BLEACHERS & FEATURES — IRISH SAUNDERS: A LIFE IN RACING

Episode 6 of Bleachers & Features is here — and this one is special. For the first time ever, we have a guest on the show. Irish Saunders joins me for nearly an hour to talk about an incredible life spent around racing — from tires and NASCAR to short tracks, promoting races, raising racing families, and some of the biggest names and stories in the sport. We talk about Irish's time with Hoosier Racing Tire, including the NASCAR Cup Series tire wars, Darrell Waltrip's 1989 Daytona 500 victory on Hoosiers and Rick Mast putting a Hoosier on the pole for the 1994 Brickyard 400. We talk about helping a young upstart named Tony Stewart get a ride, Irish's interactions with a teenage Jeff Gordon, and the night of his close friend Rich Vogler's death. We get into stories involving Ken Schrader, Ray Dillon, Bentley Warren, Bill France and Ryan Preece, Irish's history at South Bend Motor Speedway, his time promoting Plymouth Motor Speedway, and the incredible racing stories surrounding his sons. Irish opens up about his son Eric's spinal injury, his fight back from paralysis and his return to racing — and winning — as well as his son Garrett's racing career. And that's only part of the conversation. Also in Episode 6: 🏆 Brock Ganus and Terry Senneker take the Rabers Rumble and Kalamazoo Klash 🏎️ My night at M40 Speedway, including my buddy Evan Verduin making his debut in the #72 Street Stock, Dakota getting the win, and a visit with Jason Seltzer in the booth 🏆 New Paris Speedway crowns its season champions ❓ Questions surrounding the future of some local tracks And an emotional closing tribute to one of my childhood racing heroes, Dale Olivier Sr., who passed away today. This episode is packed with racing history, incredible stories, family, heartbreak, perseverance, and the people who make this sport what it is. Welcome to Episode 6 of Bleachers & Features. If you enjoy the show, make sure to like, subscribe, and leave a comment — and let me know what part of Irish's incredible story stood out to you the most. #BleachersAndFeatures #BujuBullring #ShortTrackRacing #RacingHistory #SouthBendMotorSpeedway #PlymouthMotorSpeedway #M40Speedway