A ’Vette, an Indy 500 vet, and a mountain to climb: JR Hildebrand’s Pikes Peak challenge | RACER Weekly

A ’Vette, an Indy 500 vet, and a mountain to climb: JR Hildebrand’s Pikes Peak challenge | RACER Weekly

JR Hildebrand’s 12 starts at the Indianapolis 500 including a second-place finish in 2011. But now the open-wheel racing ace is taking on a different mission and setting his sights on the production car record at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. JR joins RACER Weekly to talk about the weapon of choice for his “Race to the Clouds” attempt, a 1,250hp Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X hybrid hypercar, and the unique challenge of ascending through 4,720ft, 12.42 miles and 156 turns to Pikes Peak’s 14,115ft summit.                                                            #JRHildebrand #TeamChevy #Corvette #CorvetteRacing #PikePeak #PikesPeakInternationalHillClimb #IndyCar #Indy500 #RACER #racing #motorsports

Man vs. mountain with four-time Pikes Peak Hill Climb winner Robin Shute | RACER Weekly

Like so many who experience the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb for the first time, Robin Shute came, saw and was hooked for life. He’s now a four-time King of the Mountain on the 12.42 miles and 156 turns that make up one of America’s most iconic and daunting motorsports challenges. This year, the U.S.-based Brit brings an all-new car, the wild and winged SendyCar V1, in his quest for a fifth overall win on the 14,115ft Colorado mountain. Robin joins RACER Weekly to talk about the magic of the mountain, his singular pursuit of Pikes Peak glory, and the keys to finding ultimate speed in the rarefied air of the Rockies’ most famous summit.       #PikePeak #HillClimb #F1 #Formula1 #RobinShute #SendyCar #KingoftheMountain #RACERpodcast #RACER #motorsports #PikesPeakInternationalHillClimb

NASCAR 2026: Remembering Kyle Busch, the driver, the man, the father | RACER Weekly

The sudden passing of Kyle Busch left the world of NASCAR stock car racing reeling. On track, he was one of the giants of the sport. A multi-time champion, record-setting race winner and guaranteed future Hall of Famer. Off the track, the brash kid from Las Vegas had grown into a loyal and loving family man and a mentor and role model for his son and next-gen driver, Brexton. RACER’s NASCAR editor, Kelly Crandall, joins RACER Weekly to remember a racer whose talent and inner drive didn’t just make his competitors raise their game, but the media who covered him, too. Plus, we look back with Kelly at an emotional win in Charlotte’s Coke 600 for a guy who learned so much from Kyle, Daniel Suarez, put the spotlight on rising Cup Series force Spire Motorsports, and marvel at the season 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick has enjoyed so far.      #KyleBusch #RowdyNation #NASCAR #KellyCrandall #Coke600 #DanielSuarez #SpireMotorsports #TylerReddick

F1 2026: Antonelli’s winning habit puts Russell on the back foot | RACER Weekly

When Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli was handed the Mercedes seat vacated by Formula 1 legend Lewis Hamilton, the expectation and the pressure was sky high. How do you follow the G.O.A.T.? Now, just a handful of races into his second season of F1, the 19-year-old phenom is delivering on the hype, winning grands prix for fun, and stretching his lead in the world championship points. RACER’s F1 expert Chris Medland joins RACER Weekly to talk about the rise and rise of Kimi, how teammate George Russell can put his faltering title challenge back on track, and who can close the gap to Mercedes’ gold-standard silver machines. Plus, we look at Max Verstappen’s 24-hour reset and run the rule over some of F1 2026’s over- and underachievers.                                                     #F1 #Formula1 #KimiAntonelli #GeorgeRussell #MercedesF1 #LewisHamilton #MaxVerstappen #Nurburgring24

Hitting 345mph with NHRA Top Fuel dragster ace Shawn Langdon | RACER Weekly

The fastest guy in motorsports? That would be Top Fuel racer Shawn Langdon, who hit a record-shattering 345.00mph top speed as he rocketed his Kalitta Air dragster to a 3.724sec ET pass in Southern Nationals qualifying, May 1. The former Top Fuel champ and current points leader joins RACER Weekly to talk about the art, science and brute force of taking a nitro-burning, 12,000hp dragster to record speeds, what it’s like behind the wheel as he accelerates through 1,000ft in 3.6 seconds, and how crew chief Brian Husen and his Kalitta Motorsports crew are making the magic happen. And if 20 weekends of Top Fuel action aren’t enough, Shawn tells us about the fun, satisfaction and lack of sleep that trailering his sportsman dragster around the country brings.   #ShawnLangdon @KalittaMotorsports #NHRA #DragRacing #nitro #topfuel #Racing #RACERpodcast