Dump The Clutch

Cole Loftsgard, originally from Minnesota, started racing when he was 13 years old in go kart around road courses. Just 3 years later, Loftsgard moved to oval short tracks in Arizona, where he ran in the ASA Factory Stock division at Havasu 95 Speedway. The next season he ran a truck challenge series before racing a partial season in a super late model in the SRL Spears Southwest Tour in 2014. Currently Loftsgard runs with Round 3 Racing in a BMW M4 GT4. Loftsgard also runs select regional endurance races in a Porsche 718 GT4. He occasionally races with an endurance team in Brazil with an open top prototype. In his “off” time, Loftsgard works with a variety of auto manufactures at auto shows / auctions where he gives customer rides on track at speed, or around a drift course. He occasionally is a driver instructor as well in Nevada where he currently resides.

Learn how Julian Pena applied his Stanford education in mechanical engineering to a position at Hendrick Motorsports that lead to a NASCAR championship in 2016 and is still active in the sport today. (Originally aired 2019)

On this episode of Dump the Clutch, learn how Taylor Hagler went from watching races with her dad as a kid to being the first woman to win a driving championship in the Michelin Pilot Challenge. Taylor has never raced a SLM on a short track, but a race car driver is a race car driver!

In this latest edition of Dump the Clutch, you will learn about Brad Zimmerman and how he became a big time gearhead, his path to North Carolina, working for one of the largest motorsports teams in the world and then settling in at Port City Racecars.

Hear from Port City Racecar employee, Haleigh Jordan, and her journey from the Mid-West to the heart of stock car country. Moving to a different part of the country to chase her dreams was hugely terrifying but also equally rewarding.

Owner of Port City Racecars, Gary Crooks: 2022 Speedweeks overview, what observations are you making at the track and will the new Cup car cause Late Model racing to thrive even more?

In this episode you will hear from several racers that attended the recent GRIP Seminar in Mooresville, NC. The seminar is in its 11th year and is designed to provided short track racers from across the country the chance to learn the intricacies of setting up their race cars for success. The people and their stories that attended reflect a great cross section of personalities from all over the country.

With nearly 30 years of experience with two of the largest and most recognized professional sports organizations in the world, I finally got to sit down with John Olguin to pick his brain about his thoughts and musings on pro sports PR. Done right, the PR department can become a vital part to any organization and can help bolster sales, marketing and overall team culture.

Listen in to my latest chat with Jeff Boyd as he starts his Davidson Town Commissioner campaign. Originally from PA, Jeff has spent a lot of time traveling for business and pleasure and brings a lot of good insight back from those travels that can be used to enhance our already great community. Thanks for the listen and have a great day!

On this episode I had the chance to sit down with Tim Neal. Tim is a Davidson resident and one of 8 running for a town commissioner seat in November. Tim and his family have a very interesting story whether it was living abroad in Luxembourg or building a dream home in downtown Davidson. Thanks in advance for the listen and have a great day!

Talking about some of the major moves in motorsports over the last few months as this episode dives into these topics and what it all means moving forward.

I am happy to report that after diving deeper into the inner workings of our local town politics, a message of unity is starting to crystalize. There will never be a group of people agreeing on absolutely everything, but it is very important (now more than ever) to create “longer tables instead of higher walls.” Ryan Fay and I have very similar backgrounds personally and professionally (even with long distance triathlon) and worked together at a marketing agency in Charlotte about 15 years ago. Motorsports was again the great connector for us originally and it was great to reconnect with him so I could learn more about his views on the future of Davidson. Thanks for listening!

I teased it a little while ago about running for a commissioner seat on the Davidson Town Board. Not sure I am going to do it, but I had a chance to interview Dan Ryan who IS running and I think would make a good addition to our local government. Coming from a family that owned a small business, I am a big supporter of local products, shops, and restaurants and selfishly, I would like to see some more growth on Main St here in town. I am going to align with Dan and volunteer my services to him until election day in November as he and I totally align on this and many topics. I know several of you listening live in Davidson and I would appreciate the listen so you can get to know Dan. There are only 13,500 people in Davidson and very few vote…hopefully we can get the voting numbers up and this podcast will be the first step of many. Thank you!

A deep dive into a new digital marketplace designed for college athletes (and grassroots racers) to monetize their NIL. State and federal laws are constantly evolving around this topic and UPREZ's interface is designed to be a frictionless marketplace for both the athletes and brands alike looking to target/leverage the ever popular 18-21 age demo.

The most pivotal time in history for NASCAR (and motorsports in general). How are the sanctioning bodies handling moving forward to keep their sport whole while addressing social injustices at the same time? How will the actions now affect sponsorship in the future? How are the fan's views and opinions factoring into to all of this? Lots of opinions flying around...these are mine through a motorsport lens.

Having athletic ability is great, but you won't go far without heart. Mike Metcalf has been involved in sports his whole life and has co-produced a program that cultivates successful teams and thriving cultures that can be applied to both sports AND corporate teams alike.

As teams go back to the track to race in front of empty grandstands, teams need to make the right adjustments when it comes to providing sponsor value in the new world.

A special edition of Dump The Clutch as this quick episode will explain a little more about my new venture, BZ Strategic Partners. Thanks for the listen and I would appreciate a like and a share to help spread the word!

As COVID19 persists in the US, motorsports continues to be adversely effected. The bigger question looming is when things get back to "normal," what will that look like? How will teams and sanctioning bodies adapt? Those topics discussed including WrestleMania 36...will there be something to learn from the WWE as their crown jewel airs this weekend void of a live audience? Only time will tell.

These unprecedented times will require unprecedented ideas and efforts to get things back on track once we all get back to “normal.” There have been some crazy ideas that have floated around the American motorsports landscape for many years and I think we are getting ready to see some of those ideas finally come to life once COVID-19 subsides. This dark time is sure to pass…but who will innovate there way back to normalcy?

This new episode of Dump the Clutch will be centered around my hot take on the NASCAR Next Generation car for the 2021 Cup racing season. I will touch on all the changes that have been shown to the public, tested at tracks and more importantly, discuss why all these changes are happening from my point of view.

A wide-ranging discussion all revolving around sports and how it continues to evolve based on audience behavior and corporate involvement. During our talk we touch on several topics including NASCAR, WWE, Barstool, technology, eSports, sponsorship and what it is like to build a new sports management curriculum from scratch.

Whether its NASCAR, IndyCar or NHRA, each series finds itself in a very defined place within their respective histories. This conversation breaks down some of the challenges each are dealing with and what the future might hold with the advancement of broadcasting and gaming technology.

One of the more critical topics facing the automotive manufactures is their desire to race engines that are technically relevant for their business while still putting on a good show for the fans. Internal combustion? All electric? Hybrid? Motorsports is at a pivotal point in its history and the decisions made over the next few years will cement the future of many sanctioning bodies.

Learn more about one of the "real" wives from CMT's show, Racing Wives. Having been behind the wheel of a race car as a kid, worked for a professional motorsports team and a sports marketing agency AND married a motorsports engineer, Trish brings an interesting perspective to the reality show.

Learn about the behind the scenes of the rise (and fall) of The Nextel Experience which debuted at the Daytona 500 in February 2004.

Our latest podcast was a great talk with Doug Kester. We talked sports marketing, machine learning, athlete management, youth sports club teams, motorsports festivals, concussions, esports and a very serious and open conversation about mental health. I really hope you can find the time to listen as I think this episode will provide you some great value and insight into a very important and pivotal topic in our society.

"4 tires and fuel" take on a whole new meaning in this latest sit down with Shaun Peet, one of Chip Ganassi Racing's pit crew coaches. Learn how the pit crew team culture is built and fostered in order to do battle on Sunday as well as grow the team members into world class human beings.

Had a great conversation with Michael Verlatti who has been in the (racing) event business for over 25 years dating back to his Winston West days with his dad. We talked technology, the future of the sport and what he would do if he had "the magic wand." Enjoy!

Learn about Ian's humble beginnings, his love affair with racing and his path all the way to Team Penske...THE gold standard in all of the racing industry.

On this latest episode of Dump the Clutch, Bradley Sisson lets us in on what it's like working for The King, creating digital content for the famed #43 NASCAR Cup team and his jaw dropping artistic talent of hand drawing some of the most iconic cars to come out of Petty's Garage.

Learn how a :42 second video posted to YouTube changed Elijah's life forever!

My hot take on the huge announcement that was made this morning by Roger Penske and the Penske Corporation. Ideas and thoughts are my own and speculative in nature, but at the end of the day, a very positive step for the sport IMO!

Learn about one of the most iconic, and profitable, motorsports marketing platforms ever created...the Target Racing Program.

When it comes to the topic of new media, communication and personal brand, this podcast is the most insightful piece of content yet! Giancarlo Purchia, better known as Blazendary on social media, has been creating content, building his brand and growing his audience of over 2M on social media for the last 10 years. At the ripe old age of 19, Giancarlo has built a small empire and looks to continue the growth as he expands his brand. If you are in sales, marketing, communications, manage athletes, etc you will learn valuable pieces of insight from this podcast...enjoy!

Learn how Julian Pena applied his Stanford education in mechanical engineering to a position at Hendrick Motorsports that lead to a NASCAR championship in 2016.

Go inside the mind of Jackson Bower, the 23 year old Muddy Creek intern that straddles the Gen Y/Gen Z divide. Recent facts show that there is an immense amount of data on this vital segment of the population, but nothing beats the honest answers to a variety of questions. I hope this provides you some value as you learn how this almost college grad thinks and sees the world.