RACER Radio: A road runner’s ride to RACER

When Culture editor Peter Corn asked me to step in as guest DJ for this week’s installment of RACER Radio, an array of potential approaches came to mind. As a retired touring musician, should I celebrate the van culture that was the beating heart of my years on the road? What about something with an unusual and hyper-specific theme, like a collection of songs that feature a car as a main character, or tracks where the narrator is speaking from the passenger seat?

I ended up settling on a bit of all three.

Above all else, my favorite songs — and playlists — are those that tell a story and tell it well. From John Prine to Elliott Smith to Taylor Swift and countless others in between, the artists whose work I admire most are those with an innate ability to transport their listeners to a particular place and time or distill an all-consuming feeling down to one simple, perfect line. It was that reflection that inspired me to take my own narrative approach to this week’s playlist and tell the tale, in 12 songs, of my ride to joining RACER.

Each song on this list is a mile marker on the road that saw me go from being a musician and music journalist with a motorsport hobby to a motorsport journalist with a music hobby. Perhaps you’ll hear something that reminds you of your own story; more than anything, I hope you hear something you like.

Some highlight moments:

“We’re At the Top of the World”: This was on the soundtrack of my favorite Disney Channel Original Movie, “Motocrossed,” a retelling of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” set in the world of—you guessed it—motocross, which 7-year-old me was completely enraptured by and watched on repeat for months on end upon its release. The film was my introduction to motorsport, and I had no idea at the time that real-life motocross icons like Travis Pastrana and Jeremy McGrath made cameos in it. If racing movies are your thing, consider giving it a watch.

“Cruise”: The first interview I ever conducted was with Florida Georgia Line’s Brian Kelley, a then-recent graduate of my alma mater, to discuss the success of this breakout hit for an Intro to Journalism assignment. Neither of us knew what we were doing, but I got a valuable lesson in how not to conduct an interview and ultimately went on to become a music journalist, though I never did wade into the pop country world again. Now that I’ve moved into motorsport, I find it a fun coincidence that the song that started it all was car-centric.

“My Boys": Touring and racing are both team endeavors, and this little ditty perfectly encapsulates the kinship and camaraderie needed to make the worst days survivable, best days unforgettable, and help you continually find the grit to keep going.

“Midwestern States”: On this day eight years ago, I was in the middle of a full U.S. tour with The Menzingers to promote this record, and my bandmates and I would blast this song in the van on our drives between shows and go hoarse from screaming along. “I hope this isn’t a burden/thanks for having us over” is something of a pull-string phrase for any DIY musician who often hits the road.

Most importantly of all, a dear friend I made on that tour and bonded with over motorsport later introduced me to a magazine he was into called RACER, a small gesture that changed the way I thought about sports journalism and ended up opening the door for me to find my way here at the start of the year. Shoutout to Scott.

“SGL”: The following spring, I went out on another month-long run, this time with the bands Foxing and Now, Now. Several tracks on Now, Now’s album “Saved” see their narrator out on a drive, racing towards something unreachable, but "SGL” is sung from an idling getaway car with an undiscovered puncture in its rear left tire. And hey, what is a tour van if not a getaway car? Listening to this song puts me right back in the front seat of the Ford E-150 that served as mine that season.

“Haunted”: This song is about returning from an interlude and falling back into an old, familiar rhythm, sharper and wiser for your time away. After spending a few years focused on writing fiction, I found myself on a path back to journalism, first via the chess world and then here at RACER.

“Angel In The Marble”: A week from today, I’ll be in Sin City for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, my final event of the 2026 season and the perfect note to close on. “Motocrossed” may have been my introduction to motorsport, but it was Formula 1 that got me hooked for good after a label mate introduced me to the series in 2014. F1 references stipple this Stormzy track, and though it’s not about racing, it is about appreciating the view from victory lane. I can’t wait to see it for myself.