The Backstretch

Ross Chastain adds a crown jewel to his collection. Kyle Larson's double does not go well. The guest this week is Daniel Suarez and Heather's final thought it about Amazon Prime's first cup broadcast.

Heather and Chris talk about the Hall of Fame Class of 2026, did we finally crack the code on short track racing at the All-Star Race and look forward to the Coke 600.Austin Dillon is the guest and Heather's final thought is about the drama in IndyCar right now.

Kyle Larson runs away at Kansas, so is it a car problem or a Kyle problem. The debate continues on what to do with the NASCAR postseason and our guest this week is Christopher Bell.

Joey Logano finds a way to win, NASCAR is taking it's championship on the road and this week's guest is Shane Van Gisbergen

Was Talladega boring and how can we fix super speedway racing? Joey Logano and Chipper Jones now have beef and Chase Briscoe is this week's guest.

A big shocker as Spire Motorsports cuts ties with Rodney Childers. The All-Star race makes some interesting changes and NASCAR heads to Talladega. Zane Smith is the guest.

No off weeks on the Backstretch, though this a little less formal an episode. Heather and Chris talk about the race at Bristol and look forward to Rockingham. Plus a quick chat with Austin Dillon.

There were some technical issues on the Backstretch, so this podcast was from before the Bristol race, but we thought you might have a good time listening to how wrong we were about what might happen on Sunday, and the chat with John Hunter Nemechek is a good one

Xfinity drivers put on track behavior debate back in the spotlight. Heather and Chris talk about that as well and Denny Hamlin ending his Martinsville winless streak and preview Darlington. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. is the guest. Heather's final thought is on Darlington throwback weekend.

Kyle Larson came really close to sweeping the weekend at Homestead. Can he do it in a few weeks at Bristol? Heather and Chris talk about that plus where the championship race should be, and they preview the race this weekend at Martinsville. Erik Jones is the guest. Heather's final though is on the Championship Race location.

Josh Berry gets his first Cup Series win, he is the guest this week on the podcast. Heather and Chris talk about Josh's win plus the smart call in the pits by the 20 team and they preview the race at Homestead. Heather's final thought is about the continuing debate about who should be cleared to drive in Cup Series Races.

Christopher Bell is red hot. Heather and Chris talk about C-Bell's third straight win, who should be given the chance to run a cup car and they preview this weekend's race at Las Vegas. Alex Bowman is this week's guest and Heather's final thought is on the points system.

Heather and Chris break down a fun finish at COTA, just how good Christopher Bell is and they preview Phoenix. Heather chats about the NASCAR penalty news of the week and her final thought is about the schedule to start the season.

It was a wild weekend in Atlanta, Heather and Chris talk racing to the line, aggressive driving, and preview COTA. Ty Gibbs is the guest.

Our Crew Chief Chris Carrier joins us to talk about his lost appeal of the Henderson Motorsports disqualification at Daytona. Josh Berry is the guest. He talks about joining the Wood Brothers this season. In Heather's final thought, she gives a shoutout to Legacy Motor Club after putting all three of their cars in the top 11 at Daytona.

NASCAR is back with the season opener at the Daytona International Speedway. Our Crew Chief Chris Carrier gets us ready for 2025 and SVG joins us to talk about his rookie season

In a special edition of the Backstretch Podcast, Heather takes a look back at the playoffs and the road to Sunday's Championship race in Phoenix

Just one race to go before the championship four is set in NASCAR. Heather and Chris talk about Tyler Reddicks incredible run at Homestead to lock himself in the championship race and who might join him. Christopher Bell stops by and discusses the pressure of trying to make the final and how this year is different from the previous two. Heather's final thought is on who might join Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick in the title race

Joey Logano got back into the playoffs and took advantage, advancing to the championship four with a win at Vegas. Logano is this week's guest. Heather and Chris discuss Logano's win, which drivers are in trouble heading to Homestead, and whether the playoffs are broken. We get a bonus visit from William Sawalich. Heather's final thought is about the tracks in the NASCAR playoffs.

Heather and Chris discuss Kyle Larson's domination at the Roval, Alex Bowman's disqualification, and why a light car is an advantage. Ryan Blaney is the guest and he talks about getting his teammate back in the playoffs and the 12 team's drive for back-to-back titles. Heather's final thought is on the impact Doug Rice has had on the sport as he gets ready to call his final race at Las Vegas.

Heather and Chris discuss a wild finish at Talladega, the importance of a NASCAR Charter, and preview the cutoff race at the Charlotte Roval. Heather's final thought is on whether chaos is good for the sport.

NASCAR is sued by 23XI and Front Row Motorsports. No playoff drivers are safe as the Cup series heads to Talladega after non-playoff driver Ross Chastain wins Kansas. William Byron stops by to talk about how he's navigating round two of the playoffs and his latest Lego project. Heather's final thought is on a rough week for Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. How you can help flood victims: https://tinyurl.com/ms547uaw

Round two of the playoffs opens at Kansas, Christopher Bell is the guest. Plus was Bristol a good race?

A playoff crasher wins at Sonoma putting some big names below the cutline as we head to Bristol. Austin Cindric has shocked many people and shaken up the playoff as he sits third in the standings. Heather's final thought is on Playoff format haters

Heather and Chris talk about Penske's hot streak in the postseason, NASCAR's Charter chatter, and preview Watkins Glen. The Champ Ryan Blaney is the guest. Heather's final thought is more on the charters.

The NASCAR playoffs start this weekend at Atlanta, Heather has some thoughts of the drivers racing for a championship, and then Heather and Chris break down the field. AJ Allmendinger is this week's guest. Heather's final thought is on the current playoff system.

The NASCAR playoffs will be set Sunday night under the lights at Darlington. Heather and Chris talk about Harrison Burton's big win at Daytona to steal one of the final playoff spots, who has to the best chance to get into the playoffs this week at Darlington, and the big penalty to Denny Hamlin's team. Chase Brise is the guest and chats about playoff pressure and the final days of Stewart Haas racing. Heather's final thought is on the 2025 NASCAR schedule.

It has been a wild week in NASCAR with a lot going on. Heather and Chris discuss Tyler Reddick's win, Corey Lajoie's flip, and the final playoff spots with two races to go. Bubba Wallace stops by to talk about anger management, playoff pressure, and becoming a dad. Heather's final thought is on Denny Hamlin's penalty.

Austin Dillon wins the race but loses his playoff eligibility. Heather and Chris talk about why he did it, NASCAR's punishment, and the punishment for Joey Logano for his postrace outburst. They also preview Phoenix. Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman recaps Richmond, if he would go for a win at all cost, and previews Michigan. Heather's final thought is about crime and punishment.

NASCAR is back after the two-week break for the Olympics. We talk with drivers Austin Dillon and Todd Gilland about this week's race at Richmond. As always Chris Carrier stops by to provide his expertise. 

Ryan Blaney wins at the Tricky Triangle, are the Fords now a force in the playoff race? Goodyear holds a tire test at Bristol and NASCAR returns to the oval at Indy. William Byron talks mid-season slumps, Indy, and Legos. Heather's final thought is on which track is the 4th crown jewel.

NASCAR heads to Chicago for a second season on the streets of the second city. Plus Chris stops by to talk about Nashville, Carson Hocevar's punishment, Josh Berry's new gig, and to preview the street race. Heather's final thought is on street racing's place in NASCAR.

Christopher Bell picks up his third win of the season. Changes at SHR and RCR. Carson Hocevar stops by and Heather's final thought is on the Bubba Wallace vs Aric Almirola dust-up.

Fords are now red hot, while Toyotas are ice cold at the halfway point in the season. Heather and Chris also preview the race at New Hampshire this weekend. Daniel Hemric stops by to talk about his season. Heather's final thought is on Christopher Bell's gaffe on Friday.

Martin Truex, Jr announces his retirement from full-time racing, is Kyle Larson the best driver in the world, and the Cup Series heads to Iowa for the first time. The Champ Ryan Blaney is our guest and Heather's final stop is about racing in the heartland.

Was Austin Cindric's win a fluke or is the third-year driver finally figuring it out? Was NASCAR right to give Kyle Larson a waiver? Daniel Suarez talks about his bumpy season, how he can turn it around for the playoffs, and how he can become a United States citizen. Heather's final thought is about road course ringers.

Heather and Chris recap a wild week in the NASCAR garage. Kyle Larson is still waiting to see if he will get a waiver after missing the Coca-Cola 600, Christopher Bell's rain-shortened win gets the side eye, Stewart Haas Racing is closing and Front Row Motorsports is expanding. Alex Bowman drops by to talk about his season, and his teammate's double attempt, and has a preview of St. Louis. New Hall of Famer Carl Edwards also stops by to talk about the honor. Heather's final thought is on Larson's waiver request.

There is a bunch to talk about this week. We hear from Kyle Larson as the weather puts his attempt at the Indy 500/Coke 600 double in jeopardy. Heather and Chris dive into the fight at the All-Star race and the fallout, Ford's recent surge, and preview the Coke 600. And Heather's final thought is on Larson's attempt at the double.

This week on "The Backstretch" with Chris running North Wilkesboro, Heather is solo. She has some sound from drivers previewing the All-Star Race and Kyle Larson as he prepares for the Indy 500/Coke 600 double. Austin Dillon is the guest he previews the All-Star Open and talks about his season so far at the halfway point of the regular season.  Heather's final thought is about the return of North Wilkesboro and its place in the sport.

This week Heather and Chris talk about the finish at Kansas, Darlington throwbacks, and Michael McDowell's move to Spire. Noah Gragson is the guest and he talks about his season so far. Heather's final thought is ont he loss of another NASCAR information source.

There's no place like home as NASCAR heads to Heather's home track, the Kansas Speedway. Heather and Chris talk about the domination by two teams this year as well at the All-Star race changes. Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick talk about their seasons so far. Heather's final thought is about the evolution of how the sport treats driver injuries.

Talladega was a wild one. Heather and Chris talk about fuel saving, NextGen Safety, and how Corey Heim will do in the car substituting for Erik Jones. Kyle Busch is the guest, he talks about why he didn't like the racing last week at Talladega, his season so far, and watching his kids grow into racers. Heather's final thought is on the NASCAR Hall of Fame nominees.  

Chase Elliott wins, but is he back? Heather and Chris talk about that plus the troubles that continue for Ford, what's behind all the uniform safety penalties, and a preview of Talladega. Ryan Preece stops by for a visit. Heather's final thought is on the number of superspeedways on the schedule

William Byron leads Hendrick Motorsports domination at Martinsville. Heather and Chris talk about his emergence as a star, the trouble with short tracks right now and they preview Texas. Erik Jones stops by for a second time this season to talk about short tracks and his performance so far this year. Heather's final thought is on how to fix short tracks.

It was an eventful week for driver Denny Hamlin. He is a guest this weekend and talks about his season, the season for his team 23XI and the controversial restart at Richmond. Heather and Chris talk restarts, Easter racing and preview Martinsville. Josh Williams talks about short-track racing and his opportunity at Kaulig. Heather's final thought is on the Hamlin/Marcus Smith X war.

Heather and Chris talk about the competitive balance in NASCAR, tack limits at COTA, and preview Richmond. Josh Berry is the guest he talks about his rookie season and building on the momentum of Bristol. Heather's final thought is on the importance of drivers being on the Netflix series

Bristol brought all the heat for a March short track race in Tennessee. Heather and Chris talk about the tire wear that led to a record number of passes, what Goodyear should do going forward, and preview COTA this week. Micahel McDowell also reviews Bristol and looks forward to COTA. Heather's final thought is about if NASCAR fans will ever be happy.

It's Bristol, Baby! Heather and Chris look back at Phoenix and preview the race at Bristol. Harrison Burton drops by to preview this week's race and talk about his season. Heather's final thought is on attendance for the Bristol Spring Race

NASCAR heads to the desert in Phoenix this weekend. Our crew chief Chris Carrier talks about the domination by Chevy so far this season, the historic win by Rajah Caruth in the truck series, if it's time for RFK Racing to panic and previews the race at Phoenix Raceway. Our guest Daniel Hemric talks about his return to the Cup Series this season and Heather's final thought is on short-track racing in the NextGen Era.

Heather and Chris talk about the headlines from the week in NASCAR, including a wild finish at Atlanta, penalties for Joey Logano and two SHR cars. Carson Hocevar stops by to talk about his rookie season and accidentally adding his car number to his driver's license.