Dropping the Hammer with Daniel McFadin

Ryan Blaney, Champion

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 08:00:00 +0000

The 2023 NASCAR season is over. Daniel McFadin and Jared Haas get together for one last time this year to discuss Ryan Blaney's first career NASCAR championship, Ross Chastain taking on the CHampionship 4 and winning, the end of Kevin Harvick's career and their favorite memories from 2023.

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A Young Guns Championship 4

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 08:59:00 +0000

The NASCAR Cup Series' Championship 4 has been set - with Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell and William Byron. Daniel McFadin and Jared Haas discuss the youngest final four of the elimination era, Kevin Harvick's final Cup race and who they think will leave Phoenix Raceway a champion.

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Homestead gets its Bell rung

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 15:31:01 +0000

Christopher Bell unexpectedly punched his ticket into the NASCAR Cup Championship 4 with his win at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Daniel McFadin and Jared Haas break down the eventful race, the playoff implications and who they think will join Kyle Larson and Bell in the final four at Phoenix Raceway.

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If you want a 10, don't hit the wall

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 12:00:00 +0000

Kyle Larson dominated, saved himself from spinning and narrowly beat Christopher Bell to win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Daniel McFadin and Jared Haas recaps the South Point 400, debate what constitutes "saving" a car from a spin and preview this weekend's NASCAR Cup race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

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Don't leave home without your scanner

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 09:50:00 +0000

Daniel McFadin and Jared Haas are back to talk about NASCAR's annual race on the Charlotte Roval. They disect AJ Allmendinger's upset win in the playoffs, plus Daniel's vacation to Charlotte and the Wood Brothers Museum. Then, our heroes react to the underwhelming and head scratching 2024 NASCAR Cup schedule before previewing Sunday's race at Las Vegas.

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Embracing Talladega; Tommy Joe Martins interview

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 09:00:00 +0000

Daniel McFadin and Jared Haas discuss Ryan Blaney's .012 second win in the NASCAR playoff race at Talladega and the Cup Series going to Iowa Speedway for the first time. Then they present an interview with Tommy Joe Martins of Alpha Prime Racing in the Xfinity Series. Martins shares his thoughts on managing a team that uses 11 drivers in one year and how he thinks Cup teams use the Xfinity Series as a "cash grab" over being an actual development series.

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You Don't Remember Logan Lucky?

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 10:00:00 +0000

Daniel McFadin and Jared Haas return to analyze William Byron's season leading sixth NASCAR Cup win at Texas Motor Speedway, before previewing this weekend's race at Talladega Superspeedway. In-between, Daniel forgets the title of a NASCAR movie that Jared doesn't even remember.

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Bristol, Denny Hamlin and a Cucumber

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 09:00:00 +0000

Daniel McFadin and Jared are back to discuss Denny Hamlin's NASCAR Cup win at Bristol and his dominance in the first round of the playoffs. After a lengthy discussion about Spire Motorsports buys Live Fast Motorsports' charter for $40 million, they preview the Round of 12, which starts at Texas Motor Speedway.

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The NASCAR Version of the Mambo No. 5

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 13 Sep 2023 17:10:52 +0000

After Tyler Reddick's overtime win at Kansas Speedway, Daniel McFadin and Jared Haas regroup to breakdown the second race of the NASCAR playoffs, preview the cutoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway and express disappointment in the return of stage breaks for next month's Roval race.

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Are You Afraid of the Dark (in Darlington)?

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 10:18:00 +0000

The NASCAR playoffs have begun! Daniel McFadin and Jared Haas breakdown Kyle Larson’s breakthrough win in the Southern 500, the power outage in Turns 3-4, Denny Hamlin re-signing with JGR and this weekend’s race at Kansas Speedway.Please excuse the noise. Elevator construction in progress.

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Then there were 16

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 14:31:07 +0000

The NASCAR Cup playoffs are set! Bubba Wallace is in. Chase Elliott and many more are out.

Daniel McFadin and Jared Haas recap the regular-season finale at Daytona and preview the start of the playoffs in Sunday’s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

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'We're Trying to Read a Sponsor' feat. IndyCar champion Will Power

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 18:45:24 +0000

Daniel McFadin and Jared Haas discuss William Byron's dominating win in the uneventful NASCAR Cup race at Watkins Glen.

Daniel is then joined by two-time IndyCar champion Will Power, who talks about the upcoming Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at Worldwide Technology Raceway and his motorsports bucket list.

Daniel and Jared close the episode out by previewing the regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway.

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Don't Call it an Upset

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 16 Aug 2023 18:30:18 +0000

In the wake of Michael McDowell's big NASCAR Cup win at Indianapolis, Daniel McFadin and Jared Haas are back together to discuss the impact of the win for Front Row Motorsports and the playoffs.

Hear from McDowell and team general manager Jerry Freeze about FRM's progress over the last two years.

After Daniel and Jared compare their three favorite NASCAR paint schemes, they preview Sunday's Cup race at Watkins Glen International.

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Don't call it a comeback

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 21:00:26 +0000

This week's Dropping the Hammer is a reunion, as Daniel McFadin is joined by his former co-host Jon LaFollette.

Together, the former podcasting duo break down Chris Buescher's thrilling win over Martin Truex Jr. at Michigan International Speedway and the resurgence of RFK Racing. Plus, hear from Buescher and Brad Keselowski on the importance of the win.

Daniel and Jon also discuss Truex's appropriately low-key announcement that he'll be back in 2024 and preview this weekend's NASCAR Cup race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and its stacked crowd of road course ringers

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Password: Cheese

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 18:32:27 +0000

Daniel McFadin and Jared Haas reconvene to talk both the NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond, won by Chris Buescher, and the Xfinity Series race at Road America, Wisconsin's secret club of a race track.

Jared recounts his visit to Road America and the race won by Wisconsin native Sam Mayer. Then Daniel and Jared preview the Cup race at Michigan International Speedway.

Also, Daniel gets personal about a recent health scare.

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Denny déjà vu

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 14:37:57 +0000

Denny Hamlin won his record seventh NASCAR Cup race at Pocono and he did it in a very familiar way, making Kyle Larson mad in the process.

Daniel McFadin and Jared Haas discuss his controversial win and the other big stories from the race before previewing Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway.

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Martin's Marvelous Monday

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 13:34:34 +0000

After a week off, Daniel McFadin and Jared Haas return to discuss Martin Truex Jr's Monday domination in the NASCAR Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and whether he will retire or not after 2023. Then they preview this weekend's race at Pocono Raceway, AKA, the Tricky Triangle.

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Chicago-style NASCAR, with Kiwi

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 22:44:21 +0000

Daniel McFadin and Jared Haas break down the historic NASCAR race on the Streets of Chicago, won by first-time NASCAR driver and New Zealand native Shane Van Gisbergen.

They also discuss Justin Marks' Project 91 which brought Van Gisbergen to NASCAR and what the sport should do in the wake of the success in Chicago.

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Ross Chastain strikes back + 'calculated aggression' in Chicago

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 28 Jun 2023 16:01:29 +0000

The Melon Man is back!

More than a year after his last win, Ross Chastain once again got to smash a watermelon at Nashville Superspeedway. Daniel McFadin and Jared Haas recap the latest NASCAR Cup Series race before tackling this weekend's historic street course race in Chicago.

Plus, hear from Front Row Motorsports' Michael McDowell on what he expects out of the 220-mile event in The Windy City.

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Two surprises, two predictions

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 21 Jun 2023 12:50:00 +0000

After the NASCAR Cup Series' lone off week of the season, Daniel McFadin and Jared Haas reconvene to discuss Martin Truex Jr.'s Sonoma win.

They also share two surprises from the first half of the season and two predictions for the second half that will surely go wrong. Then they preview the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway.

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Meet Daytona 500 Winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 16:39:55 +0000

In an exclusive interview with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Daniel McFadin talks with NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr., the reigning winner of the Daytona 500.

A native of Olive Branch, Miss., Stenhouse is essentially the "local" NASCAR driver for Arkansas. In the interview, Stenhouse shares his racing origins and what life has been like since winning the "Great American Race."

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'Gateway in our hearts' + coyote swapping with Austin Cindric

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 07 Jun 2023 16:49:00 +0000

Daniel McFadin and Jared Haas return and recap Daniel's visit to World Wide Technology Raceway, where Kyle Busch won the very weird second annual NASCAR Cup race at the track.

Then, Daniel presents an exclusive interview with Team Penske's Austin Cindric. Find out about Cindric's years long "Coyote Swap" car project and his thoughts on the struggles of the No. 2.

Then, Daniel and Jared preview this weekend's NASCAR Cup race at Sonoma Raceway.

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Charlotte’s back, baby: Coke 600 recap + interview with WWT Raceway owner Curtis Francois

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 31 May 2023 23:36:43 +0000

Daniel McFadin and Jared Haas recap Monday's rain-delayed victory for Ryan Blaney at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Daniel also interviews World Wide Technology Raceway owner Curtis Francois about preparations for the Enjoy Illinois 300 this weekend at the St. Louis course.

Plus, Daniel's heading up to St. Louis to cover the Enjoy Illinois 300 at WTT – the Democrat-Gazette's first race day coverage since 2009. Keep up the latest updates on this weekend's race by visiting arkansasonline.com/podcast23 for an exclusive subscription offer available only to podcast listeners.

Exclusive interview with Alex Bowman: "I don't want a commercial"

Daniel McFadin — Thu, 25 May 2023 17:45:39 +0000

In an exclusive interview, Daniel McFadin sits down with Hendrick Motorsports' Alex Bowman.

Bowman returns to the No. 48 Chevrolet this weekend in NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 after sitting out the last month due to a back injury.

Bowman discusses his approach to racing after missing nine races due to injury in the last year, how he doesn't want a "Welcome Back" commercial like Chase Elliott got and what he would be doing if he wasn't a racecar driver.

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'Trying to Steal a Win': Mark Martin's North Wilkesboro memories; Darlington recap

Daniel McFadin — Tue, 16 May 2023 22:57:22 +0000

Ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series' return to North Wilkesboro Speedway, Daniel McFadin and Jared Haas interview Arkansas native and 40-time NASCAR Cup winner Mark Martin to discuss the magnitude of the track's return and his memories of the track he won 3 times at and made his NASCAR debut.

Daniel and Jared also recap the Cup race at Darlington Raceway and discuss Rick Hendrick's critical comments about Ross Chastain.

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Rick Hendrick interview audio credit: NASCAR

The Perfect Mix: NASCAR at Kansas

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 10 May 2023 14:37:00 +0000

Believe it or not, the best NASCAR Cup race of 2023 happened at Kansas Speedway and Daniel McFadin and Jared Haas are ready to talk about it. After diving into Denny Hamlin's win over Kyle Larson, they discuss and share audio from Ross Chastain and Noah Gragson from their pit-road scuffle. Then, it's time to preview the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway.

'A Bit Sacrilegious': Johnson and Legacy jump to Toyota; Truex wins Dover

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 03 May 2023 19:39:50 +0000

Daniel McFadin and Jared Haas react to the surprising news that the Jimmie Johnson co-owned Legacy Motor Club will become a Toyota team in 2024. Hear audio of Johnson and Toyota Racing President David Wilson discussing the "polarizing" partnership.

Daniel and Jared break down the NASCAR race weekend at Dover Motor Speedway, which was swept by the brothers of Martin Truex Jr. and Ryan Truex, before giving their predictions for Sunday's race at Kansas Speedway.

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Jimmie Johnson and David Wilson interview audio credit: Toyota Racing

Martin Truex Jr. interview audio credit: NASCAR

NASCAR at Martinsville: A cookie and a win

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 17:23:00 +0000

Daniel McFadin and Jared Haas are back. This time they recaps a somewhat frustrating NASCAR Cup race at Martinsville Speedway, discuss whether the series needs to increase horsepower levels and preview Sunday's race at Talladega Superspeedway (2 p.m. CT on Fox).

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Broadcast audio credit: NASCAR and Fox

Kyle Larson interview audio credit: NASCAR

Jeff Andrews interview audio credit: NASCAR

NASCAR on Bristol Dirt: Wrestling with a Pig

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 17:30:00 +0000

Daniel McFadin and Jared Haas recap the third attempt at Bristol Dirt, won by Christopher Bell, discuss the new All-Star Race rules for North Wilkesboro and preview the first visit of the season to Martinsville Speedway. They also share their "What fries my egg" of the week.

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Broadcast audio credit: NASCAR and Fox

Christopher Bell interview audio credit: NASCAR

Jonathan Davenport interview adio credit: Frontstretch.com

NASCAR at Richmond: Free Fallin' like Tom Petty

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 18:26:39 +0000

On this week's episode Daniel McFadin and Jared Haas breakdown Kyle Larson's NASCAR Cup win at Richmond and Josh Berry's performance substituting for the injured Chase Elliott. Then, Daniel shares audio from Stewart Haas Racing's Chase Briscoe as he previews this weekend's dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

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Broadcast audio credit: NASCAR and Fox

NASCAR to IndyCar: Interview with driver Conor Daly

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 22:41:54 +0000

After a brief recap of the NASCAR Cup race at COTA, Daniel McFadin and Jared Haas bring you the show's first interview of the season. They talk with Conor Daly, the IndyCar driver and part-time NASCAR driver. Daly drives for The Money Team's No. 50 car in the Cup Series and will return to his full-time job in IndyCar on Sunday, driving the No. 20 for Ed Carpenter Racing at Texas Motor Speedway.

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NASCAR at Atlanta recap, COTA preview: "Dangerous, but fruity"

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 22 Mar 2023 17:50:00 +0000

Daniel McFadin and Jared Haas return to dissect Joey Logano's NASCAR Cup win at Atlanta Motor Speedway and preview the return to the Circuit of the Americas road course in Austin, Texas this weekend.

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Broadcast audio credit: NASCAR and Fox

News conference audio credit: NASCAR Media, Speedway Motorsports

NASCAR at Phoenix recap: Phoenix is for Louvers

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 16:48:00 +0000

Daniel McFadin and Jared Haas recap William Byron's NASCAR Cup win at Phoenix Raceway, discuss the Hendrick Motorsports penalties for modifying their louvers and preview this weekend's NASCAR race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

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Photo credit: NASCAR Media/Getty Images

Broadcast audio credit: NASCAR and Fox

News conference audio credit: NASCAR Media

Welcome/While You Were Away

Daniel McFadin — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 22:05:00 +0000

Welcome to the first episode of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's new NASCAR podcast, "Dropping the Hammer with Daniel McFadin."

McFadin, a nine-year veteran of the NASCAR media corps, is a former NBC Sports writer and a National Motorsports Press Association award winning columnist. Each week, McFadin will be joined by Jared Haas to discuss the most recent NASCAR Cup race and wrap up the week in news, while bringing you occasional interviews with members of the NASCAR industry.

The first episode of the show is meant to be introduction to the NASCAR landscape in 2023. Whether you're new to the sport or you're a lapsed fan who hasn't watched in a few years, McFadin and Haas breakdown the relevant drivers, tracks, teams and power players who inhabit NASCAR's traveling circus.

The opinions shared in this episode are that of the hosts, and do not represent the official view of the Democrat-Gazette.