CONCORD, N.C. – Wednesday, the latest episode of “Road to Race Day” were released on the go90 streaming platform.
Viewable on the “Road to Race Day” page on go90 and the free app from the Apple and Android stores, the newest episode -- split into three parts -- follows Kasey Kahne and the No. 5 team in the lead-up to the trip to Sonoma Raceway, and ultimately the race itself.
The series provides glimpses we might never otherwise get to see up close, and after watching this week’s edition, 10 moments stood out.
10) We check in on a group of fans at Sonoma Raceway lovingly dubbed the “Redneck Train” – featuring a variety of vehicles, and even a handful of grills and smokers, all chained together to make for an epic ride around the infield.
9) In this week’s episode, we meet Michael Oxendine, a No. 5 team engineer who pulls double-duty as the front-tire carrier on the No. 5 team pit crew. It makes for a unique look at two different parts of a race team.
8) Kahne’s Shark Week paint scheme is on display as the team prepares the car to take on Sonoma Raceway. Oxendine explains some of the differences in the setup at a normal track versus a road course like Sonoma.
7) We hear directly from Kahne how much he has grown to love racing at Sonoma and take a look back at him capturing a win at the track in 2009. We get to hear a variety of chats between the driver and No. 5 team crew chief Keith Rodden as the team looks to perfect the setup of the car and avoid excessive “wheel hop.”
6) We see how Rodden stays connected to his family when he’s at the track, catching a glimpse of him FaceTiming his daughter back home.
5) The No. 5 team heads to a farm and winery for a Great Clips dinner, and the cameras allow us to tag along for the ride as Kahne, Rodden and the team taste a variety of wines and have a delicious meal.
4) We get to go inside a driver meeting and hear some of the instructions given to team members before each race. At Sonoma, Kahne sits next to teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. as final preparations for the upcoming race are underway.
3) The episode shows just how taxing a road course race can be, and we follow a cast of characters including a pair of spotters, the radio communication between Kahne and Rodden and even a unique view of a pit stop courtesy of a helmet cam as the race unfolds en route to a top-10 finish for the No. 5 team.
2) No. 24 team interior mechanic Jordan Allen makes a cameo, and we find out that he’s about to get married. By the end of the episode, cameras head to uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, for the big wedding day – and the family atmosphere at Hendrick Motorsports is obvious as many of Allen’s teammates are in attendance.
1) A running theme throughout the episode is the continuation of Hendrick Motorsports’ pit crew tryout combine. We watch as the athletes are run through a variety of drills while current pit crew members take in the action. As the coaches make the final decisions on who made the cut, the cameras go inside the meeting rooms on campus during deliberations and ultimately the tough phone calls made to those athletes who won’t get the official call-up to the organization.