When you hear the name Johnny Benson, you probably think of the little white No. 10 car that could, his breakthrough Cup win at Rockingham in 2002, or the beautiful Cheerios car that he piloted for Jack Roush. Truth be told, the story of Johnny Benson’s racing career has many layers. From the early days of helping his dad, Johnny Sr., in the race shop to his recent retirement from racing as a whole, Johnny’s career has been a rollercoaster ride of talent that never seemed to find the right long-term opportunity in the Cup Series. Johnny flipped a car in his first O’Reilly Series race. He got a call from Dale Sr. with an offer to drive his car at Dover. He joined Roush Racing during their cutthroat five-car operation. He even captured the 1995 O’Reilly Series and 2008 Craftsman Truck Series titles. Dale dives into the crashes and concussions that altered Johnny’s racing career and discusses how Johnny has helped mentor drivers like Danica Patrick and current rising NASCAR star Carson Hocevar. So sit back, relax, and learn about the journey of Johnny Benson’s racing career. 00:00:00 - Cold Open 00:00:46 - Intro 00:02:21 - Growing Up in His Dad's Shop 00:03:46 - Johnny Benson Sr's Legacy 00:06:08 - Becoming A Racer 00:07:00 - Racing on Dirt 00:08:25 - Why Building Cars Made Him a Better Driver 00:10:05 - Moving to Asphalt & Berlin 00:12:12 - Racing in ASA 00:15:23 - 1993 ASA Championship 00:16:06 - Call From Dale Sr 00:18:07 - Flipping In His First Busch Start 00:20:45 - Racing For Bace motorsports 00:24:10 - 1995 Busch Title 00:25:59 - Moving to Cup 00:27:46 - Racing at Roush 00:29:48 - The Downfall at Roush 00:32:08 - Standing Up to Jack 00:34:01 - Test With Mark Martin 00:34:59 - Going To Tyler Jet Motorsports 00:36:04 - Nearly Winning The 2000 DAYTONA 500 00:39:38 - Running Second at Bristol 00:41:30 - Selling to MB2/Richmond Crash 00:43:53 - Winning at The Rock 00:46:23 - The End of the Cup Era 00:49:26 - Johnny Sr's Influence 00:52:43 - Going Back to Trucks 00:56:07 - Leaving NASCAR 01:05:20 - The Horrific 2009 Berlin Crash 01:06:08 - Kyle Busch's Call After the Crash 01:07:25 - Final NASCAR Start 01:07:52 - Serving on The National Motorsports Appeals Panel 01:09:41 - Hall of Fame Inductions 01:11:58 - Finally Retiring 01:13:35 - Mentoring Carson Hocevar 01:18:09 - Life After Racing 01:21:26 - Concussion Conversations 01:35:17 - Outro & Reflection THE PODCASTS YOU LOVE. THE MERCH YOU NEED. Get it all here: https://shop.dirtymomedia.com/ Follow Dirty Mo Media Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DirtyMoMedia Twitter: https://twitter.com/DirtyMoMedia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dirtymomedia TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dirtymomedia_ All About Dirty Mo Media: https://www.dirtymomedia.com FanDuel: Must be 21+ and present in select states (for Kansas, in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino) or 18+ and present in D.C. First online real money wager only. $5 first deposit required. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable bonus bets, which expire 7 days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG. Call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat in Connecticut, or visit mdgamblinghelp.org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit GamblingHelpLineMA.org or call (800) 327-5050 for 24/7 support in Massachusetts or call 1-877-8HOPE-NY or text HOPENY in New York.

Dirty Air is back with special guests Rodney Childers and William Sawalich. Rodney talks about his move into the O’Reilly Series and how different the garage culture feels compared to Cup. From a more relaxed, family-style atmosphere to working closely with young drivers, he shares what has stood out and why this chapter has been such a great fit. William joins after his first O’Reilly Series win at Rockingham, reflecting on the work it took to get there, lessons from a tough season last year, and how he is handling expectations at just 19. He also dives into his race mindset and how he is preparing each week to keep improving. Dale and TJ discuss the importance of patience with young drivers, including Connor Zilisch, and react to Cleetus McFarland’s racing journey and what should come next. They also touch on discipline in the CARS Tour and the challenges of keeping competition under control. Plus, Dale shares his thoughts on Rockingham’s future and how NASCAR is balancing tradition with new opportunities. Ask Jr. wraps things up with everything from purchase regrets to aliens and die-cast cars. 00:00:09 - Intro 00:00:51 - Young Drivers Discussion 00:07:33 - Cleetus at Rockingham 00:10:28 - What Should NASCAR Do? 00:11:52 - Cleetus Can DRIVE 00:15:33 - Cleetus' Content Empire 00:23:13 - Rodney Childers Joins 00:35:23 - CARS Tour Appeal 00:36:30 - How the Appeals Panel Was Put Together 00:38:52 - What the Appeal Hearing Was Like 00:42:52 - Why the Panel Kept the Penalty 00:47:26 - Should the Cup Series Return to The Rock? 00:55:21 - Corey Heim's Chase Eligibility 01:00:13 - Origins of Truck and O'Reilly 01:11:01 - Trading Cards 01:17:27 - William Sawalich Joins 01:27:38 - Ask Jr 01:33:36 - Would Dale Jr. Take a Rocket to The Moon? 01:42:37 - The Race Car Dale Wants to Be a Die-Cast 01:54:50 - Dirty Mo Dough 02:02:02 - Outro THE PODCASTS YOU LOVE. THE MERCH YOU NEED. Get it all here: https://shop.dirtymomedia.com/ Follow Dirty Mo Media Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DirtyMoMedia Twitter: https://twitter.com/DirtyMoMedia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dirtymomedia TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dirtymomedia_ All About Dirty Mo Media: https://www.dirtymomedia.com FanDuel: Must be 21+ and present in select states (for Kansas, in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino) or 18+ and present in D.C. First online real money wager only. $5 first deposit required. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable bonus bets, which expire 7 days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG. Call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat in Connecticut, or visit mdgamblinghelp.org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit GamblingHelpLineMA.org or call (800) 327-5050 for 24/7 support in Massachusetts or call 1-877-8HOPE-NY or text HOPENY in New York.

After Saturday’s O’Reilly Series race at Martinsville Speedway, you know the name Lee Pulliam. And if you’ve been around for his career behind the wheel of a late model, you are long familiar with his name among the living legends of short track racing. After finally getting his breakthrough opportunity in NASCAR after nearly 20 years of racing, Lee Pulliam sits down with the man who took a chance on him, unpacking his life story of trial, tribulation, heartbreak, and victory. Pulliam recounts the countless memories he’s had racing across the southeast in a late model, and the few times his NASCAR career was almost kick-started but always fell through. He shares an emotional moment with Dale in a discussion about what the O’Reilly Series debut meant to Lee’s family, and Dale explains how much Lee’s passion for racing energized everyone at JR Motorsports. This is a can’t-miss episode for anyone in the racing community. 00:00:00 Cold Open 00:00:41 Intro 00:01:31 Growing Up in Roxboro, NC 00:02:48 South Boston Speedway as a Kid 00:04:29 Praying to Race 00:06:08 Graduating High School Early 00:07:06 Working at a Diesel Shop 00:07:43 Lee Buys His First Race Car 00:09:19 First Laps on Track 00:12:31 Winning at South Boston 00:13:45 Lee's Raw Talent 00:15:20 Moving to Late Models 00:16:43 Racing Against Big Dogs 00:19:26 Jay Hitchcock Gives Lee a Chance 00:28:30 The Meeting that Crushed Lee 00:30:40 Getting the ARCA Call 00:32:05 K&N Series 00:35:01 Bristol Crash 00:37:12 Team Shuts Down 00:39:05 Back to Late Models 00:40:50 Racing Against Josh Berry 00:43:03 Running Denny Hamlin's Showdown 00:46:08 Lee & Josh Find Common Ground 00:48:54 Joining the CARS Tour 01:09:47 O'Reilly Debut 01:10:37 Heartbreak at Martinsville 2024 01:18:15 The Opportunity with JRM 01:20:19 Preparing for His O'Reilly Debut 01:21:23 Motion Sickness in The Sim 01:24:20 What Lee Brought to JRM 01:44:48 What's Next for Lee Pulliam 01:52:23 Reflecting on the Full Journey 01:53:52 Closing Thoughts 01:55:37 Post-Show Reflection THE PODCASTS YOU LOVE. THE MERCH YOU NEED. Get it all here: https://shop.dirtymomedia.com/ Follow Dirty Mo Media Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DirtyMoMedia Twitter: https://twitter.com/DirtyMoMedia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dirtymomedia TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dirtymomedia_ All About Dirty Mo Media: https://www.dirtymomedia.com FanDuel: Must be 21+ and present in select states (for Kansas, in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino) or 18+ and present in D.C. First online real money wager only. $5 first deposit required. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable bonus bets, which expire 7 days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG. Call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat in Connecticut, or visit mdgamblinghelp.org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit GamblingHelpLineMA.org or call (800) 327-5050 for 24/7 support in Massachusetts or call 1-877-8HOPE-NY or text HOPENY in New York.

Dale Jr. is back with another episode of Dirty Air, and there’s plenty to talk about. From card-collecting stories and eBay finds to a heated debate over the NASCAR Hall of Fame ballot, Dale and the crew dive into who deserves to get in now and who might be getting overlooked. They break down the latest NASCAR race at Martinsville, including restart chaos, missed shifts, and the growing conversation around respect on the track. Dale weighs in on aggressive driving, retaliation, and how quickly things can spiral in short track racing. Plus, Chase Elliott joins the show to talk about his Martinsville win, the strategy call that made the difference, and how his team continues to improve this NASCAR season. Dale also reacts to Denny Hamlin’s dominant run, the points shakeup, and why consistency matters more than ever in the NASCAR Cup Series. The episode wraps with Ask Jr., Dirty Mo Dough, and plenty of classic Dale stories along the way. 00:00:00 - Intro & Trading Cards 00:06:22 - NASCAR HOF Ballot Discussion 00:10:48 - Ray Elder's Legacy & Misrepresentation 00:15:20 - Breaking Down the Full NHOF Ballot 00:26:25 - Lee Pulliam's O'Reilly Debut 00:28:09 - JRM's Points Strategy & Driver Mindset 00:35:00 - Caruth vs. Love Incident 00:44:32 - Danny Stockman being Involved 00:49:43 - Bubba & Hocevar Wreck 00:53:20 - New Points System: Why Consistency Matters More 00:55:36 - Chase Elliott Joins the Show Live 00:56:16 - Chase on the Early Pit Strategy Call 00:57:40 - Chase on Improving the Car 00:59:12 - Chase on His Relationship with Alan Gustafson 01:01:25 - Chase on Outdueling Denny Hamlin 01:03:23 - Chase on the New Points Format 01:06:26 - Winning Early in the Season for the First Time 01:07:21 - Golf Game & Simulators 01:09:15 - Hamlin's Dominant Race & Wrecking Blaney 01:10:24 - Stage Caution Laps 01:16:03 - CARS Tour race 01:26:36 - Lionel Ultimate Racing Collector 01:29:07 - Ask Jr 01:52:50 - Preview: Rockingham 01:56:57 - Cletus McFarland's Chances & Dark Horses 01:59:39 - Outro & Dirty Mo Dough Segment THE PODCASTS YOU LOVE. THE MERCH YOU NEED. Get it all here: https://shop.dirtymomedia.com/ Follow Dirty Mo Media Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DirtyMoMedia Twitter: https://twitter.com/DirtyMoMedia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dirtymomedia TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dirtymomedia_ All About Dirty Mo Media: https://www.dirtymomedia.com FanDuel: Must be 21+ and present in select states (for Kansas, in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino) or 18+ and present in D.C. First online real money wager only. $5 first deposit required. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable bonus bets, which expire 7 days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG. Call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat in Connecticut, or visit mdgamblinghelp.org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit GamblingHelpLineMA.org or call (800) 327-5050 for 24/7 support in Massachusetts or call 1-877-8HOPE-NY or text HOPENY in New York.

If you’re a motorsports fan, you’ve probably heard the name Scott Speed. From his journey through Formula 1, ARCA, NASCAR, and Rallycross as part of the Red Bull family, the three-time X Games gold medalist has sure done it all. What spawned from a love of racing video games quickly grew into go-karting and a call from Red Bull. Scott was quickly put into the Formula One pipeline, becoming Red Bull’s test driver for F1. A career as a teammate to Sebastian Vettel quickly disappeared after a heated exchange with the team boss. Scott walks through why he decided to go back to America and try NASCAR – and the level of difficulty in stock car racing that he wasn’t prepared for. Dale watches Scott open up about how a broken back in a Rallycross race introduced a new career opportunity with Josh Wise – taking Scott out of the seat altogether. This is an episode of The Dale Jr Download you don’t want to miss. 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:27 Scott's early life 00:03:10 Go-karting and video games 00:06:51 Moving into formula cars 00:07:39 The Red Bull American driver search 00:10:26 Red Bull's vision for an American F1 team 00:11:11 Moving to Europe & British Formula 3 00:13:44 Struggles and health challenges 00:16:22 Becoming Red Bull F1's test driver 00:18:55 Testing the F1 car at Barcelona 00:21:30 Racing for Toro Rosso 00:25:19 Meeting Michael Schumacher 00:29:51 Cursing at David Coulthard 00:31:17 Rainy Nurburgring race 00:33:51 What came next 00:36:57 Guenther Steiner, ARCA & adapting to oval racing 00:43:36 Scott's raw talent vs. NASCAR racecraft 00:44:17 Cup Series debut 00:45:50 Why NASCAR didn't fully capture his heart 00:48:45 Winning but feeling empty 00:52:21 Discovering rallycross 00:54:41 Breaking his back 00:55:45 Coaching Drivers 00:58:38 How the driver development program works 01:01:26 Building work ethic 01:05:34 How often Scott visits the track now 01:06:35 Dale Jr.'s closing thoughts on Scott Speed ________________________________________ THE PODCASTS YOU LOVE. THE MERCH YOU NEED. Get it all here: https://shop.dirtymomedia.com/ Follow Dirty Mo Media Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DirtyMoMedia Twitter: https://twitter.com/DirtyMoMedia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dirtymomedia TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dirtymomedia_ All About Dirty Mo Media: https://www.dirtymomedia.com FanDuel: Must be 21+ and present in select states (for Kansas, in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino) or 18+ and present in D.C. First online real money wager only. $5 first deposit required. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable bonus bets, which expire 7 days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG. Call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat in Connecticut, or visit mdgamblinghelp.org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit GamblingHelpLineMA.org or call (800) 327-5050 for 24/7 support in Massachusetts or call 1-877-8HOPE-NY or text HOPENY in New York.