Davey Segal welcomes on Pete Pistone (5:55), co-host of The Morning Drive on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, for an extended conversation about his background in the sport, how he wound up in his current role, some intricacies of the show and more.
Pistone details his beginnings in motorsports with his uncle "Tiger" Tom. From riding inside his race car down the highway while eating popsicles, Pistone's passion for racing was evident. After attending Northern Illinois University, he started calling local races at Rockford Speedway as the PA announcer, where he also wore various other hats, where the next phase of his career took shape.
Chicago born and bred, Pistone spent time at WGN covering multiple stick and ball sports (while also focusing on racing). He recalls the phone lines lighting up when he spoke about racing on the radio for the first time, writing for the Chicago Sun Times and being an early adopter to the digital media age and starting an online motorsports blog.
Pistone explains how he got the job alongside Mike Bagley as co-host of The Morning Drive on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, why the deal almost didn't happen, his chemistry with Bagley and why opposites seem to attract, why he feels a morning radio show has a different vibe than any other show, how he approaches conversations on air that he knows are difficult to have, his daily routine (with an early wake-up call) and what he and Mike's goal of the show every morning is.
Davey and Pete also discuss some fun memories over the last 14 years, including his favorite interview, bucket list conversation, most memorable listener phone call, live shows at Waffle House, his Portillo's order and more, including what he still wants to accomplish in his career with his newly announced venture PSP Communications.
Davey briefly recaps the great racing at Auto Club Speedway, previews Las Vegas and Papa Segal pays homage to the No. 38 with one of his favorite drivers.
