Podcast interview: Regan Smith

Nigel Kinrade/Motorsport Images

By Kelly Crandall - Jun 19, 2020, 1:16 PM ET

Podcast interview: Regan Smith

Regan Smith has made over 450 starts in NASCAR competition. Along the way, he’s nearly won a race, did win a crown jewel event, served as a substitute for some of the sport’s biggest names, and has driven for almost every team. Well, that might be an exaggeration, but Smith has undoubtedly experienced a lot since making his national series debut in 2002.

Smith joins The Racing Writer’s Podcast to discuss some of the memorable moments from his career -- like what he did in the NASCAR hauler after being told he didn’t win at Talladega in 2008. He also explains a factor that led him to Fox Sports, where he currently serves as an analyst and pit reporter.

Plus:

  • How it has been reporting from the track under COVID-19 restrictions
  • Ways he’s improved in his role since the first year he started on pit road – and learning from his Fox teammates
  • Smith’s unique relationship with Matt Yocum, who interviewed him after his first win at Darlington (and the souvenir Smith got to keep)
  • If Smith ever felt racing was starting to slip away from him, and why he’s tried to appreciate the Cup races he’s run
  • The experience of sharing a car with Hall of Famer Mark Martin
  • What circumstances he views as “absolutely miserable” and “exhausting” for a driver
  • Feeling as though he was at the top of his game in the Xfinity Series, and then not having a ride
  • The transition into television and how it has changed his relationships in the garage

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Kelly Crandall
Kelly Crandall

Kelly has been on the NASCAR beat full-time since 2013, and joined RACER as chief NASCAR writer in 2017. Her work has also appeared in NASCAR.com, the NASCAR Illustrated magazine, and NBC Sports. A corporate communications graduate from Central Penn College, Crandall is a two-time George Cunningham Writer of the Year recipient from the National Motorsports Press Association.

Read Kelly Crandall's articles

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