial Day weekend is a time when Americans everywhere celebrate and honor the service men and women who gave their lives for freedom and country. Everyone at DrivinLife would like to thank these men and women who have paid the ultimate price so that we could live in a country where we have the freedom to pursue our passions.

On this episode we sit down with friends of the podcast Jeremy Sweeney and Chris Barrett to talk about their experience at the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona. We talk about that and, well, a bunch of stuff. We had a blast, they had a blast and we hope you enjoy this episode as we just chat with some fans!!

Owen and TeamTGM had a big weekend at Daytona. 2 different cars, 2 different races and 2 weeks at the track. Join us as we talk about how Owen and TeamTGM finished and get the behind the scenes details from Owen about what its like to be on track for 28 hours of competition in 2 days.

We are back for Season 2! Join us for a brief intro to our plans for 2021, what derailed us at the end of '20 and discussion about the first race of the season. It is great to be back!! Thanks for joining us.

IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Series TeamTGM is entering Rolex 24 At Daytona, as well as returning for the full 2021 season. Big news from TeamTGM this week and Donovan had the chance to have a conversation with Team Owner Ted Giovanis for a great conversation about the decision to enter a car in the Rolex 24 At Daytona. This is great news for fans of TeamTGM as they plan to enter a Porsche 911 GT3 R in the GT Daytona (GTD) class. Ted talks about the logistics involved with putting the team together, how they wont take talent or time away from the 2 car GS class team, and the decision to go with Porsche. Give this episode a listen for a little insight into big time racing from a Championship Winning Owner and stay tuned in the coming weeks for more details regarding this exciting development from TeamTGM

Music City Grand Prix COO Jason Rittenberry returns to the podcast with news of 2 additional support series races for the Grand Prix weekend. Added to the schedule will be the SRO GT World Challenge America series with GT3, GT2, and GT4 cars on track as well as TransAm TA2 cars in their own race. These are perfect additions to the race weekend as it gives fans a wide variety of on track racing with 3 distinctly different types of cars competing for the win. We will be having Jason back to the show as they continue to release information about events planned for the race weekend. Enjoy the podcast and have a very safe Thanksgiving weekend.

Owen spent the evening out at Cruisin and Groovin in Pleasantview TN for their annual Trunk or Treat car show. There was plenty to see and do with over 250 car show entrants and better than 1000 spectators. In this episode Owen interviews the long drive winner, Roger Doonsand ( Roger, I apologize if I butchered the spelling of your last name) and they chat about cars, track days, and recreating Cruisin and Groovin in Panama City FL. Of course we talk racing and the recent season ending race for NASCAR and some interesting news coming from Hendrick Motorsports and Jimmie Johnson. Enjoy this weeks episode.

JP Crabtree, 3rd generation racer from Muncie Indiana joins us to talk about how he got started in racing and the upcoming All American 400 on Halloween weekend. We get to talk a little bit about what got him started in racing and what he does during his free time, which admittedly he does not have a lot of! This will be the first time he has raced at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway and he will be up against the best of the best for this race. Hear what his expectations are and his plans for the weekend. Through our friends at GC Performance Classics, DrivinLife will be along for the ride this weekend. A huge thank you to Jeremy Carpenter and his crew for helping this young driver make it to the track, and for giving us an opportunity to be a part of it as well. If you have never been to this race, go get a ticket and lets get to some short track, end of season racing!!

Jason Rittenberry is the Chief Operating Officer of the Music City Gran Prix. We sat down with Jason to talk about his background in motorsports promotion and ultimately what brought him (back) to Tennessee. Bringing the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, the premier level open-wheel racing in North America, to Nashville was no small feat. Jason details how he got involved and the lengthy process they went through to get Indycar committed to running a race through the streets of Nashville. The local car community in Nashville is going crazy anticipating this race in August of 2021. Give Jason a listen for more details.

Carl George, Sr. VP - Development, HCA Inc. (retired) and David Conrad, Legendary Nashville Songwriter and Music Executive share a friendship and a deep passion for vintage automobile racing. DrivinLife caught up with Carl and David in Carls 20,000 square foot garage. Or is it a vintage automobile showroom? Or maybe its a museum.....What ever you want to call it, it's cool! Join us as we talk about what started the love affair with automobiles. What got them into racing and the creation of the Zapata Racing Team. Carl tells us about his garage and how its become something more than just a space for family and friends to park their cars. Most of all, listen to the stories and hear the smiles in their voices, and the good times in their laughter. Owen and I are blessed to be able to sit down with so many wonderful individuals, share their stories and create new friendships. Thanks for coming along with us. Thank you Carl and David for taking a minute to sit down with us. Enjoy the episode, Zapata Racing!

We are back to finish up our conversation with Ben Pitts. In this episode we continue to talk about bikes and the wrap things up with a conversation about his new(ish) found passion for the 4 wheel variety of things that go fast. Enjoy!!

On the show today we have local Nashville enthusiast Ben Pitts. Ben is better known to those of us locally as Bendointhings on Instagram. We sat down in the Bourbon Room of his home and talked.......Alot! So Much so that we had to make it 2 episodes. The conversation touched on Four wheel drive purpose built "jeeps", diesel trucks, motorcycles, and sports cars. This was great for the podcast as we havent really hit much on off road or motorcycles. Join us in Part 1 for a good ride into somewhat uncharted territory for us. P.S No bourbon was harmed in the making of this podcast!

This week Owen and Donovan sit down with.....well, Owen and Donovan. This is the 24th episode for DrivinLife Podcast and we just wanted to take a moment and reflect on where we are. Where it all started, and where we are headed. We really want to thank the wonderful guests that have given so graciously of their time to sit down with us and talk about what we all love. We also want to thank the listeners for giving us a listen and deciding to hang out for awhile to see where this thing goes. 2021 is fast approaching and we have BIG ideas for whats to come. So hang with us a little longer, enjoy the ride and get out there and take the wheel!!

Coming Soon! Family friendly and enthusiast driven, NME will offer viewing hills and amenities to welcome the entire family on weekends, and special events. And thats just a small part of what they will offer. In Part 2 of our conversation with Jeremy Carpenter and Eric Richey we dive into the multi faceted campus that will be Nashville Motorsports Enclave and gain a deeper understanding of their grand vision. Give this episode a listen. Open your mind a bit to the positive aspects of what is being proposed for the use of this property. We think you will come away impressed and excited....we sure were! Enjoy Nashville Motorsports Enclave with Jeremy Carpenter and Eric Richey.

DrivinLife had the opportunity to sit down, in the middle of GC Performance Classics Shop, Nashville, for a great conversation with Owner Jeremy Carpenter and his Business Partner Eric Richey. As is becoming customary with the guests we have on DrivinLife, we could have talked for hours. As it turns out, this became a two part episode. In Part 1 we talk about the back story. Where both Jeremy and Eric got their love of all things automotive and what lead them to where they are now. This is where we had to make it a 2 part series. The story doesnt end with growing an outstanding Classic Performance Restoration Shop. No, these 2 gentleman have BIG plans for the future. Take a listen to part 1 and following along as they bring us to where they are today, and come back next week to see where they are headed. You are not going to want to miss this!!

Matt Shaw is a native to Tennessee. He graduated from Tennessee High School and then King University, both in Bristol, obtaining a degree in Biology. Matt started his working career in the family ophthalmic business as an Optician. He later moved to Memphis where he trained and worked in the field of Pharmaceutical Drug Development. Matt has a special interest in Porsche Racing and Restoration. He volunteers his time teaching high performance and safe driving skills through national programs. Matt has a special interest in Porsche Racing and Restoration, he volunteers his time teaching high performance and safe driving skills through national programs. Owen and I sat down with Matt in his car stable and talked about the early years where he found his passion for cars, specifically Porsche cars. Matt told us about his racing and the highs and lows that came with it. We wrapped up our conversation talking about how he was able to build businesses around his passions and where that is taking him in the future. Buckle up and join us for another great DrivinLife ride with Mr. Matt Shaw

For 2020, TGM debuted two brand new entries, as well as a new driver lineup, to run in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (IMPC) Grand Sport (GS) class. The team will field the No. 64 Camaro GT.R featuring drivers Ted Giovanis and Owen Trinkler, and the No. 46 Camaro GT.R featuring drivers Hugh Plumb and Matt Plumb. Owen and Donovan caught up with Ted while in Atlanta and sat down for a chat to hear where it all began.

Marine. Hero. Racer.

Paul Arnold is a Nashville Developer that loves to go fast....Cars, boats, go carts, Jet skis pretty much anything fast. Greg Taylor is retired from owning the Nashville Malibu Boats dealership. Greg also likes to go fast. Greg and Paul have both raced cars professionally. The passion runs deep and the laughter runs deeper. Take a listen as we sat down in Pauls shop where they are building race cars for their soon to open driving school in Lynchburg TN. Great stories and tons of laughter insued! Enjoy

Brendan Thompson has always enjoyed anything with wheels throughout his life. From 20 inch bicycles when he was racing BMX to 20 inch wheels when he is tracking one of his cars. He even throws in the occasional skateboard for good measure. Join us this week as we sit down with Brendan in his garage to talk about all these things. We had a blast and we think you will as well!!

To say Ken Thwaits is “driven” is an understatement. Ken is a Successful Businessman, Professional Race Driver, Accomplished Pilot and Automotive Enthusiast. He began racing in his teens, eventually turning pro in 1979, and winning the Mazda Pro Series national championship in 1984. In 1993, Ken and Johnny Unser saw an opportunity to utilize their specialized professional driving skill set and industry knowledge to create and grow a new business, Precision Dynamics International (PDI). PDI has grown into a full-service automotive training and marketing company – working with automotive industry giants such as Nissan and Hyundai to name a few – to provide dealer training programs, consumer driving events, and meeting and conference events. Ken still cannot resist the call of the racetrack. Today, his racing team and Showtime Motorsports brand includes race cars, and an outstanding classic Camaro collection. We sat down with Ken in his mancave/race shop to talk about his passion for all things automotive. We hope you enjoy Kens story as much as we did!

Join us for a great conversation and update about Nascar's announcement to return to Nashville with Mike Tatoian, the Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of Dover Motorsports, Inc., and he also serves as the president & CEO of Dover International Speedway aka "The Monster Mile". Mike talks with us about his history in the sport, how things have since he came to the track in January 2007 and gives us insight about the big news that in June 2021, the rebirth of Nashville Superspeedway will take place as the facility will play host to a NASCAR Cup Series weekend and over 100+ plus events that will occur on the property... Let's talk racin'

Fred Ashmore joins us on the show. 25:55 is an insane number when you consider that it represents the time it took for one man to drive from New York to LA. Making only one stop for fuel, in a RENTAL CAR! As usual, we dig a little deeper than just the details of the record setting run, which we do discuss. We talk about the early years and what got Fred excited about cars, both driving them and building them. He also talks about how he got involved with the cannonball run, and how that lead to several more records. And of course, there is more to come, Take a listen and enjoy our conversation with Fred Ashmore.

Today we rejoin Alex Smith for part 2 of our conversation. In this episode, Alex shares more stories about his relationships and his love of VIR. We also get to hear a little more about who he is. From his business philosophy to his book. When you finish todays episode I think you will understand why Owen and I got so caught up in this conversation. Please join us and Enjoy Part 2 with Alex Smith

Alex Smith and the Smith family are fondly referred to as the First Family of VIR (Virginia International Raceway) by our own Owen Trinkler. We sat down with Alex, in his villa at VIR for a conversation about his passions. His passion for his wife and family. His passion for his career. His passion for the relationships they have created over the years, and his passion for driving. This conversation was very personal for Owen and you can hear that in the episode. I should say episodes. We had such a great time with Alex, we had to split our time over 2 weeks. Join us for Part 1. We hope you get as caught up in the conversation as we did!

Most people know John Oates as a Rock 'n Roll superstar who sold over 40 Million records and is in the Songwriters Hall of Fame... which is true. We also sat down with John the car collector, race car driver and auto enthusiast to discuss how his passion for music and automobiles intertwined brought him to collect some amazing pieces of both cars and guitars! Hope you enjoy the stories and time with John as much as we did!

We invite you to join us over the next two weeks and share in the conversation we recently had with Mr. Bob Ingram. If you know the name, you know the Ingram Collection. Bob and his family have built what is arguably the world's most significant privately owned Porsche Automobile collection. Or, as Cam Ingram said in a recent article, 'perhaps it's better known as the Peoples Porsche Collection. Cohost Owen Trinkler has been friends with the Ingram family for many years, so we decided to take a little road trip to Raleigh-Durham North Carolina to sit down Bob and talk about the collection, the stories and the passion for Porsche. Fittingly, we set up our equipment in the Vehicle Delivery Showroom at Porsche Southpoint and had a wonderful conversation. Enjoy Part 1

DrivinLife was invited to go and check out Cruise'n N Groove'n in Pleasant View Tennessee over the weekend. So we decided to set up the podcast gear and talk to some of the auto enthusiasts that made the trip. The event is held every 3rd Saturday of the month. Put it in your calendar and out to see vintage cars, enjoy some great food choices, and have a family fun evening. We had a blast and plan to go back again later this summer. Give it a listen and enjoy this special event podcast brought to you by the Hampton Inn Pleasant View.

We invite you to join us for part 2 of the conversation we recently had with Mr. Bob Ingram. If you know the name, you know the Ingram Collection. Bob and his family have built what is arguably the world's most significant privately owned Porsche Automobile collection. Or, as Cam Ingram said in a recent article, 'perhaps it's better known as the Peoples Porsche Collection. Cohost Owen Trinkler has been friends with the Ingram family for many years, so we decided to take a little road trip to Raleigh-Durham North Carolina to sit down Bob and talk about the collection, the stories and the passion for Porsche. Fittingly, we set up our equipment in the Vehicle Delivery Showroom at Porsche Southpoint and had a wonderful conversation. Enjoy Part 2

This week we sit down with Sammy Pouri in his office/mancave. Mancave does not do this space justice! We talked to Sammy about this space and the cars in it. We talked about his business work ethic. We talked about his criteria for a Saturday morning drive.... I think you get the point. Take a listen and enjoy this great conversation.

We met with Chandler, Founder and CEO of Welling Media, an advertising and marketing firm in Franklin, TN. Sitting down in his man cave/office which is home home to his 1965 Shelby Cobra and his newly acquired Porsche 911 GT3RS and of course his daily driver, an Aston Martin Vantage. Chandler shares his garage, his story and his time and we couldn't have enjoyed it more. Hope you do

On today's episode, we have a special guest in Mr. Jeff Tilton. Jeff and Donovan are life long friends that grew up loving everything with a motor, from Snowmobiles to Jet Skis and Motorcycles to Motorhomes, we have had an experience with them all. Especially important with today's episode, aside from another great guest, is that Donovan does this one solo. Find out in the opening why. Enjoy the stories today!

This episode is with Jeremy Sweeney, Wealth Manager, Certified Financial Planner, and Obsessed Automotive Enthusiast. His love of all things automotive started much the same way as many of ours....reading car magazines as a kid. Jeremy's first car was a 1989 Honda Civic, and it only got better from there! His next purchase was a '91 Nissan 240 SX. The 240SX brought with it a couple of firsts. First autocross and first modification in the form of an engine swap. It was game on from there. From Toyota Supras and BMW M cars to his current passion...Porsche. In the garage currently is a Tesla Model 3 Performance, another Nissan 240SX, a Toyota Taco daily driver, and the 2 Porsches. A 1995 911, supercharged, and built for the track by Mike Levitas at TPC Racing. Below that sits the 2019 GT3RS. Join us in this episode as Jeremy talks about his passion for driving and the many stories that have come along the way!

Jason Abbott appreciates anything with an engine especially cars, his boat, motorcycles, and the planes he flies. He sat down and talked with us about his 14 years working as a pilot for Southwest Airlines and his military service prior to that. He shared some great stories with us that we hope you will enjoy.

Owen and Donovan sit down with Addison, owner and creator of Gunner Kennels to discuss how his passion and mission created the ultimate in safety for dog kennels, giving owners and hunters peace of mind.

Hey guys its Owen and Donovan here! We hope you guys enjoy this episode of Drivin' Life with Dr. Ross Dr. Ross Robinson is a Porsche enthusiast and race car driver in the WRL series. When he is not in his garage or on the track, you will find him in scrubs at St. Thomas West Hospital in Nashville, TN, where he is a Cardiac Anesthesiologist and ICU Physician. He has come a long way since his first 1972 Datsun 240z.

Welcome to the Drivin' Life podcast with Donovan and Owen! Hope yall enjoy