On this episode of Bringing the Heat with Bryan Nolen, Stephen Stumpf has a conversation with NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Jake Garcia.
They discussed his improvement this season compared to last, the relationship with his first-year crew chief, Jeriod Prince, the balance of running for points to make the playoffs and securing his first career win, and the team dynamics at ThorSport, where Garcia relies on his experienced teammates.
After the Garcia interview, Trey Lyle, who is filling in for Nolen this week, is joined by Caleb Barnes to discuss the latest news and notes in NASCAR. The headlines include Spire handing down punishment to Carson Hocevar for some comments he made about Mexico City last week, a possible street course race heading to San Diego, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. filling in as a crew chief for Connor Zilisch this weekend in Pocano.
The show concludes with some final thoughts on how NASCAR can improve travel arrangements for the next time they race in Mexico, aiming to alleviate some of the issues encountered last week. Also discussed was the potential impact of the sale of the Los Angeles Lakers on Spire Motorsports.
Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.
A Graduate of Virginia Tech in Sports Media and Analytics, Trey Lyle has been covering NASCAR since 2021 as the producer of the Fast Lane with Ed Lane on VTRN Sports 93.3 FM in Lynchburg, Va.
Trey joined FS in 2023 to cohost Happy Hour and help out on the podcast front as the producer for Brining the Heat with Bryan Nolen. Now, he oversees the entire podcast operation for Frontstretch.
Stephen Stumpf is the NASCAR Content Director for Frontstretch and is a three-year veteran of the site. His weekly column is “Stat Sheet,” and he formerly wrote "4 Burning Questions" for three years. He also writes commentaries, contributes to podcasts, edits articles and is frequently at the track for on-site coverage.
Find Stephen on Twitter @stephen_stumpf
Caleb began sports writing in 2023 with The Liberty Champion, where he officially covered his first NASCAR race at Richmond in the spring. While there, Caleb met some of the guys from Frontstretch, and he joined the video editing team after graduating from Liberty University with degrees in Strategic Communications and Sports Journalism. Caleb currently work full-time as a Multi-Media Journalist with LEX 18 News in Lexington, Kentucky and contributes to Frontstretch with writing and video editing. He's also behind-the-scenes or on camera for the Happy Hour Podcast, live every Tuesday night at 7:30!