About this episode
Remember the time you almost died because your hotted-up old Camarobird got all loose and stabby up at Dead Man’s Cul de Sac? Or maybe it was Turn 45 at Laguna Merrica. Either way, there you were, boppin’ along like a lap-wreckered Versteppy, when you nearly bought the farm.
“She handled like trash that day,” you told the cops/the race steward/that fry cook at Burger Queen. “No idea why.” And the gathered crowd sighed—who hasn’t been there?
Few automotive terms are as misunderstood as “handling.” What does it mean? Can “good” or “bad” handling be measured, or show up in data? How do non-engineery types talk about this stuff at places like the Indy 500 or Le Mans?
Jeff and Sam have answers. And INTC changes episode formats weekly, because squirrel. We call this format “Racer 101.”
This episode was produced by Sam Smith.
**
Support the show — get bonus episodes and more!
Contribute on Patreon www.patreon.com/notthecar
**
Who We Are + Spicy Merch:
www.ItsNotTheCar.com
**
Topic suggestions, feedback, questions? Let us know what you think!
[email protected]
**
Check out Sam's book!
Smithology: Thoughts, Travels, and Semi-Plausible Car Writing, 2003–2023
**
Where to find us:
https://www.instagram.com/intcpod
https://www.instagram.com/thatsamsmith/
https://www.instagram.com/j.v.braun/
https://www.instagram.com/rossbentley/
https://rossbentley.substack.com/
https://speedsecrets.com/
**
ABOUT THE SHOW:
It’s Not the Car is a podcast about people and speed. We tell racing stories and leave out the boring parts.
Ross Bentley is a former IndyCar driver, a bestselling author, and a world-renowned performance coach. Jeff Braun is a champion race engineer. Sam Smith is an award-winning writer and a former executive editor of Road & Track magazine.
We don’t love racing for the nuts and bolts—we love it for what it asks of the meatbag at the wheel.
New episodes every Tuesday.
Get every episode summarized
Each time It's Not the Car publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
Hosts & guests
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from It's Not the Car
IndyCar’s Bravery Problem — with RACER founder Paul Pfanner
It's Not the Car
Crappy Miatas, Endurance Porsches, and Other Fun Diseases — with TJ + Ed from BF...
It's Not the Car
FREE BONUS: The Hyper-Nerdy Sim Racing FAQ — with Balázs Remenyik
It's Not the Car
You're Wrong About Sim Racing
It's Not the Car