Racing Rewind: February 7, 2025
The big news and best reads in the motorsport world this week
Welcome to the Racing Rewind! Every Friday, I'll share a round-up of the big news and best reads in the motorsport world — from my own work to the good stuff that made me think.
The latest from E. A. Blackstock:
The first episode of “Deadly Passions, Terrible Joys” Season 2 is LIVE! Listen, watch or read along.
Over on PlanetF1.com, I also explained in more detail how “right-to-work” laws impacted the story of L. W. Wright.
We read “The Sebring Story” by Alec Ulmann, and I dug into why so many motorsport books suffer from the same narrative problems.
Donald Trump said he wants to levy tariffs on most of America's biggest trade partners. Here's what that could mean for Formula 1.
Once again: NASCAR sucks, Dale's dead, run The Boot. (Also in audio format.)
Here's how Cadillac is referencing its motorsport history as it continues to grow into Formula 1.
Netflix is reportedly looking at airing live F1 races, and I think that's a really good thing!
Book Club: “The Sebring Story” and motorsport's painful lack of narrative
Are you ever extremely excited to read a book that you've been dying to get your hands on, only to end up wildly disappointed about the whole thing actually kind of… sucks? Because apparently no one is capable of figuring out a compelling way to tell some of the most interesting stories in sporting history? That just about sums up my experience reading
Big racing news:
Chase Elliott won the NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray, which I hated.
We've seen a bunch of F1 cars hitting the track! It's not quite pre-season testing time yet, but Pirelli has had drivers like Lewis Hamilton put its new, thinner tires to the test, while the Testing of Previous Cars program has allowed Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, and more to start preparing for the season.
Formula E race director Scott Elkins is retiring after Miami, bringing an end to an era.
Oh, and Formula E is filling its mid-season schedule gap by sticking a bunch of influencers and celebrities behind the wheel of its cars, which I am sure is not going to be an issue at all, nope, no way.
BMW took its first win in 15 years at the Bathurst 12 Hour.
Team Penske's Tim Cindric stepped back from running all of Penske's motorsport operations, and he's now going to be focusing on IndyCar.
DPTJ Script: Meet L.W. Wright, the NASCAR driver that never existed
Racing drivers have been competing under fake names since the dawn of the automobile. Some of racing's original rich aristocrats wanted to protect their identity from a disapproving family who might yoink their inheritance at a moment’s notice. Some drivers just didn't want to hurt mom's feelings — especially if they had a sibling who had gotten hurt behind the wheel. Some were women trying to get away with racing under an ambiguous name. Still others opted to race under a name that was
What I loved this week:
In my physical edition of Motor Sport Magazine this month, there's a great story about the 1939 Belgrade Grand Prix, the last European GP to take place before World War II (and just after Germany invaded Poland). I couldn't find the exact version online, but here's a recap that gives a little context as to the race's importance.
I was so inspired by this Substack on “Creator Gravity” — or, how to make authentic, attractive content that draws people in. This is exactly how I've been trying to think of DPTJ this year, but I haven't had the framework for it until now!
This interview with Lauren Smiley about how to craft a compelling piece of narrative journalism has lived rent-free in my head since I read it.