This week on Bringing the Heat with Trey Lyle, Rajah Caruth meets up with Lyle ahead of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Martinsville Speedway. This season, Caruth is splitting races between the JR Motorsports No. 88 and the Jordan Anderson Racing No. 32.
In speaking with Lyle, Caruth details his expectations and goals for the 2026 season, and what the differences look like in racing with the two different teams so far into the year. After a solid start, Caruth hopes to “smooth out the fall” in the points standings, while targeting his first win in the series and an owner’s title for JRM.
After the interview, Caleb Barnes joins Lyle to talk Max Verstappen rumors. No April Fool’s, the rumor is that Verstappen is eyeing a step away from Formula 1. Where that leaves this NASCAR-based podcast is, “What’s the likelihood that Verstappen would even consider making a start in a Cup car?” Barnes and Lyle share their thoughts.
Also announced this week, Daniel Dye has been reinstated by NASCAR. However, Corey LaJoie is replacing Dye for the remainder of the season. Barnes and Lyle evaluate LaJoie’s chances to help out that new, young Kaulig Racing team, and the magnitude of this opportunity for LaJoie.
This week’s soundbite is a longer one coming from Alan Gustafson (fresh off of a victory), who walks through the strategy options that influenced his decision in the final stage. Despite frustrations for fans of Chase Elliott, Barnes feels this is a case of things finally bouncing Gustafson’s way when it comes to calling the correct pit strategy.
Watch Bringing the Heat with Trey Lyle above, on YouTube or listen 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 co-host Happy Hour and help out on the podcast front.
He now hosts Bringing the Heat with Trey Lyle and oversees the entire podcast operation for Frontstretch.
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!
Chris Graham is a motorsports producer, director, and broadcast engineer based in the Philadelphia-area. Through his work with NRN Productions, he’s helped build and execute live race coverage and sports streaming workflows ranging from lean, two-to-three person crews to full broadcast-style productions. Chris has worked across nearly every position in the truck—producing, directing, technical directing, replay, graphics, camera operation, and engineering—and has supported events and partners including FloSports, the ASA STARS National Tour, and Diamond State Digital. He’s also involved in developing live show formats and digital coverage that bring fans closer to the stories behind the racing. He is currently also the producer for the Frontstretch podcast Happy Hour.
I had to smile when Caruth was spun on the last lap. Was it payback?