BREAK/FIX the Motorsports & Vehicle Enthusiast Variety Show

Automotive History Live marks Pontiac’s 100th anniversary with Tim Dye tracing the brand from Edward Murphy’s 1893 Pontiac Buggy Company to the 1907 Oakland Motor Car Company and GM’s purchase after Murphy’s 1909 death. He covers Oakland’s 1924 quick-drying paint and early four-wheel brakes, GM’s “car for every purse and purpose,” and Pontiac’s 1926 debut at $825, record 76,742 first-year sales, and rapid expansion into the "Daylight Plant." Dye highlights key eras including the end of Oakland in 1931, wartime production, and Pontiac’s performance transformation under Bunkie Knudsen, Pete Estes, and John DeLorean—racing wins, Wide Track, Tempest innovations, the GTO, OHC six, Firebird, and the Endura bumper—plus influential advertising and design. He recounts Pontiac’s final years, the last Pontiac built (a white 2009 G6), and how he tracked it down, alongside museum and convention milestones.

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00:00 Buggy Company Origins
02:14 Chief Pontiac Namesake
03:16 Oakland Becomes Automaker
04:54 1924 Innovations Tour
06:11 GM Ladder and Pontiac Launch
08:30 First Pontiac Stories
10:49 Myths and Promoters
14:03 "Daylight Plant" Expansion
14:37 Depression and Oakland Ends
15:41 War Work and Reinvention
17:45 Wide Track and Tempest Tech
20:39 Racing Dominance to GTO
23:39 The DeLorean Era Innovations
27:36 Design Ads and Leadership
30:10 World Tour and Final Home Plant
31:37 Last Pontiac Hunt
33:44 Museum and Centennial Wrap
34:42 Sponsors and Closing Credits

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The Motoring Podcast Network : Years of racing, wrenching and Motorsports experience brings together a top notch collection of knowledge, stories and information. #everyonehasastory #gtmbreakfix - motoringpodcast.net

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This episode is part of our AUTOMOTIVE HISTORY LIVE! SERIES and is sponsored in part by: The Studebaker National Museum and The Society of Automotive Historians (SAH) and was recorded in front of a live studio audience.

In this Evening With A Legend session, Michael Keyser—driver, filmmaker, and author—recounts his path from photographing Le Mans in 1970–71 to racing there as a privateer, while also filming material that became The Speed Merchants. He describes shooting in heavy rain, pit-lane life, encounters around Porsche and Ferrari teams, and early experiences with danger, including Piers Courage’s fatal crash at Zandvoort. Keyser details his 1972 Le Mans in a 2.5L Porsche 911 ST with Jürgen Barth and Sylvain Garant, finishing 13th and winning the GT 2.5 class as the only 911 to finish, plus a similar Porsche Curves off in 1974 with an RSR and a 1976 Le Mans attempt in a Monza ended by drivetrain failure. He explains where his footage went, how The Speed Merchants was released and is still available on DVD via autosportsltd.com, and shares opinions on modern Le Mans and why he doesn’t plan to return.

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00:00 Meet Michael Keyser
02:01 First Le Mans As Photographer
06:13 Rainy Night And Piper Crash
08:16 Lost Keys And Track Roaming
11:16 1971 Return And Changing Paddock
13:01 From SCCA To FIA License
14:02 Watkins Glen Shunt
15:22 New 911 ST And Film Crew
17:56 European Races: Targa Florio To Nürburgring
22:02 Arriving At Le Mans 1972
23:48 Racing in Night Fog and Bonnier Crash
28:23 Porsche Curves Mistake
29:26 Finishing 1972 Le Mans: Only 911 To Finish
31:18 Filming Speed Merchants
33:43 1974 Armco Repeat
38:25 Why The Monza (1976)
41:22 Monza Shakedown Chaos: Tires Off The Rims!
47:12 Where The Films Are Now
49:07 Modern Le Mans Thoughts
50:06 Lessons And Legacy
53:13 Closing Thanks And Sponsors

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The Motoring Podcast Network : Years of racing, wrenching and Motorsports experience brings together a top notch collection of knowledge, stories and information. #everyonehasastory #gtmbreakfix - motoringpodcast.net

More Information: Visit Our Website

Become a VIP at: Patreon

Online Magazine: Gran Touring

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To learn more about or to become a member of the ACO USA, look no further than www.lemans.org, Click on English in the upper right corner and then click on the ACO members tab for Club Offers. Once you become a Member you can follow all the action on the Facebook group ACOUSAMembersClub; and become part of the Legend with future Evening With A Legend meet ups.

This episode features Quinn Beekwilder, assistant professor and coordinator of Belmont Abbey College’s Motorsport Management program, who shares his path from a political science degree and real estate to graduating from the program, working a decade at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and returning to teach. He recaps the program’s origins with Belmont resident and Charlotte Motor Speedway leader Humpy Wheeler, created to reduce industry turnover by preparing students for motorsport’s demanding realities. Once NASCAR-centric, the curriculum now spans global disciplines, emphasizes motorsport history, and requires multiple internships and experiential trips (Rolex 24, IndyCar St. Petersburg, World of Outlaws, PRI). Belmont Abbey has grown to 60+ undergraduates, launched the nation’s first fully online M.A. in Motorsport Management with 20+ first-semester students, started the Accelerate Abbey high school summer camp, and received Colonel Donald Capps’ motorsport collection for its library.

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00:00 Meet Quinn Beekwilder
01:25 Quinn’s Career Path
02:16 Why Motorsport Education?
03:32 Program Origins with Humpy Wheeler
05:26 Degree Growth and Expansion
06:27 Broadening Beyond NASCAR
07:58 Teaching History and Context
09:40 First Masters of Arts in Motorsport Management
11:47 "Accelerate Abbey" Summer Camp
13:13 Don Capps Collection Donation
14:31 Alumni Network in Action
16:42 Experiential Trips and Internships
19:10 Building the Full Ecosystem
20:02 What’s Next and Thanks
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The Motoring Podcast Network : Years of racing, wrenching and Motorsports experience brings together a top notch collection of knowledge, stories and information. #everyonehasastory #gtmbreakfix - motoringpodcast.net

More Information: Visit Our Website

Become a VIP at: Patreon

Online Magazine: Gran Touring

Follow us on Social: Instagram

This episode is part of our HISTORY OF MOTORSPORTS SERIES and is sponsored in part by: The International Motor Racing Research Center (IMRRC), The Society of Automotive Historians (SAH), The Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Argetsinger Family - and was recorded in front of a live studio audience.

This episode of The Logbook, our History of Motorsports series, revisits a 2015 IMRRC “Syracuse Mile: A Look Back” program celebrating the New York State Fairgrounds’ famed dirt oval, the “Moody Mile,” after its final season. Moderators Joe Marotta and Gary Montgomery lead a driver panel with Wes Moody, Glen Donnelly, Alan Johnson, Gary Tompkins, Danny Kapuschinski, Johnny Birosh, and Mel Lane, sharing stories of record-speed laps, unique innovations like the Gary Ballou car, wide-open sprint car runs, pit strategy, crashes, and the culture of Super Dirt Week. Donnelly recounts launching Super Dirt Week in 1972, weather battles, and future plans for new facilities and track surfaces. Historian Dr. Gary George traces the track’s history from early 1900s auto races and AAA/USAC champ cars through stock cars, special events, and tragedies, underscoring the Syracuse Mile’s legacy and irreplaceable significance.

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00:00:00 Moody Mile Tribute
00:01:52 Welcome and Introductions, Meet the Panel
00:06:15 Wes Moody 100 MPH Lap
00:10:45 How Super Dirt Week Began
00:15:05 Donnelly Vision and Grit
00:17:18 Danny K First Time Magic
00:21:35 Birosh Sprint vs Modified
00:26:08 Tompkins Racing Memories
00:35:21 Mel Lane Two Car Perspective
00:37:42 Sprint vs Modified Times
00:38:21 Knoxville vs Syracuse
00:39:11 Alan Johnson Takes Stage
00:40:05 Survival and Strategy, a Non-Qualifiers Comeback
00:44:48 Early Driving Myth
00:45:38 Turn One Crash Memory
00:47:29 Offseason Shop Grind, and "Syracuse-Only" Cars
00:52:04 Aero Tricks and Fords
00:53:58 1900 Letter Origins
00:54:55 Famous Cars
00:58:22 Future Track Vision
01:00:49 Unsung Heroes and Jackets
01:03:07 Afternoon Session Setup, Joe Marotta Childhood Memories
01:10:55 Dr. Gary George History Slides
01:14:22 War Pauses Racing; Roaring Twenties Motorcars
01:21:36 Postwar Return 1949
01:22:12 Fifties IndyCar Glory
01:24:05 Date Changes, the 1974 Crash and Stock Cars Take Over
01:27:39 Women And Early NASCAR
01:29:28 Innovation And Big Wrecks + First Night Racing
01:35:41 Salt City And USAC Disaster
01:37:29 Motorcycles, Trucks and Snowmobiles
01:41:11 Supermodifieds & Outlaws
01:44:58 4th of July Tragedy
01:48:07 Break And Thanks
01:48:38 Tom Thumb Autograph Story
01:51:03 Gary Tompkins Takes Ride
02:01:25 Ballou Car Shockwave
02:05:51 Hochman Dirt Week Journey
02:18:02 Legacy Farewell Sponsors

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The Motoring Podcast Network : Years of racing, wrenching and Motorsports experience brings together a top notch collection of knowledge, stories and information. #everyonehasastory #gtmbreakfix - motoringpodcast.net

More Information: Visit Our Website

Become a VIP at: Patreon

Online Magazine: Gran Touring

Follow us on Social: Instagram

This episode is part of our HISTORY OF MOTORSPORTS SERIES and is sponsored in part by: The International Motor Racing Research Center (IMRRC), The Society of Automotive Historians (SAH), The Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Argetsinger Family - and was recorded in front of a live studio audience.

Recorded live at the International Motor Racing Research Center in Watkins Glen, Joe Marotta and Kip Zeiter preview a day-long retrospective celebrating the history of Syracuse’s “Moody Mile” after the track’s final race, emphasizing celebration over politics with driver roundtables, slides, and video. Historian Dr. Gary George discusses his lifelong racing passion, early visits to Syracuse dating to 1949, and a presentation built with fellow historians Jeff Ackerman and Mike Maney, including video starting with the 1972 race. Guests recount memories such as the naming of the “Moody Mile” linked to a 1970 100-mph modified lap, snowmobile and motorcycle racing at the fairgrounds, and standout competitors like Gilles Villeneuve and Smokin’ Joe Frazier. Drivers Cal and Mel Lane share experiences, while champion Gary Tompkins reflects on key Syracuse runs and the Jim Beachy/Pillsbury era. 

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00:00 Pit Stop - Live at Watkins Glen!
00:58 Moody Mile Farewell
02:17 Meet Dr. Gary George
04:32 First Syracuse Mile Memories
05:33 Chris Economaki Stories
06:52 Building the History Presentation
08:12 Joe Cali and Racing Archives
09:59 How the Moody Mile Got Named
13:15 Drivers Cal and Mel Lane
15:29 World of Outlaws at the Mile
17:21 Secrets of Mastering the Mile
18:49 Motorcycles and Memories
19:34 Mel Retires and Rebuild Talk
20:08 Snowmobile Legends
21:44 Gary Tompkins Joins In
22:35 Mile Near Win and Strategy; 2002 Fuel Gamble to Second
24:27 How Gary Got the Ride
25:46 Championship Magic Season and Classy Banquet Stories
27:41 Landing National Sponsors
28:57 Gary’s 2015 Comeback Grind
31:10 Smokin’ Joe Frazier Tease
31:57 Preserving the Moody Mile
33:41 Sign Off and Sponsors

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The Motoring Podcast Network : Years of racing, wrenching and Motorsports experience brings together a top notch collection of knowledge, stories and information. #everyonehasastory #gtmbreakfix - motoringpodcast.net

More Information: Visit Our Website

Become a VIP at: Patreon

Online Magazine: Gran Touring

Follow us on Social: Instagram

This episode is part of our HISTORY OF MOTORSPORTS SERIES and is sponsored in part by: The International Motor Racing Research Center (IMRRC), The Society of Automotive Historians (SAH), The Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Argetsinger Family - and was recorded in front of a live studio audience.