Motorsports

Motorsports Legend Had Stories for Days

Published

4 weeks ago

May 8, 2025

I just heard the news that racing legend Jochen Mass died on May 4 at the age of 78. I knew he suffered a stroke in February and now, just a few months later, he succumbed to complications. Other articles you’ll read or have read will do a better job than this one does of highlighting his remarkable racing career. Quickly, though, among other exploits, Mass won a Formula 1 race as well as the 1989 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Not too shabby.

I met Mass years after he retired from racing, and while we weren’t close, I aways enjoyed any time we spent together. I’ll pretend it was mutual. If nothing else, we always laughed when we saw each other.

His mischievous sense of humor wasn’t a secret; I remember the night we met. It was 2011 during festivities surrounding Mercedes-Benz’s 125th anniversary celebrations in Stuttgart, Germany. Mass was among the last team of drivers to achieve a Le Mans victory for Mercedes, so naturally he was there, along with a who’s who of stars and celebrities including tennis legend Boris Becker and Germany’s chancellor at the time, Angela Merkel.

I’ve always been a Le Mans fan, so I walked up to Mass and introduced myself. He looked down at my name badge, spread his arms wide, and erupted, “Herr Liebermann!” followed by a bunch of German. I understand enough Yiddish to have caught the drift of what he was saying (essentially, it’s nice to meet a German at a big party like this). I stopped him and said look again, there’s only one “N” in Lieberman, it’s Jewish, not German. He looked down, looked back up, smiled, and said, “Oh, well, that’s OK. Nice to meet you anyway.” He then grabbed my hand and we both started laughing, as we’d do for many years to come.

As a (mostly) Mercedes brand ambassador, Mass was a fixture on the fancy car party scene. I could count on seeing him several times a year at events like Pebble Beach, Amelia Island, and either of the two Goodwood events, the Festival of Speed and the Revival. When I was lucky enough to run the Mille Miglia, there was Mass in Brescia at the start of the race. Even though he was who he was (literal motorsports royalty) and I was some random car writer, he’d always make time for me.

He was a master of playing to an audience. Right after the Ron Howard movie Rush came out in 2013 (in which Mass played himself), I was with two friends at a party in Pebble Beach and I noticed him sitting by himself. I asked my friends, “You want to meet Jochen Mass?” You can guess their response. One of my buddies asked Mass what James Hunt was really like. Without missing a beat, Jochen launched into the most wonderful X-rated Hunt the Shunt story you could ask for. The down and dirty, nitty gritty that would never make a Hollywood film. Mass understood the assignment. It was exactly what my friends wanted to hear. Jochen kept looking at me from the corner of his eye and winking the whole time.

Fast forward a few years, and a bunch of us auto-journo types were at a Mercedes dinner in Florida with the guest of honor, Jochen Mass. Someone asked him what his favorite race car was. To a man who had 114 starts in F1 alone, I imagine this is like asking your accountant to talk about their favorite tax return. Still, Mass didn’t miss a beat. He began by explaining how excellent the Porsche 956 handled, how responsive and easy it was to drive. But of course, the 962 was a faster, and more successful racing machine. The Sauber-Mercedes he won Le Mans with was a handful, but effective. And then, like a comedian reading the room, he stopped himself. “But in the Porsche 917, you’d get wheel spin at 200 mph.” Again, it’s exactly what everyone at the table wanted to hear.

I think we truly bonded one year at Amelia Island when he was being honored. I wound up sitting next to him, his fabulous wife Bettina, and one of their twin daughters, Sydné. It turned out Sydné was on her way to journalism school and Jochen spent the whole dinner (when he wasn’t whispering dirty jokes in my ear) peppering me with questions about writing for a living. Again, he was the one being honored, yet I found myself feeling like the center of attention. I found it baffling at the time, but I wasn’t yet a parent. I realized years later he only wanted what was best for his kid. That, and he liked telling jokes.

The Tour d’Elegance is an event that takes place annually on the Thursday of Pebble Beach Car Week. It’s a rally that’s only open to cars that will be featured on Pebble’s 18th Hole on Sunday for the main Concours d’Elegance. Entrants don’t have to participate in the Tour d’Elegance, but if you want your car to be eligible for a class win, it’s got to go on the Tour. Mercedes-Benz is a long-time Tour d’Elegance sponsor, and as such I found myself inside a C111 Gullwing, while Mass was in front of me piloting a 300 SL Gullwing. His passenger? The late Sir Stirling Moss. To underline it, Mercedes has won Le Mans overall just twice. Once in 1952 with Moss, and again in 1989 with Mass. As I was taking video from the C111, shooting the Mass and Moss Gullwing crossing Bixby Bridge, I was overcome by a massive case of imposter syndrome. What on earth was I doing here?

When we parked for lunch, it was bright and sunny outside, and Mass announced he needed a hat. For whatever reason, I knew of a hat store in Carmel-by-the-Sea, so I walked him over to buy one. As we went, I began to explain my severe sudden onset of imposter syndrome, and how overwhelmed and unworthy I felt by driving with two car gods like him and Moss. I finished right before we walked into the hat store. At the door, he looked me over for five seconds and deadpanned, “I feel something different.” Then his face twisted into a smile and we both burst out laughing, yet again.

One final anecdote, and while this is my favorite, Mass wasn’t even there. I was driving somewhere with two fellow journalists, Autoweek’s Mark Vaughn and The Wall Street Journal’s Dan Neil. I can’t remember why we were talking about Mass, but Neil began to tell us what today we refer to as “The Balloon Story.”

This goes back to an odd phenomenon in the 1990s, when instead of blasting themselves into space, billionaires were obsessed with circumnavigating the globe in giant balloons. You might remember the late Steve Fossett. Anyhow, Neil told us how Mass told him that sometime in the 1990s, Jochen was asked to accompany some rich guy on a big balloon flight. I don’t remember if they were going around the globe or just crossing the Atlantic, but Mass tells Neil the balloon went down somewhere near the Azores.

The pod they were in allegedly became damaged when it hit the water, and the rich guy wound up with a head injury. Mass had to tread water for 14 hours and keep his companion from drowning before they were rescued. Jochen was known for his physical prowess—I’d heard stories he could walk up stairs on his hands, an incredible feat of strength. So while wild, the story was at least on the surface plausible.

I googled “Jochen Mass balloon crash.” No results. The three of us began thinking this could very well be a story he made up, just to pull Neil’s leg. The man was funny like that. We couldn’t get ahold of Jochen, but I had his wife’s cell number. I texted Bettina, asking if this seemingly tall tale was true. She wrote back, “Yes! It was a terrible accident. Jochen almost drowned. I told him, ‘No more balloons!’”

Once again, I find myself laughing. I wish you were still here to laugh with me, Jochen.

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Motorsports

Amazon Prime Video’s AI NASCAR Graphic Explained

Amazon Prime Video’s newest NASCAR stat incorporates tens of thousands of incoming data points in real time, using machine learning over the course of a race for more accurate outputs. But when “The Burn Bar” pops up on screen, senior coordinating producer Alex Strand doesn’t want viewers to spend time thinking about the math involved. […]

Published

4 minutes ago

June 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

“That’s ultimately our North Star at Amazon,” Strand said. “How do we bring more data to viewers, but do it in a way that they can digest?”

The graphic package was 18 months in the making, stretching back to Strand’s first meetings with analysts Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Steve Letarte, as they watched a race and discussed what Amazon could add to the picture when it began streaming races this year.

“We actually think fuel is a really, really cool part of racing,” Strand said. “It’s just no one’s really figured out how to tell that story yet.”

Letarte added that fuel strategy would be a particularly relevant talking point during Amazon’s stretch of races this spring, including Sunday’s showdown at Michigan International Speedway.

Back in 2008, for instance, Earnhardt Jr. cut off his engine during a late caution at MIS, coasting to save every ounce of gas and outlasting his competition for the checkered flag.

It’s exactly the kind of maneuver—nearly invisible to the untrained eye—that Prime Video’s booth hopes to spotlight, similar to the company’s work on pre-snap cat-and-mouse games during Thursday Night Football broadcasts.

“This is awful because I’m an announcer, but I think the more a sport can be displayed, both visually by the director and graphically by the great graphics director and producer—that’s my goal,” Letarte said.

Amazon says it has developed a proprietary artificial intelligence model to track fuel mileage for every car on a lap-by-lap basis, primarily based on throttle and RPM measurements, while race teams are likely only viewing similar data for select vehicles. Amazon data scientists, computer vision experts, engineers and producers—including Prime Video producer for analytics and insights Sam Schwartzstein, a former football player who helps lead Thursday Night Football’s Prime Vision with Next Gen Stats efforts—contributed to the development process, which also relies on Amazon Web Services’ cloud computing power.

So far, the Burn Bar has largely been broken out for specific drivers in key moments, though it could also be used to compare a car’s race to previous events, or even more significantly, to the rest of the field.

“That’s really where the story unfolds as the race unfolds,” Letarte said.

Viewers are now getting to see it for themselves.

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Motorsports

USA Network NASCAR Broadcast Team: Everything to Know

As the NASCAR Cup Series continues to motor deep into the 2025 season with the Firekeepers Casino 400 this weekend at Michigan International Speedway, the hard-fought, blistering battles on the track have been nothing short of exceptional, producing nine different winners to date. Familiar faces like Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Ross Chastain, Christopher Bell, William […]

Published

38 minutes ago

June 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

How to Watch

Catch up on past episodes of Race For The Championship on Peacock

That said, summer’s only getting started, and once August rolls around – when Cup Series competition is at its fiercest with would-be contenders all seeking to punch their postseason tickets – USA Network will officially take the broadcast wheel for the remainder of the regular season, as well as the playoffs, with NBC also airing four races. But before the Cup Series switches broadcast gears, let’s take a closer look at the veteran team calling all the action from the track.

Here’s a rundown of the key names to know in USA Network’s NASCAR coverage.

Leigh Diffey – Play-by-Play

In addition to being NBC’s primary Olympics announcer, Leah Diffey has become a go-to, trusted voice in motorsports. Before anchoring USA Network’s Cup Series broadcast, Diffey served as the chief play-by-play commentator for NBC Sports’ coverage of the NASCAR Cup Series, its Supercross coverage, and the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship. In 2019, the Australian broadcaster spearheaded NBC’s inaugural coverage of the Indianapolis 500, repeating the role annually ever since.

Jeff Burton – Analyst, Pre/Post-Race

After amassing 21 wins in the NASCAR Cup Series along with 27 victories in the Xfinity Series, Jeff Burton has served as a NASCAR analyst since joining NBC’s coverage of the sport in 2015. Burton, who was the 2014 Cup Series Rookie of the Year and became just the sixth driver to eclipse 1,000 NASCAR career starts in 2013, is a pillar of the racing community. Dubbed “The Mayor” by fans, the living legend’s relatable demeanor makes him a fan-favorite, and his special position in the league has allowed him to pursue helping NASCAR enhance driver safety throughout the different levels.

Steve Letarte – Analyst, Pre/Post-Race

Steve Letarte began his career with Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) at the age of 16 and has never looked back. From mechanic to tire specialist, Letarte worked his way up the racing ranks until he landed the coveted role of crew chief on the No. 24 team for Jeff Gordon in 2005. After achieving 10 wins and 76 top-five finishes with the four-time champ, Letarte partnered up with Dale Earnhardt Jr., serving as his crew chief on the No. 88 HMS team.

Marty Snider – Reporter, Pre/Post-Race Host

After starting his career in 1994 as a sports reporter for NBC, Marty Snider quickly found his niche within motorsports. Between producing ESPN’s NASCAR Today, co-hosting The Morning Drive on Sirius XM’s NASCAR channel, and a myriad of other endeavors, Snider’s amassed six network Emmy awards and NASCAR.com’s “Pit Reporter of the Year” in 2007.

Dale Jarrett – Pre/Post-Race

Inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2014, Dale Jarrett captured 32 Cup victories during his storied 24-year career in racing’s top flight, including three Daytona 500 wins. Like his father Ned Jarrett, who earned a pair of Cup Series titles, Jarrett hoisted the Bill France Cup in 1999. As a long-time collaborator with NBC, Jarrett’s wealth of knowledge and extensive experience are integral components to USA Network’s pre/post-race coverage.

Brad Daugherty – Pre/Post-Race

From the hallowed hardwoods of UNC-Chapel Hill to the Cleveland Cavaliers, former standout center Bad Daugherty was always destined to play basketball in the NBA. Still, his skill on the court would never exhaust his passion for the track, and the native of Black Mountain, North Carolina, who wore No. 43 to honor Richard Petty, now co-owns Hyak Motorsports (formerly JTG Daugherty Racing). He joined NBC Sports during the 2020 NASCAR season.

Pit Reporters

Backing up USA Network’s illustrious crew of veteran broadcasters is a deep bench of energetic pit reporters, whose savvy knowledge about the sport and its myriad of elite competitors help craft compelling narratives around each race. This year, USA Network and NBC have tapped long-time collaborators Kim Coon, Dave Burns, and Parker Kligerman to lead those efforts.

The first NASCAR Cup Series race lands on USA Network on August 3 with the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol. Coverage then shifts to NBC on August 23 for the Coke Zero Sugar 400. The remainder of the post-season will air on USA Network except for the final two playoff races and the NASCAR Cup Series Championship in Phoenix, Arizona, which will air on NBC. To find out more, please check local listings and the Cup Series schedule.

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Motorsports

NASCAR Saturday schedule at Michigan International Speedway

Michigan International Speedway will feature more than six hours of virtually nonstop action Saturday as the NASCAR Truck and Cup series hit the 2-mile oval. The Craftsman Truck Series will qualify to set the starting lineup for a 125-lap race starting at noon. The only time the NASCAR Cup Series has had a podium celebration […]

Published

1 hour ago

June 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Michigan International Speedway will feature more than six hours of virtually nonstop action Saturday as the NASCAR Truck and Cup series hit the 2-mile oval.

The Craftsman Truck Series will qualify to set the starting lineup for a 125-lap race starting at noon.

NASCAR Cup Series Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum

The only time the NASCAR Cup Series has had a podium celebration was for the Clash at the LA Memorial Coliseum exhibition races from 2022-24.

In between, the Cup Series will hold a one-hour practice at 9:30 a.m., followed by qualifying for Sunday’s 200-lap race. Tyler Reddick is the defending winner at Michigan.

The Truck Series will race at Michigan for the 22nd time but the first since Aug. 7, 2020, making the Brooklyn, Michigan, track one of six new tracks in 2025 (and one of four that are returning to the schedule). Zane Smith was the most recent Truck winner at Michigan.

Michigan International Speedway schedule

(All Times Eastern)

Saturday, June 7

Garage open

7:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. — Cup
6:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. — Truck

Track activity

8:05 – 9 a.m. — Truck qualifying (FS1)
9:30 – 10:30 a.m. — Cup practice (Prime, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
10:40 – 11:30 a.m. — Cup qualifying (Prime, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
12 p.m. — Truck race (125 laps, 250 miles, Stage 1 at Lap 30, Stage 2 at Lap 60; Fox, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Weather

Saturday: Cloudy with a high of 76 degrees and light winds. It’s expected to be 71 degrees with a 2% chance of rain at the start of the Truck race.

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Motorsports

NASCAR hopes for Cup Series race in Brazil, but unsure of timeline

Published

1 hour ago

June 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps said he doesn’t “know when we’ll get to Brazil” for a Cup Series race, but added that he would “like to see it happen” as NASCAR prepares for its race in Mexico City, according to Erick Gabriel of MOTORSPORT. Phelps, who came to Brazil during the NASCAR Brazil round at Interlagos, said, “Obviously, we need all parties to come together and understand how important that would be for NASCAR in general and for the category.” There were “previously talks to get ‘The Clash’ to Brazil, but those talks never advanced” and the race will remain at Bowman Gray Stadium for 2026. NASCAR VP & Chief International Officer Chad Seigler said, “I personally think we are exceeding expectations of where we thought we would be.” Seigler: “You could hear this week the excitement when overtaking was done. You can see that the fans are getting used to our style of racing.” On June 15, for the first time in the “modern era of the Cup Series,” a points race will take place “outside the borders of the United States as they head to Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City” (MOTORSPORT, 6/5).

NEW ON PRIME: In Daytona Beach, Ken Willis wrote NASCAR’s partnership with Amazon’s Prime Video involves “just five midseason races” within a 36-race season, but it has “thrown a definite monkey wrench into the clutch assembly.” The reviews of Prime’s coverage “are solid to great, and the reviewers aren’t wrong.” The product is “really good.” Willis: “Struggling with the labyrinth of streaming TV offerings isn’t a made-up malady. It’s a real thing, and quite maddening for folks who are already being nickel-and-dimed to death by phone and cable companies selling us air at ever-increasing prices.” Viewership numbers are OK through two weeks of NASCAR on Prime.” Prime is “averaging between” 2-3 million viewers per race, which is “right in line” with races on Fox’s cable arm, FS1. If the numbers were “in the ditch, meetings would be held.” Most important is “future potential,” and the parties are “betting that Prime offers the opportunity to attract new viewers and fans that might not otherwise pay attention” (Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL, 6/5).

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Motorsports

NASCAR Sets Sight On International Drivers as Commissioner Speaks Out On Expansion

NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps has spoken about his hopes of attracting Brazilian drivers to the sport with the possibility of the country hosting a race in the future. As one of NASCAR’s four international series alongside Canada, Mexico, and the Euro Series, Brazil has hosted the NASCAR Brasil Series since 2012, and Phelps is keen […]

Published

2 hours ago

June 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps has spoken about his hopes of attracting Brazilian drivers to the sport with the possibility of the country hosting a race in the future.

As one of NASCAR’s four international series alongside Canada, Mexico, and the Euro Series, Brazil has hosted the NASCAR Brasil Series since 2012, and Phelps is keen to see some of the drivers from the series join either the Craftsman Truck, Xfinity, or Cup Series.

During an interview with Motorsport.com, Phelps explained:

“We have a driver who is from Mexico, Daniel Suarez, and that’s a great victory for us. Not through our driver development program, [but] we also have Shane Van Gisbergen from New Zealand [who] used to race in Australia.

Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, and Erik Jones, driver of the #43 Dollar Tree Toyota, race during the NASCAR Cup Series Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on June 01, 2025…

James Gilbert/Getty Images

“We’d like to have drivers from all over the world coming to race with us, in our three national categories, but in particular in our main category, like what Daniel and SVG are doing.”

He added:

“We’d like to have a Brazilian come out of NASCAR Brazil, come and race with us full-time, and, you know, compete for wins and championships. So we’re excited about this prospect, I was very impressed with the number of drivers I saw and how fast they were and their abilities, and we’re excited about this happening in the future.”

Phelps was promoted to the newly formed role of NASCAR Commissioner in March. He commented at the time of the announcement:

“I’m honored to take this next step in helping to guide NASCAR, the sport I’ve loved since my father took me to my first race at 5 years old, continue to grow and welcome new fans, competitors and partners that together create some of the most extraordinary moments in sports.

“I cannot thank the France family enough for their unwavering commitment to our fans, their steady leadership, and most importantly, their stewardship of stock-car racing since its inception nearly eight decades ago. This sport is truly one of the great American business stories and I’m privileged to continue as part of that legacy – and especially its bright future.

“We are thrilled to name Steve Phelps as NASCAR’s first Commissioner. His leadership, professionalism and well-earned respect from across the sports industry speak to his unique value for the sport,” said NASCAR Chairman & CEO Jim France added.

“With more than 50 years of expertise between them, both Steve Phelps and Steve O’Donnell bring tremendous expertise, stability and a commitment to the bold racing innovations that will continue to serve fans, teams and stakeholders for many years to come.”

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Motorsports

TNT Sports & Max Announce NASCAR Driver Cam “Featured Multiview” Selections for FireKeepers Casino 400 on Sunday, June 8 – Speedway Digest

TNT Sports and Max today announced the driver selections for NASCAR Driver Cam’s Featured Multiview during this Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 from Michigan International Speedway, with streaming coverage beginning approximately 30 minutes before the green flag: Brad Keselowski, with a top 15 finish at Circuit of the Americas this season (March 2). Joey Logano, looking […]

Published

2 hours ago

June 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

TNT Sports and Max today announced the driver selections for NASCAR Driver Cam’s Featured Multiview during this Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 from Michigan International Speedway, with streaming coverage beginning approximately 30 minutes before the green flag:

Brad Keselowski, with a top 15 finish at Circuit of the Americas this season (March 2).
Joey Logano, looking for another strong finish to follow his May 4^th win at Texas Motor Speedway.
Bubba Wallace, currently 12th in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series standings, with a couple top 10 finishes at Martinsville Speedway (March 30) and Talladega Superspeedway (April 27) this season.
Ty Gibbs, looking to gain momentum following his two top 10 finishes in April at Briston Motor Speedway and Darlington Raceway.

B/R Racing’s X and Instagram platforms will also host four head-to-head polls through this Friday featuring eight additional drivers for fans to vote on which four will be featured on a special “Fan Selected” Multiview stream on Max.

Individual Driver Cams will also be available for all drivers in the NASCAR All-Star Open earlier in the evening on Sunday.

The NASCAR Driver Cam experience — exclusive to Max — offers motorsports fans the ultimate all-access pass to every driver for every race throughout the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, including a layered audio mix of scanner team radios and ambient car noise, all synced up with a 1080p Driver Cam feed (on supported devices). 

Fans will be able to choose between the up to 40 individual Driver Cams or the two pre-set Multiview stream options featuring four drivers each. Each individual driver stream features integrated live stats— stage, lap number, position and race status — along with telemetry data including speed, RPM, gear, and more. Users can pause, rewind and fast forward as well, and a replay of each individual driver stream will be available following each race.

The NASCAR Driver Cams and Multiviews are available to stream within Sports on Max. Users can find all NASCAR Driver Cam on Max live content on the upcoming schedule at https://play.max.com/live-sports-schedule.

TNT/WB PR

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