Matt Swiderski, the man affectionately known as "Squid" joins Davey Segal (7:40) to discuss his intriguing career that has spanned motorsports and aerospace. He explains why and how Daniel Suárez and the No. 99 team have turned a corner and flipped a switch ahead of the playoffs, why they were experimenting throughout the spring and summer and reflects on the option tire used at Richmond.

Squid dives into his background in racing growing up in the midwest, working on street stocks and super late models in and around Chicago and how he wound up being a first-generation racer before getting hired at Richard Childress Racing after college as a data acquisition engineer. He explains what the role entailed, winning a then Busch Series title in 2007 with Clint Bowyer, working with Kevin Harvick, Casey Mears and others before making a career change.

Swiderski explains why he opted to leave motorsports for a job at SpaceX, how his skillset transitioned to aerospace and his one-on-one interview with, you guessed it, Elon Musk. But his time there was short-lived, and he explains why racing was calling him back home to Welcome, North Carolina and RCR just 8 months later.

He discusses his eventual rise to the crew chief role, why he was never dead set on pursuing that full-time, but once he got a taste he wanted more of it, stops along the way at Team Penske and Kaulig Racing, the recruitment process to Trackhouse, an ironic story of when he interviewed for the No. 99 crew chief position the first time, the culture at the team being similar to SpaceX, what he's learned in his 100+ Cup races as a shot caller, his realistic expectations ahead of his first playoffs and more.

Davey also touches on Tyler Reddick's Michigan win, previews Daytona and Papa Segal pays homage to a NASCAR pioneer.

Episode 240: Matt Swiderski

Fresh off his first win as a NASCAR national series crew chief, Andrew Overstreet joins Davey Segal (7:30) to debrief and discuss the JR Motorsports No. 88 teams dominant win at Watkins Glen and Connor Zilisch's masterclass of a debut. He explains how he was in awe of Zilisch going quicker when asked to back off, his poise to withstand a chaotic finish and what his potential is moving forward.

He also discusses Carson Kvapil's limited starts in the No. 88 this year, his time at JR Motorsports over the last several years and how it compares to his various stops along the way, working at Hendrick Motorsports while in college under Chad Knaus with Greg Ives, how simulation implementation was in the early/mid 2000s, climbing the ladder to a race engineer and more.

Plus, his friendship with Ryan Blaney that was forged at Penske and the Wood Brothers, his Petty fandom as a child that helped accelerate his professional career, how a middle school science teacher helped give him the push to pursue motorsports as a career, stories from his win with Nelson Piquet Jr. at Michigan in the Truck Series, working alongside his brother, Tyler, in the sport, what his 2025 plans may look like and trying to go back-to-back with Dale Earnhardt Jr. back in the seat this weekend at Bristol.

Davey also discusses Chris Buescher's win at Watkins Glen, the playoff leaderboard heading into Bristol to end the Round of 16 and Papa Segal pays homage to an iconic site of many land speed records.

Episode 244: Andrew Overstreet

Crew Chief Drew Blickensderfer joins Davey Segal (5:10) ahead of the 2025 season to discuss why now was the right time for him to return for his second stint at Front Row Motorsports, his faith in Noah Gragson, what FRM's alliance with Team Penske really means and what's changed at the team since his departure.

Blickensderfer also reminisces on his two Daytona 500 victories, starting off his career winning his first two races as a shot caller with Matt Kenseth, why Carl Edwards stands out among the 18+ drivers he's worked with in his career, his background as a walk-on Division I wrestler at Indiana, why he enjoys being the "head coach" of sorts and more, including his real name and legitimate goals for the 2025 season.

Papa Segal pays homage to Alvin Hawkins, NASCAR's first flagman, as the season approaches.

Episode 257: Drew Blickensderfer

Front Row Motorsports crew chief Dylan Cappello joins Davey Segal (7:30) to discuss year two working with Layne Riggs in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, getting used to the No. 34 instead of the No. 38, how the 2025 season has gone so far and the stop/start nature of the Truck Series schedule. Cappello also discusses his relationship with Riggs, how Layne's father Scott has helped the team grow, which areas they're targeting for improvement and how adding a second full-time entry to the truck operation has changed things at FRM.

Cappello also dives into his background as a racer growing up in Arizona, winning at The Bullring at Las Vegas a couple years ago, the decision to ultimately go down the engineering route instead of the driving one and the adjustment that entailed, winning a title at his home track in Phoenix in 2022, getting the promotion to crew chief and the challenges that have come along with that including being the "leader of men" for a race team and more.

Davey also recaps Christopher Bell's third consecutive victory and the option tire in Phoenix, previews Las Vegas and Papa Segal pays homage to Suitcase Jake.

Episode 263: Dylan Cappello

Veteran crew chief Trent Owens joins Davey Segal (5:45) to discuss his career in the sport and time thus far with Kaulig Racing. They dive into working with AJ Allmendinger once again, how the relationship has been thus far, capitalizing on road courses while trying to improve their oval track program, the "One Welcome" approach with Richard Childress Racing and information flow between the four crew chiefs at RCR and Kaulig.

Owens also reflects on nearing 400 starts as a crew chief, working with countless drivers along the way, including Kyle Larson in 2013, his driving career in ARCA and Trucks, family connection to racing being related to Richard Petty and Barry Dodson, what he's learned from them and at his stops along the way and more, including how being a father of a child with autism has impacted him off track.

Davey also recaps Josh Berry's impressive victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, looks ahead to Homestead-Miami Speedway and Papa Segal pays homage to a pioneer of NASCAR.

Episode 264: Trent Owens

Championship winning crew chief Jonathan Toney joins Davey Segal (6:42) for an insightful and feel-good conversation that spans over two decades with one single team. Toney explains how working with Sheldon Creed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series really isn't too different so far than it was working with Cole Custer, the rash of runner-up finishes Creed has scored, team chemistry at Haas Factory Team in this new iteration of the organization and more.

Toney also dives into all the change the team has seen over his time, from Haas CNC Racing to Stewart-Haas Racing and now HFT. He explains why he's stayed loyal to the company despite numerous offers to go elsewhere over the years, why the Xfinity Series is the right place for him to be as a crew chief right now from a work/life balance perspective, the conversations leading up to 2023 before he finally got his chance to be a crew chief for the first time and how rewarding it was to win a championship with Custer in his first year at the helm.

Toney also reminisces on the 2011 title run with Tony Stewart, what it was like to be a part of that team, some memorable tales from Homestead-Miami Speedway on championship weekend and more, including the vibe at the team when Stewart came in at first and his Hickory, North Carolina roots.

Davey also recaps the tripleheader weekend of action at Martinsville Speedway and addresses the debacle of an Xfinity race that saw Sammy Smith penalized, previews Darlington Raceway and Papa Segal pays homage to Raymond Parks in this week's wayback segment.

Episode 266: Jonathan Toney

Front Row Motorsports Crew Chief Jon Leonard (7:45) join Davey Segal this week to discuss his new digs at FRM calling the shots for Chandler Smith on the No. 38. Leonard details how late things came together to even make the second FRM Truck Series entry happen, the thrash that ensued to get things ready for Daytona, why Chandler being involved in the hiring process for team members has made everyone closer and how nice it was to get a win early this season at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Leonard also discusses his career as a crew chief, calling races for Leavine-Family Racing in the Cup Series for Kasey Kahne and Regan Smith, being promoted admittedly a little too quickly, learning on the fly, being a first-generation racer turned 14-year NASCAR veteran and more.

Davey also reviews Austin Cindric’s Talladega win, looks ahead to Texas and Papa Segal pays homage to one of the greatest of all-time in Formula 1.

Episode 269: Jon Leonard

Current Wood Brothers Racing crew chief and longtime Team Penske engineer Miles Stanley joins Davey Segal (5:15) for a wide-ranging conversation that dives into his career in motorsports and background in racing. Stanley discusses the treacherous nature of Texas Motor Speedway, how winning at Las Vegas Motor Speedway has allowed them to take more risks, when that win truly set in and how big winning a race for WBR really is.

Stanley also discusses what he's learned from championship-winning crew chief Todd Gordon, who he worked with for over a decade, how working with all three current Team Penske drivers in some capacity has eased his transition to Josh Berry and the Wood Brothers, why he and Josh seem to be gelling so well so quickly and more.

Plus, how he got started in motorsports with Formula SAE, his football career at Dayton and Akron, how racing engineering proved to be a career path for him, his transition from open wheel to stock cars, working with Robby Gordon Motorsports, why the Dakar Rally was one of the coolest experiences he's ever had, why his work at Penske as Head of Performance Engineering was so gratifying (hint: the last 3 championships in a row), why he doesn't go by his given name and more.

Davey also recaps Joey Logano's win at Texas, previews Kansas and Papa Segal pays homage to Ron Bouchard.

Episode 270: Miles Stanley

Richard Childress Racing Crew Chief Randall Burnett joins Davey Segal this week (5:40) to discuss how the 2025 season has been thus far, working with Kyle Busch, what he's learned from the two-time Cup Series champion and what the public misunderstands about Rowdy. They also discuss the one year anniversary of the infamous fight at North Wilkesboro Speedway (and Davey's assist in helping Kyle), his journey to Cup Series shot caller from the St. Louis area and how/why he opted to forgo his driving career to pursue an engineering degree at UNC Charlotte.

Burnett also explains what it's like working for Hall of Famer Richard Childress, what it's like when he comes on the radio unprovoked, working with Kyle Larson in his rookie season at Chip Ganassi Racing, almost sweeping the crowned jewels in 2010 with Jamie McMurray, his son racing at Millbridge Speedway, Burnett's Mario Kart skills and more.

Plus, Davey recaps Kansas, looks ahead to the All-Star Race and Papa Segal pays homage to Johnny Mantz.

Episode 271: Randall Burnett

Sam Hunt Racing Crew Chief Kris Bowen joins Davey Segal (7:05) to discuss building up their current Xfinity Series outfit and how things are going working with Dean Thompson full-time. Bowen explains how and where the recent strides and speed has come from on the No. 26 team, his relationship with Thompson, why having kids of his own helps him work with drivers, how having a racing background himself has made the transition to crew chief a rather smooth one and the decision making process behind hanging up the steering wheel for good.

Bowen also dives into his relationship with owner Sam Hunt, why it works despite Hunt being a decade younger than him, the satisfaction he gets from building something from the ground up, why he has no plans or desires to go anywhere else in NASCAR, his dedication to fitness (5 am crossfit workouts for 15 years!), his unhealthy gummy bear obsession to relieve stress atop the pit box, realistic expectations for the rest of the season and more.

Davey also recaps the Coca-Cola 600, Ross Chastain's improbable march to victory, explains why the Prime Video broadcast was so good, looks ahead to Nashville and Papa Segal pays homage to Humpy Wheeler.

Episode 273: Kris Bowen

Welcome to the place everybody wants to be: Victory Lane! Davey Segal hosts your one stop shop for all things NASCAR, including in-depth interviews, discussion, news and more.

New tracks tagged #crew chief